What is the difference between Fee Simple (FS) and Leasehold (LH)?
Here are some terms that you may need to know while considering buying a property.
Leasehold (LH) A way of holding title to property. The lessor holds the Fee Simple (FS) interest and the lessee hold the leasehold interest. The leasehold interest is determined by the lease itself. It is important to know the following facts about a lease before you consider purchasing:
Term or time left on the lease. The longer the term, the more desireable.
Lease Rent: What you pay to the lessor monthly, semi-annually or annually.
Lease Period: A fixed period of determined lease rent.
Surrender Clause. Some leases are not renewable and have a surrender clause.
Fee Simple (FS) This is the way most of America owns property. You have a deed proving that you are a vested land owner. Here in Hawaii, most of the land is owned by huge estates which are remnants of the old Hawaiian monarchy. The Kingdom of Hawaii owned all of the land. Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, is the largest of these land owners. They own 341,546 acres or approximately 23% of all of the land
1886 Law of the Sea Hinders Tourism Development in Hawaii
#Hawaii, #Laws, www.Hawaii.Bio, #Transport, #Tourism
The US maritime law, passed just days before air travel, exports American tourism dollars to countries such as Canada, Mexico and Aruba.
The Passenger Ship Act of 1886 does this by prohibiting ships flying a foreign flag or built under a foreign flag from carrying passengers between U.S. ports unless they stop in another country.
For example, cruises on foreign ships can sail from San Diego to Hawaii, but only if they add Ensenada, Mexico to the itinerary. Cruises from Seattle to Alaska usually stop in Vancouver or elsewhere in Canada, and cruises from Florida to New York usually include a detour in Aruba.
Foreign cruise ships departing from Hawaii have been known to divert 1,000 miles south to Fanning Island, which is part of the Republic of Kiribati.
These legal exceptions enrich foreign destinations at the expense of U.S. tourism hotspots. The original intent of the law was to “protect” US passenger airliners from foreign competition. But those days are long gone, and PVSA is now like a duck to water. The US simply no longer has a large ocean liner industry to protect. As of the end of 2022, there is only one major U.S.-flagged cruise ship authorized to operate under the PVSA. Ironically named “The Pride of America”, it was built primarily in Germany and operates with an exception that limits its service to Hawaii.
In terms of shipbuilding, no major cruise ships have been built in the United States since 1958; most large cruise ships these days are built in Europe and Asia.
Even if US shipyards could build large cruise ships, they would simply cost too much. Container ships and tankers, for example, typically cost three to four times more in the United States than overseas.
As a result, there are no major American-built cruise ships serving the US cruise market other than Pride of America, and foreign ports, especially in Canada and Mexico, are the main beneficiaries.
Tourist dollars are going to other countries
British Columbia, Canada, home to Vancouver and Victoria, generates more than $2 billion in revenue annually from American-origin cruise ships, according to one estimate.
Now Panama wants in on the action. A few months ago, the country announced it would pay $100,000 to Washington lobbying firm Potomac Partners to help change Panama’s status under the PVSA from a “nearby foreign port” to a “distant foreign port.”
This seemingly minor change could be a game changer for Panama, as most ports in North and Central America, including Panama, are considered nearby foreign ports.
Under the PVSA, U.S. cruises visiting nearby foreign ports must begin and end at the same U.S. port. In other words, a cruise to Hawaii that starts in San Diego and stops in Ensenada must end in San Diego because Ensenada is considered a nearby foreign port.
Cruises starting in the United States and stopping at a distant foreign port such as Oranjestad, Aruba or Yokohama, Japan, or anywhere outside North and Central America, may disembark passengers at ports other than the one from which they departed.
If Panama were to gain “long-haul” foreign port status, it could attract more cruise tourism because cruises that originate in the U.S. would no longer have to return to ports of origin to disembark passengers. For example, passengers traveling from Los Angeles to Miami with a short visit to Panama will not have to return to Los Angeles aboard the same ship.
In its filing with the U.S. Department of Justice, Potomac Partners said the remote port designation would “assist the economic development of Panama.” Twenty years ago, when Panama asked U.S. Customs and Border Protection to administratively change its status, it predicted that “the number of American passengers visiting Panama would increase tenfold.”
Customs denied that earlier request. This time Panama is pushing for legislative changes. Potomac Partners hopes to be able to “take the necessary actions to ensure expeditious passage of this PVSA amendment in Congress,” the statement said.
But Panama’s attempt to gain long-distance foreign port status ignores a fundamental question: Why maintain PVSA in its current form at all?
There are a few US river cruise lines that are “protected” by the law, but why not waive the PVSA as it applies to large ocean ships?
A world without PVSA
Without PVSA, cruises from Florida to Maine would be possible without calling at Aruba. Instead, U.S. port cities such as Savannah, Georgia, and Atlantic City could reap those previously exported tourism dollars.
Cruises up and down the California coast could thrive without the required night in Ensenada. People could board a cruise ship from Oahu to Maui without the cruise line being fined $798 for violating the PVSA.
Many cruise lines may still want to include stops abroad in their itineraries, but those stops will be determined by market demand rather than an arbitrary, outdated law.
Recognizing the harm of the PVSA, Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska amended the law. Lee proposes exempting large cruise ships from the law or repealing the law entirely; Murkowski’s legislation would only exempt large ocean liners heading to Alaska if there are no similar U.S.-built ships that can meet the demand.
Either way, US states and port communities will benefit as tourism dollars stop flowing overseas.
Nuclear war. Hawaii might be target number one?
#Firearms #Guns, #Honolulu #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Niihau, #Oahu #RealEstate #Safety, #Hawaii
For Americans, war is usually something that happens “out there”—in other countries, far from their shores. They watch it like a show on television and the Internet while eating burgers and popcorn. They should start thinking of it as something that can be experienced “here.” The next enemy may bring conflict to the United States of America.
It is especially important to think about this during a real war of the Russian army on the territory of the sovereign state of Ukraine. In which fierce battles take place and thousands of civilians and soldiers on both sides of the conflict are killed. Russia behaves like a “gopnik”, thinking that everything is allowed to it and this state is ruled by the crazy King Putin. Who really went crazy, judging by his behavior and actions. Russia will suffer economic losses in this war of unprecedented scale, which will throw the state and its people back to the standard of living of the last century, without technology and modern development of society.
We should now think about future conflicts where American territory will not be a refuge. The United States is entering an era of homeland vulnerability in which technological advances enable geopolitical adversaries—not just terrorist groups—to wage war within America itself.
Yes, the US has been attacked before. The British burned Washington during the War of 1812. The Japanese attacked Hawaii, then a US territory, in 1941. The September 11 terrorist attacks led to massacres in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
But these episodes are so memorable because they are exceptions. For the most part, the combination of power and geography has given the United States greater internal security than almost any other major country. Since the Cold War, the United States has fought terrorist attacks, but the states it has targeted, especially Iraq and Serbia, have been unable to respond in kind. It is necessary to take into account the current situation regarding the war in Ukraine, where America fully supports the troops in Ukraine with sanctions, intelligence and military weapons. Russia has nuclear potential and this puts the whole world on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe.
This changes everything in many ways.
First, the number of rivals that could threaten the United States with nuclear weapons in a conflict is increasing. China, which has traditionally had a small and vulnerable nuclear arsenal, is rapidly expanding it. Beijing wants to make sure it can hit the US in a conflict over Taiwan or any other flashpoint. North Korea is on the verge of having, or may already have, nuclear-tipped missiles that can hit US targets. Moreover, North Korea has repeatedly threatened to launch a nuclear strike on the US territory of Hawaii.
In my opinion, Hawaii can be considered one of the most dangerous places on the planet right now, precisely because of the geographical location of the state of Hawaii, which is the most distant place from all continents on which there is a US military base. America, in Russia’s war with Ukraine, defends a tough policy of not interfering in a direct clash on the battlefield with Russian troops. Why? Let’s consider this option for the development of the war in Ukraine: the crisis of the war is intensifying and for some reason, perhaps provocations from Russia or China, and America and NATO troops are entering into direct conflict with Russia. The US Army and the NATO bloc are technologically clearly superior to Russia’s weapons. What can the Russian leadership do in such a situation! How do you think?
They may want to launch a preemptive strike on Western targets. What place in the world can they choose? New York, London, Paris, Berlin… I think definitely not. Otherwise, this will cause enormous casualties among the civilian population in the region, which will amount to millions of lives and will also cause direct damage to the Russian environment. And he will unleash a third world war in which there will be no winners!
Preventive war ( Latin praevenio – ahead, warn) is a war that is started in the belief that a future conflict is inevitable, and the main goal of which is to get ahead of aggressive actions on the part of the enemy. A preventive war is started to prevent the enemy from changing the balance of power in his favor.
And I believe that the Hawaiian Islands are one of the most obvious targets for a preemptive strike. Yes, there will be many victims. But precisely because of the remoteness of the Hawaiian Islands from the mainland, this will cause minimal damage and possibly stop a nuclear war in the world. I am also considering other possible targets for Western military bases that are based on islands in different regions of our planet.
America’s rivals would still have strong incentives not to carry out such nuclear attacks, not the least of which would be the threat of devastating US nuclear retaliation. But today, unlike during the Cold War, they can also strike the US homeland in a less apocalyptic and therefore more feasible way.
Both Russia and China have or are developing the ability to strike U.S. targets with conventional warheads mounted on long-range missiles—whether cruise missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles, or perhaps intercontinental ballistic missiles. There is growing concern that China could use swarms of small drones launched from container ships to hit targets on the US West Coast or Hawaii.
These attacks will likely not cause catastrophic destruction. But they could disrupt U.S. logistics, communications and mobilization during a conflict—or simply give Moscow or Beijing a way to deter or retaliate for U.S. strikes on Chinese or Russian soil.
The most likely form of attack on the United States would not involve overt violence at all. Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure or financial systems can disrupt daily life and disrupt any response to aggression on the other side of the world. The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack that caused gas shortages on the East Coast last spring was a frightening experience for the world.
Why does the Colonial Pipeline cyber attack matter?
As shown in a map of the company’s operations, the outage of systems that support and manage pipeline operations and fuel distribution affected large areas of the United States.
At the time of the attack, concerns about supply shortages sent gasoline futures to their highest levels in three years. Demand is up, but drivers are being urged not to panic buy as it could impact prices, which were already up six cents a gallon due to the pipeline disruption last week.
Now look at what is happening right now in the USA and European countries with prices for gasoline, gas and other energy resources in connection with sanctions against Russia. Ordinary US residents already in March 2022 experienced a significant increase in gasoline prices, which will automatically entail an increase in prices in stores as this is related to the logistics of delivering groceries and food to stores (and so on). Of course, the Western world will cope with this situation, perhaps easing sanctions against Venezuela or Iran and their oil reserves will stabilize the situation, but this also takes time…
Imagine a repeat of cyber attacks, but on a much larger scale, in the midst of a major international crisis over Taiwan, Ukraine or the Baltics.
Such attacks would be of interest to Russian and Chinese planners. They can be clouded by ambiguity in a way that direct military strikes cannot. They can sow internal unrest without directly causing huge numbers of civilian deaths. They can slow down the US at the outset of a conflict, when Beijing or Moscow are rushing to achieve their military goals in Ukraine, Eastern Europe or the Western Pacific. And they could pose tough questions for American policymakers: Is Washington willing to use force to stop aggression in distant places if it could lead to painful vulnerabilities at home?
There is no perfect solution to this dilemma. Missile defense, for example, can help protect key targets, but it is too expensive and unreliable to provide any comprehensive protection. The best the United States can do is mitigate national security weaknesses through a combination of defense, offense, and resilience.
This will require larger and more systematic investments in what was once called “civil defense”—hardening critical infrastructure, logistics facilities, and communications networks against digital disruptions. Washington will need to do a better job of marketing its peacetime ability and willingness to retaliate against state-sponsored cyberattacks. This will force adversaries to consider how the United States might respond to larger attacks—whether physical or digital—in wartime.
However, there is no escaping the fact that absolute protection is an illusion. Accepting the higher likelihood of attacks on the United States and developing the economic and social resilience needed to fend them off may be the price of global influence in a world where geography provides no immunity.
This will be hard for Americans to hear. This could spark a heated debate about the costs and benefits of America’s global presence. But it is better to start this debate now than for Americans to recognize their new vulnerability only after the conflict has begun.
As for the state of Hawaii, we need not to panic but to be prepared for new possible realities of this world. We, in turn, prepare and develop projects for bomb shelters that can be built on the islands privately on our own plot of land or on municipal property. It is also necessary to consider tunnels in the mountain ranges on the islands as a future possibility of shelter from a possible military attack. We are looking for partners, investors and like-minded people in Hawaii, the USA and other countries of the world to implement our security projects.
Nika Vidi
Hawaii.bio contact@hawaii.bio
Here’s the Living Wage a Single Person Needs To Live Comfortably in Hawaii
Paradise doesn’t come cheap, as anyone who has ever lived in or visited Hawaii can tell you. While your senses might be overwhelmed by the state’s stunning views, clear blue waters, clean air and fresh seafood, your bank account will be overwhelmed by the cost.
