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ZIETZ: You don't have to be rich to live in Hawaii.
Oh, see -- This is like our own
private Hawaiian oasis right here.
Anyone can call these islands home.
You just have to want it.
Yeah, you definitely can't get this in Buffalo.
[ Chuckling ] No!
ZIETZ: Hawai'i Life is a homegrown real-estate brokerage.
We sell more than homes, town homes, and condos.
I guess I could get used to doing dishes
with that kind of a view.
We connect people with a lifestyle that takes advantage
of everything these islands have to offer.
WOMAN: You guys are gonna be seeing
a lot of sunsets in the near future.
Cheers.
This is "Hawaii Life."
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
My name is Kailani,
and I'm sales executive for a hotel chain.
I have three children -- twins Donald and Kalea.
I also have a sixteen-year-old named Tyren.
I'm from Oregon.
When I was a year and a half,
my father moved over here to Hawaii,
and my mom stayed in Oregon.
I loved it here more than I did Oregon,
so I ended up permanently living here.
I love to spend time with my children,
so we go down to Waikiki,
where there's every type of outdoor activity
that you can imagine, from sailing and hiking...
Right now, we live in an area called the village of Kapolei.
I'm looking to move because my twins are leaving for college,
so it's just gonna be my sixteen-year-old, Tyren, and I.
I'm so eager and excited to move.
We're ready, we're packing, we're ready to go.
Kailani has been searching for a home for weeks.
I'm just a little concerned about the size.
It's not what I wanted, exactly.
It's a little small, so that's a big drawback.
And now with her three children, Donald, Kalea, and Tyren,
they're meeting with Amie Bennis,
a Hawai'i Life real-estate broker,
to discuss their wish list for their future home on Oahu.
Okay, guys, so what's going on? Why are you moving?
Well, as you know, we live in a single-family home
in Kapolei that we own,
and because the twins are graduating,
Tyren and I are looking for a condo --
Or a townhouse is fine.
And we'd really like to be somewhere close to the beach.
Tyren bodyboards all the time, so he would love to be somewhere
that we can be walking distance from the beach.
I would like to have at least a two-bedroom.
We'd really like to have both bedrooms
be on opposite sides if it's a two-bedroom.
Got it.
So, you don't want to be next to Mom anymore?
[ Laughter ]
Okay.
I'd like to have an ocean view.
A view, to me, is, like, the most important -- ocean view.
Ocean view. Got it.
Okay, so now that you guys are high-school graduates
and going off to college,
I know you're gonna be back at Mom's house.
What do you guys want to see in her new home?
Well, I want to see hardwood floors
and hopefully close to the beach.
Great.
Yep.
Okay. [ Chuckles ]
And is there a preference on area?
I'm looking at either in Makakilo
at the top of the hill where we have some nice views
or somewhere -- maybe Waikiki area.
We want a different lifestyle.
We're looking to be able to maybe go to restaurants,
Okay.
So, what price range are we looking in?
I'm really looking at $500,000 to $700,000.
Okay.
You know, you'll obviously get
a lot more for your money in Makakilo area.
But I think we can fit everything on your wish list
that you want in the Waikiki area, as well.
Okay, great.
All right, guys. So, I'll start looking.
Hawaii consists of four main islands --
Big Island, Maui, Oahu, and Kauai.
Oahu is the most populated island,
home of Pearl Harbor, bustling Waikiki,
and the world-famous Diamond Head.
Kailani is focusing her search
in two different districts of Honolulu.
The first home is located in Ala Moana,
and the next home is located
in the popular resort area of Waikiki,
known for its high-end shopping,
restaurants, bars, and night clubs.
Because of its appeal,
Honolulu has some of the most expensive neighborhoods in Hawaii.
Kailani is also looking at a home 30 minutes west
in a neighborhood known as Makakilo.
Makakilo is a quieter neighborhood
and offers Kailani and her family
more space to stretch out.
BENNIS: The first unit I'm showing Kailani and Tyren
is gonna be right in the middle of Honolulu.
It's just an amazing area to be in.
It is 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms.
It's 1,157 square feet.
Its list price is at $725,000.
Okay, guys. So, welcome to Moana Pacific.
KAILANI: The area's perfect.
Yeah.
So, you can go boogie boarding, right?
Yeah, I like the beach.
Okay, so this unit is $725,000,
so it is a little bit above what you guys wanted to stay in.
Well, I'm really excited to see this.
