Billy and I recently created a Maui Buyer’s Guide as one of our articles in the Coconut Chronicles. One of the topics we discussed was choosing a lender. Some recent experiences with buyers make me want to reiterate one of our points about lender choice. We advise our clients to use lenders with Hawaii Operations. This does not mean you cannot use use your favorite lender from the mainland. In fact, Wells Fargo, Countrywide Home Loans, GMAC and several other large lenders have Hawaii based operations. It is also by no means an indictment of the service provided by mainland lenders; it is more a reflection of the unique terminology, closing procedures and types of ownership that may be encountered in a Hawaii real estate transaction. Lack of local knowledge and experience with these terms and procedures may cause mainland lenders difficulties when working with their underwriters to process their loan. Lenders with local operations and underwriting tend to have fewer issues as both the lenders and their underwriters understand the idiosyncrasies and terminology of Hawaii Real Estate. If you are in the process of looking for a new home on Maui, contact us and we would be happy to put you in touch with one of the responsive, professional service oriented local lenders who have worked with our clients in the past.

Pete Jalbert