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Hawaii Military & the VA Loan

Administrator — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:05:00 +0000

Honolulu County IS of the whole island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. With 50+ Hawaii Military Bases and Installations on our island alone, you can guaranty that the VA Guaranteed Loan is the way to go for the Hawaii Military Veteran purchasing their piece of Hawaii and paradise with a place they can call home.

(picture to left is the model of the USS Arizona Memorial depicting the ship under water and the memorial above at Pearl Harbor Hawaii)
Remember, 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 one of just a couple of loan programs that allow the Veteran to finance the funding fee as well as come in with no down payment. (100% financing)
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.
I take pride in my relationships with the Military Stationed in Hawaii and pay particular attention to their needs when they Relocate to Hawaii. Military Transfers & Relocations to Hawaii: A Geographical Shock tells my story and travels as a Military Dependent but also that the Hawaii Military Veteran makes up 10% of our population on Oahu & the Active Duty Military Personnel make up about 3.5 % of our population on Oahu.

The following guidelines will help you in preparing for your Hawaii Relocation (or even if you already live here and are purchasing a home) and learning about the transaction process using your VA Guaranteed Loan:

Your Realtor® needs to know what price range you qualify for in order to search through the MLS system for properties in your criteria that you provide (i.e. #bedrooms, baths, etc). If you do not know a LOCAL lender Your Realtor® can refer you to a couple who are well qualified and know the State Laws In Hawaii. Local lenders also will be walking along side you step by step as well as being face to face at time of signing loan docs.
When the Loan Officer lets both you and Your Realtor® know what price range you are qualified for the Oahu and Surrounding Neighborhood Search: Relocations Hawaii gives you information on how Your Realtor® will set you up with a detailed web page according to your criteria for property listings.
Get your financial documents together (and make sure you don’t let the movers pack them!) such as LES’s for a whole month prior (you can also get this on MyPay online so not to worry), last two years of W-2’s, last two months bank statements, any documents relating to your VA disability (if you are a disabled vet) and whatever the Loan Officer tells you that you will need.
Your VA Certificate of Eligibility will be ordered by the Loan Officer online once you go through the loan application process and it saves you the trip to Tripler Army Medical Center -VA Office- so, not to worry. VA guarantees approximately 25% of your loan to the lender.
Your Credit (FICO) Score and Income make a difference if you are to be qualified for a VA Loan. Remember, just because you have VA Benefits does not mean you don’t have to have decent or some credit. There is a criteria that the Lenders follow according to VA guidelines. (i.e. if you have NO credit you cannot obtain a loan. Get a gas card and credit card to establish credit. You DO have to show a history of payments). Your debt to loan ratio is also taken into consideration and part of the criteria.
This Realtor® makes showing appointments according to the criteria you have specified. You will know which home to put an offer in on and it’ll be when you walk in a home and you say, “This feels like the right home for me!”
Then the contract is drawn up and this Realtor® explains each contingency throughout the contract while signing. The offer is submitted to the Seller’s Agent and when it is accepted by the seller the Transaction and Loan Process begins!
This Realtor® sends the accepted contract to the Loan Officer and Opens Escrow. All documents and you initial deposit check will be submitted to escrow during the transaction and you will make an appointment immediately to submit all documentation and go through the VA application/signing with the loan officer. From there the loan officer orders the appraisal.
This Realtor® will set a time & date coinciding with your schedule to do your home inspection and will also give you a list of professional home inspectors to choose from. The home inspection will show you if there is anything to be repaired or remedied,
The Condominium and/or Subdivision Association Documents should be ordered immediately after acceptance of the offer and in the buyer’s hands within 10-14 days after acceptance. This agent will make copies of the Budget, last three Association minutes and the Property Information form (RR105C) and submit it to the lender. They need this for the VA Loan Guidelines and process for your loan. (these documents will show how the Association budgets their money in reserve. % of owner occupants, any pending concerns or litigation going on and so forth.
Provided your loan process goes smoothly you should have a Conditional Loan Commitment Letter within the first three weeks in contract. This is an approval of your loan with Conditions. Maybe you need to submit a couple of more documents or the appraisal is not in yet or the survey and termite inspection are not done yet. These are the types of conditions that will be listed on this letter.
Within two weeks after the Conditional Loan Commitment letter is issued all the conditions should be complete for signing documents with escrow and the loan officer. Not to worry! I attend all signings with you. Approximately two to three days after signing the lender will wire all monies to escrow (funding) and when escrow receives all monies they will take the documents to the Bureau of Conveyances to record. One day later the Bureau gives clearance of recording and in turn escrow notifies all parties, and….

