We rarely write many reviews, but Celester Thomas (Principle Real Estate Broker) and Erika Richards…read more(listing agent) earns it. We received a VALPAC Ad for SOLDIER-TO-SOLDIER HAWAII REALITY, LLC and contacted Celester, who was kind enough to review our rental home although the renters had several months left on the lease. Once the renters moved out, we had the property thoroughly cleaned, with necessary repairs completed. Celester had the property professionally photographed and listed literally within a few days after notification in early March 2024 of our intention to sell. It closed at the end of May 2024. Most of our communication was with Erika. She always kept us informed of everything - all the showings, inspections, parties of interest communications, escrow info, etc. We had many many questions which she answered or found the answer timely. Memorable events: The SOLDIER TO SOLDIER HAWAII REALITY, LLC is a solid company. We needed to find someone to professionally line the kitchen cabinets & drawers. Laurie, the photographer, helped us tremendously get that done. About one week prior to closing, the buyer (who was a realtor) sent the Home Inspection Report. The buyer sent a document to sign stating: "The buyer is willing to approve /release/ satisfy 3-1 for the SELLERS CREDIT OF" $6,500 for the noted finding." Really? The findings were mostly minor things like toilet base loose, bathroom shut off valve leak, need for "missing GFCI or AFCI outlets", etc. Although we were ready to repair, Celester knew the cost was over-inflated. We do not know what he did, but after a few days, the buyer sent a Waiver-of-Inspection Report document via DocuSign. We knew right then and there that Celester and Erika were representing the seller and protecting our finances. The following is not a fault of the Realtors, but our opportunity share a Title company issue. We didn't see the Title Guaranty of Hawaii, LLC Escrow - Estimate Seller's Statement until the afternoon prior to closing! If would have been good to review it to have time to question some of the charges that we thought should be for the buyer. We did call Title Guaranty immediately, but of the items of question were essentially already set for closing. The Sellers Final Packet was sent after closing the next day. The Final Packet line "Balance due TO seller" differed by over $146K TO seller than the Estimate Seller's Statement! We were happy to see that. LESSION: Insist escrow share the Estimate Statement at least a week prior to closing. In summary, Celester and Erika (both prior service Veterans) both exemplified military values of professionalism and pride in their line of work. Especially noted was honesty and prompt attention to our needs. They KNOW and DELIVER exemplary customer service. We saved thousands and thousands by contracting with them, plus they gave to notched service to us. We recommend Celester and Erike and their SOLDIER TO SOLDIER team to anyone! God Bless America! MC COL, USAR (ret)

Long time customer. Ever since I met Celester I no go anywhere else when it comes to real state…read moreneeds but SOLDIER to SOLDIER. His attention to detail as well as excellent customer service here or on the BIG island is unparalleled. Recently we have been looking at properties in Hilo and it has been a challenge, his team, Sherry, Patricia to name a few are there when we need them. Kudos to U! No wonder Y when it comes to real state there is nowhere else to go but Celester Thomas' SOLDIER to SOLDIER. Highly recommend him 'n his team as they will take care o' VETERANS as well as anyone else that is in need o' good sound advise.

