Local Living

Short Sale Your Home Now or You May Owe Taxes

If you’ve been putting off the Short Sale of your home, take note. The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Act expires at the end of 2012 and there is no guarantee it will be extended into 2013. If you are underwater or on the fence about listing and selling your home as a Short Sale or HAFA Short Sale to avoid foreclosure, you need to call me. The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act gives tax relief to homeowners who have sold their home via short sale or lost their home to foreclosure. Beginning January 1, 2013 the discharge of debt via short-sale will be considered income. If you sell your home prior to January 1, 2013 you will not need to claim the sale as income. Per IRS….”the indebtedness discharged is qualified principal residence indebtedness which is discharged before January 1, 2013.” Reminder that a Short Sale can take up to a year from start to finish. Know you are not...

You never know just what real estate gems you’ll find here on the Big Island. Case in point: the Frank Lloyd Wright designed home tucked away in Waimea. The original design by Wright was adapted by Taliesin Architects and the home is certified by the Frank Lloyd Wright foundation. Situated along a seasonal stream on nearly three acres, the 5,500 square foot residence offers stunning views from the wall of tall glass doors across the back of the house, and there’s a seamless continuity between inside and out. A place like this is truly an architectural marvel and a piece of history, but we can also call it one of the island’s great real estate deals. Originally listed at $2.9 million, this gorgeous home ultimately sold for under a million dollars and came complete with Frank Lloyd Wright designed furniture. Lucky home buyers! If you’re looking for a hidden gem of your own, let me help. If your perfect...

Economist Has Encouraging Words for Realtors

Economist Paul Brewbaker had encouragement for the West Hawaii Association of Realtors Friday. The Big Island’s real estate market doesn’t have an excess of housing inventory, and while the market has been “bubble-iscious” and prices have bounced around at lower levels than the last several years, cheap prices mean sales should be going up, Brewbaker said. “It’s time to look forward and stop looking backward,” Brewbaker said during the organization’s annual meeting at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. “The story is, you will be hating life in 2018 if you do not buy this house now.” Read the full story on the West Hawaii Today site.

Big Island Coffee – A Great Way to Start the Morning

I grew up on a coffee farm in Kona. As a teenager, I’d pick coffee and my dad would pay me $7 for a big bag. That was enough to fill my little Toyota Corolla with gas! Times may have changed, but when we talk about Hawaii-grown coffee many people still think of Kona beans like those I harvested. Here’s a surprise, though. Locals will tell you that coffee on the Big Island has roots in the Paauilo area. The beans that started in this little community along the Hamakua Coast eventually made their way to Kona, becoming the famed Kona coffee bean. According to the folks at Daily Fix Coffee: In 1892 Hermann Widemann introduced the first Guatemalan variety. He gave seeds to John Horner, who planted an orchard of 800 trees in Hamakua, on the northeastern side of the island. Kona coffee is celebrated at the annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival every November here on the Big...

Airline Services Expand for Big Island, Hawaii

Deciding to take up residence on the Big Island comes with some amazing opportunities: the Pacific Ocean nearby, plentiful tropical fruit, and sun-drenched beauty outside your door. But one thing that might concern home buyers is how easily they’ll be able to maneuver between here and the neighboring islands or the US mainland. While island carriers do a great job of moving people around the state and back and forth between here and the mainland, in recent weeks our options have increased. In June, United Airlines launched daily nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport and Hilo and a once-weekly nonstop service to Hilo from its San Francisco hub The flights are operated by Continental Airlines. Hawaiian Airlines recently added three Boeing 717-200 aircraft to their inter-island routes in response to increasing consumer demand. With these aircraft joining the fleet, Hawaiian will expand its interisland service between Honolulu, Hilo, and Kona. Once you’re settled into your fabulous new island...

If you’re one of those people who seek out microbreweries wherever you go, you’ll be happy to know that even way out here in the Pacific you can find a good brew. Here on the Big Island, you have several choices for sampling locally flavored ales, IPAs, and porters. Kona Brewing Co. – Located in Kona in an unassuming industrial area, enjoy delicious pub fare and pizza in the outdoor seating area while you decide just which of the craft brews on the menu are your favorite. The brewery is located on site and free tours are available. The Pipeline Porter is a must-try if dark beer is your thing: brewed with 100% Kona coffee grown on the Big Island, the distinct coffee flavor might tempt you to switch up your morning routine. Hawaii Nui Brewing – Stop by this tasting room where you can sample several locally produced beers and pick up a growler or a mix-and-match six-pack....

Hiking Kalopa State Recreation Area in North Hawaii

About an hour’s drive from the famed Kohala Coast resort area and beaches, Kalopa State Recreation Area and Forest Reserve offers visitors a different view of the island. Situated three miles inland from Mamalahoa Highway at the 2,000-foot elevation, visitors to the park enjoy the kind of quiet and solitude that’s rare on busy beaches. Expansive lawns and picnic tables make this a perfect place to hang out with good friends (or a book). But perhaps a bigger attraction are the hiking trails. The Kalopa Gulch Trail System borders (no big surprise) the Kalopa Gulch, offering views down into the 150 to 200-foot deep gulch an occasional glimpses of pools of water. What you might not expect to hear is this: Kalopa Gulch (and nearby Hanaipo Gulch) were “formed largely by meltwater from the Pleistocene glacial icecap of Mauna Kea.” Glaciers! In Hawaii! What a gorgeous hike this is. There are fern-lined trails through stands of eucalyptus, silk oak,...

Local Living

Short Sale Your Home Now or You May Owe Taxes

Frank Lloyd Wright on the Big Island?

Economist Has Encouraging Words for Realtors

Big Island Coffee – A Great Way to Start the Morning

Airline Services Expand for Big Island, Hawaii

Big Island Brews

Hiking Kalopa State Recreation Area in North Hawaii

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