Finding the right neighborhood for your family to live Ð and matching it to your pocketbook - can be a balancing act. Determining what you can afford is essential, but there is much more to consider than that especially when you have kids in school and commutes to work to consider. Ideally you want a home in a neighborhood where crime is low and property values are high, in an area that offers the right mix of parks, shopping, restaurants, churches and maybe even golf.

Before you get too overwhelmed, here is some priceless advice: Find a Realtor. It will cost you nothing and the advice you get is invaluable.

Even though it's a small Island, it's common for buyers to be pigeonholed into looking at only one neighborhood, and not realize there may be others that may really suit their family's needs better.

Russell Nishimoto, 28-year veteran Realtor and partner at Prudential Locations, says "It happens all the time. What we as Realtors are taught is a process. We bring buyers in and get to know them - we basically consider price and lifestyle."

Nishimoto recalls one client recently who wanted to buy in Manoa and really wanted to start a family. After considering price and getting to know them, he made a suggestion that they consider 'Aina Haina - as it was more in their price range and seemed to actually suit them better.

"As we talked and they verbalized their needs to me, they realized, wouldn't it be nice for the kids to ride their tricycles out in front of the house," remembers Nishimoto, who says the key is introducing different neighborhoods, making recommendations and giving them options. "They said to me, we would have never considered that.

"In a lot of cases, people think one way but they're open to ideas if you give them some," explains Nishimoto.

Fellow Prudential agent Mary Robb adds "There are a lot of factors that can impact the value of a property, and as Realtors, it's our job to stay on top of the issues that may affect prices. People want to know - especially in this market - in the event that they have to move, will the neighborhood maintain it's value?"

Bottom line, Realtors spend years researching neighborhoods. Put that intelligence to work for you and you'll likely be surprised to find how much you will benefit.

Experts still focus on location

You can remodel the kitchen, add on a bedroom, knock down a wall and change almost anything about a house with some tools or a paint brush ... everything, that is, but the location.

Which is why veteran real estate professionals, rather than getting caught up in talk and speculation of bubbles, would rather remind folks of the basic rule of real estate - location, location, location.

"Location is number one, two and three on the list," says Realtor Corinda Wong, of Prudential Locations. "When determining value in real estate, location is the single greatest factor. It's what drives the price. Are you on the beach or are you just off the beach?

"And even the word 'oceanfront' can mean different things depending on the location of the neighborhood," she explains. "Oceanfront might be affordable in Maili but may not be in Kahala."

It's all about location.

Fellow Prudential Locations agent Mary Robb emphasizes the importance of location with this example: "You can have a mediocre home on the beach that will have a higher value than a great home on the same street off the beach."

She explains that you can fix up the mediocre house but you can't pick up and move the nice one. And she adds that location not only affects the price but also the desirability of a home.

Artie Wilson, 25-year veteran in the real estate business, agrees, and goes on to say that where the home is located is the key factor in affecting a home's value - both now and in the future.

"I'm always looking for the best location and the best neighborhood for my clients. They might be more interested in the house or the floorplan, but from an investment standpoint, my job is to put them in the best location," he says. "My mindset is I want to put them into a neighborhood so that when they're ready to sell it, I know they can resell it and it will likely end up being a good investment for them."

Consequently, a home's location can also have a negative effect on price.

An added benefit of owning in a good location, according to Robb, "At some point when prices adjust, the places in the best locations will tend to adjust the least."

Professional staging tips can increase sales profit

Minimizing selling time and maximize profits with these three tips to staging the inside of your home like a pro:

1. De-clutter.

This is one of the most important things you can do when selling your home. It might be easier to think of de-cluttering like this: You're moving anyway, so why not start packing now.

Pack up everything you don't need and store the boxes out of sight in the garage. You may even consider renting a storage space temporarily.

2. Organize your closets.

Put similar colors together, pants together, skirts together, shirts together, etc. This trick will make your closets look bigger. It really works. An organized closet appears bigger and makes your home look as spacious as possible.

3. Make your home look like a model.

You want to de-personalize as much as possible so potential buyers can imagine themselves and their own belongings occupying the space. That means minimizing - put away everything you don't need or use. Clear off the kitchen countertop as much as possible and put miscellaneous small clutter in a few attractive baskets or boxes.

Staging a home can be compared to setting the scene for a prospective buyer to imagine himself, his family and his possessions happily occupying your home. In order for that to happen, the seller has to take herself out of the picture.

