www.localism.com featured article by Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman, Century 21 Liberty Homes, Mililani, Hawaii
Following is my entry in the Active Rain Buyer's Challenge Contest. (the name of the "potential client" is fictitious and only used for purposes of the contest to identify a "person") Thank you Colleen Kulikowski for creating the First ActiveRain -- Buyer Challenge contest to expand our horizons in Localism post writing!
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Aloha David!
Thank you for contacting me after reading my post What Makes a House a Home in Honolulu, Hawaii? on the Active Rain Real Estate Netowork. You mentioned that you wanted information on purchasing beach-front property although you were more interested in the Central Oahu area. There are a few things that you may want to know regarding coastal land and if you read Hawaii Coastal Land: *Ponder Before Purchasing* it may give you an idea at what is involved with this type of purchase.
Following is a virtual tour of Haleiwa and the Coast along the North Shore of Oahu so you can visualize:
Since you are familiar with the neighborhoods and lived in Mililani from 1982 - 1984 while stationed on Schofield Barracks then you know Mililani will be convenient as it is minutes away from the base. Following are some links with useful information for schools, Mililani Town Association, golfing (you mentioned you loved golfing) and shopping centers.
Area schools for your child who is in high school: Oahu Public Schools or Oahu Private Schools - Miliani Town Association
- Military Golf Courses, Public Golf Courses and the Hawaii State Golf Association
- Town Center of Mililani, Mililani Shopping Center (where Century 21 Liberty Homes is located) and Mililani Marketplace and Community Resources for Mililani
- The Mililani Trolley operating schedule
The first step for purchasing real property is always to contact a Local Lender who will help you determine what price range and loan program you are qualified for so we know in what price ranged property to look for. Being a retired member of the armed forces you may find the following information helpful regarding your VA benefits:
If you have not used your VA benefits for purchasing a home in the past (or even if you have once before but have sold that home) then you may want to discuss with the Loan Officer about using your VA guaranteed loan benefits. - You also mentioned you are a disabled vet and if you are at least 10% disabled then you may qualify to waive the funding fee!
- Here is a brochure on VA Guaranteed Home Loans for Veterans for more information.
- Just be sure to tell the lender what you are wanting to spend per month for your mortgage payment and this will better aid the Loan Officer in not only qualifying you according to your credit score but also according to your monthly budget for housing.
- If you need referrals for Loan Officers on the island I'll refer you to a few local lenders who will walk you through every step of the loan process.
As you know there is No Bursting Bubble For Hawaii? Home Buying and Selling Tipsters! and this information will help you to see more clearly that your options for purchasing real estate will most likely be geared toward a condo or townhouse.
The following Real Estate Show includes information (click on the details button) on three townhouses around the Mililani area:
I'll give you a call tomorrow so to go over everything and from there we can set you up with automatic notifications of listings in areas you are interested in. Even though you are not arriving for another six months we can get started in weeding out areas/types of townhouses and so forth to get a better idea of what you are looking for.
Thank you for contacting me in your search for real property on Oahu, Hawaii and I will look forward to speaking with you shortly!
Mahalo!
Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman, RA * Century 21 Liberty Homes
95-2214 Kipapa Drive, Mililani, HI 96789
Direct Contact: 808-375-1404
Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman's Mililani Hawaii Real Estate Blog 2007©
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