Look at the Hawaii location: Is it in the Hawaii school district you want? Is the neighborhood safe? Is there easy access to freeways or rapid transit? Look at the size: Are there enough bed­rooms and are they big enough? Are the kitchen and the family room big enough for you? Is the garage big enough, with enough storage space? Look at the condi­tion: Are the bathrooms and kitchen modern or remod­eled? Look at the floor plan: Will it work for you? Avoid looking at the furniture.

You need to exercise your imagination, something sorely lacking in too many buyers. You need to see the home, as it will look when you're living in it with your furniture, not as it is now with the seller’s things. That may mean overlooking the green wallpaper and the purple car­pets—perhaps you'll repaint and re-carpet (and price your offer accordingly!). Look for items that appeal to you in a home—an eating area in the kitchen, a fireplace in the master bedroom, a large or small back yard.

Be very careful when judging size. Too often a large room can be made to look small by being cluttered with furniture. Conversely, a truly small area can appear larger than it is when it is empty and when floor-to-ceiling mir­rors are installed on one or more walls.

My suggestion is that the first time through you spend your efforts looking for the positive. Try to find a reason why you would want to live in this house.

Don't be hesitant about poking around. If there are throw rugs on the floor, feel free to lift up a corner to see what the flooring underneath is like. If there's a pantry off the kitchen, open the door and walk into it to judge its size. If there's a separate area in the master bath for a toi­let, shower or other fixture, walk into the area and see whether it's truly big enough or whether it's cramped. Try the garage door opener. Walk to the back of the lot. See the whole property.

Then, after you leave, if you really like the property, go back and see it a second time. Never make an offer on a prop­erty you haven't seen at least twice. On the second visit look for the negatives. Is the front door loose on its hinges? What about the paint inside and out—is it in good, fair, or poor condition? What about the roof and the carpeting? Are the appliances new and in good, clean shape? Do the air conditioning and heating work? (Don't hesitate to try them out.) Are the windows adequate (double pane, well located in rooms to let in lots of light)? Are there screens on all windows and outside doors? Is the basement wet or damp?

If there are obvious defects, you may want to pass or lower your offer accordingly. If you decide to buy, be sure to add a contingency in the sales agreement that allows you a certain number of days (usually 10 days) to have the property inspected by a professional. If more defects turn up, you can ask the seller to fix them or reduce the price.

You or any good Hawaii real estate agent can quickly determine your mortgage, tax, and home owners' insurance monthly payment. You can add in a logical amount for utilities. Don't forget to include something for maintenance and repair, more if the house is older. This should be your total housing cost. If it's a third of your gross income, you're probably okay, although some few people can manage when it's as much as half.

Chances are that in order to get a home, you're going to have to obtain financing for between 80 and 90 percent of the purchase price. As part of the financing process, the lender will secure a credit report on you as well as confir­mation of your income and expenses and an estimate of all the costs noted above. The lender, using profiles estab­lished after analyzing hundreds of thousands of similar borrowers, will grant you the loan only if it thinks you can afford to make the payments. While this does not guarantee you can afford the house, if a lender says you can, it's usually something you can bank on.

For first-time buyers the real issue here is often "sticker shock." The costs of home ownership can sometimes be double the costs of renting. In a panic such buyers some­times feel, "I can't possibly make those kinds of pay­ments!" Usually it takes several months of successfully making all the payments before we calm down and feel more secure in our investment.

And remember, while it almost always does cost more to own a home, it's important to consider that there are certain trade-offs. Up to certain very high limits, you can usually deduct your mortgage interest, which typically is the major portion of your mortgage payment (at least ini­tially) from your income taxes. You can also deduct your property taxes. These two deductions can be very sub­stantial, often in many thousands of dollars. They mean that you will owe less in income taxes at the end of the year, sometimes a lot less. Have your accountant make the exact calculation for you. If this is your first home and you haven't claimed these deductions before, you may be able to claim more personal deductions and increase your take-home pay significantly. As a result, though the house costs a lot more, owning it may actually increase your spendable income!

Of course, it is possible to get in over your head. This is particularly the case when buyers use some sort of "cre­ative financing," where they put very little down and have a whole series of mortgages, from an institutional lender, from a seller, and from third parties. Always keep in mind that there's a price to pay for everything, although that price may not be evident at first. Usually the price for putting less of a down payment into a prop­erty is much higher payments.

