Hawaii Real Estate News

July 18, 2011

Basic Kailua Real Estate Guide

Kailua is a popular town on the island of Oahu. Kailua has a limited number of houses. Most of the houses are smaller compare to houses in other areas. The houses in Kailua usually have no attic and basement. Before moving to Kailua, there are several things you need to do. 

To move your things to Kailua, you can hire a shipping company. The shipping company will come to your house and pack the things into a large container. You can either pack the stuffs into the container yourself or let the staff pack them. After all the stuffs are loaded into the container, the driver will drive it to the harbor. You can also use pallet to ship your stuff. If you choose to transport your items on pallet, you need to bring them to the dock. After that, you must load your items on the pallet and wrap them so that they will be ready for shipping. After the items arrive at the island, you can contact a mover to collect the pallets. You can make arrangement with the mover to meet at a certain place so that you can unload your belongings from the container.

Hawaii has strict rules regarding the importing of animal. If you are planning to move your pet, you should make preparation early so that your pet can easily enter. There are several ways to get your pet ready for relocation. If you make preparation early, your pet will not be put into quarantine. It is recommended that you prepare your pet for relocation about 4 months in advance. Certain types of animals are not allowed in Hawaii. For example, dog hybrids such as wolf, Bengal and Savannah are not allowed into Hawaii.

If your children have reached the schooling age, you can send them to a school in the neighborhood. You should pay visits to several schools in the neighborhood so that you know which school is the most suitable for your children. Kailua has many public and private schools. The location of your new home in Kailua will determine the public school, which your children will attend.

You will need a car to travel around the area so it is recommended that you ship your car. You should check with the car shipping company how long it would take for your car to arrive at the destination. Before you get your car transported across the Pacific Ocean, you need to remove the personal items.

Posted in Oahu Guide
July 18, 2011

Leasehold and Fee Simple Properties in Hilo Real Estate

In Hilo, there are two types of properties including fee simple property and leasehold properties. Fee simple property is the most common type of property in the U.S. continental. Fee simple property is also known as fee simple absolute because the purchaser will gain full ownership of the land. The purchaser will gain ownership of the land as well as the buildings. In fee simple ownership, you don’t have to pay rent. The fees you will need to bear include maintenance and real property taxes. If you buy a fee simple property, you will have the right to do anything with it. For example, you can sell or give the property away.

Most of the lands in Hilo are under the ownerships of trusts. This practice has been maintained during the monarchy period. At that time, a few large estates own the land. Until today, the land is still owned by these trusts. The trusts will lease the land to the public by charging a leasehold interest. Buyers who purchase properties will be required to make lease payments and property taxes regularly.

There are very few fee simple properties in Hilo. Leasehold property land accounts for the majority of the land in Hilo. The cost of a fee simple property is higher compare to the leasehold property. Simple fee property is expensive because the property is registered under the owner name. When the owner dies, he can pass it to his heir. The leasehold provision in Hilo will last for 55 years. The rent for leasehold property is about 30 years. The rate of the leasehold property depends on the market value. Financing for the leasehold property is available. Before you can get financing, the mortgager will check how many years is remaining in the lease.

After you purchased the leased land, you will need to pay a rent payment. The lessor will hold al the rights to the properties. He will have the right to enforce the conditions of the leas. For example, he has the right to gain complete control over the possession after the expiration of the lease term. When buying a leased property in Hilo, be sure to obtain a copy of the lease documents. If the lease document is not available, you should obtain a copy of the documents that contain information about the major provisions of the lease. The lease document can be the master lease, apartment lease or condominium lease.

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 18, 2011

Hilo Relocation Tips – Packing and Picking up Your Belongings

After buying a house in Hilo, you will want to pack up your things quickly so that you can move there soon. There are many things you have to do before moving to Hilo. You have the responsibility to protect your property. You will have to determine the items you need to protect and the items you don’t need to protect. You can separate these items by grouping them into a corner of the house. It is your responsibility to protect your property. If you did not protect them, the moving company won’t pay for the missing valuables. You should compile a thorough high value inventory list so that you can easily separate the valuable properties. After that, you should obtain an appraisal for the items. To get an appraisal easily, you must provide the purchase receipt. Some of the valuable items you can include in the high value inventory list are jewelry, antiques and etc. Before departing, you can obtain a copy of the Government Bill of Landing (GBL). If you already bought insurance, you should note it down on block 26 of the GBL form. You should always carry the important documents in your baggage.

On the packing day, you should get yourself ready for the packers. Several staffs from the moving company will arrive at your house. Once they arrive at your house, they will start packing up the household goods. The larger the size of the household, the harder it will be for the workers to supervise. If there are lots of things to pack, you can ask your friends to come over an help. Your friends can monitor the packers and make sure they are doing a good job. If you have kids, you can send them to a childcare center while the packers are packing up the items. You will want to keep your kids out of the way. Valuable items such as jewelry, wallets and purses should not be left at home when the workers are packing up the household goods.

