Great Hawaiian Homes Blog

I have been a fan of dancing from the age of 19 when I finally worked up enough nerve to ask a girl to dance.  She said yes, much to my suprise, and the rest is history.  I danced my way through my time in the Navy and then my way through the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  I also worked at a wonderful restaurant and nightclub called Bobby McGee's in Waikiki which only fueled my love for dancing.

Well, that was the 80's and well over 100 pounds ago.  I just happened to watch a movie called "Can We Dance" with Shayanne and Vanessa Williams.  It was really great!  It inspired me to look for a place to get off my butt and jump back into Salsa again.  I found a dance school run by Greg "The Salsaman" Henry.  OK, I've been to one class, but I can see that Greg's students really enjoy his classes.  I bought Ten classes for $80.00 and will be attending every Tuesday and Thursday.  I am so excited to get dancing again I can't even put it into words.

If you would like to Salsa your way back into shape, love dance or would like to try Salsa, please call Greg at (808) 256-7556.  He is very good about returning calls.

I hope to see YOU in class very soon!

Cheers-Mike

Click here to search for homes to dance in!

Area Price Range $650,000 to $6,900,000

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Mike Ramsey Fujita RA SFR (808) 630-1828

http://GreatHawaiianHomes.com

It is well known that the Real Estate fallout of 2008 did not impact Honolulu as hard as most of the United States.  There are many reasons for that.  Many of the areas of Oahu that did see a fall in value has experienced a recovery of value.  We know this because we track home prices.  We are not talking about Assessed Value, we are talking about Market Value and this is established by the prices that Sellers and Buyers agree upon in real hard dollars.

Over the years, interest rates have fallen to the lowest rates many of us have ever seen.  Home prices are also near their lows, even with the recovery that has taken place.  They are still far off their "Real Estate Boom Highs", but when combined with today's low interest rates, many home buyers are really getting their money's worth!

There are easily a couple of thousand properties for sale on Oahu, as of this writting.  They range in price from a couple of hundred thousand dollars to we over $32,000,000.  There are also well over 200 homes priced over $1,500,000.  These are real homes.  Many of them can be considered Estates complete with the electric gates and uncompromising quality and some are more of a simple Island Style with a View that will make you melt and think "I could live here". 

My partner and I would love to share these homes with you.  If you would like to see them, please call Gayle to set up a showing appointment at (808) 388-1485.  Let her know the areas and price range you are interested in.  You may also call me (Mike) directly at (808) 630-1828 anytime.

Happy House Hunting!

The PGA’s Sony Open in Hawaii is played at the Waialae Country Club on Oahu’s South Shore in the Kahala Area.  This year the event actually began on January 9^th but play started today under partly cloudy skies and cool Hawaiian breeze.  The Sony Open brings nearly $25,000,000 in revenue to the State and tons of television coverage, much of which is like a Postcard Video.  No doubt, people will want to come to Honolulu to golf after watching some of the play.

The Kahala Area of Oahu is one of the most prestigious areas to live in the State of Hawaii.  Homes range from pre 1960 Hawaiian Style Houses to Modern Classic Villas.  You can find everything in between as well.  Prices range from just under $1,200,000 for a well maintained contemporary home to $16,950,000 Contemporary Beach Front on Kahala Avenue with panoramic ocean views from East to West, designed for entertaining with a covered oceanfront lanai.

If you would like to call Kahala home,

we invite you to view all of the homes available today HERE.

We are Mike Ramsey Fujita RA SFR and Gayle Fujita Ramsey RA SFR with Hawaii Real Estate Online.  Please call upon us if you would like a personal tour of these wonderful homes.

It looks like the year saw a 10% decrease in closed transactions for all properties; 14.1% for Single Family and 6.5% for condos.

What does this mean? Well it could mean that there was less inventory for 2011, less Buyers in the market, Buyers sitting on the fence waiting to see what happens next, or that well things were just a little slow.

The good news is that single family median prices increased from November 2011 and December 2010. Condos on the other hand decreased in November 2011 and December 2010.

