AnnMarie Hamilton

Several weeks ago I was talking to Phil on the phone and suddenly he says "There's a white bunny running through our backyard!" so I say "Oh my Gosh, hurry and go catch him!" "Click" he hangs up the phone. When I got home that evening I had forgot about the whole thing until I saw Phil and he said with a smirk "There's a little something in your office". I opened the office door and there was the cutest little white fluffy bunny with ears hanging straight down munching on a celery stick right under my desk looking very much at home. I knelt down to pet him (or her - honestly hard to tell on a bunny) and it came right up to me and sniffed my fingers. Wa-la! Instant bunny love! I'm a dog person (as you know by now) but there is something about little bunnies that would make anyone melt especially when they're friendly and seem to like you. Phil and I talked about the bunny "Do we keep it?" and for about 30 seconds that option seemed attractive, and then I noticed these little black poo-poo balls and a couple of puddles of pee-pee on my wood floor very far from the white pee pad that Phil had put down. Uh, oh... "Nope,definitely have to find the owners" I said firmly. Phil looked sad but agreed. We decided to keep him the night since it was too late in the evening to do anything. We moved him to the bathroom downstairs and papered the entire floor with dog pads, fed him some apples and vegetarian dogfood (liked that!) and gave it a little bunny puppet we had in the toy box to sleep next to. The next morning I put a sign in our yard that said "Rabbit Found - call 652-3511" in big letters. Not more than 30 minutes later I got a call "I think you've got our bunny. It ran away yesterday". I knew the neighbor that was calling and I knew his house was at least 20 houses away from ours and at least two streets away. That little bunny had crossed two roads and travelled thru 20 backyards yards to get to us. I fought the feeling that maybe he was my bunny in another life and had come to find me. "Yes, we have your bunny. Please come get him" I said sadly. We found out his name was "Buster" which seemed appropriate since he seemed to like to "bust" out of his cage. A few days later I heard Phil yell from the back yard "Buster is back!" Okay, now I was mad. Why couldn't the owner of this little bunny keep him in his cage and safe? At the same time I was really touched that of all the houses to go to Buster had come back to ours. Since we have 3 dogs, he either really liked us, or wasn't too bright. I decided not to jump to conclusions. We rescued Buster yet again but this time we didn't call the owner right away. We considered perhaps Buster was not in a happy home. Perhaps Buster was being subject to Bunny abuse. We even rationalized perhaps we should "save" Buster from his unhappy home life. Phil started talking about how he could build a pen for Buster and how we could teach the dogs to love him. Yeah right! love to eat him! As we were going thru these exercises in our mind I got a phone call from Buster's owner asking if I happened to have him since our neighbor next door had seen us chasing him around our yard and had taken the incentive to give him a call. Grrrrr.... "Yes", I said "I have Buster but to be very frank with you I'm very concerned about Buster's well-being. Why can you not keep Buster from busting out? I don't want to drive down my road someday and see little Buster as bunny roadkill because you can't keep the darn bunny safe in his bunny cage". He explained something about how he put a piece of coral in the pen and Buster jumped up on it and out the top.. "Yeah, whatever" I said. I was about to say "Do you have a permit for that rabbit because I'm the block watch captain and I could turn you in....". anyway I didn't go there. "Come get your rabbit and keep the darn thing in your own yard" A couple more days go by and I get another phone call. It's Buster's owner. "No! Not again! Look I don't have your sad little rabbit and you're a terrible person who shouldn't have pets!" Click! We found out a few days later than he found his bunny and it's been about a month now and no more break outs reported. I guess it's for the best but I still look every day in my backyard and I'm guilty of leaving a few little celery sticks and a water bowl out on rainy nights.. Just in case.

Regarding real estate....October had a nice bump over September with 58 total sales vs 49. We sold 26 house up from 16, vacant land stayed steady at 11 units sold for each of the last two months, and condos also stayed steady with 21 in October and 20 in September. Houses on the North Shore bumped up from 3 to 8, vacant land bumped from 1 to 3 and condos went down from 4 to 2. The east side had a huge number of homes sold 16 vs 9 in September, Koloa and Poipu area sold zero houses in October and sold only 2 the month prior. Waimea did not sell a single piece of property all month. We are averaging 45% above last year's (2009) numbers.

For Sales Volume we were at $29M vs $25M in September. All the volume numbers were up across the board except for Princeville condos. Those were extremely down. We sold only 2 condos on the North Shore last month for a total volume of $495K... gulp! Year to Date we are 28% above all of 2009 Volume numbers and that equates to 16% above in home sales volume, 113% above in vacant land volume and 19% above in condo volume. As you may recall we sold very little vacant land for the the last two years annd now that number is really starting to pick up as prices have gone very low on some good vacant land deals on Kauai. Our YTD volume numbers for North Shore shows we are still struggling as homes are 14% below last year's volume and condos are 12% below. Vacant land is 195% above last year's volume numbers.

