Bulletins – Hawaii Information Service

Happy Holidays from HIS!

Our office will be closed from December 25, 2009 through January 1, 2010. Normal office hours will resume on Monday, January 4, 2010.

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Important Billing Announcement
The next billing for credit card and ACH Customers is
Monday, January 4, 2010

Please note: If you were mailed an invoice, your payment is due by January 5, 2010 to avoid possible late fees and interruption of service.

If you are placing your license INACTIVE, or if you are surrendering your license, we must receive a copy of your DCCA change form. We normally request that changes be submitted to us 4-5 working days prior to the billing date, so please send your form(s) in by December 23, 2009 to assure that your changes will be processed before the billing is sent out on January 1, 2010.

Once we charge your credit card or debit your account, there is no refund. Please contact us before billing occurs if you would like to make any changes to your billing.

If you need to change your payment account, please go to this link:
http://www.hiiinfo.net/REsearch/IDX/mlsHawaii/forms/PreAuthprizedPayment.pdf

Print and complete this form, sign it and fax your new Exhibit C to (808) 524-6874. Please note that your broker does not have to sign this form if you are only changing your account information.

If you need to change your payment frequency or billing cycle, please notify us by:

- Calling HIS Accounting at 1-800-628-3121, ext. #454, or
- Send an email to Accounting@HawaiiInformation.com

Mahalo!

We at HIS would like to wish you and your loved ones the happiest of Thanksgivings. We would also like to express our sincerest gratitude to you, our loyal customers – our appreciation for you is truly beyond measure.

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We will be out of the office Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th, returning on Monday, November 30th. If you should need us you may leave a message in our emergency voice mailbox by calling the main office number and pressing * (star). Leave your message and your contact information and our phone system will notify our on-call staff that there is an emergency message. Phone: 1-800-628-3121, if calling from the neighbor islands, or 599-4224, if calling from Oahu.

Enjoy a safe and fun holiday weekend with your family and friends.

Aloha and Mahalo,

The HIS Ohana

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ!
 
 
Please be advised that there continues to be a threat to the real estate industry from scammers using Craigslist and other classified advertising websites. Crooks are scraping information from real listings and are posting them as fake rental properties, posing as an owner or management company.  Once someone responds, they attempt to get the person to send deposits and advance rent payments, usually to overseas addresses, promising delivery of keys after receiving the funds.
 
These scams are found nationwide, but they have been reported in Hawaii on several occasions, so please be cautious and aware.  If possible, you may want to periodically check Craigslist using the addresses of your listings or key phrases from your property details to ensure that they aren’t being misrepresented.
 
Here are a few helpful links to recent articles concerning this scam:

• KITV: Housing Scams Pop Up on Craigslist
• PBN: Hawaii BBB, Realtors warn of rental scams
• KPUA: Rental scam hits Hawaii
• New York Times: Rent in Haste, Repent at Leisure

Also, after sending out the above information, I received a response from one of our members with some first-hand advice about dealing with this very real problem:

“I have been continuously copied on my listings by scammers in Nigeria (I know this from talking to the people responding to the scammers!)
 
The best way to avoid having scammers copy your listing on Craigslist is to NOT put in address in the Craigslist ad!  This prevents  the scammers from directing people to the property for drive bys…and therefore, prevents them from pulling off the scam.”

We know how important your online marketing efforts are, which is why we’ve recently made a number of enhancements to our Gallery Ads!  More prominently placed and designed to match the new look and feel of the Hawaiiinformation.com website, the new and improved Gallery Ads have been designed to provide better exposure and more complete information.
 
 
What’s New?

• New and Improved Layout
• Linked Directly from the Front Page of Hawaiiinformation.com
• Rotation of Ads For Maximum Exposure
• Expanded, Detailed Profile Pages
• Direct Links to Your Twitter and Facebook Profiles

Showcase Your Social Networks

 
We know that there are more ways than ever for people to contact and connect with you. Now, we’re happy to include links to your Twitter and Facebook accounts on your new profile page.  If you would like us to add Twitter or Facebook icons to your Gallery Ad, please send Michael Torres at michael@alohaliving.com the link to one or both and we will get those set up for you.
 
 
Stay Up to Date!
 
With the unveiling of our new Gallery Ads, now is the perfect time to update yours with the latest information. We’d be happy to help you update your Gallery Ad photo, contact information, and agent bio. Simply e-mail anything you want changed to Michael Torres at michael@alohaliving.com.
 
 
 ________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
Here is what the new Gallery Ad pages, with rotating placement, will look like:
 

And the new profile pages…

Questions? Contact your account manager today!  

Colleen Yasuhara
Toll Free: 1-800-628-3121 ext. 151 | Direct: (808) 748-8751
E-Mail: colleen@alohaliving.com

 

Twitter:
Hawaii Information Service - http://twitter.com/HiInformation
AlohaLiving.com – http://twitter.com/AlohaLiving

Facebook:
Hawaii Information Service- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Honolulu-HI/Hawaii-Information-Service/70158269745
AlohaLiving.com – http://www.facebook.com/pages/AlohaLiving/96969488240

Questions?  I’d love to hear from you?  Please don’t hesitate to contact me via e-mail at erin@alohaliving.com or by phone at 808-748-8759.  Have a great rest of your week!