Melanie Meinken

Designations:
Certified Residential Specialist (CRS)
Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI)
Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®)
Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR)
Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE®)
Real Estate Negotiation Expert (RENE)
Pricing Strategy Advisor (PSA)

Career Accomplishments:
Aloha 'Āina REALTOR® Award nominee in various years
Elementary education teacher at Bingham Tract School
Teacher at Kamehameha Schools and Punahou School
Leader of Windward Christian Homeschool Group from 1993-2010

I’ve been a full-time, very active real estate agent for a total of 28 years on O‘ahu, with at least 400 successful transactions completed. I hold seven advanced designations and certifications, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Millersville State College in Pennsylvania. Before launching my real estate career, I worked in a main showroom in Waikiki and taught elementary school at several private schools on O‘ahu.

I moved to O‘ahu in 1973 and since then, I’ve owned all my homes here – from Diamond Head (where my first purchase was a $15,000 leasehold, co-op studio!) to Waialae Nui, Lanikai, and finally, to my current Kailua beachside home just off Kalaheo Avenue, where I have a home office with a dog at my side and an aviary/pond of cockatiels, fish, and turtles.

Originally from Hanover PA, I first launched my real estate career in 1979 in Hawai‘i and practiced until the mid-1990s, when I chose to stay home to home school my three children, who are all now college graduates, married, and working on Oahu, in Montana, and in Illinois. I came back to real estate in 2010 and am so grateful for the flexibility my career has provided and grateful too, for my fantastic clients, friends, colleagues, and support personnel.

My relationship with my clients is #1 for me. They range in age from 24 to 94 and come from all over – from first-time buyers to seasoned investors, from young families starting out, to retirees and distinguished military personnel. I love working with them as a team to achieve their goals. My goal is to bring value to them through my experience, training, and care. It’s a thrill to find solutions and positive ways forward for them, always going above and beyond to help when able.

I handle the process and provide information and options and let my clients make the decisions. Along the way, we share the joys, laughter, sadness, challenges, and surprises. The goal is to bring strength, grace, courage, compassion, and wisdom to each step. To be successful in real estate, I believe you have to be strong enough to confront the difficulties that sometimes arise in transactions, finding mechanisms to attain the desired end results. Sometimes caring assertiveness and patience is required. One must be gracious and hopeful, setting new goals and helping others along the way to attain their own success.

I am involved with my church (First Presbyterian at Koolau) and enjoy reading, gardening, cross-stitching, travel (yes, more post-pandemic!), and spending time with my family and my husband Putter, to whom I’ve been married since 1984. We have two grandchildren in Illinois and a young granddaughter on Oahu.

I also devote lots of time and resources to continuing education, training, and personal development.

There are never two days alike in real estate, so one simply cannot get bored! I love my Hawai‘i life because it supports me to serve clients in the most elevated, loving, and professional manner possible.

Current as of August, 2024.

Testimonials from Buyers and Sellers:

"Melanie sold our property in a relationship that spanned nearly two years. The property had a long and storied history while it housed three generations. Making the decision to sell it was one of the most difficult in our life to that point. Frankly, it broke our hearts. We cannot imagine anyone else walking us through that challenging journey with more compassion, patience, or competence than Melanie did. This was not merely a real estate transaction, it was hospice in action for a grieving human being meeting a dramatic but necessary change: the death of one era in order to greet the next.
Melanie always knew just what we needed when we needed it. She knew when to listen, when to advise, when to advocate, when to step back, and when to gently prod forward. Her organizational skills were nothing short of wizardry. Her integrity was beyond reproach, setting a high bar for all phases of preparation and execution of the sale. She could be the poster child for This Is What Transparency Looks Like, a rare commodity in these times in any field of endeavor. Both the seller and the buyer in a given transaction benefit from her code of ethics. Every possible bit of research and paperwork that allowed for an informed decision on either side of the equation was completed and made available at the earliest point in the process. This saved time and emotion for all concerned.
From fielding a million questions about forms and procedures, to digging in to help with all aspects of staging, to keeping on top of offers made, Melanie was the anchor as we pitched on the waves of confusion and distress. She made herself available to us carte blanche. That she went above and beyond the usual role of a Realtor was evident in her response to each and every situation that presented itself throughout the process of selling the property, including the stress of nine laborious months of remodeling three dwellings.
This brief thumbnail sketch does not begin to do justice to the many decisive layers of nuance that played a part in the sale, nor Melanie's integral contribution to the resolution of each challenge that arose along the way. Melanie embodies what it means for every one of us to go beyond our designated roles, to create and embrace community, and to reach out with all of who we are when relating to others, regardless of the circumstances. This is what our world needs. We are pleased to call her friend."
MP and DP, Sellers in Kaneohe