The shipper should be present to sign all the shipping documents. The description of every household good should be listed on the household goods descriptive inventory document. The boxes should be labeled properly so that you know what the contents are. Before loading the items onto the truck, you will be asked to sign a document. Before signing, you must check the condition of each and every item on the inventory list.

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 18, 2011

Hilo Relocation Tips

Hilo is a great location to move to if you are considering relocation to Hawaii. To make the moving process easier, you should avoid bringing all the household items. It will be troublesome if you are to bring all the household items such as furniture, appliances and etc. You can downside the items you need to move by throwing them away or putting them in a garage sale. You should only bring the household items you really need so that the moving cost won’t be expensive.

If you are moving to Hilo, you should pay a containerized moving company to ship your stuffs in container. If you are moving to a large house, you should get an ocean container those measures 20 – 40 foot long. If the house where you are going to move have lesser than 3 bedrooms, you should consider a 6 – 8 foot long moving container. The container will be delivered to the door of your house.

You will have a few days to load your items into the container. After you have finished loading the items into the container, you can call the moving company to pick it up. The driver will start driving your container to Hilo within 1 business day. The transit time of the container to Hilo depends on your current location. The further the location where you are moving from, the more time it takes to arrive at Hilo. The container will be passed to a ship at a harbor. The average transit time is in between 9 – 14 business days.

You have the option of bringing your car to Hilo. If you don’t want to move your car, you can buy a car from a car dealer there. You can do research by calling the car dealers in the surrounding areas of Hilo and ask about the prices of the car you would like to buy. After asking around for the price, you will know whether it is economical to buy a new car in Hawaii or move your car to Hawaii. Often, the cost of moving your car to Hawaii will be cheaper than buying a new car in Hawaii. If you buy a car in the U.S. and get it shipped to Hawaii, you have to pay for the shopping and license cost. If you decide to move your car, you can hire a car moving company. They will pick up your car for a fee. It is estimated that it will take 20 days for the car to reach Hilo from California. 

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 17, 2011

Polihale Beach in Kauai

Polihale Beach ranks as one of the longest Hawaiian beach. The shoreline is about 15 miles long. It is also one of the widest beaches in Hawaii. The width of the beach is 300 feet. The beach is located insider the Polihale Beach State Park. Polihale Beach State Park covers an area of more than 140 acres. The Pacific Missile Range Facility is located on the south side of the beach park. The Na Pali Coast is located on the north. The beach is named Polihale because of its beauty. According to the Hawaiians, the beach is where the souls depart to the underworld. You can take a four-wheel drive to come to the beach. The road that leads to the beach is about 5 miles long. There are many ruts and potholes in the road. If you don’t want to travel by four-wheel drive, you can walk on the dirt road.

From time to time, rough waves will occur at the Polihale Beach. The current will become strong and weak without your knowledge. Besides, the ocean is not protected with a reef barrier. It can be dangerous to swim at Polihale Beach when the current is strong as it can wash you further into the ocean. If you want to swim, you should go to Queen’s Pond. The water level in Queen’s Pond is shallow and the bottom is sandy. A reef also surrounds the pond so it is safer to swim here. Queen’s Pond is situated in the middle of the Polihale Beach’s shoreline.

The Barking Sands sand dune can be found at the beach as well. The local people call the Barking Sands as Keonekani o Nohili. Keonekani o Nohili means the sounding sands of Nohili. It is called the sounding sands of Nohili because the sands can produce a sound when it is slapped together. To produce the sound, you need to use your two hands to grab some sands. After that, you should slap your hand together. The sound can be produced because the sand grains have small holes. The sound comes from the vibrations that occur through the small holes.

Polihale Beach is a great camping site. You can spend a night camping at this beach. They’re re no nearby restaurants so you must bring food on your own. You can also picnic at the Polihale Beach if you want.  

Posted in Kauai Guide
July 17, 2011

Anini Beach in Kauai

Anini Beach is a protected beach located on the north shore of Kauai. The shoreline stretches about 2 miles. It is not a good snorkeling spot because there are many planktons and ocean debris. The plankton and ocean debris prevent the snorkelers from having a clear view of the ocean. However, you will still be able to snorkel in the beach. You will be able to view all kinds of fishes in this lagoon. Some of the fishes, which you can observe, include triggerfish, parrotfish, damselfish and etc. You must be careful when snorkeling in Anini Beach, as there are many sharp corals.

