I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how refreshing it was to work with you regarding the purchase of the property on Kumano. We met and became great working partners immediately. We truly appreciate meeting someone in your industry with such integrity and knowledge. You were there every step of the way to help and assist in assuring a smooth and easy purchase on our part.

The property will be valued for a long time in our family. It will make a great rental property and investment for us. I have bought and sold a lot of properties over the years and I have never once found a more honest and helpful agent. You are an asset to your industry for sure.

I know we will keep in touch. We wish you the best for the holidays and for your bright future. You can be sure that we will be calling on you again soon for any sales or purchases of properties on the island.

Best wishes for a great holiday season
Sandy Camou

Dear Betsy,

This is to express our heartfelt gratitude to you for your excellent services. We chose the Coldwell Banker because they seemed to have more attractive listings. And we found out the company has also very capable, experienced representative like you. We were very fortunate to find someone like you to understand what we were looking for and find a right property. Actually this property is more than we expected - the former owners really beautifully remodeled and decorated it in a way which is very appealing to us. Thank you so much for your efficient, thorough handling the business as well as for your kindness to introduce the trustworthy company for mortgage arrangement and mover. All through the transaction, we had complete trust in you which is so important for any business dealings. We will not hesitate a moment to recommend you as an excellent realtor to anyone who asks us.

Gratefully,
Jenabe and Motoko Caldwell

Sincerely,
James and Andrea Foss

I met Betsy when, on a Saturday afternoon, I phoned the Coldwell Banker office in Makawao because I'd seen an ad in the newspaper that sounded vaguely interesting.  I'd been looking for a house in Kihei, but I thought I'd like to see what Pukalani had to offer.  Betsy had stopped by the office, and she answered the office phone.  Not only did she agree to (a) contact the realtor whose property it was and (b) to meet me there, but she also showed me another house in the same area that wasn't even for sale yet.   While I don't now live in that house, I did love it and bid on it.  From that beginning, her generosity with both her time and her expertise were commendable, and she was also open, friendly, and fun despite the fact that--as a perfect stranger--I'd interrupted her weekend.

I was impressed enough to ask Betsy to show me other Pukalani properties, and in the following month she did.  She questioned me carefully, listened exceedingly well, selected a range of properties, and most important for a first-time home-buyer, she educated me as we looked.  No hard-sale:  she was genuinely interested in me as a person and as a novice.  She was honest and forthright with her information; she showed me properties that were not "hers" as often as she showed me her own, and she taught me the appropriate questions to ask and the things to look for in each case.  I learned about loans and credit reports, property lines and questionable wiring.

And then, when the Pukalani house didn't work out, I saw a FSBO ad in Kihei, and I discovered that I could live there.  Fortunately, I was well enough educated in real estate that I knew how little I knew, so I phoned Betsy and asked if she would help me buy the house.  When we first looked at the property, she shushed me:  "Don't be saying how much you love it!"  For me, watching her work was amazing.  Her goal was to purchase the house at a fair price with the least amount of confrontation and ugliness, and she achieved that goal.  She insisted that everything (inspections, problems, and solutions) be above-board, thoroughly discussed, and then consensus reached.  She willingly worked with the owners' loan people and attorney, made sure that I had great representation from everyone from the "tenter" to the loan company.  She did the time-consuming contract work, the contact work, and the calm-me-down work (:-), always with an upbeat smile and positive words.

Not that she did all this for free, out of the goodness of her heart (although her heart IS good).  We had a business arrangement; she represented me.  I appreciated her commitment, her willingness to drive to Kihei to complete paperwork, her encouragement and her advice; she was worth every penny (and then some).  She certainly made my experience as painless as possible.

Another example of Betsy's determination to serve her customers is that she knows everyone related to the business:  not just her own colleagues and other realtors on Maui, but also  who to get to trim the trees, who she trusted most as a handyman.  Even more important, she shares this information on her webpage and in her monthly newsletter so that former clients can continue to use her expertise long after they have bought their property. 

For all these reasons, I recommend Betsy to anyone who is interested in looking at real estate, learning about the processes of property buying on Maui, and enjoying (almost) every minute. 

Joy Reid

1. Betsy took time with us almost every day for two weeks over Christmas and New Years holidays, when she could well have said she was taken with family obligations.
2. Betsy wrote a persuasive letter to the seller after the house inspection, requesting a proposed sum to defray our cost in repairing the items identified.
3. When it came to our attention that the loan we had entered into was outrageously expensive, Betsy personally confronted the loan officer and followed up with a detailed letter listing the fees, which were way out of line, calling them junk fees. She spent many hours as our advocate, assisting our withdrawal from the loan.
4. Thirty-six hours before the closing, Betsy and seller's realtor were blindsided by the seller, who had fraudulently rented the ohana on the property without consulting anyone. Betsy spent an enormous amount of time consulting with a lawyer and working with the tenants to renegotiate their lease to the satisfaction of the renters and us, the new owners.
5. Because we were in the process of selling our house in Minnesota, we were unable to move into our new home until 6 weeks after the closing. Betsy assumed the role of property manager. She not only coordinated the financial details, but also smoothed out the bad feelings that had been created by the former owner.
6. The house and property had been cleaned and cleared at closing time, but six weeks later Betsy took it upon herself to have the house and yard cleaned at her own expense.

In summary, Betsy was a competent and caring person throughout our challenging moving process, managing all the details between Maui and Minnesota in a most positive way. When we arrived, our house and yard were sparkling clean, and in our living room we found a beautiful plant welcoming us home, We felt loved and cared for, and are deeply grateful to have had such a positive experience at a very emotional time for us. We highly recommend Betsy to any person seeking a realtor.

Sincerely,
Bob and H. Collopy

Sincerely,
Sherry J. Withers
S. J. Withers Real Estate Investments

If you have any questions or need additional information please contact us immediately (fax:808-879-3674, PH: 808-879-5209).
James and Andrea Foss

It is our pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for Betsy Jacobsen, RA Coldwell Banker. When we decided to put our house on the market, our first step was to find a realtor who would be understanding, willing to work with us, provide suggestions and be supportive. We remembered receiving a letter from Betsy informing us the price of a house which sold in our neighborhood and thought this was an ingenious way of publicity and showed her to be a highly motivated person.

We spoke on the phone and arranged to meet with her at our home. Upon our meeting, her professionalism, upbeat positive attitude and genuine concern for our family needs, were the ultimate deciding factors in having her represent us.

She is a joy to work with and would never inconvenience your family. She is always available and easy to get in touch with and answers her messages in a timely manner.

After three months of working with her we took our house off the market due to family emergency, however, should we decide to place our house back on the market, Betsy Jacobsen would be the first realtor we would call. She is a wonderful person to have as a realtor.

Sincerely yours,
Steve and Ohua Morando