"Melanie Meinken is the type of agent that exudes that caring and professional spirit which sets clients up for knowing she will do her best work every single day.
She leaves no stone unturned as she is leading you through the very tricky escrow process - she is also teaching and answering any question you may have!
It was very apparent that she has been at this for a very long time! And yet she doesn't bring with those years of experience any jaded attitudes - on the contrary she is full of joy and enthusiasm!
She is extremely accessible and always makes it easy to approach her with any concern or questions - or in our case MANY requests to go see LOTS of listings! (oh dear! haha)
We are THRILLED with the blessing of our new home and are so grateful that Melanie was the agent who led the way for our ohana!"
BB and GB, Buyers in Kailua

"I am an 84 year old and Melanie Meinken has given me a new meaning to the word Realtor. She met me where I was at and made me feel comfortable and confident.
Melanie included me in all discussions and always had a smile on her face. She became a friend to me.
She was always very responsive and was never too busy to discuss matters with either myself or my family. She exceeded my expectations by bringing her own staging items to make my house look impressive for the online photos and for the showings.
Melanie's moral character meant the world to me. She was trustworthy and reliable. I felt very comfortable with Melanie as my agent. She did an outstanding job."
LE, Seller in Waimanalo

"Exceptional Service Examples:
- Melanie provided thorough review of the contract and clearly explained how the seller/buyer representation would be handled.
- She was very collaborative in the development of the marketing program and listened to our thoughts on how and what should be emphasized when describing the features of the property.
- She assisted with unit staging and took extra care to ensure that the unit showed well. She even helped with cleanup and plant watering when we were away.
- She actively showed the unit at every opportunity until the sale was finalized.
- She provided prompt and valuable guidance when offers were made, when the first accepted offer dropped out, and this attention to detail continued through closing. Communication with us was appropriate, a call when promptness was needed, an email for lesser issues which was well-written and informative.
- She went beyond our expectations in knowing the community and understanding the townhouse association requirements.
- Melanie was always professional, cheerful with positive attitude making the process easier to accept and understand.
We would highly recommend Melanie Meinken to any of our friends. Her years of experience and understanding the local requirements to sell property here along with her professionalism make her one of the best."
Mike and Steff, Sellers in Mililani

"Melanie was an extraordinary agent. There are several things that stand out. First, Melanie shows great integrity. She believes in transparency and will always treat all parties with respect. Second, she showed enormous care to me as a person. She remembered my preferences and always spoke to both the head and heart. She also went above and beyond for me, pushing all parties to make deadlines. I know she worked both late and early for me. Third, Melanie is very knowledgeable. She knows the market and she knows the neighborhoods well. She was always able to back up recommendations with both facts and stories. She clearly values continuing education and it shows. Fourth, she negotiated well for me. I got an accepted off on our second try, and we put forth an offer that was both fair and competitive.
Most importantly, I loved working with Melanie. I felt empowered and the process was fun. As a local girl, I achieved my dream of first-time home ownership. It's huge. Melanie's passionate about helping people like me succeed."
KC, Buyer in Makiki

