Questions to Ask a Buyer’s Agent on Oʻahu

Buying a home on Oʻahu involves decisions that are hard to make from a listing alone. You may be weighing neighborhoods, trying to understand a condo’s monthly costs, or wondering how much room you have to negotiate.

A first conversation with a buyer’s agent should help you work through those questions. You should leave understanding how they would help you evaluate a home, prepare an offer, and manage the costs and deadlines ahead.

I’m Corinda Wong, and I’ve worked in real estate for more than 35 years. Our team helps buyers across Oʻahu, including people buying their first home. These six questions are a useful starting point.

Six questions to bring to the conversation

• What experience do you have in the areas I’m considering?
• How would you help me decide what to offer?
• What will I need to pay, including your compensation?
• What does your buyer agreement commit me to?
• What would you investigate about the property before I commit?
• Who will I work with day to day?

You don’t need to know every step before this meeting. If an answer raises another question, spend time on it.

1 What experience do you have in the areas I’m considering?

Discuss recent purchases in your price range and the streets or buildings on your list. The agent should explain which properties make useful comparisons, what buyers encountered, and what has changed since those sales.

On Oʻahu, a condo search can involve very different questions from a detached-house search. Building insurance and association expenses may shape your condo options. With a house, the roof, drainage, additions, or a second dwelling may need closer attention.

Explain what matters in your daily life, including your commute, budget, space needs, and access to places you visit regularly. An agent can help compare those priorities, but a drive at the time you normally travel may tell you more than a weekend visit.

It’s reasonable to request a recent buyer reference, with that client’s permission. You can also check the agent’s Hawaiʻi license and public complaint history. A complaint record needs context; it isn’t the same as a finding of misconduct.

A clear answer covers
Recent purchases in your price range and areas, which homes make useful comparisons and why, and what has changed since those sales.

2 How would you help me decide what to offer?

Bring a listing you’re considering, or have the agent use a recent sale as an example. Which comparable sales would they use? What differences affect the price, and what information would they still need?

The discussion should cover the terms of an offer as well as the price. Your financing, inspection period, appraisal contingency, and closing date can all affect whether an offer works for you and the seller. Find out how the agent would learn which terms matter to the seller and explain the tradeoffs to you.

If you’re willing to pay more than comparable sales suggest, understand the possible appraisal gap and the additional cash you could need. Agree on your limits before a deadline makes that conversation harder. Island-wide statistics provide context, but the competition for a particular home depends on its neighborhood, price range, condition, and alternatives available now.

Also discuss how the agent handles problems during escrow. A low appraisal may call for a conversation with your lender and a review of your contingency. A permit concern may need records, a contractor’s assessment, and a lender’s input. You should know who coordinates that work and how much time the contract allows. Renegotiating a price or extending a deadline may require the seller’s agreement.

A clear answer covers
The sales behind a suggested price, which terms matter to the seller, your limit if the appraisal comes in low, and who handles problems during escrow.

3 What will I need to pay, including your compensation?

Work with your agent and lender on an estimate before you start making offers. Along with the down payment, allow for loan charges, escrow and title costs, inspections, prepaid taxes, and insurance. Some expenses are paid before closing, and some become clear only after you identify a property. Find out when you’ll receive an updated estimate.

For a condo, get a breakdown of recurring charges. The maintenance fee may not include every utility, parking charge, or ground-rent payment. If a special assessment is being paid in installments, find out what remains and how responsibility would be addressed in the purchase contract.

Have the agent walk through the compensation section of the buyer agreement. Compensation is negotiable. You should understand the amount or rate, the services included, when payment is due, and whether anything is owed if you don’t buy.

A seller may contribute toward your agent’s compensation. If that contribution is less than the amount in your agreement, understand whether you would owe the difference and how it would affect your cash needs. Discuss financing questions with your lender. NAR’s buyer-agreement guide explains the terms you can negotiate.

4 What does your buyer agreement commit me to?

Under NAR’s practice rules, participating agents working with a buyer need a written agreement before touring a home together, including a live virtual tour. You can meet to discuss an agent’s services or attend an open house on your own without signing that agreement. NAR’s written-agreement guide explains the distinction.

Discuss and negotiate the agreement’s terms before signing. View full-size graphic.

