About Aunty

Aunty is a new senior citizen and loving this phase of her life. Less responsibilities, less fear of being weird, able to do more of the things that I want to do! Older, yes, slower, yes, but life is even more wonderful in my golden years and I look forward to even goldener ones.

Aunty the Realtor (update – not anymore)

Uncle would make a great real estate agent.  I never wanted him to be one because he is so handsome and charming – call it jealousy and control; I call it being smart and safe.  Well, we are getting older and it’s time to let kites fly and dogs run.

Paul Xavier & Co. (formerly Real Estate Xtreme) have presented a great opportunity to anyone who is already a licensed realtor or agent, or thinking of becoming one.  To kick it off, they are re-naming and re-branding to Nextage Aloha Realty and moving into a bigger office in the same Pearl City complex at 98-029 Hekaha Street behind Cutter Ford.

Nextage is a different way of compensation for realtors.  Traditionally, an agent and broker have a pre-determined split of commissions, and if an agent sells, he/she makes a cut of the sale and the broker makes a cut.  If an agent doesn’t sell anything, he/she doesn’t make anything.   A wise friend of Uncle was a realtor for the very reason that real estate is the most expensive item people buy, and has the highest commission.  The next most expensive item is their car.  So, if you are going to make commisions, make it with real estate (followed by automobile commissions I suppose).

Imagine combining the multi-level marketing concept of companies such as Amway, Shaklee, Mary Kay Cosmetics, etc. to real estate.  All those spokes that radiate out from your base also help to feed your base.  At the same time, whatever sales you make are credited to you and help to raise you to a higher compensation level.  The more people that sign up under you increase your compensation level, and so on.

Well, when I first heard the presentation from Paul Xavier and saw the slide presentation, I dismissed it as a MLM (multi-level marketing) gimmick and not for me.  However, the more I thought about it the better it became.  This is passive income in the most lucrative and desirable market of real estate, with the option to get more active and generate even more income.  The fluctuations of selling one month and not selling the following month are padded with the team commissions from your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. generations of agents.  The bottom man on the totem pole will still get the biggest share of the commission since he did the most work, but you also get to share in the “remainder” portion whether you had a hand in the sale or not.  It becomes one big team and it would deserve a great big team party at the restaurant of our choice every year!

Seriously, I might have Uncle get his license, or I’ll get one [Got mine!].  Aunty signed up under Nextage Aloha Realty – for $125/year + $80 start up fee.  I’ll soon have a website for anyone wanting to become a Nextage agent, so ask me about it before you do sign up and Aunty gets credit.  [Aunty has decided not to renew her license as a real estate salesperson – it IS a lot of responsibility and a whole lot more to learn!] Paul Xavier doesn’t believe in Las Vegas investing (yet), and we probably have more differences in politics, philosophies, and poop, but he is a straight shooter.  I respect straight shooters even if I don’t like their brand of bullets.

Meanwhile, check out Paul & Co’s new website NextageAlohaRealty.com. This gives a brief overview of the “we” instead of just “me vs them” kind of company concept. Make sure you let the know Aunty sent you so I get credit.  [Or so Paul thinks that Aunty is cool.]  Paul also runs info meetings about Nextage every Monday evening at 7:00 pm at the new office in Aiea.  Contact them at:

808-483-5777

and let them know you want to attend their free info seminars to learn more!

I took my pre-licensing course from Abe Lee Online Seminars.  I find his audio lessons really entertaining and educational at the same time.  It costs me $425, but well worth the money – as it teaches me as well as prepared me to pass the State and general tests in order to get licensed.  I am also interested in his Ninja training – the cadillac of systems for realtors.  So much to learn, it’s a wonderful time.

Here’s a website that compares rental prices in your area:  rentometer.com.  Pretty cool stuff for a realtor, renter, or landlord.

MySmartMove.com is a site that helps landlords by taking online tenant applications and checking their credit and criminal information for a fee ($25 or $30, depending).  Fees can be billed to prospective tenants, though it is up to them to accept those conditions.  Check out their video (rather long) tutorial to see if this will work for you.

Financing in Hawaii

When we were just married and starting our family, an incredible opportunity arose for us to buy the house we loved and currently lived in.  We were renting, and kind of half arsedly looking for a place to buy.  I liked almost every house we looked at, but Uncle would say, “too hot”, or “junk”, or “no more lichee tree”.  Then, the owner of the house we lived in offered the house to us for a great price (Hawaii prices in the 1980’s were good) of $165,000.

