Hawaii Real Estate News

July 21, 2011

Hanalei Real Estate Tips

Most people will obtain a loan before purchasing a house in Hanalei. When you are purchasing a house, you need to check the lease agreement. The lease agreement contains information about the terms and conditions that are binding to he lessee. Usually, the terms in the lease cannot be negotiated. All lease agreement will state the lease term of the apartment unit. The average lease term of the apartment is about 50 – 75 years. However, most lease term has an average time span of 50 years. There is a fixed rent period of 25 – 35 years initially. After the fixed rent period ends, you can renegotiate the rent. You must know how much the fixed rent payment is. The renegotiation of the rent is also referred as reopening. Normally, buyers won’t know the exact amount of rent they have to pay for the entire lease term.

You have several options when coming to obtaining mortgage for a real estate in Hanalei. If there are only a few years left on the lease, it is recommended that you seek the help of an appraiser. The appraiser can accurately estimate the lease rent. If the loan term is short, you can apply a loan from a conventional lender. You can also get financing from the owner. In this case, the seller will be the lender. You should discuss with the lessor if you want to extend the term of the lease. The rent is usually not fixed so you can renegotiate it. You and the seller can renegotiate the lease rent on the renegotiation date. The renegotiation date is the date, which the lessor and lessee will come into agreement on the lease rent. Normally, the schedule of the lease rent renegotiation will occur every 10 – 15 years. The initial fixed rent period will be approximately 25 years. Most of the apartment units in Hawaii have a renegotiation date of in between 1990 – 2019.

The formula for calculating the lease rent will be listed in the lease agreement. The new calculation formula will be based on the market condition. Therefore, the rent can rise at anytime without your knowledge. You should always read the terms in the lease document so that you know how your new lease rent will be calculated. Most of the time, the lease rent will be calculated based on the ROI of the late at the renegotiation date. In some circumstances, the lease rent will be based on the current value of the land. 

Posted in Maui Guide
July 21, 2011

Buying Kapaa Real Estate

Kapaa is one of the most beautiful places to relocate to. Before moving to Kapaa, there are a few things you want to take into consideration. First of all, you need to find a real estate community where you would like to live in. Relocating to Kapaa is a major decision so you should spend as much time as possible to do research. The area, which you choose, must interest you. You can go and have a holiday at Kapaa before moving. You should also hold discussion with your family members. Most people will buy a house through a real estate agent. The real estate agent is familiar with the place so he can tell you what is like to live there. They know what types of houses are available for sale in Kapaa. The real estate agents will provide you with brochures and other resources so that you can get to know more about Kapaa. The information in the brochure will help you to decide whether it is right to relocate to Kapaa.

After you made up your mind to move to Kapaa, you can start to do research on the real estate market in Kapaa. Although you can conduct research on the real estate market yourself, it is best that you let a real estate agent handle the task. If you are not familiar with Hawaii, hiring a real estate agent to search for a suitable home is the best option. You can tell the real estate agent about the type of house you are searching for. The real estate agent will search for a house in the area based on your criteria. After he finds a few suitable houses, he will call you and make arrangement for you to visit them. You should always visit the house before deciding to buy it. You can take advantage of the Hawaii real estate search engine to find houses in Kapaa. Through the Hawaii real estate search engine, you can explore pictures of the house without having to be physically present.

If you are planning to earn a living in Kapaa, you need to consider the job opportunities. There should be plenty of jobs in Kapaa so you should have no problem in earning an income. It is up to you to buy or rent a house. Since the interest rate for home loan is low now, you should buy a house in Kapaa. However, if you can’t afford paying the mortgage, you can rent a house. You can also rent a house for a few houses during the period of searching for a new house.

Posted in Kauai Guide
July 21, 2011

How to Obtain Financing for Kapaa Real Estate

The majority of the buyers will not be able to come up with the funds to purchase the Kapaa real estate in cash. Most people will get financing from the bank when buying a real estate in Kapaa. If you obtain a loan, you will need to pay the difference of the down payment and sales price. The number of years remaining on the lease will affect your ability to get approved for the loan. A lease that has less than 30 remaining years will be harder to get approved. The majority of the financial institutions will have policies regarding the loan approval. The bank may require the loan term be no longer than the lease term. A Veterans Administration cannot give you a guarantee about the loan more than the number of years remaining on the lease’s fixed rent period. The Federal Housing Administration will only offer loan for up to five years beyond the lease’s fixed rent period. The shorter the fixed rent period, the more unlikely the lender will offer the loan.

