Derrell Saul
How long have you lived in Ewa Beach?
It’s been 29 years this month in Hawaii and about 26 in Ewa Beach.
Where is Ewa Beach, and what’s it like as a community?
It’s on the leeward part of Hawaii. It’s West Oahu. In the 80s and 90s Ewa Beach was filled with sugar cane fields. The cane fields are all gone now and most of it has been turned into thousands and thousands of homes. The main road that runs all the way through here used to have only two or three stop lights and now there’s a couple dozen. The community really has grown. I used to view it as older but now there’s a lot of newer houses and a lot of nice houses.
Did you have your heart set on Ewa beach or did you consider buying in other neighborhoods in and around Honolulu?
Actually the first home we bought 20 years ago was about two miles from the one we bought last year. When we moved out of base housing and bought that house we never really had our heart set on Ewa Beach. At the time that was what fit into our budget. When we bought the house last year we didn’t know we’d stay in Ewa Beach, but it ended up still being the best fit.
Is Ewa Beach more of an urban or suburban environment?
It’s a suburban environment. It has some strip malls, some gas stations, but the rest is housing developments and golf courses.
Do you worry about crime in Ewa Beach?
Ewa beach is big. There are some rough areas. My current neighborhood is one of the nicer neighborhoods and in this neighborhood I don’t worry about crime at all. There’s always neighbors home, always people around.
Was it hard to meet people when you moved to Ewa Beach?
It’s probably easier to talk about the new neighborhood. We just moved in July. It was very easy to meet the people in the neighborhood. They are extremely friendly and outgoing. We love our neighbors on both sides and across the street. They are really neat people. Even when we were moving in, people were driving by and would slow down to smile and wave and introduce themselves.
Do you work in the city of Honolulu? What’s your commute like?
I work in Pearl Harbor. It’s about a 14-15 mile drive, and on a normal day when school is in session, it’s about 40-45 minutes.
Would you have any advice for the newcomer regarding transportation or traffic in Ewa Beach and the city of Honolulu?
It can take a long time to get around. I would advise people to be patient and just accept it. You are not going to change it. Plan appropriately. I have to be at work at 7:30. I always leave at 6:30 and drink coffee and listen to the radio while I drive. I just make that my time in the morning.
How has the real estate market changed between the time you bought your first house and your most recent purchase?
There was a 20-year period in between purchases. It’s a lot more expensive these days. But what struck me was that there were so many beautiful homes on the island and so many in our price range. It was like every day we’d look at homes and be like, oh wow. With the advent of so much technology, the actual purchasing process is much less painful. A lot can be done digitally without driving all the way to the Realtor’s office.
Do you like the quality of life in Ewa Beach?
Most things here are really terrific. When people think of overall quality of life they think about how nice your home is, your access to shopping, restaurants and all that. Overall it’s pretty good. We love our neighborhood. We’re across the street from a golf course and across from a shopping center. The cost of living in Hawaii is higher, but he wages we get here are higher than we would make on the mainland so it balances out a little bit.
What surprised you most about moving to and living in Ewa Beach?
I’ve always thought of Ewa Beach as older, and we didn’t think that we would want to stay there. Once we got to a position where we were looking to buy a new home, we thought we wanted out of Ewa Beach. We looked at some of the other places and they were quite a bit more expensive. I had originally resisted moving deeper into Ewa Beach, but there are actually beautiful places to live here.
The neighborhood I live in right now is just fabulous. It looks like an upscale neighborhood. It’s clean and the people are friendly. A couple of years ago I would have never dreamed that was possible in Ewa Beach. It’s now a really nice part of the island and it’s much less expensive than other places.
What would you say is the one “can’t miss” event or place that a family living in Ewa Beach and Hawaii should be sure to experience?
There is so much history here, and to me it is just fascinating. Whether it is the WWII history or the ancient history there is so much to experience. Of course the mainland has history too, but there’s not the ancient history like there is here. When you come to Hawaii, if you want to make this your home, it’s important to allow yourself to be assimilated into local culture and make that spiritual connection with the islands that the locals have. When you do that it becomes home.
What places should you avoid if you don’t want to see a lot of tourists?
If you really want to avoid tourists, stay away from Waikiki. That’s the hub. Sometimes its two to three years between my visits there. I think visitors oftentimes appreciate going to see things that appeal to local people. It’s not that touristy things are all bad. When you visit, you should go to a luau, you need to go to Arizona Memorial and things of that nature.
Do you travel between the islands much?
I do occasionally. My wife does more than I do. I do love the neighboring islands. My favorite place to go and escape is Volcano National Park on the big island. It’s just breathtaking and awesome.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in Ewa Beach or in other parts of Honolulu?
There’s some smaller affordable places that local people go to. We have all the chain restaurants nearby, and I enjoy those. Ewa Pointe Chinese is a great Chinese Restaurant. It’s just terrific. It’s definitely the best Chinese food I’ve ever eaten.
Is there anything that you don’t like about living in Ewa Beach or living in Hawaii?
