Blog

Posted

Tax Reform vis-a-vis Hawaii Property Prices & Your Financial Bottom Line - If you are in the market to buy a new home or sell your current home this month's Hawaii Damon newsletter is a must read. The new tax reform starting in 2018 will definitely affect the real estate market in general - the reasons for which it will have a bigger impact in Hawaii compared to the US average - will be explained. I will delve into how it could impact your bottom line and how to possibly and strategically reduce your tax burden vis-a-vis the new and existing tax rules*. We will first look at the MID (Mortgage Interest Deduction) newly limited to $750,000 on a new home loan which is down from $1,000,000.

Posted

Here are the December 2017 (November Data) Oahu Hawaii Real Estate housing statistics courtesy of the Honolulu Board of Realtors – Hawaii Housing Stats, Dec-2017. The final quarter of the year normally experiences slower sales activity. However, in November we saw robust double digit increases for re-sales of both homes and condos compared to the previous year. Higher single family home prices are continuing to drive the sales of alternatively more affordable condos. In Summary: Overall Oahu Real Estate Sales have increased by 12.9% and 19% respectively in November for Single Family Homes and Condos. The overall trend is upward.

Posted

Welcome to the Dec 2017 edition of our Great Value Hawaii Luxury Real Estate! We feature both Homes & Condos which we think offer especially great value for potential Buyers. The first property we showcase is a luxury home on Diamond Head under tax assessed value. It is a gem of a buy for either a family or the savvy investor. The second property showcased here is the conveniently located and semi-luxury Waikiki Park Heights building in Waikiki. The building allows short term vacation rentals making it a lucrative buy as an investment property.

Posted

Here are the November 2017 (October Data) Oahu Hawaii Real Estate housing statistics courtesy of the Honolulu Board of Realtors – Hawaii Housing Stats – November 2017. Due to seasonal factors, Fall tends to be the slowest period for real estate activity on Oahu. Regardless, sales have continued at a steady pace seeing both overall sales and prices increase from the same month last year. Higher single family home prices are continuing to drive the sales of alternatively more affordable condos. In Summary: Overall Oahu Real Estate Sales in October have increased by 13.7% and 2.7% while Median Oahu Real Estate Prices have increased by 1.3% and 10.9% respectively for Homes and Condos. The overall trend is upward.

Posted

Oahu Buyers & Sellers Markets Details - In this month's Hawaii Damon Newsletter we will look at several East Oahu neighborhoods while giving a general overview of the market status in the rest of Oahu. If you are in the market for a home or considering selling your home in the near future, this month's main topic is a must read! Am I selling in a Sellers' Market and buying in a Buyers' Market? Or, vice versa? - Whether you are a Buyer or Seller or both, this is an extremely important piece of information to know.

Posted

Welcome to the October 2017 edition of our Great Value Hawaii Luxury Real Estate! Prices are decreasing (average sales prices for homes are on average approximately 9% less than the last listed MLS asking prices*) making it a great time for Buyers to find good value properties in these neighborhoods. The first property we showcase today is a luxury home on Hawaii Loa Ridge below tax assessed value. The second property showcased here is the lovely Tahitienne Luxury Condos on the beautiful Gold Coast which per square foot makes it one of the most expensive - and breathtaking - places on the planet. One of the units is below tax assessed value.

Posted

Here are the October 2017 (September Data) Oahu Hawaii Real Estate housing statistics courtesy of the Honolulu Board of Realtors – Hawaii Housing Stats – October 2017. Median condo prices in September tied with highest record set in July this year. Higher single family home prices are in turn driving the sales of alternatively more affordable condos. In Summary: Overall Oahu Real Estate Sales have increased by 13.7% and 2.7% in September for Single Family Homes and Condos respectively compared to the same month last year. The overall combined trend is upward. Median Oahu Real Estate Prices have increased by 1.3% and 10.9% respectively for Single Family Homes and Condos compared to September last year. he overall trend is upward (the notable exception would be the Hawaii luxury homes areas).

Posted

Your CAP Rate would be the yearly NOI (Net Operating Income) on, for example, your investment condo you have rented out after receiving rents for the year and paying out all taxes (property and GET tax), maintenance and management fees. You would then divide this amount by the purchase price you paid for your investment condo to get the CAP Rate. For a simple example, let's say you purchased your condo for $500K and your NOI for the year was $25K then your CAP Rate would be 25 divided by 500 = 5%

Posted

What is QT? It stands for Quantitative Tightening which is the opposite of QE (Quantitative Easing - discussed in previous Hawaii Damon newsletters) and it represents another foray by the Federal Reserve into completely uncharted economic waters the likes of which the Global Economy has never seen before. The US is leading the way but other countries will be following in different stages as their respective QEs end and their QTs begin (Europe, Japan etc.). It is basically the economic equivalent of Columbus embarking on a circumnavigation of the globe while at the time not having any idea of where he and his crew would eventually wind up.

Posted

For your perusal here are the September 2017 (August Data) Oahu Hawaii Real Estate housing statistics courtesy of the Honolulu Board of Realtors. Condo sales are the highest in over a decade. It is believed that higher single family home prices are partly driving the sales of alternatively more affordable condos. In Summary: Overall Oahu Real Estate Sales have increased by 5.2% and 19.5% in August for Single Family Homes and Condos respectively compared to the same month last year. The overall combined trend is upward. Median Oahu Real Estate Prices have increased by 5.2% and 5.3% respectively for Single Family Homes and Condos compared to August last year. The overall trend is upward (the notable exception would be the Hawaii luxury homes areas).