For Median Price we are still fairly level on average with a median home price of $550K, that's up from $497K the month prior, and up almost $100K from last year when we were at $456K for October 09. Overall home prices show that we are only about 6% above last year's prices when you look at the YTD numbers. Our YTD "average" shows $480K for a home for 2010, and our YTD "average" for 2009 by October was $450K so slow but steady progress on the pricing front. Condos show a 15% decline YTD from last year. The median price of a condo in October was $287K, and our median price YTD was $345K.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving (if you are celebrating and if not have a wonderful "Fall Celebration Day" or "Eat a lot on Thursday Day", whatever) and to Angelina Jolie who I read is against the Thanksgiving holiday entirely because she felt like the Pilgrims should not have taken America from the Indians and then had a big party I hope she has a lovely day too. Whatever you're doing or whatever you're personal beliefs are I think it's always a good idea to stop once in a while and say "Thanks" for the simple blessings in our lives. For example I'm really thankful I don't live in Afghanistan, forced to wear a long hot black sheet, and not leave the house without a male chaperone and I'm thankful my eyes work so I can read about people that do live like that and send them my love and prayers. Thankful to be living on beautiful Kauai is always at the top of my list of blessings. If you don't live on Kauai and want be here remember I can help you with that goal. Just give me a jingle or drop me an e-mail on what you are property type you looking for or when you are coming to the Island and we'll put a plan together.

And...if you happen to see me around town with a little white dog with big floppy ears munching on a carrot it is definitely NOT Buster and I have no idea what you are talking about. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Warmest Aloha from the Garden Island, AnnMarie Hamilton BIC, Kauai Tropical Properties, 808-652-3511

  If you are going to spend top dollar for a house, you want a golden goose and not a turkey.
  Now, that doesn't mean the house has to be perfect. You are going to spend some money after you move in -- industry experts say an average of $6,000 within the first six months -- but wouldn't you rather focus on new curtains, paint and additional storage than on a furnace or a new roof?
  Although sellers cringe merely at the mention of it, and some residential builders continue to set up obstacles to it, you should not forgo a professional home inspection by a reliable inspector.
  By reliable, we are talking about inspectors who belong to associations

Mortgage Rates

U.S. averages as of October 28, 2010:

30 yr. fixed:   4.23%
15 yr. fixed:   3.66%
1 yr. adj:        3.30%

that establish strict requirements for membership, including professional experience, as well as standards for inspection.
The American Society of Home Inspectors and the National Association of Home Inspectors are two such groups. Each maintains a list of members on its

Wondering What Your Home Is Worth?

Let me show you.

     The walls are closing in. Your teenagers are warring over closet space and you long to have a real office room instead of camping out at the kitchen table. What's the best solution? Should you improve the house or move to another?
  The answers to four primary questions are a good place to start in the dilemma to improve the house or purchase another. Homeowners who are happy with their current neighborhood and school district (usually the top two owner' priorities) are wise to weigh answers to the following:
  1. How long do you intend to keep the house?
  This initial question has impact on several levels. First, it makes little financial sense to pour money into a house only to sell it. Second, if you've ever lived around and through a remodeling project, you know that the emotional upheaval you suffer during construction needs to be offset by enjoying the benefits once the improvements are complete.

     If you're shopping for a new home, chances are, whether you cook or not, the kitchen is an area of great interest. The bathroom is also likely high on the list to inspect. That's because we spend a lot of time in both of these rooms, socializing and taking care of the, ahem, important stuff.
  These two areas of homes are so vital that there's even an association to educate, certify industry professionals, and promote ideas for these rooms. The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), founded in 1963 as The American Institute of Kitchen Dealers, has nearly 40,000 members. Earlier this year it released its top trends for kitchens and bathrooms for 2010.
  Finding what you like in a home is most important but if you're considering a resale in the future, understanding what appeals to the masses can help. Here, then, is a look at some of the top trends from NKBA.
  Concealed Kitchens. This doesn't mean that you walk into a home and can't find the kitchen. Instead, the kitchen area blends with other areas of the home. Formal dining spaces often aren't used much. But when a home has a kitchen that opens to a great room, it allows far more flexibility for people's lives. What may be concealed are items such as commonly used appliances.

     Selling your home can be like a single person trying to get the attention of a prospective date--got to clean up, pour on the charm, and emphasize all those great assets.
  However, if you can't get the prospective candidate to even notice you (or, in this case, your home), there sure won't be a date and that goes for the selling of your home, too (no closing date).
  There's been much written about staging homes, adding curb appeal, clearing clutter, even adding subtle fragrances to help put prospective buyers in the mood. When it comes to getting a home noticed, especially in these market conditions, you'll want to pay close attention to get the deal done before the end of the year.

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