Days on Market "DOM"for December 2011 increased for Condos to 42 days vs. 43 in 2010 and for Single Family Homes it decreased by 3 days, in 2010 it was 38 days and in 2011 it was 35 days.

For the yearly DOM though for Single Family Homes increased by a day and Condos from 34 days to 41.

It appears that homes sold for 93.2 % to 94.6% of the list price for the year of 2011.

If you would like a copy of the report email Gayle and she will send it to you in its entirety. You can Reach Gayle at gfujita@hawaii.rr.com.

This is the perfect market for Buyers. Why are you still sitting on the fence watching opportunities pass you by? Are you waiting for someone to push? Are you waiting for interest rates to increase? Are you waiting for home values to increase? If you are, the market is going to eventually price you out of the market.

Is the unknown scary? Not sure which direction to turn and what steps to take? Guess what… we know the answers to these questions and we can get you moving in the right direction.

 Afraid to ask questions in fear of sounding stupid?...Don’t be. Mike and I enjoy educating buyers and helping them find their way into home ownership. It is extremely rewarding to assist in the process of owning a home versus renting a home.

Not sure where you stand in the process? Well we can help you figure this out. You may be in a position to make the move soon or maybe you’re not. Either way we can set you up with professionals who will guide you throughout the process.

Don’t sit on the fence any longer; find out where you stand in the process. The only wrong move is to put it off and later wish you had checked out buy a home now. Learn more at http://greathawaiianhomes.com/ or take a peek at real estate in Hawaii that is currently for sale http://www.buyorsellinhawaii.com/ . Or better yet call us, Mike Fujita Ramsey RA SFR 808.630.1828 or Gayle Ramsey Fujita RA SFR 808.388.1485.  We are a 2011 Aloha Aina Award Nominee 

Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes on Oahu seem to be dropping in numbers. There was a period that one Short Sale in a neighborhood would drastically reduce the value of the nearby homes because of it's reduced sale amount. For a period, many homes that came on the market used the sale price of the last Short Sale property that closed to help set their List Price. What this meant to buyers was, for the most part, Short Sales were not representing the big value they once did.

As the Island's Real Estate Market has settled down, we are seeing values on the rise again. With the lower amount of Bank Owned Properties or "REOs" on the market, we are seeing more of a gap between the sold price of near by Short Sale and REO homes and homes that were a conventional sale. This can be good news to buyers of Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes.

It is still a little like the Wild Wild West for buyers of Bank Owned Homes because there is very little negotiating with the banks. They approve their price that they will sell it for and it pretty much takes an act of the All Mighty to get them to lower it for a buyer that had written the approved offer.

The really great news for buyers of these Bank Owned Homes is that there are still some, not all, very good deals to be had by buying one and dealing with all of the..."Stuff"...the bank throws at you.

Gayle and I are Short Sale and REO experts. We know what the banks will expect and will give up in one of these transactions. That means we can get YOU into one of these homes with as little stress to you as possible. You will know what to expect as we move through the transaction.

Here is a list of REO and Short Sale Links for all around Oahu. They will take you to our Real Time Property Search that has been preset for you. Happy House Hunting!

Hawaii Kai to Mililani (Honolulu)

Ewa Beach, Kapolei and Makakilo

The West Side (Waianae, Nanakuli, Maile)

Windward to The North Shore and Central Oahu (Waimanalo, Kailua, Kaneohe to Waialua)

Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes on Oahu seem to be dropping in numbers. There was a period that one Short Sale in a neighborhood would drastically reduce the value of the nearby homes because of it's reduced sale amount. For a period, many homes that came on the market used the sale price of the last Short Sale property that closed to help set their List Price. What this meant to buyers was, for the most part, Short Sales were not representing the big value they once did.

As the Island's Real Estate Market has settled down, we are seeing values on the rise again. With the lower amount of Bank Owned Properties or "REOs" on the market, we are seeing more of a gap between the sold price of near by Short Sale and REO homes and homes that were a conventional sale. This can be good news to buyers of Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes.

