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The Honolulu Board of REALTORS released resale figures for the month of April based on data collected from its computerized Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system. During April, sales of 229 single-family homes and 379 condominiums were reported through the Board’s MLS, decreases of 19.6 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively, for single-family homes and condominiums from April 2010. The median price paid for island properties in April was $585,000 for single-family homes and $305,000 for condominiums, an increase of 3.5 percent for single-family homes and a 0.7 percent decrease for condominiums, compared to the same month last year. According to the Days on Market indicator, sales closed at a slower pace last month compared to a year ago with single-family homes listing for 34 days up from 26 and condominiums listing for 34 days up from 24. "Median prices are holding pretty firm in the current Oahu housing market, at $585,000 and $305,000, in April," said Joyce Nakamura, President of the... (click here to continue)
For many homes, the largest portion of your electric bill comes from heating water. You can save hundreds of dollars simply by changing your timer settings. Most water heaters have a timer – usually a grey, wall-mounted box near the water heater with an “on” and “off” switch. “On” provides electricity to the water heater, allowing it to continuously generate hot water but at a large cost in electricity. “Off” will allow electricity to the water heater based on the timer settings. The timer is located in the box and is adjustable to set the time. Pins are clipped onto the timer disk to activate and deactivate the electricity to the water heater. Use the pins to heat the water only when you need it. Save money by turning the heater off when you don’t use it, such as during work or when the family is asleep. Going on vacation? Consider removing the timer pins if you do not need hot water. A good technique is to remove only the “on” pins. By leaving the “off” pins in place, you’ll have a.... (click here to continue)