The property tax rates in Honolulu County Hawaii for the year 2012 to 2013 for residential properties are $3.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.  For example, the median home price on Oahu is approximately $650,000.  Lets assume that the tax assessed value is also $650,000.  The annual tax for this example of Hawaii real estate would be $3.50 x 650 = $2,275 per year.  This breaks down to a rate of approximately $190 per month.

Taking it one step further, if you file your “Hawaii Property Tax Exemption Form” and are entitled to the $80,000 tax exemption, then using the same figure above, you would take the assessed value of $650,000 and subtract $80,000 which means your taxable value is $570,000.  At a tax rate of $3.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, this would make the annual tax $1,995 or $167 per month.

The other Hawaii county tax rates are:  $5,75 for Maui County, $5.55 for Hawaii County (the Big Island) and $3.05 for Kauai County.

I am not a tax professional or a tax attorney but I do have common sense and I know how to read and follow simple instructions such as using available information to determine examples of estimated property tax payments.

For more information on homes for sale in Hawaii or any other Hawaii real estate related questions, feel free to contact Hawaii Military Realty Inc at (808) 218-9338 or email to david@davidkucic.com.

The Laulani Shopping Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii is moving ahead quickly and is estimated to be open by the end of 2012.  I stopped by the construction site yesterday after noticing a sign that named some of the businesses committed to taking up residence in the shopping center.  Among those names are:  Safeway Grocery Store, City Mill home improvement store, Walgreens, Petco and Ross.

The addition of this shopping center will bring a lot of relief to the always congested Foodland/Longs Drugs shopping center at the intersection of Ft. Weaver and Geiger Road.

With the volume of real estate sales in Ewa Beach currently running very high and the inventory of available homes very low, the addition of the Laulani Shopping Center will add to the rise in home prices in Ewa Beach.   People often complained about there not being enough shopping in Ewa Beach but that will soon take a drastic change when the new shopping center opens.

For more information about homes for sale in Ewa Beach, homes for sale on Oahu and information about the neighborhoods in Ewa Beach, contact David Kucic at Hawaii Military Realty.  David is your #1 source of information for Ewa Beach real estate.

Nice 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom condo in Ewa Beach, Hawaii right next to shopping and public transportation.  This is a very clean and well run condo complex.  For more information send an email to my personal email at david@davidkucic.com or call me direct at (808) 218-9338.  Visit my website at www.himre.com to learn more about Hawaii Military Realty, Inc. and First Sergeant Retired David Kucic.  This unit is available on April 5, 2013 at $1300 per month.

This single family home is located in the Montecito Tuscany subdivision of Ewa by Gentry.  The home has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a 2 car garage and private fenced backyard.  Located at the end of the road in the far corner of the subdivision, it has plenty of privacy with no rear or side neighbors.  Military families in Hawaii can use their VA Loan eligibility to purchase this property.  For more information about Ewa Beach homes for sale or any other Oahu Real Estate, contact the ONLY real estate company on Oahu that is dedicated to serving the Hawaii Military community.  David Kucic, First Sergeant, USA (Retired).  (808) 218-9338.  Dont forget to use the “Search” function on the homepage of www.himre.com to look for all of the homes for sale on the Hawaii MLS.

New listing as of this morning, June 4th.  This townhome is located in the Townhomes at Fairways Edge in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.  It is a short sale listed at $330,000.  THIS LISTING AGENT IS A SHORT SALE SPECIALIST.  MOST SHORT SALES CAN BE APPROVED WITHIN A FEW MONTHS AND DO NOT TAKE 9 MONTHS TO CLOSE!  IF SOMEONE IS TELLING YOU TO AVOID SHORT SALES, YOU SHOULD WALK THE OTHER WAY AND FIND A NEW AGENT BECAUSE YOU MIGHT BE MISSING OUT ON SOME OF THE BEST PROPERTIES THAT ARE AVAILALBE ON THE MARKET.

It is a 3 bedroom,  2.5 bathroom townhome with an attached 2 car garage.  The home has central air conditioning, all standard appliances, wood laminate flooring downstairs and carpet upstairs.  There is a community swimming pool, spa and BBQ area in the development within walking distance. This community is eligible for purchases using the Hawaii VA Loan entitlement.  There are also nearby miles and miles of walking, jogging and biking paths.  For more information, contact Hawaii Military Realty at (808) 218-9338.

