This market on Oahu is crazy as we are all aware.  It’s really a great time to be a Seller for many reasons during these times.

My concern is with our Buyers, specifically our VA Buyers who are doing 100% financing as most VA Buyers do and then needing to leave on PCS orders in 3 years.

We have no idea how long this Sellers market will last and when it will swing back in favor of Buyers.  Once the market shifts back to a Buyers market, there is more competition amongst Sellers to attract Buyers and one of the ways they do that is by offering things such as lower price and paying for some or all of the Buyers closing costs.

If our VA Buyers are unable to sell their homes because they would have to come out of pocket with cash in order to sell, then their next logical choice is to turn it into a rental property.  That is great as long as the Owner is able to “eat” the shortage each month.

For example, let’s say Sergeant Smith buys a condo in Ewa Beach for $425,000 with 100% financing.  The maintenance and HOA fee is approximately $550 per month.  The mortgage payment would be about $1,625 per month.  That’s $2,175 total.  Those units rent for about $2,000 per month.   The property manager gets $200.  The GET that the owner pays is $120 per month.  This means that Sergeant Smith would be upside down by $495 per month and that doesn’t include any repairs that might need to be made.  

Please think about your future when purchasing a home rather than just jumping in without the knowledge of what could potentially happen in the future.

Great house. Great neighborhood. Owned PV panels. Two car garage. Three bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms. 1,500 SF interior. Come to our Public Open house on Feb 3rd from 10am to 12 noon or on Feb 6th from 2 to 5 pm.

If Congress confirms the new bill when they return from recess in September 2011, the VA Funding Fee reduction will make Hawaii homes more affordable for Active Duty Military, Veterans and Retirees.  If the bill does get confirmed, it will only apply to VA Loans that close after October 1, 2011.

This is great news for military families relocating to Hawaii who want to purchase a home on Oahu.  While the reduction’s don’t look like much on paper, they actually do provide a savings of up to several thousand dollars due to the high price of real estate on Oahu.

Under the current VA Loan Funding Fee structure, the rates are as follows:

• Active Duty is 2.15% but would go down to 1.4% under the new plan
• National Guard and Reservists are 2.4% but would go down to 1.65% under the new plan
• If using a down payment of 5% or more, the rate will also go down
• If using the VA Loan for a subsequent time, the rate will go from 3.3% to 2.8% for year 2011-2012, 2.15% for year 2012-2013 and 1.25% for loans closing Oct 2013 and later.

For more information on VA Loans in Hawaii and Purchasing Real Estate in Hawaii, contact Hawaii Military Realty, Inc. and ask for David Kucic at (808) 218-9338 or email david@davidkucic.com

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