Moving to a New Home

After almost 20 years of exploring all things real estate as part of the TV Guide, the time has come to move to a new "home." Besides my feeling that the TV Guide may someday disappear,The Coconut will allow me to reach a broader audience.

For the uninitiated, page 4 of the TV Guide was, for years, the go-to venue for questions and conversations related to East Hawaii real estate. Whether it's fence lines, access, title, surveys, market conditions, new laws, loan programs or anything to do with real estate along the east side of the Big Island, page 4 helped provide direction.

While the move to The Coconut will allow Team Nakanishi to make new real estate friends, it does come with compromise. No longer will I be found on page 4 or any predictable page for that matter. In fact, this article will rotate along with all the other advertisers. While my intention has always been to provide meaningful discussion for buyers and sellers, I sincerely hope that searching out interesting real estate content will be worth turning the pages of The Coconut.

Is it time for you to move?

Speaking of moving to a new home, one of the most gratifying parts of a REALTORS® job is helping buyers new to Hawaii Island. Explaining how truly big this island is can be a challenge. Buyers arrive thinking they can make a property selection in a week. A buyer not familiar with the island might be able to identify a basic area within a week, that's it. While selecting a neighborhood has a great deal to do with price, buyers must consider a laundry list of variables even before a key opens a front door.

Elevation, which affects rainfall, climate and vegetation, is critical. Privacy is affected by land size AND frontage. Rural subdivisions are not created equal in this regard. Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (or lack thereof) must be considered. After that, a buyer must layer their location decision so that ocean views, county water, broadband, cable TV, paved roads, electricity, proximity to shopping, schools, flood zones, rainfall, lava zones, commute to Hilo, financing type (not all areas qualify for every loan type) are all considered.

Even when buyers are in the know, the list of buying decisions that must be made before a key is even put into a door can be extensive! With lava flowing, insurance issues have raised their ugly head. Lending policy and loans turn on the availability of affordable insurance…. or any insurance for that matter. All this and more is just part of a day's work for East Hawaii REALTORS® assisting buyers and sellers in the most important financial decisions they will ever make.

A new home can be very rewarding

So you see, moving is never easy but in this, the best place on the planet, making new friends and becoming close neighbors is just a matter of time and having the requisite knowledge to get the job done!

I look forward to seeing you each week as we explore all things real estate here in The Coconut!