All right, guys. Here we are.
Oh, my goodness. Wow.
Yes, it's breathtaking, isn't it?
I'm speechless.
I don't even -- I'm -- I'm over-stimulated.
[ Laughs ]
So, walking into the condominium,
I really like the open feel.
Look at all the tall windows.
I really like the look of the floor-to-ceiling windows,
especially when you first walk in.
It's very striking.
Oh, that's beautiful.
I love that this has an island.
This is awesome.
I love the floors.
This is great.
We could do so much entertaining right here.
We could have bar stools up right here, right?
It is.
BENNIS: What do you think of this?
Wow, this is the second bedroom?
Oh, my gosh.
This is phenomenal.
My only concern is that this room
is a little bit smaller
than the room you have right now.
Yeah, I don't know. It's a little small, so...
KAILANI: The room that would be Tyren's room is pretty small.
Ceiling-to-floor windows
makes it look a lot bigger and feel a lot bigger.
Though I am a little bit concerned whether or not
all of his furniture and things would fit in there.
All right, so, check out this master.
And, again, look at the windows and the view.
KAILANI: This is great.
And again you've got the floor-to-ceiling windows.
It's just beautiful. It's beautiful.
TYREN: Yeah, I can see you in here just looking out at the view.
Yeah.
It seems like a very relaxing place -- It's real quiet.
I really like it.
Okay, so, what are the thoughts on this one?
Well, my first impression is the space is really good.
It's great for entertaining.
We're so close to all the stores and the restaurants
and the beach and all that kind of stuff.
So, how do you feel about the price?
I think the price is a little high.
I'm a little concerned about the price.
It is an issue, for sure.
All right.
Well, I'm ready to show you guys the next property.
Are you ready to go?
Okay.
BENNIS: Here in this unit,
you notice this has amazing Diamond Head views.
The view of Diamond Head is incredible -- beautiful.
BENNIS: Waikiki has a life of its own.
There is so much going on in Waikiki
with all the great restaurants.
You are walking distance
from everything that you'd like to do.
You'll definitely be in walking distance,
just to jump on the catamaran any time you want...
...like you love to do.
Isn't that cool?
TYREN: Yeah.
There is a sense of adventure when you go to Waikiki.
This traffic -- This is one thing --
A good thing you guys would be living here
so you can walk everywhere.
You guys won't be using your cars at all.
That's kind of the whole point of why Waikiki --
I really wanted to be in the heart of it
because I do want to walk.
I want to be able to not drive.
I just love that feel, I think, is really fun down here.
Second home I get to go show Kailani and Tyren
is in the heart of Waikiki.
It is a 2-bedroom, 2-bath home,
1,014 square feet, so it will be a little bit bigger for them.
And the purchase price on the unit is $629,000.
Okay, guys. So, on this one, it's all about location.
You're centrally located in Waikiki.
KAILANI: That's awesome. That's a really good plus.
And for you, the beaches are very close,
especially some of your favorite body-boarding beaches.
It's perfect.
KAILANI: My first impression of the condo in Waikiki
is that it's kind of old.
It doesn't look as nice from the outside.
All right, guys.
TYREN: Oh, wow.
Actually, it's pretty open.
They did a great job with the renovations.
Oh. Ooh, neat. Look at these countertops.
Yeah.
Yeah, so you've got the nice, open kitchen.
One of the features in this unit,
as many of the older buildings in Waikiki,
is you've got your washer here in the kitchen.
So, you can do a load of laundry while you're doing your dishes.
Oh, my gosh. I have never seen that before.
Really? It's very popular in a lot of the older houses.
Big drawback for me.
Yeah.
I'm not so fond of that.
Here in this unit,
you notice this has amazing Diamond Head views.
The view of Diamond Head is incredible -- beautiful.
What do you think of it, Ty?
I like it. I like the view.
KAILANI: I really love the size of the lanai.
That's another really big plus.
There's also some privacy, too,
because there's no one in front of us.
That's true.
BENNIS: If you look to the left, you've got the canal.
If you look to the right, there's the ocean.
KAILANI: It's just a peekaboo view of the ocean,
so I'm just not getting that ocean feel that I want.
So...I don't know.
We can talk about it.
Yeah, it's something to talk about, for sure.
BENNIS: All right, Ty, so your room is gonna be
right off the living room.
And this is a nice-size room.
What do you think about this space
and being right off the patio and the living area?
I like it.
It's just not that much privacy, but, I mean...
