Amidst the day-to-day upheavalsof the world finance marketsand the efforts by the Obama

Administration to revive our nation’seconomy, there is one financial institu-tion that has continued to succeed by stick-ing with a tried and true formula for suc-cess – customer satisfaction.

By treating borrowers more like fam-ily members, First Hawaiian Bank hasestablished itself as a fiscally-responsiblebanking institution while maintaining anidentity of integrity in lending. In fact, ithas always been more about integrity thanstrategy for First Hawaiian Bank, accord-ing to Laura Dacanay, Senior Vice Pres-ident, Guam and CNMI Region Manag-er at First Hawaiian. The bank’s methodsfor determining a person’s creditworthi-ness at First Hawaiian have remained con-sistent over the years – its lending philos-ophy hasn’t changed. “Our goal is tomake sure our borrowers are financiallyable to take on a new mortgage and tomake sure they don’t get in over theirhead,” she says. “Because of our consis-tent approach, people who qualified for aloan five years ago, would most likelystill qualify now.” Dacanay stresses hercompany’s simple lending philosophy,which includes evaluating a borrower’sability to repay. First Hawaiian Bank fol-lows what it calls the 5 C’s of lending.

Character – borrowers showing theability to repay the loan, employment his-tory, credit scores, ability to pay otherdebts, integrity and honesty.

Capacity – demonstration of sufficientincome to comfortably make the pay-ments on the new loan.

Capital – net worth and cash reserves,including cash for a down payment, re-serves to make payments in the event ofloss of income for a period of time.

Condition – current condition of theeconomy, the industry inwhich the borrowerworks, the likelihoodof continued employ-ment and the interestrate environment.

Collateral – cur-rent value and con-dition of the homethat is being pur-chased/refi-nanced, ade-quate loan-to-value anddown payment.

“ S t a r t i n gwith the basics,our aim is to find aloan product thatprovides the bor-rower with financ-ing to buy a home,with monthly pay-ments that are as com-fortable today as theywill be in 10 or 20years,” says Dacanay.“We make it a point to ed-ucate our borrowers on allthe loan programs avail-

able and help our clients to decide whichprogram will best suit their needs.”

Being a Portfolio Lender, First Hawai-ian Bank has the flexibility to keep yourloan in its portfolio. For some buyers,having the access to a portfolio loan canbetter enable them to get the house, town-house or condo they want. Portfolio lend-ing is the answer to many buyers’prayers.In today’s market the Fannie Mae or Fred-die Mac loans have become more difficultto qualify for and if something does notfit exactly, your loan could be denied.That is what portfolio lending does to helpthose buyers that need a little more flex-ibility for their specific needs.

“Liquidity is not a problem at FirstHawaiian Bank,” Dacanay says. Thebank has over $13 billion in assets, $2.5billion in total equity capital. The banksupports this simple theory when it comesto loans. “We have the money to lendand the ability to be flexible.”

First Hawaiian Bank assigns a person-al banker with every real estate loan. Webelieve each new customer deserves thebest and a personal banker will help cus-tomers determine which bank productswill meet their financial needs. For theindustry in general, it’s about restoringconfidence and helping their customersattain the dream of homeownership – re-alistically at First Hawaiian, its businessas usual.

Dacanay maintains First Hawaiian’sphilosophy hasn’t changed – they wanttheir customers to survive the downturnand sustain a long term relationship, gen-eration after generation…..

So if you’re looking for a lender withintegrity, give First Hawaiian a call.We’ve got three convenient branch loca-tions to serve you:

Maite Branch (671) 475-7900Dededo Branch (671) 632-9381

Tamuning Branch(671)-646-7841

by JuanitaCrisostomo

and Lucy CallahanReal Estate

Loan Off icersFirst Hawaiian

Bank

Hafa Adai,

Congratulations to all the winners!

First Hawaiian Bank is pleased to spon-sor the Ginefli’e I Tano Awards for the11th consecutive year. This annual pre-miere event recognizes Guam’s most out-standing Realtors® in this region.

The Ginefli`e I Tano Awards programcontinues to showcase the best in the in-dustry – Realtors who have shown ex-ceptional service in caring for their cus-tomers and their communities. We areproud to recognize the efforts of these Re-altors who are resourceful, knowledge-able, reliable and dedicated to their field.

For nearly 40 years, First HawaiianBank has been helping families, business-es and individuals in Guam with their fi-nancial goals. As of one of the top tierbanks in the U.S. in terms of credit ratingsand capital, First Hawaiian has the capac-ity to assist your clients with their lendingneeds.

Thank you for making First Hawaiianonce again your mortgage lender ofchoice. We appreciate the opportunity toserve your clients in helping them attaintheir dream of homeownership. We arehere for you every step of the way andlook forward to continuing to provide youand your clients with financial solutions.

