Hawaii Real Estate | Hawaii Relocations | Hawaii Home Buying & Selling

Hawaii Relocation| Military in Hawaii| Moving to Hawaii

Relocating to Hawaii? With our warm climate and breathtaking scenery it's no wonder why everyone (including locals) call it "Paradise"!  Hawaii is the choice of many people who prefer a tropical setting to live out their retirement years. It also becomes everyones favorite Hawaii Relocation spot when transferring to the military bases in Hawaii including the Schofield Army Base, Wheeler Army Air Field, Pearl Harbor Navy Base, Hickam AFB, or Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Station. Education, Information and a Good Realtor® is The Art of Hawaii Relocations.

Your Military Relocation to Hawaii and Purchasing Your New Home.  The following information is basic but pertinent information to go over before you even pack for your transfer and before considering purchasing your Honolulu County (Oahu) home.

Moving across the Pacific Ocean to such a diverse culture may be of a shock and you may want to brush up on a few tips to make your transition a smooth one.

•  Hawaii Military Relocation | YOUR Military Move to Hawaii PART I Loads of information on the bases around the island of Oahu (which is Honolulu County) and getting your pets ready, the diversity of Hawaii, living on an island paradise with little buildable land (therefore, smaller homes) and so forth.
•  Hawaii Honolulu Military Relocation -Part II of the Series on YOUR Military Move to Hawaii we discussed options on renting, buying or living on Base Housing and gave you a chart on Honolulu County 2010 BAH so you know what to expect for your Honolulu County Housing Allowance.
• Hawaii Military Relocation| PART III on YOUR Military Move to Hawaii | Hawaii Home Buyers VA Loans  Your To Do List in getting ready for your Hawaii Home Buying Process is the next step in being proactive in your Hawaii Military Relocation. Starting your Hawaii VA Loan Process before you even arrive will make the process time shorter once you get into contract.

 Here are some great links to Hawaii Base Housing Offices to Lodging to Schools and MORE!

It's so much easier to just be proactive in YOUR Military Move to Hawaii especially if you are going to be traveling with your family.  You may also need to start on your Hawaii Home Buyer process and need more information on the Hawaii VA Loan process too.  

It's not just about real estate...it's about the community and making your transition just a little bit easier.

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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 all Hawaii Home Buyers and Sellers on the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) including all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents.

Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

The Royal Kunia Community is a 270 acre master planned community located in Central Oahu and high above the Ewa plains.  Royal Kunia is a developement of partners, a joint venture partnership with Halekula Development Corp (a Horita company) and Castle & Cooke. They completed their first homes in 1988 and to date have built approximately 1,930 homes with the first of 2,000 more homes that are scheduled to be completed by 2010.

The Royal Kunia Community Park has been completed and the second phase for the Community Center had their ground breaking ceremony this past November. The Royal Kunia Community Center is expected to commence building this year.

Across from the park is the Royal Kunia Country Club and it's described as the most scenic golf course on Oahu. With a panoramic view high above the Ewa Plain it will surely take your breath away looking from Pearl Harbor to Diamond Head along the south shore.

Royal Kunia home sales have picked up for single family homes although the townhouses are slow going. The location of this community to freeway access may be a plus for the Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii as it is centrally located to Hickam Air Force Base and Pearl Harbor Naval Base off H-1. Royal Kunia Community is located right off Kunia Road that leads to Schofield Barracks and the Naval Communications Master Center.

The following statistics for the Royal Kunia Housing Market depicts the last six months activity for single family homes and townhouses.

Bottom line is that Royal Kunia Community is centrally located on the island of Oahu with many shops in the Kunia shopping center, a Walmart  and close to the new Costco and Target stores in Kapolei.

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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

A Good Realtor® will keep in touch with buyers/sellers from first contact and will follow up if they aren't ready or aren't due to relocate for a few months or even up to a couple of years. In the end we are rewarded with a loyal client. After working with a Hawaii Military Relocation buyer for about six months "long distance" and putting in offers for several short sales that went south they finally arrived.

Everything was as if we had known each other and that first meeting was very pleasant. We looked at property according to their criteria and took into consideration the length of time they would be able to stay in the military 'hotel'.

