Affordable condo in Kapiolani

During the holiday weekend, I stopped in to a few open houses. One of them that caught my eye was this two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath condo at Iolani Court Plaza in Kapiolani. Its reasonable price makes it a great deal for a first-time buyer. Click here for details.

The 676-square-foot corner unit has a bright living/dining area with views of the city and mountains. Off of the living room is a small lanai with space for a small table and chairs.

The current owner, who is selling to move into a larger home, uses the second bedroom as an extension of the living space creating an airy feel, but the sliding wall can be pulled shut to create a separate room.

The kitchen is small, but workable, and comes with a dishwasher.

The master bath is connected to the half bath with a sliding door that locks. The main door to the half bath is from the hallway, so none of your guests have to walk through the master bedroom to get to the bathroom.

Washer and dryer are included in the unit, and for those bulky blankets, coin laundry is available downstairs.

The reasonable maintenance fee includes the basics – plus electricity and central A/C.

A recently renovated, spacious recreation deck on the fifth floor includes two full-sized tennis courts, a putting green, two gas BBQ grills, two saunas, a recreation room and a heated swimming pool and whirlpool. As I strolled through the area, a lively water balloon game was in action near the pool.

Fuzz factor: No pets are allowed, which is good news for allergy sufferers.

The price includes one covered parking stall. For guests, there are 25 stalls.

If you forgot to pick up milk or desperately need a bag of chips, no problem, the Iolani Mini Mart on the building’s ground floor is open seven days a week.