Re: The back lanai
Our lanai is on a hill in central Oahu, with a tiny obscured view of the Pearl Harbor channel entrance. Ships are visible to the naked eye but details require a clear day and a good pair of 7x50s. And if those trees on the next ridge grow much taller...
Hawaii was a bit expensive four years ago, but this is getting downright ridiculous. Yesterday we visited an open house-- 4BR 3BA, 2700 sq ft two-story on 8000 sq ft lot. (Yes, a little less than one-fifth of an acre but nearly twice the size of the average suburban Hawaii lot.) Only two years old, wonderful high-quality construction with cathedral-ceiling livingroom & diningroom & master bedroom, squeaky clean, nicely landscaped, great architectural details & fantastic ultramodern kitchen, whirlpool bathtub, walk-in closets, fully-mirrored closet doors, integrated sound system & intercom with security, wood Venetian blinds throughout, two-car garage, and solar water heater. I always try to run down open houses to see how flexible the realtor is, but I couldn't find anything to bad-mouth here. 20 minutes from south-shore surf, 30 minutes from the North Shore, it's the best-looking residence I've seen in years without being an over-the-top "trophy house" or a hotel lobby.
The downside is no view, not much privacy from the neighbors, ugly stucco perimeter wall, heavy ceramic tile roof requiring air conditioning, undisclosed water leak in the garage (smells damp & musty), and a gated community with a $20/mo fee (in addition to the neighborhood's $26/mo fee). The owner is making an unexpected upward career move so presumably is motivated but can hold out for a high offer.
The realtor, who's very experienced (he listed the home we bought four years ago) and personable, freely admits that the property has no nearby comps. He also agrees that he's testing the market with his listing price, and he seems to feel a little pressure from the seller to push the envelope. OTOH he's not bashful about making the price the largest font on the listing sheet-- $985,000!
A/C bills will run $150/mo but, hey, property taxes will only be about $300/mo.
The realtor's phone barely stopped ringing. Over a dozen people went through the place in 20 minutes and several of them were making appointments to submit offers. Move fast-- it'll probably only last a couple weeks...
Oh, well, now I'm motivated to fix the busted hose inside our washing machine. Just as soon as we finish extracting the water that leaked under the wall to the kid's bedroom, and then buy new carpet padding! (The next ER wannabe who asks me "So, waddya DO all day?!?"...)