Sandro Tasson
Sandro Lawn Services and More: 808-347-4462
How long have you lived in Maka Kilo? What brought you there?
I’ve been here about a year-and-a-half. I came here to visit friends of mine in the military. They were moving to Hawaii and I’m not sure I could’ve found it on a map, but I said, “Sure let’s do it.” I went back and forth to visit a few times till I finally got married (my wife is in the Coast Guard), and that’s how it went. We really love it here.
Where is Maka Kilo, and what’s it like as a community?
Maka Kilo is on the west side, but not on the west coast. It’s on the windward side of Oahu, on the southern end of the western slopes of Waianae. Truly beautiful. Not crowded, either. You don’t have too many big stores. It’s on a hill, so pretty much all the houses have a great view of Pearl Harbor. Some people can see the farms of the highlands. It’s windy, but the temperatures are great up here. You don’t even need AC. It’s a little cooler than down the hill.
How’s the weather?
The weather here is good. It’s warm during the day, and a little chilly at night. There’s a little wind. We open the windows most of the year. The weather here is the best thing about this place. You can go to the beach every day if you want, or go hiking, wear T-shirts and short every day. That’s pretty nice.
Did you have your heart set on Maka Kilo or did you consider buying in other neighborhoods in and around Honolulu?
We were looking to buy a house for two-and-a-half years, just browsing, basically. Then we found this one and fell in love with the place. The view is fantastic, and it’s so quiet—we have some great neighbors. We said, “This is the house we want.” Adrienne told us it would be a tough one to get, but I said, “I can wait 10 more years, I don’t care. Don’t show me any other houses.” And somehow Adrienne made it happen.
How was it starting your own business?
I moved first with a tourist visa to see how it was—those last three months. When I started looking at colleges I applied for student visa to allow me to stay longer. But by then I was running low on money, and I didn’t have time to work while going to college. So I went back to Italy. My previous boss hired me the day after I landed, doing landscaping work.
My friends called and invited me back to visit in Honolulu. I quit my job again and came here. I met my future wife, who was living next door to my friends. We eventually got married. After the wedding you have to wait five or six months for green card. As soon as I got my green card I started working at Home Depot. I saved up for a small truck and small lawn mower. In the beginning I was happy to get one new customer every other month, and now the phone’s ringing all day. America is great; if you work hard you’ll see results.
Is your area small-business friendly?
Yeah, I think so. I had previous experience in a country where they taxed you 60%. Gas in Hawaii may seem expensive at $6 a gallon, but in Italy it’s $11. I mean, Italy is a nice country, but the taxes kill you. Retail taxes are 23%. Here they really make stuff easier for business. You can actually get permits right away.
Was it hard to meet people when you moved to Maka Kilo?
No. My wife’s from Boston—she said the mainland is different, that they don’t like people from other countries. But Hawaii is a multiethnic island. You have people from all continents and everybody here is welcoming and nice. You hear about the Aloha spirit, but you have to see it to really appreciate it and how friendly everybody is.
Is it hard to get to know the island natives?
I’ve got black hair and brown eyes. If I get a tan I can blend in a little. As long as I don’t talk, I’m good. Depending on what area you go to, I think if you respect the locals and respect the places, everybody will be cool. Like most places, if you don’t act stupid, you’ll get along just fine.
Would you have any advice for newcomers regarding transportation or traffic in Maka Kilo and the city of Honolulu?
The traffic here is horrible. Even if you leave at 5 a.m. it will take you an hour to get to work on account of the traffic. I suppose if you’re from California you’d like it because it seems like the Autobahn compared to Bay Area traffic, but it’s still a mess. Definitely try to buy a house near where you work or you’ll waste three hours a day stuck in traffic. My wife has to leave at 3:30 every morning to make her 5:30 shift. Without traffic it’d be 25 minutes. Even coming back it could be an hour, an hour and 20. I guess people don’t mind because they take life a little slower around here.
How has the real estate market changed since you’ve been on the island?
My house went up at least $100,000. If I wanted to sell it now, it’d easily sell for $100,000 more than what I paid for it. In Oahu there are more buyers than sellers; it’s the only place where the value just doesn’t drop. The houses keep their value because the land is so limited.
Do you like the quality of life in Maka Kilo?
I love it. Like an example, when you’re driving and you need to merge, everybody waves you in. It’s a very easy going place, I think. Over here, everybody says hi to you, even people you don’t know.
What surprised you most about moving to and living in Maka Kilo?
There’s so many things. Like I said before, coming from Italy, America is just a happier place. You can save money and do what you want to do. In Italy everyone drives small cars. Over here I can afford to drive a V8 truck and still pay less than what I’d pay in Italy. There’s so many things. Hawaii is a beautiful place—even driving to a job is like being on vacation. The ocean is so blue, the mountains are so green. We just really love living in Maka Kilo.
What would you say is the one “can’t miss” event or place that a family living in Maka Kilo and Hawaii should be sure to experience?
I would tell them to go to the windward-side beaches. Waimanalo Beach is one of my favorite places on earth. It’s not crowded, and the water is so blue. The little ocean waves, all the palm trees, the snow-white sand. It’s stunning.
How do you cope with the higher cost of living?
