Have you ever noticed that all you have to do to get less than ethical folks to show their ugly side is to talk about ethics or professional standards? Over the last few months when one of us writes about ethics and professional standards we get a few off the wall people who will argue against them.  It is so insane.  A real estate agent or a loan officer being offended by the mere suggestion that we need higher standards or that a professional is someone who strives to conduct themselves at a much higher level than the basic minimum. Reading comments from a real estate person (I was going to say professional) who was upset or offended that I would have the arrogance to suggest the being a professional means minimum requirements are not enough.  I wonder what their clients would think i... 07/15/2008

                                                          This Mililani sales report covers zip code 96789 which covers both Mililani Mauka and Mililani Area (which includes Mililani Town, Launani Valley and Waipio Acres). Mililani real estate is still moving strong.  We are still seeing good real estate activity in the Mililani area.  Mililani has remained a balanced market giving buyer good selection, and seller's the ability to move appropriately priced homes. A few dynamics in the area: Castle and Cooke have almost finished selling the new homes in Mililani Mauka.  We are continuing to see troop movements at Schofield Barracks, which is contributing to the movement of inventory in Mililani. Single Family Homes (resale): Average sales prices in Mililani Town and the valleys stayed sa... 07/05/2008

My son was in the United States Navy and stationed aboard the USS Kitty Hawk air craft carrier based out of Yokosuka, Japan until the summer of 2006. He was aboard the ship and in the Persian Gulf the day the war was announced on March 19th, 2003 and I, as a mom, was sick to stomach and besides myself with worry. It was his birthday. I didn't hear from my son for a couple of months. READ MORE HERE  He served his ship and his country well, and when the ship pulled into Pearl Harbor yesterday my son was so excited!  He has kept in contact with a couple of his friends and they plan on meeting up as soon as they are allowed off ship! (I told him to get pictures so I can blog about them :) The USS Kitty Hawk took the place of the USS George Washington for the  Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 200... 07/02/2008

I wrote a blog post this week: Real Estate Ethics in Nutshell I spoke about not only following the COE, but operating to a higher standard; the Golden Rule. To my surprise it drew the anger of a real estate agent from another state, who felt I was practicing religion.  Huh? After posting a few long winded comments, that real estate agent must have realized how bad they sounded to the public.  The worst one that attacked religion among other things was removed.  That was not enough; I then received a few long winded e-mails, designed to bait me in an argument. Let me state my position as clearly as I can. When doing business, operating at the lowest level required by law or by our National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics is not good enough! Clients will not trust you or respect y... 07/01/2008

  Mililani Town was voted the All America City in 1986 and it is the only community in Hawaii to ever receive this distinction. My parents bought their new home in Mililani in 1971 and I was just starting high school. To this day my mom still lives in the same house and my son and daughter grew up in that same house too. From Kindergarten to High School the Mililani Community and Schools served us well. My children just came back home within the past two years and help my mom (who just turned 80 in January of this year) out.   With 7...yes SEVEN Recreation Centers there is fun for all ages! (Recreation Center #7 just opened on the Mililani Mauka side of Miliani) Starting from Tiny Tots (18 mos. to 3 years) there is circle time, arts and crafts. Then there is Tai Chi, Karate, Yoga, Self... 07/01/2008

Last week, there was a big press release by Castle & Cooke announcing that they have sold their last home in Mililani.This was a milestone because after 40 years of development, they are no longer developing residential property.  Now that resales won't be competing with the homebuilder/developer, it will be interesting to see where prices go... Mililani was Hawaii's first master planned community and has always been considered relatively "new".  Now that development is complete, this "established" community potentially could be even more sought after? 06/24/2008

My new mall signs appeared this weekend.  The picture was updated to show the new lighter me.  They had a few minor updates and a change of colors.                      Today while out at the soccer fields a couple of the youngsters from my son's team approached me and said we see your picture at the shopping center.  You are a celebrity right? In a similar experience awhile back, a group of neighborhood children wanted my autograph.  I Was Asked for My Autograph Today I have been getting similar responses from adults.  Well none have asked for my autograph.  :)  06/23/2008