At this time, I call you and say, Congratulations! You now own your home!

How Can I Obtain More Information About VA Home Loans?

Call VA at 1-800-827-1000 or contact a local lender or real estate professional. Pamphlets available from VA include: 26-4 VA Guaranteed Loans for Veterans

Honolulu County Hawaii Military Bases & Installations- Oahu Neighborhoods
LIVE on VIDEO: A Hawaii Military Relocation Story Comes to Life
*Across the Ocean to Paradise: Military Relocations Hawaii*
The Art of Hawaii Relocations
The Cost of Living Factor in Considering A Hawaii Relocation
Oahu and Surrounding Neighborhood Search: Relocations Hawaii
Aiea, Pearl City Neighborhoods- Hawaii Military Relocation

~~~~~

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, RA, e-PRO / Century 21 Liberty Homes, Mililani, Hawaii

Online Hawaii Relocation Package

Administrator — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:00:00 +0000

So….you are Relocating to Hawaii with the Military, a Job Transfer or just want to Retire here in our islands …… well, you came to the right place for information galore to help you adjust in your move….across the ocean to Paradise.

Your 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 a totally different and 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.

*Across the Ocean to Paradise: Military Relocations Hawaii* Don’t be shocked when you arrive…get the scoop on the environment, jobs, house hunting, BAH current rates and more!
The Art of Hawaii Relocations Expect smaller, different and of course paradise.
A Honolulu Hawaii Relocation: Getting Ready With Your “To Do” List Great information to get ready and be proactive in planning your relocation and move to Hawaii!
VA Loans & Hawaii Military Relocations: This Realtors® Process Know the process for your VA benefits and the VA loan process.
Honolulu-Hawaii Pet Quarantine: Prepare For Your Hawaii Move! Hawaii is Rabies Free so our laws are strict with incoming pets.
Oahu and Surrounding Neighborhood Search: Relocations Hawaii A look into how I set you up to receive automatic listings with your own personal webpage to fine tune your criteria for your home purchase
What’s in Your Wallet? This online relocation packet may be informational but I always send out printed booklets as well. It’s just …well….more personal.
Visitor and Newcomer Safety Tips for Hawaii! Take heed to some safety tips as it will surely make you one proactive person….and it could save you and your family from harm.
10 Simple Things for BUYING YOUR HAWAII HOME For one, you will have your own agent (known as a Buyer’s Agent) to represent your best interests. Another, leave the work to us and not your friend, family or yourself. It’s like having an operation performed by a school teacher. Doesn’t work like that.
HAWAII OPEN HOUSES (RULES WHILE ATTENDING) Sometimes, buyers are under the impression that they are better negotiators and will be able to get a better deal. Read tips for Open Houses because the agent holding the Open House is thinking in the best interests of the seller…not you.

Land Use and other Zoning Laws It is without a doubt that our Hawaiian Islands have little buildable land so it is detrimental to keep all of our zoning and land use laws intact. The majority of our land is Preservation and Conservation land and the following will give you insight

Preservation & Conservation: Military Land Use on Oahu Hawaii’s West Coast The Military’s presence and their role with helping to understand the importance of preservation of the land.
Hawaii (Oahu) Zoning, Special Use and Building Permits Zoning laws, land use and maps of Oahu.
Hawaii Coastal Land: *Ponder Before Purchasing* Important facts to consider when considering a purchase of Coastal Land.
Purchasing Hawaii Vacant Land? Ancient Hawaiian Burial Sites and Laws A few ‘must knows’ when it comes when you come across ancient burial sites.

Neighborhoods in Honolulu County and Market Report too! An insight into the different neighborhoods and what they have to offer. You will also get current market statistics in each community for which I wrote for that period.

The Market DEPENDS on the Circumstances Doesn’t It? Every individual has different needs, circumstances and criteria for purchasing or selling their home. An overview of reasons as well as OAHU (Honolulu County) market report for the island.
Be Part of the Solution For Your Market; Because “Shift” Always Happens All neighborhoods tell a different story when it comes to current market statistics so in my opinion there is NO nationwide statistics to compare to our Hawaii Market. This article was written last summer although with the other articles you will read you will find out that our market has stabilized. Some may have gone up, down or just remained at level sales prices.
Relocating to Hawaii? Ewa Gentry & Ocean Pointe Communities Get more bang for your buck in these areas. Ocean Pointe is a newer community (and still growing) with energy efficient homes and central air conditioning and Ewa Gentry is a little older but still have some nicely upgraded and central air in some communities.
Royal Palm @ Waipio Gentry: Hawaii Relocations Centrally located but still in the North Leeward district this community has stopped building although if you are looking for townhouses there are some reasonably priced ones as well. Across from the Patsy Mink Central Oahu Regional Park this community has an industrial area as well as residential (including Costco!)
Oahu, Hawaii Relocations: The Waipio Gentry Community, Oahu, Hawaii is another article in this area that will give you an overall view of the Waipio Gentry Community and statistics on single family and townhomes.
Hawaii Relocations: The Mililani Community on Oahu, Hawaii Central Oahu and a 30 year and growing Master Planned Community with 7 recreation centers, 3 shopping centers, elementary schools, intermediate and high school too. Two sides divide Mililani with the H-2 freeway. Mililani Town and Mililani Mauka. Schofield and Wheeler Bases are 5 to 10 minutes north of Mililani.