It is still a little like the Wild Wild West for buyers of Bank Owned Homes because there is very little negotiating with the banks. They approve their price that they will sell it for and it pretty much takes an act of the All Mighty to get them to lower it for a buyer that had written the approved offer.

The really great news for buyers of these Bank Owned Homes is that there are still some, not all, very good deals to be had by buying one and dealing with all of the..."Stuff"...the bank throws at you.

Gayle and I are Short Sale and REO experts. We know what the banks will expect and will give up in one of these transactions. That means we can get YOU into one of these homes with as little stress to you as possible. You will know what to expect as we move through the transaction.

Here is a list of REO and Short Sale Links for all around Oahu. They will take you to our Real Time Property Search that has been preset for you. Happy House Hunting!

Hawaii Kai to Mililani (Honolulu)

Ewa Beach, Kapolei and Makakilo

The West Side (Waianae, Nanakuli, Maile)

Windward to The North Shore and Central Oahu (Waimanalo, Kailua, Kaneohe to Waialua)

Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes on Oahu seem to be dropping in numbers. There was a period that one Short Sale in a neighborhood would drastically reduce the value of the nearby homes because of it's reduced sale amount. For a period, many homes that came on the market used the sale price of the last Short Sale property that closed to help set their List Price. What this meant to buyers was, for the most part, Short Sales were not representing the big value they once did.

As the Island's Real Estate Market has settled down, we are seeing values on the rise again. With the lower amount of Bank Owned Properties or "REOs" on the market, we are seeing more of a gap between the sold price of near by Short Sale and REO homes and homes that were a conventional sale. This can be good news to buyers of Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes.

It is still a little like the Wild Wild West for buyers of Bank Owned Homes because there is very little negotiating with the banks. They approve their price that they will sell it for and it pretty much takes an act of the All Mighty to get them to lower it for a buyer that had written the approved offer.

The really great news for buyers of these Bank Owned Homes is that there are still some, not all, very good deals to be had by buying one and dealing with all of the..."Stuff"...the bank throws at you.

Gayle and I are Short Sale and REO experts. We know what the banks will expect and will give up in one of these transactions. That means we can get YOU into one of these homes with as little stress to you as possible. You will know what to expect as we move through the transaction.

Here is a list of REO and Short Sale Links for all around Oahu. They will take you to our Real Time Property Search that has been preset for you. Happy House Hunting!

Hawaii Kai to Mililani (Honolulu)

Ewa Beach, Kapolei and Makakilo

The West Side (Waianae, Nanakuli, Maile)

Windward to The North Shore and Central Oahu (Waimanalo, Kailua, Kaneohe to Waialua)

Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes on Oahu seem to be dropping in numbers. There was a period that one Short Sale in a neighborhood would drastically reduce the value of the nearby homes because of it's reduced sale amount. For a period, many homes that came on the market used the sale price of the last Short Sale property that closed to help set their List Price. What this meant to buyers was, for the most part, Short Sales were not representing the big value they once did.

As the Island's Real Estate Market has settled down, we are seeing values on the rise again. With the lower amount of Bank Owned Properties or "REOs" on the market, we are seeing more of a gap between the sold price of near by Short Sale and REO homes and homes that were a conventional sale. This can be good news to buyers of Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes.

It is still a little like the Wild Wild West for buyers of Bank Owned Homes because there is very little negotiating with the banks. They approve their price that they will sell it for and it pretty much takes an act of the All Mighty to get them to lower it for a buyer that had written the approved offer.

The really great news for buyers of these Bank Owned Homes is that there are still some, not all, very good deals to be had by buying one and dealing with all of the..."Stuff"...the bank throws at you.

Gayle and I are Short Sale and REO experts. We know what the banks will expect and will give up in one of these transactions. That means we can get YOU into one of these homes with as little stress to you as possible. You will know what to expect as we move through the transaction.

Here is a list of REO and Short Sale Links for all around Oahu. They will take you to our Real Time Property Search that has been preset for you. Happy House Hunting!

