Nick Kawakami

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Nick Kawakami

5 Tips for Holiday Home Buyers

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With Thanksgiving finished, and the Christmas season officially here, we are in full swing for the holidays! For those who are at any stage of the home buying process, the holidays present a unique set of challenges to the real estate market. Here are 5 tips to help you survive the holidays and put yourself in the best situation to succeed! [Read more…] about 5 Tips for Holiday Home Buyers

How The Federal Funds Rate Affects Mortgages

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The question I get asked most often, whether I’m having a beer or sitting at an open house, is “do you think they’re going to raise rates anytime soon?” Of course most of them are talking about mortgage interest rates, trying to predict the future and get the best possible rate for their loan. But, I also wonder if it’s such a topic of interest because of confusion between the federal interest rate heard in the news and the mortgage rates you and I borrow money on? I’m here today to clear up the confusion, and explain the difference between the two.

fed-funds-rate-2-mortgage [Read more…] about How The Federal Funds Rate Affects Mortgages

How to Prepare for El Niño in Hawaii

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The weather’s been weird, right? Blazing hot temperatures turned into weeks of torrential rains, which turned back into a scorcher, which turned cold, which turned back hot. “Damn you El Niño, leave us alone!” Unfortunately, it’s not leaving anytime soon, so here’s some steps you can take to prepare for the turbulent Pacific winter ahead! [Read more…] about How to Prepare for El Niño in Hawaii

Walkabout: Southern Oceanside

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Today’s walkabout took me to the south side of O’ahu and out towards Hawaii Kai! After a marathon month of preparing for my brother’s wedding, I decided to treat myself to something nice and go see some luxury properties! Here’s a quick rundown of some of the things I saw… [Read more…] about Walkabout: Southern Oceanside

How Much Will You Need To Retire?

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The good folks over at SmartAsset have recently posted interesting infographics regarding the most & least expensive cities to retire in. Not surprisingly, high-end metropolis’ dominate the expensive list, while more urban cities dominate the least expensive list. Where does Honolulu rank? [Read more…] about How Much Will You Need To Retire?