Waikele Community – Homes, Condos & Market – Honolulu County Hawaii 12 townhome communities and 9 single family communities you have it all here in Waikele with the wonderful
Ko Olina Resort & Marina: Can’t Get Any Better Than This! Resort style living by the ocean with its own yacht club too. Check it out if you want luxury living.
Hawaii Relocation & Move? The Royal Summit & Newtown Communities in Aiea Hawaii 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.
A Bit Above in Wailuna Community – Honolulu Hawaii Relocation Wailuna community on Kaahumanu Street – on the Waiau Ridge.

Honolulu County (Oahu) Weather and Traffic - It is a given that with an island so small and a population of almost one million that we do have peak traffic hours as in any other part of the country. For a look at Oahu’s traffic click on the following TRAFFIC CAM to view during peak hours.

Torrential Rains, Thunder, Lightning, Floods……… and Snow? Only in Hawaii! Though the majority of the time we have our blue sunny skies and tropical atmosphere there are times we get rainy weather and …..yes, snow on the other island

Things to Do, History & Places to See - A three part series for a brief, condensed Points of Interest series to learn a little about our island and our so diverse and full of different cultures and ways of life.

Condo or Townhouse Living: Rules to Follow and Steps to Protect: If you are contemplating downsizing then condo / townhouse living may be an option. With maintenance fees for most associations taking care of the bulk of your homeowner’s insurance (common elements), and repairs to the outside, roof, grounds and water/trash and sewere this may just be an option.

Hawaii Townhouse Living… Responsible Homeowners Take Steps to Protect Owners have responsibilities to fix or report leaks etc. Being proactive to reduce further damage is a must!
Hawaii Condominium Associations: Rules To Follow! A few pointers to follow your Condo/Townhouse Association Rules. It does make for a nice community.

History of schools and links to Hawaii’s Education System A brief look at the history of Hawaii and its school system as well as researching schools and neighborhoods suitable for your family and their Relocation to Hawaii.

The History of Education and Schools in Hawaii
Other Links for Education: Department of Education in Hawaii-Hawaii Public Schools has loads of information, forms, reports, technology, special interests, jobs, public libraries and so much more on this site!!
Military bases with schools and also a map with locations.

Myths, Legends and Superstitions: Every place has it’s history as well as their “stories”….come join me in revisiting some old tales of Hawaii. It is a given that there are certain things to respect on the islands. Not only do we have Ancient Burial Site laws that protect our land…we also have certain sites that still have remnants of ancient temples that are not to be disturbed.

Hawaiian Legends – Nightmarchers, Menehune, and the Tiki Gods The legends continue…..
HAWAIIAN Spirits and Superstitions Just a few of the stories and tales from the elders passed on….

And a special Hawaii Military Relocation Story:

LIVE on VIDEO: A Hawaii Military Relocation Story Comes to Life

Bottom line is this.

It’s not easy moving across the Pacific Ocean 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, RA, e-PRO / Century 21 Liberty Homes, Mililani, Hawaii

Are You IN the Middle of a Rip Current?

Administrator — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:03:00 +0000

After reading the warning sign and taking precautions by standing back a few feet from the warning tape I looked up to see big breaking waves on the shore and the whitewater rushing back out to see. Rip currents are DANGEROUS. The powerful, channeled currents of seawater flowing away from the shoreline, through the surf and past the breaking waves will take you out to sea quicker than you can bat an eyelash.

There is no doubt that conditions change and we need to take heed to the warning signs.
The housing market and real estate industry is constantly changing and has been for some time. Though it is known that the market is LOCAL and every area has different statistics I think I can safely say that there is no housing boom going on.

In October, there was Good News! October Statistics for Oahu’s Housing Market! Then, The Ripple Effect From Our Hawaii Tourism Industry took a dive and many restaurants and industries are closing down. For the month of November, our home sales declined but our prices here on Oahu are still stable and hopefully this decline will last just a short while.
Needless to say, the Rip Currents are dragging many out to sea and everyone is out there trying to grasp at every straw to stay afloat:

Buyers are backing out for no reason ….or maybe they were just too embarrassed to say why. (i.e. family problems, lost jobs or whatever the case may be)

Loan Officers are promising the world and can’t deliver when it comes time for processing. (giving a preapproval without taking everything into consideration ….in hopes it goes through)

Realtors® are nagging at sellers to list their home. (Who knows how they got the private cell number of the owner….yes this just happened to my seller)

Realtors® are giving bad advice to the buyer for the sake of a sale. (i.e. bank owned and no warranties, inspections or recourse)

Sellers are thinking that it’s still a great market (and thinking that they can play hardball when there are few and far between buyers)

The majority of us have kept afloat with great marketing skills and a niche we have created for ourselves. We listen to our clients and only after listening to their needs first do we give back sound, straighforward information and advice. We follow our Code of Ethics which can be compared to our every day behavior following our personal beliefs, morals and values in this game called life. We hold our heads high and sleep VERY well at night knowing…we lived each day right and didn’t step on anothers toes to get there.