5 bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms along with a 1 car garage and 3 parking spaces in front of house.  Guest parking nearby.  Holomua Elementary School.  WATER, TRASH, FRONT YARD MAINTENANCE, SWIMMING POOL ACCESS ARE INCLUDED IN RENT.  This home has 1 bedroom and 1 full bathroom downstairs.  No carpet for easy care and maintenance.  All flooring is tile or wood laminate.  Newer appliances including front loading washer and dryer, microwave, refrigerator and oven.  Freshly painted exterior and interior.  8 guest parking stalls directly across from house.  Available at the end of May 2012.

The Veterans Administration recently announced that they will build the largest VA medical center in the state of Hawaii.  It will most likely be located in Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Kalaeloaor somewhere on the Ewa Plain.

It is estimated that the project could start in 2015 and take up to 2 years to build and will cost an estimated 125 million dollars.  The facility will also have approximately 1,000 parking stalls.  One the center opens, it could add as many as 325 permanent jobs. 

Currently on Oahu, there is only one other VA facility that services Veterans.  The Spark Matsunaga Medical Center is adjacent to Tripler Army Medical Center.  There is also a new outpatient VA clinic that will open this summer in Leeward Oahu.

This means the desire to purchase a home in Ewa Beach and Kapolei is even more prominent now.  Its no wonder why I am listing homes in Ewa Beach and Kapolei for sale and I am getting offers on my listings within weeks.  Thereal estate market in Ewa Beach and Kapolei continues to remain very strong.

For more information on Hawaii Real Estate, Hawaii Homes For Sale, Oahu Real Estate, Oahu Short Sales, Ewa Beach Homes For Sale, Kapolei Homes For Sale, Koolina Homes For Sale and Makakilo Homes For Sale, contact one of Oahus Top 100 Realtors, David Kucic of Hawaii Military Realty, Inc.

Did you know that you can use money from a VA Loan in Hawaii to pay off credit cards, student loans or other consumer debt?  Its not illegal and it is not a secret but many Hawaii Military Veterans don’t know how to benefit from this and many Hawaii Real Estate Buyers Agents don’t know how to word a contract correctly in order for you to take advantage of this.

The bottom line is that you can get a credit from a Seller of a home in Hawaii or a credit from a developer of a new construction home in Hawaii and use it to pay off your consumer debt.   This can only be done with a Hawaii VA Loan and not other loan programs.  For example:  If you buy a $400,000 single family home on Oahuand the Seller credits you $15,000, you can use some of that money to pay off consumer debt in conjunction with your Hawaii VA Loanin addition to using the money to pay off your closing costs and prepaids.  In the past, Buyers that I have represented have paid off car loans, credit cards and student loans in conjunction with the purchase of their homes in Hawaii.

Call or email me if you would like any additional information.  To search the Oahu MLS for properties for sale on Oahu, visit my homepage at www.himre.com and click on the link to search for homes.  My website is linked directly into the Oahu MLS and you will see ALL properties for sale on Oahu.

The New VA Loan Limits in Hawaii for 2012 have been published.  These amounts are the Maximum Loan Amounts so if you are also financing the VA Funding Fee, your actual loan amount will be less than these published figures.

1.  Honolulu County $695,750.00
2.  Hawaii County $625,500
3.  Kalawao County $625,500
4.  Maui County $625,500
5.  Kauai County $625,500

For example:  If you want to buy a home in Honolulu County for $650,000.00 and you are also going to finance your VA Funding Fee then your total loan amount would actually be $663,975.00 which includes a 2.15% VA funding fee for an active duty, first time user. (VA Funding Fee amounts vary by your nature and time of military service).

In another example, if you wanted to purchase a home inHonlulu County for $695,750.00, once you add on the VA Funding Fee, you would exceed the authorized maximum allowable loan limit by just under $15,000 so you would need to pay that $15,000 in cash at closing.

For more information about Oahu Real Estate, Hawaii Homes For Sale and VA Loans in Hawaii, contact David Kucic at Hawaii Military Realty.

There are several new home developments in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.  Several of them are found in the Ewa by Gentry community.  All of these communities are approved for Hawaii VA Loan purchases.

Those located in the Ewa by Gentry community are:

1.  The Tides in Ewa Beach.  These are single family homes starting in the mid to high 300’s.

2.  Latitudes in Ewa Beach.  These are also single family homes starting in the mid to high 500’s.

3.  Haleakea in Ewa Beach.  These are single family homes with some golf course frontage homes.  Prices start in the mid to high 600’s.

4.  Ka Makana at Hoakalei in Ewa Beach.  This development is centered around a “private country club”  (call me for details about this “private” course).  The homes range from townhouses for the low 400’s all the way up to golf course frontage homes over 3,000 sf in size for over 1 milion dollars.

If you would like additional information about any of these new developments, let me know and I can provide the information for you.