Hawaii ranks among the most expensive states in the nation in just about any category you can name. The Aloha State’s cost of living is the highest in the U.S., according to the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, a nonprofit policy research group with a libertarian bent. It cited a Tax Foundation analysis which found that the real value of $100 in Hawaii is worth less than $85.
As of 2020, Hawaii’s state budget per capita was the third highest in the nation at $12,896, the Grassroot Institute noted. That total included unfunded state liabilities of roughly $97 billion at the end of 2020.
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in Hawaii is $4.751 as of Oct. 30, 2023, according to AAA. That’s the second highest in the country behind California and over 25% above the national average of $3.494.
Given its high cost of living, it’s not surprising that it takes a very high income to live comfortably in Hawaii.
GOBankingRates recently surveyed annual living expenses for a single person in each of the 50 states. Researchers used 2021 Consumer Expenditure Survey data (the latest available) for a single person from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate the annual cost of necessities based on data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center’s 2023 Q1 Cost of Living Data Series.
Using that data, researchers doubled the total yearly cost of necessities to determine a living wage that also factors in discretionary spending and savings.
In Hawaii, you need to earn $112,411 a year to make what’s considered a living wage, according to the GBR study. It’s the only state where a six-figure salary is required to live comfortably — and no other state even comes close. Massachusetts ranked second with an annual income of $87,909, followed by California ($80,013), New York ($73,226) and Alaska ($71,570).
In contrast, the state with the lowest required living wage is Mississippi, where you only need to earn $45,906 a year to live comfortably.
Make Your Money Work Better for You
Why is Hawaii so expensive? There are a few different reasons, according to experts. The biggest one is its location. Hawaii is comprised of islands stuck way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles from the U.S. mainland. This means it costs a lot to ship goods to the state. And because Hawaii has a small land area and unique climate, it can’t produce a lot of agricultural or other goods, the Hawaii Star reported.
The small land area also means there is only so much room for housing, which pushes home prices higher. This problem is not helped by strict land use and zoning regulations. The median cost for a single-family home in Hawaii is more than $1 million, according to the Grassroot Institute, making it the most expensive state in the nation for housing.
Finally, costs in Hawaii are driven higher by the Jones Act, a federal law that regulates U.S. maritime commerce. As the Hawaii Star reported, the law requires that all goods transported between U.S. ports be carried on ships that are built, owned and operated by U.S. companies. It is intended to protect American jobs and promote national security, but it also creates higher shipping costs due to limited competition.
Strange winter in Hawaii: flood, drought, fewer rainbows in 2023
#Honolulu, #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Niihau, #Oahu #Safety, #Hawaii,
This year’s La Nina rainy season started off slow in Hawaii, but then the rain came with a vengeance—a so-called “Kona low” in early December brought as much as 14 inches in three days.
By New Year’s the weather was once again stormy. And then the faucet seemed to turn off.
Currently, nearly 80% of the Hawaiian Islands are experiencing some degree of drought, and the rest of the state is “abnormally dry.” As of January 18, no state was experiencing a drought. It was a dramatic turnaround from a winter that started with epic downpour and was forecast to be wetter than usual due to a climate phenomenon known as La Nina .
Although climate scientists have not yet had time to analyze the numbers and pinpoint the causes, the effects are already being felt, especially on the leeward sides of the islands, where almost all of the moisture occurs in winter. The next month or so is expected to be wetter than normal, but time is running out for leeward areas.
Parts of all major islands are in “severe drought”, the second most severe of the four categories. But as the rainy season approaches, all islands could face the worst stage of “exceptional drought”
For many Hawaii residents, the lack of rain was not a big problem. In fact, sunny days with cooler winter temperatures may seem ideal. True, there were fewer ubiquitous winter rainbows.
But atmospheric conditions were more favorable for green flashes, when the edge of the sun briefly turns green as it sinks into the ocean, and fiery sunsets.
However, there is nothing pleasant about the lack of rain if you are a rancher. Dry weather can force ranchers to cull their herds and pay more for feed, and this dry streak comes on the heels of another last year.
“If this continues, we will likely be back in another drought emergency in 60 days,” James Robello, executive director of the USDA Maui District Farm Service Agency, said last week.
So what’s going on in the sky?
Typically, La Nina means wetter winters in Hawaii. La Niño, which alternates with El Niño and has many complex effects around the world, occurs when sea surface temperatures near the equator fall below normal.
This winter, however, the expected La Niña pattern was disrupted when the jet stream settled north of the islands and stalled there, Kodama said. Usually the jet stream is more like a spinning garden hose, but this winter it was surprisingly still. And Hawaii remained on the dry side of the jet stream, cutting it off from rain storms.
“What’s strange is how persistent it was.”
The clear connection between La Ninas and Hawaii’s wet winters may be broken, said Pao-Shin Chu, a professor in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and state climatologist.
“We have global warming in the background,” he said. “This process can impact existing relationships. Global warming could stir the pot.”
The problem when it comes to rainfall is that the rainy season will soon be coming to an end. This is due to an increase in subtropical high pressure north of Hawaii, which strengthens the trade winds , but also prevents storms in northern latitudes from falling as far south as Hawaii. The windward sides of the islands may still receive a lot of rain from the trade winds, but by the time the air passes over the mountains, most of the water has been squeezed out and there is virtually nothing left on the leeward sides.
Of course, tropical storms or hurricanes in the summer and fall of 2022 could bring moisture to any part of the islands. But even then, rain may only fall over a narrow swath, Kodama said, not to mention the danger of wind and flood damage.
The weather service is predicting April will be wetter than normal , with more rain falling on the islands over the past week.
But after a long drought, Maui ranchers were already considering action, Robello said. They may have to buy bales of grass to feed their livestock. Calves can weigh 100 pounds less when sold, bringing in less money. Ranchers may be culling their herds, and due to overall poor health, breeding rates drop, meaning there will be fewer calves in the future, Robello said.
On Maui, axis deer, which, unlike deer on the mainland, feed primarily on grass, compete with livestock for food. And they can jump fences, Robello said, so the green patch the rancher hoped to save until the stormy days in August can be eaten.
Meanwhile, he said, the December flood did more harm than good as most of the water flowed away. Drier parts of Maui lack the dam and dam infrastructure needed to capture runoff from severe storms. “Our systems are not designed for this,” Robello said.
Aerial photography in March of the ohia forest on Oahu showed tree canopies appearing less healthy than six months ago, when the canopy was lush and green, said Rob Hauff, state forester for the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The likely culprit, he said, is pests that find it easier to gain a foothold when trees are weakened by dry weather.
Although not surveyed by the state, nayo trees on the Big Island are also susceptible to pests during drought, Hauff said. The state typically plants endangered species during the rainy season, when they have the best chance of thriving, he said, and while it’s too early to tell, the dry weather probably hasn’t helped.
Earlier this month, the State Water Resources Management Commission advised Maui residents to reduce their water use .
“Streams that are normally full of water are barely flowing,” commission deputy Kaleo Manuel said in a news release, including some whose flows were approaching the lowest flows ever recorded.
Water suppliers, especially those that rely on surface water rather than aquifers, have also felt the pressure. On Maui, this means water customers in the northern part of the country, the central valley and west Maui. Residents were urged to stop watering their landscaping and washing their cars, as well as taking shorter showers and turning off the tap while brushing their teeth.
The commission also warned of the danger of forest fires.
Even Oahu, where the water comes from an aquifer, is affected by the lack of rain. The water board has asked residents to cut their water use by 10% after increasing chloride levels were found in some of its wells, indicating a strain on the water supply. This was partly due to BWS shutting in another well to avoid sucking up water contaminated by the Navy fuel storage facility at Red Hill, but it was also due to low rainfall.
The National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers a ground-level overview of the season’s progress , and weather observers across the country report on local conditions.
“We’ve had to water our entire subtropical landscape this week except for the lawn and podocarpus grove, which manage to stay green due to the occasional downpour,” an observer from Honokaa on the Big Island reported March 19. it rarely rains from the clouds.”
But the last few days have given some hope.
“Last week there was heavy rain that rejuvenated the lawn, trees and shrubs,” the same observer noted on Saturday. “New plantings are growing quickly.” Still, the observer noted, “only a third of the amount of rain that fell last March.”
Less rain means fewer of Hawaii’s signature rainbows, which are especially abundant in the winter because of higher humidity and because the sun traces a lower arc in the sky, said Steven Basinger, a professor of atmospheric sciences at UH Manoa. The critical angle is 42 degrees above the horizon.
“In the winter, you have a lot more time when the sun is below that critical angle,” he said.
But despite the rainbow drought, the winter was marked by more than usual numbers of fiery red sunsets and flashes of green, he said, “providing the spiritual sustenance we all expect in Hawaii.”
Hawaii.bio invites residents of the USA and Hawaii to share their opinions in our publications on the pages of the Hawaii.bio website
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Hawaii: Inflation and rising real estate prices in 2023
#Honolulu, #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Oahu #RealEstate #Rentals #Hawaii
Calling Hawaii a “salad bowl” where people of different ethnic and economic backgrounds can coexist and thrive is a common narrative. The part about ethnic diversity is largely accurate, at least compared to most other states.
The state of Hawaii is home to about 1,400,000 people (the fortieth most populous state among the US states). The average population density in the state is about 83 people per km2 (13th place in the USA).
Racial composition of the population of the state of Hawaii:
- White – 24.7%
- Black (African American) – 1.6%
- Asians – 38.6%
- Native Americans (Indians or Alaskan Eskimos) – 0.3%
- Native Hawaiian or Oceanian – 10.0%
- Other races – 1.2%
- Two or more races – 23.6%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) – 8.9%
Hawaii is one of four (along with California, New Mexico and Texas) US states in which the majority is a minority. Fewer white people live here (relative to the total population) than in any other US state. There are also more people from Asia and their descendants, as well as representatives of “mixed” races.
And Hawaii is constantly adding to its population, attracting a higher share of new arrivals both from other parts of the country and from the world than the nation as a whole.
How willing residents, both new and old, can thrive here is a different and more complex question. Concerns about inflation, driven by higher prices at supermarkets and gas stations, dominated 2022 even before we began to consider the spillover effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In fact, inflation has disrupted the lives of many Hawaiians since the pandemic began. Unfortunately, dealing with the effects of the pandemic will do little to offset the incredibly problematic housing environment.
Because the local real estate industry faithfully reports county-by-county sales data, we have become accustomed to monthly reminders about Hawaii home values. Median price numbers have value, often to highlight how expensive housing is.
For homeowners, rising prices can become a source of income. However, the data masks a harsher inflationary reality.
In December 2019, the average home price in Honolulu was $557 per square foot. Two years later, as the Omicron Covid-19 variant threatened to further prolong the pandemic, that price reached $672, according to data compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Inflation has driven up prices in Honolulu’s already very expensive housing market.
The 21% increase over two years was the lowest among Hawaii’s four counties; the Maui level increased 39% to $998. These levels do not reflect the willingness of buyers with sufficient resources to bid above list price.
Over the same period, the national figure rose from $148 to $196, indicating that housing inflation was a problem in the United States. There are regional differences, but no state comes close to Hawaii’s December 2021 levels for Hawaii’s two favorite vacation spots. California and Nevada were $403 and $243.
Income differentiation
The U.S. Census Bureau measures economic inequality by comparing the median income for the highest quintile of households ($252,492 in Hawaii in 2019) and the lowest ($18,445), with a factor of (13.7) indicating a measure of income inequality .
Nationally, the rate is 16.4, meaning Hawaii faced less income inequality than much of America in 2019, although stark differences become apparent upon closer inspection.
Hawaii County has the highest inequality in the state: 17.1. Larger, more successful cities tend to have greater income inequality: San Francisco (26.2), Washington, D.C. (30.2), and Manhattan (43.8) are notable examples.
The pandemic has been disruptive in many ways, and remote work is a clear and important example. The ability to work remotely has made Hawaii an opportunity for many, including tech workers previously working on the West Coast. Recognizing the huge economic impact caused by the decline in tourism, the government has not been shy about encouraging people to move here.
What’s less clear is how carefully the impact on Hawaii’s fragile housing market has been considered.
After five years in which the market was relatively stable ($13 billion to $14.6 billion in annual sales), the value of residential property sales (single-family homes and condominiums combined) rose 66% statewide in 2021, exceeding 22 billion dollars. Honolulu accounted for 58% of turnover value, but its market grew by the smallest (but still astonishing) margin, 56%, well behind Kauai’s 126% and Maui’s 84%.
Less obvious is the change in market participation. Local buyers accounted for 65.8% of sales value in 2021, up from 73.8% in 2020. Together they accounted for only 43.5% of the value of turnover in the Neighbor Islands in 2021. Unsurprisingly, prices jumped significantly across the state, with single-family home prices ending the year higher in Kauai and Maui counties than in Honolulu.
Remote workers keep their wages when they move to Hawaii , and most pay significantly higher wages than local employers. The median household income in Hawaii, according to the Census Bureau, fell 16.3% in 2020 to $80,700, barely enough to buy homes that are selling for more than three times the national rate, according to per square foot.
Amid this recognition, there are loud calls for “affordable housing.” Rental prices , which have been in short supply for a long time, are also rising. What is called market-rate housing has become unaffordable for too many local buyers.