Hawaii Kai to Mililani (Honolulu)

Ewa Beach, Kapolei and Makakilo

The West Side (Waianae, Nanakuli, Maile)

Windward to The North Shore and Central Oahu (Waimanalo, Kailua, Kaneohe to Waialua)

Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes on Oahu seem to be dropping in numbers. There was a period that one Short Sale in a neighborhood would drastically reduce the value of the nearby homes because of it's reduced sale amount. For a period, many homes that came on the market used the sale price of the last Short Sale property that closed to help set their List Price. What this meant to buyers was, for the most part, Short Sales were not representing the big value they once did.

As the Island's Real Estate Market has settled down, we are seeing values on the rise again. With the lower amount of Bank Owned Properties or "REOs" on the market, we are seeing more of a gap between the sold price of near by Short Sale and REO homes and homes that were a conventional sale. This can be good news to buyers of Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes.

It is still a little like the Wild Wild West for buyers of Bank Owned Homes because there is very little negotiating with the banks. They approve their price that they will sell it for and it pretty much takes an act of the All Mighty to get them to lower it for a buyer that had written the approved offer.

The really great news for buyers of these Bank Owned Homes is that there are still some, not all, very good deals to be had by buying one and dealing with all of the..."Stuff"...the bank throws at you.

Gayle and I are Short Sale and REO experts. We know what the banks will expect and will give up in one of these transactions. That means we can get YOU into one of these homes with as little stress to you as possible. You will know what to expect as we move through the transaction.

Here is a list of REO and Short Sale Links for all around Oahu. They will take you to our Real Time Property Search that has been preset for you. Happy House Hunting!

Hawaii Kai to Mililani (Honolulu)

Ewa Beach, Kapolei and Makakilo

The West Side (Waianae, Nanakuli, Maile)

Windward to The North Shore and Central Oahu (Waimanalo, Kailua, Kaneohe to Waialua)

Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes on Oahu seem to be dropping in numbers.  There was a period that one Short Sale in a neighborhood would drastically reduce the value of the nearby homes because of it's reduced sale amount.  For a period, many homes that came on the market used the sale price of the last Short Sale property that closed to help set their List Price.  What this meant to buyers was, for the most part, Short Sales were not representing the big value they once did.

As the Island's Real Estate Market has settled down, we are seeing values on the rise again.  With the lower amount of Bank Owned Properties or "REOs" on the market, we are seeing more of a gap between the sold price of near by Short Sale and REO homes and homes that were a conventional sale.  This can be good news to buyers of Bank Owned Properties and Bank Owned Homes. 

It is still a little like the Wild Wild West for buyers of Bank Owned Homes because there is very little negotiating with the banks.  They approve their price that they will sell it for and it pretty much takes an act of the All Mighty to get them to lower it for a buyer that had written the approved offer.

The really great news for buyers of these Bank Owned Homes is that there are still some, not all, very good deals to be had by buying one and dealing with all of the..."Stuff"...the bank throws at you.

Gayle and I are Short Sale and REO experts.  We know what the banks will expect and will give up in one of these transactions.  That means we can get YOU into one of these homes with as little stress to you as possible.  You will know what to expect as we move through the transaction.

Here is a list of REO and Short Sale Links for all around Oahu.  They will take you to our Real Time Property Search that has been preset for you.  Happy House Hunting!

Hawaii Kai to Mililani (Honolulu)

Ewa Beach, Kapolei and Makakilo

The West Side (Waianae, Nanakuli, Maile)

Windward to The North Shore and Central Oahu (Waimanalo, Kailua, Kaneohe to Waialua)

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this year is going to be a really great year to buy or sell Real Estate in Hawaii.

Why, you ask? Well, with sales prices remaining low in most areas of Hawaii and interest rates ridicoulsy low how it could it be bad? Some want the market to drop even more and well that will be scary. For the market to drop even lower something bad is going to have to happen. I'm for no bad things happening.

