Who is Howard Dinits?

Howard is a bundle of energy always ready to talk story about real estate, technology and health. His philosophy is to “tell it ‘how it is' without any sugar-coating", so here it is!

Howard and his Assistant, who is also his wife, split their time on Maui and the Big Island. With homes on two Islands, Howard is able to help people with Real Estate throughout Hawaii. He draws on skills from previous experience as a mortgage broker, web designer/marketer, and a real estate investor to make him a top realtor in Hawaii. As a result of the 9-11 attacks, his trip to Boston was cancelled when planes were grounded. He traded his much needed "east coast vacation tickets" in for tickets to Hawaii and decided to make the Big Island his home.

Upon arrival to Big Island, Howard went to a Kona Realtor asking to see only properties he could easily afford at $85,000 or under. The Realtor laughed; so, he drove to the east side and found a great neighborhood in Puna with high speed internet, paved roads, mail delivery and water. Yes, within his price range. He also found a great lifestyle, loving people, and mostly, all the amenities of the mainland, yet with warm weather!

Howard's focus is having fun and living a healthy lifestyle. Howard recently discovered he had hereditary gout. This problem had been plaguing him for years. After his diagnosis Howard decided to educate himself so that he could rid himself of daily pain the natural way, without drugs.  

"So many people are living with it and don't realize what's going on! I will be happy to share all I have learned with anyone interested, because just knowing and treating it has given me great relief. I thought I was just going to live in pain for the rest of my life and I would have to deal with it, but it turns out, there are very reliable methods to preventing gout pain." Said Howard.

"The problem starts when uric acids build up in the bloodstream and crystalize in the joints and cause pain. The build up is caused from eating foods that are high in purines.  “No, no” foods are any shellfish, seafood, meats, legumes, lentils, or game birds as well as, oatmeal, cranberries, and asparagus! Can you believe asparagus?! Gout can be naturally controlled with regular exercise, relaxation, lots of water, cherries, hemp oil, and a vegetarian diet. Once under control,  ' no-no' foods may be consumed once in a while and the pain won’t “kill you."

With Howard's comments in mind, what is his 2010 New Year's resolution? He says it is the year to take "Mary & Howard" time; one hour bike cruises with no phone calls or business conversations, just pure relaxation. His wife, Mary is his best teammate because they have opposite skills and they complement each other.

Mary is in charge of office affairs and all the details behind the scenes as Howard works in the field. He has to be present to show homes, stay abreast of his education, not only for professional licensing, but to be on top of cutting edge technology. He has built premiere websites over the years, which connects both buyers and sellers with information and the ability to work directly with Howard Dinits. He says most websites are about the Real Estate agent's ego instead of providing quality photos and listings. Consumers want an honest and comprehensive response quickly and with the help of the Internet and email Howard makes it all possible.

Real estate websites today need to incorporate web 2.0 skills. On Howard’s sites you’ll see virtual tours, streaming video, daily news, things to do, neighborhood and relocation information. High quality photos are crucial, Howard uses a wide angle lenses, proper lighting and staging to show the property in it’s best light.  A detailed description including driving directions is vital as many consumers find it easier to drive by a home first before deciding to ask for a showing. Listing the home at the right price gets showings, calls and action on the property - many times it can even get multiple offers!  Speaking of listing price, Howard's other philosophy is to attract attention to the property and he requires  sellers to come up with a figure which does not end in zeros to make their property stand out.

To prove the results of these ideas, Howard tells a story. "...a listing very recently, a lady had a home on the market for a long time. Wondering why it didn’t sell, she researched who was selling homes and found me because most of the  SOLD listings had my name on them. She gave me the perfect opportunity - to some, maybe impossible, but for me it was a challenge. She was willing to play the price is right with the numbers. The only thing was I had 90 days to sell her property. Quickly, I started marketing the home." (....Unrelated, but fortuitously, a computer illiterate man calls because he wrote Howard’s number down while clicking away on his new computer and couldn’t figure out how to get back to the website and search for homes....)

Howard continues, "I ended up personally helping this guy who knew nothing about computers learn how to do a property search by actually going to his home in Lahaina, made his home page www.BigIslandRealEstate.com and showed him how to shop for homes online. I had no idea where this would lead; I was just responding to a buyer inquiry.  Later that week, he flew in to Hilo to look at homes for sale, including the 90 day listing!  I knew shortly after arriving at my new listing, by his actions, that this home near the ocean was a complete match, so we went back to the office so I can provide more information about the home. In the office, I discovered he would not buy on his first day of looking, so I told him to go out for dinner with his girlfriend and made an appointment for the next day. It was risky, because he could go somewhere else, but he showed up on time and purchased the properly priced home on the 9th day of the listing."

