Bulletins - Hawaii Information Service » Digests

Important Holiday and Billing Announcement

marketing — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:02:21 +0000

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.

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!

Happy Thanksgiving from HIS

marketing — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:01:27 +0000

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.

__________________________________

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

Craigslist Scam Alert

marketing — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:29:54 +0000

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:

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.”

Coming Soon: Gallery Ad Enhancements!

marketing — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:01:49 +0000

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

Join Our Social Networks

marketing — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:58:08 +0000

Quick Reminder: If you don’t already, remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for frequent and valuable updates on what is going on at HIS, as well as in the industry at large. Software updates, maintenance notices, prices dropping, how best to market yourself – we cover the gamut of topics to keep you informed and help your business continue to grow.

Not on either of these social networks? The links below will take you directly to our pages on these sites, and can also be used to sign up for your own account…just don’t forget to connect with us once you’ve done so!

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!

Blog Software Updated To Newest Version of Wordpress – 2.8.2

marketing — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:07:38 +0000

It’s official, we are now running WordPress version 2.8.2! More polished and user friendly, you will find that the Dashboard and user interface have been significantly reorganized, but that all the basic features and functions are still there. As you use it, you should see an improvement in the performance of the blog post editor, allowing more control over formatting and image uploads and placement.

Happy Blogging!

Attention All HIS Maui Customers…

marketing — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:21:44 +0000

Put Your Business On The Map With An Ad In

The Maui TMK Street & Condo Mapbook!

Don’t miss out on a chance to be one of three advertisers in the coveted Maui TMK Street & Condo Mapbook. Like real estate, ad space is all about location, location location, which is why we’ve saved the best for you, our valued Maui customers. Build your customer traffic by placing your ad on either the inside front cover, back cover, or inside back cover. Reserve your space before Friday, August 7th for a 50% savings!

With a long-standing reputation for accuracy and thorough information, the Maui TMK Street & Condo Mapbook — distributed at retail stores island-wide — is the go-to map book for both locals and visitors alike. Chock full of street and land maps, condo listings, points of interest and so much more, your ad is sure to catch the attention of users as they refer to this helpful guide over and over again.

Highlights:

Space still available on: Back Cover, Inside Back Cover, & Inside Front Cover.
Distributed island-wide in: Longs, 7-11, Costco, K-Mart and so much more.
Initial run of 5,000 books
Books with your ad in them are a great gift idea for new or existing clients!
Secure your space before Friday, August 7th for a 50% savings!

Ad Specs: All Ads will need to meet the following standards

6″x9″ with 1″ bleed
300 dpi, cmyk
Saved as a PDF

: Example of a past Back Cover ad

Questions? Want more information on how to secure a spot in the Maui TMK Street & Condo Mapbook?

Contact Our Account Manager:

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

HIS Service Alert – Friday, July 24th

marketing — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:14:32 +0000

We are currently experiencing an electrical power outage at our main office, located in the Dole Cannery Building. One of the electrical panels on the floor we are located on has tripped, and as a result, we and the other tenants do not have electrical power to anything except for the lights.

This outage does not affect services except access to the BOC documents, and the office roster functions. Also, our office phones and office email service are not available. The building management has an electrical contractor assessing the problem now. We will send you an update as soon as we have information as to when we can expect our power to be restored.
We apologize for your patience and for any inconvenience this may cause you. Have a wonderful weekend, Mahalo!

Maintenance Alert

marketing — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:50:18 +0000

Maintenance Scheduled for Sunday, July 26, 2009, 6:45 a.m.

HIS will be performing software upgrades to our Web Servers on Sunday, July 26, 2009, starting at 6:45 a.m. The upgrades will take about 30 minutes to complete. All REsearch, IDX, Aloha Living, and Public Site customers will experience a loss of service for the first 15 minutes of this maintenance window.

We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Customer/Tech Support Team at 1-800-628-3121, if calling from the neighbor islands or 599-4224, if calling from Oahu, or send an email to TechSupport@HawaiiInformation.com.

In case of emergency……
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.

Excess SPAM From An E-Mail Scam? Here Are A Few Steps To Fixing It.

marketing — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:29:45 +0000

Recently we posted a bulletin about an phishing scam that was going around the real estate community. An agent e-mailed me a few days ago saying that she and a few other agents had replyed to the e-mail scam and since then have had their in-boxes overflowing with SPAM. She asked if the two were related and if so what could be done. A bit of checking around with our tech department revealed the following:

The first thing to know is that when you reply to that kind of email, it gives the sender of the original email some information about you:

- that your email is a valid email address
- someone reads the email messages
- recipient is in the Real Estate business

The fisher then may sell/share the email address to a myriad of people in the internet black market (not by itself but as part of a list of email addresses). So to answer the question, if your spam amount has increased after replying to this email, that is the most probable cause.

To mitigate the spam amount you should contact your ISP (internet service provider) and see what they can do to help. Specifically, your ISP may have tools for spam that they may be able to turn on, if not already, for your mailbox.

Also, getting your own domain might also be something to think about, then you are not dependant on what the owner of the “aloha.net” domain does, and could even host your new domain with someone like Google that has very good spam controls.

The other possibility with that email is you could decide to call that number, however, the 882 prefix is used by satellite phones, and there might an overcharge that goes to the owner.Lastly, there are many sites online that offer suggestions for spam. One from McAfee is located here: http://www.mcafee.com/us/threat_center/anti_spam/spam_tips.html.

Most important is to be vigilant of these types of phishing e-mails. If you receive one, please send to us with an alert and we will be sure to post it for everyone as a warning.