We cannot coexist successfully when so many people cannot afford to live here. If Hawaii fails to cool down the housing market, the result could be catastrophic.
Vaccines have helped us survive the pandemic. There is no vaccine for the housing shortage Hawaii faces. Our housing crisis has become widespread and promises to be far more devastating than the pandemic.
According to officially published data, there are 291,484,482 people in the United States over the age of 5. Of these, 879,434 people speak Russian, 152,325 speak Ukrainian, 1,805 speak Belarusian. In the US, 237,840 people speak Armenian, 39,790 speak Lithuanian, 16,035 speak Latvian, 435 Americans speak Tajik at home, and 50 speak Ossetian at home. – a little more than two thousand.
In the United States, only 6,035 Estonians speak their native language.
This means that now more than 1,300,000 people in the United States speak and understand Russian, and they can read our portal and be interested in helping legislators defend the interests of residents and businesses of the United States and the state of Hawaii.
In Hawaii, 1,169 people said they spoke Russian at home, 85 Ukrainian, 45 Lithuanian, the same number Estonian and 50 Latvian. There are a total of 1,287,075 people living in Hawaii.
Hawaii.bio invites residents of the USA and Hawaii to share their opinions in our publications on the pages of the Hawaii.bio website
Columns should be no more than 1,000 words in length, and a photo of the author and biography are welcome. We also publish video interviews and other multimedia formats. Send to contact@hawaii.bio
The opinions and information expressed on Hawaii.bio are solely those of the authors, and not Hawaii.bio.
How will the new law change the price of real estate in Hawaii?
#Honolulu, #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Niihau, #Oahu #RealEstate #Rentals, #Safety, #Hawaii
Beginning May 1, 2022, seller disclosures, which are required for all residential real estate sales in Hawaii, must include information about whether the property could potentially be impacted by rising sea levels due to climate change.
Oceanfront and beach homes are likely to fall into zones vulnerable to sea level rise, the state’s forecast model shows.
Why did the Hawaii Legislature amend the Real Estate Seller Disclosure Act?
Work has been underway for a number of years to study the possible future impacts of climate change on our Hawaiian Islands , primarily so that state and county governments can adequately plan for changing infrastructure needs and protect the well-being of residents living in areas vulnerable to sea level change .
In 2017, the State of Hawaii’s Report on Vulnerability and Adaptation to Sea Level Rise was published. The following year, the state Climate Commission recommended that information from the report be included in seller disclosures, and the Hawaii Association of Realtors began preparing to implement that recommendation.
This is in addition to existing disclosure requirements regarding whether a property is located in a floodplain , as established by FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. While sea level changes will primarily impact properties located on and near the ocean, it already requires disclosure of properties located near a stream or area that might otherwise be flooded during heavy rainfall conditions.
Recent heavy rains have affected communities such as Hilo on Hawaii Island and the northern shores of Kauai and Oahu.
Without going into all the technical details, the modeling was done by researchers at the University of Hawaii and includes three looks at the potential hazards of sea level rise: Passive flooding, which is low-lying areas at risk of inundation at mean sea level.
Here is a link to a sea level rise mapping tool .
How does the sea level change disclosure law affect real estate buyers and sellers?
Just as sellers and their representatives currently check National Flood Insurance Maps to see if a property falls within a special flood zone, starting in May 2022 they will also need to check the State of Hawaii’s Sea Rise viewer.
While the available mapping tool will show the effects of a sea level rise of 6 inches to 3.2 feet by the end of the century, it is this highest elevation that is the basis for the required disclosures.
While this sounds like a potentially scary revelation, low-lying areas were already found in the special flood zone in the previous mapping. And oceanfront areas that rise above the ocean will suffer little from a 3.2-foot rise over the next 80 years.
Recent amendments to the law requiring residential property sellers to disclose material facts to buyers at the time of transaction will be included in the Hawaii Association of Realtors’ standard property disclosure statement for sellers.
The agent representing you in the transaction should be able to help you complete this section (if you are a seller) or direct you to resources for interpreting the disclosure (if you are a buyer).
Labor shortage in Hawaii: there is work, but no one to work
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Hawaii governments are flush with pandemic cash and are hoping to fill open positions as well as create new ones.
During his State of the City speech this week, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi laid out the opportunities and challenges for Honolulu. According to the mayor, there are more than 3,000 job openings in city government. And that doesn’t include the 80 new positions he plans to add to the Planning and Permitting Department.
Filling vacancies quickly requires overhauling ineffective hiring processes, the mayor said. Getting more workers is critical, he said—Honolulu would have a workforce of about 13,000 if all the positions were filled.
“The number of people who could do the work in many areas is just not there,” he said.
Honolulu is not alone. There are about 2,000 vacancies in the Hawaii state executive branch, said Ryker Wada, director of the Department of Human Resource Development. That doesn’t include departments outside the DHRD’s purview, including the University of Hawaii system and the 22,000-employee Department of Education, which is chronically short of teachers.
But politicians are trying to change this. Full of cash as Hawaii recovers from the worst days of the Covid-19 crisis, state officials are offering money to boost hiring, not just to fill current vacancies but to create even more jobs.
One of the bills being considered would pay for nearly 50 additional workers in the Human Services office of the Department of Human Services. Another bill would give the University of Hawaii system money to increase the number of nursing school faculty, which supporters say could ease the state’s nursing shortage.
Economists say there is no secret formula for hiring workers, even for tough jobs like teaching.
Also, Hawaii’s high cost of living may discourage people from moving here for work, but its beaches, climate and natural beauty attract others.
It’s not just about the money
While money may be most important, the reality of hiring in Hawaii is more complex.
Even before the pandemic, when the unemployment rate was near zero, the state was losing population.
And the state’s labor pool has gotten smaller during COVID 19. Hawaii’s civilian workforce was about 673,700 as of January, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization. That was an improvement from the darkest days of the pandemic, when Hawaii’s labor force fell to 622,200 in October 2020.
But that’s a far cry from the spring of 2017, when the labor force peaked at just under 700,000. A recent study by WalletHub found that Hawaii had the fifth-highest layoff rate in the country over the past 12 months, with 3.41% of workers announcing a layoff.
Recruiting and retaining workers is challenging enough that Movers and Shakas, a nonprofit that got its start during the pandemic bringing groups of workers to Hawaii to temporarily work remotely, created the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program, or HITOP, to orient new hires and their partners to work for Hawaii culturally and socially. The program is intended for beginners. The goal is to reduce the need to constantly hire new employees while helping existing professionals integrate into the community.
Government employers face additional challenges. WADA noted that government departments have to deal with government funding that can fluctuate, unions and collective bargaining agreements, and a merit-based civil service system that limit flexibility.
For example, he said, there are typically four levels of office assistant positions: I-IV. Although an agency may be able to obtain funding for a preferred IV Office Assistant, the position may require skills and experience that few applicants possess. A private employer can hire a less-skilled worker and pay less while the worker receives on-the-job training, but public employers typically don’t have that option, Wada said.
Another problem is that, due to the state’s cumbersome hiring process, good candidates often find other jobs before state hiring managers get their hands on them. The state has created what it calls Wikiwiki Hire , which allows departments to connect with candidates and quickly begin the hiring process. This system receives support from the agencies that need to manage it. For now, this is limited to the Child Protective Services office of the Department of Human Services, as well as engineering and surveying work in the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Department of Transportation. In some cases, it is necessary to speed up not only the hiring process, but also the training.
In Hawaii, the number of officers eligible for retirement is peaking while work in state correctional facilities has become more dangerous than usual as Covid-19 has spread among staff and inmates.
To fill vacancies left by departing corrections officers, the department must increase hiring and provide more training cycles for new officers.
Honolulu has big plans
The challenge is finding innovative ways for Honolulu residents to meet the city’s changing needs, many of the thousands of openings are in departments that handle things like roads, building maintenance and waste management, as well as the Honolulu Police Department.
Honolulu officials have identified ways to “help departments hire faster and increase hiring rates.” Increased tax revenue means Honolulu can fund internships to fill key tech positions. However, some departments, such as the Department of Planning and Permitting, are more complex. They require an organization-wide assessment and strategic changes in positions to meet current needs.
The team decides everything!
The main business resource of any business is human resource.
Meanwhile, selecting a team in which there is not a single weak link is sometimes an extremely difficult task for managers of management companies. Fortunately, there are pleasant exceptions. You can fill out a free form on Hawaii.bio about job openings for your business. The advantage of such an application is also that your future employee will understand the mentality of you and possibly your other employees, since he will speak Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and other languages of the post-Soviet space. You can also post your services and the company service you provide for free. Additionally, for businesses in Hawaii, we have all sorts of options for integrating advertising and finding new clients
Renting problems in Hawaii. If you have a pet?
#Honolulu, #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Niihau, #Oahu #PetFriendly, #RealEstate #Rentals,
The #1 reason dogs and cats are surrendered to the Humane Society of Hawaii is the lack of pet-friendly housing.
It’s very difficult to find a rental house or apartment in Hawaii these days. And signing a lease is even more daunting for pet owners: In a market where rentals are scarce and landlords often receive dozens of applications within hours of posting a property online, why would they accept pets?
Hawaii is in dire need of affordable, pet-friendly housing!
The lack of housing options for pet owners has long been a problem across the state. On the island of Oahu, the Hawaiian Humane Society has advocated for the elimination of pet size and breed restrictions while providing support for renters to help them keep their pets when they experience financial hardship.
Meanwhile, on Kauai, a Humane Society spokesman said its shelter remains overcrowded — and often overcrowded — due to “too many pets and not enough pet-friendly housing.”
But the problem is now especially acute in Maui County, where the main reason families surrender their pets to the Maui Humane Society is because they are forced to move and cannot leave their four-legged family members behind.
Like the social workers who work for nonprofits that help shelter people, animal shelter workers are also witnesses to the island’s housing crisis. They are the ones who watch children cry as they are forced to give up the family dog due to no-pet policies, or fight to get food for pet owners living paycheck to paycheck who might otherwise give up their own food.
Last year, when the nationwide eviction moratorium ended, the Maui Humane Society saw an influx of pets, especially dogs, as their owners were kicked out of their homes. The shelter said it took in about 120 dogs at altitude; ideally there should be about 20 dogs in his kennels.
Shelter workers know there will always be a surge in surrender at the end of each month—as time runs out for families who need to move out first, some of whom inevitably end up living with relatives in cramped living conditions with no room for pets.
Then there are residents who put their safety at risk for their animals, such as the grocery store worker who paid for his three cats to be placed in a shelter after his home, which he had rented for 13 years old, was sold. He couldn’t find a place that would rent to him and the cats, so he moved into his car.
Hawaiians experience things like this on a weekly basis.
Maui shelter staff tries to educate tenants and landlords about the compromises they can make to accommodate pets—for example, drafting a pet agreement that states owners must pay for any potential damage caused by their pets; show that pets have undergone obedience training; purchasing pet liability insurance; or agreeing to certain conditions, such as not leaving pets unattended outside or regularly spraying properties for fleas.
Even if Maui renters get to the top of affordable housing waiting lists, there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to keep their cats and dogs because there’s no requirement that government-funded projects accept them. Landlords can set their own rules.
In the private market, however, the costs of pets are often beyond families’ financial means: In Hawaii, landlords can charge pet rent on top of regular rent, as well as require a separate pet deposit of up to one month’s rent. . – the equivalent of paying three months’ rent at once. But even for Maui renters making middle-class wages, finding housing remains difficult.
“If I have to sleep on the beach with my dog, I’ll do it.”
Housing on Maui has always been expensive, but in the past two years the average home sales price has jumped nearly 50% to more than $1 million, according to real estate data .
However, the typical year-round salary for a full-time worker hovers around $46,000 per year, according to Census estimates.
Jamie-Sue West is a homeowner in Kihei who runs a Facebook group called Dog-Friendly Home Rentals on Maui! I saw first-hand how the housing crisis spiraled out of control.
Before the pandemic, she received several requests each week to join the group from pet owners moving from the mainland. Then the number skyrocketed to 25 a day, more than she received from local residents.
“Because people come here from the mainland and earn mainland salaries, they can offer much higher rents than our locals who work in the hospitality industry,” West writes on his forum.
Thus, we see that the real estate rental crisis in Hawaii is gaining momentum and we, in turn, ask you to join our information portal about life in Hawaii Hawaii.bio – and support those who need to rent real estate with pets.
You can post information about your rental property or your pet service on Hawaii.bio for free.
Housing crisis 2023 in Hawaii. How can I change this?
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“When you’re a hammer, as they say, everything looks like a nail. And when you’re a government politician in Hawaii, regulation is the answer to every problem.”
Perhaps that’s why so many of our politicians are trying to solve Hawaii’s housing crisis with big government solutions like taxes on empty homes, government-funded housing projects and regulations that limit or sanction certain types of development.
Extensive research, however, shows that the reason for Hawaii’s housing shortage is the Hawaii government.
So what can we change in this situation?
The reality is that if we want to make a difference, we should not try to import policies from areas with high housing costs such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, or countries with vastly different social and governmental structures such as Singapore. Instead, we should look to places that have managed to maintain housing affordability, such as Tokyo, where housing prices have been relatively stable for two decades.
