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Santa at the Beach

It’s Hawaii’s way to say Merry Christmas to you! Christmas Day is here and while people around the world are sitting by the fire or taking sleigh rides, the people of Hawaii are heading to the beach!

Spending Christmas Day on the beach is a beloved tradition among many families living in Hawaii. It’s no mystery that the weather in Hawaii is pleasantly warm year-round but for many, spending the holiday sun bathing or riding waves remains a strange notion. Strange or not, Christmas on the beach is a tradition that catches on quickly.

The beach lifestyle is something that goes hand-in-hand with owning Hawaii real estate. Wherever you are in the islands the beach is never far away. Have you been thinking about moving to Hawaii but don’t think that you’re a “beach person”? The beach has a way of quickly finding its way into the heart of even the most outspoken dissenter.

We all know the beach is a place to surf, swim, sunbathe and frolic in the sand. But what if these activities don’t exactly match your idea of fun? Does a pleasant weekend afternoon for you often include curling up in a comfortable place to finish a book? Going on a picnic? Knitting a loved one a new pair of socks? These are all activities that can be enriched simply by taking a trip to the beach. Maybe you’re more of a beach person than you thought!

Just like anywhere else, Christmas in Hawaii is a time when dreams come true. If you’ve been dreaming of moving to Hawaii – of having a slice of paradise all to yourself – now has never been a better time to act. Experiencing the joy of the season shouldn’t be just for the kids. Thousands of people just like you – families and retirees, the young and the old – will be spending Christmas on the beach this year simply because they decided they wanted a life in Hawaii.

Owning Hawaii real estate is easier than you think. Hawaii REALTORS are truly experts at their craft but finding the right one can be tough. Best of Hawaii Real Estate connects you to the best Hawaii REALTORS instantly, reliably and without any fees or obligations. Starting your Hawaii home buying process with the right Hawaii REALTOR is the best way to start your life in paradise.

Kauai is a place where the green lifestyle is as literal as it is figurative. The Garden Island is a place of water; frequent showers cause waterfalls to appear out of nowhere. Water brings uninhibited life – a theme of Kauai and its people, and one that affects many of the sustainable lifestyle choices made every day by the residents of The Garden Island.

If you’re moving to Hawaii in search of a green island lifestyle, look no further than Kauai real estate. Although small on a map, Kauai has a wealth of land owned by local ranchers and farmers who produce some of the greenest foods known to man. Grass-fed cattle and wholesome seasonal fruits and veggies are available at many restaurants and local markets. Look for stickers on beef that indicate a local product (if you see a Princeville Pride sticker, it means the product comes from the Princeville Ranch on the North Shore).

Fishing is a huge industry on Kauai. Some of the freshest sustainably caught seafood can be had without hurting your wallet. Many fish markets are peppered around the island so you can be sure there’s one nearby your work or your little piece of island real estate.

Grass-fed beef, local fresh fish and island-grown produce can be found at some of these local favorites:

• North Shore: Foodland, Hanalei Dolphin, Kilauea Fish Market, Papaya’s, The Hanalei Gourmet and Princeville Shell Gas Station (don’t be scared away by the pumps!)
• East Side: Wailua Country Store, Pono Market, Kojima’s, Fish Express, Windward Market, Ara’s Sakana-ya & Hukilau Lanai
• South Side: Sueoka’s, Koloa Fish Market, Shells Restaurant at the Sheraton Kauai Resort and Merriman’s (look for beef from A’akukui Ranch, located just eight miles from Poipu)
• West Side: Barefoot Burgers, Big Save, Kauai Coffee, Hanapepe Sunshine Market and Hanapepe Café

The green lifestyle is alive and well on Kauai. Planning to retire in Hawaii? Kauai is one of the best places to retire! Looking to raise your family here? Look no further! Trying to find life’s next big adventure? Kauai has it all and Best of Hawaii real estate will connect you to the best Hawaii REALTOR to guide you to the greenest real estate on Kauai. Each Hawaii REALTOR in our system has been ranked according to their specific areas of expertise, and you can be sure we have the ideal agent for you. Our free Hawaii REALTOR matching service will connect you with an agent who will help you achieve a green lifestyle in Hawaii.