"Melanie Meinken is the agent that I would turn to in the future, and would endorse for family or friends who are looking to purchasing a home. She is honest, reliable, cheerful, always punctual, and eminently practical. I enjoy her down to earth attitude.
We met Melanie at an open house in a different home from the one we ultimately purchased. She followed up with us in a polite but professional manner. She was savvy enough to quickly grasp the desires and needs of our family, and patiently helped us in the search for a home that is a great fit for us. She also knows how to read between the lines in terms of sellers as well. She has in depth knowledge about many neighborhoods, and potential future real estate pluses and minuses.
We found her to be extremely knowledgeable about the process of home purchase. She is able to explain complex processes and laws (related to purchase) in a straight forward manner. She was never pushy, but made sure that we knew about any looming deadlines in time for them to be completed properly.
Again, in summary, my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed working with Melanie Meinken, and know she will help others just as much as she did us."
Drs. S and R B, Buyers in Maunawili, Kailua

"My husband and I have known Melanie Meinken for many decades. Choosing to work with her was pivotal to our success as home shoppers. We had a very poor experience with a real estate agent prior, with intimidation and no guidance, leaving a bad taste in our mouths. Melanie knew that I was going to be a complicated client. Even though she was my very close, trusted friend, she recognized that I would have a lot of baggage and reluctance in going through the home purchasing process. We decided to revisit home ownership and give up the "security" of just being renters. I was both serious about looking and serious about hating to look. Melanie did not quit on me and my flaky approach to buying. She showed both resilience in the length of shopping around and communicated concern about the timeliness of taking advantage of market conditions. Finally, we found something so unique and compelling that she knew we would regret it if we allowed me to vacillate for my usual duration. We were on the mainland while the first open house got underway for this property. Three days later, we were touching down in Honolulu and getting a ride home from Melanie. She came prepared for us to go over questions we had remaining. To our surprise, and with readiness of heart, we hammered out an offer to be submitted that very night to the owners. If she had hesitated at all, or lacked the resolve to at least challenge me on my preconceived notions of home buying, we would have lost the advantage of being one of the first four offers on the table...and eventually of being the winning bidders! My feelings about going through the home process have been completely revised because I had the privilege with working with Melanie Meinken. She is professional, smart, encouraging, ethical, kind, and works hard on my behalf. She is a person of integrity, faith, honor, and good humor and provides the highest level of service. She is my dear friend and still I needed a lot of guidance in real estate. I didn't get her best because I am her friend. She is undivided about giving her very best to each one who becomes her client - that is just how she rolls. If you get to work with her, you are quite blessed to get such quality and true grit."
Sherri S, Buyer in Kaneohe

"As a first time home buyer, Melanie was very helpful in getting me through the purchase process from start to finish and beyond. Before I even started looking for properties, she was guiding me through the process. After the purchase, Melanie remained very resourceful and reachable to provide guidance on various aspects of home ownership. Whenever I have the opportunity, I would share what Melanie has done for me and it's become clear that she goes above and beyond some other agents. I highly recommend her expertise!
D.C. , Buyer in Waikiki

"Melanie helped us become acquainted with the Honolulu/Waikiki marketplace. We were considering purchasing a second home in Hawaii to be near our family. She provided us with excellent information on recent sales and suggested locations for buying based on our planned living style in Hawaii.
We found what we wanted to buy after just one day of looking. Melanie worked with the sellers and their agent to get us a fair price based on recent sales. Melanie coordinated with us to ensure we as buyers completed the numerous steps to closing on the property per the defined timeline. She provided thorough answers to our questions/concerns in a timely manner.
We recommend Melanie for finding the right home here in Honolulu or all around Oahu at a fair price and completing the deal with no surprises."
Dave and Sue L., Buyers in Waikiki

"Melanie sold my 12 acre estate in Kahalu'u. She is a very thorough person and always gets you information in much more detailed level than you asked for. She works hard. We often communicated online in the middle of the night during our transaction!"
ER, Seller in Kaneohe

