About Mililani's Mililani Hawaii Real Estate & Relocations

We ALL know that the market will depend on any given local area and neighborhood. So whoever says Open House's don't work are the ones who are in areas that it really doesn't work. It could be that there area is so rural that it takes an hour to drive from house to house. It could be for a thousand other reasons including the agent just doesn't like sitting at an Open House.

I held an Open House for my listing for Mililani Fairway Village yesterday (Easter Sunday) and though it was slow in the beginning I still had 9 groups of guests attend. Yes, it was slower than the last Open House I had with 17 groups of guests but that's besides the point.

On Oahu, Open Houses work anyway. We all hold an Open House because it IS a Sunday event for all home buyers and sellers who are looking at their leisure. They roam from neighborhood to neighborhood in our densely populated areas and they can hit quite a few in one Sunday.

It's also a great time for agents to attend with their clients without the hassle of making an appointment. They will also make some other appointments for the ones that aren't open so they can get a bunch of showings in on the weekend for their clients who work all week.

I was impressed by one very successful agent in Mililani from RE/MAX Honolulu who came to view my listing. Towards the end another agent from Century 21 All Islands who stopped by as well.

Open Houses work for those who work them.

Even on a Holiday.

So, you have your Real Estate License and you're thinking about making a go of selling real estate. You already have the mindset that you will make every effort to be the best you can be in this business. One thing is for certain: If you don't have good morals, beliefs and values in your life every day then all the rules, laws, regulations, code of ethics will not come even close to being something you will follow or adhere to.

There are no cutting corners in real estate when:

• You are explaining a contract to your clients or answering any questions they may have. If you do not know the information or an answer to a question....ASK!
• You missed an initial and need your client to sign their initial, signature or date. Make the effort to scan and email, fax, drive to meet them and DO NOT...I REPEAT...DO NOT sign, date anything for them.
• You need to document all calls, emails and correspondence. Not only will it protect you and your client but it will also give you an easy way to refer back to a conversation when there is doubt.
• You need to keep updated with the latest information. Do what is beneficial to your business and keep your mind, files, websites and blogs updated with current information. There is nothing worse than giving out OLD information.
• Staying up to date with real estate technology. There are many websites, blogs, social sites and more that are beneficial to marketing online. Keep up to date with what works for you. For me it's beneficial to have a top of the line home office as I spend most of my time .... At my home office hehe.
• Being available for all that are involved in the transaction. There is no such thing as only texting, or only emailing or only phone calls. All avenues for communicating have to be covered to serve all clients who prefer a certain way to communicate.

So, if you already have the mindset that you will make every effort to be the best you can be in this business, then GOOD FOR YOU! You most likely are following the right path.

If you are cutting corners and you have to constantly look over your shoulder...

Then maybe it's time to make that positive change....for your business.

Better yet, for a personal change for a better life.

And all success will follow.

The weather can be quite unpredictable in Hawaii.  While watching our local news on Monday evening we were ‘informed' that there were storm conditions and there will be thunder, lightning and heavy rains.   We waited and the next morning it was a beautiful day!  That evening the weather man said that ‘just because the storm isn't happening in your neighborhood doesn't mean it isn't in other's. We all laughed.

By Wednesday I gave up looking for the storm. .....and then in a matter of a couple of hours it poured! There it was...right in front of me.  There was lightening, booming thunder and a downpour of heavy rain that confirmed that our weatherman was indeed telling the truth. In the next neighborhood over there was....NOTHING! I called my office and sure enough there wasn't a drop of anything going on!

 Over the course of my career in Real Estate I have been through phases of the housing market. It went up and then it down and then it continues to go all around.  While our market continues to make adjustments we see sales numbers rise and fall. We see the prices remain stable in certain areas while in others there is clearly a continued downfall.

The market differs from neighborhood to neighborhood!

Like our complicated weather system here in Hawaii, our market differs from nationwide statistics as well. We never know what the next month will bring for home sale numbers or sales prices but we can be rest assured that if we weather the storm we will be ready for the next phase in real estate.

A never ending neighborhood to neighborhood surprise of sunny, rainy or windy weather.

We brace ourselves with an umbrella for the next turn of rainy events...

And rise as the sun does on those tropical trade wind days.

Contact me through my contact form and you will get a quick response provided you are in a time zone while I am awake. The majority of my blog readers or website contacts come from those that will be relocating to Hawaii. The first contact is an email.

An email arrives that states they want to put in an offer $50,000 less than the list price on a property. OOPS. Not one property......TWO. Two offers on two properties. Mind you, this is the first email I've ever received from someone and they want to put in not one offer...but two. WOW right?

So how do I respond to an email that states "I just want to see if my offers will be accepted".

Yes, it could potentially turn into a ‘real' client but let me first check out this person on the internet before I respond. How many of you Google your email leads before responding? I mean, if you're all over the internet from your blogs and websites you are bound to get a few that are trying to target you for their ‘product' or want to be your picture bride wife.

So I Google the email address and the name and they say this person is a scam on a dating site and to steer clear! I decide to just respond and let the person know what they need to do to start the process.....with ME. Get preapproved and forward the letter to me (as we need to submit the letter with the signed contract)as well as a few other questions for them to answer.

Oh...did I mention the ‘lead' is way over in Asia?

We passed a few emails back and forth and at one point they say, "I know about short sales and foreclosures ...I've been reading up...and I just want to see if the bank will approve my offers". I finally laid down the law. If you would like to work with me you will have to follow my lead....and the first step is to get preapproved for a loan because the bank will demand a preapproval letter. We also need to know if you are comfortable with that price range and the monthly payment you'll be making.

I did not receive a response back.

Wonder why?

Maybe that Google search was right.

Mililani Town is the only community in Hawaii in 1986 to receive the distinction of "All American City" and is centrally located on the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and to all US Military Bases as well. About 5-10 minutes up Highway 99 is Schofield Barracks (Army) and Wheeler AAF (Army), Hickam AFB and Pearl Harbor Navy Base is about 20-25 minutes down H-2 to H-1 Freeway. Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Station is up and over the H-3 Freeway.

We've definitely had a turn of events throughout 2010 in regards to our Mililani Housing Market. We've had ups and downs and turn arounds, but needless to say the market may be turning back to a seller's market soon.

Inventory is lower than a year ago and prices are slowly regaining ground. Interest rates have gone up a bit and I can safely presume that they aren't going to be at this level in months to come.

Let's take a look at the past year...........

Year to Date Market Report for Mililani Condos, Townhouses, Homes

Mililani Single Family Home Market Report 2010: We have 46 Active Listings with 26 in contract for the first few days in January of 2011 but for the year of 2010 Mililani has had 222 single family homes sold. We did better this year compared to 2009 with 210 sold single family homes! Sales Prices Ranged from $299,900 (2 bedroom in older Waipio Valley) to $1,050,000 (4 bedrooms) in Mililani Mauka. Average Days on the Market was 54! Not bad!

Mililani Condo Statistics for 2010: There are 104 Active condos/townhouses on the market, 29 in contract for the first few days of 2011. But check this out! We sold 252 condos/townhouses in 2010! For a year that took its toll on our Mililani market we didn't do too shabby compared to 284 sold units in 2009. Sales Prices ranged from $112,000 (1 bedroom condo) to $498,000 (3 bdrm luxury townhouse). Average Days on the Market were 53 days!

For those Hawaii Home Buyers who are sitting on the fence ... do the math on low prices now compounded with still low interest rates compared to those same prices with a higher interest rate. The math is clear, so if your current situation is in a buy mode...I'd say, "Jump off that fence!"

If you would like more information give me a call/text at 808-375-1404.

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Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com