What clients say about working with Alaina
”Alaina was exceptional and I consider her a blessing. I met Alaina in 2006 when my Uncle was looking to buy an apartment in Hawaii so I could attend school. She found One Archer Lane and I was extremely happy there for the next 10 years. When it came time for me to become a homeowner, I knew exactly who I would reach out to. Through the process, Alaina was kind, informative, professional and always had my best interests at heart. I felt like family while working with her, which is stated on her website, but is quite accurate and heartfelt. Not only did I admire her skills as a realtor, but I grew to admire her as a person and soon looked up to her as a mentor. She handles herself exceptionally well under any circumstances with class and a smile on her face, but also has a no nonsense attitude if the situation calls for it. She was courteous yet firm when dealing with the City’s Down Payment Loan Program which was a beast to get through. Dealing with the City gave ample opportunities for Alaina to show just how far she was willing to go for her client. The communication on their end was atrocious and there was an overall lack of professionalism and customer service which was hard on me. She was always encouraging, clear, professional and kind. She was always there if I had any questions or concerns and she was always updating me about where we were in the process. I relied on her guidance as we looked at numerous properties and she always kept my safety at the fore front. She took the responsibility of finding me a safe and affordable place to live to heart. Due to the Down Payment Loan program from the City, there was a lot of red tape and bureaucracy to navigate. There were many times when the seller could have walked away, but I believe through Alaina’s exquisite negotiating skills, she kept the transaction moving forward. After finally getting everything we needed to get done for the City, there was another “special assessment” that popped up for 2020 and Alaina offered to ask the Seller if they would be willing to cover part of it. I found this “above and beyond” my expectations because I felt that we had put the Seller through a lot already.
Lauren JaglaBuyer
My mom is in Massachusetts and I have no family on island. I did truly feel like a family member while she was helping me find my first home – this is easily “above and beyond” service and I know it was genuine and came from her heart. Not only did I find a great place to live, I also made a friend and have a new mentor. Alaina is an amazing realtor and person and I am so grateful to know her. Both my apartment and Alaina exceeded my expectations and I will highly recommend her to whoever will listen.
”After selling my condo, we focused on purchasing a new house. This was a little more complicated as my Girlfriend and I went 50-50 on the house - so Alaina had to double the communication, and since we both work long hours, sometimes she had to explain things twice. Alaina guided several of our tours, and we finally made an offer on a house, which was not accepted. The next day, we made an offer on another house, and found out we were out-bid. Alaina was able to maneuver us through the process, and we increased our offer, and bought the house. After the Home Inspection, we learned of several challenges with the house. Alaina was able to negotiate a price reduction, which worked out to our satisfaction. As we got closer to the closing date, she made sure we stayed on schedule with all documents, and inspections. This was no easy task, as I traveled three weeks in a row leading up to the closing date. Whenever we wanted to look at the house, she met us there and made sure we were safe...the Inspections were handled on a timely basis as well. When we found something that was not acceptable in the Final Inspection, Alaina made it right. She was there at signing and answered anything and everything.
As I look back at the mad dash that began with the sale of my condo, and ended with the purchase of our new home, I don't know how (or if) we would have done this without Alaina Fukui. She took the time to learn what we wanted, and that made the process so much easier. She has even reached out this week (three weeks after closing) to make sure we are enjoying our new home. Her service is legendary, and her commitment to us was evident from the start. Thank you Alaina, we are indebted to you!