So, we did what almost all local young couples do – ask our parents for help with the down payment, and get a loan for the rest.  Because it was our very first time borrowing money from the bank for such a large amount, it was a big learning curve and a great victory when the loan was approved and we signed an inch of paperwork.

Now, financing is a different animal.  After the sub-prime loan fiasco that resulted in thousands of foreclosures, banks’ underwriters are like bloodhounds looking for a reason to deny your loan.  You must be very diligent in knowing where every dollar was spent and keep copies of any check deposits.  However, only give them what they ask for, otherwise you open up a can of worms and they want documentation for a whole bunch of other unrelated stuff.

I have been unimpressed with Bank of Hawaii, the “best” bank in the nation.  I thought loans were how banks made money.  I also thought loyalty to a bank should give a lot more credence to service and help streamline the process.  Although it would be convenient to have my banking and mortgages at the same bank, it didn’t happen, for whatever reasons. [Update, Bank of Hawaii has gotten better at lending now.  Which goes to show that it pays to ask around because institutions change their policies all the time.]

Cyrus Robinson at Territorial Savings Kahala branch is great to talk to.  It’s nice to have the branch manager as your point of contact.  I had my call returned immediately by him, and 4 loans processed, all at the same time.  Unfortunately that meant 4 hits to my credit score at the beginning and at the end of the loan approval process, but the main thing is the loans were approved.  I love the tellers at the very small Kahala branch.  All of them happy, fast with their fingers, and very nice.  I just opened a new business checking account with them – very easy, very fast, very personable.  This might not be the biggest bank but they sure know how to make you feel like family.

Robert Kiyosaki stated that the most important question to ask a loan officer is if their income is based on salary or commission.  The one you want is a person who is paid on commission.  They are more driven and able to find you what you need rather than be constrained by their employer’s restrictions and rules.

We currently use Noreen Ho, a loan officer with Savvy Realty and Loans who also performs as a traveling notary public.  Noreen is sharp, focused, and has never disappointed.  Her email is nho398@gmail.com, phone (808) 398-8528.

Hard money loans.  Yikes.  In this I am like a chicken.  High interest, high points, short term, with almost the same scutiny and qualifications of a bank.  Maybe I need to get over it, but for now, I’m not ready to deal with that venue.  On the flip side, being a hard money lender does sound appealing….

Joint ventures – this is something I am really really thinking about.  There are a myriad of ways to enter a joint venture.  Uncle and I are maxed out on conventional loans.  Someone who doesn’t have many loans can qualify and get conventional loans.  This takes a bit of time on my part to learn how to do joint ventures where everyone wins.  Currently, we are participants in joint ventures with Real Deals Hawaii, with them in the driver’s seat.  For now, it’s good.  In the future, we might want to call out for fellow investors to enter a joint venture with us.  I’ll let you know when we do.

Tempting, but full of tension, are those blank checks the credit card companies send to us.  0% financing for a year with a 4% transaction fee, or 3.99% interest with no transaction fee.  I suppose they are good for short term use, and I keep all the offers in a drawer, just in case.  This is potential good debt that can turn ugly if it isn’t paid off by the end of promotion date.

Check the newspaper and see what is out there.  I just saw an ad from First Hawaiian Bank offering a 30 year conventional mortgage with zero points!  That is pretty awesome.  Bank of Hawaii has a 1.99% HELOC for the first year.  Haven’t really looked into more ads, but I will and suggest you do too.

Real Estate Book List

11 Real Estate Investing Books Investors Should Read
by Frank Chen

Reading Real Estate Investing books will make you a better Real Estate Investor. Here are my Top 11 Real Estate Investment Books you should put on your Need-To-Read List.1. Rich Dad Poor Dad (by: Robert Kyosaki)

I believe this is a great book for the beginner investor because it has the capability of changing one’s thinking to influence one’s fortune. In this book, Mr. Kiyosaki depicts the lives of two types of parents, the hard working parent who lives in the everyday “rat race” (the book elaborates on the ‘rat race’ in detail), and the smart working parent who invests and is able to build lasting wealth and gain financial freedom.

2. How I turned $1,000 into Five Million in Real Estate in My Spare Time (By: William Nickerson)

This book does not have any “get-rich-quick” methods. What is does have are simple advices and strategies that will guide you and your real estate decisions. It contains proven techniques of real estate investing, which are designed to provide positive results.