Sometimes buyers will make an offer which includes the seller's furniture. Often times this will be for more than the asking price, to accommodate the furni­ture's cost. Usually, but not always, this is a mistake. If a seller has a good eye, the furnishings may make the place ever so appealing. But looking to the furniture instead of the home can be a costly error. The furniture will be old and worn out in a few years and, unless it's truly antique, will be virtually worthless. The home alone, however, if well bought, will appreciate in value.

I've seen deals where the buyers have made the purchase contingent on the furniture being thrown in and then offered less than full price, but not much less. For exam­ple, a friend recently bought a home in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was marvelously decorated in a tropical decor. The buyers asked the sellers if they would consider selling the furniture. The sellers said they would, but wanted $10,000 extra for it.

My friends checked out the market and felt the home was fairly priced. They then made an offer for slightly below full price, cash to a new loan, and included the fur­niture. The sellers wanted to sell, considered the cost of moving the furniture across the country to Maine, where they were going (and where the decor might not fit), and simply agreed. It was easier to just move on.

What's important to note here is that the offer my friends made was for the market price, or close to it. Yes, they might have forced the sellers to lower the price a bit more, but then my friends would have had to go out and spend around $10,000 on furniture. This way they got the house at a fair price (one they might have paid for a sim­ilar home without any furniture thrown in), plus they got a house full of furnishings. Sometimes, not always, it does work out.

Be wary of mixing personal property (furniture) with real property (the home) on the purchase agreement when you buy. It can be confusing to both you and the sellers and can mask the true value of the property as far as the lender is concerned. If personal property is included in the sales agreement, lenders may think the purchase price is based in part on furniture (which it may be). Since they are making a real estate mortgage, not a chattel (furniture or other personal property) loan, they may lower the amount they are willing to give accord­ingly. Sometimes a side agreement to buy the furniture works best in this situation.

Not if you want to avoid problems later on. A corner lot can be a problem selling because you could have noisy traffic on two sides. A pool house may seem desirable, but maintaining a pool, particularly an older one, can present headaches you never dreamed of.

Let's take corner lots first. My advice is to avoid them. Although they are often promoted as a special added fea­ture, they actually can detract from value. The reason is twofold. First, as just noted, you get traffic on two sides of the home. Second, a corner lot means more open area in the front of the house, where it usually is not usable and requires added maintenance. At the same time, because you have an open front on two streets, the size of the backyard is reduced, meaning less privacy.

Pools, on the other hand, generally help sell homes. I personally believe this is because most people have never had a house with a pool and dream of it as a luxury. Pools can be nice, particularly if you have children and are in a mild climate; children tend to enjoy pools immensely.

But pools can be difficult and expensive to maintain. You may need a pool service, particularly if the pool is older or has a problem. Plus there is the added lia­bility. You will undoubtedly have to increase your insur­ance to cover the pool. The old saw here is that the two best days of your life are the day you buy your pool home and the day you sell it.

Think twice before buying a home in Honolulu with the intent of later putting in a pool. These days pools are fabulously expensive to build. What with stricter building code requirements, more expensive materials and labor, $20,000 for even a small pool is not unreasonable. And when it comes time to sell, you probably won't get even half that amount back.

A possible alternative is the spa. The spa was originally popularized as a "hot tub" on the West Coast, but then the idea moved across the country. It is essentially a small pool of hot water, with accompanying air and water jets, in which to relax. At one time, spas definitely helped sell homes because they were a fad and it seemed everyone wanted one. In most areas today, however, the popularity has diminished, and buyers can take or leave a spa. As a result, they are considered an attractive feature, but usu­ally don't add anything to the home's price. I wouldn't pay extra for one, but would be pleased to have it thrown in as part of the purchase price. Spas generally require minimal maintenance.

There is nothing to be surprised to find people waiting for the redesign of their bedrooms by adding some sort of creative look. First make a list of what you want in a bedroom. Would you like a particular look? Be realistic about what can be achieved in the space you have. Depending on your bed room size you have to take decision on furniture setup and placement.

Start by drawing a plan of structural elements, such as the chimney breast, windows and doors - basically things that can not be moved. Then experiment with the position of the key pieces - beds, wardrobes, chests, remembering that you need space for drawers to open and walk around the bed.

 Largest bed is good for ideal bedroom. Disruption from partner is one of the most common causes of sleep problems. When you will setup your bed try to put the headboard against a wall, so that it can free up valuable wall space. Try to move your bed in the middle of the room and use the wall behind a closet with sliding doors.

As fixed bedroom furniture should be from floor to ceiling, there will be no gaps. Also when using the height of a wall can create useful wall cabinets to store small show or decorative pieces, books etc. You should have your own requirements on this base on that you should make the fixed furniture.