We  finally found a home they loved:

• Central Air Conditioning (only a few newer home subdivisions have central air)
• Almost 1500 sq/ft interior (if you know homes in Hawaii ...this is BIG)
• Spacious enough for their furniture in all rooms
• The extra guest bedroom for all the guests that would be coming to visit
• The extra bedroom for another family member that would be coming to live with them
• It was in their price range and the area they wanted (there are few in this price range and sq/ft)
• Corner lot home w/low maintenance yard
• Double car garage with a driveway to park extra autos

And this home had just so much more. It had just fallen out of contract and put back up on the market as a new listing. It was a short sale but they would be replacing our contract with the previous as it would net the same amount. The association docs were only a week old and as soon as the approval came back we would be on our way!

And then the bomb dropped.

They are warned that they need to decide on base housing within two days or lose that option. The contract won't come back approved for up to one week due to the bank needing to issue the approval letter and they are worried that 'anything could happen' within the course of the transaction and then they would not have a place to live. They are going to back out of the contract.

Having a sure place to live surely takes precedence at this moment and......

We think in the best interests of our clients.

Good Realtors® understand that circumstances and situations arise that they have no control over. They felt so bad telling me that they could not take that chance and I assured them I understood. They will continue to look (they are in the unit for 6 months) and they said they will surely come back when they are ready.

I slept well the last couple of nights knowing I did my job well.

Of course they told me so too. :)

If you are planning on a Relocation to Hawaii you may want to consider the community of Mililani, Hawaii. Centrally located to all military bases on the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) Mililani is the home for many Active Duty Military as it is 5-10 minutes from Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Army Air Field, 20-25 minutes from Hickam AFB, Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ft. Shafter Army Base and about 30-35 minutes from Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Base.

Mililani is a Master Planned Community and has a population of approximately 30,000 people. The first homes went up for sale around June 1968 and our H-2 freeway opened in 1976 which lessened the time to travel to Honolulu. With three shopping centers, a 14 plex theater, 7 recreation centers (5 have pools), parks, Mililani Golf Course and activities galore we have a lot of what we need in our central location.

In 1986 Mililani was named an "All American City" and IS the only community in Hawaii to receive this distinction. In 1990 a ground breaking ceremony commenced for the Mililani Mauka subdivision which is a newer and more modern side of the community on the east side of the H-2 freeway.

Current statistics for the last two months for Mililani Town & Mililani Mauka Single Family Homes & Condos:

*NOTE:  DOM (Days on Market) means how long from the time it was listed on the MLS until the properties were sold

From 2007 when sales were still going strong and prices remained stable there now shows  a significant decrease in sold properties for November- December of 2008. We can attribute the sales numbers drop due to the financial crisis going on in our nation and this does not exclude Honolulu County. VA (for military and vets) and FHA loans are still great loans and there are still strong lending institutions available with your great credit and/or a % down payment.

Bottom line?  If sellers are realistic and listen to the advice of their Realtor® regarding pricing and their expert opinion then they will get their property sold. It may take a little time but it will get sold.  It is NOT a seller's market so listen to the strategy of your agent and we are working for you when we are giving you suggestions!

Buyers need to realize that though sales numbers are down it does not mean that all neighborhoods have a significant decrease in sales prices. Waiting for prices to drop and taking a chance on interest rates increasing will still net a monthly mortgage payment that could be significantly higher and lose that home you really love.  It all depends on your circumstances.

Our office is located in Mililani Town in Central Oahu and 10 minutes from Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Army Air Field. We are also located about 20-25 minutes from Hickam AFB & Pearl Harbor Navy Base although I service all of the island of Oahu.

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Be proactive in your Hawaii Relocation and your search for your home in paradise. It's not easy moving across the Pacific Ocean let alone to a totally different "world" of people but you can do it with effort, motivation and a great Realtor®! 

• Hawaii Military Relocations: Choosing the RIGHT Realtor® & Loan Officer
• Mililani Town, Hawaii: Recreation Centers and Fun for All Ages!
• Hawaii VA Loan Process: BE PREPARED!
• Launani Valley Mililani Condos Homes-Hawaii Relocation Schofield Barracks, Wheeler AAF
• Mililani Hawaii Military Relocations Community INFORMATION- Part I

© 2009 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman, All rights reserved 

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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

Yes, we all are experiencing some difficult times as the rest of the nation but you, the buyer, need to be informed properly so when you are looking to purchase that Home in Hawaii you will know that KILLER NEGOTIATING WILL CAUSE YOU TO LOSE THE HOME YOU LOVE! 

