What is the Problem with Ahi?

8 12 2010

Okay, the problem with Ahi (Yellowfin Tuna) is….once you have eaten it fresh from the sea, and cooked to savor, you are hooked.  Of course, then the problem becomes your budget, and just how much Ahi is available.  If you are fortunate enough to live in Hawaii, and even more fortunate to live on the Big Island, you can become pretty spoiled very quickly,  because, it doesn’t get it any fresher, and most every restaurant and home knows how to prepare it well.

Although we don’t readily admit it, we are depleting the natural supply pretty quickly.  So you can imagine how my interest was peaked when my Google Alerts produced this little item about the future of my favorite fish….  http://www.staradvertiser.com/business/businessnews/20101113_ahi_farms_ocean_lease_okd.html

My first thought…..great news, I can  remove that from my list of what will be missing in my future. I don’t have to eat more than my fair share in fear that it will run out before I do…..Wok-charred ahi is here to stay…. and of course, kudos to Peter Merriman, who has it down to a science.

http://merrimanshawaii.com/recipes.php for the absolute best recipe, sauces etc…. enjoy!

Aloha

Dodie MacArthur

MacArthur and Company/Sotheby’s International Realty

BigIslandRealE.com

LetsGoHawaii.com

 


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Categories : Big Island residents, Hawaii Consumers, Hawaii local treats, Hawaiian culture, travel to Hawaii, Uncategorized, Waimea/Kamuela

Does Your Home Need Drama?

27 09 2010

I don’t know about your home, but mine always has drama….. of one kind or another.

Today, when you look at  real estate sites, most of them address something called staging. Staging is one person’s idea of how your house needs to look to attract a buyer. Most often stagers, …. some with experience, and some without, believe they know what the buying public wants to see.

Is this a fascinating science? art? guess? I’m not really sure which category it fits, but I do know there are a few demographics to consider when approaching this decision.  So you may want to first of all, sit with your real estate professional and determine your buyer demographics. Are they young, middle aged, retired. Is it a family or a single person? What are their lifestyle expectations?

Whatever the demographics may be, most people are attracted to drama. They prefer life to reflect a movie set, not any specific one, as every one has their own mental library of movie scenes, and they know their scene.

Next time you are wandering through an Open House and you find yourself imagining a scene……will it be  one in your library?  What scene might this fabulous Big Island entry picture bring to mind? http://www.waimeaspremierekamaainaranchestatehawaii.com

Dodie MacArthur

MacArthur and Company/Sotheby’s International Realty

http:www.bigislandreale.com

http:www.letsgohawaii.com


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Categories : Hawaii Hometowns, Hawaii real estate for sale, Hawaii retirement, Tips for Home Buyers, Tips for Home Sellers, Tips for Home Staging for Sale, Uncategorized, Waimea/Kamuela

Trading Places… Prefer to be in Hawaii? Now?

21 09 2010

Does trading sound too “off the chart” for you?  Believe it or not, this is happening more and more in the marketplace, and it makes perfect sense.

One of the great things about real estate is that someone typically wants what you have. The trick is finding that someone.  Most people who want to buy usually have something to sell. Sometimes they just want to move down the street, and some will fulfill their dream to move to Hawaii.

Hawaii, is a great market for trading places because Hawaii is always on the move…..the primary housing market moves from island to island, and very often to the mainland. The second home market is always moving around, looking for new experiences in new surroundings.    

This incredible home could be a potential trade for a smaller home or even a great lot in Waimea, Puako, or a resort property along the Kohala Coast. For more information there is a  24 hour free recording call this toll-free number 1-800-588-8564 ext:1507

Sound interesting? Have questions? It’s about making life work where you want to be and now……

Dodie MacArthur
MacArthur and Company/Sotheby’s International Realty

http://www.bigislandreale.com
http://letsgohawaii.com


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Categories : Big Island residents, Hawaii Consumers, Hawaii Hometowns, Hawaii Island Names, Hawaii real estate for sale, Tips for Home Buyers, Tips for Home Sellers, Waimea/Kamuela

Are You Living in the .065% Box?

15 09 2010

So yesterday I stopped by my local bank and there on the counter was a little goldenrod paper with updated CD rates……the range from .065 for a minimum term to 2 percent for a 60 month term definitely made me question, whether  my next stop should be the local wine store.  After all good wines  can be enjoyed, appreciated and do appreciate.  Of course being a firm believer in tangible investments and definitely things greater in size than a wine bottle, I returned to my computer to see what the best deals in today’s real estate market might be.

Guess what I found?  Buyers and sellers are very willing to make deals.   No matter what the banks may think, the public knows that it’s time to make moves, especially when the alternative is your bank offering .065% return on your money. Whether your need is for a better investment opportunity, a new location, a change in lifestyle,there are moves to be made… things to do and places to go…..

