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The Goal:  My mission is to work with you to sell the property so you can move forward to your next life adventure.

The Agent: Kevin Lewis, a Hawaii Real Estate Professional with a good track record.  I'm a full time Hilo real estate agent and have been active in the Big Island real estate market since 2000.  I'm a graduate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, and hold Enrolled Agent and Certified Financial Planner™ designations.  I have built good networking relationships with other Hawaii real estate agents through many sales transactions, and by having served as past Treasurer, on the Board of Directors, and various committees with the Hawaii Island Realtors®.  I have been developing strong negotiation skills by serving as a volunteer mediator in my local community.  While I cannot guarantee a fast sale, I can promise that I work honestly with my clients and hope to earn your referrals and repeat business.   Client Recommendations   Why Use A Realtor?

The Agency:  Prudential Real Estate has Nation-Wide Recognition and an Reputation for Excellence.  In our local market, our office has been recognized as one of the top selling real estate offices for all of Hawaii County.  We have an active local website RealEstateHawaii.com, a full-time marketing director to help promote your listing through internet and local advertising.  Prudential Real Estate has substantial internet presence where our listings are featured through a variety of real estate websites such as Prudential Real Estate, Aloha Living, Google, Realtor.com, Trulia, Yahoo Real Estate, and Zillow.   Prudential Orchid Isle Properties

The Real Estate Market:  Is it a Buyer's Market or Seller's Market in Hawaii?  Real Estate markets are cyclical by nature, and there are always Buyers in the market looking for a good deal.   Real Estate Market Report

The Buyer:  Buyers today are shopping to find the best deal.  If you overprice when you first go on the market, interested Buyers will often wait until you lower the price, then try a low ball offer thinking you must be desperate to sell after so many months on the market.  Been there, seen it happen many times.  If we price too low, we might get a bidding war going!  All Buyers love what they perceive is a bargain... that is when most properties sell.  Think about what you had in mind when YOU bought the property.

The Marketing:  It's about getting seen.  Part of my job is to get your property seen by potential Buyers, as well as by the 1,500 or so licensed real estate agents on the Big Island of Hawaii.  A Seller's agent rarely "brings in the Buyer."  The Buyer will most likely be working with their own agent.  I am active with the Hawaii Island Realtors through whom I network with many of the local agents.   Prudential Marketing

• Buyers are shopping online, and I help your listing be seen all over the world wide web.  Our Multiple Listing Service (Hawaii Information Service) allows your listing to be seen through numerous real estate website feeds.  Sometimes that is not enough.  I subscribe to have my listings show up as "Featured Listing" on websites such as Realtor.com, and through other websites.  This gives potential Buyers additional opportunities to see your listing.  My Sellers receive weekly reports from Prudential Real Estate as to how many times your listing has been seen on several websites.  This gives you an idea of the online activity for your listing.   See My Listings
   

• Buyers want to see good photos of a property.  Our MLS requires at least one photo on a residence, but not on land.  I go to all of my properties and take descriptive photos, put up signs (where possible), and post directions to my land listings.  It makes your listing appear more attractive online, and someone can more easily locate it.
   

• I advertise in the local newspaper and real estate publications such as Homes and Land and the Real Estate Book of Big Island of Hawaii.   I feature my residential property listings on our real estate caravan where other agents can preview the latest listings, and hold open houses where possible.  I subscribe to Home Feedback which sends out a questionnaire to the showing agent so you can read their opinions about pricing and any special comments.
   

• I maintain my own Hawaii real estate website, as you see here!  I get quite a few internet inquiries from potential Buyers from all over the world, who are investigating buying property on the Big Island of Hawaii.  HiloAgent.com has several pointer names including BigIslandAgent.com, KonaAgent.com, and PunaAgent.com.  In addition I have an agent websites thru Prudential, Homes and Land, Realtor.com and other agent profile pages.   Big Island Big Value

The Secret to Selling: Being Competitive.  We'll go over the numbers of what has sold in recent months, and how your property compares to your competition.  The Seller sets the Asking price and the Buyer (aka, the Market) creates the Sale price, which is the successful agreement between what a Buyer will pay and the Seller will accept.  Once in a while I come into competition with an occasional agent who will "bid up the listing price" just to get your business.  Asking an above market price does not mean that you will sell the property for more money.  You either price your property to sell with a little bit of negotiation room, or the property generally sits on the market until the better values have sold first.

The Rest of My Job is helping with showings, negotiate through offers and the escrow process.  It's sometimes a balancing act to work with a Buyer (or their Agent), Seller, Title Company, Lender, Home Inspector, Insurance company, Surveyor, Termite Inspector... so that everyone does what they are supposed to do to be able to close an escrow on time!

I hope to be the agent that you decide to work with.  Please feel free to call or email me with questions, and thank you for visiting my website.  Mahalo,  Kevin

Short Sales and Foreclosures

In Hawaii, the Realtor agent can assist in a sales transaction, but cannot act as a consultant to provide loan or legal advice as these are areas where we are not licensed.  I have done some research, however, to locate helpful Short Sale and Foreclosure information links.  These resources are thought to be reliable, but the information or services cannot be guaranteed.

Additional Real Estate Resources

1031 Exchange   HARPTA   Hawaii Fair Housing Laws   Hawaii Home Sales Statistics   Home Buying and Selling Essentials   Housing Market Predictor