Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman, RA, CRS, HAWAII Real Estate & Relocations

Located smack in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Ford Island connects by the Ford Island Bridge (Named the Admiral Clarey Bridge) and houses many naval facilities and has military housing as well.

The island was called "Moku ‘ume ‘ume" (moe koo oo may oo may) and the translation is ‘isle of attraction'. The island was named after a Boston physician named Dr. Seth Porter Ford (1818 to 1866) who practiced medicine at the Hawaiian Insane Asylum and US Seamen's Hospital (1861-1866).

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When Dr. Ford passed away the island was sold to Honolulu Plantation and then the U.S. Army purchased Ford Island during World War 1 for $236,000. (Wow...you can't even buy a decent lot for that price now...let alone a whole island! )

During World War II Ford Island was in the center of the ‘attack on Pearl Harbor' because of all the battleship moorings that surrounded Ford Island.

In 1962 Ford Island was decommissioned as a separate command and then placed under the Naval Base in Pearl Harbor.

Years before there was only passage to Ford Island by hourly ferry boat for cars and passengers on foot.

The ‘Admiral Clarey Bridge" to Ford Island was completed and opened in 1998.

Up until a few years ago tourists could not visit the island without a military identification card or being invited by a resident.

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Anyone can now go on tours to the Mighty Mo and Battle Stations Tour (which includes the Mighty Mo) but please take heed to the strict Security Policies on the website. Operating Hours are from 8am to 5pm (excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day). Access is down the street from the USS Arizona Memorial . {{MAP}}

Be sure this is on your agenda when visiting Oahu.

It's a piece of history you won't forget.

Waipio Gentry is minutes from Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Air Field and centrally located on Oahu to Hickam AFB, Pearl Harbor Naval Base. Waipio Gentry is a small residential area and a bit of industrial area as well. With an Autoplex, Costco, a couple of strip malls and many small businesses it is a self sustaining community with a close knit residential community.

The Royal Palm @ Waipio is a townhouse complex in Waipio Gentry. There are studios, one and two bedrooms. Maintenance fees for the Royal Palm @ Waipio have not gone up for 2011 and currently the studios have monthly fees about $221 per mo., one bedrooms about $258 and two bedrooms are about $385.

Current Market Statistics for Royal Palm @ Waipio Gentry for the last six months:

*DOM (Days on Market)

Most of the roofs have been replaced and the carport roofs will are being replaced as we speak. The nice roofs, landscaped grounds, paved roads, walking/jogging paths, pool and recreation area and wonderfully up kept units surely make for great community living.

Royal Palm at Waipio Gentry.

Townhouse living at it's finest!

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**I REALLY REALLY want to Win a Piece of AR History and be the envy of my java-addicted friends!**

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Back in January of 2008 Hawaii Randy Prothero and Celeste WooHoo Sally Cheeseman worked hard to get the FIRST AND ONLY Hawaii Active Rain Gathering at Gordon Biersche Lanai planned. Many ActiveRain members were coming for the Hawaii CRS Sellabration so we decided to get together and meet some of our online friends.

Gordon Biersche is located at the Aloha Tower Marketplace (1 Aloha Tower Dr # 1123 in Honolulu, HI 96813) in Honolulu Harbor and is Hawaii's first brewpub. With a gorgeous waterfront view and outside lanai it was the perfect place for our first Hawaii ActiveRain Gathering and Celebration.

Bob Stewart (who didn't physically attend but gosh darn gulped one Gordon Biersche sampler "brew" and continued on to try four more different types of 'brews' that Gordon Biersche had to offer.

Bob was sloshed by time he left with Rich Jacobson who continuously got poked by Matt Heaton (Co-Founder of ActiveRain) and his pin poker; who came to Hawaii to celebrate with us too!

We all celebrated with an array of pupus (appetizers) and pizzas and in the greatest company of ActiveRain members who were there to for the CRS Sellabration. The memories of meeting up with Hawaii ActiveRain members... Jerry Bangerter, David Kucic, his wife Tonya, and Jay Oku (all from Hawaii) and Jeff Dowler and his lovely wife Kay, Marlene Bridges, Lynda Eisenmann , Kathleen Barnato and Mary Pope -Handy (all from California), Sharon Simms (Florida) Joeann Fossland and Mario Trejo Romero - (from Arizona) and even Rob Lang (from Kansas)

Randy and I made sure they all got "leid" (putting shell lei's around their necks) when they arrived at the gathering and everyone left with a Hawaiian gift bag. We still believe that the "Spirit of Aloha" shined through to all our guests from the ActiveRain Real Estate Network.

