Kona Kohala Blog

Big weekend at Waimanalo polo fields with the 22nd annual Kaimana Klassic Ultimate Tournament which wraps up today.  Thirty-five teams attended the event with over 600 players from Australia, the mainland, Japan and ranging in age from teen agers to 50 somethings going for the gold.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Utlimate Frisbee, let me tell you a little bit about it.  I was on the University of Oregon Utlimate team in '84 and '85, the year we ended up placing second in the Annual Mud Bowl in Eugene, OR to the champion Humboldt Buds from Humboldt State.  The Mud Bowl was a three day event where we played hard against each other all day then partied together all night making ultimate frisbee one of the most loved games by participating sportspeople, men and women alike.

It's a game where you call you own fouls and a game where there aren't that many.  A player holdning the frisbee must stand in place but can pivot and turn always keeping one foot planted.  This person attempts to pass the disk to a team mate fighting for position against an opponent and it's always one on one, never more.

It very fast paced and there are no pauses until a frisbee hits the ground or a goal is scored.  A score takes place when the frisbee is caught in the end zone.  If you have a chance to watch the game being played, take it.  It's a great game packed with competitive spirits and sportsmanship.

On to real estate.  I've been researching homes and condos purchased up to 2003, those properties that should have plenty of equity unless large refinances were made.  I found page after page of properties that were but no longer are on the market.  While we have an abundance of property for sale today, I believe there is an even greater number out there that could come on the market at very competitive prices. 

It's only when pricing becomes more competitive and loans become more available that we'll see sales begin to pick up.  On the west coast right now, sales numbers are on the rise, up as much as 43% in some hard hit areas.  Ther reason is that prices took such a big hit, in the 40% to 50% range while Hawaii prices have only come down 20% or so at the most.  Our market still needs correcting after the bloating run up of the early 2000's.

Watch for all this to happen in the next 6 to 12 months as banks get a second infusion of cash and prices near the bottom.  aloha