More recently, Hawaii had strong housing construction until about 1972 or 1973, but then it collapsed and never recovered.
Reasons for this, he said, include the State Land Use Commission, created in 1961, and the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act of 1974, both of which are heavily involved in land use management.
“It comes down to land use and making something illegal. Essentially, reasonable density—we call it light density—has been made illegal in Hawaii. It is illegal to have two real estate units on a lot. And all this just increases the cost of land.”
As a result, Hawaii has one of the most expensive housing markets in the world, second only to San Francisco and ahead of London.
Why don’t we use Singapore’s development model, since after independence it was really a clean slate?
Singapore in the 1960s consisted mostly of slums, but today the government owns 90% of the land and can acquire private land at low prices.
Moreover, Singapore also has a highly effective government leadership cadre and really only has one form of government that is not necessarily as responsive to voters, allowing it to overcome many barriers to increasing supply.
But the downside of applying such a model in Hawaii may be that this Singaporean model may not be able to benefit Hawaii. And if you end up trying it and failing, it could be costly for the state of Hawaii because you might end up with public housing, which is very common on the mainland where you basically have increased racial segregation and income segregation.
Perhaps a better option for Hawaii would be the kind of “light density” zoning that has helped Tokyo create adequate affordable housing.
The secret to Tokyo’s success? Ownership.
After World War II, Japan’s new constitution provided for strong property rights. By the 1980s, this included the right to develop one’s property as one wished, as long as it did not cause a nuisance.
“You can build duplexes, triplexes, high-rise buildings. As a result, over a certain period, more housing was built in Tokyo than in the entire state of California by several times.”
This has allowed Tokyo to meet the needs of its population in terms of housing that is affordable for both renters and homeowners.
Light density relies in part on “by-right” zoning, which allows projects that meet all zoning requirements to be developed without going through a discretionary approval process. This essentially legalizes small, fast, economical, adaptable and simple additions to home construction, while keeping health and safety in mind.
If Hawaii adopts Tokyo’s example, Oahu alone could add 26,000 homes over the next 10 years.
It would also be beneficial for Hawaii to set aside more land for residential use, since only 5% of land in Hawaii is available for residential development, an increase of just 1 or 2 percentage points would result in a 20% or 40% increase, respectively, in land available for development .
I certainly understand that there is no such thing as a quick fix to Hawaii’s housing crisis. This is a problem that has been decades in the making and is being made worse by modern policies and laws like inclusionary zoning.
I also have no doubt that people who want to use government to solve a problem have the best intentions. But the data is clear: If we want our children and grandchildren to be able to find affordable housing in Hawaii, we must liberalize our state and local land use and zoning regulations.
Nika Vidi
Hawaii.bio
Shoreline Hotel Waikiki “Most Instagrammable Hotel in HAWAII”
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Located in the heart of Waikiki, the Shoreline Hotel Waikiki was designed by American design studio BHDM to be ” Hawaii’s most Instagrammable hotel . “
The redesign includes a colorful update to the 135-room hotel, including a 26-foot white “Jungle Wall” art mural in the lobby, custom furnishings and a redesigned rooftop pool deck with commissioned murals, as well as new hotel programs for guests and locals .
Shoreline’s “Nature Meets Neon” theme, conceived by the Moon People Army and designed by BHDM Design, brings to life the dramatic landscapes and sunsets of Hawaii with a modern twist – the design features a bold mix of colors and patterns, mixing Hawaiian motifs, vibrant color palettes and modern shapes to create perfect stay and relaxation in aloha style . Added to this is the change in lighting color as the new lobby’s custom white styrene Monstera leaf installations go from cool and refreshing during the day to colorful and electric at night, backlit by neon lights.
“We are excited to bring a new hospitality experience to Waikiki by bringing contemporary design elements and experiential touchpoints for visitors and locals to our hotel,” said Alvida Surpia-Jones, general manager of Shoreline. “After six years in Waikiki, we felt it was time to refresh the Shoreline brand and expand our offerings, amenities and programs to ensure we continue to provide our guests with unforgettable experiences.”
The renovated hotel attracts visitors from the moment they arrive, with guests greeted by a colorful wall featuring a signature ombre mural painted by Californian artist DJ Neff before checking in at the concierge stationed under an open-air neon “aloha” sign. -air lobby . This reimagined area features tropical “jungle walls”, rattan cage light fixtures with paper sculptures of bird species native to Hawaii, and geometric furniture mixed with bold colors and natural materials, including custom acacia wood cocktail tables, a length sofa The 14-foot, contemporary yellow wing chairs and blue metal end tables are all inspired by the surrounding beauty and culture of Hawaii.
“Our goal in developing Shoreline was to create a colorful and unique experience for millennial-minded travelers. “Nature meets neon” throughout, mixing the natural beauty of Hawaiian flora and wildlife with all the colors of an “eternal sunset,” said Dan Mazarin, owner of BHDM Design. “We designed Shoreline to be the backdrop to an already exciting experience, and for guests and the community to share memories of their visit.”
The hotel boasts playful and casual local influences throughout, with vibrant colours, artwork and original pieces – tropical wallpaper and multi-coloured floors with fluorescent kinetic corridors leading to decorated rooms . Each room is designed with custom carpet, bedding, draperies and furniture, as well as a “you are here” topographic map of the Hawaiian Islands hanging above the beds. The rooftop pool deck features unique neon wall murals painted by DJ Neff and vibrant mood lighting for a colorful poolside experience with sweeping views of the city and Waikiki Beach.
“The artwork I created for Shoreline was inspired by the idea of growth, represented in the colorful compositions of different plants and their unique forms growing over and through each other in the poolside murals,” said artist DJ Neff . “I love working with bright colors, so the hotel’s fresh design style gave me the opportunity to experiment with a fun neon palette, creating a unique take on the beautiful Hawaiian flora.”
The Shoreline Waikiki is located at 342 Seaside Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815.
US:888-205-7322
UK:0808 145-3778
EU:+1 469-610-3608
Incredible emotions and adrenaline alone with the Sharks on Oahu
#HawaiiLiveStory, #Honolulu #Oahu #Safety, #Businesses, #Hawaii, #News, #Advice, www.Hawaii.Bio,
Want real adventure?
Ocean Addict Shark Excursiones invites you to swim with sharks without a cage, as well as the best snorkeling on the island!
It’s safe, and incredible emotions and adrenaline are guaranteed.
The company’s team are passionate lovers of the ocean and everything connected with it. Committed to protecting, preserving and stewarding the waters of Hawaii. The team reflects this passion and living the Aloha style on every tour and is happy to pass it on to guests.
Ocean Addict was founded in 2000 and was the first to offer swimming with sharks in Hawaii. Captain Donovan Kaps, professional instructors, photographers, and the entire company team have been swimming with sharks for many years and are certified diving masters.
The Ocean Addict team will teach you how to behave in water with sharks, provide detailed instructions, provide the necessary equipment, and also monitor your dive. All you have to do is enjoy your new unforgettable experience! And a professional photographer, at your request, will take stunning photos and videos.
Call now to get the best price!
Ocean Addict also offers snorkeling, sunset walks, private boat and catamaran rentals, diving, and whale watching. Fishing on request.
305-457-4150, Maria
Support for the purchase/sale of real estate in Hawaii
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If you are thinking about selling a Hawaiian condo/home that you already own or a business that you operate in Hawaii, let us help. We can also help with the purchase of real estate in Hawaii.
You can sell real estate from any country without visiting Hawaii. Please feel free to contact us by filling out the form .
The Hawaii Real Estate Selling Process
We will present the overall process along with the sales support we provide.
- STEP 1) Property valuation
We will calculate the market value of the property you own and
offer an accurate selling price.
In addition to market research, we will conduct purchase and sale transactions of real estate and surrounding areas, as well as actual research of real estate on the islands.
Start of publication on real estate resources
After consultation with the seller’s client, once the sale price has been determined, we will begin listing it for sale on the market.
If it is a residential property, it will be listed on the MLS (General Property Search System) to attract more agents on the buyer’s side.
Preview Control [Open House]
We will respond to inquiries received from interested buyers and conduct previews.
- STEP 2) Purchasing Requisition Compliance
We carefully review the purchase application (Offer) from the buyer who has decided to purchase the property, consult with the buyer and seller, giving advice, and select the best applicant for purchase. Having decided that this is the ideal purchasing partner, and if you like the details of the purchase/sale, the seller accepts them as is and proceeds to concluding the contract.
Request to correct a condition
If you are an ideal buyer, but are not satisfied with the contents of the property, send the seller a document (counteroffer) amending the contents of the purchase and sale agreement.
- STEP 3) Perform Due Diligence
Disclose information about the object and transfer it to the buyer. We will also assist you in preparing documents at this time. We will cooperate with the buyer’s due diligence and respond to any requests for termite removal or repair if found.
Please leave the construction work needed for termite extermination and repair to us. (The cost at this time will be borne by the client who is the seller)
If the buyer wishes to purchase the property as is, we will carry out a professional cleaning before confirming final ownership. (The cost at this time will also be borne by the customer who is the seller)
- STEP 4) Notarization procedure
Registration of the transfer of ownership requires the seller’s signature before a notary. In some countries, this is possible at a US embassy, consulate or notary public (fee, advance reservation required). Original legal documents that have been notarized will be transferred to the escrow company at least 3 days before registration.
Registration is completed
Escrow will register the transfer of ownership and the key will be given to the buyer to complete the transfer.
Enter the payment amount for the property
Along with various costs, the specified account will be credited with the sale amount minus the agent’s commission. (In the United States, paying a real estate agent when buying and selling real estate is that
the seller pays a commission for both the seller and the buyer. This is generally 5%-6% of the final sale price.)
If you are interested in our services, please fill out the form and we will contact you as soon as possible.
Surfing lessons Hawaii
Aloha! Surfing lessons in Russian and English. Individual approach to each student, detailed analysis of surf etiquette and safety precautions. We learn to read the waves, practice jumping onto the board on the shore, then in the ocean! Throughout the lesson I give recommendations on all the nuances! Sign up for lessons, we offer a discount when booking 2 or more lessons. After a few lessons you will be able to ride on your own. Love and good waves to everyone!
Additional Information
We conduct lessons in Waikiki, or we travel to other spots if desired!
Contact: +1(808)392-9060
Taxes on rental income in Oahu, Hawaii: GET, TAT and OT
#Airbnb #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Niihau, #Oahu #Rental , #Businesses, #Hawaii, #Laws, #Investor,
If you own rental property in Hawaii, you are required to pay certain taxes. These taxes vary depending on which island you have your property on. This article is an overview of the taxes you must pay if you own rental property on Oahu. Please note that the taxes you pay will vary depending on whether the property is a long term or short term rental. Additionally, if you use a full-service property management company, the company may collect and pay these taxes on your behalf.
General excise tax (GET): 4.5%
Instead of a sales tax, Hawaii has a GET, which is assessed on all business activity. For rental properties on Oahu, the GET is currently 4.5% and must be paid on gross rental income and can be passed on to the tenant. It is important that you pay this tax according to the required filing frequency. Depending on your tax liability, taxes will be paid monthly, quarterly or semi-annually. You must file (Form G-45) and pay your taxes no later than the 20th day of the month following the close of the filing period. You must also file an annual return (Form G-49). This must be done on the 20th day of the fourth month following the close of the previous tax year. For most people, Form G-49 must be filed no later than April 20 of the following year.
Temporary residence tax (TAT): 10.25%
If the property is used as ‘temporary’ accommodation (short term rental) you will need to pay VAT. The State of Hawaii defines “temporary” placement as:
“Temporary housing is a room, apartment, house, condominium, beach house, hotel room, suite or similar dwelling unit rented to a temporary person for less than 180 consecutive days.”
The TAT is levied on gross rentals or gross rental proceeds, which are any amounts received by the operator in cash, goods or services for the rental of temporary housing without any deduction for expenses. If you charge guests a cleaning fee, that fee is considered revenue and must be included in your TAT calculations. TAT must be paid within the same time frame as your GET payments.
Is income ever exempt from value added tax?
There are situations where you are not required to pay TAT taxes in Hawaii. If your guests meet the following requirements, you may be exempt from TAT:
- Low-income tenants who receive rent from the state or federal government and whose rental periods are less than 60 days.
- Housing facilities for military personnel permanently stationed in Hawaii, including military personnel who are receiving temporary housing benefits while seeking housing in Hawaii or awaiting transfer outside of Hawaii.
- Housing is provided by non-profit corporations or associations organized for religious, charitable or educational purposes.
- Housing provided to foreign diplomats and consular officers holding cards issued or authorized by the United States Department of State granting them an exemption from government taxes.
Oahu Temporary Occupancy Tax (OTAT): 3%
The Oahu Transient Occupancy Tax (OTAT) is currently 3%. OTAT is imposed in addition to TAT. Taxpayers registered in the state and having a valid state TAT number will be considered registered for OTAT. Taxpayers subject to OTAT do not need to register separately with the city.
Important miscellaneous information:
- Operators must display a TAT registration certificate in each rented room, apartment or other temporary accommodation. Instead of publishing the certificate, you can post a notice informing the guest or tenant where the certificate can be verified.
