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Law partner to build Aiea condo project

Paul Alston, lead partner in the law firm of Alston Hunt Floyd and Ing, said he plans to develop a residential condominium project on a four-acre parcel of land he owns on Aiea Heights.

The project will consist of 12 detached, single-family units ranging from three to four bedrooms.

Located at the end of Waiakea Place, the development is to be called Waiakea Ridge and will include a private park for use by residents.

Alston said pricing for the units is yet to be worked out but that he hopes development can begin within 90 days.

Car sales head to another record

The continued popularity of minivans, light trucks and sport-utility vehicles pushed Hawaii new vehicle registrations up 15.8 percent in the first quarter of this year, the highest rate out of 22 key U.S. markets.

The numbers indicate another robust year ahead for new registrations, which grew 17.6 percent in Hawaii to a record 62,712 units in 2003, Pennsylvania-based Auto Outlook Inc. said. In its latest Hawaii Auto Outlook, the industry forecast a new record of 69,890 new registrations for full-year 2004, up 9.9 percent.

Toyota was the top-selling brand in the first quarter with a 21.8 percent market share, followed by Honda at 12.4 percent, and Nissan at 11.4 percent.

The highest selling vehicle in Hawaii for the first quarter was the Toyota Tacoma, followed by the Toyota/Corolla Matrix, Toyota Camry, the Ford F-Series truck and the Nissan Frontier. Light trucks, minivans and SUV models showed the biggest year-on-year increases.

The study said Hawaii new-vehicle sales declined through the 1990s but have picked up in recent years thanks to generous sales incentives, an economic pickup in the state, and an ever-increasing array of new automotive product offerings.

Outrigger adds Society Isles hotel

Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, Hawaii's largest hotelier, has entered into a management agreement that will expand its presence in the Pacific.

The hotelier will assume management of the Te Tiare Beach Resort in the Society Islands of French Polynesia on July 1.

"French Polynesia is an important strategic destination for Outrigger's growth, and we couldn't have picked a better property in this region than the Te Tiare Beach Resort," said Bill Henderson, Outrigger's vice president of business development.

Outrigger now manages 51 hotels open or under development in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Guam and the South Pacific.

Staging effective home sales

StagedHomes.com plans to offer a course for Hawaii Realtors June 24-25 on how to best improve a home's presentation for sale. The event will take place at the Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel and will teach real estate agents "home staging" techniques to enhance a property's attractiveness by rearranging furniture and modifying other elements of a home.

Similar techniques are on display on such shows as HGTV's "Designed to Sell" and The A&E Network's "Sell This House."

A hands-on project will involve participants preparing an actual home that is set to go on the market. Those who complete the course will become an Accredited Staging Professional. The course will be taught by Barb Schwarz, founder of StagedHomes.com and president of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals. Schwarz also has a weekly radio show called Staging Life With Barb. Call toll-free 1-800-392-7161 for more information.