Back in May of 2007 I wrote about Blogging about "VOG" in Hawaii and to this day I am still getting comments on that post!  I wrote: "VOG" is Volcanic Air Pollution.  Oahuexperiences "VOG" when trade winds change direction after there has been volcanic action on the island of Hawaii or otherwise known as the Big Island.  The winds will blow this volcanic air pollution towards us and make our little world look all hazy.

The picture to the left was taken April 26th, 2008 on Oahu; and you can barely see the Koolau mountain Range in the background.

Vog has been prevalent due to lava flows so make sure and read the following: A useful Brochure about Emissions from Kilauea Volcano which just came out in March of this year. Sulphur Dioxide gas releases from the volcanic activity into the air.

If you live in a big city then you know what air pollution is. Ours is a form of air pollution but from natural causes :)

American Lung Associations recommends the following:

1. Drink plenty of liquids to help your body, and it is recommended that warm liquids seem to work best.
2. Stay indoors and in an air-conditioned area, if possible, and leave the heavy vog area.
3. Do limit any outdoor and physical activities.
4. Contact your doctor as soon as possible if any problem develops as respiratory problems might deteriorate much more rapidly in heavy vog conditions.

Picture to the right was taken not far from my home in Waipio Gentry on April 26, 2008. In the faded distance is the Waianae mountain range.

Following is another site with loads of info:

Ten things YOU can do to lessen adverse health effects of VOG
First, it is important to note that individuals may have a wide range of sensitivity to VOG.

Patrick Lambert wrote  The VOG blog and It's important to do your homework... regarding the lava flows on the island of Hawaii (aka Big Island) which is resides on. Read more info there!

As you can see by the island map to the left the island of Hawaii aka Big Island is at the bottom of the Hawaiian island chain.  

Our island of Oahuis north west but when the winds are blowing this way we get hit by the vog as well.

When the winds change direction....so will the vog. We had a couple of nice days this week. :)

Island Chain map courtesy of the U.S. Geological Surveythrough Wikipedia.  All other pictures and content of this post © 2008 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman, All rights reserved.... and are only the opinion of this author.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

Midori Miller interviewed me for Member Spotlight Sally Cheeseman, Mahalo!   for the Bloggers Choice Selections group.  The founder of the group, Lola Audu Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI Real Estate Broker and Midori Miller have worked diligently to promote the group with interviews and great reading for the past few months so let's do OUR PART to support the group as well! WooHoo to Midori and Lola!

I will be posting my selections for this month on May 3rd, so get your selections in!

The description for the group are this: As the Active Rain Network grows, more Excellent Content is being written everyday. Blogger's Choice is the Place to Highlight Your Favorite Posts which are NOT Currently Featured.

When you join the group Bloggers Choice Selections you can read the guidelines here: Blogger's Choice FAQ & Group Guidelines before posting. Remember, only two posts can be submitted to the group in any one week period and NOT featured on the AR dashboard.

It's a chance to put your best foot forward and 'be a part of a group that supports its members with their posts that didn't get featured....but that the member thought was a great one. (We all feel that we should be on the Best Seller list, right?) Being a part of sometimes makes all the difference in the world....

If you haven't read the last month's featured articles for the group ONLY A FOOL LETS LENN SELECT FEATURED ARTICLES FOR A GROUP!! By Lenn Harley, then you may want to take a peek to see what all the buzz is about.

So....Midori says,....... If you have posts that you would like to be spotlighted, select any posts that were never featured on the main dashboard from any time (give old blog posts life and get additional exposure). Join the Blogger's Choice Selection Group and have a second chance to be featured. Sally will be posting her selections on May 3rd!

Last chance to get 'em in before I post on May 3rd! 

I finally got off my tush and put together a new Hawaii Home Buyer and Hawaii Home Seller Brochure. What's great about blogging with our own personalities in the words we write is that we can use a lot of our posts for packets for buyers and sellers, relocation packets and marketing material.

Hawaii Open Houses ARE the Sunday Event here and there is always activity at our Open Houses...enough so the brochures I made last Sunday are gone.

After printing them out on HP flyer/brochure paper I looked it over. They were better than my former brochures because the words were.....ME.

Blogging has become the #1 resource for us to give information to the consumer. So in retrospect when I create and print my marketing material it seemed that to use the blogging material I have written over the past year was the only way to go.

I actually used the Buyer Tips and Seller Tips from one of my ActiveRain posts titled No Bursting Bubble For Hawaii? Home Buying & Selling Tips for the content of my brochures and like I said before...it gives information in MY words written like how I talk.

I wrote a post yesterday Blog Header Help: I Need a Slogan! (UPDATE!) and out of all the wonderful suggestions.... I am using Missy Caulk Ann Arbor Real Estate's suggestion for a slogan in my brochures which is above my picture and reads, "Selling Hawaii, one piece of Paradise at a time".

WooHoo!!!!