Shop around for the 'best' Realtor

The average homebuyer looks at between five and 15 homes before deciding which one to buy. But all too often, a buyer doesn't spend enough time looking for the "best" Realtor to negotiate for them and advise them -which can end up costing time and money.

Here is a list of skills and traits to shop for when choosing a Realtor:

1. Topping the list is market knowledge.

"That's one of those things Realtors do that you maybe don't think about," says Tiare Ti'aturi, who has bought and sold eight homes in her lifetime. "They go out on their own and look at property after property so that when they take out clients, they know exactly where to take them and you don't have to go all over the place."

A good Realtor also knows the history of price trends in your neighborhood of interest, as well as what has or has not sold and why.

2. Good listener

According to the National Association of Realtors, the mark of a good agent is one who will listen to your needs and will only show you homes that meet your criteria.

3. Excellent negotiator

Pick an agent with good negotiating skills who will drive the best bargain on your behalf. An experienced agent will know how to walk that fine line between driving a hard bargain and when a counteroffer has the best chance of being accepted.

4. Imaginative, problem solver

Ti'aturi recalls how her agent, Michael DeMello of Prudential Locations, got creative when there were no listings available where she wanted to buy.

"He made a list of all the places I wanted to live and then he wrote letters to the owners," says Ti'aturi, who ranks DeMello as tied with the best Realtor she's ever worked with. "One seller was contemplating moving anyway, but it wasn't until he got the letter from Mike that he decided to sell. Mike took me right over there and I loved it."

5. Trustworthy

Another of DeMello's clients, California investor Michael del Rosario, says, "Knowledge of inventory and market conditions tops the list, but right up there with that is being trustworthy."

Buyers and sellers will clearly have the competitive edge when their Realtor has a proven track record of integrity and professionalism. Once you find an agent, ask them for a list of past customers you can contact for a reference - then listen carefully to what the former customer says.

Rules to live by: what are CC&R's?

When you buy a home in a new subdivision, chances are that you also automatically become a member of a homeowners' association.

Depending on your ability to follow a few rules and conform to some basic restrictions, you will find that, for the most part, homeowners' associations are necessary to provide a good living environment and to protect the resale value of your home.

Rules that include restrictions affecting the outside appearance of your home prevent your neighbor from collecting a fleet of rusted cars or a flock of plastic pink flamingos.

The homeowners' association will probably exercise a lot of control over how you use your property.

The transfer deeds to houses in new developments almost always include limitations on how the property can be used. Usually these limitations, called covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs), put decision-making rights in the hands of a homeowners' association.

Some associations enforce every rule with the enthusiasm of a Marine drill sergeant; others are run in a far more relaxed way. Most associations try to make decisions that will retain the value of the houses.

Make sure the CC&Rs are compatible with your lifestyle. CC&Rs commonly limit the color or colors you can paint your house, the color of the curtains or blinds visible from the street and even the type of front yard landscaping you can do.

Some CC&Rs go on to require that garages facing the street be kept neat, insist that laundry be dried indoors rather than hung on a line, prohibit basketball hoops in the driveway or front yard, and prohibit parking RVs or boats in the driveway. See the list below for more examples of the excruciating detail with which some homeowners' associations regulate members' everyday lives.

Read the CC&Rs carefully before you buy, and if you don't understand something, ask for more information.

Once you've moved in, getting relief from overly restrictive CC&Rs isn't easy. You'll likely have to submit an application for a variance, get your neighbors' permission and possibly go through a formal hearing. And if you want to make a structural change to your house, such as building a fence or adding a room, you'll likely need formal permission from the association (on top of having to comply with city and county zoning rules).

Homeowners' associations can usually mandate that members pay fees for common property maintenance. The fees can run particularly high if the development has a pool, golf course, or other recreational facility. Many associations in housing developments let their boards raise regular assessments up to 20 percent per year, and levy additional special assessments with no membership vote for capital improvements like a new roof.

If you're on a tight budget, check the homeowners' association membership fee and see how easy it is for the board to increase the amount.

Homeowners' associations may regulate:

• shingles and exterior paint
• fences and hedges
• trees, lawns, and weeds
• pools
• swing sets and basketball hoops
• garages and sheds
• mailboxes and parking
• clotheslines and garbage cans
• window coverings
• home businesses
• pets (size or number of pets)
• noise.