Mark DemelloBuyer
”I really do not have an affinity for Realtors. I have found most of them to be rather aggressive, and concerned only about the sale, not the Client. Contrast that stereotype with our Realtor. Alaina Fukui was absolutely superb! She took the time to walk the condo unit, made suggestions, brought in the "stagers," who she personally paid for - and made sure that we were able to continue living in the unit until the sale closed. The unit was on the market for five days before we received our first offer (one Open House). Alaina negotiated that offer, and then we held a second Open House and she got us a back-up offer. Every time that someone came over for an inspection, or I needed to make a deadline, Alaina texted me, keeping me on schedule. She also knew what I needed and made great recommendations. Need a Loan Officer? Here are some suggestions. Need a Cleaning Company? Here are some excellent choices. Need some information from the Association? Alaina would handle it. She was everywhere. I work long hours, but Alaina was always responsive, even when I would send her something late at night or early in the morning. I wonder if she sleeps?! In short, the sale of my condo was smooth and relatively painless, thanks to Alaina. She got the price I wanted, quickly and efficiently. She kept everyone (including me) on schedule. Alaina also handled the purchase of our new home, and was able to find the time to accompany us to several Open Houses at the same time that we were selling. I cannot think of anything that Alaina missed or did not do, to help us accomplish my goal of getting the most for my condo, and making sure everything went as planned. She was sensational!
Mark DemelloAs Seller
”Alaina was always most professional in her dealings with me. She was always punctual, communicative, courteous, well dressed and most patient whenever we met. She always took time to explain what something meant, or reasons why she could or could not proceed with something. She would explain the legal terms or requirements in everyday language, which was most helpful for me. Her professional attitude and positive outlook was welcome and appreciated during what was a very challenging sale. For the duration of the sale, Alaina called on every bit of her vast knowledge and professional expertise to market and sell this home. Her years of experience and network of contacts allowed her to compare and evaluate the prospects, and despite a downturn in the economy and a depressed market, she was able to successfully sell this house.
Alaina consistently was very exceptional with her handling of this sale. She always made sure she was aware of every aspect, whether it be contacting utility companies for answers, dealing with contractors, meeting with me to go over contracts (I commend her for her patience since I am hard of hearing), and numerous other situations that show her wonderful ability to assertively handle the details yet be calm, cool and collected. Alaina was always accommodating and most willing to do more to get things headed towards the next step. Her smile and cheerful disposition always made it a pleasure to meet and deal with her. She would always call, leave a voice message or email with the latest news regarding the property and always made sure the house was well maintained inside and out, ready for the next showing. Alaina’s prompt and thorough follow up ability is due to her willingness to tackle problems head-on, get answers, then make sure afterwards that the situation was dealt with properly.
Alaina is the consummate professional, and I have no doubt that she treats all her clients as fairly and professionally as possible. In my mind, she treated me as fair as possible and committed to do her best to get the best sale price, which was an exceptional task considering the numerous challenges. It was a pleasure to have Alaina as my realtor!
Kiyoto MoriwakeSeller
”Alaina is a person who perpetuates the aloha spirit in all that she does. My husband and I consider ourselves very lucky to have worked with her to buy our first home. Now that we are homeowners, we look back on the often stressful process in a very positive light, and the main reason for this is Alaina.
From the start of our professional relationship with Alaina, she was an absolute pleasure to work with. Not only is she extremely responsive and knowledgable, but her positive, can-do attitude is what truly makes her stand out from others. Sometimes we would make requests that seemed to us afterwards as ridiculous, but Alaina never made us feel like they were. She took our rookie questions and concerns in stride, and addressed everything calmly and thoroughly.
Her patience in helping first time buyers was very evident throughout our search which lasted for over a year and included numerous offers. We backed out of offers over items that may have been small, but she was always very supportive of our decisions.
Alaina is someone who is always willing to go above and beyond to help. She was always on the ball, and acted quickly and professionally with checking if properties were still available, scheduling viewings, and making offers and backup offers. Properties move so fast in Hawaii that acting quickly is absolutely essential. We never had to follow up with Alaina on anything, as she would always get back to us right away.
Alaina always took the time to attend open houses with us, and reach out to the seller's agent. She was always willing to work with our limited schedule, due to our jobs, and never made us feel like we were inconveniencing her. She also helped by utilizing her amazing network of contacts, from helping us get contractor quotes to finding a Kahu to bless our new house after closing.