- An out-of-state operator requires that there be a local person or entity on the island who can assist the tenant if necessary. You must include the name, telephone number and email address of your local contact person in the same location where your certificate of registration or notice is posted.
- There is no statute of limitations for GET or TAT. Therefore, it is very important that you make the appropriate payments on time.
This information is provided simply as an overview of the taxes applicable to owning investment property on Oahu. Please note that this information is subject to change and I am not a tax advisor. It is highly recommended that you consult with a qualified tax professional prior to purchasing investment property in Hawaii to obtain the most current tax information and how it may apply to you.
Looking for investment properties in Hawaii? Just call us at +1(808)666-9936 or click here. fill the form. We are here to serve you and look forward to helping you achieve your real estate goals.
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Room for Rent, Waikiki Oahu
Aloha! Room for rent with Private Bathroom monthly.
We are a family of 2 young travel a lot so we decided to rent one room with a private bathroom in our house.
House is within walking distance from the Wikkiki beach, the bus station, and all the shops.
All utilities and future included!
We have a little kitten. And we are vegans, but you can eat whatever you want and cook what you want in the kitchen – it’s just we prefer to have separate cook wear if you would like to cook meat.
Please DM IF you are ready to move in!
One person only, no pets!
Contact: +1(929)3652413
2-Bdrm Apartment for rent, MAUI
Two-bedroom apartment for short-term rent, on the ocean, Lahaina Maui Hawaii resort, Lahaina Maui Hawaii, Price from $600/day (Depends on travel dates and timing) + $350 cleaning after check-out. Available from October 7th.
Link to profile in Airbnb https://abnb.me/rzy2mhM5HDb
For more details on the cost and availability of available dates, in a personal message or the hostess at
+1 (415) 656-6448 (Viber) (Olga Orlovskaya) short- term rental vacation rental
New restrictions on short-term rentals and parking in Honolulu
#Airbnb in Hawaii, #Honolulu #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Niihau, #Oahu #RealEstate
A city proposal aimed at restricting short-term rentals on Oahu cleared another hurdle at a Honolulu City Council committee meeting on March 23, 2022.
The latest version of Bill 41 prohibits short-term rental bookings of less than 90 days (down from the current 30 days) in most areas of the island.
New restrictions, fees and fines will also be introduced. The Zoning Board Chairman’s Committee’s draft has passed its third reading in the Zoning Committee and now heads to the full board for a final vote.
Under the bill, reservations for rentals of less than 90 days would be allowed only on Oahu in resort areas, as well as in certain residential areas of the Waikiki mauka of Kuhio, in areas near the Ko Olina Resort, and in the single-unit area near Turtle Bay Resort and the North Shore.
The bill would prohibit unregistered landlords from advertising nightly rates, require non-conforming rental units in residential areas to limit visitors to four adults, and require an off-street parking space for each rental room.
The bill has received support from the hotel industry and residents who want to keep vacationers out of residential areas. But it has also drawn sharp criticism from short-term rental landlords, who argue that a law passed in 2019 that would have allowed the licensing of 1,700 new short-term rental units was fairer.
The new law will not correct the existing regulation
Mainland tourists don’t care that island locals have to deal with a housing crisis and homelessness .
Critics of the bill also expressed concern that the 90-day reservation period would unnecessarily burden residents traveling between islands, college students, traveling health care workers and others who do not want to stay in hotels. Exceptions for these groups have been addressed but are not included in the current version.
The initial version of the bill introduced by Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration drew strong reactions. As written, it required reservations of at least 180 days and required landlords of short-term rentals in condo-hotel buildings to hire a hotel management company.
The administration’s original proposal also allowed short-term rentals in residential areas of the Gold Coast near Diamond Head; requires rental operators to notify property owners within 250 feet that the dwelling is being used for rental purposes; and obtain additional insurance coverage.
The bill would impose an initial registration fee of $1,000 and a renewal fee of $500 for short-term rentals.
Under the new law, landlords will already pay higher taxes on temporary housing, higher property taxes and could face increased fines. The purpose of the levy should be to cover the cost of public services provided.
The new law also proposed to prohibit tourists in rented cars from parking on public streets in the city. Now any property owner can complain about the occupied parking lot near their home.
All of her amendments were adopted into the out-of-committee version of the bill.
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Standard Chartered boosts 2024 bitcoin forecast to $120,000
New York, July 11 – The value of top cryptocurrency bitcoin could reach $50,000 this year and $120,000 by the end of 2024 Standard Chartered said on Monday, predicting the recent jump in its price could encourage bitcoin “miners” to hoard more of the supply.
Standard Chartered published a $100,000 end-2024 forecast for bitcoin back in April on the view the so-called “crypto winter” was over, but one of the bank’s top FX analysts, Geoff Kendrick, said there was now 20% “upside” to that call.
Standard Chartered said the rationale for its predicted price rise was that miners who mint the 900 new bitcoins produced each day around the world would soon need to sell fewer to cover their costs – mostly electricity to power super-computers.
Kendrick estimated that miners have recently been selling 100% of their new coins. If the price hits $50,000 though, they would probably only sell 20-30%.
“It is the equivalent of miners reducing the amount of bitcoins they sell per day to just 180-270 from 900 currently.”
“Over a year, that would reduce miner selling from 328,500 to a range of 65,700-98,550 – a reduction in net BTC supply of roughly 250,000 bitcoins a year.”
Next April or May the total number of bitcoins able to be mined each day is also set to halve due to an inbuilt supply and issuance mechanism that gradually limits supply to maintain its appeal.
Predictions of sky-high valuations have been commonplace during bitcoin’s past rallies. A Citi analyst said in November 2020 that bitcoin could climb as high as $318,000 by the end of 2022. It closed last year down about 65% at $16,500.
Hawaii becomes the first US state to ban shark fishing
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Hawaii banned the intentional capture or killing of sharks in public waters effective Jan. 1, 2022, to protect marine ecosystems. The online publication PlantBasedNews reported this on February 11, citing data from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).
“We are well aware of how important sharks are to maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. We also recognize their importance in the cultural practices and beliefs of Native Hawaiians,” said DLNR Division of Water Resources Chief Brian Neilson.
The law applies to all 40 species of sharks that live in the oceans surrounding the Hawaiian Islands.
Shark populations are vital to ocean health. Sharks are apex predators, meaning they play a key role in supporting species below them on the food chain.
“They help eliminate the weak and sick, and maintain balance with competitors, helping to ensure species diversity.
As predators, they change the spatial habitat of their prey, which changes the feeding strategy and diet of other species. Through spatial control and abundance, sharks indirectly support seagrass and coral reef habitats,” explained ocean conservation organization Oceana.
The new law contains some caveats. For example, catching sharks for “public safety” is permitted if the DLNR grants permission to do so. Additionally, killing a shark in self-defense or defense of another person is also legal. Persons holding “special operating permits” issued by the DLNR are also exempt from this regulation.
Violation of the law will be punishable by “significant fines.” $500 for the first crime, $2 thousand for the second and $10 thousand for subsequent crimes.
Incredible emotions and adrenaline alone with the Sharks on Oahu
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Hawaii Investor’s Guide
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Investing in real estate can be like playing Monopoly: buy real estate; avoid bankruptcy; receive rental income; buy more real estate; protection against inflation; and see cash flow. Real estate is an excellent investment for a variety of reasons, and Hawaii real estate has historically been an excellent choice for a portfolio.
Why should anyone invest in real estate in Hawaii?
Here are some reasons.
You earn more money
When purchasing real estate, you typically only have to put down a percentage of the amount, allowing you to make more money with less debt, also known as leverage (loan from the bank).
For example, if you purchase $500,000 worth of shares, you will pay $500,000. However, to buy a Waikiki condo for $500,000, you may only need to pay $100,000 (20% downpayment). If prices increase by 5%, the price increase of $500,000 would be $25,000.
The Waikiki apartment cost you $100,000 to earn $25,000, but the stock cost you $500,000 to earn $25,000; it is the leverage that real estate investing provides.
Depending on your lender’s requirements, your financial situation and assets, a different amount of interest advance will be required. However, even with multimillion-dollar properties, investors usually don’t have to pay the entire price.
Real estate resists inflation.
Over time, prices tend to rise, and you won’t be able to buy as much for a dollar as you used to. Do you remember enjoying snacks for a few cents in Honolulu stores? Ask an old Hawaiian about the stores and prices many years ago and you won’t remember.
Because properties are purchased at a specific price and monthly mortgage payments are typically fixed, the price you pay for your real estate investment will not rise over time to counteract inflation. However, the rent (Rent) you charge may increase with inflation, increasing your overall income.
Homes in Hawaii have always had long-term value.
Appreciation or capital gain is the increase in the value of a property over time. While the Hawaii real estate market has its ups and downs, historically it has always been on a steady upswing and the downturns are not as steep as those on the US mainland. Since 1972, long-term average annual growth has hovered around 6 percent for a single-family home and 5.4 percent for a condominium.
Average home sales prices in Hawaii have continued to rise in recent years.
In June 2019, the median sales price for a single-family home was $800,000, and in May 2021 it was $978,000. For condominiums, the average sales price was $432,500 in June 2019 and $457,750 in May 2021. Hawaii Real Estate Price Statistics .
In Hawaii, the sales price graph always seems to find a new peak.
You can invest in a fixed top and make a profit.
While flipping a home in Hawaii is a risk that can be very profitable, another idea is to buy a home as an owner. Lower interest rates are available for owner-occupiers, and you can make cost-effective home equity improvements without rushing to resale deadlines.
Once the renovation is complete, your property will likely increase in value, giving you the opportunity to invest more in the future, such as renting or buying another property.
You can have cash flow from rental income.
Cash flow is the income generated from rent after paying expenses such as taxes, insurance, utilities and depreciation. This money is like an extra salary each month and can increase as rents rise with the market. Rents typically increase in Hawaii, so your monthly cash flow may increase over time.
As of July 2021, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Honolulu is around $2,000. If you close the deal and buy a one-bedroom apartment for $250,000 cash, with utilities and maintenance of $1,100 per month, you will receive cash flow of $900 per month. If you had a mortgage after the 20% reduction at closing, your mortgage could be around €900 dollars, and with maintenance and utilities you would break even, while also getting your apartment appraised and hoping for an increase in the average rent.
Because mortgage payments are high in Hawaii, it is not uncommon for homeowners to rent rooms to cover the mortgage. While living with a roommate may not be for everyone, it can help a homeowner build equity and save money for other investments.
You can take tax deductions every year.
The benefits of real estate tax season are numerous: mortgage interest deductions, cash flow from investment properties, operating expenses, property taxes, insurance and depreciation (even as the property gains value, etc.). accountant about the tax benefits of your Hawaii real estate investments.
When selling real estate, you can use a 1031 exchange to defer capital gains taxes.
A 1031 exchange from the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) is another great tax benefit that allows investors to sell real estate and buy other similar real estate—fully tax-deferred. For example, a family home purchased in 1940 for $40,000 may be worth $1,000,000 today. If you were to simply sell the family home, you would have to pay capital gains tax (about 20 percent) on the $960,000 (less improvements).
With Code 1031, you can take the money you receive from the sale and invest it in another property on a tax-deferred basis. Investing capital gains from this family home allows for portfolio diversification, potential rental income and appreciation, as well as huge tax savings.
Your real estate portfolio can generate stable income and contribute to a comfortable retirement.
Have you built up your real estate portfolio over the years? Are you getting a stable rental income after your mortgage and other expenses? You may have already paid off your mortgage. Property investments and rental income can provide a stable and reliable source of income that will help for many years and into retirement.
If you plan and buy correctly, real estate investments in Hawaii are generally safe and profitable. And if you or someone else lives in the property, it can also provide years of happiness and memories.
Gangs in Hawaii
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Most areas and islands of Hawaii have very low crime rates. Residents of Hawaii can usually rest easy at night knowing that the aloha spirit and family-oriented culture of the islands create a safe place to live. Hawaii had about 250 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2017, far below the national rate of 394 violent crimes per 100,000 people, according to the FBI.
The first gang activity in Hawaii to be reported by the media occurred in 1986, when a teenage gang member was killed on the island of Oahu, sparking statewide awareness of gangs. Throughout the 1990s, local news reported fewer than 50 annual reports of gang activity, with the exception of 1996, when there were 125 reports. The Honolulu Police Department has actively combated this gang activity with the assistance of the Hawaii Youth Gang Response System, created by the Hawaii State Legislature in 1990. Thanks to prevention and intervention efforts, there were no reports of gang activity from 2001 to 2004. in press.
Historically, Hawaiian gangs have not been as dangerous as gangs in other parts of the world. They are usually involved in graffiti, theft and drug crimes; murder or gun violence is rare in Hawaii.
Today, the island of Oahu has seen a slight uptick in gang activity over the last couple of years. There are currently several streets and neighborhoods associated with gangs in places like Aliamanu, Halawa, Waianae, Waipahu and Kalihi. In July 2019, Adult Friends for Youth director Deb Spencer-Chun said 14 gangs had been identified at Farrington High School in Kalihi.