New technologies Howard uses are:  a pocket video camera made by Kodak (Zi6) with a removable SD card to enable him to send videos to consumers or sellers or do a final walk through for his buyers. The retail price is $150 and he has used it many times. He recently videoed what a home looked like after the tenants vacated to show the messy conditions to convince the seller to pay for a cleaning service.

Another great technology is: text service available through an online texting service which sends detailed property information to folks interested in his listings. His 'For Sale' signs have a text area. The consumer types the text into their "internet enabled" phone and obtains immediate listing information including photos, price, links to his website, and other details. Meanwhile, 'the service' sends a message to him that the listing is being looked at and gives the phone contact of the person viewing it. He can then choose to call the potential client immediately to see if they would like more information or to schedule an appointment.

Supra Lock Boxes are another way to use technology. It is the most secure lock box available as it records each real agents name, license and phone number that shows a home. Howard can go online and track activity and follow up with agents after their showing without having to go out to the home to see who left a card on the counter!

In our closing, Howard wanted to stress his formula for selecting the best price and the importance of not showing a property unless it is at a positive. "Market Data or a Broker's Price Opinion is the best way of selecting a price. A full time real estate agent will have a better pulse on the market than an appraiser would, because appraisers are using data that is four month’s old. They don't know what is in escrow and won't know for a couple months. If you want to sell in today’s market, the list price needs to be at or below market value. The code of ethics state I cannot mislead a consumer on the value of a property, so I can not take over priced listings, and it is my fiduciary duty to explain what market value is to all potential buyers and sellers.

Howard has incorporated all of these talents and skills to propel himself to the top of his profession. He is the top selling RE/MAX agent on the Big Island and Maui. Howard has helped more people than any other Realtor, in the district of Puna in the years of 2007, 2008, and 2009. With his over 250 happy clients talking story about him and his honesty, integrity and hard work, Howard’s business continues to grow on both Maui and the Big Island. Via word of mouth he expects continued success throughout 2010 and beyond especially in the Kihei, Kahului, Wailuku, and Wailea areas. Howard owes all of his accomplishments, to his wife Mary for all of her help and understanding of the amount of time and energy that is required to be the Best of the Best.

November 2009 Maui Real Estate Statistics

November's Sales Volume – Residential Sales dipped slightly from October, however were
the second best month of the last 12 months. Condo Sales rose in November to 69 units and Land sales rose to 17 (including 5 Mixed-use lots in Maui Lani Village Center).

November's Median SALES prices for Homes slipped to $465,000 while Condos remained steady at $400,000. Land bumped up to $450,000.

Days on Market for Residential homes = 168 DOM, Condos = 192 DOM, Land = 284 DOM.
(General DOM Note: this is the average DOM for the properties that SOLD. If predominantly OLD inventory sells, it can move this indicator upward, and vice versa. Also, RAM's Days on Market are calculated from List Date to Closing Date [not contract date]. As such, it includes approximately 60 days of escrow time.) Also – Short Sales transactions can often take 4-6 months to close thereby extending the marketplace’s average DOM.

FOR BUYERS: Continued low interest rates and Newly Extended first time/move-up homebuyer incentives provide plenty of options for Buyers who qualify. Buyers should get Pre-Approved so they can shop in confidence (fewer last minute disappointments due to non-funding loans).

First-Time Home Buyers – This is your opportunity to purchase. Don’t let it pass you by …. ask Howard when his next First-Time Home Buyers workshop, get familiar with the process, get qualified/approved, do your homework to get your own home. Many current owners never thought they would be able to own until they attended a workshop, discovered they could, and are glad they did. This low point in the market is your rare chance, so don’t delay.

Maui condo sales, prices rise in Kihei & Wailea

By Allison Schaefers

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 10, 2009

Single-family home sales and prices fell on Maui last month, but condominium sales and prices rose, according to statistics from the Realtors Association of Maui.

