B4 • Friday, February 4, 2022
thegardenisland.com
THE GARDEN ISLAND
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Julie Black, Principal Broker & Owner (808) 652-6174 with daughter Kela Caspillo, Realtor Sales Person (808) 652-6173 kauaidreams.com
Featured Homes
DIY OR CALL A PROFESSIONAL
Which is right for your remodel? ON THE MONEY
Outsource plumbing, HVAC, electrical work
ANNIE MILLERBERND
Anahola
4940 Aliomanu Road This 3 bedroom 2 bath Aliomanu Beachfront home is a popular licensed vacation rental. Features include an open floor plan and cathedral ceilings with porches and a balcony perfect for relaxing and looking at the ocean. The peaceful location allows for convenient driving to either side of the island. MLS # 657403; $3,250,000. Call Julie Black, RB (808) 6526174 or Kela Caspillo, RB (808) 652-6173 Kauai Dreams Realty, to see this Property.
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do-it-yourself remodel can be a budget-friendly way to freshen up your home. For some projects, it may take just a few YouTube videos to show you how to modernize your space. But not every project is right for amateur renovators. Your skill level, budget and how important the project is to your home’s value ROGELIO V. SOLIS / ASSOCIATED PRESS can all be deciding factors in whether to call a professional. A workman cuts sections of a bean at a housing site in Madison Here are home remodel projects County, Miss., Tuesday, March 16, 2021. you can probably DIY, and those or bath remodel might cost tens of portion of your DIY budget, says that are better left to experts. thousands of dollars, but Egner Chris Egner, president of the DIY the floors and walls says their knowledge of building National Association of the codes and design best practices Aminah Chung and her husband Remodeling Industry. Add those may end up saving you money costs to your budget, and ask if Bernard, who share their DIY because they’ll do the job projects on social media, updated the tools are worth the correctly. their Phoenix-area home’s master investment, he says. A designer can show you bedroom and pantry, and built a Use caution in kitchens and multiple options for a new layout playhouse for their kids. bathrooms and predict possible issues down Starting in small spaces or the line, says Kevin Brown, design Homeowners should consider trying simple changes, like paint or paneling on a wall, can help you their skills before committing to a manager with Sunnyfields, a Baltimore-based kitchen and bath build confidence for bigger rooms, full DIY kitchen or bathroom remodeling company. remodel, Lovery says, because Aminah Chung says. The project may also finish those spaces are often essential to With a little extra research, faster, Brown says, since a your home’s value. installing new floors can be a professional can coordinate Some things, like painting the spare-time project, says San Diegocabinets, may be within reach. But electricians and plumbers, based DIYer Liz Lovery. She and if you need new cabinets installed avoiding “a real nightmare” of her husband, a former structural and you don’t feel confident about potential delays if you do it engineer, installed laminate yourself. accurately measuring for them, flooring in their home. The Chungs have two kids and Lovery says it may be worth using “Things like that might feel full-time jobs, so a DIY kitchen a professional to get a quality overwhelming, but they aren’t,” remodel would take a lot longer, finished product. she says. Using a contractor for a kitchen Aminah Chung says. Tools can be a significant
It’s best to let experts handle systems that make your house function, like the electrical, plumbing and HVAC system, Egner says. This work often involves permits and background knowledge, and the cost of a misstep can be high. “A simple mistake in an installation of a toilet or a faucet could lead to thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage,” he says. Lovery is willing to knock down walls in her home, but she makes room in her budget to outsource some work, saving potential headaches down the road. Managing home improvement costs If you’re still undecided, have a contractor write up an estimate and compare it with your DIY budget, Egner says. You can search for professionals on the NARI website. He also recommends adding about 10% to 20% to your budget for unexpected expenses, which are inevitable with DIY and professional projects. Cash is the interest-free way to pay for home improvement projects, but if you don’t have enough available, shop around to find the best financing. Home equity loans and lines of credit offer low interest rates and long repayment terms, which keep monthly payments low. Personal loans have higher rates and shorter repayment terms, meaning your monthly payments are higher.