The gangs’ main homes are in low-income housing complexes. Some are grouped with members of the same race, such as Filipinos, Hispanics, Micronesians, Native Hawaiians, Samoans, Vietnamese, and Tongans. While gathering data on gangs is difficult because many operate incognito, there is some information available about current gangs on Oahu.
Halawa View Apartments or Halawa Housing Projects is a low-income housing development subsidized by the Federal Government’s Division of Housing and Urban Development. Halawa is an area next to Aiea and close to Aloha Stadium. Halawa is also home to one of Oahu’s main prisons. One gang found in the Halawa housing projects is the 99 Street Halawa Mob Crips.
Kalihi has a 555-unit low-income housing complex, Kuhio Park Terrace , which consists of two recently redeveloped towers. Next door to Kuhio Park Terrace is Kuhio Homes , a two-story low-income housing project. In these large low-income housing complexes you can find the KPT or Parccyde Sons of Samoa Crips gangs.
In Kalihi Valley, just off the Likelike Highway, you’ll find the newly renovated Kam IV Apartments , or Kamehameha Homes, which is public housing operated by the State of Hawaii. This microdistrict is home to the Kam4 gang.
Mayor Wright Homes , also located in Kalihi but away from the valley and near Honolulu Community College, is another large low-income housing complex with 363 apartments. It was built with federal funds and is currently operated by the Hawaii Public Housing Authority. The gang discovered at Mayor Wright’s house is called MDubbz.
There are several streets in Waipahu that are known to have small gangs. There is Avudzi on Aniani. Pupuole has PuTown and Awanei has AWZ.
These gangs in Hawaii typically formed due to the islands’ diverse cultures and economic struggles. Some Oahu gangs are offshoots of larger gangs from the mainland, while others are unique to certain areas or apartment complexes, mainly in Honolulu or Waipahu. Despite the presence of some gangs on Oahu, Hawaii as a whole has seen a decline in juvenile arrests and gang activity since its peak in the mid-1990s.
Hawaii Home Buyer’s Guide
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Getting Started with Buying a Home in Hawaii
Do you have any suspicions that you might be ready to buy a home? Are you thinking about securing your spot in Hawaiian paradise?
Before you rush into one of the biggest transactions you’ll ever make, take the time to think about home ownership. Buying a home can offer financial responsibility, stability and equity, and thinking through some aspects of owning a home in Hawaii before purchasing can ensure a happy home. Read more to learn how to buy a home in Hawaii.
What do the neighborhoods in Hawaii look like? How long will you live in Hawaii?
While we can’t predict the future , it’s ideal to stay in your first home for three to five years before moving again. These years in your new location help pay off your mortgage and build equity so you can move to your new location.
If you know you’ll want to move to a different area or island within the next year, it may be better to wait and save more money for a larger down payment. Then you could buy your dream home in your desired area.
If you unexpectedly move out of the area, you can always rent your home, but being a landlord has a completely different set of considerations.
Homeowners in Hawaii may need renovations. Before you buy a home in Hawaii, ask yourself, “Is there anything I can fix?”
Being a homeowner means being responsible for home repairs and upgrades. You have two options:
- Fix your home yourself.
- Pay money to hire someone.
If you’re a DIYer and have some home renovation experience, you can save on labor costs, but you should also consider material costs. A new refrigerator is not cheap. Renovations are part of home ownership, and considering them from a financial and psychological perspective before purchasing a home will help get you started on the right track.
Homeownership in Hawaii requires a stable job.
Are you happy with your job now? Are you satisfied with your current career or are you planning to change your path in the near future? Changing jobs while paying off a hefty mortgage can be challenging, so having a stable job and career will also lead to more stability when buying a home.
To buy a home in Hawaii, you need to get your finances in order.
Before you start house hunting, ask yourself these simple questions:
- How much credit card debt do you have?
- How much are your student loans, car loans or personal loans worth?
Your total monthly debt payment, including your desired mortgage amount, must be less than 43% of your gross monthly income for most mortgage programs. Another debt-to-income ratio used by lenders says your monthly mortgage payment should be less than 28% to 31% of your gross monthly income.
In addition to the amounts of debt that qualify you to purchase a home, responsible loan repayment and credit card habits help you develop positive mortgage repayment habits.
If you decide to go with a conventional loan, you’ll typically need to put down 20% to waive the required mortgage insurance costs. If you’re in the military, you can sometimes finance the purchase of a home in Hawaii with a VA loan, which often requires no down payment.
- What is your credit score?
Do you have a great 820 or an average 620? Your credit score is an important number that lenders use to screen potential home buyers. Getting your finances in order is essential to achieving your dream of home ownership.
Owning property in Hawaii requires some savings. Do you have the money for a down payment and closing costs?
A down payment often requires a huge amount of money, ranging from 20%, 15%, 3%, 3.5%, 5% and even zero percent to qualify for a loan. For a $700,000 home in Hawaii, that could mean $140,000 for a 20 percent discount. Additionally, closing costs, insurance, taxes, and money for furniture and renovations should also be saved until you purchase the home.
If you can afford the upfront costs associated with purchasing a home in Hawaii and also have some extra cash to breathe in the fresh Hawaiian air, you are well on your way to beginning the home buying process.
We’re diving deeper into finance and closing out our other buyer’s guides.
Before you buy a home in Hawaii, plan ahead!
Can you really afford the house payment?
If you’re used to paying monthly rent, a monthly mortgage payment that goes toward your own home rather than someone else’s might make sense. However, when calculating your monthly home payments, be sure to consider not only the principal and interest on your mortgage, but also the following:
- Property tax
- Insurance
- Apartment fee
- Water, electricity, internet and other utilities
- Repair and maintenance (Maintenance)
- Furniture
Calculating all the costs of owning a home in Hawaii before you buy will help you make the right financial decision.
What type of home will suit your lifestyle and situation?
Hawaii has a variety of housing options in different areas. There are quaint condominiums in low-rise buildings and modern apartments with all the amenities in high-rise new buildings. There are old Hawaiian-style plantation homes with a couple of bedrooms and multi-generational megahomes that can accommodate an entire family.
Think about your situation. Are you single, newlyweds, have a large family, or are you downsizing? Do you want to live in a close-knit community close to your apartment or community neighbors? Do you want privacy and space for a garden? These general questions can help you determine the basic number of rooms and bathrooms that may be appropriate for your situation and whether a single-family home or condominium is right for you.
How will you know when you’ve found the right home in Hawaii? Have you made a list of your “shoulds” and “wants”?
When making such a large purchase, it is often helpful to write down or make a collage of pictures of what you are looking for. Also, make a realistic list. We may all want five bedrooms and four bathrooms in one of Oahu’s most desirable neighborhoods like Lanikai, but is that possible on your budget in Hawaii, too?
A Hawaii realtor will be able to best tell you about the Hawaii housing market, but before and after speaking with a real estate agent, you may want to think about your “must-haves,” which may include the following:
- Single-family home or condominium
- Number of bedrooms
- Number of bathrooms
- Hawaiian island
- Neighborhood opportunities on this island
- Price Range (Based on Mortgage Lender Pre-Approval)
- Ready to move or fix top
Once you have your “must-have” list, you can create a “wish-to-have” list, which could include the following:
- Mountain or ocean view
- Yard size
- Some plants such as plumeria or fruit trees
- Certain home finishes, such as vaulted ceilings, windows, appliances, double vanities in bathrooms, or types of flooring.
- House colors outside and inside
- Solar panels
- Pool
- Proximity to certain amenities such as a gym, schools or the beach.
While “wants” can be nice, they are often hard to come by, especially in the hot Hawaiian home market. You may have to live with it if you find a place that has everything you need. The benefit of being a homeowner in Hawaii is that you can often put up some “capital” or hire someone to remodel the house or landscape the yard to achieve the look of your dream home. And these finishes can be done over time and as you secure financing for home upgrades.
Are you ready for commitment?
Buying a home is a big decision and one of the most important financial decisions you will make in your life. Are you ready to pay your mortgage every month? Can you keep up with the service? If you’re buying a home with your spouse or significant other, is your relationship ready to add a home? Who will do what – mortgage and utility payments, repairs – and how will the property be registered?
While many people are homeowners, and owning a home in Hawaii has many benefits, such as recognition, no rule says you have to buy a home by a certain age or ever. If you’ve crunched the numbers, talked to your significant other, and formulated an estate plan, you may be well on your way to being ready to buy a home in Hawaii. However, buying a home is not accessible to everyone. The housing market, your career, your family situation, and other factors may cause you to continue renting until the time is right to buy a home in Hawaii—and that’s okay.
Buying a home in Hawaii must be done at the right time.
So, is it time for you to make a home in Hawaii a reality?
If you couldn’t answer “yes”, don’t worry! Owning a home in Hawaii is a huge responsibility. Renting may be right for you, or your dream home in paradise may come later.
If you answered yes to the questions above, now may be the right time to begin your home buying journey. Get your finances in order so you can start making your dream of owning your own home a reality.
If you have any questions about real estate in Hawaii, you can fill out the form and we will answer you as soon as possible.
5 Ways to Help Hawaii Farmers in 2022
#Honolulu, #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Niihau, #Oahu #Businesses, #Hawaii
If Hawaii wants more affordable local food, it needs to make a stronger investment in farmers today. It’s been a pretty terrible two years for farmers and low-income families in Hawaii, two groups that were already struggling to survive before the pandemic hit.
Fluctuations in tourism and the local economy have hit many people hard, whether they grew food for tourists or worked in the restaurants that prepared it for them. Food prices have skyrocketed. As do the costs of transporting products to market.
However, among all this bad news, there is one bright spot worth noting: Access to affordable fresh food for low-income families in the state has increased dramatically thanks to a program called DA BUX.
In 2019, low-income households receiving food stamps could receive additional grocery assistance at 27 locations across the state through the DA BUX program, which doubles the value of government food assistance when used to purchase locally grown food. That number has since increased to 98 locations, and sales through the program grew 167% in 2020. Sales are expected to grow by 400% by 2023.
A significant influx of federal and philanthropic funding for the program this year means that Hawaii Food Basket, which administers the program, was also able to remove the $20 per day grocery spending limit that was previously set for families, while also working to increase access to the program in the countryside. At the same time, the program provides a critical cash flow for local farmers.
Over the past year, Hawai’i Grown’s focus on agriculture has exposed deep, systemic problems in Hawaii that are making it harder for us to break our dependence on imported food—from a lack of affordable land to growing challenges related to climate change and poorly managed through the efforts of the State of Hawaii.
But as DA BUX’s success over the past two years has shown, much can be done to increase access to fresh food in Hawaii with the right amount of effort and funding.
Here are five things Hawaii can do right now to support farmers and improve access to affordable, local food.
Providing low-income families with financial support to buy local food is aimed at public health and food security, as well as pumping money into the local agricultural economy.
The DA BUX program has seen amazing growth over the past two years. The program received $10.2 million in funding—its 2019 budget was just $1.9 million—mostly through a combination of federal grants and matching donations from local organizations. To keep funding from running out too quickly, the organization is limiting the number of retailers that can sign up to participate.
Although the program is incredibly well funded at the moment, now is the time to plan for its long-term success. DA BUX lost an additional $3.3 million in federal funding this year because it would have had to provide a matching grant locally, which it did not expect to do in the short period of time it was given (local charities). Federal funding for the program has already totaled $2.6 million this year.) An annual allocation of state funds to the program will increase its ability to attract federal grants. Gov. David Ige’s office sent $500,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds this year, but before the pandemic, the state’s contribution in 2019 was less than $50,000.
The best possible outcome for DA BUX would be to institutionalize the program and make it part of a federally funded, state-administered Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program. This could really change what food security looks like and how much food is produced in the state of Hawaii right now.
Improve data collection
A lettuce farmer on the Big Island has different problems than a papaya farmer on Oahu. However, they have one thing in common – the need for better data from the government.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s Data and Analysis Division was gutted during the Great Recession. In 2019, the department attempted to bolster its data collection and analysis team with additional staff, but its capabilities are still far from what it was in past years. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is in a similar situation .
As a result, farmers lack critical information about government land use, what crops they should plant, how much to charge for those crops, and what reasonable shipping or storage costs are. Some farmers on the Big Island are using national statistics instead of the regular market reports that OSHA used to produce. But national data doesn’t always apply to Hawaii.
As the State of Hawaii faces many difficult budget decisions and is serious about supporting local food production, restoring the data analytics team in the agriculture department is an important step.
Increase support for local food farms.
Most farms in Hawaii are small, which makes sense given the land shortages on the islands.
But small farms have a much harder time turning a profit and getting their produce into larger stores that typically order in bulk. This is where food hubs come into play.
Food hubs (usually non-profit organizations or cooperatives) act as a distribution network. They buy, sell and distribute locally grown food to grocery stores, restaurants, food banks and directly to consumers, allowing farmers to spend more time doing what they know best: farming. What food hubs do is essentially create a local food infrastructure system in the state.
This is an effort worth investing in.
The pandemic has led to increased demand for local food, and many of the hubs lack the infrastructure needed to meet the increased demand. Hubs require funding to upgrade infrastructure such as food washing stations and refrigeration facilities. Others need help with marketing, increasing warehouse space or increasing their value-added products.