 My mom turned 80 years old in January of this year. She's still spunky and works at Oahu Country Club 4 days a week, goes golfing every week and .....VEGAS twice a year. She left for VEGAS on Tuesday morning and we have been working hard to move her from the little room back to her master bedroom she hasn't used in 15 years. We remodeled the Master a year ago and with our busy lives we finally were able to get around to it ...now.

Prepping for painting, new screens and ....I'm pooped. My son and daughter will be working on it this afternoon and tomorrow and Gary and I be there on Saturday am to finish up before mom comes home that evening. Gary has been the model son in law....changing all the electrical outlets and switches ....I mean, the house is 37 years old!

Anyway, I took a break yesterday and grabbed my camera to take pictures of mom's LUSH foilage. (I hired a yardman for Sunday as a lot has overgrown in a year too)

You think mom will be surprised?

Enjoy the show.....

You ever had 'one of those days' where you are wondering if it's a full moon? The full moon brings up all kinds of chemistry changes and mind boggling conversations during a phone conversation...or just a 'walk in' to the office.

Events at the office on a Monday:

• I get a phone call and the person saw my blog I had written on Veterans. He wants to move to a warmer climate and wants to know what kind of programs VA offers here. I talk to him for a few...pull up the VA contact number and direct him to speak with VA about specific programs that may fit his needs. He also says he wants to buy but has no email but will call me back with his sisters email address...which he didn't.
• I am in the middle of talking to one of our tenants and in walks an older woman. She starts babbling about how she talked to the dentist next door about being harassed and that she has told everyone in our office and that everyone needs to know. Then she stops because she sees the tenants hat on the chair. She has a stick in her hand and proceeds to pick it up. I tell her to put it down and she instead hands it to me. Okay, at least she doesn't walk out with it. I watch her walk out to her.....grocery cart full of her belongings....and slowly stroll it away.
• In walks a teen with his girlfriend and he asks me if he can have a few listings.He proceeds to talk about how he is in high school and is doing a project on budgeting and buying a house to figure in his monthly mortgage payments. I decide to help him a bit as it is slow that afternoon and hey...helping the student would put me in the 'good Samaritan' category that day. I give him some info, a brochure of mine, my business card and go through what kind of job he may get and how much he "thinks" he can afford. We went with the cheapest one bedroom condos in the Mililani are. I printed out some listings and he couldn't thank me enough. I watched them walk out and away while his girlfriend puts her hand in his back pocket.

To extend a little compassion for the lost, lonely and young or old may just be just the food for the soul that we need each day.

This was ONE OF THOSE DAYS.

Ah... Hawaii Open Houses: THE Sunday Event! This past Sunday I held an Open House for one of Randy Prothero's listings in Mililani. A 5 bdrm/2.5 bath single family home priced at $660,000,  and this home has 2683 sq/ft with a little over 7860 sq. ft land.

That morning I started to get ready with bunches of information, flyers, snacks, etc. (Randy made the flyers with both of us pictured......he as listor and me, the showing agent) That way there is no mistake who is showing the home and who is the listor.

So, how did the Open House go?

The Open House was NON STOP with interested buyers.  I sat down once (for about one minute and off to the races again!) While I was starting to close up at 5pm, three more groups came in to make a total of 21 groups (families, couples etc) that signed in. I also have a few possible leads...as well as big interest from two parties for this home.

We talk about how the housing statistics are invaluable if looked at by LOCAL and Neighborhood markets. The same goes for Open Houses. It will depend on the 'market' in your area. For Oahu, our neighborhoods jump from one to the next and it is just way to easy to look at properties on Sunday as well as with an agent.

Last year I compiled a post for Open Houses and the Rules While Attending and I am bringing the them back to life although I made a few changes to fine tune the 'rules'.

1) Look at properties in your price range! Make sure you are pre-qualified with a local lender (your agent most likely already made sure you have) and look at properties 10 -20 % above and below your price range. Looking at properties way above your price range (that you can't live without) will no doubt stick in your mind forever so be realistic. (or keep reading those Fine Homes and Estates magazines)

2) Remember, the agent who is holding the Open House could be the Sellers Agent or could be showing the home in case a buyer comes along who does not have their own agent.  A lot of home buyer's "believe" that they are going to "get a better deal" if they deal with the seller's agent directly.  The truth is that you are best represented by having your own agent (buyer's representative or buyer's agent)

3) Remove your shoes!  Wear slip on/off shoes. We all remove our shoes before entering a home here anyway but for those of you who just came from the Continental U.S. who are not used to this please have the courtesy to remove your shoes. 

4) Keep ahold of your children. Instruct them to not touch anything or wander around the yard by themselves. And a tip to all real estate agents..... tie up unruley kids (just kidding). That's what the snacks are for...offer the children a granola bar or a bottle of cool water!

5) Register in the guest book. But give your agent's card, phone number and email address. Otherwise, you will have every agent in the world calling and clogging up your email (unless you like a bunch of spam). I personally ask and also have a section in my guest register for "do you have an agent?"  and "Name of Agent". Then I can follow up with them and get feedback.