In Killer Negotiating & Losing the Hawaii Home You Love!  I started with how our market differs locally and not nationally. The media has depicted a dreary look for the NATION...not for every market and especially different neighborhoods. But Hawaii has prevailed with only a small portion of subprime loans during the booming months. It was a conscious decision that kept our banks solid here but also saved many Oahu Homeowners from losing their homes.

On Oahu our neighborhoods are very dense and the market can differ from neighborhood to neighborhood. That IS a fact.

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS!

Oahu's housing market statistics (from our Honolulu Board of Realtors) show that our sales prices rose from the month of September and they clearly show the strength in our Oahu Housing Market for the month of October. Though median prices do not depict a clear neighborhood picture it gives an overall birds eye view of how our small island differs from month to month as well with median sales prices.

Condominium/Townhouses sales prices rose from $296,000 for the month of September to $325,000 for the month of October and shows a 9.8% increase. Single Family homes sales prices rose from $590,000 to $625,000 and shows an increase of 5.9% from September to October. I'd say that was impressive even with the slower number of sales. Prices are holding steady here on Oahu and it shows a steady market.

Both buyers and seller really need to STOP LISTENING TO THE MEDIA and the advice of your 'expert' family about those "NATIONWIDE" statistics!

 Both buyers and sellers need to listen to their REALTORS® expert advice for local housing market statistics and advice. 

© 2008 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman, All rights reserved

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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

After such a great response from everyone for the list of tips on what to watch out for in Bank Owned properties I wanted to do a follow up. For one, it definitely is a given to look over those counter offers and addendums! There were so many comments for Acquiring The Golden Egg that said that bank owned properties leave the buyer without any rights. HUH?

That is not all true. For one, why would we show our clients any of these properties if we believed that to be true?  I was amazed with the fact that many commented saying that they closed many of these deals and believed that the banks left the buyers open for heartache later on. If I believed that to be true then I most definitely would not even show them any of these homes.

So, there has to be clear guidelines for our buyers who are 'getting into a bank owned property' right? This was my first transaction with a bank owned property and it turned out great from the get go and wanted to share with you all what transpired.

• My clients are military transferring to Honolulu County and they wanted to buy their first home for their family. (tired of living out of suitcases)
• They asked about putting in an offer (bank owned) on a home that looked suitable for their family (great price, excellent condition) and I told them I usually advise clients to look at it first.
• We submitted the offer and the next morning I went to the property to take pictures and show them the home from my view.
• I called them from inside the home and I couldn't believe it...it was wonderful!
• Though the bank had their 17 page counter the other agent put in a counter offer and addendums as well to protect us from certain things like the seller paying their assessments, liens and so forth.
• We went through the counter offer and all addendums by phone for an hour and in the end it was accepted by both parties.
• They insisted they would fly out immediately for the home inspection if they got an acceptance.

And they did:

 

Happy Hawaii Relocation Clients

 

Since this was a Hawaii VA home loan and they needed certain things the bank would not provide I paid for the Association Documents and bought them a home warranty when it closed. Granted, not all bank owned properties will be in great condition and not have much going on but I sure know what to look out for on any others. My clients and I were all definitely on the same wave length so that made a big difference as well.

This was just one of those "freak" transactions that was just .....meant to be.

© 2008 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman, All rights reserved

                                                       

 



Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman  is a Realtor-Associate® and Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) 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 Relocations, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents, Home Buyers and Sellers.

  

 © 2007-2011 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman's Hawaii Real Estate and Relocation Blog.

All rights reserved.

     

 


 

Wow! A great price in an area that's in a 'slightly declining market' and this property IS to die for! It's beautiful and just what my client wanted! Beautiful home in this "slightly decling market neighborhood". So I sit and wonder what some people are thinking when some odd things come out of their mouths.

You gotta wonder what you're getting into when the seller's agent says:

• "Well, I don't know if the seller is going to accept a VA loan". Huh? (I already checked the tax records and it says the seller bought with a VA loan)
• Within a couple hours I get an accepted contract. Okay, so I guess the seller really didn't mind if it were a VA loan or not and the SA says, "You got lucky. My seller accepted a VA loan transaction".
• How about when you submit a request for repairs and the SA says, "I really don't think the seller will do all these repairs."
• Or how about: I have so many years as a RE agent but haven't done VA loans. Uh...then why did you even 'assume'.

