Neighborhoods – Honolulu

My favorite part of a home tour happens before I even reach the front door: I love coming up the driveway, watching as a home slowly reveals itself. And this Dowsett-Ave. residence, which is set back from the road, hidden behind a sentinel-like row of towering shrubs, has a big reveal. But not the kind you get with so many of the newer homes, which have larger-than-life, demanding presences. No, with this house, I felt as if I’d been transported to a French countryside estate full of old-time, graceful elegance. It’s a classy grande dame of a home, and it makes me happy to know that these places still quietly exist here on Oahu.

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.

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.

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.

This weekend’s open-house pick caught my eye because of its graceful mix of modern amenities and relaxed kamaaina living. The home is located in Pacific Heights, a neighborhood that people tend to overlook, but shouldn’t. It’s close to downtown and convenient to everything, houses in this area often have stellar views of the city and beyond, and it tends to be a little cooler up there thanks to the trade winds that breeze through.

Sure, we all know that parking in this city is a hot commodity, but a nearly $30,000 commodity? Apparently. Standalone stall No. 235 at Hawaii Kai’s The Colony at the Peninsula is currently listed for $29,500 by listing agent/owner Philip McCaffray, who is looking to offload the extra space.

It’s been nearly two years since the remaining portion of the former Kaiser Estate was put on the market by its owners, Mr. and Mrs. S.L. Chan, and there’s hope that the estate may finally find a new owner, one with pockets deep enough to bring it back to its former glory. According to Mary Worrall Associates’ managing director Alden Yamane, since it was listed, a dozen or so potential buyers have seen the property, three of which were “serious.”

Full disclosure: I’m addicted to my iPhone, and, like any true iPhone junkie, I love a good app. So I’m pretty stoked about the Prudential Locations Real Estate Search, a fabulously functional (and free!) local real estate app for your iPhone, iTouch or iPad.

A new artists’-lofts complex in the 109-year-old Mendonca Building is bringing renewed energy to the downtown arts scene.