Tips to help you find your next home on Oahu - Honolulu, Hawaii news, sports & weather

HONOLULU -

With home prices skyrocketing in recent months, some potential buyers have given up.

The median price for a single family home on Oahu hit a price-tag of nearly $800,000 in June.

The experts say, don't be discouraged, first timers can still get in the market if they're prepared.

Emmanuel and Sonia De Jesus are blue collar workers.

He's a federal police offer and she works at The Home Depot.

In the past year, the couple worked to put their finances in order and got a little luck along the way.

Like others, they still had to search through a bunch of listings.

The couple put in offers for two homes and got one of them accepted within a month after searching.

They used a VA loan to buy a three bedroom, two bath house in Maili.

The couple originally wanted to live in Kapolei but ran into a more competitive market in the second city so they chose to be flexible on location.

"It's actually not that bad, it's not as bad as people make it seem: the traffic and so. But it worked out," De Jesus said. 

The price for their own piece of paradise, $400,000.

"I can see their family will grow and create memories in this house," Hazel Roces, a Locations Hawaii Realtor said. 

No other offers were made for their home.

One tip from the Locations experts: know your neighborhood. 

Locations Hawaii says sales vary by community.

If the localized market is hot, your offer needs to be strong.

You also might have to deal with being turned down a few times.     

Another tip: humanize your offer.

Use your realtor to find out what the seller is looking for.

If money is the bottom line, perhaps investors will have the upper hand.

If emotion comes into play, the experts say you can tug on a sellers heart strings by sharing your personal story of why you want their home.

This is done in a cover letter.

There are also options available to help first time buyers financially.

Locations says you don't necessarily need to have 20 percent cash down payment.

Compass Home Loans says there are options for buyers with less cash.

Lastly, the lender says avoid large purchases and don't open new lines of credit while you embark on your search.

Discipline can be a key factor in the home buying process.