selling a home in Hawaii 
There are currently 14 blog entries related to this category.
The Best Repairs to Sell Your Home Faster
Friday, July 8th, 2011 at 2:27pm. 1456 Views, 2 Comments.
Getting a home sold is rarely a simple task. This is particularly true when in the midst of a buyer’s market, such as the one we are experiencing right now. When the market is saturated with relatively low-cost homes for sale, it is more important than ever to find ways to make a home stand out.
Making a few simple and inexpensive repairs can significantly improve a home owner's chances of getting their home sold quickly. Whether you're selling in Hawaii or Downtown Austin, it's a good idea to check with a local Realtor regarding the most sought after styles and colors within your region.
Repair Floors as Needed
Making repairs to the floors in your home doesn't require tearing everything up and starting over again. Just make sure all the carpeting, tile…
Remodel or sell your Hawaii real estate as-is?
Thursday, October 14th, 2010 at 4:36pm. 396 Views, 1 Comments.
I just got a call from a client that has owned a house for 25 years. He plans to sell next year and asked what he should do - leave the house has is or do some remodeling and then sell?
The answer is almost always to do some inexpensive remodeling. If the house is in the median range between $500k and $1 million, you will almost always get more money by spending some money. That's because buyers want to get paid for their time if they have to remodel a house after they buy it. They don't just add the cost of the work and subtract from the market.
But another important factor is the time it takes to sell. A home that is in good condition will usually sell faster. A home that need a lot of work may never sell at all. Listings that sell fast also…
Hawaii home sales up BIG in September
Thursday, October 7th, 2010 at 12:46am. 421 Views, 0 Comments.
In May of 2009, I called the bottom of the Hawaii real estate market, and in January through May of this year, I posted several times about the coming market rise. Well, the September sales numbers are out for Hawaii homes, and the numbers are pretty impressive.
Here are some highlights:
- There were 274 sales of single-family homes on Oahu in September, an 8 percent rise compared to last year.
- The Oahu median price of single family homes was $622,450, up 3 percent from $605,000 last year.
- The median condo sale price rose to $335,000, also an 8 percent increase from last year.
- The average home was on the market less than 30 days!
- Year-to-date, the number of sales is up by more than 20 percent!!!
My prediction for the Hawaii market going…
Multiple offers on listings around Oahu
Friday, June 26th, 2009 at 4:05pm. 598 Views, 0 Comments.
Even in a buyer's market, a down market, a down economy, you can get multiple offers on properties. I have 2 listings on opposite sides of the island with multiple offers right now.
How is this possible? WE PRICED THE HOMES FOR THE MARKET! It's simple - look at the active listings, the comps within 3 months (used to be 6 months but no longer) and put a price on the house that makes it a good buy for any buyer. Make the decision easy for buyers. By looking at the active listings, you know exactly what homes they will see. Then put a price on your listing that makes their choice obvious.
Some agents and sellers will want to price the home at the same as whatever the other listings are, or the same as recent comps, which means a buyer has to choose…
10 things that buyers hate - how to not sell your Hawaii house
Friday, June 19th, 2009 at 2:24pm. 669 Views, 0 Comments.
I was showing some homes to a client this week and walked into a home that smelled like flowers. All 3 of us made comments about how nice it smelled and felt happy the whole time we were there. I saw that the owner had lit some candles to make the home smell nice.
Then it hit me - why doesn't everyone try hard to make their home buyer friendly? Why is there so much weird stuff I see, smell, and hear when I walk into a house? So here are 10 things that buyers hate. 10 things that will keep your home from selling, in no particular order.
1. Smokers. You cannot get smoke out of a house. Change the carpet, paint the walls, buy an ozone machine, and you might not get it out if it's real bad. I don't care if you smoke outside, you still can smell it when…
PRICE REDUCTIONS all over Oahu!
Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 6:52pm. 501 Views, 1 Comments.
Some of my clients around Oahu have reduced prices on their homes this week, with the market seemingly slowing. The price reductions indicate a decline in the market and a coming to reality for sellers.
Usually when a seller wants to sell their home in Oahu, they assume that they won't get full price, and so they price it just above what they feel the sale price will be. Seems reasonable to most people that you don't always get full price. However, that tactic is backfiring on a lot of people lately.
Why?
Because believe it or not, many homes that actually close are coming in at or near full price. Yes it's true. Even though the Oahu real estate market is slowing in number of sales, homes that are priced right are selling at very close to asking price,…
Mainland lenders will sabotage Hawaii real estate purchase, on accident
Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 9:02pm. 790 Views, 0 Comments.
It's happened to me too many times to count now. When buyers come to Hawaii from the mainland, they often want to use the lender they are familiar with from their home state. Some want to use a lender they found on the internet.
Nearly every time I have worked with a lender from mainland, something has gone wrong. The last time was a purchase of $775k in Kaneohe, a beautiful tropical retreat purchased by a great young couple from the mainland. Their lender, who happened to be from New York and worked for a big lender, delayed the escrow by 2 weeks. Then he proceeded to yell and curse at my escrow officer here in Hawaii. Why?
Because the lender didn't know that Hawaii recordings in Land Court require full names, not middle initials. The lender sent over…
The re-refi boom in Hawaii
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 7:12pm. 481 Views, 0 Comments.
Appraisers are swamped, lenders are working long hours, and home owners are rejoicing at lower payments. Refinancing helps the real estate market as home owners have an easier time owning their property, and some that might have defaulted or needed to sell can now stay in their home.
There will also be owners of rental properties who might have had to sell, who now can afford to keep their property and continue to rent it out.I've spoken to several lenders and heard they are now suddenly backlogged with new loans, and appraisers are going crazy too. All of this is great news for home prices, because lower payments means less homes for sale, which means prices can hold better. It also might mean some sellers who were going into foreclosure might be able…
Don't clean your own house when you sell it.
Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 4:28pm. 574 Views, 1 Comments.
The Hawaii real estate purchase contract asks sellers to clean their home after they move out, have it cleaned professionally, or pay for a cleaning credit. Let me state my case for NEVER cleaning the house yourself.
I always tell my sellers that it's best to just pay a credit in escrow for whatever amount it will cost to get the house cleaned. For your average 1800sqft 3bedroom home in Oahu, that might be around $400. In my experience, the level of "clean" of a home is far too subjective to leave it to chance.
I have had sellers who spent all day cleaning their windows, doing their floors, etc, only to hear on the day of closing that the buyer is not satisfied with the cleanliness of the house. This is very discouraging to say the least, because then…
Order your property survey early
Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at 1:29pm. 727 Views, 0 Comments.
The Hawaii real estate purchase contract allows for buyers to review the survey of any single family home or land for a number of days agreed upon by the buyer and seller. If you wait until you find a buyer for your home, the buyer can take a look at something on the survey and decide to cancel the transaction, especially if he is already looking for a way to cancel. I instruct sellers to get the survey done at the beginning of a listing to avoid problems.
Here is what the Hawaii contract actual says:
No later than days prior to the Scheduled Closing Date, Seller shall, at
Seller's sole cost and expense, have a registered land surveyor (a) stake the
Property even if the stakes are visible and, (b) if improvements exist along the
Property…
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