September 2011

It's Aloha Friday Again: Best Burger Places on Oahu

According to "Aloha Update" online, "Everyone likes a good burger. Okay, not everyone, but those of us who do, we need to have a great one to really be satisfied. Not many things are better than biting into a juicy, made-to-order burger that you know is going to be delicious. Few places offer a really, really great burger. However, there are a few spots on Oahu that do indeed offer a selection of delicious, mad-to-order burgers. Here are some of the best on Oahu."

The Counter

The Counter is actually fairly new. It has only been open for a couple of years. However, in that short timeframe, it has already established itself as a leading burger joint on Oahu. Located at Kahala Mall (Next to Chilis)

Oahu Housing Supply Outlook for August 2011

Contents of the Housing SupplyOutlook Report include:

• PROPERTY TYPE ANALYSIS
• Inventory
• Months Supply
• Home Sales
• Pct. of Original List Price Received
• Median Sales Price
• Days on Market Until Sale
• PRICE RANGE ANALYSIS
• Inventory
• Months Supply
• Home Sales
• Pct. of oroginal List Price Received
• Days on Market Until Sale

View the Oahu Monthly Indicators Report for August 2011 Now.

Mahalo For Reading.

Chart : Your Home Purchasing Power Soars On Low Mortgage Rates

I've posted a similar chart in the recent past, however the chart below does an even better job of illustrating the purchase power of low mortgage rates.

And, the chart below is even more graphic.

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Honolulu ranked No. 3 among best cities

According to the "Pacific Business News" online, "Honolulu is ranked No. 3 on Businessweek BusinessweekLatest from The Business JournalsAdvanced Healthcare Partners forms to propel ‘disruptive technologies’Justice Department unlikely to negotiate with AT&T to save mergerWinston-Salem 10th most fun, affordable city in U.S. Follow this company .com’s list of the 50 best cities in the United States."

Hawaii’s capital was cited for its beauty, low unemployment and low level of foreclosures as one of the best places to live. Businessweek also gave points for Honolulu’s air quality, which it said “is about as good as it gets.”

The list evaluated 100 of the largest cities in the nation, looking at

30yr Fixed 4% and 15yr Fixed 3.375% both with 0% Origination

This week we witnessed the unexpected, the Fed announced new measures to boost the economy. Expectations are low for much economic growth to result from the measures, but they did help push mortgage rates to historic lows. 

The Fed released its statement Wednesday afternoon, and MBS markets then staged a very strong rally for several reasons. First, quite simply, the Fed confirmed that there are "significant downside risks" to the US economic outlook. Slower economic growth reduces inflationary pressures, which is favorable for mortgage rates. Second, the Fed announced the widely expected Operation Twist program. This program will extend the average maturity of the Fed's portfolio by

If you’re having a hard time keeping up with your payments, there may be a solution for you. According to Bank of America, with the Home Affordable Modification program you may be able to reduce your monthly mortgage payment to as low as 31% of your gross income. This program, which is part of the federal government’s Making Home Affordable initiative, aims to help people keep their homes, despite financial hardship. If you’re going through a difficult time – maybe you’ve lost your job, had a medical emergency, or perhaps you’re getting divorced – this program may provide you with the ability to stay in your home.

Even if you’ve already missed a payment, the Home Affordable Modification may still be able to help you. With Bank

It's Aloha Friday Again: Waikiki gets electric vehicle charging stations

According to "Bloomberg Business Week" online, "Two electric vehicle charging stations have been installed at a Waikiki hotel."

"AeroVironment announced on Thursday it has installed the stations at the Marriott Waikiki and plans to install others at the Outrigger's Ohana Waikiki East, Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk and Wailea Beach Marriott on Maui."

"AeroVironment is one of four private companies and two county governments that received federal stimulus money to build about 250 of the stations. The grant recipients pitched in $2 million in matching funds."

"The company says the newly installed stations help address growing demand for sustainable tourism"

Mahalo

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Oahu Home Sales See Double-Digit Growth in August

According to "Pacific Business news" online, "Condominium sales rose 15 percent to 338 units sold, compared to 294 units sold in August 2010. The median price of an Oahu condo was $300,000, essentially flat when compared to the median price of $303,000 during August of last year."

Read the rest of the article.

Mahalo For Reading.

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Want a quick way to figure out if your city or town is rallying on home values? Check out your area's home sales inventory.

A good, thorough look at local home inventories can tell you how much your home is really worth, and what are its chances of selling if and when you decide to put it on the market. By and large, home prices decline as local home inventories rise. That’s because with more competing inventory, home sellers in such locations often reduce the prices of their homes, which sets off a cascading effect among other sellers who are forced to lower the prices of their homes, too, to keep their chances of selling at a premium.

Housing industry research data bears this theory out. According