"My husband and I highly recommend Melanie, as we had the pleasure of working with her as both a buyer and seller. We were absolutely pleased with her knowledge, expertise, and level-headed approach. She was always a step ahead anticipating the next moves, while keeping us well informed of the process. We were anxious to by a new home, but had to sell our first one to achieve that goal. Buying and selling at the same time can be overwhelming at times, but Melanie really simplified things for us. Long story short, we sold our home quickly, for over asking price and we are now in the home of our dreams!
Melanie always made time for us. She responded quickly and efficiently throughout the whole process. we felt like we were her only clients, although that definitely was not the case!
Melanie is a true professional whom you can depend on to have your best interests at heart. You are in great hands!"
Nina W, Seller in Honolulu, Buyer in Kailua

"It is a pleasure to recommend Melanie Meinken. I have known her for more than 40 years and she has always been a person of great responsibility and integrity. We worked together at the real estate firm of Conley Dew and depended upon one another for advice and support many times. Her leadership ability has been shown not only in the workplace but in the community as well. She is dependable and I am most pleased to give her my enthusiastic support.
My husband and I definitely recommend her for her patience, kindness, and understanding of her clients' needs. She made our transaction as sellers simple and quick because of her vast experience and knowledge of the field of real estate."
CW and JW, Co-worker with Melanie and Sellers in Kaneohe

"Melanie is not only a wonderful person, but an exception real estate agent. For most of our home buying process, we were out of state and she was our eyes, ears, and legs. She thoroughly researched the locations and homes we liked, staying in constant contact with us. Even when our offer was accepted, she showed us multiple, comparable locations in the area to ensure we were happy and satisfied with our choice. It demonstrated not only her thoroughness, but the high standard she holds herself to ensure all her clients are confident in their choice.
Though no purchase is without its issues, Melanie made it feel almost easy. Her organization and attention to detail helped every step seem seamless. As new buyers, she made sure we knew what to expect. From her years of experience, she was able to offer wisdom and anecdotes for each situation to put us at ease. She followed up with us continuously. Even after the purchase was complete, Melanie has reached out to us, ensuring our moving process was going smoothly and seeing if we had any further needs.
It is Melanie's ability to be both professional and personable in her business dealings which makes her so incredible and unique. We cannot highly recommend her enough."
NS and JD, Buyers in Mililani

"Melanie is the consummate professional who clearly has the client's need in mind. Although the Honolulu market presented its challenges on our journey to find not only a house but a home, Melanie provided exceptional support often during irregular hours even for a real estate agent. Her caring and genuine concern, perseverance, and good old-fashioned common sense ultimately resulted in a timely closing on a very lovely home. Mahalo to Melanie."
Jim and Mary S, Buyers in Kaneohe

"After living on the mainland for the past 40 years, I returned to Kailua to look for a house to buy. I was introduced to Melanie, who, as she got to know me as a person, was able to zero in on the right opportunity. I love the location and view, the house, the orchids, heliconia and all the other tropical plants and fruits through the yard. I am home."
Don F., Buyer in Kailua

"Not only is Melanie the mother of one of my best friends, but she's an amazing Realtor. She went so far above and beyond for me. When I told her I was looking to buy a home she wasted no time! She found an amazing fixer upper in my price range. Although I knew I liked it, we continued to look for about 2 weeks! She presented me with a folder full of information about the buildings, the history, and much more. She also contacted building management for more information.
Our first peak at the home showed so much stuff inside and major work to be done! But Melanie was right in there, asking questions when others turned away in panic. Melanie was there every time. She ensured a smooth closing.
Without Melanie to help me, I would not be enjoying my newly remodeled home. I have Melanie to thank for getting me into my first home even with the hiccups! A big mahalo for all the time, support, and love that she has put into helping us find and close our home. She was a joy to work with and she works hard, good at what she does. Two thumbs up! 10 out of 10? Five stars in my book!"
NB, Buyer in Aiea (later, seller in Aiea, buyer and seller in Kailua, then buyer in Kaneohe)

Additional testimonials from buyers and sellers in various geographic locations on Oahu available upon request.

Please contact me at 808-927-3066 or via email at melaniemeinken@hawaiilife.com for assistance with your O‘ahu, Hawai‘i real estate needs.