Candidate Questionnaire

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Director-at-Large Candidates

Question 1: If elected, what assets (e.g., skills, expertise, etc.) would you bring to the Board of Directors, and how would these benefit the Honolulu Board of REALTORS® (HBR) and its membership?

Question 2: If elected, what would be your primary focus for the year as a member of the Honolulu Board of REALTORS® (HBR) Board of Directors?

 

 

Joshua Horita

Joshua Horita, R

AHWD, BPOR, SFR

Horita Realty LLC

Q1: I have been blessed to be involved in the Leeward Region as a Treasurer, Vice Chair, Chair, and Regional Director. Through my years of service, I have learned that good leaders lead, and great leaders listen. I have also gained an amazing relationship with so many wonderful people and feel that I am perfectly in a position to be a conduit of communication between our members and our leadership. I look forward to hearing what you have to say and building solutions to strengthen our REALTOR® community.

Q2: While I do have experience as a Board of Director, my focus has been dedicated to building the Regional Groups as the Leeward Regional Director for the past several years. This year I look forward to supporting other initiatives of the Board and enhancing our leadership unity. I believe we will better serve you when our leadership is strong together.

 

 

Jordan Kam

Jordan T. Kam, RA

AHWD, CRS, GRI

Coldwell Banker Realty

Q1: I started my career in real estate as a personal assistant and helped a lead agent with management of CRB Board and CRS Board responsibilities. I understand the dynamics and benefits of being a part of the various organizations (serving on HAR Education & Website Committees, CRS Board of Directors & the HBR Metro Regional Group) and how working together with common goals, we can make a great impact on the real estate community.

I will provide fresh perspectives, depth of understanding, and open communication. In partnership with the board, I hope to help bridge and negotiate policies that will benefit our membership and public.  

Q2: In an ever-changing real estate market, I will strive to support our REALTOR® community with more opportunities to stay informed and engaged with the changing market. Learning from other real estate markets and sharing best practices without requiring additional hours in the classroom would be my objective.

I would love to open conversations with the community on their thoughts regarding First-time Home Buyer programs for certain market segments where a 30-year owner occupant period is valid for some and perhaps a 10-year owner occupant period is valid for others. As a group, these conversations relating to housing can, in turn, bring meaningful actions that will inform and benefit all of our community.

 

 

Grace Koreyasu

Grace M. Koreyasu, R

CRS

BHGRE Advantage Realty

Q1: I believe I would bring knowledge & experience to the table. Having served on Grievance & PSAC for a cumulative term of 18 years, I have extended knowledge & experience in deciphering the NAR Code of Ethics, as well as Arbitration & Hearing proceedings. I train our new incoming agents in the Purchase Contract and what the terms mean to both Buyers and Sellers, as well as the Listing Agreement and what it encompasses. In my role at BIC, I have exposure to problems and how to navigate.

Q2: I am not fully versed in what role and specific duties a director would perform, therefore I'm at a handicap to say exactly "what" my focus would be. I can say with certainty that my goal would be to enhance the committee and work WITH everyone to achieve whatever our mutual goal/assignment would be. So, my FOCUS, would be to be a team player and assist in moving the Board forward in whatever role/task I am assigned.

 

 

Earl Lee

Earl Lee, R

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hawaii Realty

Q1: Given the industry is facing enormous change from an economic, social, legal and health basis, it will require new perspectives as well as learning from the past. I am uniquely qualified given my long tenure in the business to provide context of what happened in the past and how those events are or are not applicable today.

My career in business both in the for profit and nonprofit areas as well as having worked on the mainland for a national franchisor, hopefully makes me uniquely qualified to benefit the Honolulu Board of REALTORS® and each of its members.

Q2: The current environment from a business perspective is unprecedented with many unknowns such as the class action lawsuits regarding commissions, status of the economy and the ongoing impact of technology affecting our business. This will require careful focus on policies and procedures that will ensure the effective management of the organization and its financial and policy directions.