We wish you all continued success inthe years ahead.

Laura-Lynn V. DacanaySenior Vice President

Guam & CNMI Region Manager

The Pacific Daily News, IslandHomes Magazine &GuamHomeFinder.Com is hon-

ored to continue our partnership with FirstHawaiian Bank and the Guam Associationof REALTORS® in support of the Gine-fli’e I Tano Awards program. The pro-gram, now in its 11th year, was designedto recognize the best of the best in thefield of professional real estate.

Our island provides such a unique op-portunity for our real estate professionals.Sitting in the middle of the Pacific, our pro-fessionals are required to be able to navi-gate the unique cultures, sales strategiesand client needs that rival metropolitanmarkets.

On Guam we have such a dynamicforce of real estate professionals who areable to provide world-class service to theirclients. It is a group of professionals thatour community can be proud of and de-serve recognition for the hard work thatthey do.

The winners of the People’s Choice,REALTORS® Choice and OutstandingNewcomer Awards have continued todemonstrate their ability to provide ex-ceptional service and the highest ethical

standards, while applying their personaltouch when dealing with customers andfellow REALTORS®.

Please accept our warmest and mostsincere congratulations to all of our RE-ALTORS® along with our best wishesfor a happy and prosperous 2010.

Sincerely,

RINDRATY CELES LIMTIACOPresident & Publ isher

Pacif ic Dai ly News

First Hawaiian Bank’sSimple Lending Continues

in the Present Market

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Fellow Realtors®,

Iwould like to add my congratula-tions to all the nominees of the Gine-fli’e I Tano awards. You are all win-

ners and should be proud of yourselves.There is no greater honor than to be rec-ognized and nominated from your peersand from the customers and clients youserve. As the president of the Guam Asso-ciation of Realtors I would also like tothank First Hawaiian Bank and the Pacif-ic Daily News for sponsoring this eventevery year.As a past recipient of this award,I know what an honor this is and I amgrateful to FHB & PDN for this honor andfor their sponsorship.

We have had a tough year and hopeful-ly are looking forward to better times in thenext few years. I wish you all success anda prosperous year and a fulfilling career.

Christopher Felix CPM, CIPS, CCIM

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Bree McDowell began her real estatecareer in property management be-

fore branching out.“It was several years later that I began list-

ing and selling property,” she says. “The op-portunity to work closely with buyers andsellers and interact with others ona daily basis was my inspiration.”

That interaction is what Mc-Dowell loves most about her job.

“Helping buyers realize theAmerican dream of homeowner-ship has to be the most rewardingpart of being a realtor,” she says.“Knowing that you are part of oneof the biggest milestones in aperson’s life absolutely warmsmy heart.”

This year McDowell wasable to help a prosecutor fromthe Attorney General’s officeand long-time friend find theperfect home. The transaction gave her achance to work with one of her mentors.

“The listing agent (was) a long time friend,

Julie Paxton, whom I had never had the op-portunity to work with in all my years of realestate,” she recalls.

“I knew from the time we submitted the of-fer that I would learn so much from her. Juliewas a wonderful mentor and my client, a first

time homebuyer, was a joy to workwith.”

While the rewards are many,McDowell says, the best way tosucceed in real estate is to makesure you know what you’re get-ting into. She recommends doingresearch at the Department of Rev-enue and Taxation as well as Guam

Association of Realtors.“There are fees for new

members, annual dues andMLS dues that must be paidwhen joining,” McDowellsays. “All this information willhelp them make an educated

decision on when they are ready to committhe time and financial resources required toenter this profession.”

Harmohanjit “CJ” Sachdev went intoreal estate because he was enamored

by “the deal.”“Each deal takes on a life of its own. No

deal is every easy, especially the slam-dunkdeals,” he says. “Deals can espe-cially be found when you are notlooking. I was getting a massageonce and in just being friendly withthe masseuse was told that she hada lot to sell in Dededo, so the dealwas just born at that moment.”

Another unexpected deal wasone Sachdev encountered this yearand became his most memorablesale.

“I sold a bank foreclosure inAnao point which I thought thatno one would buy due to its re-mote location and had a full priceoffer within a week,” Sachdev says.“I have lived on Guam for 30 yearsand have never been down thatroad where the house was located. Lesson isthat everyone has their own eye to what they

like. Now I am currently looking to develophomes in that area.”

The excitement of a deal has hookedSachdev and he plans on remaining in thereal estate business. But it’s not an easy pro-

fession, he says, especially in thecurrent economy.

“Sellers have high selling expec-tations because they are reading mis-information in the media regardingreal estate prices and their own priceexpectations are rocketing higher,”Sachdev says. “That is why proper-ties are sitting longer and there is anundercurrent of the seller’s disap-pointment of where prices are cur-rently (at or below market), and whytheir properties are languishing onthe market.”

