If you’re in the market for luxury real estate in Hawaii, chances are it’s not your first home-buying rodeo. But, unlike purchasing property on the mainland, it might be the first time that you couldn’t easily make it out to your soon-to-be house for home inspections, contract negotiations or meeting with your agent or broker. While it’s not much different than buying a home in the continental United States, there are still a few steps that might be challenging for first time sight unseen buyers.
Financing
While it might be fun to jump right into the house hunting, it’s important to set your budget before you do anything else. Just like purchasing a property in person, first you need to decide on financing. If you’re paying cash, good for you! You can skip ahead to the next section. If you’re looking to finance the home, it’s time to search for a lender.
Consider working with a local lender on the Big Island. Not only are they used to working with clients remotely, but they also know the area and can give you important local real estate information from a distance. If you’re having trouble finding a lender, send me an email and I can offer some suggestions.
Once you’ve found a lender, go ahead and get pre-qualified and pre-approved for a mortgage. This will give you an idea for what you can afford. Remember to include maintenance fees and any HOA costs into your budget. They can sneak up on you later if you forget about them.
Find Your Home
Now the fun begins! In the days of yore, you actually had to go out into the world, find a real estate agent and physically search for available homes, which would make it nearly impossible for you to find homes in Hawaii without buying a plane ticket. Today, most people just sit on their couch and surf the web for available listings anywhere in the world.
During this stage, it’s also important to keep in mind why you’re buying property. Is it going to be a vacation home, retirement destination, investment property or quick flip? When house hunting remotely, working closely with a real estate agent is essential. Since you can’t physically go to look at the property yourself, they have to do it for you. Be completely transparent with your agent. If they don’t know what you’re looking for, they won’t make a very good proxy.
When looking at pictures of properties online, remember that websites are trying to sell the house. They want to make it look as good as possible in the online pictures. Use other websites like Google Maps and the street-view to get a feel for the neighborhood, views and roads around the property. Also, remember that the Big Island of Hawaii is relatively secluded. Be sure to check the distances to the nearest grocery store, gas station, restaurants and anything else you might visit frequently.
Purchasing Property
Once you’ve found the one, it’s time to pull the trigger and put it under contract. Your real estate agent will work as your proxy in all meetings, walkthroughs and inspections. Thanks to modern technology, you’re welcome to tag along every step of the way via video chat. Since you can’t look around yourself, don’t be shy when it comes to asking questions during home inspections. Again, make sure your Realtor understands your motives behind purchasing the property, so they know what to look for.
Negotiations and writing contracts are easily done online, and when it comes to signing the contracts, you can still do it remotely with a notary. Buying property sight unseen isn’t an issue if you’re working with the right team.
Moving to Hawaii
If you’re moving to Hawaii and would like a place move-in ready by the time you arrive, or if you’re simply too busy to travel to the Big Island to search for houses, contact me to get started. I have years of experience working with remote clients from all over the world, buying and selling homes in the Islands. If you’re ready to start living the life of luxury in Hawaii, give me a call at 808.209.6244 or send an email to RandyRipley808@gmail.com.
Aloha, and welcome to Hawaii.