Let’s Work together
Are you getting ready to buy a home in paradise? What an exciting adventure! I would love to share with you the steps of buying a home here in the state of Hawaii! Let’s get you a home!
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Lets get you a property in Hawaii!
I have been blessed to have lived in Hawaii for over thirteen years. During this time, I have come to understand the ins and outs of the market. I have a deep appreciation for the Hawaiian culture and understand that local knowledge is key to both buying and selling Hawaii real estate. I will work closely with you to make sure that we buy your home for the best price possible. I am ready to put my 20 years of sales, marketing, and customer service experience to work for you.
Purchasing a home is one of the biggest and most exciting decisions a person can make in their lifetime! My goal is to make the process as simple and enjoyable as possible, with one focus in mind: helping you and your family achieve your real estate goals. All my clients become my friends and I treasure every single transaction. I am grateful to be of service and would love to help you achieve your ownership goals. I like to work fast and get things done for my clients. I excel on communicating all updates with my clients in the escrow process and I enjoy troubleshooting issues if they arise.
Meet with a professional lender, bank, or mortgage company. They will help you determine what you can afford and what type of loan options are available to you. There are special programs designed to help first time home-buyers keep costs low! The lender will give you specific financial do’s and don’ts that are important to follow during this process.
This service is FREE to you and I can refer you to local lenders who have helped other clients. In addition to the loan amount, you will have closing costs which will vary based on the sale price.
Forecast for at least 3-5% for a downpayment (downpayment amount for condos may vary based on condo complex) Many first-time home buyer programs offer minimum down payments as low as 3% to 5% (vs. the standard 20%), and a few require no down payment at all.
It is important that you determine what your monthly mortgage payment would be in your conversation with the lender if you were to purchase a home.
Local Lender Requirements
- Pay Stubs
- W-2’s
- Bank Statements
- Tax Returns for the past two years
- Credit lines
- Downpayment amount
Actionable Items
- Talk to the Lender
- Get a Pre Approval
- Focus on what feels comfortable for a monthly payment
Step #2 Buyers Representation Agreement
We will schedule a call so that I can guide you on how we can engage through a buyer’s representation agreement. This form is used to provide transparency in services, it outlines agency relationships and clarifies compensation so that you can understand how a buyer’s agent gets paid.
These agreements are used to protect the brokerage and the buyer during the transaction. This form protects the exclusivity of our relationship and the main goal is for us to ensure that our clients have a loyal advocate representing you. The buyer’s representation agreement will guide you to understand the agent’s duties owed to the client when transacting in Hawaii and it ensures a clear understanding of our working relationship
Some of the highlights of the form are the following:
• The Brokerage Firm will exercise reasonable skill and care to protect the interests of the Buyer.
• The Brokerage Firm must act in good faith, loyalty, and fidelity when dealing with the Buyer. Specifically, this includes seeking an acceptable price and terms for a property, procuring acceptance of an offer to purchase, presenting all offers to/from Buyer in a timely manner, and disclosing any material facts known about the property.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most recent updates on the NAR settlement?
To learn about the most recent NAR settlement, please click this link
To learn abut the most frequently asked questions, please click this link
Do I have to sign a buyers representation agreement before touring a home?
Yes. In order to comply with NAR regulations, you will sign a written agreement with your agent before touring a home. This applies to any in person showing or virtual showing.
Before signing this agreement, you should ensure it reflects the terms you have negotiated with your agent and that you understand exactly what services and value will be provided, and for how much.
What are the components of the buyers representation agreement?
- The buyer agreement must include four components concerning compensation:
- A specific and conspicuous disclosure of the amount or rate of compensation the real estate agent will receive or how this amount will be determined.
- Compensation that is objective (e.g., $0, X flat fee, X percent, X hourly rate)—and not open-ended (e.g., cannot be “buyer broker compensation shall be whatever the amount the seller is offering to the buyer”).
- A term that prohibits the agent from receiving compensation for brokerage services from any source that exceeds the amount or rate agreed to in the agreement with the buyer; and,
- A conspicuous statement that broker fees and commissions are fully negotiable and not set by law.
Step #3. Open a Portal through the Hawaii Information Service
Once we have identified your preferred budget, I will open up a portal in the Hawaii Information Service platform. I will enter all of the information that we see fit for your search so that you can start receiving refined listings. This platform is only available to real estate agents licensed in the State of Hawaii. The information hosted on this site is reliable and we have also a way to see private information on this listing that may not be available on other online platforms.
Let’s go!
Step #4 Let’s Find Your Dream Property
In order to have a successfull search, I need as many details as possible to have an idea of what you are looking for. Please fill out the buyers questionnaire below:
Part 1 – We will search for homes that fit your lifestyle and are in your price range. If you are off-island, I will perform virtual showings on your behalf to make sure that you have all of the resources available to make an educated decision.
Part 2 – Once we find the perfect fit, we will discuss if you want to make an offer.
Part 3 – If you decide to make an offer, we will go over the Hawaii Purchase Contract Agreement. This agreement is a legal document that sets the buyer’s and seller’s responsibilities and obligations that must be fulfilled in order to complete the sale. We will make sure to address items of importance for your and your family. Example: If you are planning to plant a huge orchard, it will be imperative to make sure that there are no easements affecting the lot. In this instance, we will discuss getting a survey.
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The offer
Step #5 Make and Offer
Prepare to make an offer. I will prepare a list of comparable properties, called a Comparative Market Analysis or CMA. This information will help you to understand what amount similar properties have recently sold for.
After you’ve reviewed the information, we will write an offer,via a Purchase Contract, for the value you have determined for this proeprty and always keeping in mind what you can afford. This service is FREE.
The seller will either accept your offer, reject the offer, or make a Counter Offer which would continue the negotiation process Also, make sure you consider closing costs which could account for 2-5% of the home price.
Step #6 Open Escrow
After your offer has been accepted, I will work on opening escrow with a local escrow company. Definition of escrow: to hold in a fiduciary way. The escrow company works with the buyer’s and seller’s real estate agents to facilitate the transaction and communicate with everyone involved. There will be some costs to you in order to complete the purchase. Typically, the escrow process can take 45 days or more to complete and for ownership to be transferred to you. If you are paying cash, we can close as early as 30 days.
The seller will either accept your offer, reject the offer, or make a Counter Offer which would continue the negotiation process Also, make sure you consider closing costs which could account for 2-5% of the home price.