The rest will be sucked out to sea by those dangerous rip currents.
And You?
© 2008 Celeste “Sally” Cheeseman, All rights reserved

Hawaii Military & the VA Loan

Administrator — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:13:00 +0000

(picture to left is the model of the USS Arizona Memorial depicting the ship under water and the memorial above at Pearl Harbor Hawaii)

Remember, 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 one of just a couple of loan programs that allow the Veteran to finance the funding fee as well as come in with no down payment. (100% financing)

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.

I take pride in my relationships with the Military Stationed in Hawaii and pay particular attention to their needs when they Relocate to Hawaii. Military Transfers & Relocations to Hawaii: A Geographical Shock tells my story and travels as a Military Dependent but also that the Hawaii Military Veteran makes up 10% of our population on Oahu & the Active Duty Military Personnel make up about 3.5 % of our population on Oahu.

The following guidelines will help you in preparing for your Hawaii Relocation (or even if you already live here and are purchasing a home) and learning about the transaction process using your VA Guaranteed Loan:

Your Realtor® needs to know what price range you qualify for in order to search through the MLS system for properties in your criteria that you provide (i.e. #bedrooms, baths, etc). If you do not know a LOCAL lender Your Realtor® can refer you to a couple who are well qualified and know the State Laws In Hawaii. Local lenders also will be walking along side you step by step as well as being face to face at time of signing loan docs.
When the Loan Officer lets both you and Your Realtor® know what price range you are qualified for the Oahu and Surrounding Neighborhood Search: Relocations Hawaii gives you information on how Your Realtor® will set you up with a detailed web page according to your criteria for property listings.
Get your financial documents together (and make sure you don’t let the movers pack them!) such as LES’s for a whole month prior (you can also get this on MyPay online so not to worry), last two years of W-2’s, last two months bank statements, any documents relating to your VA disability (if you are a disabled vet) and whatever the Loan Officer tells you that you will need.
Your VA Certificate of Eligibility will be ordered by the Loan Officer online once you go through the loan application process and it saves you the trip to Tripler Army Medical Center -VA Office- so, not to worry. VA guarantees approximately 25% of your loan to the lender.
Your Credit (FICO) Score and Income make a difference if you are to be qualified for a VA Loan. Remember, just because you have VA Benefits does not mean you don’t have to have decent or some credit. There is a criteria that the Lenders follow according to VA guidelines. (i.e. if you have NO credit you cannot obtain a loan. Get a gas card and credit card to establish credit. You DO have to show a history of payments). Your debt to loan ratio is also taken into consideration and part of the criteria.
This Realtor® makes showing appointments according to the criteria you have specified. You will know which home to put an offer in on and it’ll be when you walk in a home and you say, “This feels like the right home for me!”

Then the contract is drawn up and this Realtor® explains each contingency throughout the contract while signing. The offer is submitted to the Seller’s Agent and when it is accepted by the seller the Transaction and Loan Process begins!

This Realtor® sends the accepted contract to the Loan Officer and Opens Escrow. All documents and you initial deposit check will be submitted to escrow during the transaction and you will make an appointment immediately to submit all documentation and go through the VA application/signing with the loan officer. From there the loan officer orders the appraisal.
This Realtor® will set a time & date coinciding with your schedule to do your home inspection and will also give you a list of professional home inspectors to choose from. The home inspection will show you if there is anything to be repaired or remedied,

The Condominium and/or Subdivision Association Documents should be ordered immediately after acceptance of the offer and in the buyer’s hands within 10-14 days after acceptance. This agent will make copies of the Budget, last three Association minutes and the Property Information form (RR105C) and submit it to the lender. They need this for the VA Loan Guidelines and process for your loan. (these documents will show how the Association budgets their money in reserve. % of owner occupants, any pending concerns or litigation going on and so forth.
Provided your loan process goes smoothly you should have a Conditional Loan Commitment Letter within the first three weeks in contract. This is an approval of your loan with Conditions. Maybe you need to submit a couple of more documents or the appraisal is not in yet or the survey and termite inspection are not done yet. These are the types of conditions that will be listed on this letter.

Within two weeks after the Conditional Loan Commitment letter is issued all the conditions should be complete for signing documents with escrow and the loan officer. Not to worry! I attend all signings with you. Approximately two to three days after signing the lender will wire all monies to escrow (funding) and when escrow receives all monies they will take the documents to the Bureau of Conveyances to record. One day later the Bureau gives clearance of recording and in turn escrow notifies all parties, and….

At this time, I call you and say, Congratulations! You now own your home!

How Can I Obtain More Information About VA Home Loans?

Call VA at 1-800-827-1000 or contact a local lender or real estate professional. Pamphlets available from VA include: 26-4 VA Guaranteed Loans for Veterans