Oahu is unique within the state of Hawaii. Containing three quarters of the state’s population, the state capitol, major airports, shipping lanes and hospitals – Oahu, is essentially the center of Hawaii.

With influence comes responsibility, and Oahu has taken its obligation in stride. Oahu is also a global leader in green lifestyle technologies.

Oahu has made enormous strides creating alternative energy in recent years.  Have you heard that the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative signed into law less than two years ago is already producing results?  Solar energy is just part of the plan to decrease overall demand and increase efficiency.  The goal is to meet 70 percent of Hawaii’s energy demand by 2030 using only the viable sources that, like sunlight, are abundantly available in Hawaii.

Oahu real estate agents have seen huge increases in the number of new homes powered by solar arrays.  Living green on Oahu creates new jobs in Hawaii for new and existing Hawaii residents as the demand for clean energy resources rises.  Jobs in a healthy environment – what’s not to love?

Leading a green Honolulu lifestyle is easier than ever thanks to some recent advances in green city living.  Composting household waste (even in a tiny space) has become quite the in-thing, no longer reserved for those on big parcels of Hawaii real estate.  Composting your waste is the one of the greenest alternatives to the trash can!

Want to live green in a Honolulu or Waikiki condo? Maybe you are dreaming of a larger Oahu home?  Best of Hawaii Real Estate will find you the best Hawaii REALTOR to guide you to the greenest real estate on Oahu.  Each Hawaii REALTOR in our system has been ranked according to their specific areas of expertise, and you can be sure we have the ideal agent for your needs. Our free Hawaii REALTOR matching service will connect you with an agent who will help you achieve a green lifestyle in Hawaii.

A deep reverence for nature inspires all who come to the Valley Isle. Maybe it’s the awe-inspiring emerald hues on the road to Hana or the vibrant culture wherever people gather. Whatever it is, it only takes one visit to understand why living green on Maui is the lifestyle of choice.

The Valley Isle is a place of sweeping hills and bright white sand beaches – a place where dreams seem to come alive. For those who have had the opportunity to purchase a piece of Maui real estate, their connection to this land of wonder increases tenfold. Maui residents take pleasure in living a green lifestyle.

Guava plantation stream on Maui

Living green on Maui begins with recycling. There are twelve county-run recycling centers spread around the island. You can be sure there’s always one nearby. Be sure to visit the County of Maui’s Recycling Program website for more information.

Hawaii’s temperature is perfect for growing hundreds of our favorite fruits and veggies. Those currently looking at Maui homes for sale may want to find the nearest Maui farmers market. Many residents happily indulge in the freshest veggies and sweetest fruits available throughout the week at a number of farmers markets around the island. Don’t worry – if you’re not sure chances are there’s one right around the corner!

Best of Hawaii Real Estate knows that many things – like choosing a green lifestyle – can affect your decision about buying Hawaii real estate. Having the perfect Maui REALTOR is about more than just professional guidance, it is also about finding someone who understands the impact your lifestyle choices have. We believe a deeply personal level of service is part of what it takes to be one of the best Hawaii REALTORS.

There is no better place for us to begin our new Living Green in Hawaii blog series than the Big Island. Many are drawn to Big Island real estate because of how easy it is to lead a green lifestyle.  As the largest island in the state, Big Island Hawaii is home to many spectacular natural wonders.  Its size and dramatic altitude changes make the Big Island one of the most naturally diverse places on Earth. Preserving these amazing resources is at the heart of the Big Island and its people.

Living Green in Hawaii

Buying locally produced food is an easy way to decrease your carbon footprint and a great way to start leading a green lifestyle. The benefits of consuming local produce are twofold. First, it gives you the freshest fruit and veggies. Second, it saves fuel by eliminating the need for cross-country transportation and refrigeration. Consider the resources, time, and cost required to simply bring in a carrot from the mainland -  you will quickly see the benefits of buying local.  There are few places on Earth with as many flourishing natural resources as Hawaii. Take advantage of Hawaii’s year-round summer by buying only sustainable Hawaii agriculture.