We hope that one day Gordon Biersche in Hawaii at Aloha Tower Marketplace will be the setting for one of ActiveRain's future Birthday bashes. Music, waterfront views, great food and good company. What more could one ask for?

ActiveRain success for the last five years....

....and more to come!

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Calling for showing appointments are a very timely part of a Realtors® list of tasks for home buyers. We have more than enough on our plate when thinking about our Zoning Laws and then take into consideration the type of loan the Hawaii home buyer is acquiring for that home out in the ocean. Searching for those ‘special and specific' types of properties is another big task.

We can spend hours upon hours beating the MLS to death. Then we call for showing appointments and do not get a response for half the calls or emails we have made. (WHY? I answer all my calls, emails and text messages for all requests for my listings! {{{SIGH}}} We research and find out all there is to know about the possible properties you would like to view.

At a Glance Loans and Your Oahu Property Search

• VA Loan Transaction Properties: Search out the MLS for properties that would well suit the Hawaii Military and Veteran of the Armed Forces Home Buyer. Properties have to have all permits and not have any major defects. The appraiser will pick up on it and when the report goes to the VA office they will issue their VA Notice of Value (NOV). You can guarantee that there will be a stipulation that the home appraised at X amount but the screen that had a hole in it will have to be fixed!
• FHA Loan Transaction Properties: The condo either has to be FHA approved or a PUD. If there is NOT a 51% or over owner occupancy level then it is NOT a green light for a loan. There is much to take into consideration and you cannot...I repeat cannot think that just because you have 3.5% down that you can buy anything out there. If the FHA approval has lapsed make sure your loan officer knows how to get all documentation together to get it approved again. It may take a couple of weeks longer but it can be done!
• USDA Loan Transaction Properties: The good deal is that you can get a 100% financing and up to 2% more to cover some of your closing costs. The restrictions are that it is has to be in a designated RURAL AREA on Oahu.

Following are the USDA eligible areas on Oahu:

• • Village Park and Royal Kunia Subdivisions
  • Ewa Beach
  • Makakilo
  • Kapolei
  • The ENTIRE Waianae Coast
  • Central Oahu from Whitmore Village, North to the North Shore and the Kunia area
  • The ENTIRE North Shore Area
  • Windward Oahu from Kahuku, South to Ahuimanu
  • Waimanalo from Olomana Golf Course to Seal Life Park

• Finding out everything about the property: If it is NON conforming (even if you have all cash down) there could be major problems down the road. Is there anything you should know? Coastal, preservation, conservation, agricultural, country land have different zoning laws. Are there State and City/County permits? I have to get all the pertinent details so I'm not wasting my buyer's time.

The REAL scoop on that property you love.....

Could save you time and heartache....

...and major headaches.

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The Home Buyer wants to purchase a home using their VA Home Loan. There are others who want to use an FHA loan or perhaps a USDA loan for rural areas of Oahu. The Home Buyer has thought seriously if their personal situation will permit them to own their own home and they are ready! With Hawaii Home Prices and Interest rates still reasonable it IS a great time to buy.

But is it a jungle out there?

During the Housing Boom the Home Prices soared and interest rates were at an all time low there were multiple offers and everyone was fighting for a piece of that Own Their Own Home pie. The inventory of Mililani Homes and Condos are so much lower than a year, two ago that the home prices and sales numbers are starting to rise. Not a bunch...yet...but nonetheless still rising.

It's becoming a jungle out there?

With multiple offers on a great property with a reasonable price there are buyers coming out of the woodwork to get a piece of the dream home action. They are struggling to find a loan to best suit their needs and if they do obtain one they still face obstacles in our current market. Low Inventory, Multiple Offers, few homes in their Prices Range and not the area they really desire.

It's a jungle out there!

There is a strategy for Hawaii Home Buyers that may just barrel them through that jungle. A good loan/lender, a good Realtor® who will help you get that home you love, being realistic for the price range you are qualified for and in the areas that fit.

Only then, will it turn into the Oasis of your dreams.