6)  Make a list of wants and needs.  And then compare it to the property.  Make notes! You'll know when you walk into "your" home if you use your head (needs) and heart (wants). Bring your camera and take additional pictures so you will KNOW which house had what.

7) Call your own realtor if you see a property you like and want to put in an offer!  Your agent will be able to speak to the seller's agent and get any special terms and addendums before writing up the offer. Resist the urge to talk to the seller's realtor and worse yet...the owner! Your own agent is the most valuable negotiating tool and bargaining power for your transaction.

8) Info on Traditional Loans.  Though there are "honest" loan officers/lenders that are "helping" with any questions regarding loans at an Open House, remember that the Open House is so you can view and get more information on the property and "feel" if this is the right home for you. If you already have a realtor then you most likely were already pre-qualified or pre-approved. If you tell the agent and loan officer you already have an agent and loan officer and they become pushy this is a red flag.

9) Take note of the neighborhood. Usually, Open Houses are on Sunday's and you will be able to check out the 'goings on' in the neighborhood because on weekends most families are at home. Noise? Dogs barking? Neighbors?

10) Be respectful and ask to use the restroom. It is understandable that guests may need to utilize the restroom but have respect for the home that is open to you for viewing and ask the showing agent or whoever is holding the Open House to use their restroom.

~~~

Hope this list will be helpful in your search for your Hawaii Home and should you need additional information please do not hesitate to contact me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

All branches of the military occupy a large portion of Oahu and I recently put together a Hawaii Military Relocation Package - Schofield Barracks & Wheeler Army Air Field for the Military Relocating & Transferring to Honolulu County Hawaii . 

Many military personnel have not been to Hawaii before so they obviously do not know what neighborhood is closest to the Honolulu County Military Base they will be stationed. So it is without question they do not know which neighborhood they should look for their next Hawaii Home purchase.

The following map I tried to detail just about all of the Military Bases on Oahu in Honolulu County (the island of Oahu IS Honolulu County) This map should prove very beneficial to start your search for your new home purchase in relation to the your next tranfer station at one of our Honolulu County Military Bases.

The H-1 freeway extends from South Oahu to the Leeward side of Oahu, the H-2 freeway extends from the Pearl City cutoff to Wahiawa and the H-3 freeway extends from the Aiea cutoff to the Windward side of Oahu (Kailua/Kaneohe).  

Military Bases in Honolulu County:

More info on Relocating to Hawaii, the VA Loan process for purchasing your Hawaii Home and a special Video and story on a Military Relocation and Home Purchase come true:

~~~~~~

It's not easy moving across the Pacific Ocean and purchasing your Hawaii Home;

let alone to a totally different "world" of people.

But you can do it with a little effort, motivation and a great Realtor®!

