So you want me to sit Open House for your property?

Sitting Open House is a very passive form of marketing your home. They are used by real estate agents to convince sellers that they’ll be doing everything they can to sell their home, and they disrupt the lives of sellers with little or no value added to their goal of selling their home.

Aloha from Hawaii,

Biz

Not Home for the Holidays? Follow these security tips!

Keep the baddies away fom your stuff!

Infographic courtesy of ProtectYourHome.com

Check their great site out for more valuable info, and have a safe home!

Aloha,

Biz

Landlords need to read this. Tenants need to read this.

Hawaii Landlord Tenant Code Handbook

Watch out for the scam artists!

Be careful, there are a lot of Fast Freddies out there!
Biz

If you are a Hawaii Homeowner facing foreclosure you must read this!

This is an overview of the law from the Honolulu Board of Realtors.

Please get an lawyer if you are going to go through this process, and make sure he or she is familiar with the new law.

The Tax Man Cometh!

I’m not a lawyer or Tax Consultant and I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn last night. This is just a general overview for your information, do seek out the services of your tax professional for more information!

Tips to make your moving day easier.

Not painless, just easier!

Organizing, weeding out stuff, packing it & moving it are some of my least favorite things. So I’ve put together some tips gleaned from my many moving disasters and some successes. Learn form me, Grasshopper!

• Before you move: PURGE! Get rid of old clothes that you think you may diet down and fit again in this century. Do you really need four sets of everyday dishes? Old ratty t-shirts and shorts to do yard work in? (Oh, wait…I don’t DO yard work!) I am famous for moving these things, then throwing them out when I get to my new place, muttering to myself as to why the heck I paid to move this stuff.

• If you have hired movers, be present for the pickup and delivery.  Check the movers inventory sheets, ensuring all items are accounted for. Give the movers an inventory list with serial numbers, make, and model of your key possessions.  Make a floor plan of your new home and label the rooms to help the movers match boxes that say “Bedroom 1”, “Den”, etc. with each room.

• It’s also nice to have cold bottled water in a cooler available for the moving crew. A little kindness goes a long way on a hot day!

• The last thing you want is a child getting injured because they are in the way.  This is a good day to let kids stay with a friend or relative. Pack their belongings ahead of time with them so they feel part of the process, but having them underfoot when the movers are carrying your sofa through the door is a recipe for disaster. Make it a priority to get your child settled into their room first. This helps them feel more comfortable with their surroundings and begin to adapt.

• Pets get really stressed out with a move. I’ve moved with my pets and kept them in a spare room, but really the best thing for them is board them for a day or two. They go from one home to another with a lot less stress. My cats were boarded at the vets this last move and they did much better coming into a new place where I was relatively settled after two days rather than throwing them into chaos.

Remember the Pets don't like to move , either!

• Let  the neighbors know your dates and ask them if they would make arrangements for giving you street space.  It is a courtesy and you will need parking for the moving trucks and friends and family vehicles.  Of course, if you have friends like mine they will conveniently be out of town on your moving day and won’t be able to help, so that solves their parking issues!

• Either hand-carry or send valuables via registered and insured mail services.

• Do a last minute walk through to ensure you have not left anything behind.  Lock the doors and windows, turn off thermostat/lights and make sure the faucets and toilet are shut off (if applicable).

We likez da new place!

Well, that’s it in a nutshell, or should I say moving box… stressful, frustrating and more expensive than you thought; moving is not fun.

I made a checklist you can download here to help you keep on track.

But grit your teeth, get uber organized and “Git ‘er done”.  Once you’re finished it is a great relief to be in your new place.   Go out and explore your new neighborhood. Treat yourself to some chocolate. And you will forget all about it. Until your next move.

Aloha,

Biz

UPDATE 7/24/11

I moved to a new place on June 30th. Did everything like I said in my article. Except for one little teeny thing. Remember that part about Labeling the Boxes? You need to be specific, especially on those last minute boxes that you will be throwing stuff in as the moving van is ready to pull out of the driveway. I labeled a box “Kitchen”. Thinking it was just extra kitch stuff, I left the box unopened at the new place for a couple of weeks. Ever know what a Rubbermaid Container full of cheese smells like after it has been sitting in 89 degree heat in Hawaii, closed up for weeks? I do now! So be VERY specific…and fear the Box O’ Cheese!

Price it right from the get go, or go away!

Get it? Got it? Good…

Biz

Here are some tips to help prevent buyer’s remorse!

2. Visit the schools your kids may be attending and speak with the principal to get a tour during the school day if possible. That will give you and idea of class size, facilities and how the student body behaves.

3. Drive to and from your workplace during your regular commute. What may be a quick fifteen minutes during non rush hour can be a nightmare when everybody is going to work or home.

4. Talk with the neighbors. Take this with a grain of salt; you may get truth or nasty gossip. But you may want to know Mr. Smith mows his lawn in a Speedo, and it is not a pretty sight…

5. Check with your state sex offender registry and your local sex offender site. In Hawaii you can find this information here, each state has their own list.

7. What’s going on in the surrounding area?  Is there a busy street or highway, major long-term construction, or other issues close by? Are there major sports arenas near your neighborhood? When there is a football game people here on Oahu plan their commute around it, because traffic in that area turns into a parking lot. I learned this the hard way. I had forgotten about a Big Game and decided to go home via Aloha Stadium area. What normally took me forty-five minutes turned into a three-hour stint. Good thing I am mellow and love my Jazz radio, but there was some nasty road rage going on around me.

Chill, People!

Remember, you are not just buying a house; you are buying a lifestyle and a neighborhood.   Remember Mr. Smith and his Speedo?

Aloha,

Biz

Yes, you need to talk to your lender FIRST!