~~~~~

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, RA, e-PRO / Century 21 Liberty Homes, Mililani, Hawaii

VA Loans & Hawaii Military Relocations: This Realtors® Process

Administrator — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 05:37:00 +0000

Active Duty or Veterans of the Armed Forces have VA Home Loan benefits for their home purchase that have proven beneficial for when it comes to little or no money down loan program. (provided their credit is satisfactory) VA guarantees the Local Lender that they will reimburse the lender a percentage should the veteran default on their loan. The following brochure What VA Does For the Home Buying Veteran should be very useful guidelines and loads of information.

*Across the Ocean to Paradise: Military Relocations Hawaii* has loads of information for your Military Relocation to Hawaii so you will have pertinent information on what to expect in your relocation to our island paradise.

Currently, I have one VA Loan client in contract and the other one has already been prequalified and coming to Honolulu Hawaii next month specifically to put in an offer during their 5 day house hunting trip so they can return back to the mainland and pack for their Hawaii Relocation in February. VA Loans are abundant here due to our high volume of military personnel and presence on Oahu, Hawaii.

The following steps are what this Real Estate Professional does in order to make your Relocation to Hawaii as smooth as possible concerning your real estate transaction and VA Loan Process.

Speak to a Local Hawaii Lender (if you do not have one I can refer you to a few who are well qualified in the State of Hawaii) to submit your information and get prequalified.

While talking to the Loan Officer make sure and let him/her know what you are comfortable with for monthly mortgage payments. After getting prequalified your Realtor® will now know in what price range to search for properties for you.