Many of the current paradigms might have to be challenged as to how the board operates and what services it delivers.

 

 

Laura Awana Lewis

Laura Lewis, R

AHWD, CRS, MRP, SRES

Homes of Hawai'i Real Estate

Q1: I received my RA in 2003, my Broker's license in 2009, and have been in a leadership role ever since. I've served on HBR's Grievance Committee for over 7 years and I am very proud to say that I am a graduate of HARLA 2022 (Hawai'i Association of REALTORS® Leadership Academy). I have vast experience in creating and instituting programs and trainings that work for a variety of skill levels and personality types.

Q2: My primary focus is always to enhance and better our REALTOR® community's reputation by encouraging professionalism and cooperation. I know that we can't accomplish that by working alone. The best way I know how to achieve this is by listening to thoughts and ideas from our Membership, coordinating with other Board members, adhering to our Code of Ethics, and working in the spirit of cooperation. I know we can do this.

 

 

Francis Van Rafelghem

Francis Van Rafelghem, R

BHGRE Advantage Realty

Q1: I am currently the Principal Broker at our brokerage and have been an agent since 2001. As a leader in a team of more than 100 agents, I am committed to upholding the high standards of professionalism and exceptional customer care that are expected of us. In 2018, I was appointed to the Grievance Committee and was subsequently elected as its Chair in 2022. Through my 22 years in the industry, I have honed my technical and communication skills, allowing me to resolve problems quickly.        

Q2: My objective, both in the past and ongoing, is to enhance the level of professionalism and further boost the reputation of our members and organization. While HBR has made notable progress in this regard, I firmly believe that there is still much more that can be achieved. We must continue to raise awareness among the public regarding the importance and worth of our services, and to further enhance the brand and image of REALTORS® on O’ahu. 


 

Jon Yamasato

Jon M. Yamasato, R

Compass

Q1: I believe over the last 20 years I’ve been able to build good relationships within the real estate community. We’re all part of the same industry, so it will be good to have someone on the Board who thinks on behalf of a wide range of constituents. The other asset that I think could be useful is my media background. Being in the production field as a hobby can be useful for messaging and communication to the general public.

Q2: I feel like the previous Board has done a good job providing tools and resources for the members. For the next year, I would not like to make any drastic changes to what has already been done and focus on how we implement new changes to the industry coming our way (AI, etc.).

  

  
 
 

East O'ahu/Molokai Regional Director Candidate

 

Leonie Lam

Leonie Lam, R

CRB, MRP

BHGRE Advantage Realty

Q1: If elected, I offer 20 years of relationship building and executive level real estate leadership by working with two prominent locally owned and operated real estate companies. I have served on the HBR Windward and the HBR East Oahu Regional Board and an officer on the local REBI Chapter (aka CRB). I am a full-time selling real estate broker and through working in the field each day together with our HBR members, I am able to bring those insights when serving on the Board.

Q2: I believe it is more important than ever to focus on continuing to level up and raise the bar on professionalism within our local real estate industry. I would love the opportunity to continue to support HBR in its outreach efforts in providing value and education to its members while effectively articulating and communicating back to HBR our member needs and suggestions.

  

Leeward Regional Director Candidate

  
Sunny Lee-Oshiro

Sunny F. Lee-Oshiro, RA

CRS

Coldwell Banker Realty 

Q1: If elected as the Leeward Regional Director, I would like to bring my leadership skills and strategic planning skills to the Board. As the current Leeward Region Chair, I work closely with our team members of the Leeward Regional Group (LRG) board to plan our monthly speakers, sponsors, and special events. We carefully think who we should have at our monthly meetings, bringing in speakers that not only add value to our HBR members, but to make sure it is worth their time coming out to our meetings. Our Members look forward to LRG meetings. 

Q2: If elected, my primary focus would be to ensure long-term success and sustainability of the LRG organization. Our team would work collaboratively with others to achieve these goals and to create value for our HBR members. Building strong relationships with the community by listening to their concerns and feedback and ensuring that our members’ needs are met. 



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