Of course, it is expensive to live here. It’s a good sign I struggle with that question. I would just say that things are expensive and there is traffic and congestion. I don’t like those things but it’s the cost of living in paradise.
What advice would you give people who are house hunting in Honolulu and especially in Ewa Beach?
I’ll answer this with a story. Before we bought our home we looked at another home in another area, near here, that was brand new. We found one there we really liked. I was pretty much sold. One day my wife and son drove to look at it right when school let out. It was a traffic nightmare and we knew we couldn’t live there.
I’d suggest people go look at the home on a Saturday or Sunday, but also in the morning during rush hour and afternoon when everybody comes home from school. You get a much better feel for how the neighborhood is going to be like because the open house day is not what the neighborhood is going to be like.
Testimonials
“Aloha! Calen at Team Lally has worked with my husband and I since day 1 of our search for our home. She was always so prompt with emails, house listings and also giving us an unbiased and honest opinion. She’s extremely knowledgeable about real estate and was constantly patient if we had any questions. She would always make sure that we could get the most bout of our money and would constantly be negotiating for us with our best interests at heart. She was on top of things and I didn’t have to go hunting for her or feel alone in this process. Our experience with working with Calen at Team Lally has been such a pleasant and personal experience that anyone should be blessed with! Elizabeth and Justin Munson”
“Adrienne and her team helped tremendously with the sale of our home. I had relocated to the mainland on short notice due to a job and my wife was left with the daunting task to prep and sell our home before she could follow. Adrienne helped her get the property ready and advised her along the way. The sale closed pretty close to the schedule that Adrienne estimated and soon after my wife was able to join me on the mainland. Thanks Adrienne and Team Lally.”
“Adrienne and Atillio knew the urgency in selling our home and worked so quick that at times I was overwhelmed. When they got a buyer, their team Member Howard Nett was so helpful in keeping us informed and updated as to how things were progressing and things we needed to do, that it made this whole process comfortable for us. We are VERY satisfied with their services. We recommend Team Lally when you are looking to sell your home.”
“We were looking at vacation and investment opportunities and heard about Team Lally from their radio ads. They were very prompt and helpful and gave us a ton if insight about what to look for. We haven’t yet found the right opportunity but with this awesome team of pros I know we will. I was also super impressed with their website- very easy to use. Thanks Team Lally”
“I am a retired, disabled veteran. In the summer of 2013, I faced significant financial, professional, and personal challenges. At the center of these challenges was the fact that my home was under water and I could not continue making payments. I had previously worked with three other real estate agents on island (two from major companies and one independent) and could not better my situation. Facing the brink of foreclosure and financial ruin, I called Team Lally on a recommendation from a friend. From that moment forward, I was able to take comfort in the belief that these people would achieve the best possible outcomes for my circumstance. While all Team Lally members went above and beyond to help me, I would like to highlight a few.Adrienne Lally, President/Team Lally – Simply the best real estate professional I have ever worked with. Within 36 hours of first contact, she had personally assessed my home and situation, and developed a cogent, strategic plan for presentation, foreclosure avoidance, and best-pricing. Her knowledge of the Hawaii real estate market is beyond reproach and she repeatedly took the time to answer every question and concern that I had. As a veteran herself, she offered unique insight on my circumstance and developed a rapport I found with no other real estate agent. Most importantly, she maintained consistent contact throughout the process via weekly updates, even after I left the islands. I was never just a number to Adrienne Lally. If I am e…
“Adrienne was very in tune to my desires to sell my property. I was losing money on it and even though I didn’t do a short sale, she was very much prepared in advising me of all of my options. We sold the property for what I was hoping to get for it and the process was smooth and as painless as possible. She was always available to answer my questions and I couldn’t have had a more professional team helping me out.”
“Team Lally is awesome!! Without their help we would have never been able to sell our home as fast as we did. Everything went smoothly and better than expected.”
“Team Lally sold a condo-hotel unit for us in Hawaii. We live in California and did not actually know or observe what was happening with the sale. They took care of the showings, finding buyers (3) and negotiating with the bank. They took care of all of the paperwork – sending us what we needed and arranging for docusign whenever possible. We were kept in the loop as much as possible and as much as we needed to be. It was a very stressful time for us and they (patiently) explained procedures to us, since we often did not know what was necessary or what the next step was. Team Lally was very professional in all dealings with us and we are very grateful for their consideration of us as stressed absentee sellers and for negotiating a great deal for us.”
“Adrienne and her team were immediately responsive to my inquiry about their services and very thorough from the beginning. They applied their expertise through the listing, sale and close of my home at a high level of satisfaction for me. The sale of my home closed in just under 3 months. I moved out of state and felt they did an excellent job of communicating with me as an absentee seller.”
“Team Lally is really quite exceptional. Each time we have been to the office we have had a personable and helpful experience. The connections they have with other businesses are also extraordinary. Team Lally doesn’t settle for less and they will work hard on your behalf.”