DO NOT RENT FROM SC REALTY OR FRANCES LAU!!!…read more I rented a unit at 1519 Thurston Avenue for two years, and my experience was nothing short of a nightmare. From the very first walkthrough, I suspected there was mold in the closets. I immediately brought it to the attention of the agent, Frances Lau, who insisted there was no mold present. Despite my concerns, on the initial inspection sheet, we noted a mold-like substance in both closets. As time went on, my family and I began experiencing health issues, and we spent thousands of dollars at doctors' offices and even took our dog to the vet, trying to figure out what was going wrong. We then experienced a massive leak in the apartment, which led to the ceiling being cut open and, to our shock, revealed large amounts of mold that had been hidden behind the drywall. Despite this alarming discovery, Frances Lau and SC Realty refused to take our concerns seriously. We requested that the unit be tested for mold multiple times (five times to be exact), but each time we were ignored. After no response, we paid out of pocket for a full mold inspection, and the results were horrifying--every single room tested positive for high levels of black mold. At this point, my family was already feeling the health effects of prolonged exposure to toxic mold. To protect our health, we made the decision to move out as soon as possible. However, even after we left, Frances continued to ignore our attempts to reach her. We had to escalate the issue to her boss at SC Realty, but we were still met with indifference. SC Realty then forced us to sign away any legal claims in exchange for allowing us to break the lease early without them keeping our security deposit, even though they had previously threatened to withhold it. It's clear to me that SC Realty is well aware they are renting out unsafe, uninhabitable units. To make matters worse, they raised the rent by $250 and began showing the unit to new potential tenants less than a month after we moved out. If you value the health and safety of your family, I urge you not to rent from SC Realty. This company knowingly rents out mold-infested units and will do everything in their power to avoid taking responsibility. Frances Lau, in particular, was the worst agent I've ever encountered. After speaking with other agents at SC Realty, I can confidently say I have nothing positive to say about this company. They are dishonest, negligent, and completely unconcerned with tenant safety. The sad reality is that the State of Hawaii does little to protect renters in situations like this, leaving companies like SC Realty to continue engaging in this behavior unchecked. I have documentation and test results that prove the apartment was infested with black mold. Please, do your due diligence and avoid this company at all costs.

If you ever need a property manager, contact Bryan Walker. He is the most helpful, reliable person…read morethat you can really depend and count on. Best service, highly recommended. Once, a different company broke my flood lights, and he was so kind to offer to help replace it even though it was outside of his obligations via his contracted services. He is a wonderful person and I would recommend him to anybody looking for a trustworthy and kind property manager.

Why are you still looking for a property manager? Look no further!!!…read more I hunted for a property management company for a few months and I cannot truly express how grateful I am for Arthur and his team at The Boulevard. If I could give them 10 stars, I would. They are professional, responsive, and have follow through. Their honesty is refreshing and they truly have your best interest at heart. They make your life SO MUCH EASIER. I highly recommend them for your property management needs.

This review is specifically for Arthur Valera. If you come cross him I would give him a hard pass…read more Take my advice before you regret it in the end. We recently rented from him and mind you we kept the place we rented basically 99.9% clean free and damaged free just really minor wear and tear. Also we paid our rent on time if not sometimes half month prior till due date. But none of that was the issue. what was the issue was when it was time to move out. We reviewed our rental agreement cause after a year and a half we don't recall all that was stated in there. We came across the cleaning process which stated it need to be cleaned by a professional cleaner. So we started doing our research and found it was quite pricey. So we reached out to him asking how critical that it needed to be done by a professional cleaner. Now mind you we mentioned how clean the place is and we took very good care of the place. Even some of the cleaners we called and came to take a look at the place said my you guys are so clean. But immediately he showed no grace or compassion and instead plaged the IM IN CHARGE ROLE and TOUGH MAN behind the phone. And Started bringing up his history of employment and why people choose him as a management company which was so off topic and we didn't need to hear his history. Trust me We get it we signed the lease and it's stated in there. But his character over the phone was very unprofessional. So end results after the phone call as the lease stated the place needs to be cleaned by professional cleaners. So okay we started to ask around and do more searching and came across this cleaning company who gave us a killer deal because the place was in top shape Already. However they didn't do carpet but when she saw we had a carpet cleaner she threw the carpet cleaning in there as well. So she came out and cleaned our place. Now this is where it really went wrong. We Then scheduled our move out inspection with Arthur and mind you we met a total different arthur face to face verses the Mr macho and Attitude Arthur we spoke behind his phone when questioning him about the professional cleaners. So anyhow as we did our walk through he validated the place was clean again minor wear and tear. And there was a light bulb out and said we would get all our deposit back. So we left feeling grateful he saw how well we took care the place and the work the cleaners did. Now here is where it really went wrong. So now it was time to turn in and show proof that we had it professionally cleaned which we did our part and showed him the receipt. Now we get a call from him and guess what. It's Mr macho Arthur behind a phone acting all tough guy Again. Now he had an issue on how much we paid. SMH. Nowhere in the lease stated that it had to be a certain amount. This guy was finding any way to deem it not approved so we probably go with there cleaner and pay even more money as stated in lease if place wasn't done by a professional cleaner nor cleaned.. So what he does next call the cleaner and verify there work and why so cheap. He validated the place was clean. SMH. Again just goes to show his character and NO ALOHA SPIRIT. All this when we were awesome tenants. It's all good as I do believe Karma will come back around one way or another. So let our experience with him save you from the headaches we got from dealing with him. I did forget to mentioned that when we moved in the place wasn't inspected as he say he does which tells me he's not consistent with his work Prior to us moving in cause there was prior tenants items left in dishwasher and cabinets that I had to question him on at move out so we Didn't get deducted for leaving it. I had to dispose of it. Also mind you we had the place till end of month and paid till the end of month and he said he was gonna be out of town which he needed the move out to be scheduled before our move out and took keys back 2 days early so we lost out on that money as well. But as he stated in this comment and I do want to validate it after all the hassle he gave us we did end up getting our deposit back minus the light bulb for &50. And mind you as he stated about carpet cleaning it just didn't have the words he would've used so he was again unsatisfied. It was stated real basic as to 3bedroom 2.5 bath with carpet. However cleaning company did call us and informed us how he was so concerned on the price we got. so it had nothing to do with all that he stating. He just didn't believe it was professional done at such a DEAL. Thank you to our cleaning company we went with for proving the aloha to there customers