The mortgage rate can be fixed or variable. If the mortgage rate is fixed, you will pay the same interest every month. If the mortgage has a variable rate, the monthly payment can increase or decrease depending on the market. When you are getting a mortgage, you should consider the cost. You must ask yourself how much money you can pay fort the down payment. As a buyer, you will have the responsibility to pay the mortgage closing cost. You also have the responsibility to pay the private mortgage insurance. Your FICO score can influence the rate of the mortgage. You should request for a copy of the credit report so that you can correct the wrong entries.

Nowadays, sellers will only sell houses to buyers who are pre-approved by the bank. You can ask the bank to give you a pre-approval letter. The pre-approval letter enables you to have more confidence in buying the house. It lets you know the price range of the house you should look for. If you are pre-approved, you will have higher chance of obtaining the loan. Because of this, the seller will be willing to close the deal quickly. It is recommended that you get a good realtor when buying a house in Kapaa. The realtor can help you to file all the complex paperwork and close the deal.

Posted in Kauai Guide
July 21, 2011

What You Need to Know When Buying a Leasehold Kohala Coast Real Estate

Homeowners who want to buy leasehold properties on Kohala Coast need to check the terms in the leasehold agreement. The seller or the real estate agent will provide you with a copy of the leasehold agreement on Kohala Coast. You can also obtain copies of the lease agreement from the Bureau of Conveyances in Honolulu. Normally, the lease information will be provided within 10 days after the sales contract is accepted. As a buyer, you have the responsibility to read the terms and conditions thoroughly. In the lease agreement, you will find learn about the term of the lease and how much lease rent you are liable to pay. The lease rent negotiation date will also be listed in the lease agreement. The agreement will reveal the calculation method of the new lease rent during renegotiation. The surrender clause is included in every lease agreement.

You have the right to cancel the leasehold contract within 5 days of receiving the lease documents. You can discuss with the seller to reduce or extend the time period of canceling the contract. Buyers should ask the sales agent to provide them with the standard leasehold addendum. You should review the addendum before making an offer for the real estate property. If there is anything you don’t understand about the addendum, you should ask the agent. If you still have questions after reading the lease document, you can seek help from a Hawaii real estate attorney. The attorney has a lot of knowledge about the terms in the lease document so he is able to explain them. He will explain to you how the lease can affect you and your property.

You can either buy the apartment unit with cash or get financing. Most people will not have the money to buy the apartment unit in cash. If you don’t have cash to buy the apartment unit, you need to get financing. If you get financing, you need to put a down payment. After you have paid the down payment, you have to pay the loan installment monthly. The approval of the loan will subject to the lease term. The lesser the number of years remaining on the lease, the harder it will be to get approved for the loan. All banks have their own policies when coming to approve loans for leasehold properties. They will set a minimum requirement on the number of years remaining on the leasehold agreement.

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 21, 2011

Buying Real Estate in Kohala Coast

If you want a change of your living environment, you can consider moving to Kohala Coast on Hawaii Big Island. Kohala Coast has a different climate than the U.S. Continental. People who are fed up with the long winter months can come to Hawaii. Hawaii enjoys warm temperature throughout the year. It is quite challenging to move from the mainland to Kohala Coast, as you need to ship your household items across the sea. Before moving to Kohala Coast, it is recommended that you take a vacation on Big Island. If you want to get an idea of what it is like to live on the Big Island, you can speak to the real estate agents. You can also get feedbacks from other people such as business owners. If you plan to work there, you should find out what job opportunities are available. In Hawaii Big Island, the main industry is the tourist industry. Therefore, most of the jobs involve working in hotels.

Kohala Coast is situated on the west coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. It covers the area from the north end of Kona to the town of Waimea in the east. Often, the people refer the coast as Gold Coast because the price of the housing is extremely expensive. A small house in Kohala Coast can cost up to $1 million dollar. It is also referred as Gold Coast because it receives lots of sunshine. There is a low rainfall in Kohala Coast so you can expect sunny climate throughout the year. You can find all kinds of housing including double storey house, condominiums and etc.

The rising number of real estate communities caused the Kohala Coast to experience traffic jams. If you plan properly, you will be able to easily avoid the traffic jam. Most of the traffic jam will occur in the morning and afternoon. When the school session begins or stop, you will experience traffic jam. 

Many people will choose to live on the east coast. This is because the cost of the houses on the east coast is cheaper. The houses are twice time cheaper than the house on the Kohala coast. The problem is that you will experience a lot of rain. The rain will encourage the growth of mold in your houses.  If you move to Kohala Coast, the weather will be drier. If you can’t afford expensive housing, you can move to Waimea town.