A bill that would have provided state funding to support food hubs died in the Legislature earlier this year . Food Hub Hui, a group of 14 food hubs across the state that wrote the law, is working on a new version of the bill.
It would be wise to carefully consider the bill in the next legislative session given the significant impact that the food hub model could have on Hawaii’s agricultural sector.
Buy more local products
While most efforts to reduce our dependence on imported food rely on state legislators or nonprofit organizations, there is one thing people can do: change what they eat.
Fresh fruits and vegetables make up a small part of our diet. The bulk of our calories usually come from staple crops such as wheat and rice. Without huge subsidies, Hawaii is unlikely to produce significant quantities of either, especially in the processed form that most people consume.
But there are many tasty alternatives that are well suited to island production.
Taro (kalo), banana (maya), breadfruit (ulu), papaya (mikana) and sweet potato (uala) are some of the staple local crops that can be substituted for pasta and bread. And they work great in local recipes like ulu adobo, poi banana bread and kalo flatbread.
Buying more ulu or sweet potatoes individually will not affect the amount of food we import into the state, but consumer pressure is a very real thing. When enough people—along with large institutions such as schools and hospitals—start buying locally produced staples, it could lead to changes in the market.
Strengthen your extension agent program
The University of Hawaii does a lot of work to support agriculture in Hawaii, but one of its most important services to farmers is its extension program.
University staff, known as extension agents, act as links between researchers and farmers. They can help farmers identify new crops to grow, solve soil or pest problems, and figure out why some crops aren’t growing.
If Hawaii wants to have more affordable local food—or have any hope of solving the agricultural problems of the coming century—it needs to make a stronger investment in farmers today.
This means not only investing in critical infrastructure such as water systems, but also supporting a robust extension program that helps farmers stay up to date with the latest technology, address pest and climate change challenges, and have a better chance of earning money. their crops, helping farmers gain much-needed business skills.
We know the State of Hawaii is not in the best financial shape right now, but we really need an action plan where we identify critical needs and get the Legislature to fund them.
For our part, our information portal Hawaii.bio offers to post free information about farmers in the state of Hawaii and provide ongoing information support to businesses that grow products in the state of Hawaii, as well as businesses that sell them or use them in their products. Please write to us about your business by filling out the form on the website and we will definitely find you the best solution for information about your business.
An idea to keep teachers in Hawaii: build housing for them!
#Honolulu, #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Oahu | #Oaxy, #RealEstate
A bill introduced in the Legislature would help create affordable rents for new teachers near Hawaii. The bill would allow the state to buy land to build 200 to 300 apartments that would be rented to aspiring teachers at below-market rates.
Specifically, the bill authorizes the State of Hawaii to purchase a 12-acre site near Holomua Elementary School “for the development of affordable housing with priority for Department of Education teachers early in their careers.”
The bill does not specify the amount to be paid for the property, which is now open space owned by developer Gentry Homes Ltd., the developer of the nearby Ewa Gentry subdivision, suggesting the government could purchase the land at a nominal price.
Hawaii is hardly the first region to look at affordable housing for teachers. In California , the Santa Clara School District’s Casa Del Maestro teacher suite has become a pioneer model that is gaining momentum in other school districts in the Golden State. The 70-unit site is owned by the school district and is located next to an elementary school.
The idea is gaining traction in pricey Northern California. According to a recent article in the education publication EdSource , the area is experiencing a teacher housing boom, with projects underway in Mountain View and Daly City.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara County supervisors have approved several projects in the county’s Palo Alto area, the newspaper reported. Facebook is covering a quarter of the $103 million cost, EdSource reported.
A study by researchers from UCLA and UC Berkeley recently identified opportunities across the state to build teacher housing on school-owned property. The idea was championed in Hawaii by state senator Stanley Chang in a bill that went nowhere this session.
California appears to be one step ahead of Hawaii in addressing the two states’ common problems.
“Many of the 300,000 public school teachers cannot afford to live in the communities where they work, forcing them to commute long distances or pushing them out of the education system altogether,” the California study found. “Recruiting new teachers has also become more challenging.”
The researchers pointed to the Santa Clara project as an exemplary solution.
“Casa del Maestro of the Santa Clara Unified School District has reduced the attrition rate of housing-supported teachers by two-thirds compared to others in the same cohort, and waitlists show consistently high demand—80% of its tenants remain with full allowable rent. deadline,” the message says.
However, this proposal has its critics. In testimony, the Hawaii State Employees Association said the project should be open to all government employees, not just teachers.
Additionally, the teachers union said housing should be open to all teachers, not just entry-level ones. Rents are expected to be approximately $1,000 per month below market rates.
Children in Hawaii may lose access to free meals
#Honolulu, #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Oahu #Businesses, #Hawaii
Public school students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch during the pandemic under a program that expires in June.
The ability for all Hawaii public school students to receive free school meals during the pandemic could end at the end of the school year, potentially leaving thousands of children without access to nutritious food.
When the pandemic hit two years ago, the USDA, which runs the nation’s school meal program, lifted certain restrictions , allowing all children nationwide to receive free school meals. The easing of the rules was intended to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic on education, health and the economy.
The meal waivers also gave schools more flexibility, allowing them to provide things like grab-and-go meals and multiple meals on school campuses. The USDA also provided schools with a higher meal reimbursement rate to reduce financial costs.
But local child nutrition advocates are now on edge after the latest federal spending bill failed to extend those waivers into the next school year, removing funding for the program from the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill .
Unless Congress amends the bill, the waivers will expire at the end of the current school year for Hawaii’s 257 public schools.
Once the benefits end, families will have to go back to paying for meals, according to data from Hawaii Children Nutrition Programs. Many parents are struggling financially and will not be able to pay for their children’s meals.
Child nutrition advocates say this is especially concerning in a state that has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the country.
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Smith & Wesson Sues State of Hawaii
#Firearms | #Guns, #Honolulu #Kauai, #Maui, #Molokai, #Oahu #Safety, #Hawaii
Gun maker Smith & Wesson is suing the state Attorney General’s Office over what it says are exorbitant fees for firearms-related public records.
The AG’s office sought as much as $27,000 for records requested by the gun maker and said it would take hundreds of hours for lawyers to comply with the request, according to a civil lawsuit filed Monday. The lawsuit says Smith & Wesson filed similar registration requests in other states but did not face the same barriers to access.
“It appears to the client and to us that the amount of time that the State of Hawaii is seeking, and therefore the amount of fees, is an attempt to thwart the public records request ,” attorney Jeff Portnoy, representing Smith & Wesson, said.
In 2020, third-party agency Cogency Global filed three records requests on behalf of Smith & Wesson. The first request asked for communications between the department and the Gun Liability Counsel Task Force , a coalition of law firms that seek to prevent gun violence.
The company also requested several requests for proposals that the AG’s office issued related to firearms issues. The third request was for a log of all records requests made to the AG’s office.
The AG’s office denied some of those records, saying their release would interfere with lawful government operations, according to the lawsuit. The AG’s office demanded almost $23,000 for the records that could be released.
The office said it took hundreds of hours to review and separate those records. For the RFP request alone, Smith & Wesson charged $2.50 for every 15 minutes spent searching for records and $5 for every 15 minutes spent reviewing those documents.
The AG’s office requested half the total, about $12,000, before the records were released.
In July 2021, the weapons company issued a second, narrower request to cut costs. Instead, the AG’s office set a higher estimate of $27,000 for searching the records and reviewing them.
Portnoy said the company wants the state to provide realistic estimates of the actual amount of time it will take the AG’s office to complete the filing request.
“In Smith & Wesson’s view, the state is trying to prevent the production of (documents),” said attorney Jeff Portnoy, who represents Smith & Wesson, said.
The gun maker says in the lawsuit that it believes the AG’s refusal to release the records was politically motivated. Hawaii has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, and companies like Smith & Wesson have challenged those laws in other states in the past.
In December, Smith & Wesson joined a lawsuit seeking to overturn a New York law allowing victims of gun violence to sue the gun industry. The company is also facing an investigation by the state of New Jersey seeking internal documents .
Portnoy said he was not authorized to say what led the company to believe the denials of the document request were politically motivated. He said he was not told exactly why the company needed the documents.
The AG’s office had not yet received the lawsuit as of Tuesday. A department spokesman said the department will respond to the complaint as soon as it happens.
On the subject: PERMISSION TO PURCHASE “Guns in Hawaii” you may be interested in .
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Where will Maui’s mayor spend $1 Billion in 2022?
#Madei n Hawaii, #Maui, #Real Estate Rental, #Safety, #Businesses, #Hawaii, #Laws, #Investor, #Taxes, #Real Estate, #News, #Advice, www.Hawaii.Bio, Businesses in Hawaii recommendations , Future of Hawaii Real Estate, Property Tax, Lifestyle, Cost of Living in Hawaii, Transportation, Tourism, Vacations, Entertainment, What You Need to Know About Hawaii
Maui Mayor Michael Victorino unveiled his proposed $1 billion budget for the next year in late March 2022, outlining how he plans to govern Maui County and invest in new projects such as road repairs, expanding beach parking options for local residents and strengthening water systems to protect against natural disasters.
During a presentation in the Council Chamber, Michael Victorino laid out his priorities and plan for spending taxpayer dollars and other money over the next year. The 968-page spending plan outlines how much money goes to core government services — police and fire, state employee salaries, roads and sewer lines — in addition to other county programs and services such as grants for local farmers. food security, affordable housing funding and support for arts and culture programs.
In his State of the County address last week, Michael Victorino outlined his top priorities for the coming year, including promoting economic diversification, improving tourism management, protecting the county from the climate crisis and ramping up housing construction for working families.
The mayor also touched on several different ways the county can address these issues, including putting more money into the county’s emergency fund, increasing dollars for housing programs and increasing workforce training programs.
“For decades, Hawaii has talked about having a diversified economy,” said Michael Victorino. “However, meaningful action has always been put off until tomorrow because our hospitality industry has been so robust… but times are changing, and changing fast.”
This year, Maui’s elected leaders will be tasked with weighing what to do with the influx of cash. The state recently allowed counties to begin collecting an additional 3% tax on resorts and hotel rooms on top of the state’s existing 10.25% hotel room tax, which is estimated to bring in an additional $60 million to Maui County, the mayor said.
“We’ll use it wisely and we’ll use it effectively,” Michael Victorino said, adding that he wants to funnel the new revenue into affordable housing programs.
Since the pandemic began and Maui’s housing market has been flooded with out-of-state buyers, home prices have risen beyond the financial means of many families. The mayor said Thursday his budget plan includes investing $29 million in the county’s affordable housing fund and dedicating $1 million to a program to help first-time homebuyers with down payments of up to $30,000.
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Tropical paradise in Hawaii: Jacquemus spring 2022 show
#Honolulu #Oahu | #Oaxy, #Hawaii, #News, www.Hawaii.Bio, Lifestyle
French brand Jacquemus presented its Spring/Summer 2022 collection in Hawaii on Wednesday. The event, which took place immediately after the final day of Paris Fashion Week, was the brand’s first show outside France in its 12-year history.
“I am very excited to announce that our next show, Le Splash, a very unique project for us, will be taking place in Hawaii. The Hawaiian Islands, with their spectacular landscapes, varied climates and untold biodiversity, were the perfect complement to the rich Le Splash collection,” wrote Simon Porte Jacquemus in an Instagram post on Monday.
The show was inspired by the 2021 Jacquemus campaign shot by Tom Kneller on Oahu, and for Simon, who had long wanted to visit the islands, it was the culmination of both a personal and professional dream. The highly anticipated spring/summer collection featured local models walking the blue stripe runway on the beach of Oahu with the Ko’olau mountain range as a backdrop. Several high-profile celebrities attended the event, including Blackpink’s Jennie, SZA, Bretman Rock, Victor Cruz, Nicole Scherzinger and Jhene Aiko.
The new collection includes a range of lightweight shirts, shorts, skirts and summer suits featuring water-drop glass embellishments by Canadian artist Tanya Lyons. All items come in a neon green, safari beige and ocean blue color palette. There are also accessories such as jewelry and bags, such as the updated Sac Rond, Le Bambinou, La Vague and the new Le Bomba.
HAWAII GUN LAWS
#Firearms, #Guns, #Safety, #Hawaii, #Laws, #Advice, www.Hawaii.Bio
The Hawaii State Constitution directly copies the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution. “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Article I, Section 17.
Militia
The Hawaiian state defines the militia as “every able-bodied citizen residing in the United States who is seventeen years of age or older but under forty-six years of age, and all other able-bodied residents of that age who have declared their intention to become citizens.” of the United States,” and further defines “unorganized militia” as consisting of “those members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard, Naval Militia, or State Defense Forces.” Women are not excluded. Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) Section 121-1
REGISTRATION OF ALL FIREARMS IMPORTED INTO HAWAII
All firearms brought into the state must be registered with the county police within 5 days. Foreigners may import firearms for 90 days only for bona fide hunting or target shooting purposes.
You do not need a purchase permit to bring your own firearm into the state.