If you're Relocating to Hawaii (regardless if it's near future or just wanting to be proactive for the future) contact me to get started with your search for Hawaii Homes for Sale.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

~~~~~

*All pictures, content, map and information are the property of Celeste "Sally Cheeseman.

Pearl City, Waiau, Waimalu, Pearlridge, Wailuna, and the Aiea neighborhoods are all around the general vacinity and a close hop, skip and a jump to Hickam AFB, Pearl Harbor Navy Base, Camp Smith,Tripler Army Medical Center and Fort Shafter Army Bases.

The map to the below shows the majority of military bases around Oahu in Honolulu County.

Within five miles of each other are the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and the Pearlridge Kam Swap Meet and they are great places for outdoor shopping for souvenirs, clothing, polynesian style crafts and much more.  Open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Residential Sales in the Pearl City/Aiea area of Honolulu County. Median Prices mean the midpoint of sales prices...meaning that over half of the sales were above and half were below. Given this information, the Honolulu Board of Realtors placed the Pearl City Residential resales for the first quarter of 2008 at  $704,500 for single family homes (up from the last quarter of 2007) and $323,000 for condos/townhouses (up from the last quarter of 2007)

• Relocating to Hawaii? Ewa Gentry & Ocean Pointe Communities Closer to Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Army Air Field you can travel along Kunia Road to get to the back side of the bases within 20 minutes.
• Royal Palm @ Waipio Gentry: Hawaii Relocations 10-15 Minutes from Schofield and Wheeler Bases.
• Oahu, Hawaii Relocations: The Waipio Gentry Community, Oahu, Hawaii Same as above
• Hawaii Relocations: The Mililani Community on Oahu, Hawaii 5-10 Minutes from Schofield and Wheeler Bases
• Waikele Community - Homes, Condos & Market - Honolulu County Hawaii  Across the highway from Waipio.
• Ko Olina Resort & Marina: Can't Get Any Better Than This! 10-15 Minutes from Schofield and Wheeler Bases and across the highway from Waipio Gentry.
• Hawaii Relocation & Move? The Royal Summit & Newtown Communities in Aiea Hawaii 10-15 minutes from Hickam AFB, Pearl Harbor, Tripler, Ft. Shafter, Camp Smith.
• A Bit Above in Wailuna Community - Honolulu Hawaii Relocation 10-15 minutes from Tripler, Ft. Shafter, Hickam AFB and Pearl Harbor, Camp Smith.

Other articles of market conditions:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

Every Monday morning we (sales agents) meet to discuss our current sales, new listings, office policies, any newsy stuff for the office, the market and marketing at Century 21 Liberty Homes office in Mililani, Hawaii. One thing that keeps coming up is pricing. Though our Hawaii Real Estate Market is pretty stable in sales prices, the number of sales went down over the last two years. Understandable. There is no boom and there isn't a bursting bubble either. 

BUT in the last month inventory is down a little, buyers are coming back out with reasonable interest rates and though sales prices of single family homes went down a from this same  time last year, condo prices went up.....again. 

Our BIC, Leona Soto reminds us that we really need to follow up on those leads and run with them. Our PB, Douglas Fortner, keeps reminding us that we have to educate our sellers (and with proper documentation too) to price listings AT reasonable market value.

Reasonable market value doesn't mean to 'get that listing at all costs' and list a property we KNOW is overpriced. It doesn't mean to ONLY listen and not give back correct information. It means being realistic with yourself and your seller in obtaining the information and facts ELSE you and your seller will be following the market.....DOWN.

Following up with leads for buyers does not mean to email or talk to them once and leave it alone. That first initial contact is the most important part of that lead. Know what you're talking about and LISTEN to the needs of the client. Ask questions! (There are plenty of initial contact forms that AR members have written that may give you ideas of what you'd like to put in yours.) Criteria, needs, location, time frame and refer them to a local lender if they need one....to get qualified for a loan within their desired monthly payments.

So, at this past Monday Sales Meeting my BIC is off island and Doug has to go over a rental agreement with a new tenant. So, he tells me to finish the rest of the meeting for him. Onward Ho about ActiveRain and Blogging for Business! The majority of agents in our office aren't so enthusiastic about blogging let alone that some are just starting to think about getting a website. I explain the importance of moving on with current marketing skills and how the internet is the main focus point for 'would be sellers and buyers'. 

Randy Prothero  jumps in and talks about how he and I have received clients from blogging. How we both have received CLOSED TRANSACTIONS from blogging. I jump back in and talk about how it started with websites, then blogging and now VIDEOS! We go on and on with a few asking questions. Not many.

Oh, well. Randy and I are ahead of the game.......so there.

I was talking to Kathy McGraw the other day and the subject of Hawaii Military Relocations leads came up. Kathy loves dealing with vacant land and knows her stuff about it. I love representing buyers and sellers (buyers turn into sellers!) and I know my stuff and I am articulate with my presentation to the Buyer. After giving my 'speil' to Kathy on Military Homebuyers she said, "Sally, that was amazing. You know your stuff and you have me sold". 

I hadn't realized that I was 'teaching her' (I was on a roll haha) about the stuff I know well and........ surely do "Walk MY talk".  Continuous educating and keeping up with all there is to know about our LOCAL market and marketing.

Are you up to date with your Local Real Estate Market and Marketing?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

April 14, 2008. Monday morning and on my way to the office in Mililani.