Honolulu County IS of the whole island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. With 50+ Hawaii Military Bases and Installations on our island alone, you can guaranty that the VA Guaranteed Loan is the way to go for the Hawaii Military Veteran purchasing their piece of Hawaii and paradise with a place they can call home. (picture to left is the model of the USS Arizona Memorial depicting the ship under water and the memorial above at Pearl Harbor Hawaii) Remember, VA Guarantees a percentage of the loan and you still have to go through a Lender that actually does do VA Loans and it is for your OWN PERSONAL USE. (not all banks, credit unions and loan companies do VA Loans). The Veterans Administration Guaranteed Loan is one of just a couple of loan programs that allow the Veteran to finance the f... 06/20/2008

I was reading a post from William Feela titled, Why do you tip your Server.  This blog post got me thinking about how treating others will impact your business. Looking back I can think of many examples in my business.  Here are three that stand out. I have sold three homes through the employees of the Jack-in-the-Box across the street from my office.  One of the employees there got her license and joined my company.  We recently sold a co-listing together and help each other.  I have had 5 transactions so far with the folks at the car dealer where I bought my vehicles.  I am working on two more possible listings at this time and have received a few more referrals. I teach chess at the area rec. center and am president of the state chess association.  I have lost count on how many trans... 06/17/2008

In the last month or so I have seen a steady increase in my business.  I am planning to have a very good year and am making plans to continually improve my business practices and to keep that trend going next year.  When I speak to other top agents in the area I hear similar things from them.  They are what I call the glass is half full crowd.  They seem to be in the minority. The majority of agents in our area are slow and they will tell you that in a very negative way. Now one of the things that I believe is keeping the glass is half full crowd busy, is their attitude.  Buyers and sellers want to work with someone who make them feel good about what they are doing and they want someone who they believe will bring them success. If I were a potential buyer or seller, I would not want to ... 06/14/2008

I thought I revisit this issue again, since it comes up so often in the course of doing business. I frequently get asked about using a funding lender vs. a mortgage broker vs. an online lender. I have some very strong opinions on the topic and have never been shy about it and why I have the opinions I have. Randy's Rules: I strongly recommend using a funding lender whenever possible. I strongly recommend in using a local lender. I strongly recommend using an experienced agent and not a rookie. I know there are some really great mortgage brokers out there.  I am sure there are some really good online lenders and out of state mortgage folks.  There may even be a rookie or two that will do a better than average job.  My experience has been that they are the exception to the rule. Almost ev... 06/01/2008

Subtitle: How Organized are You? While wading through the 250+ or e-mail messages that came in over the last 24 hours, it hit me.  I never considered myself the most organized guy in the world, but at that moment I realized how organized I really am. On an average day, I receive an average of 200 to 300 e-mails a day through nine e-mail accounts.  25 to 30 phone calls, plus mail, faxes and blog comments.  Yet I still find time to visit clients, show properties, do inspections, create flyers and  virtual tours, attend meetings for several boards and committees, update websites (21 of them and growing), teach chess classes, organize events and attend my family activities including my children's sports events. I still do the normal day to day things like going to the gym, shopping, getting... 05/31/2008

Donna Shefcheck got her real estate license and joined us a little while back at Century 21 Liberty Homes.  She is an archeologist and wanted to learn our real estate business.  During her short tenure with our company, she assisted me with several of my transactions including holding open houses and keeping up the files. I also had the privilege of helping Donna with her first transaction.  We found one of her archeologist friends a really nice deal for a condo. Donna was offered a job in Alaska working on the BP Conoco Natural Gas line for the summer.  Her work will be part of the environmental study.  Our loss is Alaska's gain. Donna will be joined by her loyal companion Lucky (her dog).  At her going away party today both her and lucky had the privilege of swimming on the north shor... 05/24/2008

It's hard to believe how fast time flies. When I first moved to Mililani, back in 1977, I was a young 26 year old, enjoying life as a freewheeling mortorcylce salesman. Mililani was the first Planned Community in Hawaii, and it was planted "way out" in the pineapple and sugar cane fields in what has now become Central Oahu. Back then, it was "the boonies". Driving home after dark used to be a lonely trek down the unlit two lane road, part of Kam Hwy (Kamehameha Highway for the tourists), until the H-2 freeway was built. The first phase of the freeway got you to the Waipahu exit, at which point you jumped back onto Kam Hwy, drove past the sugar cane on your right, pineapple on the left and on through Kipapa Gulch into Mililani. Once in a while an owl would swoop out of the trees and floa... 05/11/2008