Before signing, review:

• The services covered and whether the agreement is exclusive.
• The properties or area it covers and when it ends.
• The compensation amount or rate and when it becomes payable.
• How either party can end it, including notice requirements or fees.
• Any protection or carryover period that could create an obligation after it ends.

You can discuss a shorter term or an agreement limited to a particular property. Take time to read the actual language. If you decide to work with someone else, resolve the first agreement before signing another so you understand any overlapping commitments.

Find out what happens if the agent’s brokerage represents the seller of a home you want. They should explain the proposed representation, any required consent, and your options before you decide how to proceed.

5 What would you investigate about the property before I commit?

An agent should explain what they check themselves, what the lender needs, and when an inspector, insurance professional, or other specialist should be involved. On Oʻahu, the questions depend on the property.

For a house: Review permit records for additions, enclosed areas, or a second dwelling. Appearance in a listing does not establish that construction or use was approved. Investigate discrepancies and ask about the roof, plumbing, drainage, and any history of water entering the home or collecting on the lot. Discuss the flood designation and insurance with the appropriate professionals. Being outside a mapped high-risk zone does not eliminate flood risk.

For a condo: Review what the maintenance fee includes, the association’s budget and reserves, meeting minutes, planned work, pending assessments, and insurance. Have your lender check the building’s eligibility early. An insurance professional can explain how the master policy works with your unit policy and identify relevant coverage gaps or deductibles. The Hawaiʻi Insurance Division’s condo FAQ explains why coverage can affect financing.

Illustrative example from the Hawaiʻi Insurance Division: a $100 million building with $10 million in hurricane coverage has a $90 million coverage gap. Ask your lender and insurance professional to review the building’s current policies. View full-size graphic.

For a leasehold property: Confirm the remaining lease term, rent, scheduled renegotiations, transfer provisions, and what happens at expiration. Have your lender confirm financing for that specific lease. The asking price alone won’t tell you whether the property fits your budget or future plans. Our fee-simple and leasehold guide explains the distinction.

You may also want to investigate adjoining uses, nearby construction plans, and conditions at different times of day. Make a note of what remains unanswered after a showing and who will follow up.

Several review periods can run at the same time. Request a calendar showing when disclosures and association documents are due, what starts each review period, and how cancellation notice must be delivered. Hawaiʻi law addresses seller disclosures and association documents separately. Applicable exemptions and written contract terms matter; your inspection deadline may not cover every document review.

6 Who will I work with day to day?

On a team, different people may arrange showings, write offers, or coordinate escrow. Find out who handles each part, who to contact for an urgent decision, and who covers when your agent is unavailable. Explain your work schedule and communication preferences, then agree on realistic expectations.

You may work with Ciena Alagao or Kainoa “KJ” Harrison. Ciena was born and raised on the west side and has lived in West and Central Oʻahu. Her work includes local buyers and new construction. KJ was born and raised in Kailua and works with first-time buyers and growing families. Both help buyers understand the choices involved in purchasing here.

If you attend an open house or speak with a listing agent, let them know you already have representation. Discuss those visits with your own agent, too.

Questions for a particular kind of purchase

Buying from the mainland or moving on military orders: Discuss live video tours, inspections, time zones, and your arrival or report date. A video can show entry access, parking, neighboring properties, and visible condition concerns, but it cannot replace inspections. If you’re using a VA loan, involve your lender early to confirm financing and property eligibility. I grew up in a military family and moved to Hawaiʻi when my father received orders here, so I understand why the move’s timing belongs in the conversation.

Buying new construction: Speak with your agent before your first registration or visit. Confirm the project’s rules for recognizing your representation, the compensation arrangement, and any cost you would be responsible for. You can explore developments and buying guides on New Construction Hawaiʻi, our team’s website for researching new homes on Oʻahu. Developer condo purchases have different disclosure and cancellation rules from resale transactions, including an initial cancellation right that may be waived or expire. Have the dates and any waiver explained before signing. HRS §514B-86 covers the initial right; §514B-87 addresses certain material changes.

Buying affordable or reserved housing: Confirm which program governs the unit and its current eligibility, occupancy, resale, and shared-equity requirements. Understand what restrictions would apply when you eventually sell, as well as whether you qualify today.