I saw beautiful cloud formations on this beautiful spring morning and after many days of vog from the Big Island (Island of Hawaii) volcano it was clearing up.

I chased the sun down Mililani side streets until I found a perfect shot of morning sunlight glowing around a large palm tree high above the rooftop of a home.

Click!

I was so pleased when I saw the result.

I caught another view with a little more blue to the sky but same concept and zoomed out a little.

I can't decide which one is nicer :)

When I arrived at the office look what was on the bush outside! Morning sunlight on a perfectly bloomed hibiscus.

And then I got bombed with work straight through until 3pm.

What a beautiful and productive day.

Mokuleia Beach on the North Shore of Oahu is quite the popular place for kite surfing and also laying on the beach, snorkeling. For picking up shells that lay on the fine grains of sand..........

Graceful kites floating; bouncing across the sky

Back and forth; boards gliding across waves

The wind guiding the course of hungry wave riders.

Cloudy skies do not deter their movements to get to the ultimate destination

The end of the wave; Yet....the wind to picks up once more to guide them to the next wave.

Moving hips and legs with proportionate motion in the direction of the ride

Until there is no more...........until the next one.

Enjoy the show of the kite surfers at Mokuleia Beach on April 12, 2008

For you William Johnson...listen with me :)

Mokuleia is located on the North Shore of Oahu and just a mile or so to the infamous Kaena Point. The part of the island you have to hike around to meet on the Yokohama Bay side of Northwest Oahu.  

The current market stats for Mokuleia vary so I'll give a brief summary for the last six months:

There are currently 6 Active Single Family homes (1-5 bdrms) in prices ranging from $950,000 to $3,980,000. There is 1 - 4 bdrm/2 ba single family home in contract that is listed at $3,999,000 and one 2 bdrm home sold at $1,250,000.

Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

I just got a call at the office. The young male on the other end asks me what he would type in the search on the internet for "Homes in Puerto Rico or Guam". I tell him to type in Puerto or Guam Real Estate. He changes his mind and says....uh, how about American Samoa? I ask him what his intentions are. Is he looking for investment property? Is he moving to any of these place?

His answer was...... "I just want to see what's going on".

It wasn't too busy ...so I tell him to type in American Samoa Real Estate in google search. He asks me how to spell Real Estate. (funny he didn't ask how to spell Samoa) Then he tells me to wait while he sees what comes up.

By now it sounded like a crank call.....I told him that I'm a Real Estate agent in Hawaii and he can check out the internet by using his search. He says thank you and I tell him bye.

I really try and be a professional with some of these calls that come in. I even get calls with....can you tell me how to get to such and such street? I suggest Mapquest.com.

So, how do you answer questions like this?

How often do you get a call or email and the "potential Home Buyer" is not going to be buying for a couple of months? A couple of years? Do you just 'let it go' because it "ain't happening" and you just want instant gratification? Well, I have news for you! You don't ever REALLY know if a potential buyer is going to REALLY buy right then and there anyway.

The scenarios may differ but they can sure take on a life of its own with a Realtor® who gives great attention and care to the "just looking, not ready, not relocation for x amount of months, years" potential clients. A good Realtor ® takes the time to LISTEN to all the needs of the home buyer. This isn't a grocery line to hoard the consumer in and push them out. 

The examples below are scenarios of real life situations of mine that turned out differently than the beginning conversation.

• "I won't be moving to Hawaii for two years but wanted to be proactive in my home search". Currently, these clients will arrive in ...now it's 10 months and we have gotten to know each other, fine tuned their criteria and are ready to go once they get here.
• "I have lived here in Hawaii for a year and I'm ready to buy but want to take my time". We found property the first day of showing and the transaction closed in 45 days.
• "I don't want to buy for three months because that's when I will get a raise in pay". First day out on showing appointments and we put in an offer, accepted and closed in 30 days.
• "We're just looking at Open Houses today and not sure if we're ready". After talking with them, they called me the next day and wanted to put in an offer. They have been proud home owners for the last two years.
• "My brother is wanting to buy but don't know when they'll be ready because it'll be their first home buying experience". It took six months but patience and understanding landed them the area, sq. ft. interior/land they wanted AND the price range they could afford.
• "I need an agent who will give us the time to look at different neighborhoods around the island so we can examine all our options".  They called me the next day after going to an Open House and asked if I could make an appointment to look at it again. We went within a couple of hours, put in an offer....and they subsequently bought...and two years later sold with me.
• "The agents I called wouldn't give me the time of day because we aren't moving there for three months". This transaction just recorded yesterday (you can watch the video .....here LIVE on VIDEO: A Hawaii Military Relocation Story Comes to Life

These are just a few examples that may be similar to ones that you brushed off and ignored.

Then they called ...... ME.

First impressions aren't always as they seem are they?

Spring Views Contest to end in SIX Days! (extended due to technical difficulties on AR) Refer to  Jo-Anne Smith  and my original posts for the contest here: Two Great Groups: Bonding for a Spring Views CONTEST!  AND April Showers Bring Double The Inspiration and Positive Views!~Spring Contest