Launani Valley lies below Mililani Technical Park and right off Kamehameha Hwy. (Rt. 99) across from Wheeler Army Air Station & minutes from Schofield Barracks Army Installation. A lush tropical green valley with soft gentle breezes and the sounds of life in peaceful surroundings, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the community that awaits you! Ridge at Launani Valley complex has 2-3 bedroom units and in the last six months sold 2- 3 bedroom units at $290,000 and $340,000; and six -2 bedroom units priced between $260,000 and $299,999. Two 2 bedrooom are in contract priced at $319,000 & $329,000 and there is only ONE Active 2 bedroom on the market listed at $287,000. Days on Market range from ONE to Sixty days.   With a small stream winding along the same pathway of the paved road in to... 05/08/2008

                                                                                     Did the title get your attention?  When asked by potential clients how long will it take me to sell their home; I respond I can sell your home in one day.I am serious; I can sell any home in one day.  I am very good at what I do.  If you need your home sold in one day, I can do it.OK, if you check the stats I have only sold a couple of homes in one day.  So how do I get off making that comment?  It is simple.  There is a price I can sell your home in one day.  The question for the seller is how close to that price do they want to be.With the home properly prepared that one day price goes up.  If you do not need to sell it in one day we can raise the price higher.  Plug in my aggressive marketing, the pr... 05/07/2008

Cathedral Point H407 - Price Reduced! 95-055 Waikalani Dr. #H407, Mililani, HI 96789 View Map Great Location, Priced to Sell Fast! Partial Remodel in 2007 Including: - New Kitchen Lower Cabinets - New Counter Tops - New Butchers Workstation - New Carpet - New Vanity, Mirror & Lighting - New Washer/ Dryer - New Refrigerator Large Lanai End Parking Stall #301 Convenient to Schofield and Shopping Details Asking Price: $219,000 MLS: 2804248 Sq. Feet: 896 Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 1 # of Floors: 1 HOA/Maintenance Fees: 318 Subdivision: Melemanu Year Built: 1972 Property Amenities - Range/Oven- Sink Disposal- Full Refrigerator - Washer/Dryer- Swimming Pool - Living room- Lanai Community Amenities - Guest Parking - Manager on-site Contact InfoRandy L. Prothero Realtor, ABR, AHWD, CRS, e-PRO, GRI... 04/22/2008

I was speaking to a potential seller that seemed like he/she was heading for a bi failure.  It made me think about why some are not successful selling their homes in our market.Our real estate market has been stable for the last two years.Average prices ands median prices have been level to a slight increase.  There are neighborhoods that have seen slippage in prices (mostly those areas with new construction competing with resale homes).  Most areas have seen declines in sales volume.When ever I pull comparable sales reports for a piece of property especially in Mililani, the community my office and home are in, I see a regular pattern.  Most homes that sell, move in 1 to 6 weeks.  They sell for something close to the asking price and most are clean and ready to move in.   Then there is... 04/04/2008

                                                                    This Mililani sales report covers zip code 96789 which covers both the Mililani Area (which includes Mililani Town, Launani Valley, Waipio Acres and Melemanu) and Mililani Mauka.Mililani real estate is still moving strong.  We are still seeing good real estate activity in the Mililani area.  With low interest rates and some selection in the inventory, buyers are still able to buy the home of their dreams, while sellers were seeing their properties move if priced and marketed correctly.A few dynamics in the area:Castle and Cooke is almost finished with new home construction in Mililani Mauka.We have continued to see troop movements at Schofield Barracks, helping to turn some of the inventory turning in Mililani.Single Fa... 03/29/2008

A couple of nights ago I was asked to speak to the local Mililani Lion's Club about our community chess club and the Chess in the School's program I run.   It turned out to be a friendly crowd.  I knew several of the members well, including two REALTORS®, one from my office.After giving my speech the president of the club told me to pass out my real estate cards to the members so that the group heard him.  I thought about it for a few seconds and then thanked him and declined out of respect to the real estate agents in their club, that are two of the best in our community.A little later he spoke to me on the side and said it would be perfectly OK.  I again thanked him, but declined.I know many agents would have passed out their cards in a heart beat.  This is how I looked at it:I am goo... 03/14/2008