A Long Way From The Hood

BIG KAHUNA BAMAPKAILUA, Hawaii -
AP 12-21-08:

The Obama family, on vacation in Barack Obama's native Hawaii, is staying in a $9 million single-story oceanfront home in a pricey but laid-back neighborhood over the mountain from downtown Honolulu, where the president-elect grew up. The five-bedroom, wood-frame house sits on almost an acre of land fronting Kailua Beach, a favorite spot for windsurfers, kayakers and dogwalkers. The white sand in front of the house is public land, just like all beaches under state law. The Obamas may see neighbors out for a walk or jog. Martha Burke, who has lived several houses down from the property since 1972, said she is thrilled and honored to have Obama nearby. "I'm sure he wants a lot of privacy, so I hope we can restrain ourselves from waving at him. But I doubt it," Burke said, laughing. Don Dymond, owner of Kalapawai Cafe and Kalapawai Market, said it is particularly thrilling because Obama "knows enough about the state and the island that he would know if there's a better spot." He added, "The community is lucky that he picked here. And hopefully over the next eight years, he'll pick here some more." Obama's vacation home sits on a dead-end road with few other homes.

The house was built in 1934 and renovated in 2005. Photographs from a 2007 real-estate listing show a stone-encircled swimming pool and an open-air sitting room with views of a grassy lawn and the ocean. City tax records show a Houston man bought the property in January for $9 million. The home is listed on a vacation-rental directory, www.hawaiisbestrentals.com. It is among the most expensive on a block where shoreline lots go for a minimum of $3 million and nonbeachfront properties easily top $1 million. The figures outstrip the median single-family home price on Oahu, which stood at $594,500 in November.