I Bought My House At The Mall

By Lisa Scontras

You don’t have to be a shop-a-holic or have an insatiable need for more shoes to find yourself at the mall, especially on the weekends or during the holidays.

Pearlridge, Ala Moana and Windward malls are great places to see a movie, get your nails done, try out the latest Apple store toy, socialize with friends over a pumpkin spiced latte, or buy a house.

Wait, go back. Buy a house? At the mall? Really?

It’s true, Prudential Locations has conveniently located kiosks in the mall where shoppers can take a break from picking out stocking stuffers and leisurely browse through homes on the market.

“People are often very busy and even though they have real estate needs, they get put off,” says Wanda Ortiz Thayne, Realtor Associate at Prudential Locations. “When they walk through the mall and see us, they take advantage of the convenience and the opportunity of having us right there to talk to. I can provide them information and answer their questions right on the spot.”

The kiosks are equipped with large flat-panel monitors that continuously display properties currently for sale around the island. Since Prudential’s first kiosk opened at Windward mall in 2001, hundreds of sales have resulted from mall shoppers who stopped to find out more or ask a question.

“Not everyone who comes by is ready to buy,” says Thayne. “But we find out where they are in the path towards home ownership and we set goals to get them there.”

Thayne met one couple at the mall who didn’t think they could afford to buy their own home. They had two small children and no savings. But after stopping at the kiosk, the couple agreed to meet with a loan officer who prequalified them for a zero down VA loan. Still they needed money for closing costs.

“They got very excited about the prospect of owning a home and started saving money,” says Thayne. “The first thing they did was have a garage sale. They emailed me several times to let me know how much money they’d saved so far. Within a few months, they had enough money to cover the closing costs and they now own their first home.”

Another couple, Audrey and Randall Pasion, had just come out of Macys when they saw Wanda at the kiosk helping another person.

“We decided to take a look at the different real estate listings that were posted at the kiosk,” says Audrey Pasion. “We told Wanda we were interested in buying a home but didn’t think that we qualified for much. She reassured us that was a normal feeling but that most people qualified for something.”

Thayne invited them to a First Time Home Buyer seminar where they learned about the opportunities available and today, the Pasions own a 2-bedroom unit in Ewa Beach – their monthly payment is close to what they were paying in rent. Even today, they are surprised their home buying experience began at the mall.

“We believe it was fate that we decided to stop at the kiosk that day and met Wanda,” says Pasion. “I don’t think we would have bought a house if it wasn’t for the kiosk.”

For some, approaching a kiosk at the mall is less intimidating than walking into a real estate office. But after almost 10 years at Windward Mall, four years at Pearlridge and almost one at Ala Moana, Prudential Locations’ presence at island malls is a proven success.

“Buyers and sellers are drawn to us,” says Thayne.

Homeowners want to know how much properties are selling for in their neighborhood. Thayne can help them with that. Buyers often say they are just browsing and that they can’t afford to buy, giving her the opportunity to talk about interest rates and financing options. It’s a win-win situation.

“I have put several first time homebuyers into escrow who, when they first approached me, said they could not afford to buy.”

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