Although the market on the mainland is still sliding in many areas there are some just like Oahu that are actually recovering nicely. This means that some areas like Manoa, Kailua, and Hawaii Kai have been slowly recovering value or holding their own. Other areas such as Ewa Beach, Kapolei, and West Side are still seeing prices drop due to the large inventory of homes still available either by short sale or lender sales.

The areas where prices are still dropping are perfect opportunites for first time home owners. Of course we all want to buy when the market is at the bottom but you don't know when the bottom has been hit until it is actually on the up swing which means you missed the boat. If you are planning on buying and living in the home for five to ten years then you don't need to worry too much about finding the bottom. If you are planning on selling sooner than this then... yes, be very careful.

I bet when you read "selling" in the first paragraph you may have laughed or snickered. Prior to understanding the market I might have too. However, I have to say it is a good time to sell and possbily move into a bigger home or a home closer to work... well that is if you bought in the early 2000's and didn't refinance your home to the hilt when interest rates dropped.

Yes, you will get less than you could have prior to 2008 BUT you are also going to be BUYING a home that has been devalued a bit as well. Interest rates being what they are you will most likely qualify for more as well.

This market is ripe for those who planned carefully, lived frugally, and are ready to take advantage of it.

Lets rock and roll... 

According to Wikipedia "An interest rate is the rate at which interest is paid by a borrower for the use of money that they borrow from a lender. "

Basically, if I lend you money and I want to make money lending you money then I will charge you a fee which is otherwise known as Interest. Based on the time period we allow you to pay for the use of the money I lent you and how much I charge you the Interest Rate is calculated.

Bottom line all you truly need to understand is the lower the interest rate the less money you are being charged to use the money. The higher the interest rate the more money you are paying to use the money.

Which leads to the lower the interest rate the more money you can borrow. That is why this market is so wonderful for those with decent credit and some money saved for closing costs and or a small down payment.

To go further, for one point of interest increase you loose approximately $50,000 in buying power. HUH? I know it is a little confusing let me give you an example. For example, if you can qualify for a $350,000 home at 4% interest and then the rate increases to 5% you would only be able to qualify for a $300,000 home.

This is why we say while interest rates are low Buy if you can. Once they start to increase you loose buying power.

In today's real estate market Buyers are experiencing not only low interest rates but low list prices. This is the time to Buy. Contact a loan officer today to find out what you can qualify for it only takes 20 minutes over the phone to find out. Here are a few people who know what they are doing and can answer any questions you may have in regards to financing:

Alan Fentriss, SVP Loan Manager
or
Crystal Acohido, SVP Loan Manager

I had a wonderful experience in one of our local stores this afternoon.  The store is called SWAM.  Their website is located at http://www.SWAM.com and the shop is located in Aiea on Oahu in the Waimalu Plaza Shopping Center at 98-1277 Kaahumanu Street, (808) 487-7926. 

Aiea has long been known for their upscale homes, city and ocean views and very nice neighborhoods.  Homes in Aiea range from the low $500,000s to well over $1,000,000.  Back to SWAM.

Swam is an upscale liquor and wine store with everyday prices.  More than, the young lady who owns it possesses a wealth of knowledge on everything she carries in her store.  Have a favorite Red Wine?  Share with her what you like about it and she will present you with several options of other wines that will knock your socks off!  I know this because has done this for Gayle and myself on several occasions.

Today I was looking for an excellent bottle of Single Malt Scotch to give as a Christmas gift.  She started to pull down bottles that were amazing to me…and I don’t even drink Scotch!  I had given her a price range and she pulled 10 different bottles and types of Single Malts down for me.  Some were meant for “Everyday Drinking” and some were meant for Collectors because they are very rare and or about to be.  I ended up choosing a bottle that was meant to be drunk and enjoyed and that I knew the person I bought it for would NEVER buy it for himself.

She also shared stories with me about questions she gets asked on her selection of Vodkas and other Spirits.   Do yourself a favor and get into SWAM and buy yourself or someone you like something special.