Many of the Big Island’s farmers sell their just-picked produce at farmers market. The Hilo Farmers Market features nearly 130 vendors and is the largest and best known farmers market in Hawaii. Kona to the west has four regular farmers markets and a handful of established local fruit stands.  Kona is the only place in the world that can boast delicious Kona coffee as a part of their local produce!  There are well over 20 regular farmers markets around the island so you know one will always be in the area.

Recycling is also a key part to leading a green lifestyle that has been made both easy and beneficial by Hawaii residents. Have you ever noticed the HI5¢ on many of the beverage containers you use every day? This little label means that Hawaii is one of the few states that offers a cash refund for recycling beverage containers. Cardboard, assorted paper and even plastic bags are all recycled in Hawaii. The Hawaii Island Recycling Guide and Zero Waste Hawaii answer all your questions about recycling in Hawaii.

A deep respect for the natural world is a part of the culture of Hawaii and its residents.  This is something the team at Best of Hawaii Real Estate understands and seeks to promote. Our free Hawaii REALTOR matching service will instantly connect you with an agent who can help you achieve a green lifestyle on the Big Island Hawaii.

Beachfront Maui mansion with swimming pool

There’s something very special happening on the Valley Isle. With both the laid back vibe of Kauai and the big city feel of Oahu, Maui truly offers the best of both worlds. Millions take a Maui vacation every year for a taste of paradise. Maui is used to catering to high end lifestyles with three of the most luxurious resorts on the planet.

If you’ve had a taste and have decided you want to purchase your own piece of top end Maui real estate, look no further.  At Best of Hawaii Real Estate, we have all the tools to make your dream come true. There is plenty of Maui real estate for sale right now; all you need is the best Maui REALTOR on your side to help you decide the best location for you.

In order to find your ideal piece of island real estate, take a look around the island using our Maui Virtual Tour.  To the east, Hana Maui real estate, # 11 on our Maui Virtual Tour, has some of the most secluded and luxurious mansions for sale in Maui.

If resort style living is more your dream, check out numbers 24 & 25 on our Maui Virtual Tour. Wailea Maui real estate offers upscale amenities such as nearby fine dining and many luxurious spas to make you feel like royalty.

Luxury? Check. Fine dining and nightlife? Check. World class beaches with that ocean view you want? Check. If you only settle for the very best, you need to look into owning Maui real estate – isn’t that what you really deserve?

At Best of Hawaii Real Estate, we believe your luxury real estate search should begin on the right foot and with all the right information. Our free service matches you to the Maui real estate agent who can put you in the luxury home of your dreams. We take the guesswork out of choosing the right Maui real estate agent for you.

What words pop into your head when you think of Hawaii? If Honolulu, Waikiki and Pearl Harbor come to mind, you’re not alone. But did you know each of these locations is actually located on the island of Oahu? Nicknamed The Gathering Place, Oahu is the most iconic of all Hawaiian Islands, and as the state’s seat of government, it is Hawaii’s heartland.  But Oahu is much more than just words on a page. Look at a map – it’s hard to believe that almost a million people live, work and play on Oahu real estate!

For years, an Oahu luxury vacation has been the first choice for high-end Hawaiian getaways.  Some of the world’s most luxurious resorts are located on the beach in Waikiki (location “W” on our Oahu Virtual Tour).  These are places where pure luxury is the name of the game. Millions are drawn each year to Oahu because city life in paradise is truly the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, that inevitable plane ride back to “real life” can get a little old….

