Royal Hawaiian Band

Aloha! Founded in 1836 by King Kamehameha III, The Royal Hawaiian Band is the only band in the United States with a royal legacy. With cultural roots dating back to the time of the Hawaiian monarchy, the mission of the Royal Hawaiian Band is to promote and foster music, both current and historic, to preserve the Hawaiian musical culture, inspire young musicians and ultimately enrich the lives of the people and visitors of Hawai‘i.

For more information please visit their website or call (808) 262-5900 or (808) 522-0822.

'Iolani Palace
364 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96813
Friday, February 7 from noon to 1:00 p.m.

(IMAGE SOURCE: Copyright Royal Hawaiian Band)

PBN: How does technology affect real estate agents today?

To match up with clients, you have to match up with technology. It’s changed drastically since I’ve been in this business. We never had email when we first started; we never had texting. There is so much information. There is almost no disadvantage to technology. Properly used, it’s like a gun. You can either use it for good or bad.

Bill Chee, CEO of Prudential Locations at the company's Diamond Head office. Photo by Tina Yuen

The real estate market on Oahu is very competitive. In 2013, 30 percent of the homes that sold went for more than the asking price. That is an all-time high for Oahu. So what’s a buyer to do? Working with a professional agent who knows the market is key to getting the property that you want, and buyers have to be smart and fast about making an offer on the home they want.

Get Preapproved

Last year I worked with clients who just moved here from the mainland. They wanted a two bedroom and two parking stall condo in a pet friendly building. Before we began looking at condos, they made sure they were preapproved, with the bank letter in hand. Preapproval does two things. It shows the buyers you are serious and ready to move forward quickly, and it helps you and your REALTOR® look for properties in your price range. Not having a preapproval letter can get your offer placed at the bottom of the pile because the seller can’t be sure that you won’t run into financing issues further into the deal.

Sales trends for the Parkview Village Condo Complex in Waipahu, where my clients purchased their condo.

In Hawaii you hear it every day, “the Chinese are coming…with bags of money to buy up our real estate!”

Well, the reality is, Chinese buyers do buy, but still only represent an small part of the market here on Oahu, In 2012 Chinese investors made up five percent of all of Oahu’s international investors. But oftentimes when the Chinese do buy, they are selecting trophy properties in Kahala and along the ridges of East Honolulu - and they’re paying cash.

Following an Internet lead from China, I had a family that flew in specifically to purchase property. Within days, they had selected a million dollar-plus home in Kahala to use as a second home – of sorts. They paid for the property and then bought a car and other items for the home… all with cash. During their first year of ownership, the family returned to Hawaii only twice and eventually decided to sell and buy in Los Angeles where "the Chinese food was better.”