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 21, 2011

Kohala Coast Real Estate Tips – Life in Kohala Coast

Kohala Coast offers a wonderful tropical environment for people from the Continental U.S. There is a slight time difference between Hawaii and the mainland. The time zone of Hawaii is called the Hawaii Standard Time. There is a difference of 2 hours between the Hawaiian Standard Time and Pacific Standard Time. Many people aren’t aware that Kohala Coast has many bugs. You will encounter all kinds of bugs in your house such as ants, centipedes and cockroaches. Hence, you should not be surprised if you saw a large cockroach outside your house. When you buy food from the store, you must quickly keep it in the refrigerator. For example, if you buy a pack of cookies and open it, you should not leave it on the cupboard. If you do this, the pests such as ants and cockroaches will come to eat your food. The food should be kept in a container and kept inside the refrigerator so that the bugs won’t spoil it.

Kohala Coast offers many activities for youth to join. If your children are still schooling, you can let them join all kinds of youth clubs such as sports and music clubs. You will find that there are many outdoor activities you can carry out including sailboarding, surfing, hang gliding and etc. You can also carry out triathlon activities in Kohala Coast. While living in Kohala Coast, you can explore the all the interesting tourism sites. The cost of a flight ticket to the mainland will be about $1000. If you have relatives in the mainland, you will find it expensive to visit them. Your friends and relatives will be happy to come and visit you on Kohala Coast.

You will be able to shop all your groceries and other items at the local shopping center. There are several large shopping centers such as Costco and Wal-Mart. You will be able to live in a more relaxed lifestyle in Hawaii. You can easily go for a short vacation after you finished working everyday. If you need some money to cover your expenses, you should go and find a work. When working, you will learn about a lot of things in Hawaii. There are many types of jobs you can do in Kauai. Some people come here to earn just enough to meet the monthly expenses. Although there are lots of insects in Hawaii, many people still say that it is a great place to retire. You will be satisfied with your life if you move to Kohala Coast.

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 19, 2011

Purchasing a Leasehold Kona Real Estate Property

Most of the properties in Kona real estate industry are leasehold properties. There are only a small number of private ownership properties in Kona. Before buying a leasehold property in Kona, you need to obtain detailed information about the lease. Buyers should obtain the lease document from the seller. There are a few types of lease documents such as master lease, apartment lease, and condominium public report. The condominium public report must be obtained if you are buying a new condominium.

Besides, you need to review relevant lease documents. For instance, if you are buying a co-op apartment in Kona, you need to review two types of lease documents including master lease and proprietary lease. After you have received the lease documents, you need to sign the sales contract. The sales contract will contain information such as a summary of the lease provision, surrender clause provision, and renegotiation date of the lease rent. You will need to acknowledge that you have already red the terms disclosed in the lease documents. The seller of the real estate property is responsible of providing the lease document to the buyer.

The leasehold information should be disclosed to the buyer in 10 days as soon as the final agreement on the property sale is reached. It is important that you read the terms and conditions of the lease before signing it. By reading the terms and conditions, you will know how they relate to you. You should read the terms and conditions in the lease agreement before making an offer. You can obtain a copy of the lease from the seller or real estate broker.

Some of the information you need to find out in the lease agreement include lease term, lease rent, lease rent renegotiation date, calculation of new lease rent, surrender clause and amendment to lease. You need to find out how long the lease will last. The lease agreement will reveal the number of years left in the lease agreement. You must understand how much you need to pay for the lease rent. You need to find out when and to whom you are supposed to pay the lease rent. You must find out the penalties for making late payment. In addition, you must find out the amount of the rent adjusts. Many leasehold agreements will include more than one renegotiation date. For example, the renegotiation date will occur at every 10 – 15 years.

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 19, 2011

Basic Facts about Kona

Homeowners who are planning to move to Kona should make several preparations in advance of the moving day. About 2 weeks before moving, you should sort out the items you want to bring and items you don’t want to bring. You can sell the items or give them away if you don’t intend to bring them with you. If you give away the items to charity, you will be able to claim it for deduction on the federal income tax. If your pet is going to travel separately with you, you should make arrangements. If your house is leased, you should set an appointment with the housing representative so that he can come and perform the pre-termination and move out inspections.