The contest started on April 1st and we have many ENTRIES so far.  For those of you that still want to participate go to the Contest Rules are simple and basically "your story" on " A Spring Full of Inspiration and Positive Views ".

Contest Rules and Criteria:

• Contest started on April 1, 2008 and ends  April 14^th, 2008 (and time will run by the ActiveRain time stamp ONLY)
• You will need to join the POSITIVE ATTITUDE for the Weary Soul and Inspiration !!    groups ....and post your entry into the groups.

         **Click on the pictures to subscribe to each group**

• Your title must include the words Spring Inspiration & Positive Views:  ---------- Enter the words "Spring Views" in your tags separated by a comma for whatever other tags you are going to add so we are able to find the posts by clicking on the Spring Views tag.
• Content, Appearance, Inspirational/Positively Positive Views  and Creative Writing  (while following the group  Guidelines here.....because the same rules apply with your entries) are the main points that will be judged.
• If you have questions...PLEASE ASK!

Judges ARE:    Kathy McGraw , Lola Audu, Fran Gaspari, Kathy Clulow,  and Nicole Rae (our ActiveRain Community Builder) 

Prizes (Awards): 

• First Place- 1000 points
• Second Place - 750 points
• Third Place - 500 points
• And 200 additional points for all other entries

READ ALL THE ENTRIES HERE:  Spring Inspiration and Positive Views Contest Entries

Countdown!!!!!

Real Estate Industry professionals have continuously evolved with marketing techniques on the internet. We started with websites. Then Web 2.0 and blogs and a lot of other internet savvy tools. Now....we have live video that surely brings each event full face with real movement, real voices, real people and an account of what we are presenting to the public and the consumer.

Advertising in the newspaper is costly and doesn't give the consumer anything but....words. Advertising to me is not so much about how much the professional has sold or made. It's about WHAT THAT AGENT WILL DO FOR YOU! 

It's about listening to the client's wants, needs, desires and dreams. It's about going above and beyond to help those clients achieve their goals with selling their home. The home they've lived in for 20 or 30 years and where a lot of memories are invested. The emotions they will go through when parting ways. It's about going above and beyond to help those clients who are buying their home that they will create events and save many memories in for years to come.

The following video is my first ever video to document a little of my Hawaii Military Relocation clients who searched for an agent in Hawaii on the internet and NOT ONE agent would give Shelly the time of day because it was "too far ahead" (they were trying to be proactive). Shelly typed in a search term into Google and contacted me after reading a few of my stories. And that's just the beginning!

That was last November. They arrived on February 27th, 2008 and we were looking for property on the 28th, 29th and in contract by the 30th. We signed all loan and escrow docs yesterday, will fund by Thursday morning and record with the Bureau of Conveyances Friday morning.

The following articles I was inspired to write as they pertain to these specific clients:

• Do You Value Long Term Potential Clients? They were not coming for three months but what my client said was, 'Nobody would give her the time of day' because it was not going to be an instant move here. She wanted to be pro-active and that is totally understandable.
• Relocating to Hawaii? Ewa Gentry & Ocean Pointe Communities  After setting them up to look at listings from our MLS-Client Gateway system, they narrowed their search to this particular area and we were finally able to cut the criteria to specifics.
• Hello?????...... Do You Think It's Possible to Get a Showing Appointment?   Knowing they were arriving on the 27th of February I wanted to be proactive myself. I started calling listing agents for appointments only to get flustered for no responses.
• Do You Alienate Your Peers & Clients? How's About Burning Bridges? Which prompted me to write this post about the Real Estate Industry and how it is important to treat our peers and clients with respect. At the very least to be courteous in returning calls and working together as a team.

Hawaii Military Relocation Story Testimonial (with my clients consent):

"I found Sally on the internet while my fiance was still deployed to Afghanistan. We were preparing for a military relocation to Hawaii........ Sally was amazing! She made our transition to the islands easy and painless. Not only did we find a great Realtor, we made a new friend!"

Shelly and Chris

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note:  Katrina Dangleman, Escrow Officer with Title Guaranty Escrow in Mililani informed me yesterday that she is moving to Caifornia. She has been part of the driving force of the meaning behind "teamwork" and for many years....an important part of Title Guaranty in Mililani, Hawaii. Aloha O'e Katrina!  (Also, all of you out there keep a lookout. Katrina is going to be taking her Real Estate License test out there)

It was the day after I married Gary and the evening of January 19, 2002 that we went on our adventure.

My daughter wanted to give us something special for our Wedding Present and she bought us a dinner and show cruise aboard the Star of Honolulu.

The Honolulu Sunset Dinner Cruise started boarding at 5pm and away we cruised out into the open sea by 5:30pm! Ah, a beautiful cruise it was and with an astounding sunset with Diamond Head and Waikiki as our star attraction.

With entertainment, shows, a wonderful dinner and finally a dance with Gary it has surely been a wonderful gift to remember. (he didn't step on my toes...hahaha!)

You think it's time to go again?

The Star of Honolulu is berthed right across the way from the Falls of Clyde- Pier 7 - Honolulu Harbor and next to Hooters at Aloha Tower Marketplace at Pier 8 and its total capacity is 1,500 passengers with four decks. More details...HERE

The Star of Honolulu - Oahu Cruises

• Five Star Dinner
• Three Star Dinner
• Star Sunset Dinner
• Pacific Star Dinner
• Premier Whale & Lunch
• Hawaiian Cultural & Lunch
• Polynesian Sunset Dinner Ali'i