While Maui's single-family home sales fell 11.3 percent to 71, condominium sales rose 24.5 percent to 61. The median price paid for a single-family home fell to $487,000, a 4.4 percent drop from the previous year. However, more than half of condo buyers paid at least $400,842 for a unit, a 4.1 percent gain from the year-ago October.

Terry Tolman, RAM's chief staff executive, said the recent data, along with shrinking inventory, is an indication that the market "appeared to be getting its footing."

But he also added that there are a considerable number of short-sale and foreclosure properties that need to be sold before the market can move ahead.

"Best deals are selling; everything else is getting old," Tolman said.

Sales on Maui finally have picked up as those short sales and foreclosures have begun to drive down prices, said Howard Dinits, a Realtor with RE/MAX Resort Realty in Wailea, who specializes in Big Island and Maui sales.

"I have six foreclosure properties waiting to hit the market, and there are people walking away from $800,000 and million-dollar homes," Dinits said.

Sellers who were once reluctant to drop their prices because "Maui is no ka oi" have had to get more realistic, he said.

"Unfortunately, we had the same problems as everyone else that had to drop their values, and so did we," Dinits said.

Home sales

The number of homes sold on Maui in October with the median price and percentage change from the same month last year:

Source: Realtors Association of Maui

Maui condo sales, prices rise in Kihei & Wailea

http://www.EasyMauiRealEstate.com

Do Agents Have to submit all Short Sale offers to the Bank?

Well . . . I want to clear things up for a lot of people. Being a Top Selling Agent in Hawaii I get to talk to a lot of people on both the Big Island and Maui. In the course of my speaking to and networking with other Realtors and Buyers I regularly encounter those who have a completely false impression with respect to who owes which duties to whom in the course of a short sale transaction. More specifically, many agents (both on the selling and buying sides of transactions) erroneously think that ALL short sale offers must be presented to lenders – nothing could be further from the truth!

Hawaii State legislation and interpretation, and several areas of law come into play in the course of a real estate transaction (e.g.: contract law, agency law, etc.) there are general principals and practices that can be said to apply. Generally speaking, the laws work like this:

• The listing agent for a property owes their fiduciary duties (care, confidentiality, obedience, accountability, loyalty, and disclosure) to the principal/client, who is virtually always the OWNER of the property.
• ALL offers must be presented to the OWNER of the property.
• The OWNER decides which offer(s) to accept, reject, or counter, based solely on the OWNER'S personal criteria, which may, or may not be price (e.g.: A fast sale may be more important to the owner than a top dollar sale. Similarly, a cash, "as-is" offer may be perceived by the owner to be a better bet than a higher priced offer that has to go through financing and inspection approvals).

For some reason, I find that a very large number of practitioners treat Short Sale transactions as if they were already REO transactions. Such confusion leads to wrong decisions with respect to the presentation of offers, and complicates and prolongs an all too often already complicated and time consuming process. Given these general principals, and in order to answer the question of whether all offers must be presented to a short sale lender, let’s explore the differences between Short Sale and REO/Bank Owned transactions

In an REO transaction the lender has already foreclosed on the property, which means that the LENDER is the OWNER of the property. If we apply the three general principals outlined above to an REO, Bank Owned, Foreclosure transaction we see that:

• The listing agent for the property owes their fiduciary duties to the LENDER .
• ALL offers must be presented to the LENDER.
• The LENDER decides which offer(s) to accept, reject, or counter, based on the LENDER'S own criteria.

In a Short Sale transaction, while the lender may have initiated the foreclosure process, the BORROWER is still the OWNER of the property. If we apply the three general principals outlined above to a Short Sale transaction we see that:

• The listing agent for the property owes their fiduciary duties to the BORROWER (not the lender).
• ALL offers must be presented to the BORROWER (not the lender).
• The BORROWER (not the lender) decides which offer(s) to accept, reject, or counter, based solely on the BORROWER'S personal criteria, which may, or may not be price (e.g.: In the case of a short sale situation, where interest, fees, and legal costs continue to accrue until the property is sold, a fast sale may be more important to the borrower than a top dollar sale. Similarly, a cash, "as-is" offer may be perceived by the borrower to be a better bet than a higher priced offer that has to go through financing and inspection approvals).