It's interesting that it's not the master
off the lanai area and stuff.
Usually you have the master right here.
The first bedroom is really kind of cool.
You would think it would be the master bedroom up front,
but it's actually not.
BENNIS: Right here is gonna be
Oh, my gosh!
Okay, wait. The dryer is in the closet.
Okay.
So, the washer's in the kitchen, the dryer's in the closet.
Yes.
[ Laughs ] Okay. A little different.
It's all right.
BENNIS: Let's walk into the master.
KAILANI: Okay.
My first thought is that I may even give this to you.
It just feels more like it would be appropriate for you.
Because it's off in the back,
I wouldn't worry so much about the noise, like,
with your stereo and your friends
and all that kind of stuff.
You can give him his little master retreat.
Yeah, exactly.
And then you'll have the patio and the view.
Yeah, I'm usually out on the lanai
a lot more than he is, too.
BOTH: What do you think?
Sounds good to me.
He's like, "Yeah, let me take the master."
Like my privacy.
All right, guys.
So, that was it. What do you think?
I like it.
There's definitely pros and cons about all of the entire unit.
The location is ideal, perfect. You cannot get better.
I'll be able to walk to all these shops and boutiques
and just, you know, go out to dinner.
So, it's a real big plus. Location is big.
I mean, it's perfect. There's no ocean view.
So, I'm back to that -- no ocean view.
But you do have the Diamond Head view, so...
Okay, so, since I know you guys are still kind of on the fence
about the big move across the town,
I did set up one in Makakilo.
You definitely will have those ocean views you've been wanting,
and you definitely get more for you money over there.
Okay.
So, you guys ready to go take a look at that one?
Yeah, I definitely want to do that.
All right. Great.
Good day out on the boat.
KAILANI: This couldn't be better every time we come out.
It's perfect.
My kids and I go on the catamarans quite a bit.
It's one of our favorite things.
Look at Diamond Head. Isn't that amazing?
Yeah.
Everyone's enjoying themselves, relaxing, enjoying Hawaii,
and just having fun, interacting.
Perfect sunset.
Another amazing night in paradise.
You can see the sunset.
Just feeling that wind against you
and the breezes and the ocean, it's just beautiful.
There's nothing like it.
We are so blessed. Absolutely blessed.
The next townhouse that I'm showing Kailani and Tyren
is up in Makakilo.
It is 3 beds, 2.5 bath.
It's 1,400 square feet.
The purchase price is $415,000.
Hi. Hi.
Good.
It's gorgeous up here.
We are clear up on top of the mountain, above everything.
If you guys notice the views all the way around us.
Yes.
I like it.
It's a lot -- it's really colorful.
You do get way more for your money here.
As you can see, you got the two-car garage.
It's gonna have three bedrooms versus Waikiki,
Right.
KAILANI: Walking up to the Makakilo house, I love the landscaping.
It's a really quiet area,
felt like I was also looking at a house versus a townhouse.
It was really large.
All right, guys. Here we go.
KAILANI: Oh, my goodness.
So, definitely a change from the condos, huh?
This is really nice.
Okay.
How do you guys feel about this space?
I love it.
I like it. I like the countertops and the cabinets.
Our only issue is the electric stove.
Okay.
It is the black appliances, though,
and I know you're a fan of the stainless.
Yeah.
You know what I like about this one?
It's a lot bigger than what we've seen.
That kind of gives it an edge above everything else
'cause it's bigger, more space for us.
Yeah.
It's a big plus so far.
Yeah.
BENNIS: Yeah.
It's open, has the open-concept,
which is another thing that was on our list
that we really wanted.
Yeah.
KAILANI: This seems like a place
that we could really do a lot of entertaining, too.
It's plenty big for everybody.
BENNIS: So, the first room you come to is the master.
And when you walk in,
you'll notice your big walk-in closet.
Oh, wow. Sure is. My goodness.
My favorite part of the master is the view.
Oh, right on.
That's awesome.
Yeah, so you can just relax up here.
That's my view. Sorry, Ty.
Yeah. [ Laughs ]
This time, I get to keep the master.
And this one is mine.
Yeah. Exactly.
[ Laughs ] It's an ocean view.
Oh, nice. That's beautiful.
What do you think of that?
I would love it. I'd put my chair over here,
and I'd just read my book and look out there,
and it's beautiful.
So, right off the bat, if you notice, maybe,
you might want to change from the pink.
[ Laughs ] There's a lot of pink.