Hawaiiana Management Company, Ltd. Serving Kauai’s Condo & Community Associations with award-winning service
US average mortgage unchanged again this week at 3.55%
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awaiiana currently serves nearly 60 residential and commercial associations on the Island of Kauai. Kauai native Sunshine Ruiz Hatto serves as Hawaiiana’s Vice President RI .DXDL 2SHUDWLRQV IURP LWV RIŅFH DW WKH .XNXL *URYH ([HFXWLYH &HQWHU LQ /LKXH
ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Average longterm U.S. mortgage rates were flat for a third straight week after rising about a half percent early in the year. The average rate on the 30-year loan held at 3.55% from last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday. It stood at 2.73% a year ago. The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, popular among those refinancing their homes, fell to 2.77% from 2.80% last week. One year ago, the rate was 2.21%. Though they remain historically low, home loan rates have been rising to levels not seen since early 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was breaking in the U.S. Last week, the Fed signaled that it would begin a series of interest rate hikes in March, reversing pandemic-era policies that have fueled hiring and growth but also adding to inflation levels not seen in some 40 years. Earlier this month, the government reported that inflation spiked to 7% in December from a year earlier, the sharpest increase in four decades. In addition, the Labor Department reported that prices at the wholesale level surged by a record 9.7% last month from December 2020. The Fed’s upcoming rate hike — or hikes — will make it more expensive to borrow for a home, car or business. Also Thursday, the government reported that applications for unemployment benefits fell for the second week in a row after three straight weeks of increases that economists blamed on the surging omicron variant of COVID-19. The Commerce Department reported last week that the nation’s gross domestic product expanded 5.7% in 2021, the strongest calendar-year growth since a 7.2% surge in 1984.
Sunshine Ruiz Hatto Vice President Kauai Operations
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99% retention rate among clients Local (vs. mainland) banking All employees are in Hawaii Serving nearly 60 associations on Kauai
BOB WILSON SR. MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE
LUCY TAYLOR SR. MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE
RICHARD ROBERTS MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE
WHIT VAN BLARGEN MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE
AMY CAMPBELL MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE
HINAHEA LANGI OFFICE MANAGER, SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
www.hmcmgt.com
KRISTEN KURZ MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE
MIRISHAE MCDONALD MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE
JADE NAKAMOTO ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ FRONT DESK
RACHELE BURNS TOGUCHI ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Hawaiiana’s Kauai Properties: $OLKL /DQL Alii Kai at Hanalei Alii Kai II $OLRPDQX (VWDWHV Apopo Hale (PPDODQL &RXUW +DODXODQL &RQGRPLQLXP Hale Honu Halelani Village at Puhi Halemalu at Puhi Hanalei Bay Villas +RROXDQD &RQGR DW .RKHD /RD +RRNHQD DW 3XKL Kahala at Poipu Kai Ka‘iulani of Princeville .DNHOD 0DNDL 2FHDQYLHZ Kalaheo Pali Kai Kalihiwai Ridge Kamahana
Kauai Beach Resort Kauai Beach Resort Association Kawaihau Sports Villa . * (QWHUSULVHV &RQGRPLQLXP .RKHD /RD 0DVWHU $VVRFLDWLRQ .RORD *DUGHQ $SDUWPHQWV Kuhio Shores at Poipu .XNXLĢXOD /DH 1DQL 0DNDQXL 0DQXDORKD 0DUULRWWģV .DXDL 5HVRUW %HDFK &OXE $2$2 1DZLOLZLOL (VWDWHV Pali Ke Kua Paliuli 3LNDNH Plantation at Princeville 3RLSX &UDWHU Poipu Kai Association
3RLSX .DL 5DFTXHW &OXE Poipu Kai Water Reclamation Poipu Kapili Poipu Sands 3ULQFHYLOOH ,, &RPPXQLW\ Association 3ULQFHYLOOH ,, &RPPXQLW\ $VVRFLDWLRQ 4XHHQ (PPD %OXII 3ULQFHYLOOH 0DNDL 5DQFK DW Halele‘a 3LOL 0DL DW 3RLSX Princeville Paniolo Princeville Sealodge I Puamana
3XKL ,QGXVWULDO 3DUN Pu‘u Po‘a Regency at Poipu Kai Regency Hule‘ia Regency Villas at Poipu Kai Sandpiper Village I The Villas at Poipu Kai Villas at Puali Villas of Kamali’i Villas on the Prince :DLNRPR 6WUHDP 9LOODV Wailua Bay View
For more information about Hawaiiana’s services, contact Sunshine Ruiz Hatto at 792-0515 or email sunshine@hmcmgt.com.