Exclusives Module

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Manoa Bed & Breakfast Still Hopes to Welcome Buyer

Jenny Quill,

Manoa Valley Inn is one of the neighborhood’s most iconic residences, and certainly one of the island’s most charming historic homes. Built in 1911, the residence was formerly known as the John Guild House, named after the secretary of Alexander & Baldwin who acquired and renovated the property to its current form in 1919. In fact, the home, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, has been owned by several prominent local figures throughout its history.

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Chasing Rainbows at HIFF

Lisa Chow,

Here we've listed all of the locally-made films showing at the Hawaii International Film Festival, and interviewed Greg Andermann, director of Chasing Rainbows.

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The Haunted Lagoon

Lisa Chow,

Through the month of October, the Polynesian Cultural Center will take you on a ride into its Haunted Lagoon.

Hawaii’s Most Expensive Zip Codes

Jenny Quill,

Forbes recently released its annual listing of America’s Most Expensive Zip Codes, and Hawaii’s top-ranking zip codes raised more than a few eyebrows. That’s because, according to the Forbes list, Hawaii’s most expensive zip code is 96703, Anahola, which came in at number 60 with a median home price of $1,921,875. The second-most expensive zip code in the islands? That would be 96714, Hanalei, which came in at No. 72 on the Forbes list with a median home price of $1,732,833. So how did these two Kauai zip codes out-rank Oahu’s consistently pricey 96821 (Aina Haina), which came in third?

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This Weekend’s Open-House Pick

Jenny Quill,

For this weekend’s open-house pick, I’ve set my sights on Manoa—specifically, the former caretaker residence to the Straub Estate. According to listing agent Kai McDurmin, the original Straub home, built in 1919, sat on approximately an acre of land tucked into the back of the valley, and the caretakers’ quarters was built on part of the property in 1939. The entire estate was later subdivided into three parcels, one of which included the caretakers’ residence.

September Real Estate Stats for Oahu

Jenny Quill,

The Honolulu Board of Realtors released the September residential resales statistics for Oahu yesterday. Overall, changes in the market last month were minimal, showing mostly small, steady gains, which points to a pretty stable housing market.

The Lowdown on Honolulu's Luxury Market

Jenny Quill,

I was intrigued by some of the data detailed in the 2010 Luxury Home Real Estate Market Report released by Prudential Locations early last month, and thought I'd pass along a few of the more intriguing highlights.

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Update: The Pacifica in Honolulu

Jenny Quill,

The Pacifica condominium building, formerly known as Moana Vista, got off to a bit of a rough start when the project went into foreclosure in early 2009. But things have certainly turned around since developer OliverMcMillan acquired the project in late 2009. The building is coming along—it will get its top at the end of this year, and completion is projected for fall 2011—and sales have been picking up. There are currently 360 condos under contract, leaving only about 130 on the market. Of those, approximately 30 are reserved housing, which I’ll get to in a minute, and 100 are market-rate residences.

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Open House: Price-Reduced Kaneohe Townhome

Jenny Quill,

It’s Friday, which means it’s once again time to talk open houses. This week I’m turning my attention to Kaneohe, more specifically, the Ahuimanu area. This townhouse is located in Club View Gardens III, a quiet townhouse community popular with new-home buyers, retirees and military families who appreciate the well-maintained grounds, recreation center and clubhouse, easy access to the H-3 (about a 15-minute drive) and Windward Mall (about five minutes away).

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Resort Living in Ewa Beach

Jenny Quill,

Among the most ambitious new communities is Ka Makana at Hoakalei, a resort community that is already home to approximately 200 families and the private, 248-acre, Ernie Els-designed Hoakalei Country Club Golf Course. The first residential component to be developed at Hoakalei, Ka Makana will have, at its completion, more than 800 homes and the Ka Makana Swim Club, a fitness center, pool and spa situated on an acre of land in the center of the neighborhood.

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A New Kind of College Dorm in Waikiki

Jenny Quill,

Like LOST, part of the fun in watching last week’s premiere episode of Hawaii 5-0 was trying to identify the shoot locations. The opening sequence was obviously Kualoa Ranch, and I’m pretty sure the team’s office was headquartered in the old Advertiser building, but I couldn’t quite place Danno’s nondescript, retro apartment. A quick Google search yielded a somewhat-surprising result: The Tradewinds Student Suites, located on Hobron Lane across from Ala Moana Beach Park.