In such an up-and-down industrySachdev advises those looking to getinto real estate to have a back upplan.

“Don’t quit your day job,” he says. “Orhave the financial support of your spouse.”

Continuing to grow

Julie Paxton decided she wanted to getinto real estate so she could better un-

derstand the references people used in theirday-to-day lives.

“It just seemed common sense to learnabout real estate for several rea-sons,” Paxton says. “(To) knowthe words and terminology (and)to know learn how to invest inreal estate for (myself) and be ableto provide the knowledge to assistothers as real estate owners.”

Over the last year Paxton hasbeen able to help people findhomes, even when they wereturned down for financing.

“One of buyers had been toldby the first bank they visited thatthey could not obtain the type ofloan they were hoping to applyfor,” Paxton says.

“As soon as I was informed of this, I wasfairly certain that they were in fact eligiblesince the situation was described to me dur-ing previous training courses over the years.”

Being able to commit herself fully to herclients is what she finds incredibly rewarding

about her job.“Whenever a customer or client recog-

nizes all the effort you performed to get themthrough all the emotional ups and downs to-ward the finish line as the sale or lease is fi-

nalized,” Paxton says.“Although work still goes on af-

ter ‘close of escrow’, to knowsomeone counts on you as a profes-sional to do the best you can, to fig-ure out the answers to questionsyou yourself weren’t 100 percentsure about, there is a sense of sat-isfaction that you were there anddid it right.”

Paxton plans to continue helpingclients in the next year, thoughthings may seem tough.

“There are so many opportunitiesfor those willing to stick it outthrough the ups and downs, the

good times and the bad times,” Paxton says.“To dismiss what others are experiencingsomewhere else in the country or world, does-n’t mean that it couldn’t happen here too. Weneed to learn lessons from all over the worldto meet our own challenges.”

Committed to clients

Loisa M. Cabuhat decided she wantedto become a realtor to help make

dreams come true.“Prior to becoming a realtor I worked in an

escrow company for eight years and seeing thehappy faces of the buyers closingtheir first home made me realize thatI can make buyers dreams come true,” Cabuhat says. “Being in thereal estate business for the past threeyears, I’ve made my customersdreams a reality.”

In the past year Cabuhat was ableto make dreams come true from anumber of buyers, but a particular-ly lucky one stands out.

“My most remarkable transac-tion would be selling their firsthome to my buyer who happens tobe the buyer who won the lottery,”Cabuhat says. “They invested inother properties and despite of re-ceiving calls from numerous agents they de-cided to continue to work with me as their re-altor.”

While the good times are the ones that areforemost in Cabuhat’s mind, the year was dif-

ficult.“Last year for me was quite challenging be-

cause the real estate market was slow. Thisyear, I feel confident that the market will con-tinue to increase and hopefully will stay that

way for the next years tocome,” Cabuhat says. “Chal-lenges I see will be if the pricesof homes continue to rise b e -cause they cater to investorswhich will effect the local first-time home buyers.”

Despite challenges Cabuhatpairs her optimism with her deter-

mination in hopes of reachingher life’s goals.

She hopes to become a prin-cipal broker and own her a realestate company in the next fiveto 10 years.

With years of industry expe-rience under her belt, Cabuhat

knows what it takes to succeed in Guam’sreal estate market.

“Being in the real estate industry,” shesays. “You have to be aggressive, hardwork-ing, dedicated and have lots of patience.”

Making dreams come trueSuzanne Naputi was looking for a way

to help people in a fun and challeng-ing field, when she found real estate was aperfect fit.

“I think this career field, in which I havethe opportunity to help familiesand individuals alike find the homethat is perfect for them, thus help-ing to make a difference in theirlives is a great way to combine theideals of service, while navigat-ing challenges that may ensue, tohelp insure win-win situations forall parties involved,” Naputi says.“I find immense satisfaction andfulfillment in that!”

She’s felt greatly blessed in thelast year for being able to help somany first-time buyers find homesthat suit them perfectly when theynever thought they’d be able toafford a house.

“There is no greater reward for me in thisprofession than seeing how totally psyched,ecstatic and emotional people get when wegive them the keys to their new home,” Na-

puti says.“I am especially moved when I see young

children’s eyes light up as they take me bythe hand and point out what room they areclaiming as theirs, all the while proudly pro-

claiming, ‘THIS IS OURHOUSE!’”

While the rewards are greatNaputi says the real estate indus-try is not for everyone.

“I would advise anyone inter-ested in entering the real estateprofession to honestly assess theirreason(s) for wanting to do so,”Naputi says.

