07-04-2006, 10:09 AM
Hi Lenny
Well, I'll tell you what we did...we were in much the same position except for the selling of a mainland home. We were there for a week and pretty much knew that we would make the decision one way or another based on what we accomplished.
So here's what we did;
We had been in communication with our Realtor (John Dirgo BTW) about our budget and what we were looking for, priorities, must haves, deal breakers, etc.
We had been to Puna before so we were a little further ahead in the game.
We drove around as many of the subdivisions as we possibly could. (By a map ahead of time and lay out an itinerary) We even checked out some that we were pretty sure we weren't interested in just to be sure. Then we went and met with John at his office and he printed us out a list from the MLS of every house on the market at that time that fit our parameters.
We spent that evening planning out our route, got up early and checked out each and every house. Some we could eliminate with a drive-by. Otherwise, we got out and walked around as much as we could, checked out the neighbors, etc. Take detailed notes as you go, don't wait until you are finished, they'll all blend together. Take notes that will help jog your memory.
We called John that night and gave him the list of what we had whittled it down to. A couple of days later he took us to all of those houses (5 I think) except one that had already gone under contract.
We took pictures, took notes, talked about what we thought, walked up and down the streets, all that.
In between the houses, we talked with John about his impressions to add a professional/local perspective.
We talked and talked and talked and pretty much came down to one we could afford and one that needed a lot of work.
After we had been home for a few weeks we finally called John and told him to make an offer on the house.
The procees from so far away was hectic at times but John kept our eyes on the task at hand and walked a couple of first timers through it all.
I don't know about the resume idea. I just know that we were there for a week and spent all of that time except one afternoon (at Kapoho hot ponds) on the house hunting.
Banyan Drive in Hilo is pretty much a half hour from Pahoa unless you're caught in commute traffic. Leilani is very close to Pahoa (5-10 minutes) as are Hwn. Beaches, Shores, etc. HPP is probably half way between Hilo and Pahoa.
HTH and best of luck.
Jon
Well, I'll tell you what we did...we were in much the same position except for the selling of a mainland home. We were there for a week and pretty much knew that we would make the decision one way or another based on what we accomplished.
So here's what we did;
We had been in communication with our Realtor (John Dirgo BTW) about our budget and what we were looking for, priorities, must haves, deal breakers, etc.
We had been to Puna before so we were a little further ahead in the game.
We drove around as many of the subdivisions as we possibly could. (By a map ahead of time and lay out an itinerary) We even checked out some that we were pretty sure we weren't interested in just to be sure. Then we went and met with John at his office and he printed us out a list from the MLS of every house on the market at that time that fit our parameters.
We spent that evening planning out our route, got up early and checked out each and every house. Some we could eliminate with a drive-by. Otherwise, we got out and walked around as much as we could, checked out the neighbors, etc. Take detailed notes as you go, don't wait until you are finished, they'll all blend together. Take notes that will help jog your memory.
We called John that night and gave him the list of what we had whittled it down to. A couple of days later he took us to all of those houses (5 I think) except one that had already gone under contract.
We took pictures, took notes, talked about what we thought, walked up and down the streets, all that.
In between the houses, we talked with John about his impressions to add a professional/local perspective.
We talked and talked and talked and pretty much came down to one we could afford and one that needed a lot of work.
After we had been home for a few weeks we finally called John and told him to make an offer on the house.
The procees from so far away was hectic at times but John kept our eyes on the task at hand and walked a couple of first timers through it all.
I don't know about the resume idea. I just know that we were there for a week and spent all of that time except one afternoon (at Kapoho hot ponds) on the house hunting.
Banyan Drive in Hilo is pretty much a half hour from Pahoa unless you're caught in commute traffic. Leilani is very close to Pahoa (5-10 minutes) as are Hwn. Beaches, Shores, etc. HPP is probably half way between Hilo and Pahoa.
HTH and best of luck.
Jon