Learn more about one of our Maui real estate experts, Elizabeth Quayle. In this interview you learn more about her background as a Realtor and her family life. - Ask our Maui experts!

Betty: Aloha, we are sitting here today in the office of Sakamoto Properties. Elizabeth Quayle and myself trying to put some information out that people keep asking us. Some will go on our website and many people are already familiar with Elizabeth, but we just want for the person looking for someone to work with to understand Elizabeth, where she came from, where she’s going and what’s happening. So think about it Elizabeth, even if I came up with a couple questions. As simple as it may seem, when do you move to Maui? When did you get here?

Elizabeth: I officially moved to Maui on February 15, 1984. I know the date because it was the day after Valentines day. I got my real estate license in California actually back when I was 25 and prior to that I had gone to school to get my loan packaging certification so real estate kind of has been in my blood since I was quite young. Maui in particular, 1989, I was licensed. I was very, very fortunate. You know we live through our mothers and off times you hear your mother in your brain. You are with whom you hang out and for me, I’ve been very lucky to affiliate with companies that have done nothing but help me bloom and Sakamoto Properties rocks my world.

B: It’s been perfect for all of us.

E: I’m very lucky and grateful. I’m grateful.

B: Well, I know you came here with teenage boys. They’re both here still. They’re both working in Maui, doing a variety of things, often helping out in your business, which is really fabulous for all of us.

E: My husband and I have five kids between us. Three of which live on Maui. Two of whom are on Kauai. So we are that particular family who is very, very blessed in that we are surrounded with our family, summertime we get the kids. It’s in my estimation, a dream life, I have somebody that loves me, I live in a little cottage near the sea, I work in a company that’s right around the corner from my house with people that I adore and I don’t go to work, I go to live. Real estate is not my job; real estate is who I am.

B: Wow, I’ve always felt the same way and it is embarrassing almost sometimes when I’ll say that to someone but it’s the truth, it is who I am. If someone says “you ever going to retire?” I’ll say, “I doubt it, this is who I am.” What am I going to do, go play golf? I don’t think so.

E: Well, that sounds good.

B: That’s okay too.

E: That’s on Tuesdays. Tuesday golf.

B: So we’ve all moved along great together. It’s been an amazing affiliation. Elizabeth has been working with a lot of first time home buyers and a lot of people that sort of, fiftieth trip to Maui, so it really has been something that you’ve excelled at and people are, as they say, people are asking because they’ve heard of you. It’s important that we give them little pieces of information. You’re available everyday, easy to reach. Life is good.

E: Life is great and we’re lucky to get to do this so showing up is never a problem. I think we have a variety of buyers here, the range is very high-end, especially on this side of the island and then there are those people who are of modest means and want to be able to make this their dream place to live as well. That’s basically the clientele with which we are having to work, getting to work.

B: And again, back to the person who’s living here and working three jobs, as you said you were in the early days, they also want to buy a home, so it’s important that we do our best to get them tied up with a lender, working really hard, understanding what it’s going to take so they too can have that dream feeling someday that they do have a property, they do have a home. They’re important wouldn’t you say?

E: Yes. And you had just mentioned the lending aspect of it. They’re a couple of things that people may not know but should know. Interest rates are federally regulated so you can get the same interest rate on Maui that you are no matter where you are, depending on the product that you’re buying. We have so many different types of loans you can get. You have high-end loans, you have a lot of first time home buyer loans, you can get in with an FDA loan with no down payment, so you have a variety of choices, you just have to figure out what it is that you want and then we will hold your hand and help you find that.

B: We have another blog you can look for that’s going to talk about how it works for you to become that first time home buyer, the things that you have to do, because it really works if we can fill you in on what you have to do if one of our lenders talks to you about what you have to do to maybe clean up credit, etc. Check out that blog because I think that will be really interesting for you.