Turning your Hawaiian vacation into something more permanent is something people do every single day. In all of Hawaii real estate, Oahu real estate is by far the most plentiful. If luxury is your cup of tea, there are mansions on Oahu with some of the state’s most spectacular views and locations. If a Honolulu beach house (#’s 16 and 24 on our Oahu Virtual Tour) is more your style, we will select an Oahu REALTOR, Honolulu REALTOR or Waikiki REALTOR who will show the best high-end real estate Oahu has to offer.

At Best of Hawaii Real Estate, we believe your luxury real estate search should begin on the right foot and with all the right information. Our free service matches you to the Oahu real estate agent who can put you in the luxury home of your dreams.  We take the guesswork out of choosing the right Oahu real estate agent for you.

If it’s the luxury lifestyle that draws you to Hawaii real estate, look no further. Today’s post is the first in Mansions in Hawaii: The Ultimate Indulgence in Hawaii Real Estate, a new Best of Hawaii Real Estate blog series in which we will explore the best luxury options each island has to offer. Throughout the series, we will be linking to our helpful Virtual Tour feature available on our website. We invite you to use this valuable interactive feature to help you envision these luxury Hawaii real estate options.

Kauai’s natural beauty draws those searching for luxury Hawaii real estate. Kauai has it all: the best golf courses, fine dining, luxury resorts and spas, top quality art galleries, designer shopping options, beautiful white sand beaches and an active entertainment scene. Surely you’ve tasted Kauai’s luxury lifestyle before on a Hawaii luxury vacation. Remember that beautiful home you saw on your last trip? The one in Princeville with the perfect view of Hanalei Bay? It’s not as far away as you may think!

Luxury living takes on a new meaning in Princeville, Hawaii on Kauai’s north shore (#’s 12 and 13 on our Kauai Virtual Tour). Hanalei Bay on one side and the world-famous Princeville Golf Course to the other, Princeville is a community at the top of its game.

If owning a Hawaii beach house is more your idea of luxury, your options are many. On the north shore, Ha’ena, Wainiha, Hanalei, and Anini Beach, are full of beach homes for sale on Kauai. There are also beautiful beach homes for sale at luxurious Kalapaki Beach and in sunny Poipu (#’s 32, 33 & 34 on our Kauai Virtual Tour).

We believe using the right Kauai REALTOR is your easy first step toward your dream of owning luxury real estate on Kauai. If owning the best real estate on Kauai is your dream, Best of Hawaii Real Estate will connect you to the best Kauai real estate agent who knows the most about mansions in Hawaii.

It’s no wonder so many people decide to buy a Hawaii home.  When you look at Hawaii’s weather throughout the year, normal in Hawaii means a temperature change of only seven degrees between the height of the summer season and the low of the winter season – thanks to Hawaii’s many microclimates, those special areas where the climate differs from the surrounding area.  If you are looking at buying real estate in Hawaii as a way to escape extreme temperatures, you won’t be disappointed. Did you know that the climate within the state of Hawaii changes depending on which island – and even which part of the island – you live?

Thinking about moving to Kauai? As any Kauai real estate agent knows, Kauai real estate prices change depending on where you are on the island. Home and condo values in Poipu, on Kauai’s south side, vary widely from neighboring Kekaha town. The Poipu microclimate is white sand beaches with lush green backdrops, giving the Garden Island its name. Whereas Kekaha is hotter and dryer, for those looking for a much more arid climate.

If you have been looking at buying Big Island land, have you asked yourself what draws you to the area? The Kona District, famous worldwide for its Kona coffee, rests on the gently sloping western side of the Mauna Loa volcano. Mauna Loa naturally shields the delicate coffee plants because by the time the winds reach west-facing Kona, they have turned in to gentle, misty breezes perfect for growing coffee. These conditions also are greatly appreciated by the humans that make Kona a Hawaii real estate hotspot!

Finding the right Hawaii Realtor is your ticket to your perfect piece of Hawaii real estate. Your Hawaii Real Estate agent can help you assess how the microclimates can affect Hawaii real estate values and how that fits with your Hawaii lifestyle needs. The best real estate agents live and work in Hawaii – they know the impact microclimates have on each area on each island and are waiting to give you the benefits of their local island knowledge.

