6 minute read
Community Corner
CORNER COMMUNITY Virus Hits Condo Sales Again
As expected, the no-longer-new coronavirus hit sales of Hawaii condos even harder in May than in April, compared to those same months a year earlier. On Oahu, sales volume compared to May 2019 fell 51.2%, from 520 to 245. The median price also dropped, though not as precipitously, 4.4%, from $417,500 a year ago to $399,000. On the Big Island, condo sales plummeted 63%, to 29 in May from 79 a year earlier. The median price dropped 15%, to $319,000 from $375,000. On Kauai, the number of condo sales dropped 47%, to 26 from 49 a year earlier. The median price fell 37%, to $367,500 from $580,000. Industry leaders attribute the statewide fall to several factors related to the global pandemic: stay-at-home orders on each of the Islands, thousands of Hawaii workers suddenly unemployed, social distancing rules that shut down open houses except by appointment and some would-be sellers simply not wanting strangers potentially bringing germs into their home. But better times could be ahead, with state and county governments moving to re-open more businesses and activities, including the state allowing open houses again as of June 5, with social-distancing and sanitizing protocols in effect.
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The median is the price point at which half of condos sold for more and half for less. Sources include the Honolulu Board of Realtors, Kauai Board of Realtors, Realtors Association of Maui and Hawaii Island Realtors. ❖
CLIFF KIMURA/FLICKR
Kanter Taking Over Expo
Change is afoot for the big Hawaii Buildings, Facilities and Property Management Expo.
Ken Kanter, who since the launch of the Expo in March of 2008 by Douglas Trade Shows has served as exposition director through his company Creative Service Associates, announced last month that he will now be producing the Expo.
“I will continue as the exposition director and Nicole Noda-Muth, my assistant for the past nine years, will
Ken Kanter continue as exhibitor services manager,” Kanter said in a release.
The 2021 Expo is tentatively scheduled for March 10-11 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.
The 2020 Expo, which closed March 12, was one of the last big public events before Honolulu went into lockdown because of the coronavirus scare. Kanter notes that the Blaisdell Center plans to open soon for small gatherings, but health-safety and social-distancing guidelines for large events are still being determined.
Past exhibitors will be updated via email. For more information: 781-5438 or kanter@lava.net. ❖
Re-opening Condo Amenities Notes from IREM’s well-attended webinar
BY DON CHAPMAN
With large public gatherings banned by the coronavirus shutdown, educational events for building managers and board members have been curtailed. But that didn’t stop IREM from hosting a webinar, “COVID: A Call to ARMS.” Veteran building managers Duane Komine, Davie Felipe and Jose Dominguez led the well-attended June 2 session via Zoom, moderated by Laurel Kagimoto of IREM.
“The last two months have been a tremendous learning opportunity,” said Komine, the ever-optimistic general manager at Hokua.
The first topic of discussion was re-opening amenities to residents.
Preparation and following government Phase 2 standards are key to re-opening, said Dominguez, general manager at Keauhou Place.
And that starts, Komine said, with “showing force in cleaning.”
When residents see effort being put into sanitizing common areas—pressure-washing the pool deck, for example—it gives them a “sense of cleanliness” and will make them feel more relaxed.
Preparation includes creating social distancing spaces on pool decks by removing chairs and limiting the number of people using any one area.
“And you have to make reservations mandatory” for all amenities, Dominguez said, “pool, barbecue, gym.”
Felipe, general manager at Anaha, agreed and also sug
Duane Komine
Davie Felipe
CORNER COMMUNITY PDCA Members Donate Materials, Labor to Oahu Veterans Center
Manuel Ramiscal and Kurt Nozaki of JD Painting and Decorating get to work
From left: Dean Nagatoshi (PDCA Hawaii executive director), Brandon Puckett (PPG Paints), Jaime Dominguez (president JD Painting and Decorating), Michael Moorehead (PPG Paints), Claire Levinson (OVC executive director), Ron Wright (Oahu Veterans Center Council member, USMC veteran), Vanessa Zimmerman (OVC office assistant), Brian Sakai (First Hawaiian Bank and member of OVC), Gary Chamberlin (first vice president of OVC Council and Air Force veteran)
The Oahu Veterans Center is home to the Oahu Veterans Council, which comprises nearly 50 different veteran services organizations on Oahu that support, honor and advocate for our veterans in the community. Like just about everything else in Hawaii, the hall had to close its doors for the past few months during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving nowhere for veterans to congregate for trainings, seminars, meetings and other activities. Taking advantage of this situation, Claire Levinson, executive director of the Oahu Veterans Center, reached out to the Painting and Decorating Contractors Association (PDCA) of Hawaii about undertaking a community service project to rehabilitate the meeting hall’s interiors with a fresh coat of paint to do something positive for veterans during the lockdown period.
Nearly 50 gallons of paint was donated by PPG Paint’s Honolulu office, with JD Painting and Decorating suppling a crew of painters over the course of several days to complete the painting project. ❖
...continued from page 49 gested establishing time limits for the use of each amenity, and cleaning between guest visits.
Dominguez suggested limiting barbecue areas to residents only. Likewise, tape has been placed on every other workout machine in the gym to identify them as off-limits.
“And we have so many hand-sanitizing stations, people think I’m working for Purell,” Dominguez said.
Hokua was taking a different approach, Komine said, and would wait until the city allowed all gyms to open.
All of this, Felipe said, requires specific staff training.
Indoor air quality also came up. It’s crucial for both physical and emotional health, the trio agreed.
“It’s mostly servicing,” said Felipe, “with regular testing and monitoring.” Felipe said he came up with the idea of asking residents to sign a disclaimer of liability. “I borrowed the idea from Disney,” he said. Anaha’s board and attorney agreed with the final wording.
“We already have something like that in our house rules,” said Dominguez, “but we need more now.”
As for the sometimes divisive issue of face masks, Felipe said, “You can ask. It’s not mandatory. I just think it’s doing the right thing as a community.”
“It all comes down,” added Dominguez, “to residents acting responsibly.”
As governments continue to open more aspects of the economy, and more visitors come from outside Hawaii, it’s important to remain diligent.
“It just takes one person,” Komine said, “to mess everything up.”
For more suggestions from IREM on dealing with the COVID-19 crisis: irem.org/pandemic-guide. ❖
LEAK REMEDIATION AND CONCRETE RESTORATION
The ConCreTe resToraTion speCialisT not known to many, several of downtown honolulu’s low-rise buildings built in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s have a full, below grade basement. Whether occupied or used simply for storage, leaks and rusting reinforcing steel are not an uncommon occurrence at the basement levels given the nearness of many of the structures to the harbor and our slowly rising tide level. rCM Construction used a combination of procedures, including epoxy injection and polyurethane group injection in conjunction with concrete spall repair, to help remediate this 75 year old basement.