How about the seller that says:

• If they don't like it they can go look somewhere else. Uh...don't they realize there are 296 properties just like theirs on the market in this neighborhood alone?
• My neighbor sold theirs two years ago for XXX. Where you beeeeeen??????
• I'm NOT going to put away my 'stuff'. I still live here and I am not going to rearrange my life for any potential buyers coming in. Uh....okay then ....do you really want to sell your house?
• I want XXXX amount and I refuse to take anything less. Uh......how about having some room for negotiation when your house is sitting on the market for four months.
• I don't want to show at this time or that time because I want to relax. Uh....you can relax when the house is SOLD.

I've been having great luck...okay, it's not luck. When you got a great attitude you attract like minded people. So anyway, I've been attracting wonderful VA BUYERS who are well qualified and jumping in with a great attitude to purchase that wonderful dream home!

And when a seller is not willing to meet half way and the agent is speaking for the seller without even consulting with them first...you tell me. How are they expecting to get the house sold?

It's time to be realistic. It IS a buyers market.

It's to die for! 

Unless you kill it first.

It's been a very hectic week for my Real Estate business. Well, with one coming down the stretch for closing, another escrow opened for a buyer on Wednesday that alone has been very busy for me. I also have a listing that I put up last Sunday with showings EVERY single day this week so I am now prepared to take the rest of the afternoon off. And so I'll spend it by Blogging, working  writing and getting some form of relaxation.

Many of my Hawaii Home Buyers are Military Relocating to Hawaii and it seems that during the past few months our market has slowed, then regained some ground, then slows again only to speed up once more.

I am beginning to believe it's not just OUR LOCAL MARKET....but it is MY business that has steadily been successful this year.  I contribute my growth spurts to my online presence in the Real Estate Space(that's what ActiveRain calls it :) and if it were not for all the hard work and effort I put into my blogs and websites I would not have the leads I have received this year.

I also believe that I go above and beyond in my 'scope of service' from beginning to end. There is no limit (within reason) that a Realtor® will dedicate themselves to their clients no matter what the market looks like.

I spent my Saturday (yesterday) taking my client to the home inspection in OCEANPOINTE, Ewa Beach and then going to Mariner's Ridge on the East Side of Oahu to meet with the Mortgage Broker to complete the VA Loan Application to send in tomorrow for processing.

That's nothing compared to the extras that I receive along the way. The picture above is a view of Koko Head crater going up Mariner's Ridge. My client and I jumped out to snap a few while doing the oooo's and ahhhhh's.

The simple things in life ...like a beautiful view....that overlap with business.

© 2008 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman, All rights reserved

There is no doubt that Military Relocating to Hawaii need housing and most active duty and vets are still taking advantage of their VA Guaranteed Loan.

VA Guarantees a percentage of the loan and you still have to go through a Lender that actually does do VA Loans and it is for your OWN PERSONAL USE. (not all banks, credit unions and loan companies do VA Loans). The Veterans Administration Guaranteed Loan is most likely the best choice for most miiltary because they can do 100% financing and roll the funding fee into the loan. For disabled vets who are 30% and more disabled are exempt from the funding fee.

In my experience, the Hawaii Based Military personnel have purchased homes or condos totalling 1/3 of my total sales with their VA loan benefits. I have learned the process very well and you may as well consider me a Seasoned Real Estate Agent for VA Transations and the Hawaii Military Relocation.

For the HAWAII VA LOAN PROCESS click here>>>>This Realtors® Perspective: Hawaii Military & the VA Loan

Though VA loans are always a great choice keep in mind that ALL Lenders are being very cautious and strict with whom they approve.

• Make sure all your financial documents are in order and you are not overextended with your credit.
• Speak to a Hawaii Local Lender who knows our Hawaii Real Estate Contract and Laws
• Be proactive in your search for Buying Your Hawaii Home by contacting an experienced Realtor® who knows the VA Loan Process!
• Be prepared to go through bumps and curves along the way. VA appraisers are taking longer and Lenders are going through everything with a fine tooth comb.

Just know that your Hawaii VA Loan & transaction with be in good hands with a Hawaii Realtor® who knows the VA real estate transaction and loan process and a Hawaii Local Lender who knows our Hawaii Purchase Contracts and Hawaii Real Estate laws.

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© 2008 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman, All rights reserved

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