In addition, you should confirm with the Transportation Office about the moving date. The important files should be backup in a computer. You can backup the files on CDROM or portable thumb drive before packing them in boxes. Dangerous items such as flammable liquid, explosive items, and etc cannot be taken to Hawaii. As the moving day gets closer, you must quickly settle all the chores you have in mind. If you have a safety deposit box, be sure to close it.  If you borrow some books from the local library, you must return them. If you lend items to someone, you should go and retrieve them now. If you don’t want to miss out a chore, you should compile a to do list. In the list, you should write down everything you want to do. You can notify the post office about the change of address. You can send the change of address cards to your friends and acquaintances. In this way, they will be able to send all the letters to the new address.

In the final week, your moving company will attempt to make a phone call. Normally, the moving company will contact you at least 4 – 5 days prior to the actual moving date. You should have already prepared a list of the household inventories. Important documents and valuable items should be kept in a secure place. You can lock these valuables in the boot of the car. On the moving day, you should verify the accuracy of the mover inventory list. The condition of the items should be recorded accurately. You should carry out an inspection for a final time. You must carry all the important personnel documents such as passports, official birth, social security card, sales receipt, pet records, and employment records.

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 19, 2011

Moving to Kona

Kona has a vibrant real estate community equipped with all the necessary facilities. Before moving to Kona, you should make a list of items you want to pack. You don’t need to bring all the stuffs because this will be extremely costly. You have the option of moving the household items yourself or use the service of a moving company. If you want to ship the furniture yourself, you can build your own crates. Alternatively, you can buy the crates from a supplier. After you have prepared the crates, you can start packing your stuffs. After you finished packing your stuffs, you can drive them to the nearest harbor.

The best way to move to Kona is to hire a moving company. When hiring a moving company in Kona, make sure that the State of Hawaii’s Public Utilities commission licenses it. The staff should be knowledgeable so that they can handle the moving job properly. You can check with the Better Business Bureau to find out the consumer complaint ratio. It is recommended that you hire a Kona moving company that has representative in your neighborhood. If you are hiring a moving company, you must accurately list every item you pack. In addition, you must purchase the maritime insurance. You have to make sure that all the items will be on the truck. In case an item is missing, the insurance company will cover it.

The cost of living in Kona is more expensive than living in the Continental U.S. Almost everything is more expensive including groceries, rental fee, petrol and etc. Some people claim that the tax in Hawaii is lower. However, there are some costs you don’t need to pay. For example, you don’t need to pay for any heating cost. Since Hawaii has a warm climate, there is no need to install heater in your house. The weather in Hawaii is cool so you don’t need air conditioner. You can cut down the grocery cost by growing your own vegetables.

If you can’t decide whether you want to move to Kona, it is suggested that you fly to Kona and stay for few days. While at Kona, you can travel to the places in the surrounding area and check out the facilities. You should talk to the people and ask them about the real estate communities in Kona. After getting feedbacks from the people that live in Kona, you will be able to make a clear decision.

Posted in Big Island Guide
July 18, 2011

Finding a House in Kailua

Many people choose to live and work in Kailua because they want to get away from the hectic lifestyle. It is recommended that you seek the help of a real estate professional when finding a house in Kailua. The real estate professional will find a house based on a number of criteria. Some of the criteria that the real estate professional will take into account include square footage of house, proximity to nearby amenities, and etc. You can let the real estate agent know your criteria so that he can find a suitable house. The real estate agent will provide in depth information about the real estate community so that you can make a clear decision. The real estate agent will explain the buying process to you so that you know what steps need to be taken when buying the house. The real estate agent can negotiate with the seller about the price of the property. He will walk you through the entire home buying process so that you won’t get confused.

Many real estate professionals will recommend you to get pre-approved. You should not confuse pre-qualified with pre-approved. The pre-qualified letter is not a guarantee that the bank will loan you the amount of money. With a pre-approved letter, you will know what type of house you can afford. After you apply for the loan, the bank will review the application by taking into account the qualification requirements. The bank will only extend the application after verifying the information and making sure you satisfy the underwriting requirements.

In Kailua, there are two kinds of property ownerships. The most common type of property ownership in Kailua is leasehold ownership. Leasehold ownership means that you only have the right to stay on the land for a few years. You can improve the leasehold land but you cannot sell or give it away. If you buy a leasehold property in Kailua, you will be able to avail the tax advantage. You will be charged with a lower initial payment. After the lease term end, you will have to move to another house. The cost of a leasehold property in Kailua is in between $200,000 - $700,000. Fee simple ownership properties are available in a limited number in Kailua. In fee simple ownership, you will have the right to do whatever you want with the land. You will own both the land and the structures that are built on it.

Posted in Oahu Guide