Alaina's professionalism and poise, especially in stressful times during a real estate transaction, is highly admirable. During our house search, we often become anxious and worried, as neither of us were familiar with the real estate buying process. Sometimes, we would get overly worried or anxious, forgot our manners, and text Alaina all sorts of questions about a property, or transaction procedure, at odd hours. Alaina's responses were always courteous, prompt, and helpful. She truly made us feel like we were her only client, despite the fact that she has a very busy schedule. Even now, after closing, she checks up on us and encourages us to contact her with any questions or concerns.
We are nominating Alaina [for the 2018 Aloha ‘Āina REALTOR® Awards] because we without a doubt believe that she deserves an Aloha Aina award for her exemplary work and customer service.
Malia & Joseph CengiaBuyer
”Our grateful and heartfelt thanks go to Alaina for accomplishing the sale of our condominium. We were so fortunate to have met a most warm, congenial and “akamai” (knowledgeable) person. From the first time we met, we knew she was someone we could trust and consider as family. Everything that needed to be done was done like clockwork. She kept us well informed and the completion of the sale was accomplished in a short period of time. We would highly recommend Alaina to many of our friends – she’s the Greatest!
Robert & Lucille YeeSellers
”Alaina has integrity! Although she was the seller’s realtor and I was her customer, Alaina handled the transaction very professionally. Working with both parties was not an easy task. There were many challenges to tackle but Alaina took it in stride. She got the job done quickly and efficiently. I was amazed that there is this caliber of realtor in Hawaii! I am very hard to please and Alaina did everything and more! I will definitely recommend her and will use her again. Five Star Service!
Cirsten WeldonBuyer
”Alaina was always most professional in her dealings with me. She was always punctual, communicative, courteous, well dressed and most patient whenever we met. She always took time to explain what something meant, or reasons why she could or could not proceed with something. She would explain the legal terms or requirements in everyday language, which was most helpful for me. Her professional attitude and positive outlook was welcome and appreciated during what was a very challenging sale. For the duration of the sale, Alaina called on every bit of her vast knowledge and professional expertise to market and sell this home. Her years of experience and network of contacts allowed her to compare and evaluate the prospects, and despite a downturn in the economy and a depressed market, she was able to successfully sell this house.
Alaina consistently was very exceptional with her handling of this sale. She always made sure she was aware of every aspect, whether it be contacting utility companies for answers, dealing with contractors, meeting with me to go over contracts (I commend her for her patience since I am hard of hearing), and numerous other situations that show her wonderful ability to assertively handle the details yet be calm, cool and collected. Alaina was always accommodating and most willing to do more to get things headed towards the next step. Her smile and cheerful disposition always made it a pleasure to meet and deal with her. She would always call, leave a voice message or email with the latest news regarding the property and always made sure the house was well maintained inside and out, ready for the next showing. Alaina’s prompt and thorough follow up ability is due to her willingness to tackle problems head-on, get answers, then make sure afterwards that the situation was dealt with properly.
Alaina is the consummate professional, and I have no doubt that she treats all her clients as fairly and professionally as possible. In my mind, she treated me as fair as possible and committed to do her best to get the best sale price, which was an exceptional task considering the numerous challenges. It was a pleasure to have Alaina as my realtor!
Kiyoto MoriwakeSeller
”Alaina was wonderful! She took me through the process, step by step. She is extremely well organized and got ME to be organized as well. No small feat! When Alaina said she would do something, you could count on it happening! Alaina is my “Realtor for Life”!
Nita UnoBuyer
”Just a short note to let you know we were very happy with the recent sale of our house! After moving out the family and all of our things, we fixed, cleaned, painted, mowed, trimmed and weeded. We decided to have Alaina list our home since she did a great job selling our Pearlridge condo. We like working with a competent “front line” agent who sits the open houses and has direct contact with prospective buyers and their agents. Alaina did prompt market research, suggested a realistic selling price, and visited other listings in our neighborhood to check out the competition. She kept us updated with timely status reports on open houses, comments by agents and their clients and offers. We had a few “road blocks” to overcome in order to close, however, Alaina promptly did the necessary legwork; made phone calls, completed forms and submitted letters in order to satisfy all the buyer’s concerns. Now we can begin to work on our “dream home”. Thanks Alaina!
