Ewa Beach, Hawaii features 2 major builders of homes.  Gentry Homes and Haseko.  Both developers produce a great product and the owners in each of these builders homes seemed to be very satisfied.  I personally own a few of the homes in these neighborhoods myself and I also live in Ewa Beach so I speak based on personal experience.

This video clip gives you a quick glance at one of Ewa by Gentrys neighborhoods in Woodbridge II.  These homes are large, spacious and very desirable.  Woodbridge II is located off of Hoowalea St at Keaunui Drive across the street from the new Hoalauna Park with the dog park, exercise equipment (par course equipment) and playground equipment.  Click on the hyperlink below to view the video.

For more information on buying or selling homes in Hawaii and in Ewa Beach, please consider contacting someone who knows and lives in the community;  David and Tonya Kucic of Hawaii Military Realty, Inc.

Ewa Beach, Hawaii Woodbridge II  Video

This featured video from Ewa Beach, Hawaii shows “The Tides at Laulani“  This subdivision is located at the intersection of Kapolei Parkway and Keaunui Drive and located across the street from the new Ewa Makai Middle School.  (See link below to view video).

The homes in The Tides at Laualani were built within the past 2 years by one of Ewa Beaches best developers, Gentry Homes.   The Tides has 3 and 4 bedroom homes ranging in price from the high 300’s to the mid 400’s.  All of the new homes have been sold out and the new phase of “The Trades at Laualani” is now being built right next to the Tides.

All of these homes are eligible properties for Military Veterans that want to use their Hawaii VA Loan Entitlement.  Conventional financing is also acceptable.  For more information on Ewa Beach, Ewa Beach neighborhoods and Ewa Beach Homes For Sale, contact David Kucic, Hawaii Military Realty, Inc. at (808) 218-9338 or send email to:  david@davidkucic.com

Click here for the Video Tour of “The Tides at Laulani in Ewa Beach, Hawaii”

This video clip takes you on a drive through the Ewa by Gentry neighborhood of Tuscany II in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.  the homes are all 3, 4 and 5 bedrooms.  They have central air conditioning, private fenced yards and driveway parking in addition to a  1 or a 2 car garage.  The homes with the 1 car garage chose to convert the other garage into a 5th bedroom.  This was done when the homes were brand new and were done by the developer, Gentry Homes.  These homes are a short walk to the new Hoalauna Park which features playground equipment, large grassy areas, comfort stations, par course equipment, a parking lot and soon to come DOG PARKS!

All of the homes in this neighborhood are eligible to be purchased using the Hawaii VA Home Loan.  If you are  a Veteran and interested in more information, feel free to sign up for one of our Free VA Loan Seminars.

For all of your Ewa Beach Real Estate needs, contact the company that KNOWS Ewa Beach, David and Tonya Kucic of Hawaii Military Realty, Inc. 

Ewa Beach, Hawaii Tuscany II Neighborhood Scene

I compiled the following Ewa Beach home sales statistics for Ewa by Gentry and Ocean Pointe.   These statistics were valid as of Sep 30, 2011.

The homes in Ewa by Gentry neighborhoods are just as desirable as or even more desirable than many other neighborhoods on the island of Oahu.  When a property comes on the market in a Ewa by Gentry community, an interested Buyer will make an offer on the property within a few days of listing.  This information is based on the most recent statistics as found on the Honolulu Board of Realtor’s Multiple Listing Service. 

As long as the property being listed is in decent condition and is priced at or near fair market value, there seem to be Buyer’s waiting in the midst to submit an offer to purchase the homes.  Part of the reason for this is the historically low interest rates that have been hovering anywhere in the 3.75% to 4.25% for a 30 year, fixed rate loan.

Ewa by Gentry neighborhoods have had their fair share of short sales, foreclosures and Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) sales.  However, regardless of which one of these categories that the homes fall into, there are still many interested Buyer’s waiting on homes to hit the market.

Ewa by Gentry single family home most recent statistics (covering approximately the past 6-8 months)

• There are currently 39 homes available for sale.  This includes new homes in Haleakea that are listed on the MLS.  Of these 39 homes, 9 of them are listed as short sale and 4 of them are listed as foreclosures or lender sales.
• There are currently 58 properties that are under contract but have not closed yet.  Of these 58 homes, 37 of them are listed as short sales and 6 of them are listed as foreclosures or lender sales.
• There have been 93 homes that have sold recently.  Of those 93 homes, 33 of them were short sales and 8 of them were foreclosures or lender sales.

For the sake of comparison, these are the statistics for our neighbors in theOcean Pointe community covering the same 6-8 month time period.

• There are currently 5 homes available for sale.  Of these 5 homes, 3 of them are listed as short sales.
• There are currently 19 homes that are under contract but have not closed yet.  Of these 19 homes, 12 of them are listed as short sales and 1 foreclosure or lender sale.
• There have been 45 homes that have sold recently.  Of these 45 homes, 8 of them were short sales and 6 of them were foreclosures or lender sales.

Given the amount of homes in Ewa by Gentry neighborhoods versus Ocean Pointe neighborhoods, these statistics are very similar.

(Information here-in is deemed reliable but not guaranteed)

If Congress confirms the new bill when they return from recess in September 2011, the VA Funding Fee reduction will make Hawaii homes more affordable for Active Duty Military, Veterans and Retirees.  If the bill does get confirmed, it will only apply to VA Loans that close after October 1, 2011.