 

A large fringed reef can be found on the entire length of the beach. Anini Beach has the longest reef in Hawaii. Luxurious homes can be found near the beach. The long reef causes the water at the beach to be calm throughout the year. In the winter, there will be large ocean waves. The condition of the water in the reef can change suddenly without providing any sign. Besides, the water can have strong current occasionally. You must always check with the weather before venturing into the ocean. If you want to snorkel, you should stay in the reef sections that are near to the shore.

 

The movie called Honeymoon in Vegas is filmed at one of the luxury homes in Anini Beach. On one side of the beach, the water is about 4 feet deep. From that point, the slowly slope down into 100 foot depth to the other side of the beach. There are plenty of Kamani trees in Anini Beach.  

 

If you want to reach Anini Beach, you should take Highway 56. As you travel along Highway 56, you will past Kilauea. You must pass through the Kalihiwai Bridge and turn right into Kalihiwai Road. After that, you should turn left into Anini Road. Once you have turned left into Anini Road, you can follow the signs to Anini Beach.

 

Anini Beach gets consistent breeze every day so it is a suitable windsurfing spot. You will be able to carry out all kinds of recreational activities such as kite boarding, sail boarding and etc. High surf waves can be formed in the winter. When there is high surf, the rip current will be formed in the water. It can be dangerous to swim in the channel when the rip current is formed. There have been cases of people getting drowned in the beach so you must take extra precaution.

Posted in Kauai Guide
July 17, 2011

Makalawena Beach on Big Island

Makalawena Beach is a beautiful beach on the Big Island. The beach is easily accessible by tourists. The shoreline is about 0.5 mile to 1 mile. The length of the shoreline stretches over 5 coves. Makalawena Beach is not a crowded beach. Very few people come to Makalawena Beach. Although very few come visit the beach, it offers beautiful view of the scenery. It takes about 20 minutes to hike to the \beach trail. The beach trail begins at the parking lot of Kona Coast State Park. Kona Coast State Park is also called Kekaha Kai State Park. It is situated near to the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway.

There are two ways to access Makalawena Beach. You can reach the beach by driving to Kekaha Kai Beach. After you reach Kekaha Kai Beach, you should head north to Makalawena Beach. If you want to travel this route, you can start at Highway 19. As you travel on Highway 19, you will see a junction where you can turn into the ocean. The junction is situated in between marker 90 and marker 91. After you turn into the junction, a sign for Kekaha Kai State Park can be seen. The road to Kekaha State Park is not paved but an ordinary vehicle should have no problem in traveling it.  At the end of the dirt road, you will find place where many cars are parked there. If you keep on continuing to walk north, you will see Makalawena Beach. Another way of traveling to Makalawena beach is to drive a jeep there. It is recommended that you use a jeep to reach the beach because the terrain is uneven. 

The water at Makalawena Beach is azure. Within a few yards from the beach, there Isa large coral reef with shallow water. If you like snorkeling, you can dive into the shallow water coral reef. To view the fishes and coral reef, you must swim to the dark colored water. If you swim north, you will be able to see a large multicolored reef. The multicolored reef has many caves. At this snorkeling site, you will be able to see the Hawaiian green sea turtle. In the afternoon, you can sit down on the shore of the beach and watch the sunset. You will be able to enjoy sunset at the Kohala coast. It is also a good kayaking spot. You can rent kayak at the nearby rental centers and explore the beach. 

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 17, 2011

Mauna Kea Beach in Hawaii Big Island

Mauna Kea Beach is a beach located near to the Mauna Kea Beach Resort. The locals also call the beach Mauumae Beach. There are plenty of trees at Mauna Kea Beach. There are no facilities so you should bring all the necessary equipments. Mauna Kea Beach is usually not visited by a lot of tourists. This is a great beach to bring your kids. When the beach has a gentle surfing wave, you can go swimming. It is also a nice place to go picnicking. You should bring your own drinking water, snacks and food, as there are no nearby restaurants. Mauna Kea Beach is not available to the public directly like other beaches on the north of Hawaii’s Big Island. It is located inside the Mauna Kea Beach Resort. You will have to get into the hotel if you want to gain access to the beach. 

At the entrance to the resort, you will see a guard. You must tell the guard that you want to pay a visit to the Mauna Kea Beach. Usually, the guard will let you enter the resort if there is still a parking spot. A permit will be issued to you at no charge. You will be provided with a map so that you know the direction to the Mauna Kea Beach. It takes about 5 minutes to drive to the beach. During the journey, you will pass over 2 wooden bridges. After you passed the 2 wooden bridges, you will reach the power pole #22. You can park your vehicle here. After that, you can take a walk on the trail and head to the beach. It takes another 5 minutes to reach the beach on foot. The hotel has 30 parking places. If you are not staying at the hotel, you should come early so that you will have a place to park your car. If you are staying at the hotel, you can walk to the beach. In case the hotel parking lot is full, you can park your car at the car park near Hapuna Beach.