The other day, I was forwarded a Yahoo! Real Estate article listing the 10 worst mistakes first-time homebuyers have made so far this year. The article paints an all-around gloomy picture of the average American first-time homebuyer – and we think you deserve a little more credit.

Whether you’re new to Hawaii real estate or not, the fact that you’ve found Best of Hawaii Real Estate on the web means you’re researching your decision and, according to Yahoo! Real Estate, are well above the curve when it comes to shopping for the best Hawaii real estate.

Now that we’ve reddened your cheeks with compliments, let us introduce you to Best of Hawaii Real Estate’s official 10 Best Reasons to Buy Hawaii Real Estate 2010:

1. You Can Afford More. As we’ve all learned in the past couple of years, a weak housing market means lower prices on much of the best Hawaii real estate. If you’ve been in the Hawaii real estate market for any length of time, you’ve witnessed the decline of price tags  for the best Hawaii homes across the board. Hawaii homebuyers today have the advantage on their side, and experts agree that this won’t last long.

2. Lowest Mortgage Rates. So you think these low rates mean you can put your hands on some of the best Hawaii homes with even less stress on the bank account? We do too. Have you been hearing that shorter term loans might just be within your grasp? We don’t see why not. The time to lock in a low fixed and/or a shorter term  rate on a mortgage is right now.

3. Expenses That Pay You Back. If the expenses associated with home ownership have been holding back your dreams of buying Hawaii real estate, keep in mind that each dollar you spend maintaining your new Hawaii home is an investment in your future.

4. It Pays To Be Picky. Buying Hawaii real estate isn’t like going to the supermarket to pick up some eggs. With so much on the line for so many years to come, you deserve to take your time with this decision. And it just so happens that waiting is paying off; the variety of homes on the Hawaii real estate market today, compared to two years ago, is amazingly high and prices are at record lows.

Congratulations. You’ve arrived at the best possible buyers market.

5. The View. In a quiet moment, as you sit on the balcony of your new Hawaii home, on a perfectly 70-something degree evening in mid-January, sipping a Mai Tai and watching the sun set over the blue Pacific waters, your doubts about the strangely colored wallpaper in your bathroom fade away forever.

6. Being Swept Away. It’s a phrase that fits in well with your new Hawaii lifestyle. It also seems to happen a lot here. Let’s review all the different times Hawaii has swept you away: 1) you were swept away with Hawaii’s natural beauty on your first vacation; 2) you were swept away with the possibility of actually living here; 3) you were swept away with the home you decided to buy; 4) you were swept away by the 1000-foot waterfall you saw from the air on a helicopter tour of the island last weekend; and now, 5) you’re dressing up to be swept away by an amazing night of food, music and dancing.

Being swept away has never felt so good!

7. Compromise No Longer Needed. Life in Hawaii is about pure pleasure and bliss, and compromising on your Hawaii real estate purchase is no longer necessary. With Hawaii property prices so low, and mortgage rates continuing to sink, affordable Hawaii real estate is the name of the game now, but act fast – these prices won’t last long!

8. Did We Mention The Weather? In Hawaii the average temperature is 72 and only rises to 79 in August!  Need we say more?

9. The Best Real Estate Agents. Name one person you know who doesn’t occasionally dream about living in Hawaii. Drawing a blank? Whether you daydream of a luxurious beachfront mansion, a Hawaii condo, or a jungle retreat completely off the grid, Hawaii has something for everyone. With such a range of properties available, it’s only fitting that Hawaii Realtors are among the very best in the world.  When you use Best of Hawaii Real Estate, you can be sure that finding the best Hawaii Realtor to help you has never been easier.

10. Because The Future is Now. Instant gratification and smart future investment aren’t phrases you normally see next to each other. Times have changed. When you buy Hawaii real estate now, you’re getting the best of both worlds. Take advantage of today’s ideal combination of low home prices and super low mortgage rates to get the winning combination of  instant gratification and a smart future investment of the best Hawaii home ownership.