“The challenges and demandscan be harsh, exacting and dis-heartening if you go into it blind-ly and unwittingly, but it is a pro-fession that can be immenselyrewarding, inspiring and moti-

vating on so many levels if it’s the right ca-reer fit for you and you take things in stride,stay open to learning constantly and have aGREAT sense of humor!”

Real estate rewards

Liz Duenas grew up around real estate.Her parents would purchase real estate

and rental properties.But she never really thought of it as an oc-

cupation until one of her friends in the in-dustry said she would make a greatrealtor.

Now Duenas loves being able tosee the faces of her clients light upwhen they get the keys to their newhome.

One of her clients got a lot morethan a new home this past year andit became her most memorabletransaction.

“I was assisting a customer inthe construction of his home anddiscovering artifacts on his prop-erty that was radiocarbon datedAD 1400-1460 clearly beforeSpanish contact in 1521,” Duenassays.

But not only are her dealingsmemorable to her, the transactions are also ex-ceptional for her clients.

Manuel Baza was selling his property onGuam while he was living in California. He

says the distance made him wary, but work-ing with Duenas was easy.

“To my surprise she indeed conductedbusiness as if she were in California,” Bazasays. “(Duenas) provided daily feedback by

phone and by e-mail keeping meinformed… The whole experiencewas worry free and conducted withgood ole Guam hospitality.”

With all the excitement of thelast year Duenas is looking for-ward to what the new year willbring, but it won’t be without itsroadblocks.

“The challenge would be work-ing through the military build-up asGuam’s landscape changes,” shesays.

But that’s a challenge she’s will-ing to meet head-on because shesees herself in the industry formany years to come.

For those just getting their feetwet in real estate, veteran Duenas has someadvice.

“Focus on service and make a difference,”Duenas says.

All in the family

For the love of the deal

OutstandingNewcomer

Suzanne NaputiToday’s Realty

REALTOR'S® Choice AwardJulie PaxtonToday's Realty

REALTOR'S® Choice AwardHarmohanjit

“CJ” SachdevCentury 21

Commonwealth Realty

Pacif ic Dai ly NewsPeople's Choice Award

Loisa CabuhatCoral Sea Realty, Inc.

Pacif ic Dai ly NewsPeople's

Choice AwardLiz Duenas

RE/MAXDiamond Realty

Pacific Daily NewsPeople's Choice Award

Bree McDowellAdvance Management, Inc.

GINEFLI’E I TANO

NOMINATIONS FOR 2010REALTOR’S CHOICE AWARD

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Daniel CalvoCoral Sea Realty, Inc.

Clare DelgadoCentury 21

Commonwealth Realty

Ryan DeGuzmanCentury 21

Commonwealth Realty

Tom Godwin Today's Realty

Anthony GodwinToday's Realty

Vicki Anderson Today's Realty

Margie MizukamiToday's Realty

Duane Pahl Today's Realty

Beverly Alerta Brady Today's Realty

Julie PaxtonToday's Realty

Carmen MesaToday's Realty

Joe RiosToday's Realty

Dennis CouzijnToday's Realty

John LinToday's Realty

Yumiko BlaisusToday's Realty

Janet CalvoToday's Realty

Madhu ParmarToday's Realty

Ryan Mummert Today's Realty

Tomas ReyesToday's Realty

Sandy Gould YowToday's Realty

Fiona HockingToday's Realty

Angie CamachoToday's Realty

Courtney Mummert Today's Realty

Dennis San Nicolas Today's Realty

Manny SantosToday's Realty

Harmohanjit “CJ” SachdevCentury 21

Commonwealth Realty

OUTSTANDINGNEWCOMER AWARD

PACIFIC DAILY NEWSPEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

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Waylen JosephRE/MAX

Diamond Realty

Loisa CabuhatCoral Sea Realty, Inc.

Gina CamposRE/MAX

Diamond Realty

Beverly Alerta BradyToday's Realty

Edelfrida “Del” AdaCentury 21

Commonwealth Realty

Daniel CalvoCoral Sea Realty, Inc.

Duane PahlToday's Realty

Sol AbatCentury 21

Commonwealth Realty

Bree McDowellAdvance Management, Inc.

Liz DuenasRE/MAX

Diamond Realty

Norma Del CarmenIs le Property Realty

Sandy Gould YowToday's Realty

Tara GolbaraniCentury 21

Commonwealth Realty

Maria MillerHorizon

Propert ies Inc.

Frank J. PangelinanLatte Stone

Propert ies, LLC

Manny SantosToday's Realty

Julie PaxtonToday's Realty

Susan BiolchinoCoral Sea Realty, Inc.

Ron LoboCoral Sea Realty, Inc.

Shareena GillEl len's Realty

Kamaka Moylan AlstonCentury 21 Realty

Management Co., Inc.

Suzanne NaputiToday’s Realty

GINEFLI’E I TANO

NOMINATIONS FOR 2010