3. Nothing Down for the 90s (By: Robert Allen)

This book is excellent for beginners or experienced investors because it will teach you how to…
• Use real estate to build monthly income
• Finance bargain properties for equity or cash flow
• Guarantee and secure your retirement
• Find and profit from foreclosures before they are listed
• Sell and trade for maximum gain
• Increase property value
• Use owner financing to create opportunities
• Obtain direct, legal tax cuts
• Profit from conversions
• Develop effective negotiation techniques,
and much more…

4. Landlording: A Handy-manual for Scrupulous Landlords and Landladies Who Do It Themselves (By: Leigh Robinson)

This is a very popular landlording book that provides great tips on how to better manage your rental properties, how to attract and keep good tenants, and make good landlording decisions. This book has helped many investors eliminate the typical hassles when dealing with rental properties.

5. 5 Magic Paths to Making a Fortune in Real Estate (By: Robert Lumley)

This real estate book offers simple, straightforward explanations of the most common and lucrative approaches to property investment–including fixer-uppers, lease/options, wholesales, buy-and-hold, and single-and multifamily rentals. It also teaches you how to find foreclosed, repossessed, or condemned properties, Negotiate with sellers and buyers, etc…

6. The Pre-foreclosure Property Investor’s Kit (By: Thomas Lucier)

This book offers step-by-step instruction and no-nonsense advice on how to find great deals, estimate fair market value, negotiate with sellers, sell your property on your own, and how to win big in real estate. It also covers how-to utilize simple ready-made worksheets, checklists, forms, and agreements that make getting started easy in the investment biz.

7. Aggressive Tax Avoidance for Real Estate Investors (By: John T. Reed)

This real estate investor book covers every aspect of the real estate market, telling how to avoid paying taxes–legally–in order to make the most out of land and property investments.

8. The 16% Solution (By: J.D. Joel S. Moskowitz)

Mr. Moskowitz simply explains what tax lien certificates are (liens against property for unpaid taxes), why they are safe (certain states insure them), and how they fit into an overall financial plan.

9. Perpetual Income (By: Bryan Wittenmyer)

This real estate book explains in detail how to build cash flow from lower end houses and apartment properties. These are not slum properties, just simple housing for folks on lower income budgets.

10. Land Trusts for Privacy & Profit (By: Mark Warda)

Mark Warda explains the uses and benefits of “Illinois-type” land trusts. He explains in detail all the steps from setting up to closing down a trust and includes 29 different legal forms. These include deeds, a trust, amendments to the trust, financing forms, tax forms and many more. It also has an appendix which includes relevant statutes and court cases from all 50 states.

11. How to Buy and Sell Apartment Buildings (By: Eugene E. Velucci)

This commercial real estate book will teach you how-to…
• Gauge markets so you know when to buy or sell
• Read between the lines of property set-up sheets
• Use the latest computer software to accurately evaluate properties
• Develop a marketing plan to maximize profits when selling
• Take advantage of all the recent tax law changes
• Put together an asset protection plan that will make you judgment-proof

Honorable Mentions

In addition to my Top 11, I would also include these books:
• Think and Grow Rich – Napolean Hill
• Richest Man in Babylon – George S. Clason
• Multiple Streams of Income – Robert G. Allen
• E-Myth Series – Michael Gerber
• Investing in Real Estate – Andrew McLean

In summary, educating yourself and following the strategies of successful entrepreneurs will only make you a stronger real estate investor. Many of these real estate investor books, will change your perspective on how to approach real estate investing, and creatively setup proven strategies that will put extra cash in your pocket.

Thanks for reading, and Good Investing!

HiWire – no boys allowed!

2013-04-15_14-07-49Hawaii Women Real Estate Investors is the brainchild of Gail Slawson and Chelli Eich of Ocean Head Investment Group.  This is for HiRei members, and just for the girls (no boys allowed!)

We used to meet on the 3rd Wednesday of every month in the Nextage office from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm at 98-029 Hekaha Street, #44 in Aiea/Pearl City.  Currently HiWire is looking for a new home and I will update when that is found.

I thoroughly enjoy this group of women and look forward to each meeting.  It is more informal, and we get to interact with each other and meet new friends as well as see old friends.  Sharing is the common element here.  Bringing some food to share is not required, but greatly appreciated and consumed.  A guest speaker takes the stage around 7:00 and most of the time it generates interesting and lively discussion, giving us much to ponder.

I’d like to thank Gail and Chelli for arranging these meetings that nurture and grow us into successful investors/entrepreneurs.  It’s my favorite meeting every month.  To join, pay the HiRei membership dues (tell them Aunty sent you), and get the details on the website or attend a monthly HiRei meeting on the 1st Thursday of every month at JCCH (Japanese Chamber of Commerce) on Beretania Street.  Hope to see you there!