The best time to come to Mauna Kea Beach is before 9 a.m. If there is no parking spot, you can come again in the afternoon. At this time of the day, most of the people that come early to the beach will be heading home so you should find plenty of parking places. Mauna Kea Beach has a shoreline of about 0.25 mile long. You can stroll on the seashore and enjoy the cool breeze in the afternoon. If you want to snorkel, you can visit the south of side of the beach.

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 16, 2011

Free Tourist Guide to Mahaolepu Beach in Kauai

Mahaolepu Beach is a remote beach with soft golden brown sand. The beach is named after a legendary battle that took place in 1300s. In 1300s, Kalaunuio Hua decided to make an effort to conquer all the islands. To conquer the islands, Kalaunuio Hua decided to take a boat trip to Kauai. When he reaches Mahaolepu Beach, he found Kukona standing on the ridge. Kalaunuio Hua and his army rushed over to meet Kukona. When he reached there, he couldn’t find him. Kukona is now standing at another nearby ridge. To reach the place, Kalaunuio Hua and his soldiers have to pursue a chase inland. In the end, Kukona managed to defeat the tired army. Hence, the place was never conquered until today. On this beach, you will find a house. A civil engineer that used to work at the Koloa Sugar Plantation built the house. The hurricane Iniki destroyed the house during the mid 1900s. After that, the Gillin family rebuilt the house in 1992. From that time onwards, the Gillin family has owned the beach. 

Mahaolepu Beach receives strong winds daily so it is suitable for windsurfing activities. Kite surfing activities are quite popular at the beach as well. Before going to surf at the beach, be sure to check with the local people about the weather. The shoreline is undeveloped so you can explore the surrounding areas on your own. Dangerous waves can occur at the beach because of the strong winds. The beach also has strong currents and sharp coral.

Nearby Mahaolepu Beach, there is a coastal trail. The beginning of the coastal trail is located at Shipwreck Beach. The coastal trail has various terrains including small sand dunes and sinkhole cave. If you keep on hiking the trail for 2 hours, you will reach the Mahaolepu Beach. From time to time, the monk seals will come up to the shore and rest. The beach is not crowded so you can enjoy a relaxing day here. Mahaolepu Beach is a great spot for swimming and snorkeling in the winter. The water will be calm in the winter months since the beach is located in the south shore. You can drive a vehicle to Mahaolepu Beach but the journey will be bumpy. To travel by vehicle, you have to take the dirt road nearby to Hyatt. The road will only be opened until 6 p.m.

Posted in Kauai Guide
July 16, 2011

Information about Keawakapu Beach in South Maui

Keawakapu Beach is a white sandy beach situated nearby to Wailea on the south of Maui. Many expensive real estates are found near to Keawakapu Beach. Because of the residential community in the nearby region, it can be difficult to find this beach. Most of the local people that live in Wailea know about the beach. However, foreign people may not be able to locate it since the residential community hides its view. There is no coral fringing reef offshore. Because of this, it is not safe from the strong currents and high ocean waves. If there is a powerful ocean wave, you should not swim at the beach.

If you dive under the water at Keawakapu Beach, you will find a junkyard of cars. The underwater junkyard has approximately 150 cars. The cars are located approximately 400 yards from the shore. The people have been throwing cars in this sea since 1962. This artificial reef is created to protect the shoreline from dangerous waves. Before the junkyard reef was developed, the tall waves frequently crashed against the shore. Consequently, many houses located nearby to the shoreline are destroyed. It also offers protection for the fishes. After the junkyard reef was created, the number of fishes in the sea has been increasing steadily. Today, you can dive in at this artificial reef to watch various types of fishes. It is a good snorkeling spot for beginners.

The Palms at Wailea is located within a short waking distance from Keawakapu Beach. You can visit the rocky terminus to carry out snorkeling activities. You can also perform other activities such as boogie boarding and strolling at this place. If you want to use the internet, you can go to the clubhouse. The Hawaiian sea turtles often come to the beach. You should keep your eyes out for them if you are curious to see it. You can see green turtles and fishes swimming in the reef near to Mana Kai. Although it is a remote beach, it offers picturesque scenery.

Keawakapu Beach offers a relaxing spot for people who want to have some peace. If you need a place where you can relax, you should come to Keawakapu Beach. There are some trees that provide shades at the beach. The beach is so large that it won’t become crowded during peak times. Keawakapu Beach receives plenty of sunshine because it is situated on the dry coast of Maui. It is an excellent beach for children. 

Posted in Maui Guide