Steven TogamiSeller
”Alaina was able to quickly find a buyer for our apartment and handled the transaction in a professional and expeditious manner. She explained every aspect of the sale to us in a way that was easy to understand and was very conscientious of meeting all dates and deadlines. Alaina was constantly in communication with us, updating us at every stage of the sale. Her friendliness, courtesy and complete professionalism was a credit to her and her company.
Michael & Lynn BurgettSellers
Alaina met with us many times and took the time to explain current prices, the housing market and comparable sales. She explained why she needed to set things up the way she did and was very thorough covering the contract. Alaina also explained the obligations of all parties concerned and her constant communication with everyone showed she was on top of the transaction and aware of every aspect. Alaina’s knowledge and high standards were very evident during this sale.
”Alaina always kept me abreast of the market situation while selling my home. She guided me in a way that produced results. Alaina was always available when I needed her. She stood by her word and did what she said she would do. Alaina made the deal happen and saw it through to the end despite the many obstacles.
Laura RoseSeller
”I called Alaina and spoke to her regarding my desire to purchase a condominium. I was on a tight timeline and needed to purchase the right home quickly. We made arrangements to meet that Sunday. She picked me up and presented me with a folder which showed each property we would be viewing, competitive properties and what they sold for, and some location information as well.
This organized and detailed information allowed me to look at the various properties easily and efficiently. Alaina was familiar with the locations, pointed out some of the traffic concerns (Kailua) and also made sure to touch base with the Realtor who was sitting the property (I do not like getting attacked as I walk in to view a property.) I also appreciated that Alaina simply allowed me to look over each property and form my own impression of the place. In other words, she guided me to the options, educated me, but did not guide my buying decision.
We selected a condominium on the second tour, but I wanted to look at it once more before extending an offer. The opportunity was right, and Alaina guided me to a terrific person at Bank of Hawaii (where I had mortgages in the past and felt comfortable.) She also recommended someone for homeowner’s insurance, who has since become my insurance person for auto as well as some other insurance. She negotiated a discount because the seller did not repair several items in the condominium, and did not clean it well. Since I have maintenance and cleaning people who are willing to do side jobs, I preferred to utilize their services and everything worked out perfectly.
Overall she did a superior job. I have used other Realtors in the past but none of them came close to providing the information, service, follow-up and genuine care that Alaina Fukui did. She did not force anything on me; rather, she expertly followed up on everything that I needed. She knew what was coming up next, and reminded me to keep on schedule. She also spoke on my behalf when Bank of Hawaii did not close on time as promised.
Mark DeMelloBuyer
In short, I would not hesitate to utilize her services again. Thank you Alaina!
”We lived in Sedona, Arizona and were basically taking care of our new home construction/purchase via telephone with Alaina as our realtor. Alaina called us every 1-3 weeks with updates on the sale. When we found out that we could not move in when my job was to start, we had to find a rental for six to nine months; one large enough to take all our household items. Alaina called me with properties on a weekly basis, went out and inspected them, talked with the agent, etc. We rented over the phone and were very pleased with her choice. She did this on her own and received no pay or compensation from us! Alaina just said “all part of the job!” We could not have done this on our own and the inconvenience of moving, rental home hunting, arranging the shipment of furniture, etc. would have been extraordinarily difficult. But, thanks to Alaina, we didn’t have to worry about this. We arrived, stayed one night in a hotel, moved into the rental the next day and I started work three days later! Thank you Alaina!