Let your agent know what other criteria you are looking for as far as # bedrooms/ # of baths, sq. ft. interior/land, parking, single family or condo/townhouse. Just remember to go over the *Across the Ocean to Paradise: Military Relocations Hawaii* because this gives pertinent information on what to expect in your Hawaii Relocation.

Get all your financial paperwork together so you will have it with you when you arrive.(Do not pack your bank statements, W-2’s, LES’s and important documents you will need to submit for your loan!)

If you have a couple of months to spare you may order your Certificate of Eligibility from the Veterans of Affairs office. It is not necessary to do so though, because our lenders order them online once you start your loan process and if anything is held up we have a VA office centrally located on Oahu for your convenience and it takes just minutes.

Start your loan process before you get here so you will have everything in place when you submit an offer for a loan. The loan process is the lengthy and of course an important part of the transaction so it is better to be proactive in your process. Your closing costs can be included with your loan so you will have minimal costs to come in with and to close with.

Appointments are made and off we go in search of your new home! When you decide that you would like to put in an offer we will go through the whole 12 page (plus addendum’s) contract and submit it to the sellers agent to present to the seller.

After the offer is accepted the loan process begins. You will meet with your Loan Officer to submit your complete application and submit all documentation needed for your VA Loan process packet. Then it goes to Underwriting to process the initial packet and order the appraisal with their VA approved appraisers.

The Condominium and/or Subdivision Association Documents should be ordered immediately after acceptance of the offer and in the buyer’s hands within 10-14 days after acceptance. This agent will make copies of the Budget, last three Association minutes and the Property Information form (RR105C) and submit it to the lender. They need this for the VA Loan Guidelines and process for your loan. (these documents will show how the Association budgets their money in reserve. % of owner occupants, any pending concerns or litigation going on and so forth.

Provided your loan process goes smoothly you should have a Conditional Loan Commitment Letter within the first three weeks in contract. This is an approval of your loan with Conditions. Maybe you need to submit a couple of more documents or the appraisal is not in yet or the survey and termite inspection are not done yet. These are the types of conditions that will be listed on this letter.

Within two weeks after the Conditional Loan Commitment letter is issued all the conditions should be complete for signing documents with escrow and the loan officer. Not to worry! I attend all signings with you.

In Hawaii, we do not sign at the same time as the Seller due to conflict of interest and we sign approximately four days before recording. After the signing, the loan officer takes the notarized and signed documents to go through processing and within 2.5 days the Lender should have funded the money for your loan to the escrow company. When escrow receives all monies then they will take the documents to the Bureau of Conveyances in Honolulu to record. By the next business day it will record and we usually get word between 8-10am. At that time, the home is legally yours and I will have already made arrangements and have your keys in hand to open the doors to your new home.

Congratulations!

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®!

The Art of Hawaii Relocations

*Across the Ocean to Paradise: Military Relocations Hawaii*

The Cost of Living Factor in Considering A Hawaii Relocation

Oahu and Surrounding Neighborhood Search: Relocations Hawaii

Call me for a Relocation Packet and more info!

Celeste “Sally” Cheeseman, Realtor Associate ®
Century 21 Liberty Homes
95-221 Kipapa Drive, Mililani, HI * (808) 375-1404
http://www.hawaiihomesmarket.com/
http://woohoosally.blogspot.com/

What’s In Your Real Estate Agenda?

Administrator — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 05:27:00 +0000

First of all, let me give you an idea of the number of Realtors® that are licensed in the state of Hawaii, and more specifically on our island of Oahu. Then I’ll be able to give you my opinion of what my agenda is like as a Realtor -Associate in Honolulu County that just may be helpful in your Honolulu Hawaii Relocation.

There are approximately 15,400 real estate licensees in Hawaii and the breakdown for just my island (Oahu: Honolulu County) are following the whole State of Hawaii stats:

9,600 active real estate licensees (statewide)

5,800 are inactive

3,150 brokers

9,800 salespersons

1,200 corporations, partnerships, LLC’s, and LLP’s

1,150 sole proprietors

100 branch offices.

On our island of Oahu in Honolulu County there are about 12,000 licensees and of those licensees about 9,000 are now active and approximately 3 thousand that are not. That’s 9,000 Oahu Real Estate Licensees to help you in your search for real property. So, what sets one Realtor® apart from others?

