If you are facing foreclosure pressure, considering a short sale, managing inherited property, navigating divorce-related real estate decisions, or dealing with a bankruptcy-related property concern, the first step is not panic.
The first step is understanding your options.
I am Chari, broker/owner and investor behind CBR Island Properties & Investments. I help Hawaii homeowners and property owners work through complex real estate situations with calm, practical guidance and no judgment.
My work focuses on distressed real estate, including foreclosure, pre-foreclosure, short sales, probate, divorce, bankruptcy-related property issues, and other situations where the next step may not be obvious.
Every situation is different. My role is to help you slow things down, look at the facts, understand what options may be available, and move toward the best possible next decision for your circumstances.
Long before I specialized in distressed real estate, I had my own first experience with complicated property.
I bought my first home at 26 with my then-fiancé, now my husband. We were living in San Francisco at the time, and the home we purchased in Vallejo was both a foreclosure and a probate property.
At the time, I had no idea how much that experience would foreshadow the work I would one day be called to do.
Back then, I was working for an advertising company as a Creative Assistant. I supported the creative team, worked with art directors and copywriters, helped coordinate models and photographers for shoots, and handled the behind-the-scenes details that kept productions moving.
I enjoyed the creative environment, but something shifted when my cousin represented us on that first home purchase. He owned his own brokerage, had several agents working under him, and I admired the freedom, flexibility, and possibility real estate offered.
So I studied for the exam, passed, and became licensed in California in 1988.
That decision changed the direction of my life.
Over the years, real estate became part of my family’s story in many ways: the homes we bought, the risks we took, the moves we made, the investments we considered, and the seasons of change we had to navigate.
My husband and I eventually bought a custom-built home in California and made it our own. Then life took another turn.
We took in my husband’s three grandchildren, ages 3, 5, and 8, and became an instant family. During those years, I stayed licensed but worked less so I could help raise them. I also went back to school, which turned out to be a gift in more ways than one. Studying again helped me help them with their homework, and those years taught me patience, resilience, and how much people need steady guidance during seasons of change.
Later, I worked with a land surveyor and learned AutoCAD, topographic surveying and mapping, and GPS surveying with Leica equipment when that technology was still new.
That experience gave me a deeper appreciation for land, property, boundaries, views, terrain, and the details most people never see when they look at a home.
For years, my husband and I vacationed in Hawaii after buying a timeshare here. On one trip, with three weeks to spare, we started touring homes just for fun. Since I was already a Realtor, looking at property felt natural.
Then we walked into a foreclosed home.
The moment the door opened and revealed the mountain and ocean views, my husband blurted out, “SOLD.”
We made an offer and signed the paperwork before flying home. A few days later, the bank accepted.
The plan was simple: rent the home out until my husband retired, then move to Hawaii permanently.
But life had other timing.
On the flight home from the inspection trip, I opened the newspaper and saw a classified ad for a job that sounded like it had been written directly from my background: Land Surveyor Supervisor. I applied, completed a phone interview, and was offered the position with a bonus, housing, and a car.
That was 18 years ago.
We are still in Hawaii today, now living just 10 doors down from that original home.
Today, I serve homeowners and property owners in Hawaii through CBR Island Properties & Investments.
I have been licensed in California since 1988 and Hawaii since 2012. Since 2015, my practice has focused on short sales, pre-foreclosure, and other distressed real estate situations, including foreclosure, probate, divorce, bankruptcy, and homeowners facing difficult financial decisions.
I am also a Certified Short Sale and Foreclosure Specialist and have helped more than 50 families through distressed-property situations.
I understand that distressed real estate is rarely just about the property.
It is about pressure. Timing. Family. Uncertainty. Paperwork. Lenders. Legal processes. Financial stress. Emotional weight. And the need for someone steady who can help you understand your options without judgment.
Sometimes there may be a way to avoid foreclosure. Sometimes a short sale may be the more realistic path. Sometimes the situation involves probate, divorce, bankruptcy, liens, homeowners association issues, taxing authorities, or other complications that need careful coordination.
The important thing is not to guess, freeze, or wait until the situation becomes harder to manage.
The important thing is to understand where things stand and what options may still be available.
As a solo broker, I work directly with my clients. You are not handed off to a large team or treated like a transaction number. When you work with me, you work with the person whose name is on the door.
I believe people deserve honest information, compassionate guidance, and realistic options, especially when they are facing a difficult property situation.
My role may include coordinating the sale when keeping the home is no longer realistic, working with lien holders or homeowners associations, communicating with taxing authorities, working with a short-sale negotiator, or involving an attorney when legal assistance or documentation is needed.
I do not give legal advice, and I do not promise a specific outcome. What I do offer is calm, experienced, practical guidance through the real estate side of a complex situation.
The goal is not pressure.
The goal is clarity.
If you own property in Hawaii and are facing foreclosure, short sale, probate, divorce, bankruptcy, or another distressed real estate situation, I invite you to reach out.
We will talk through where things stand, what options may be available, and what makes the most sense for your situation.
No pressure. No judgment. Just clear guidance from someone who understands the road.
Also licensed in California, DRE #00988290, under CBR Pacific Properties.