• Polynesian Sunset Dinner Orchid
• Polynesian Sunset Dinner Plumeria
• Waikiki Fun & BBQ
• Wild Whale Watch
• Wild Dolphin & Lunch

For Phone Reservations: 808-983-STAR (7827) or (toll-free) 800-334-6191

  p style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

Spark Matsunaga (former Senator of Hawaii) Department of Veterans Affairs is located at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. With The VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) Honolulu serving approximately 127,600 veterans in Hawaii AND the Pacific Islands I commend the work they have done to help the Veterans of the Armed Forces. 

My son served in the Armed Forces and he was on the USS Kitty Hawk in the Persian Gulf when the war broke out on March 19, 2003. It was his 23rd Birthday.

When he came home the summer of 2006 he started the process for VA Benefits so he could go back to school. With all the military red tape he finally is able to go to school in this Fall Semester. He had a job but they closed and he lost his medical benefits.

But wait!  He has VA Medical Benefits!  "GOOD THING" because he got so sick yesterday morning that he called MOM. He WAS really sick to call me and say, "Mom, I'm really sick and I'm scared". We immediately picked him up and rushed him to Tripler Army Medical Center Emergency Room.

FOUR HOURS LATER!!: And watching everyone walk in the door with children with coughs and go ahead of my son. My son mumbled something about Active Duty first, Active Duty Dependents second.....and Veterans  ....LAST!  What kind of protocol is that?  The lady at the front desk said that there is no such thing as first come first serve and said the severity of the case goes first.

HOW DO THEY DETERMINE who goes first WITHOUT seeing a doctor to determine the severity? My son could hardly talk....he was in a fetal position in the back of our car from severe stomach cramping. So bad that his teeth chattered so hard from chills his jaw hurt. So bad I was afraid he would go through a seizure (he has a history of periodic grand mal seizures). So bad I had to talk to register him.

My son's cramping got a little better during those FOUR hours.....but the lady at the front said the "NORMAL" waiting period is up to six hours. For who? Vets? WE LEFT with the intention of just going to our civilian hospital and paying for my son. My son declined.

This is the ONLY facility Veterans can go to for "emergency" care and I was very disappointed in the care for Veterans. My son wasn't the only one.....I watched closely as two other older gentleman who were retirees were going through the same thing.

I have been a military dependent for the majority of my life and never knew of  this protocol. I have heard "war stories" about how the Veterans of the Armed Forces do NOT get that attention they need. I heard of the men coming back from war who don't get the care they need from the mental health issues they receive after going through traumatic situations they encountered in war zones.

I just got off the phone with my son. He's a little better. But what about the rest of the VETERAN'S?  What about ....next time?  Maybe he'll be lucky and be able to make an appointment for a regular office visit in the VA section of the hospital.

Following is informtation that may help a vet or even a honorably discharged war vet get a step ahead of the game to VA Benefits.

VA Pacific Islands Health Care System  (phone: 433-0600)

Health Care Patient Advocates :  The Patient Advocate is located at the Spark M. Matsunaga VA Medical Center and serves as a liaison between patients and staff when a Service issue cannot be resolved. The Patient Advocate is Barbara Morgan and she may be reached by calling (808) 433-0126. Her office is located at: 459 Patterson Road, Ambulatory Care Center, Room 1B08

National Headquarters Info for  Hawaii Office of Veterans Services:

459 Patterson Road
E-Wing, Room 1-A103
Honolulu, HI 96819-1522
(808) 433-0420
(808) 433-0385 fax
Mark.Moses@va.gov

Other Helpful Links:

• Other VA Facilities on Oahu
• Old Timer Speaks Out (Veteran's Blog)
• State of Hawaii - Office of Veteran's Services
• VETERANS CEMETERIES on Oahu
• Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka- Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
• National Coalition for Homeless Vets in Hawaii
• Congresswoman Maizie K. Hirono -Military and Veterans

Homelessness is also very high on the list for aide for Veterans in Hawaii and after reading many stories on this subject I will do many follow up stories as well.  One important factor you Veterans should know about....if you are a Disabled Veteran and have a service related disability ...you are exempt from the VA Loan Funding Fee. Did you know that? First time use of the VA Guaranteed Loan the funding fee is 2.15% and second time use is 3.35 and of course it is lower is putting money down. The Hawaii VA Loan amount is currently capped at $625,500 (including the funding fee)

Yes, Active Duty Personnel are to be commended. My son was Active Duty and served and I am proud of him. And...yes, the Veterans of the Armed Forced are to be commended and NEED to be remembered as well.

My son is a Veteran and I am proud of him still.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

I often sit and ponder ...on this thing called life. Back then...and now. My life now surely is unlike when I was younger. Gung Ho! Sporadic, impulsive, not consistent, spur of the moment and a radical gal with a rebel attitude.

Nothing could touch me (I thought) and I was invinsible (I thought) and not replaceable (I thought). 

That's what I get for thinking!

My beliefs instilled; taught by my parents, and most likely passed on from their parents through generations of what they all believed...what was best for us. At some point, I became an adult and changed my beliefs to suit my own needs....or maybe not.

My life didn't turn out the way I thought it would. I did the complete opposite of what my parents taught me and it took years to grasp the meaning of why. Learning lessons.

