What's New - Blog
I am excited to share with you some random thoughts, observations, reports and articles of interest from time to time. E-mail me and let me know your questions or concerns. --Please enjoy...
11/15/2009
As of today my What's New - Blog with daily new update reports, relevant articles of interest and additional live feed postings will be continued on my social network page here: www.facebook.com/GKhomes (You may be required to sign-up for a free facebook account and search for me under 'George Krischke').
Moving my What's New - Blog onto facebook will improve editing efficiency, allow me to add content more frequently and timely as well as increase distribution reach. Thank you for your understanding. I hope you can join me.
11/13/2009
I'm pleased to share with you the very first Coldwell Banker Previews Portfolio in digital format. Once the link opens you can hover over the buttons at the top of the book to see a variety of tools to play with. Enjoy!
11/6/2009
On Fri 11/6/09 Obama signed into law extending the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit. Buyer must have accepted contract by 4/30/2010 and close by 6/30/2010. There is a new $6,500 tax credit for homebuyers who have owned their primary residence for 5 consecutive years out of the last 8 years. Both the $8,000 & $6,500 credit have expanded buyer income limits, and the home being purchased can not exceed $800,000. This could be beneficial to you. Call me to discuss.
11/4/2009
The Fed made no change in the fed funds rate on it's Wed 11/4/09 meeting. The statement reads that the Fed will hold rates at extremely low levels for an "extended period." This is due to low inflationary expectations and high unemployment rates. We continue to see record low mortgage rates for the time being. Great news and much needed.
10/6/2009
I am pleased to share with you our latest Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties - "Island Homes Collection" magazine in a new, fun-to-use, digital format.Inside you’ll find a complete showcase of our current portfolio of homes, a feature about Kaimuki, and an interview with Walter and Tiffany James and why they love their home. You can also enjoy learning more about two featured properties, including the cover home.
What’s more, you can bookmark pages, translate contents to a number of languages and enlarge the type and photos for easier viewing.
The printed magazine continues to be available at over a hundred locations across Oahu. And of course, I’d be very happy to provide you with a personal copy.Please give me a call or email if you’d like to learn more about any property featured here. Should you be interested in selling or buying a home, I have a depth of information on the market and am ready and excited to help you achieve your real estate goals.
10/1/2009
The latest HBR Monthly Statistical Report for residential resale activity on Oahu is being released today.
9/25/2009
The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) just released it's latest Hawaii Construction Forecast dated 9/11/09, as well as the 3rd quarter UHERO Quarterly Hawaii Forecast dated 9/25/09. Both reports have been revised positively from earlier forecasts.
9/1/2009
The latest HBR Monthly Statistical Report for residential resale activity on Oahu was released today. Please note: 1.) 'Supply' (page 12) has been diminishing since Summer -08. 2.) 'Demand' (page 2) is at parity with Summer -08 levels albeit a dismal 1st quarter -09. 3.) 'Median Sales Prices' (page 4) have softened by a total of about 12% since the peak in 2007. 4.) 'Months Of Inventory Remaining' (page 16) have diminished to a balanced 6.1 and 6.5 months from 15.8 months earlier in February -09.
Here is my Island of Oahu, and Honolulu, HI Real Estate outlook for 2010 & 2011: The appreciation potential for the median sales price on Oahu most likely will be minimal or missing during the next couple of years. The downside risk will be limited to the single digit percentiles during 2010 & 2011. Yes, I am convinced that within 5 years from today Oahu median sales prices will be significantly higher.
8/25/2009
The latest Case-Shiller Home Price Index was released today showing graphs of Real Estate values with predictions for different US metropolitan areas. The link is a live data feed that gets updated each last Tuesday of every month. Honolulu, HI is not being displayed, however it is interesting to track the varying performance of different US mainland Real Estate markets.
8/21/2009
Paul Brewbaker, TZ Economics and UHERO shared their outlook for 'Hawaii's recovery from the Great Recession' during the recent Hawaii Statehood Conference which took place on Friday, August 21, 2009 at the Hawai'i Convention Center in Honolulu. The future looks a lot brighter! Check Paul's powerpoint presentation here.
8/11/2009
'Pacific Business News' reported today General Motor's new "Chevy Volt" plug-in electric / hybrid car will reach up to 230 miles per gallon! That is exciting news especially for Hawaii for several reasons:
1. Other car makers will start offering their own plug-in electric cars, increasing competition and making plug-in electric cars finally a reality and soon more affordable.
2. Hawaii is a small place and most people drive less than 40 miles per day. Since the battery charge lasts about 40 miles the internal gasoline engine will hardly need to kick in.
3. With the abundance of sunshine in Hawaii I would be able to plug in my car into my future roof top Photo Voltaic system which is becoming also more affordable as of late. I finally don't have to buy any gas. Good for the environment, the reduction of foreign oil dependency, ...and also my wallet.
The vision is becoming a reality within the very near future. I can't wait... Read the full article here.
6/30/2009
Paul Brewbaker, senior economic adviser for Bank of Hawaii and principal of TZ Economics is as sharp and witty as they come in analyzing Hawaii economic trends. His latest 'Hawaii Economic Trends' report was released today. The doomsday talk of another 'Great Depression' that was dominating the news from 11/08 through 3/09 has been replaced with clear signs of stabilization and prospects of an imminent recovery. Read the full report here.