My wife is in the military so she’s making the money and paying the mortgage. I have juice money. Without the military salary there’s no way we could afford it. We’d have to rent a room. Some people here work three jobs to afford living here. They don’t really—they take it easy, but you still have to work so many hours, it wears you out. We have a house that has four bedrooms. We don’t have any kids yet so we rent rooms out—we have three people renting from us. And a bedroom here costs $800 bucks. The people in our neighborhood who can afford to buy a house are all either older or in the military.
Do you travel between the islands much?
I went to Maui a few times to buy vehicles. In Hawaii the trucks are beat up a little bit from work or they have a lot of mileage. But I went two times to Maui. It was worth it to fly there and have the truck shipped here. The whole process only took twenty minutes. I would like to go back for an actual visit and really see the island, though.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in Maka Kilo or in other parts of Honolulu?
I like this new restaurant called Le Nonne. It’s an Italian place. It just opened and the owner is this guy from Tuscany—he’s really doing his best to make Italian food as authentic as possible even if you don’t have fresh produce.
Is there anything that you don’t like about living in Maka Kilo or living in Hawaii?
The traffic probably. That’s about it. We only have one freeway and if there’s an accident you are talking about hours. If there’s a big crash, the freeway will shut down for four or five hours. There’s just no moving.
What advice would you give people who are house hunting in Honolulu and especially in Maka Kilo?
There’s some areas you can afford, some condos or small houses. Some other areas you have to take your time and take a look. It depends on your budget. Some houses are so close to each other you could high five your neighbor from your window.
For house hunting, after spending so much money you want to make sure to take your time and pick out the one you really like, and to find a Realtor who really cares about your decision. Adrienne and Attillio are good people. I usually don’t recommend people, but those two take pride in their work—they really care and do everything they can to make you happy. They will tell it to you straight and not let you make a mistake.
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“As first-time home buyers, I couldn’t have asked for a better realty than Team-Lally!Three months prior to moving to Hawaii from the mainland, we began our search online by looking at pictures and viewing videos of current listings in Kaneohe and Kailua. We were so fortunate to have Team Lally as our agent. Team Lally was knowledgeable, patient, and honest; they even went out of their way to record videos of a few homes. Via e-mail and over the phone, they addressed all my questions and concerns. By the time we arrived, we were so well prepared and closed on the house we wanted in no time! If we buy or sell again, we are definitely calling Team Lally”
“Team Lally did a wonderful job selling our home and answering all of our questions and concerns! Howard and Christopher have been there for my every need even after the sale of my home! A wonderful crew over there!”
“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.”
“HANDS DOWN! Team Lally is the best in Hawaii! My experience with Team Lally was amazing! They’ve went beyond my expectations for any realtor. My first visit with Team Lally, they gave me “The Red Carpet Treatment”, they immediately treated me like family and was very supportive every minute I was with them. When Team Lally list your home, they’ll start with being super flexible with your schedule, they’ll recommend on what to do on getting the most out of your home. They then will install their awesome sign in front of your home! After, they’ll have their professional photographer come by to take pictures, who is SUPER NICE and he understands everything you’re going through. Not only does he take pictures, but he takes a VIRTUAL TOUR of your HOME, a luxury feature NO OTHER REALTOR I’VE SEEN PROVIDE!!! They will also keep you in loop by updating you every week once your homes on the market! Like I said Team Lally is the best in Hawaii! I highly recommend all my friends to Team Lally! Thank you!”
“I am Adrienne Lally’s Real Estate Partner. If you think I’m a little biased. Your are correct. But I would challenge any one to say I’m not being totally honest when I say that Adrienne is the hardest working Reatlor I know. She cares for clients like family and always puts their interest first. I’ve personally seen her generosity in action. If you are looking for a true professional, a great Mom, a Veteran, an Athlete, a former gymnast, a Roller Derby Lady, a Military Spouse, a talented and experienced Realtor who leads the number one Keller Williams Team in the State with production making her one the top 50 Realtors that do 90% of the business in Hawaii look no further. There are Realtos who are great at internet marketing with no track record and those who are great at internet marketing and a top producing Realtor. Adrienne Lally is the later.”
“Adrienne and her team helped us find our condo in Makakilo, HI. We were very happy with all of their on going help after purchase like referrals and yearly associate parties. Go Team Lally!”
“Awesome experience with TEAM LALLY! We sold the home faster than expected with professional service from TEAM LALLY. I’d recommend their services to anyone coming or going to Hawaii! The team concept was what sold us on the service they could provide. It’s nice to know that every aspect of the process is covered by people who specialize in that area. Buying Agents just focus on the buyers, Listing Agents just focus on selling your home and understanding the market at the time, processing agents become your main contact after you are “under contract” for specialized customer service. Howard was very responsive with all our questions, it was as if he never left the office! Thanks TEAM LALLY!”
“Adrienne was very helpful in selling our house. It took us a year and a half to decide to list and never did we feel pressured to do so before we were ready. We always received good information and all of our questions were answered in a timely fashion. Adrienne and her team were able to work with the buyers agent and our lenders to close our short sale in a timely fashion. I would not hesitate to refer friends to Adrienne when selling or buying a home.”