Cheers-

Mike

Mike Ramsey Fujita RA SFR

(808) 630-1828

www.GreatHawaiianHomes.com 

APEC is here and it is going to be a mess out there on the roads.  We heard that on Friday by 10:00 PM if you are planning on being in Waikiki there will be ONLY ONE WAY in.  Can you imagine?  I can’t. 

There are lots of rumors flying and I’m sure many are high possibilities as far as what the security, police force, and federal agents will be doing to protect the world leaders arriving here for APEC. 

We are all going to have to keep our cool, try to stay off the roads as much as possible or deal with chaos and delays, and remember that this is the island of Oahu and this is good for the State.  We need the income that this event will generate and it is going to help us. 

There will be lots of Televised Stories about Hawaii during these next two weeks and we must remember no matter how frustrated we are, that if people think we are full of ALOHA they will want to come and spend their Holidays with us.  We need this so let’s all remember that this is just a temporary, chaotic and frustrating time and we will ALL benefit if we ALL do our part. 

Here’s a link to some traffic restrictions while APEC is occurring.  http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/New-details-unveiled-for-H-1-freeway-closure/VchWB-PE2EGjvnuz2cj7Bg.cspx

I was talking (on Facebook) with a friend this morning and he was mentioning that someday he would want to own a home of his own in Mililani.  I took a quick look at what was available in Mililani and saw that there were many properties in the low $400,000s.  A little quick math and I saw that his monthly payment on one of these homes would be around $2,100 INCLUDING taxes, principle and interest.  When I first looked at the mortgage calculator, it said the payment would be much higher and then I saw that it had automatically set the interest rate at 6.5%.

The moral of my story is that home prices are low and interest rates are even lower.  When you use a Mortgage Calculator to figure out what your payment would be, be sure all of the numbers are correct.  In Hawaii, property taxes are among the lowest in the nation.  They are about $3.42 per $1,000 of value, so a home that costs $400,000 would be about $1,400 per year.  Interest rates are a bit below 5% so make sure you put that percentage into the mortgage calculator.  On the mainland, property tax is much higher so the number in that block is probably much higher, CHANGE IT!  Don’t scare yourself away from buying a home because you have bad information!

If you would like to see the homes that are available in Mililani, click here.

Short Sales and Foreclosures used to be two sale conditions where there was a HUGE expectation of value for real estate buyers.  Buyers felt that the “Bank's Loss” would be their financial gain.  In today’s real estate market on Oahu, this is not as true as it used to be.  Years ago, a home would be listed for sale it in its neighborhood.  The seller would ask any amount they wanted to for their home and buyers would come and make offers for that home.  The Market Price or Actual Value was determined by the amount the seller and buyer agreed to accept from each other.

Then came the Short Sale; A short sale occurs when a bank agrees to accept less for a home than is actually owed on it.  I should say it is when a bank agrees to allow a transfer of ownership of the home for less than is owed on it at the time of the transfer.  The seller may or may not have to pay the difference at a later date.

What short sales did to the market value of similar homes in their neighborhoods was to lower their value.  This was especially true in the beginning.  Now sellers had another force determining what the value of their home was, when their home was near to a home that was sold as a short sale.  Homes often sold for 10% to 20% below actual market value.  This is true for Mililani, Hawaii Kai, Kailua, Aiea and most of the other areas of Oahu.

This is part of what helped to bring home prices down across the board.  Today, many areas of Oahu have “Readjusted” in value.  Short sales don’t stand out as the least expensive home is the area anymore.  Sellers have found that their homes will not sell if they are far more expensive than the short sale up the street and as a result, sellers have become much more realistic in their list prices.  This is not always true but it is most of the time.

Buyers today need Realtors that understand where the market is at.  Telling a seller what it is they want to hear might get a realtor a listing but it will not necessarily get them a sold price any higher than that of a Realtor that is straight forward.  The best thing for sellers to do is look at what has sold in their neighborhood over the past 90 to 180 days and let those numbers guide them in setting their list price.