If you like wardrobes in the bedroom in your fixed cabinet, make sure you have the interior fittings as well. Look at your clothes and decide how many drawers you need, shelves for shoes and also for hanging spaces for party dresses and winter coats in your cabinet. Take advantage of the customization of space and decoration to get the right combination and the look you want.

Bedroom should be enter less people than the other rooms, you can have good looking carpet on floor  like a hairy loop and soft woolen feeling and choose pale shades which will make your exceptional. If you are unsure about the simple look, add the convenience of having a deep pile carpet beside the bed.

The basic rule of lighting in the bedroom is that a room should be bright in the morning and the atmosphere at night. Try to put table lamp on two sides of your bed side drawers or fit on your wall. You can also use the features so that you can control lighting brightness. Now a day these types of features come up with remote facilities. 

Do not forget that your bedroom should be a room that feels truly relaxed. That way you have many more chances of getting a good sleep at night. If you must have a TV or computer in your bedroom, creating the space of a separation between them and you should have your sleeping area as much as possible. If your bedroom space is small then you can take of interior designers, so that they can be hidden when the bed is not in use. Bedroom color should be light combo colors, so that your bed room looks distinctive than others.

The most important aspect of purchasing a piece of Hawaii commercial property is location. It does you no good to purchase the perfect building if the location is poor. You should have a list of qualities that you want in a property. But be flexible you can deal with building shortcomings easier than with a poor location. Once you know what type of property you are looking for you can start looking for the right location.

If you are thinking of buying a store or food establishment you will want to look at areas that are high traffic the more people that see your store or restaurant the more customers you will have. You also will not want to look at depressed areas. Look at the financial aspects of an area you are thinking of. You would not want to put a fine department store in an area that is low income. You will want to do your homework and make sure that the income of the area matches your business.

There are companies that for a fee will do a survey to see how any particular business will be received in the area. This is something that is well worth the cost. You want to be assured of the best possible chance of success. The majority of business fail in the first five years. It is to your advantage to make sure you are in the right area and that there is a need for any service that you may be offering. Because of this the initial cost of the research will be a sound investment.

Once you have found an appropriate property you will want to negotiate the best possible deal. You should have a real estate broker involved so that your interests are protected. They charge a commission, but again the advantages far outweigh the cost. Going for the cheapest route is not always the best idea. You will want to gain experience and knowledge that you do not have. You can pay to utilize others experience. In the long run this will be to your advantage.

Know your financial options you will want to negotiate the best interest rate for your business. You can do this by knowing what options are available to you. If you can get pre-approved this will allow you some leverage when dealing with a seller. They will take you seriously and if they are interested in making a quick sell any offer you submit will be looked at more favorably.

As everyone knows the housing market is one of the worst markets in the history, but you still have a home that you want to sell so here is some advice to help you do just that. The first thing that you need to do is be realistic and sensible about the price you are asking for your home. Have at least three real estate agents give you a comparative marketing analysis listing the asking price and selling price. You will be able to see if there are similar homes in your area and what they are selling for so you can price your home accordingly. If you find after your home has been on the market for a long period of time and you want to make a drop in price, make a large price cut instead of small cuts over a period of time.

Do not try to sell your home yourself, but find an experienced Hawaii real estate agent to do the selling for you. The reason that you should do hire an experienced real estate agent is that selling your home in today's market will require a great deal of marketing effort. The experienced real estate agent will also know what is needed to close the deal. You need to also make sure that you take the time to make sure your home is clean, painted, and the landscape is good.

Stage your home to make a great first impression because in today's housing market you need to use all the tools at your disposal because there is a lot of competition in the housing market today. A staged home will help to make your home more attractive. You can either do the staging yourself or hire someone to stage your home. You only have one chance to make a great first impression.

Another way to make your home stand out in today's housing market is to offer the potential buyer an incentive such as offering to pay a portion or maybe the entire buyer's closing costs. You could also offer real estate agents or anyone who refers prospects to you that eventually buy your home a cash bonus.

You could also offer to sell your home on contract because there are buyers out there that want to purchase a home, but do not have the full price to pay for a home nor can they get a loan from a regular lender. This way you would be selling your home and you would be getting monthly payments.

In order to be able to sell your Oahu home, you know that you are going to have to show it because no one wants to buy anything sight unseen. Although it may be a little more inconvenient, your home should always be ready to show. To make it easier for you, allow your real estate agent to put a lock box in a convenient place for other agents to be able to show our home without having to make an appointment. When an agent wants to show your home, they want to be able to show it when it is convenient for the buyer. If they cannot show it when the buyer wants to see it, there is a good possibility that you will lose the sale.