Looking for a great deal……today the price dropped on this great family home on the dryside of Waimea (Big Island of Hawaii) on one acre from $699,000 to $599,000…..14.3 percent……

Don’t ‘box’ yourself in.

Dodie MacArthur

MacArthur and Company/Sotheby’s International Realty

http://www.bigislandreale.com

http://www.letsgohawaii.com


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Categories : Hawaii Consumers, Hawaii Hometowns, Hawaii real estate for sale, Tips for Home Buyers, Uncategorized, Waimea/Kamuela

Hawaii Counts Beans from “the Great Manini”

1 09 2010

Do you have any idea how many varieties of coffee exist in the world? Do you care?  Well, as I enjoyed my first cup of guess what, Kona Coffee this morning, I found this article from the Maui News, fun and informative.

Of course, I knew that Hawaii is most likely the only state in the union, to produce coffee commercially, and we all know, that you can’t call it Kona Coffee unless it’s grown in a specific region.  I have tasted coffee from other regions of the Big Island,  Kau, Paauilo,  but I never guessed there are actually 80 varieties of coffee beans around the world.  http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/539755/The-cup-runneth-over-with-coffee-culture-trivia.html?nav=12

Now, I didn’t know how coffee arrived in Hawaii, and when I read that Don Francisco de Paula y Marin, (the Great Manini”), planted the first seedlings on Oahu in 1813, it added a whole new dimension to the Hawaii coffee connection.  I can’t imagine why no one has named a coffee brand after this amazing man.  I can very clearly imagine the label …….Don Francisco de Paula y Marin, 1813.  Wow! an instant success.

So now we have a name, a label, a theme song, as I learned this morning, Bach, very kindly composed in 1734, “Coffee Cantata”.  Imagine lyrics that included “coffee is more delicious than a thousand kisses and sweeter than muscatel wine” …hmmm….

Okay, you didn’t think I would leave you with just  the concept, did you? To quote, the Maui News article, “500 billion cups of coffee are sipped every year”.  So, if you could live on the Big Island, have a coffee plantation, give it a great label, a theme song and be fairly confident that if Bach loved it in 1734, that coffee is not leaving us any time soon, what would you do next?

Well, I put my cup down, called all my Kona Coffee experts and discovered this amazing opportunity! Now,imagine sitting on this lanai, watching your 2000 already mature coffee trees flourish……of course, while enjoying your own brew………

Dodie MacArthur

MacArthur and Company/Sotheby’s International Realty

http://www.bigislandreale.com/Kaupulehu_Real_Estate/Spectacular3acre!_230763.aspx

http:www.bigislandreale.com

http:www.letsgohawaii.com


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Categories : Hawaii Coffee, Hawaii real estate for sale, Hawaiian culture, Uncategorized

Mr. President, Hope You Will Find A Big Island Getaway Now!

31 08 2010

I read that the Weinbergs would love to have you continue using their newly acquired Kailua Beach (Oahu)home for your Hawaii visits.Kailua has  a nice beach,(although I don’t believe it was ever voted one of the top 10 beaches) it’s close to all your high school friends, but the Big Island is a short hop and who wouldn’t want to stop by to see you.

You might enjoy looking at a couple of options, maybe check out Big Island Real Estate for the future.  Sometimes the Big Island, especially the Kona- Kohala Coast, appears to be a second home to Californians, from north of San Jose,  in reality, the Big Island represents the best of Hawaii, yesterday and today .

Take a four-part tour at this site, http://www.bigislandreale.com/Blog/tour-the-big-islands-hawaii-belt-road from the untouched town of Hilo on the bay, along the winding roads of the Hamakua Coast, through the quaint and charming plantation villages of Hakalau, Honomu, Paauilo, Honokaa and up the slopes to Waimea, then down the hill to Mauna Kea Beach (always one of the top 10 beaches)  and to the once barren coastline, now a golfing paradise, assuming it’s true that “obama plays golf”…now go to http://www.hawaiioceanfrontestate.net to see more of this Big Island Getaway…..

For more on the Obama’s Kailua Beach Getaway …..  http://www.iqrealestate.com/ShowNews.cfm/NEWS/68554

Dodie MacArthur

MacArthur and Company/Sotheby’s International Realty

http://www.bigislandreale.com

http://www.letsgohawaii.com


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Categories : Hawaii Consumers, Hawaii Golfers Paradise, Hawaii Hometowns, Hawaii real estate for sale, Uncategorized

Welcome to Hawaii, Graham Nash!