Dr. & Mrs. Stephen DemeterOut-of-Town Buyers
”As an out-of-town buyer, Alaina viewed and took pictures of several properties for my evaluation and consideration. Once a property was identified, she worked closely with the seller’s agent to negotiate an acceptable contract. Throughout the transaction, she tracked and facilitated the escrow process and worked with my lender to facilitate financing. Alaina also worked with the seller’s agent to correct deficiencies found during the home inspection. Once we closed on the property, Alaina arranged and paid for new locks as she was concerned about the safety of my niece who would be residing at the property. Alaina went further by picking up my niece at the airport upon arrival and took her shopping for a bed, furniture, and groceries before dropping her off at her new home.
George L. JaglaOut-of-Town Buyer
”So, 10 years ago, Alaina was recommended to me as a Realtor that could help me find a place for my niece to live while she was going to college. Apparently, she had recently helped one of the college's new faculty find a home, and had been extremely helpful in her interactions both with the college and with the owner-to-be. Alaina was definitely a "find". The short week that I was there, helping my niece get registered for college, she showed us several places... and gave me a good idea of the types of places that were available. Now, at that time, I was looking for a place for my niece that was close to school, would be safe, light, airy, was reasonably priced, and that would be saleable in the future... bear in mind that this was on the eve of real estate market crash, and the recent recession. She sent me many listings that she thought would meet my requirements over several weeks of searching. Imaging her consternation when I made an offer on one of the more "upper-class" condo's in the area... at 20% LESS than the asking price... and told her that was the offer, and if they didn't accept, we were just going to move on and make an offer on another place.
Well, Alaina went to work... and I'm sure that discussions were intense... but somehow, she managed to work a deal with the seller, and the seller's agent at my offer price. That alone would have been enough for me to recommend her to anyone I know looking for property in Hawaii. But Alaina didn't stop there... she kept right on, arranging all the paperwork, inspections, and closing documents... all I had to do was sign my name (admittedly about a thousand times), and send the money. She was amazing... and it didn't stop there.
By the time my niece showed up for college, Alaina had had the locks changed on the doors (she was concerned for my niece). She then picked up my niece at the airport (my niece didn't know anybody in Hawaii), took her shopping for beds, and basically took my niece in hand and got her settled into the building. I couldn't have asked for a more caring, interested and conscientious realtor.
Now, flash forward 10 years. Niece has graduated long ago... with honors, no less... and lived in the condo for the better part of the time. Has found a fella, and is ready to move out. Who do I call?... No brainer.
Now, regardless what people say, it isn't that easy to make money on real estate... I figured that I would have to sell the place at roughly $80,000 more than I bought it for to just break even. Alaina was skeptical, and gave me several pricing scenarios that were in the range that she thought would sell. I, of course, priced the property $20,000 higher than any of her pricing scenarios (again, I'm sure, to her consternation).
At the time we listed the property, it was the only property for sale in the building. Alaina, and Lorraine (her associate), had people come in and stage the place, had 360 degree photo's taken, and did a fantastic job presenting the property. The first open house was within days of the listing.
Shortly thereafter, several units in the building went on the market. Alaina was besides herself when those listings began to get offers and sell... one right after the other. I got the blow-by-blow for each unit as it went on the market, and I'm sure she was tearing her hair out when we didn't get any offers within the first week. She even called me a couple of times to discuss the situation, and although she didn't come right out and say it, I'm sure that she was concerned that the unit was priced too high.
Well, within a month of listing, we in fact did get an offer... and it was actually a perfect offer from an "all-cash" buyer. Alaina was all over it, and once again managed all the paperwork remotely... step-by-step... and with a complete understanding of all the requirements. She arranged the inspections, cleaning... everything that was required... once again, all I had to do was sign my name... but this time I got to cash the check.
Alaina is amazing... and I can't recommend her highly enough. If you need a realtor in Hawaii, and you aren't going to be there to be involved in the purchase/sale, Alaina is the one to call.
George L. JaglaSeller