Mangoes and Lost Opportunity

2013-04-01_18-51-38We have a white pirie mango tree in our yard.  Our good friend Charin gave it to us as a sapling.  I waited for years for the little sapling to grow bigger and bigger, and one year it gave fruit!  It was delicious.  Juicy, sweet, smooth, ambrosia for the senses and tongue.

Unfortunately for any of our plants, one of my interests is bonsai trees.  I love the look of spreading branches, controlled growth and proportioned shapes.  Because of that, after a few piddly seasons of fruit, I decided to trim the mango tree into a pleasing shape that would allow for an open middle.  I removed all branches going straight up, trimmed off all branches that hung downward, and evened out the tree.  It looked quite nice!

However, the tree rebelled and stopped producing, much to the disappointment of Uncle and the kids, who were quick to blame me for not letting the tree grow and give fruit.

Just this year, my well shaped tree (imho) had a good crop.  I am in mango heaven.  I will hold off trimming the tree for as long as possible.  However, I do believe the tree has matured enough to stand for a good trimming and continue to fruit all season long.

Here is a lesson I would like to teach, if you don’t mind.

When our mango harvest was piddly – that is, I could count 12 mangoes in entirety on the tree and each was looked at on a daily basis – I longed for the day I could pick the perfectly ripe fruit off the tree and eat it.

The very first ripe mango was picked and lovingly brought into the house.  I smelled it, held it, and told the family we would eat it later when the time was right.  The second mango was ripe enough soon after, and I picked that one, put it out to show on the table, then put the first one in the refrigerator to keep it for a while.

This went on for about 2 weeks.  Meanwhile, the refrigerator had several ripe mangoes and we hadn’t cut and eaten any – I was saving it for the right time.

Uncle does not think like me.  One day, he peeled and sliced all the mangoes I had picked and stored for everyone to eat.  It was delicious, though most were over ripe because of the lapse of time from harvest to eating.  Many were too soft to slice, and a few were rotten and shriveled up from being in the refrigerator too long.

Because I was hoarding the mangoes instead of eating them right away, the majority of them were wasted.  The lesson learned is this:  Mangoes need to be picked and then eaten.  Waiting is wasting.  I now eat mango almost every day when it is in season, or I give the away to friends and family who appreciate them.

Here is the investing lesson that correlates to mango:  Learn and do your research (grow the tree, pick the ripe fruit), then do it (peel, slice, eat).  Jump in instead of waiting on the sidelines.

I meet a lot of people in investment classes that are learning as much as they can and researching this or that, but they are not investing.  They have great excuses.  I had a great excuse about not eating our mangoes – not the right time.  It was a bogus excuse and the cause of lost opportunity.

Please eat and enjoy your mangoes instead of putting them aside for a better time.  In your life, do something other than just watch on the sidelines or wait for the perfect time.  The time is now.  Get in the game to enjoy the victory and perfectly ripe delicious mangoes.

Here is a mentor minute from Raymond Aaron with the same message, though not about mangoes:  Achievements connected to Action.

Master Sha in Honolulu this week!

2013-04-01_12-17-00About 3 years ago, Aunty saw Master Sha at the McKinley High School Auditorium, and was almost electrified. He taught us a funny song – Lu La Lu La Li, and about how he came to be a servant of the Divine/God/Allah/etc. He was a cute man, not what I imagined a powerhouse to be.

It was an evening of really weird weather – lightning without thunder. Uncle, being of very strict Christian belief, did not want to hear about it.

Sometimes, Aunty really feels that my purpose in life is to help, heal, and give. When I heard Master Sha speak and saw his healing happen for others, something clicked.

Anywho, he’s back for lessons, blessings, and demos at the LPH Center at 885 Queen Street. Aunty signed up for the Soul Healing Days, Blessings, and Evening. If I get a chance to have something fixed, I’ll ask about the tinnitis ringing that I have had for about 5 years in my left ear.

Here’s the link to the flyer and/or registration:

http://www.icontact-archive.com/E-_x_fSJ433pL9sn5HZ9jvfv23a_tgyr?w=2

Korean Dramas

2013-04-14_16-04-02

 

I don’t watch too much tv, but sometimes I get caught up in Korean dramas with Uncle.

Our favorites are the historical dramas of the Joseon, Goguryeo eras with the unbelievable martial arts and political intrigues. We watch these on dramafever.com, dramacrazy.net, or mysoju.com. These are free (!), but beware – they are addicting!

