* Buying a Home in Hawaii

Buying a home: Are you looking to buy a home in Hawaii? You have come to the right place.

Whether you're buying your first home in Oahu, Honolulu, Waikiki, Maui, Leeward Coast, Kaiua, East Shore, North Shore, West Shore, Windward Coast, Big Island, Molokai, Lanai or building your portfolio of investment properties, read these articles for insight, research, success stories and buying strategies.

Now, for some conclusions – and why it isn’t so bad.    Average sales prices for 2008 are up over 2007 for both SFH and Condos.  Why is this important?  What causes average prices to be higher than median prices?   High end sales.  People with money are still investing in Hawaii. 

Median SFH prices are down 3.5%.  that is not enough to even offset a 1/2 % increase in interest rate.  Condos are flat, same as last year.  Not bad when you look at the national picture.

It is a great time to be a buyer in Hawaii.  Interest rates are extremely low, however they are not likely to stay that way after the first of the year.  Inventories are good, and some sellers may be getting nervous.  Just what buyers are looking for!  With the craziness in the stock markets, there is a “flight to safety.”  What is safer than Hawaiia n real estate?  Banks?

The September  2008 Stats are out.  Here at Prudential we had a very good September, up in both new sales volume and number of sales. 

Here we go with a brief look at the rest of the picture: 

1. Sales were down for both SFH and Condos.  SFH at 215 compared to 255 in September of 2007.  Not the lowest of the year however.  February 2008 holds that title.  Condos at 305 sales, down from 414 in 2007.
2. SFH Median prices down from August to $590,000 and of course, down from the still-record highs of September 2007 of $650,000.  Condos are also down, not as much at $296,000 compared to August’s $328,000 and September 2007 of $335,000.  We have another month of these 2007 record highs, so expect the media to celebrate.
3. Days on market are up for SFH to 55 compared to September 2007’s 45 days.  Condos were at 51 just 3 days higher than August 2008’s number of 48 and higher than September 2008’s 42.  These are still good ‘days on market’ numbers and consistent with the numbers for the entire year.
4. Inventory for SFH at 2,069 are down from August’s 2,119.  This drop in inventory is a good sign, especially since the number of new listings was up over August.
5. Inventory for Condos at 2,649 were down considerably from August this year.  Like #4 above, this is also a good sign as condo listings were also up in September.  When inventories go down, sales are being made.
6. Months of remaining Inventory are very stable – almost identical to August at 8.1 months for SFH and 7.7 for Condos.  Stable ‘months of remaining inventory’ shows there is still energy in the market and there is a good balance between new listings coming on and current sales.

No matter if you are buying a home for the first time or you are seasoned home buyer, buying a home in Oahu can sometimes be complicated. By having Elena Roud & Realestate-Oahu help you with you realestate indever, you get the professional help on everything you ever wanted to know about buying a home in Oahu, Hawaii. Elena Roud has been helping people find that luxury condo, single family, multi-family, they desire to buy or sell, for over a decade and is the realtor of choice for all of Oahu.

First-time homebuyers / seller: Do you have questions about the process of selling your house such as what is the value of my home? How much are other homes, similar to mine selling for in my neighborhood? Let Real Estate-Oahu find the perfect home for you! Buying a home can be an overwhelming process, Real Estate-Oahu will guide you step-by-step through the entire process.

Home Selling or Home Buying: Looking to sell or buy a home in Hawaii ? Let Elena and Real Estate Oahu put our marketing approach to work for you during your home buying or selling process. Buying or Selling a home with a professional realtor can help make a potentially complicated, intimidating process simple. Call my office today and get the help of a real estate professional in selling your home.

I offer access to listings of all types - single family homes, condominiums, multi-families, land, Luxury beachfront property and more. Feel free to search my database with hundreds of houses to choose from.

Hawaii offers more then just great houses & condos, with it’s great weather and easy way of life, it is a great place to live and to raise a family.

The Hawaiian Archipelago (islands) comprises eighteen islands. Of these, eight high islands are considered the "main islands" and are located at the southeastern end of the archipelago. These islands are, in order from the northwest to southeast, Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii.

Amoung Hawaii's many beautiful beachs there are other great areas of attraction suchs as Hanauma Bay, Kuhului, Kalaupapa, active volcano's, Wahiawa, Waimea and more.

I'm happy to assist you with any of your real estate needs.