First Hawaiian Bank wants to help you keep your electric bills from going through the roof in 2011 by making solar energy more affordable. “Our new loan product is called EnergySmart,” says Derek Wong, vice president retail product management at First Hawaiian Bank. “We are offering 5-year loans at 0-percent financing.” The purpose of First […]

By Lisa Scontras It was only 20 years ago that sugar cane fields covered most of the land between Makakilo and Barbers Point Naval Air Station. Today, the Navy’s airplanes have been moved to Kaneohe, and the Ewa landscape has been transformed into a vibrant city. If you haven’t been to Kapolei lately, you might […]

By Lisa Scontras Two years after financial and credit markets collapsed setting off a world-wide economic crisis, investors are coming up with creative ways for rebuilding their portfolios and getting their investments back on track. Investors are taking advantage of current market conditions – and a convenient IRS tax code – to upgrade their real […]

By Lisa Scontras Shopping for a home in one of the most expensive markets in the country can be downright depressing – especially if what you can afford looks more like a college dorm room. If finding your dream home is an issue of wanting more space or being closer to town, there is still […]

By Lisa Scontras In the grips of the most turbulent economic times since the Great Depression, Hawaii braced for the worst when 2010 started. Under the care of two federal stimulus programs, the housing market was being propped up by the second extension of the homebuyer tax credit and the Fed’s decision to keep mortgage […]