Clearly, in the case of a Short Sale, the agent works for the borrower and the borrower makes the decisions as to which offer(s) to accept, reject, or counter. Once a decision to accept an offer is made by the BORROWER, only then is the offer forwarded to the lender. The transaction proceeds as does any other with respect to subsequent offers that may come in – once an offer is accepted, the borrower is "under contract" (subject to third party approval by the lender) and they do not continue to entertain offers. Yes, they may accept an offer as a "back-up," but a back-up offer only comes into play when/if the initially accepted offer falls apart, and only then would it be forwarded to the lender.

The lender is merely a third party "approver" of the transaction – they are not "a party to" the transaction. This is an important distinction! The lender simply has the right to reject, or accept the offers that the borrower chooses to forward. You must remember that a short sale is a completely voluntary attempt by a borrower to avoid a foreclosure -- a borrower does not have to opt for a short sale. That being the case, if a borrower is under no obligation to even attempt a short sale, how in the world could it be said that a lender has a right to be presented an offer?

Now that you understand the borrower’s obligation to present offers vis-à-vis the lender, let’s shift gears and specifically focus on the short sale listing agent by first asking some questions about the general obligations of real estate agents to their clients, and then extrapolating the answers to short sale agents specifically.

Generally speaking, would it ever be tolerated for the agent of a client to act AGAINST the best interests of that client? Would it ever be tolerated for the agent of a client to act on behalf of a party who was acting expressly AGAINST the interests of their client? The answers of course are that, "Such acts would never be tolerated!"

That said, how could it be possible for the agent of a borrower to be compelled to work for the lender? Isn’t the lender working for THEIR OWN best interests, and not those of the borrower?

Clearly, the lender is working for their own best interests, which are directly adverse to the borrower’s interests (after all, the lender is either in the process of, or threatening to foreclose on the borrower’s property, which is about as adverse a situation as there is). Given the nature of an agent’s fiduciary duties to their clients, the agent for a borrower MUST do all that is legally within the scope of their representation to PROTECT the borrower from the lender and to advocate on behalf of the BORROWER’S position, not the position of the lender. There is nothing wrong with this – this is exactly what an agent is hired to do!

Now that it’s been explained to you, doesn’t it make sense?

Do you see how you have been mistaken if you thought that all short sale offers had to be presented to the lender? If you are a listing agent, do you see how presenting all short sale offers to the lenders could constitute a breech of your fiduciary duties to your clients? If you are a buyer’s agent, do you see that you have absolutely no right whatsoever to DEMAND that your buyers’ short sale offers be presented to lenders?

The bottom line is this: A borrower has no obligation to present all short sale offers to a lender, which means that a borrower’s agent has no obligation to present all short sale offers to a lender, which means that a buyer’s agent has no right to demand their short sale offer be presented to the lender. To transact under any other premise is to misunderstand the process completely.

Got Questions? Do not Hesitate to contact
Howard Dinits RS
RE/MAX Resort Realty for a FREE consultation.

808-874-0600
http://www.EasyMauiRealEstate.com

Many people ask Howard Dinits a Maui Real Estate agent where do you go to Recyce in Maui? Or they make excuses like, it is not convenient. Well I say Male Cow Doo Doo. It is easy to be green in Maui, Hawaii.

See for yourself,

Howard Dinits RS
RE/MAX Resort Realty
808-874-0600
http://www.EasyMauiRealEstate.com