When the agent says that they and the buyers are come to see your home, try not to be there when they arrive because some home buyers may feel like they are intruding and may not be as receptive toward seeing your home. If you cannot leave, remain out of their way and do not move room to room. Do not offer any information, but answer any questions the real estate agent may ask.

When you know that your house is going to be shown, make sure that you turn on all the outdoor and indoor lights even if it is during the day. At night it will give the home a "homey" feeling and during the day, lights will prevent the harsh shadows from the sunlight. The lights will also brighten up any dim areas.

Make sure that you do not use any type of scented sprays because you may spray something that a prospective buyer is allergic too, preventing them from even seeing your home or having an allergic reaction to the scent.

Make sure that you keep the house tidy such as making sure that all the beds are made, papers are picked up, do not leave any dirty dishes sitting around or in the sink or dish drainer, make sure your house is dusted and vacuumed daily. In addition, make sure that the kitchen trash is taken out before the house is shown and a fresh bag is put back in the can, even if it only has a little bit of trash in it, especially if you do not have a lid on your kitchen trash can.

These are just a few little things to keep in mind when you are getting ready to sell your home and you have perspective buyers coming by to see your home.

When you decide to invest in Hawaii real estate you are investing in your future. Most people will realize their investment potential if they are willing to invest long-term. There are ways to make money fast in real estate, but they carry more risk factors. If you are looking at long-term investment goals then real estate investment is a great option.

The first thing to consider is how much money can you afford to invest? Knowing this in advance will save you much wasted time and effort. You will want to search for properties that will fit into your budget and are available with the financial options that you can utilize. With a good credit rating your options are open. You can pick and choose properties based on value instead of being limited to a specific mortgage option.

Location is very important. Know the area you are looking at. You should learn about the community that you are considering investing in. For instance you will want to know how the school district is rated, is it close to shopping, do they have a community watch? All of these things can affect the resale value of any property that you purchase.

You will want to look into what other homes are selling for in the same area. It is important to realize that even if your purchase is valued at two hundred thousand if other homes in the area are selling for one twenty five you will not get the two hundred thousand when reselling your property. Comparable value is important and should be researched.

Having a good home inspection done before you make an offer is a wise move. You don't want to be caught buying a home with poor electric or one that needs a roof. If you are prepared for having to improve a property then you can reflect needed repairs in your bid. You don't want to be caught unawares with unknown problems.

Look into the income that others in the area are making. High-income properties will usually move faster. The neighborhood can be sized up by simply traveling through it. Are the neighboring properties well maintained? Do they show pride of ownership? These issues will assist you when reselling your property. Basically you want to purchase in an area where people will want to live. No matter how good of a bargain a property is if it is not in a good area you will have trouble when you go to sell.

Hawaii real estate has often been the way to success. Many people have made their fortunes by using the real estate market. There are many ways to do this. Perhaps you just want a steady income that will allow you to live a better life on a day-to-day basis. This can be done with rental properties. It will gain you a steady monthly income and allow you to become self-employed if that is your wish.

There are a few simple things that you must always keep in mind when you become a rental property owner. First, you will want to get reliable tenants. This is the most important aspect. There are steps that you can take that will help to assure you get solid responsible people into your properties. You should always do a credit check and you want someone that consistently pays his or her own bills on time. You do not want to have to chase your rent check each month.

Another tip is to require first and last months rent along with a security deposit. The security deposit will protect you against any damages that may occur as a result of the renter's neglect or mistreatment of your property. You should protect yourself with a lease that maps out what you will do as a landlord and what you expect of anyone that is renting your property. Having a lawyer draw up a lease agreement is to your advantage. Using the premade leases that you can pick up at the store may not cover all of the issues that you wish to have addressed in your legal agreement.

You will also want to have several references. Call on your applicants reference to find out what type of renters they were, how they left the property, if they paid their rent in a timely fashion and if they would rent to them again. If you're prospective renter cannot supply you with reference that should be a red flag telling you to beware.

You have responsibilities as a landlord. You will have to address any repair issues in a timely manner. It is to your benefit to keep your properties up to code. Staying on top of the repairs and normal upkeep will allow you to collect the highest rents that you can which will of course allow you to make a larger profit. Whether you have one property or several looking into a rental management company may fit in with your needs. For a fee they will handle all of the details for you.