This is great news for military families relocating to Hawaii who want to purchase a home on Oahu.  While the reduction’s don’t look like much on paper, they actually do provide a savings of up to several thousand dollars due to the high price of real estate on Oahu.

Under the current VA Loan Funding Fee structure, the rates are as follows:

• Active Duty is 2.15% but would go down to 1.4% under the new plan
• National Guard and Reservists are 2.4% but would go down to 1.65% under the new plan
• If using a down payment of 5% or more, the rate will also go down
• If using the VA Loan for a subsequent time, the rate will go from 3.3% to 2.8% for year 2011-2012, 2.15% for year 2012-2013 and 1.25% for loans closing Oct 2013 and later.

For more information on VA Loans in Hawaii and Purchasing Real Estate in Hawaii, contact Hawaii Military Realty, Inc. and ask for David Kucic at (808) 218-9338 or email david@davidkucic.com

Interested in a short sale in Hawaii?  We are your Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Mililani, Makakilo, Koolina Resort, Waipahu, Waianae, Aiea, Pearl City, Pearlridge and Waikele short sale experts!

Ka Makana at Hoakalei in Ewa Beach, Hawaii model 2020 features 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.  Photos of the 20.20 model home are included in this post.  For pricing information, developer incentives and home availability, call or email Team Kucic.  This home meets the VA minimum requirements for the Veteran Home Buyer to purchase this house using their Hawaii VA Loan Eligibility.

The majority of the homes for sale at Ka Makana at Hoakalei will not be found on the Hawaii MLS.  The developers are not having any problems selling most of their homes so there is no reason to advertise the homes on the Hawaii MLS.

I always have new properties that come on the market.  Are you looking for something special?  How about a 3 bedroom townhouse in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, newer construction, 2 car garage, excellent condition for the low 300’s?

Or would you prefer something at a higher elevation like Makakilo and possibly a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom end unit townhouse with approximately 1,400 sf of living space for the mid 200’s?

Contact me today to find out what new properties may be available soon.

Are you interested in purchasing a home in Ewa Beach, Hawaii?  Is your Hawaii real estate agent informing you that you must make your decision quickly when a new listing comes on the market because if you don’t, someone else will beat you to it?

Listen to your agent!  I saw some serious disappointment this past weekend when I listed a new home for sale in the Ewa by Gentry Sonoma Prescott neighborhood.

Ewa Beach Home For Sale

I listed the home for sale on Sep 29th and had an open house 4 days later on Sunday October 4th.  There were 21 groups of people that came through the open house.  I received 2 offers for the property on that same day.  I met with the Sellers that night and they had an extremely tough decision but they selected one of the offers.  Both offers were almost exactly identical.

Within 24 hours after that, 3 other Hawaii real estate agents called me to set up showings which I had to politely decline since we were now under contract.  The agents said their clients would be disappointed because the house looked perfect.  This is one example of why you cant wait when a new house for sale hits the market especially in places like Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Makakilo, Koolina Resort, Waikele and Mililani  just to name a few.  You must go to see it right away!

Also within that same 24 hour period, 2 other agents called me to let me know that their buyers came to my open house on Oct 4th and they would now be submitting offers.  I also politely informed them that the Sellers had already received 2 offers and would be accepting one that evening.  This is another lesson learned.  If you go to visit an open house in Hawaii, the house seems to be perfect for you then you need to tell your Hawaii real estate agent to meet you immediately and write up the offer.  Waiting 24 or 48 hours is not going to cut it!

I think you probably figured out the moral of this blog but here it is anyway:  Move quickly when a home comes on the market because it will be gone at the blink of an eye.

Hawaii VA Home Buyer Information

Are you still “sitting on the fence” and waiting to buy your piece of Hawaii Real Estate?  Are you waiting for the prices to drop further?  As a Real Estate agent in Hawaii working with Military Relocations to Hawaii and specializing in VA Home Loan purchases, I run across Hawaii military very often that fit into this category.

I never push anyone into buying a piece of real estate in Hawaii.  That is your decision to make.  However, if you know that you want to buy a home in Hawaii but are waiting on the market to “bottom out”, please consider this information below.

I put these charts together to illustrate what could happen if you wait on the prices to decrease 10% but at the same time, interest rates increase 1%.

The first chart depicts purchasing a home now at an interest rate of 5% with 100% financing. 

The second chart shows what will happen if you wait on prices to drop 10% from the current price and the interest rate to go up to 6%.

Don’t forget that the longer you wait to buy, you continue to pay rent which is money that is disappearing and will not find its way back into your wallet.

 Purchase Price                                                       Monthly Payment (principal and interest only)

Purchase Price (down 10%/interest rate up 1%)             Monthly Payment (principal and interest only)

Fact #1:  Interest rates for 30 year VA home loans in Hawaii are currently hovering around 5% to 5.5%.

Fact #2:  There is a large inventory of homes for sale right now. 

Fact #3:  Many Sellers are motivated to sell you their house and may be willing to negotiate.

Unknown #1:  House prices.  Are they going higher or lower?

Unknown #2:  Interest rates.  Are they going higher or lower?

David Kucic, RE/MAX Honolulu located in Kapolei, Hawaii

VA Home Sales Expert in Hawaii

www.davidkucic.com

Phone: (808) 218-9338

Email: david@davidkucic.com