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ISLAND HOMES LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Real estate activity on Oahu's North Shore is surging like the winter surf that made its Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay world famous. Twenty or thirty years ago, the surf was the main attraction for new residents, both renters and home buyers. Now, according to Realtors active in the area, it’s the mystique the North Shore has gained through a series of films and television productions combined with great values in reaL estate that bring the waves of international buyers eager to stake a claim on a piece of Hawaii beachfront., and willing to pay big bucks for it. As a natural consequence, prices continue to escalate and inventory diminishes.
Juliana Simone, owner and principal broker of Sunset Homes specializes in North Shore properties She has lived on the North Shore since 1988 and started her own company, based in a historic building in Haleiwa, in 1992. She believes the ‘old charm of local communities and relaxed country lifestyle as well as the miles of sandy beach are attracting buyers to the North Shore and making its real estate market one of the hottest in Hawaii. She has recently made her own investment in the community by purchasing the building that houses her brokerage brokerage, a Haleiwa |
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| landmark that was originally a Bishop Bank built in the 1920s, as well as the entire property where she plans to develop another building with the samearchitectural style and detailing. A member and sponsor of the North Shore Community Chamber of Commerce, Simone has supported historic preservation and other community projects over the years. According to Simone, home buyers include local residents who are taking advantage of the low interest rates to ‘buy up’ and people from both within and outside the state who have discovered that the kind of atmosphere and environment they identify with the Neighbor Islands is available on the North Shore of Oahu.‘We are seeing a huge influx of people from Southern California who are relocating or investing here now with the intention of moving here in the future. Many of them have made small fortunes in real estate in southern California and now see the same opportunities here, Beachfront property is scarce there also, and our beachfront prices look like bargains to them. A number of people who have purchased homes tell us that they have been spending weekends at Turtle Bay or North Shore vacation rentals for years and have finally decided to make the North Shore their home base. Computer technology has made it possible for more and more people to work out of their homes and spend less time commuting to offices in Honolulu. In addition to sales, Sunset Homes offers property and rental management. "Occupancy of vacation rentals is high. We are getting a lot of Californians, but also people from the Fast Coast, Europe, Australia, and South America. Most find us through the internet and many are repeat guests," Simone said. Michael North, a native of Canada who is now a Pupukea resident, first came to Hawaii on business in 1988 and purchased his present home in 1996. As a technology executive with a company doing business with the state, he had an opportunity to see most of Hawaii and chose Oahu’s North Shore after touring the island with a Realtor. After coming here for several years, I got into the habit of working in Honolulu during the week, then taking the weekend off at Turtle Bay, which was my favorite getaway," North said. |
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Sunset Homes LLC ~ North Shore's Premiere Real Estate Company
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