RECYCLING BUSINESS PARTNERS
These businesses and organizations provide valuable community service by
accepting, recycling, reusing or processing so much of our recyclables that might
otherwise go into the landfill. Please phone first to confirm policies, hours of operation
and acceptable materials.
Ad-Ventures 893-2209 telephone books
Aloha Recycling 871-8544 HI 5 redemption & processing
Aloha Shares Network 268-4380 usable materials exchange
Aloha Shell 877-5894 HI 5 redemption
Aloha Waste Systems 893-0932 waste/recyclables hauling
Big Brothers/Big Sisters 242-9754 household items, clothing
Calasa Service Station 878-1818 used motor oil
Cartridge World 871-6460 ink/laser cartridges
Community Workday 877-2524 paint
EKO Compost 572-8844 green waste, sells compost
Goodyear Tires 244-4074 tires
Graphics Technology 879-9390 rebuilt computers, repairs
Hasegawa General Store 248-8231 HI 5 redemption
Home Depot 893-7800 household & tool batteries, CFLs
Hawaiian Telcom 242-5148 cell phones & batteries
International Market Place, Lahaina 298-7159 HI 5 redemption
Interstate Battery Systems of Hawaii 242-5887 auto & marine batteries
Joy of Worms 573-3911 home compost education, worms
& sells compost systems
Kihei/Wailea Union 76 879-2728 used motor oil
Kitagawa Towing 877-5611 junk cars
Lanai NAPA 565-9027 used motor oil
Lanai Waste Removal 565-6478 waste/recyclables hauling
Longs Drugs Kahului-Photo Dept. 877-0322 household batteries
Longs Drugs Kihei-Photo Dept. 879-2669 household batteries
Longs Drugs Lahaina-Photo Dept. 661-5439 household batteries
Maui Construction &
Demolition Landfill 242-1101 commercial & residential C&D
Maui Disposal Company 242-7999 waste/recyclables hauling, processing
Maui Earth Compost 877-0403 green waste, sells compost
Maui Food Bank 243-9500 usable produce & packaged food
Maui Oil Change & Tune-Up 877-7522 used motor oil
Maui Recycling Group 268-4380 recycling education
Maui Recycling Service 244-0443 curbside recycling service,
residential & commercial
Maui Tires 357-3241 tires in large quantities
Maui Transmissions 573-0600 used motor oil
NAPA/United Auto Parts-Wailuku 244-3774 used motor oil
NAPA/United Auto Parts-Lahaina 661-4461 used motor oil
Office Max 877-9448 / 662-0011 all toner cartridges
Pacific Biodiesel 877-3144 fats, oils, grease from restaurants
Paia Chevron 579-9440 sells B20 (biodiesel blend)
Paradise Pages 1-800-489-8230 telephone books
Parts Plus/Car Quest 871-7668 used motor oil
PF Restoration 244-5905 patio furniture repair
Pua’a Food Waste Service 268-3287 food waste from restaurants
Quiet Time Recycled Insulation 357-1908 newsprint cellulose insulation
Reynolds Aluminum 385-1867 HI 5 redemption, non-ferrous metals
SOS Metals Island Recycling 280-8844 metals, autos, appliances
Teens on Call 579-6011 event recycling
Tri-Isle RC&D 244-1800 Lanai recycling programs
Unitek Solvent Services 877-2667 commercial oil
WalMart 871-7062 used oil, tires, auto batteries
Zitro Recycling 357-3227 HI 5 redemption

SECONDHAND STORES AND THRIFT SHOPS
Rainbow Attic household items, clothing,furniture 874-0884
A-1 Recycled Appliances 242-6937 repairable appliances
Buyers Paradise 878-2826 usable furniture, decor
Endangered Pieces 572-6444 sells furniture, decor
Friends of the Library 871-6563 books, magazines
Habitat for Humanity-Restore 968-8050 building materials, refurb. computers
Holy Rosary Thrift Store 579-8714 household items, clothing
Ilin’s New & Used Furniture 242-4788 furniture
Kala Iki Thrift Store 878-1221 household items, clothing
Pink Plumeria Consignment 877-0007 clothing
Salvation Army Kihei 875-8065 household items, clothing
Salvation Army Lahaina 661-8827 household items, clothing
Savers 871-7244 household items, clothing
St. Anthony’s Thrift Store 242-7785 household items, clothing
St. Joseph’s Thrift Store 572-9150 household items, clothing

Why Live in Maui?

Hawaii is the 2nd Happiest State!

Here are the top 10 states and their average well-being scores (out of a possible 100 points):
Utah: 69.2
Hawaii: 68.2
Wyoming: 68
Colorado: 67.3
Minnesota: 67.3
Maryland: 67.1
Washington: 67.1
Massachusetts: 67
California: 67
Arizona: 66.8

To read the whole article, click:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33830268/ns/health-mental_health/?GT1=43001

I am often asked where should I stay. Or what are the fun thing to do in Kihei, Wailea, Maui.

Here is a list I am sure you will find some options that you like.

In addition to striving to be the Best Real Estate Agent on the Valley Island, Hawaii. Howard Dinits is also an innovator with the first Maui Real Estate Agent Site with an iPhone application allowing you to search for REO's, Bank Owned Properties, and Foreclosures with your iphone for Maui Island Real Estate, Homes in Kihei, Wailea, Kahului, Wailuku and Lahaina all can be searched on your iPhone.

In the near future http://www.EasyMauiRealEstate.com will have aps for the new Droid and Blackberry mobile phones

Maui Real Estate Sales Hawaii Homes Sold

Hawaii real estate sales

For the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 2