Thomas came to my rescue and helped me with a crisis from another property management company that…read moredrove my rental into the ground. There's alot of bad property management companies on Oahu. If you need a good PM, give him consideration. So far, zero drama ...

Was my property manager for about 2 yrs. Have proof Thomas and his team do illegal activities such…read moreas using the tenants security deposit to pay a debt off I owed to him. Did not communicate with me of any lease extensions. Previous property managers would over communicate and get my blessings before those decisions. I've never got any type of feedback from any walk through or inspection of property to validate my property was being maintained. Please do your due diligence and read the fine print of the contract because compared to other standard contracts, there's some concerning fine print and expectations.

Showing was great but had problems after moving in…read more Took 2 months to get added to intercom system. Missed furniture and other package deliveries because they couldn't contact me or get in building. (Not sure if this is a PIL or Cadmus issue) had to PIL 3-4x and Cadmus 5-6x to get it done. Asked for key replacement on Oct 30, only to find out request was submitted today (Nov 18) Seems like after residents sign lease the service/follow ups don't go through as well.

I've been in the real estate industry for a few years and have seen my fair share of property…read moremanagers and realtors. After having the privilege of sitting down with the principle broker, I have found that this company surpasses their competitors by far! They are very knowledgeable, they educate their clientele, they are not afraid to walk away from a deal, and most importantly, they make you feel like family. I would highly recommend Shawn Kahawai, property manager, and Fran Villarmia-Kahawai, principle broker, to all of my friends and family. Even if you are not in the market, I would highly recommend taking a few minutes out of your day, to go meet them!

We bought our home while we were still living on the mainland, so everything had to be done…read moreremotely. Choosing David was one of the best decisions we made. From the beginning, he made the entire process easy. He visited properties for us, sent detailed videos, answered our questions quickly, and kept us updated without us even having to ask. What stood out most was that we never felt pressured. David was always honest, fair, and professional. He explained everything clearly, answered all of our questions, and gave us the information we needed to make our own decisions. As a military veteran, he understands the PCS process and was also very knowledgeable about our VA loan assumption. Moving is usually stressful, but David made the entire home-buying process feel smooth and stress-free. When we finally arrived in Hawaii, there wasn't a single surprise. The house was exactly as he had described it, which says a lot about how thorough and transparent he was throughout the entire process. We completely trust David. Whether we buy, sell, or rent a property in Hawaii in the future, he'll be the first person we call. We highly recommend him. もしハワイでお家の購入を考えている方がいたら、Davidさんは本当におすすめです。とても優しくて丁寧に、最後までしっかりサポートしてくれます!