What color do you think you'll change the paint to?
[ Laughter ]
I like this. I think this is really good.
Plus, you're at the opposite end of where my room is.
I think it's a little small, but I could work with it.
Yeah.
Come back through the living room
and head out to the backyard.
All right, guys.
TYREN: Oh, wow.
KAILANI: Oh, this is really big. Wow.
Yeah. And then there's your ocean view.
Yeah.
I really like it. I like that it's tiled, too.
Keep it really easy to clean.
It's also a lot of space in here, too.
Walk around it.
Its so quiet. You can hear the birds.
It's just peaceful.
Definitely different from
Mm-hmm.
So, I mean, is this worth the drive, maybe?
I don't know. What do you think?
You do?
KAILANI: This house definitely meets some of the goals on my wish list.
We've got the view, we're in a quiet area,
we're at the top, it's very safe up there, and it's beautiful.
So, you guys have a big decision to make.
You've got a lot to think about.
Yeah.
There's a lot to think about.
Everything we've seen is really, really nice.
You've done a great job.
Hopefully next time I see you guys, we'll have a decision.
Yeah, we will.
Okay.
So, this is a really difficult decision, you know?
Tyren and I have looked at three great properties
that you showed us.
So, Moana Pacific is the first one.
It had open concept like I liked, it's separated.
So, when you get up there,
you've got me on one side, him on one side,
and then we've got the living room in the middle.
That was something that was on the wish list.
It's a little bit more money,
but yet the bedroom in that one was really small for Tyren.
Right.
Then you have Waikiki.
Waikiki, the location, location, location
is two blocks from the beach.
Yeah.
Yes, yes.
Walk outside and, you know, how much are we gonna be inside?
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah.
Then we also have Diamond Head view.
Huge Diamond Head view.
It was. It was.
Okay.
So, I would be giving Tyren the master
and then he would have that closet,
but it has the dryer in it.
Yes.
Right.
I don't know.
Let's talk about the other side of the island.
How do you feel about that?
Yes.
It was more of an ocean view
Right.
Even if it's furthest away from the beach,
it had the best views of everything.
And for the price?
I'm getting extra space on the lanai.
So, you'd have to get in the car and drive to get the beach,
to get to a restaurant, at least 10 minutes.
How do you feel about the driving still,
'cause that was a big issue.
Well, it is quite a drive.
Yes.
So, that might be okay.
Okay, so, is there one that you could say
you would like to eliminate?
Yeah, I really -- Tyren and I have talked about it,
and I think the property that I'm gonna eliminate
Okay.
I think that even though it's close to the beach
and it has some of the things we're looking for,
Right.
I think for us, that one, we should just get rid of.
Yeah, exactly.
Okay, so we're down to the condo in Moana Pacific
or the townhouse in Makakilo.
It's a really hard decision, but I think I've decided.
I'm gonna go with Makakilo.
Yay!
You're so excited. What do you think?
I think that it's a great decision for you and Ty.
I just think that after everything we've looked at,
it's a bigger house, it's more square footage,
I'm getting more for my money,
really, like you said, and the ocean view.
So we can go out there on that lanai,
and I've got so much space and I've got that ocean view.
Definitely a great decision.
Okay, so, what do you think as far as numbers?
I'm thinking that I'd like to go in at about $390,000.
What do you think?
I think to be able to secure it,
Okay.
So, I think $400,000 would be a good aggressive offer.
Okay. Why don't we go with $400,000?
Go from there.
That's a great deal.
I'll get the paperwork started on that.
Yay!
I'm so happy for you guys.
Thank you so much.
Let's go.
Kailani decided to give up the hustle and bustle of Honolulu
for the quiet and cozy feel of Makakilo.
KAILANI: You'll be back for Christmas.
I'll be back when the waves come in.
When the waves come in, all right.
Me, too.
KAILANI: The ocean is our favorite thing.
We want to be near the ocean, by the ocean at all times.
The thing I'm gonna miss most
is spending time with you guys.
Yeah, you're gonna be very bored.
Thanks. [ Laughs ]
I love what Hawaii offers me.
Everything that we want to do is here.
What part of Hawaii are you gonna miss?
It's like family.
It's like everybody's your family, you know?
KALEA: Yeah.
I'm really excited to move.
Can't wait to relax in our new home, enjoy the view,
and really enjoy each other's company
and our family and friends.
Forever bonded. Punch it! [ Chuckles ]