“Boys Over Flowers” was one of the first to get me really hooked.  It is a frustratingly fun modern show about a feisty cute girl and 4 extremely wealthy boys.  Go Junpyo is the lead man, and he is SO good looking!  “Couple in Trouble” is another fun one – it is the Korean version of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell’s “Overboard”, and the lead man remind me of Uncle, except the lead man cries and Uncle never does.

One of the disappointments when Aunty got her iPad a few years ago was not being able to watch Korean dramas – something about flash not being supported.  Anywho, Pal Rayna told me about Viki – a free app to watch with my iPad!  Woohooo!!  Another vehicle with which to suspend my disbelief and escape to a world a continent and eras away!

Warts and Aunty

I used to have warts on my fingers. Everyone was polite to me and no one (except one of my kids) would say “Yewww, you have warts!” so I would nonchalantly treat them from time to time with prescription wart medicine, over the counter wart medicine, and even getting them burned off at the doctor’s office.

It would look like the black hole of Calcutta for a while and seem to go away…… then they would return and grow to a stronger wart colony, happy to be back on my hands, left index finger, and right calf.

I started to think I would have warts the rest of my life like familiar slightly gross pets to torture from time to time with ineffective treatments.

Then, one day I read about one that was like an old wives tale – kind of like duct tape on warts (you can try that but my warts were super warts and not affected by the duct tape at all).

The therapy was as simple as castor oil and baking soda. Yup, castor oil and baking soda.

Wash area with soap and water, pat dry but allow wart to remain moist. With a clean sterilized needle, scratch the surface of the wart or mole only, concentrating on the center. Then, use an emery board to file the wart or mole smooth – a few strokes should do it. Make a paste with the castor oil and baking soda – just enough for one application (because you will make a fresh mixture each time.) Apply to wart or mole, it might sting a little. Let it sit for a while, then put a little extra dab on it and cover with a bandaid to keep it from getting messy as well as keeping it castor oil moist.

Repeat at least 3 times per day for as long as it takes – make sure you wash the area with soap and water and pat dry before applying paste. You do not need to scratch or sand the surface again. It will look quite ugly, like an eruption of ugly the way Compound W makes it look. It may take weeks, so don’t get discouraged. Mine took 6 weeks, and I was determined to see it through.

It seemed to get bigger and stay bigger at first, and then slowly the wart started to get a little smaller. All the while it was ugly! White dead looking skin and lots of oil soaked bandaids.

A smaller one that I had on my leg came off after just 2 weeks, and each day I thought the bigger ones on my finger would fall off, but they held on and held on for weeks longer, and then one day, I peeled off the bandaid, and the last vestiges of those familiar warts fell off, and I was left with a wrinkled wounded looking finger without warts! It was almost concave where the warts used to be, and it was beautiful!

I have been wart free ever since. Free at last, free at last. Maybe not as huge a milestone as Martin Luther King, but it did feel and look great.

I have heard for external genital warts (yikes! I didn’t have those) you skip the baking soda and scratching and just use a cotton swab to apply castor oil.

Did you know that warts are highly contagious? I hope I didn’t infect anyone while I had warts. If I did, I owe them a bottle of castor oil.

Egg Whites for Burns

This from my sister in law:

A young man sprinkling his lawn and bushes with pesticides wanted to check the contents of the barrel to see how much pesticide remained in it. He raised the cover and lit his lighter; the vapors inflamed and engulfed him. He jumped from his truck, screaming. His neighbor came out of her house with a dozen eggs, yelling: “bring me some eggs!” She broke them, separating the whites from the yolks. The neighbor woman helped her to apply the whites on the young man’s face. When the ambulance arrived and when the EMTs saw the young man, they asked who had done this. Everyone pointed to the lady in charge. They congratulated her and said: “You have saved his face.” By the end of the summer, the young man brought the lady a bouquet of roses to thank her. His face was like a baby’s skin.

Healing Miracle for burns:

Keep in mind this treatment of burns which is included in teaching beginner fireman this method. First aid consists to spraying cold water on the affected area until the heat is reduced and stops burning the layers of skin. Then, spread egg whites on the affected are.
One woman burned a large part of her hand with boiling water. In spite of the pain, she ran cold faucet water on her hand, separated 2 egg white from the yolks, beat them slightly and dipped her hand in the solution. The whites then dried and formed a protective layer.
She later learned that the egg white is a natural collagen and continued during at least one hour to apply layer upon layer of beaten egg white. By afternoon she no longer felt any pain and the next day there was hardly a trace of the burn. 10 days later, no trace was left at all and her skin had regained its normal color. The burned area was totally regenerated thanks to the collagen in the egg whites, a placenta full of vitamins.