All I can tell you is what is on my agenda:

If you are Relocating to Hawaii you need a local island Realtor ® to represent your best interests in your next purchase of real property.

Licensed in the State of Hawaii and a MEMBER of the National Association of Realtors®, Honolulu Board of Realtors, and the Hawaii Association of Realtors.

Access to the Multiple Listing Service (and a given if a member of the above)

An agent you definitely feel comfortable with! Sometimes personalities don’t quite fit and that’s understandable.

Someone who will pay great attention to detail and walk you through every step of the transaction and answer all questions.

Won’t leave you in the dark and expect you to understand their Real Estate lingo. They’ll explain!

Experience in the Real Estate Industry and can either answer your questions or direct you to a professional who can.

Follows all Code of Ethics, Hawaii Real Estate laws and goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Knows the local areas and neighborhoods!

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®!

More Info:

Oahu and Surrounding Neighborhood Search: Relocations Hawaii

The Cost of Living Factor in Considering A Hawaii Relocation

The Art of Hawaii Relocations

*Across the Ocean to Paradise: Military Relocations Hawaii*

Call me for a Relocation Packet and more info!

Celeste “Sally” Cheeseman, Realtor Associate ®
Century 21 Liberty Homes, Mililani, HI *
(808) 375-1404
http://www.hawaiihomesmarket.com/
http://woohoosally.blogspot.com/

Oahu and Surrounding Neighborhood Search: Relocations Hawaii

Administrator — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:35:00 +0000

If you are planning a Relocation to Hawaii the first step for you is most likely searching the internet for listings, a good Realtor® to advise you on your first step to getting started, and a local lender to help you with your financing needs and who knows our local real estate laws and contract. This local island Oahu Realtor-Associate® will first suggest that you contact a local lender to get pre qualified so we will have a price range to start out with our search. If you are unfamiliar with the process then I will refer you to a few I have worked with over the past few years.

This local island Realtor-Associate® will set you up with an automatic email notification of listings according to the criteria you are interested in. Our Multiple Listing Service system gives the prospective client a personal webpage and it will notify you automatically with listings and an email that says “ON behalf of Celeste “Sally” Cheeseman: Client Gateway” and will look somewhat like the page below.

In the first initial setup of the site I’ll need the additional following information for your criteria:
Condo/townhouse/single family?

# bedrooms, # baths, # parking?
Sq/ft interior; sq/ft land interested in?
Land tenure; neighborhood, city interested in?
Price Range? (make sure your local lender has qualified you according to the monthly payments you are comfortable with!)

With this webpage you will be able to save listings to your favorites, your possibilities, make notes and ask questions so I’ll see them and give you a prompt response. You may also save properties in the reject folder for the ones that are not appealing to you at all. This structure will give me a better idea of what you are interested in and we will be able to fine tune your criteria as we go along.

Here we go!

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®!

Call me for a Relocation Packet and more info!

Celeste “Sally” Cheeseman, Realtor Associate ®
Century 21 Liberty Homes, Mililani, HI *
(808) 375-1404
http://www.hawaiihomesmarket.com/
http://woohoosally.blogspot.com/

What’s In Your Real Estate Agenda?

Administrator — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 05:27:00 +0000

There are approximately 15,400 real estate licensees in Hawaii and the breakdown for just my island (Oahu: Honolulu County) are following the whole State of Hawaii stats:

9,600 active real estate licensees (statewide)

5,800 are inactive

3,150 brokers

9,800 salespersons

1,200 corporations, partnerships, LLC’s, and LLP’s

1,150 sole proprietors

100 branch offices.

All I can tell you is what is on my agenda:

If you are Relocating to Hawaii you need a local island Realtor ® to represent your best interests in your next purchase of real property.

Licensed in the State of Hawaii and a MEMBER of the National Association of Realtors®, Honolulu Board of Realtors, and the Hawaii Association of Realtors.

Access to the Multiple Listing Service (and a given if a member of the above)

An agent you definitely feel comfortable with! Sometimes personalities don’t quite fit and that’s understandable.

Someone who will pay great attention to detail and walk you through every step of the transaction and answer all questions.

Won’t leave you in the dark and expect you to understand their Real Estate lingo. They’ll explain!

