James Chan

Originally born in Providence, RI into a family of four, James relocated to Honolulu at the age of 3. James was brought up by his loving parents who emigrated from Hong Kong and Taiwan to make a living in the states. His father, a classic example of the rags-to-riches overseas physician, instilled a strict work ethic in James from the start. James graduated from Iolani School and moved on to the University of California, Davis where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Managerial Economics with a Minor in Computer Information Systems. James was very active during his time at UC Davis, learning organization, responsibility, and management skills as the President of the UCD Hawaii Club and as a Head Teaching Assistant for a large class size of 350 students, for several years. In 2002, James returned to the islands and began working as an appraisal-assistant for a well-respected real estate appraisal company. Here, he gained a strong knowledge base on the numbers and values behind Hawaii real estate. After a year, James went on to pursue a sales career where he became the youngest Partner at Locations LLC for nearly 15 years, and has since moved on to Compass as a Founding Member of Hawaii. Now with nearly 18 years of real estate experience, James is at the top of his craft and prides himself in thorough education, vast market knowledge, and truly helping his clients build wealth through real estate. He has consistently ranked in the Top 100 of Hawaii Realtors...which simply means that James is proven and has much technical and practical experience in many different realms of the business. James particularly loves construction and renovation projects as he has an affinity toward anything "DIY." James enjoys his free time as an avid surfer, spearfisherman, world traveler(pre-pandemic that is), and tries to live a life worthy in the eyes of the one he owes everything to, Jesus Christ. He is the co-founder of Rizen Hawaii, an organization that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for childrens' organizations such as Make-A-Wish Hawaii and Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii(where James serves on the Board). Far from being perfect, James is always open to growing as a person both in and out of the work field. He hopes to achieve a lifelong relationship with each of his clients. As James says,..."I'm not in the business of selling real estate, I want to be in the habit of building a meaningful relationship." James was recently married on January 30, 2021 to his beautiful wife, Tessa. Other notables: James was inducted into the Pacific Business News "Forty Under 40" Class of 2010. While at Locations, one of the state's largest firms, he consistently ranked in the Top 5 each year. James is a graduate of the Pacific Century Fellows program, a cohort created to develop leaders with a greater awareness and sensitivity to the people and institutions of Hawaii, started by former Mayor Mufi Hannemann.