Working with Hawaii Military Realty was an outstanding experience from start to finish. As a…read morefirst-time homebuyer, I had a lot of questions and wasn't familiar with the process, but David made the entire process feel manageable. He was patient, knowledgeable, honest, and always took the time to explain everything clearly. David and his son, Cameron, were an incredible team. They were both responsive, professional, and genuinely cared about helping me find the right home. Throughout the process, they kept me updated, answered every question I had, and were always available whenever I needed guidance. I couldn't be happier with my new home, and I highly recommend David and Cameron Kucic to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. If you're looking for people who genuinely care about their clients and go above and beyond, you won't find a better team.

Marc Kumai did a fantastic job with my real estate purchase. He kept me informed every single step…read moreof the way and was very communicative with both present items to be addressed as well as looking ahead of the curve. The transaction had some layers of complexity but I felt I was in good hands the whole way though. Marc fought vigorously to get my terms met with the seller's agent and went above and beyond my expectations.

Don't ever rent from them! A series of awful and regretful experiences!…read more First, when you go checking the condo unit with their so-called "Field Assistant" (who's name is OJ Uy) he says that unless you give him your full application fee (not refundable!) or else he will not tell you the parking stall number nor showing you the exact location of it in the building' s 6+ floors garage, (just because once you saw it's actually on the highest floor at an almost dead end corner, you very possibly would walk away and drop the idea of renting that particular unit immediately!) Second, even Marc Kumai is "your" "Property Agent" who signed on your 1-year rental agreement, for a quite decent place, in his own space, while you sign your name as the tenant/renter in a separate meeting room in the same location of their Kapiolani Office, he still does NOT bother himself to walk in just to show a positive gesture like: getting introduced by his "field assistant" OJ, who is there for the papers to be signed by both parties, or just simply saying hello, or providing a contact method for the coming 1 year just in case when the needs related to the things in the unit do occur, etc. Third, so when one month later some of the kitchen appliances failed to perform normally one by one, OJ must be so tired of getting the phone calls requesting for repairs that he all of a sudden impatiently and angrily expressed that he is right now at his second job, furthermore he lashed out by saying Marc Kumai should be contacted for such matters not him. Since then, whenever dialing Marc Kumai's, a message saying his "voice box is full" can be heard at the other end, hence the connection never actually happened. Forth, they say Marc is a very busy Chief so of course we should never expect him to be reachable at all. Instead, we should just ask for his assistants. But, guess what! Each and every young lady quit the job so quickly that a new name needs to be learned every a couple of months. Meanwhile, Marc's existence is still no more than just like a ghost even years have passed!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about my realtor, Pam Maeda…read more From the very beginning, Pam truly believed in me and my dream of homeownership. She patiently answered my questions, walked me through the entire process, listened carefully and helped ease my worries every step of the way. She connected me with my loan officer and always knew who to pair me up with to make the process seamless. Pam consistently showed up and checked in on me, making sure I never felt alone or overwhelmed. She was there for my walk-through and on key-receiving day, which meant so much to me. Her insight and expertise on walk-through day helped me look for things that I would never have thought of or considered, which is helpful when purchasing a new home. If not for her, I would have overlooked defects or flaws that I didn't know to look for. Her guidance, reassurance and steady presence made what could have been a stressful experience feel manageable and even exciting. She was patient with me and never made me feel as though any question or concern or even emotion was silly. Pam is knowledgeable, responsive and genuinely cares about her clients. She doesn't just do her job, she supports you, advocates for you and sees the process through from start to finish. Thanks to Pam, my dream of homeownership became a reality, and I am forever grateful. If you're looking for a realtor who truly listens, believes in you and shows up for you every step of the way, Pam Maeda is the one. Thank you, Pam! You are awesome sauce!!

Excellent customer service, trustworthy professionals, always responsive...relevant data provided…read moreto help make the most difficult and significant decisions. Mahalo for the assistance you have provided to me over the years Ms. Fukumae!