Experience in the Real Estate Industry and can either answer your questions or direct you to a professional who can.

Follows all Code of Ethics, Hawaii Real Estate laws and goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Knows the local areas and neighborhoods!

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®!

More Info:

Oahu and Surrounding Neighborhood Search: Relocations Hawaii

The Cost of Living Factor in Considering A Hawaii Relocation

The Art of Hawaii Relocations

*Across the Ocean to Paradise: Military Relocations Hawaii*

Call me for a Relocation Packet and more info!

Celeste “Sally” Cheeseman, Realtor Associate ®
Century 21 Liberty Homes, Mililani, HI *
(808) 375-1404
http://www.hawaiihomesmarket.com/
http://woohoosally.blogspot.com/

Oahu and Surrounding Neighborhood Search: Relocations Hawaii

Administrator — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:35:00 +0000

In the first initial setup of the site I’ll need the additional following information for your criteria:
Condo/townhouse/single family?

# bedrooms, # baths, # parking?
Sq/ft interior; sq/ft land interested in?
Land tenure; neighborhood, city interested in?
Price Range? (make sure your local lender has qualified you according to the monthly payments you are comfortable with!)

Here we go!

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®!

Call me for a Relocation Packet and more info!

Celeste “Sally” Cheeseman, Realtor Associate ®
Century 21 Liberty Homes, Mililani, HI *
(808) 375-1404
http://www.hawaiihomesmarket.com/
http://woohoosally.blogspot.com/

The Cost of Living Factor in Considering A Hawaii Relocation

Administrator — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 17:25:00 +0000

If you are considering relocating to Oahu, Hawaii or you are Relocating to Hawaii with the Military then you need to consider quite a few things. With the military your BAH covers housing expenses and your commissary priveleges allow you to buy food with only a smaller percentage higher than the mainland.

What about civilians who are relocating to our Hawaiian islands? Consider this: The main reason that everything costs a little more here than on the mainland is that just about everything is transported to Hawaii….from food to lumber for building to just about everything needed to sustain the majority of necessities as well as luxury items. Shipping costs, fuel and oil costs all have risen drastically therefore pushing up our prices even further.

90% if our food is imported so automatically presume that our cost of food is at least 30-50% higher than the mainland. We drink a lot of milk and it’s not too bad at 2 gallons for $7.50. My favorite places to shop for food are Costco and Sam’s Club.

Rental Housing Market: Central Oahu: 2 bd/ 1 ba / 2 parking can run anywhere from $1200 to $2000 per month. A condo in Downtown Honolulu can run from $1500 to $3000 for a two bedroom. A significant increase in the last four years due to the increase in real property for sale.
Real Estate Market: Again, depending on the neighborhood the single family median sales price for a 3 bdrm/2 ba home is around $625,000. A 2/2/2 townhouse are still selling for $300,000 to $325,000. Condos 2/1/2 run between $225,000 to $255,000.
Utilities: My electric bill is about $125.00 to $140.00 per month for my small one bedroom. Of course I have the A/C on energy saver for the dog during the day when my house is locked up. Otherwise, others in my neighborhood (who don’t use their A/C) probably utilize about $50 to $75.00 worth of electricity. I have a gas water heater so that runs about $30.00 per month.
Gasoline: Currently at $3.35 per gallon at Costco.

Ahhhh. But where else can you live in a paradise with tropical island weather year round and our breathtaking scenery of the ocean, the mountains, the valleys, the flora and fauna. These are the reasons for my remaining in this land I call home….and the reasons that many flock here for their relocation.

Weigh out all your options in your Hawaii Relocation because no matter what, Hawaii is like no other place in the world. We thrive and strive from our strength of diversity and our wide range of international and ethnic cultures and food.

* Keep in mind that the outer islands such as Maui, Kauai, Hawaii (the Big Island), Lanai and Molokai are even higher in costs because again….the shipping and transporting costs.

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®!

The Art of Hawaii Relocations
*Across the Ocean to Paradise: Military Relocations Hawaii*

Call me for a Relocation Packet and more info!
Celeste “Sally” Cheeseman, Realtor Associate ®
Century 21 Liberty Homes, Mililani, HI * (808) 375-1404
http://www.hawaiihomesmarket.com/
http://woohoosally.blogspot.com/