Kona Board of Realtors Announces Award Nominations

Three Hawaii Life agents have been nominated for outstanding performance by the Kona Board of Realtors:

Michele McKinley, R(S); Erik Hinshaw, R(S); Katie Minkus, R(B)

• Michele McKinley, R(S), was nominated for “Realtor Salesperson of the Year”
• Erik Hinshaw, R(S), was nominated for “Rookie of the Year”
• Katie Minkus, R(BIC), was nominated for “Broker of the Year”

Proposed by the general membership, these three nominees reflect Hawaii Life’s growing presence and commitment to the West Hawaii Realtor community. KBR Executive, Laura Harlak, emphasized that “this is the highest honor fellow Realtors can bestow.”

Michele McKinley, R(S), has been a Kona Board of Realtors Director for two years, and will be secretary in 2011. She bought property in Kona, in 2004, as an investment, and ended up moving in when the tenants left. While still servicing clients in the San Diego area, she is completely devoted to her Big Island clients. “I really nurture clients; it’s not about how many. I do everything I can to support the people who have hired me. Up until a year ago, I had maybe one cancellation in 9 years. This year, all my clients are referrals.”

When he fell in love with the vintage 50’s beach houses, coffee shacks, and sleepy small towns on his first visit to Kona, Erik Hinshaw, R(S), decided to leave California for a simpler life on a small coffee farm overlooking Kealakekua Bay. He credits his real estate investor experience, and deep love for this island, for his success in helping clients realize their dreams for Hawaii ownership. While he may be a “rookie” selling Kona Real Estate, he talks about property values with the voice of experience. Take a look at Erik’s view of the “gloomy” real estate market this past summer.

Katie Minkus, R(B), is the President-Elect of the Kona Board of Realtors, has served as the Board’s Vice President since 2008, and as a director since 2006. Last month, she graduated from the Hawaii Association of Realtor’s Leadership Academy 2010. Katie has been a driving force in establishing Hawaii Life’s West Hawaii presence by supporting the Big Island group in upgrading their technology, and social networking skills for the current era. Katie echoes Hawaii Life’s founding principle that the standard of service is everything. “We represent people. Not money, or commission, or dollar volume sold, or number of transactions. People first.”

Hawaii Life continues an ongoing dialogue about values and ethics in our profession. Through some pretty interesting discussions, we lead each other to a renewed pride in working with a group of professional Realtors whose success continually demonstrates that prioritizing ethics and integrity pays off. While this kind of philosophical focus may seem like a luxury in the business of selling property, we see it as foundational. It is one of the primary motivators of our business that keeps Hawaii Life Agents and Brokers excited, involved, and producing results for our clients.

The 2010 Kona Board of Realtors Awards will be presented at their Annual Membership Meeting on Friday, October 29, 2010 at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott. Best of luck to our Hawaii Life nominees!!