28 08 2010

“Our house is a very very fine house”.……so Graham Nash has sold his Encino home (photo) and he is moving to Hawaii. It would be presumptuous of us to assume that Nash is joining long time resident Neil Young on the Big Island (Island of Hawaii), as well as other successful, creative minds, who, after years in the fast lane, are very possibly attracted to the Big Island’s open space and relaxed lifestyle.  Where will you go when you are ready to change lanes? Remember a few things, year round good weather, no more than one flight to your past life and a place your kids want to visit, should all be included in that decision. “Life used to be so hard, now everything is easy ’cause of you”. Komo mai to the Nash family….and for those of you, who are still looking for your Hawaii, we know you will find your way from the fast lane to the middle land and then our lane. .http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm–graham-nash-20100828,0,124246.story.

Dodie MacArthur

MacArthur and Company/Sotheby’s International Realty

bigislandreale.com

letsgohawaii.com


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Categories : Big Island residents, Hawaii retirement, Uncategorized

Have You Had A “Cup of Tea” With Your Hawaii Real Estate Professional?

27 08 2010

Step One for building a relationship with Hawai Real Estate

There are a lot of lessons to learn from Greg Mortensen’s incredible story “Three Cups of Tea”, most of all about building relationships. Have you had a cup of tea with your Hawaii Real Estate professional? Has email replaced tea?  Do we actually build relationships anymore or have they been replaced with text messages?

Think about spending a few days on the Big Island, start with a Hawaiian Vacation as an introduction to Big Island Real Estate. Have a “cup of tea”…ice tea…with Moani, at http://www.letsgohawaii.com, who loves to share everything you need to know about the Big Island, for a weekend or a lifetime.

Hawaii is truly a unique destination in so many ways. Your Hawaii Real Estate professional is often your introduction to the experience and taking the time to make sure you have at least one “cup of tea” with that person, so they get to know you, listen to your needs and care about you and your Hawaii experience can be step one.

As we become more and more dependent on “surfing” the web and not the waves, we need to remember to take a few minutes for that  “cup of tea”.

Dodie MacArthur

MacArthur and Company/Sotheby’s International Realty

http://www.bigislandreale.com

http://www.letsgohawaii.com


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Categories : big island vacation rental property, Hawaii Realtors, Hawaii vacation rental, hawaii vacation rental property, Hawaiian holidays, Tips for Home Buyers, travel to Hawaii

Who Gets Confused About Hawaii Names?

25 08 2010

Do you know about our little town, Waimea (Island of Hawaii)? Waimea means “reddish”water, and there is a bit of water tainted with red dirt in the State of Hawaii, so needless to say, there are several towns named “Waimea”, on Oahu and Kauai and possibly more. Until my move to the Big Island, my only reference point was Honolulu, where everyone referred to the Big Island community of Waimea (Island of Hawaii) as”Kamuela”. Imagine my confusion and actual embarrassment moving to a town, knowing it only as Kamuela, and finding out it is truly, “Waimea”.  

I loved the first time I made the outrageous mistake of calling it Kamuela and was abruptly told by a long time resident, (of several generations or more), that I must be living in the post office…because Kamuela is the designation assigned to this community by the U.S. Postal Service to eliminate their confusion (pre-zip codes, no doubt).

Hot off the press this week from Yahoo and Pacific Business News:

http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2010/08/23/focus6.html  http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-475406-waimea vacations

Waimea (Big Island) Treats for the palette, not to be  missed….

Dodie MacArthur

MacArthur and Company/Sotheby’s International Realty

http://www.bigislandreale.com

http://www.letsgohawaii.com


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Categories : Hawaii Island Names, Hawaii local treats, Uncategorized, Waimea/Kamuela

Is Yahoo telling you the best place to retire?

23 08 2010

Oooh!  Did you check out Yahoo’s 5 Most Liveable Cities for Retirement http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/5-great-cities-for-retirees.html Don’t walk…run to your favorite Big Island Real Estate site, which I would hope is bigislandreale.com and find out what livable and affordable can really be.  What is your Hawaiian vacation going to cost, when you can’t survive the winter or maybe in some of those choices, the summer.

So twice a year you are going to want to leave, wow! Checkout how far they are from the ocean, which is never even a calculation on the Big Island, because if you are not in it ,you are most likely viewing it from some amazing vantage point. The Big Island used to be a costly place to live but now, real estate is affordable, Costco and the other box stores are very available and farmers markets are supplying organic products to help us live longer for less.  We don’t need heating and in most places we can depend on our trade winds to keep us cool. Our needs are simple and our lives are full….a fter all isn’t Hawaii everyone’s dream? We live longer and enjoy it more…….

Dodie MacArthur

MacArthur and Company/Sotheby’s International Realty

http://www.bigislandreale.com

http://www.letsgohawaii.com


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Categories : Hawaii retirement, Uncategorized

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