Buyers don’t be headstrong in only looking at Short Sales and Foreclosures.  Sellers have wised up in their asking prices to you may not even have to worry about risks of buying short sales and foreclosed properties. 

If you would like to search Short Sale and Foreclosed Properties, even after all I have said, OK then…Here you go.  Click here to see only Short Sale and Foreclosures along the south shore of Oahu.

If you would like to search all properties on Oahu, click here!

To search for Hawaii Homes by neighborhood please see below:

Well it looks like we made it the seven weeks and our golden doodle puppies are going to their new homes. Over the weekend families from all over the island made the journey to our home to select and pick up their puppies. There are now golden doodles residing in Honolulu, Lahiana, Maui, Kula, Maui, and Kailua.

Each family had to go through a selection process by submitting a bio about their families and complete a puppy application. We absolutely love the families that were selected.

What amazes Mike and me is how each puppy perfectly fits each family and what they are looking for. We love the golden doodle breed and think that they make wonderful family members.

They always great you with a smile, a power hug, and unconditional love, if you are interested in a golden doodle please email Gayle at gfujita@hawaii.rr.com or go to the Honolulu Doodle Club on Facebook for more information.

For more information about Goldendoodles in Hawaii, please call (808) 388-1485 and ask for Gayle.

I was driving from Aiea through Honolulu this afternoon, just minding my own business, and along came a radio add that was promoting a local Realtor. His name is Ken Sikes and he was pushing his website HelpKenHelp.com.

While I normally applaud individual marketing efforts by other Realtors, there are guide lines and rules we all have to follow as set by the National Association of Realtors, Hawaii Association of Realtors and the Honolulu Board of Realtors. One of those rules is that Realtors are not to speak badly about the abilities of other Realtors. So here is this ad on the radio slamming other Realtors and saying that Ken was best Realtor in Hawaii, or whatever it said. I know the company Ken works for has had some problems recently but this ad was so scummy I simply could not stand it.

The keys to being a great Realtor are many. Here is a list of what we have found to be among the most important qualities and abilities we possess to represent our clients:

• Knowledge of the purchase process- We can explain what is going on so you will understand it.

• Responsive- We make it a point to take calls and return calls and emails very quickly so you are not left wondering what’s going on.

• Knowledgeable on the real estate market- Our Island of Oahu is made up of many different neighborhoods. Each one of them is in a different place on the “Market Evolution Wheel”. We know them and again, can share that information with you so you will understand what is going on. While we sell properties all over the Island, we specialize in Kailua, Kaneohe, Honolulu, Aiea, Pearl City, Pacific Palisades, Kapolei, St Louis Heights, Hawaii Kai and Hawaii Loa Ridge.

• Highly Skilled in Communication- While we have found this point to be the fourth most important to our clients, without this basic skill, the first three would never have been Mastered.

• Highly Skilled in the Art of Negotiation- This is one of those items that take a Market Savvy professional to be able to master. Negotiation in real estate is presenting facts to a seller or buyer. Being able to communicate those facts is the art of negotiation.

• Strong in People Skills- People skills are a grouping of different skills. Communication, responsiveness, negotiation skills and basic management skills all come into play for the area of mastery.

• Knowledgeable In Our Local Areas- Our clients know that we know our stuff. Through our ability to tie into historic sales data and more importantly analyze that information, we have mastered the ability to accurately and quickly relay information to our clients.

• Masters of Technology- While some of our clients will never actually see the technology we use, they benefit from it every single day. It’s much like a fabulous restaurant. You may never see all the work in the kitchen with the high-tech equipment and by the staff, but you will know you have had an amazing experience by the end of the meal.

We share this list not to slam another Realtor, but to simply share what we feel are our best qualities and those that help us to professionally stand out on an Island of some 1500 Realtors.
Hard working, truthful, honest, knowledgeable, communicative, straight forward; these things we are. If you would like us to work for you on your next purchase or sale of a Hawaii Home or Honolulu Property, then I invite you to call us at (808) 630-1828 and ask for me, Mike Ramsey Fujita RA SFR.

Mahalo