The whole irony of this is that I taught my children the complete opposite of what I did in those younger years. Maybe that's why they are responsible adults and didn't follow those "hard" lessons of life ...the ones of hard knocks. The ones like I HAD to go through to get to where I am today.

What does success mean to me now...compared to back then?

• Success is not measured by how much 'stuff' I have but by how hard I worked to get it. (how much or how little does not measure who I am)
• Success is earned from respecting others NOT running over them to prove my point. (in turn the respect comes back)
• Success is the gut feeling at the end of the day that tells me I have had a day lived right (and allows me to sleep well at night)
• Success is factual and not assuming. (Get the facts and don't let the assuming get the best of me)
• Success is within. It works from the inside and shows through to the outside. It's seen in my demeanor, in my walk, in my talk and in my attitude and behavior. (others can see from the outside in so no one is fooling me....but me)
• Success is real and is not letting things outside myself dictate how I feel about myself. (what others think does not dictate who I am)
• Success is being content with what I do have; not what I don't have. (cup is half full; not half empty)
• Success is being able to look at myself in the mirror and the person staring back is smiling and happy.(It's when I start talking and answering myself....is when I'm comfortable in my own skin LOL!)
• Success is having balance in my life and making sure my priorities are on target (time for family, bills paid, not overdoing anything that would upset the piechart of my life)
• Success is understanding that we live and die and it's what I do in between that matters. (What kind of legacy do I want to leave behind? What am I going to be remembered for? It sure ain't gonna be for the kind of car I drove!)
• Success is constant in this continuous learning lesson and cycle called life and without the contant changes of learning and growing I would be stagnant. (Living life without risk and trying new ways for things that didn't work before is agreeing to stop living.)

Success in Real Estate can be measured in many ways and for me it's mostly about how I interact with others because I believe our industry is about just that.

Interaction.

It's the 'quality' of relationships we have with others is what a professional is worth.

I got off my high horse a long time ago. And it suits me just fine.

Newtown and the Royal Summit communities are side by side 'Ridge Neighbors". 

In my last post on  A Bit Above in Wailuna Community - Honolulu Hawaii Relocation I wrote about the Wailuna community on Kaahumanu Street - on the Waiau Ridge. Newtown is right below Wailuna and stretches across to Kaalele Street to the Royal Summit Community.

The Royal Summit community have all custom built homes that were built to the owners delight. They are all zoned for ONE residential home on each lot and have been building from the 1980's.

The Newtown Community is an older community and they started building in the early 1970's.

I stopped midway up Kaahele Street after entering the Royal Summit Community and had to stop and take a picture of the beautiful spring Bouganvilia flower blooms. What wonderful colors along the little hillside next to a home.

You can bet you will get your heart pumping with a little excercise walking up and down just a couple of blocks in this area as Kaahele Street is a steep incline to the top!

But with beautiful views and cool mountain air I presume it is more of a sightseeing trip as it was driving up and down this ridge.

The view at the top of the Royal Summit community was breathtaking! 

The vacant lot I stood on had a 'platform' retaining wall that extended out over the valley. Gusts of wind coming in through the valley from the ocean were cool and soothing with the sounds of rustling trees from below. The sun was shining and it was just me on this platform looking out over the south side of Oahu stretching from the Pearlridge/Aiea area and overlooking Pearl Harbor and past to the ocean.

I had a peaceful and gorgeous moment right then.

To the left of this picture was a view from Honolulu Harbor stretching over downtown all the way to Waikiki and Diamond Head.

Whoever owned this vacant lot was saving it for something very special!

The Military Bases around the the Newtown and Royal Summit  Communities, Wailuna, Pearl City, Waiau, Pearlridge and Aiea areas are Pearl Harbor Navy Base, Camp Smith, Tripler Army Medical Center, Hickam AFB and Ft. Shafter.

And for more information on surrounding area schools:  

• Hawaii Public Schools
• Hawaii Association Independent Schools 

• Leeward Community College | Start Here Today. Get Ahead Tomorrow.

The following market statistics for single family homes in the Royal Summit and Newtown neighborhoods are for the last six months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

*All content and pictures are the property of Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman*

If I Could.....I Would Give You a Year Full of Spring Views

To Brighten Your Each and Every Day

Not a Worry to Befall You....Only Inspirational Moments

And Surround You With Positive Souls.

If I Could, I Would Give You Hope to Fulfill Your Dreams

To Create Your Destiny with Good Health

Of Prosperity and Success ..... From the Inside Out

And Lift Your Weary Souls With Positive Spirits.

If I Could, I Would Give You ONLY a Lifetime of these Spring Views.

By: "Sally" Cheeseman - 2008

A Spring Views Show Just For You.  (click twice to start show)

Hawaii Relocation? Just Visiting? Spring Views Just For You!

Honolulu County, HI

It is without a doubt that moving across the ocean to "paradise" is going to be a cultural shock.

But with our tropical breezes, breathtaking scenery and wonderful fresh scents in the air of blooming flowers island wide...it's so worth it!

Sunny skies and the sound of crashing waves on sandy shores Hawaii is definitely in a "Spring Season" state of mind.

Capturing the essence of my "Spring Views" in one short show.....just for you. Enjoy!

Contact Info

Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman- (RA) e-PRO
Hawaii Relocation Move & Transfers

Cell (808)375-1404
Dir (808)375-1404
Email | Website