PURCHASE PERMISSION
Purchasing any firearms in the state requires permission from your county police chief. You must be 21 years of age or older and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien. You will be fingerprinted and photographed for a criminal background check, and you must certify under oath that you are mentally healthy and have no drug or alcohol addiction or criminal history. You consent to the disclosure of your medical history and provide the name, telephone number and address of your physician (if available). You are not required to have a doctor or provide a medical examination. Your doctor is required to disclose any mental health information related to your purchase of a firearm. Driving under the influence, a history of a serious psychiatric diagnosis, a medical prescription for cannabis, or any treatment for alcohol or drug addiction will result in a permit being denied.
If your permit is denied because you are not authorized to own property, your county police must notify you in writing of the reason for the denial. The police in your county may require you to surrender all your firearms and ammunition to a dealer or other authorized person or surrender them within 30 days.
You must wait 14 days for your approval. Permits not received by the 6th day after the 14 day waiting period will be forfeited. Applicants will be required to reapply and undergo another 14-day waiting period.
Individual firearm purchase permits are required for each transaction and must be used within 10 days of issue. The permit to purchase shotguns and rifles is valid for one year from the date of issue for any number of transactions.
RAP-BACK
The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center currently charges a one-time fee for permits or registration to operate the Rap-Back program. It covers an FBI background check, fingerprinting, and submitting your name, Social Security number, height, weight, hair and eye color, and firearm ownership to a permanent federal database that will tell police your districts. if you are arrested on a felony charge or even a misdemeanor charge anywhere in the US. Even if you paid the previous FBI fingerprint background check fee, you must pay the new fee, $42, exact change, cash or credit cards accepted. Several required forms and additional information are available at: http://honolulupd.org/information/index.php?page=gunmain.
Neighbor Island residents, check with your county police department for options.
To obtain permission to purchase a pistol, you must present proof of completion of safety training. Military Pistol Course, Law Enforcement Course, Hawaii Hunter Training Course, or 6-hour course including 2 hours of shooting, training in Hawaii gun laws and safe handling and storage taught by an NRA certified instructor with proper affidavits, everything meets the criteria.
The Honolulu Police Department interprets this section of the law to require a new permit for the return of your own firearms in the possession of HPD (see “TRO”).
You can transfer an inherited firearm to a licensed firearms dealer without going through the purchase permit process. Show the dealer a copy of the previous owner’s death certificate. Proper transfer of firearms should be part of your and your relatives’ estate planning.
REGISTRATION OF PURCHASED WEAPONS IN HAWAII
Firearms must be registered with the county police within five days of being purchased or imported from out of state. Firearms that fire loose black powder or black powder substitutes, and antique or disabled firearms do not need to be registered (but are otherwise defined as firearms and different laws apply). Owners who purchased rifles and shotguns (long guns) in the state before July 1, 1994 do not need to register them. Spouses who otherwise meet the requirements for a purchase permit may register a firearm jointly.
Any person transferring a long gun must notify the county police chief issuing the purchase permit of the name of the person purchasing the firearm and the make, model, barrel length and serial number within 48 hours of the transfer or the long gun may be seized.
SPACE FOR STORING AND CARRYING WEAPONS
Concealed and open carry are felonies without permission from your county police chief. While this is permitted by law in special circumstances of threat to self or property, it is the current policy of chiefs to provide it only to law enforcement and those military and security personnel whose duties specifically require it. Private citizens are denied. Hawaii is a “may issue” and “for good cause only” state.
You can store firearms and ammunition in your home, office (with your employer’s permission) or place of residence (where you live or sleep). You can move right between them and the shooting range, gun class, meeting or show, police station, hunt, gunsmith and firearms dealer. Guns must be transported unloaded, in rigid lockable containers or commercial gun containers that completely enclose the firearm (commercially produced gun carriers qualify). Unloaded means there is no ammunition in the chamber, cylinder, or magazine when inserted into the firearm. Vehicles carrying loaded weapons are subject to seizure and forfeiture.
Note that in firearms laws, the word “firearm” is often followed by the words “and ammunition.” Thus, even in the absence of a firearm, ammunition is subject to the same restrictions as firearms regarding transportation and where it is stored and carried.
FIREARM SAFETY
If a minor under the age of 16 can access your firearm without parental permission, except as required by law, at a shooting range or hunting, you may be guilty of an offense punishable by a fine and imprisonment (unless by hacking). -v, etc.).
The owner of a firearm is “absolutely” liable for bodily injury or property damage caused by the discharge of his or her firearm, unless the firearm was stolen and reasonably reported stolen, or unless the discharge of the firearm was legally justified or was property NRO. A firearms instructor conducts a class. A firearm must be locked or otherwise securely secured unless it is on a person or in such close proximity that the person can easily draw it as if it were on the person.
Rifles and shotguns may be loaned for a maximum of 15 days to persons legally entitled to own them. Another authorized person on the range may use any firearm in the presence of the owner. Otherwise, pistols cannot be borrowed.
Minors 16 years of age and older may carry a long gun while hunting, and minors 12–16 years of age may do so if accompanied by an adult. Hunting with a shotgun is permitted under hunting regulations issued by the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The Chief of Police may issue a permit to an alien eighteen years of age or older for up to 60 days after the alien has received a hunting license. To obtain a hunting license, you must complete a hunter education course.
DISABILITY
If you are subject to a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by someone who told the judge that you have a firearm and they are concerned that you may threaten or use it, you must surrender all your firearms and ammunition to the county police for the duration of this order. You can only find out when the policeman hands you the order. He or she may take any firearm or ammunition in sight, may search it if invited, and must otherwise obtain a search warrant. Individuals subject to a restraining order may transfer their firearms to licensed firearms dealers.
Any police officer who has reasonable grounds to believe that a person has recently assaulted or threatened to assault a family or family member may seize, without a warrant, any firearm or ammunition that has been used or threatened to be used. In some cases (lack of issuance of TRO, legal possession, lack of criminal cases, lack of evidence); Owners of seized firearms may return them within 7 business days.
Convicts, persons dishonorably discharged from military service, convicts, foreigners, and persons convicted of violent offenses, including domestic violence, may not possess firearms or ammunition. Level 4 domestic violence can be as simple as sending unwanted messages to your ex. Only a special pardon from the governor can restore gun rights.
Police in your county transporting people to an emergency room or mental health facility for emergency mental health issues or involuntary hospitalization may advise them to immediately surrender their firearms and ammunition or require them to be confiscated. No court order or lawsuit is required. To get a firearm back, a person must find a doctor willing to certify that he or she is “no longer adversely affected” or file a lawsuit against the state.
FIREARMS PROHIBITED IN THE STATE OF HAWAII
Fully automatic firearms (machine guns) are illegal in Hawaii (since statehood), except for military and law enforcement purposes.
“Assault pistols”, defined by several characteristics, basically large semi-automatic pistols of a cosmetic, militarized appearance, typically accepting detachable magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, are prohibited except those registered before July 1992 (grandfathered, cannot be transferred). These include semi-automatic versions of the UZI, Tech-9, etc., as well as some large target pistols. A partial list can be obtained from the State Attorney General and County Police.
Hawaii state law prohibits detachable pistol magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds unless they are locked to 10 rounds or less and are “difficult to recover.” Possession of illegal magazines is a misdemeanor, one count per magazine, and possession of a pistol with one pistol inserted in it is a Class C felony. There is much debate among gun owners, law enforcement, and dealers regarding the interpretation of this part of the statute when rifle magazines are considered. suitable for pistols, and the ban is generally not respected.
The 1994 federal ban on “assault rifles” has now been repealed and is invalid.
Stun guns, guns, silencers, hand grenades, explosives, bombs, Teflon-coated ammunition, explosive or segmenting ammunition, zinc pistols capable of melting at less than 800 degrees Fahrenheit (the legal definition of a “Saturday Night Special”), shotguns with barrels less than 18 inches, and rifles with barrels less than 16 inches are prohibited in Hawaii.
CRAZY DANGER
Discharging a firearm into or toward a populated area, street, or road constitutes reckless endangerment. This may apply to ranges, careless discharges, and self-defense use.
PROHIBITION ON SEIZURE DURING AN EMERGENCY OR DISASTER
Lawfully possessed firearms cannot be confiscated. Permissions cannot be changed.
USE OF DEADLY FORCE IN HAWAII
The use of deadly force is justified only in self-defense or the defense of another innocent person if there is reason to believe that doing so would otherwise result in death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping, rape, or forcible sodomy. Using deadly force to protect private property may result in criminal prosecution. The use of deadly force is not otherwise justified if it can be safely avoided by retreating or adopting other defensive strategies, except that Hawaii does not require you to retreat from your home. You cannot justify the use of defensive lethal force if you initiated the use or escalated the confrontation. The police are ordered to arrest ANY murder. The prosecutor then decides whether to file charges.
TRANSPORTATION AND SHIPMENT OF FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION IN HAWAII
Individuals cannot ship firearms to each other across state lines (unless they are federally licensed firearms dealers) except to and from a factory or authorized gunsmith for repairs or to ship inherited firearms . Most licensed dealers will ship and receive items from another dealer for a fee. Express delivery companies often only deliver between dealers. This does not prevent you from having your own firearms, including firearms you have inherited , from being shipped directly to you. Shotguns, rifles, antiques and muzzle loading firearms can be shipped via US Mail. Individuals can ship shotguns and rifles directly to the dealer. Registered mail is recommended. You cannot send ammunition or handguns through the mail. The Post Office may require you to show or certify in writing that the firearm is unloaded and to certify that the recipient is authorized under federal law. The Post Office will not, however, provide you with advice on federal laws regarding the mailing of firearms. Black powder, black powder substitutes, primers, smokeless powder or primers cannot be transported by commercial airline or US mail. Carrying ammunition for yourself to and from Hawaii is legal if you are at least 21 years old, but the associated express shipping costs and red tape often make it prohibitive.
You may travel with your own firearms and ammunition. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has guidelines and rules.
They are changing . Before traveling with a firearm, check the TSA website. http://www.tsa.gov
Check your airline’s website for their baggage policies regarding “dangerous items.” They are changing .
When you travel with a firearm, it is often wise to take with you a copy of both the most recent TSA guidelines and your airline’s policies. Often, TSA agents and airline ticket/baggage agents do not fully understand their rules and regulations. Help them complete. Come to registration early. Bring your firearm in a hard case that locks securely. Ammunition must be stored in commercially available ammunition containers.
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEMPT TO BOARD AN AIRLINE WITH FIREARMS OR AMMUNITION, COMPONENTS OR PARTS ON YOUR PERSON OR IN HAND BAGGAGE!
Check your destination’s firearms laws and local ground transportation regulations.
Federal law states that if you begin your trip in accordance with local laws and end your trip in the same way, then you are in compliance with the rules while traveling if your firearm and ammunition are properly secured (i.e., unloaded and inaccessible), even though that local laws state otherwise.
If you interrupt your journey (if you leave a protected area), you will be subject to local laws.
[*** ATTENTION! State and federal firearms laws are complex and subject to frequent changes. The above summary should not be construed as legal advice or restatement of the law. Some of them are wrong. To determine the applicability of these laws to specific situations you may encounter, you are urged to consult with a qualified local attorney familiar with firearms law.
The NRA has a list of firearms lawyers in Hawaii. ]
PROTECT YOUR GUN RIGHTS. JOIN THE HAWAIIAN PROPELLER ASSOCIATION!
References:
Firearms Statute: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/
Firearm Owner Responsibility : https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/
Use of force in self-defense: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol14_Ch0701-0853/HRS0703/HRS_0703-0304.htm
New Aloha Stadium on Oahu
#Honolulu, #Oahu #Hawaii, #Real Estate, #News, www.Hawaii.Bio
Longtime home of the National Football League’s Pro Bowl, host to famous entertainers such as Bruno Mars and Michael Jackson, and home of the popular Swap Meet, Aloha Stadium has been a central attraction on Oahu for over forty years. When it was first built, it was a state-of-the-art facility with four movable sections, allowing the 50,000-seat stadium to be converted into a football, soccer or baseball field.
But now Aloha Stadium is showing signs of aging, salt water weathering, lack of compliance and lack of amenities. The Hawaii Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) released reports showing the current stadium needs $300 million in health and safety renovations and another $121 million to make the stadium ADA compliant .
New Oahu Stadium
Instead of pouring millions of dollars into renovating Oahu’s old stadium, the state Legislature allocated $350 million in 2019 to build a new stadium. The state also plans to partner with a private developer to form a public-private partnership.
It will be more than a stadium, but the project is called the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED), and it has plans to create a live, work and play community for both Hawaii residents and visitors to the island. The current 98-acre Aloha Stadium in Halawa, near the village of Aieya, will be transformed to include the following and more:
- Aloha Stadium with 35,000 seats
- hotel
- mixed-use retail
- railroad station
- pedestrian embankment
- entertainment district
- exchange of meeting places
- residential area with houses
- parking
Aloha Stadium timeline
Although delays with the Aloha Stadium area project have people in Hawaii beginning to compare Aloha Stadium to the Honolulu Rail Transit project, officials say they are carefully planning pre-construction work to ensure they stay on budget.
Chris Kinimaka of the Hawaii Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) said, “One of the hallmarks of our project is that we take the time up front to ensure the planning, scoping and budgeting are complete and accurate. as much as possible”.
Here’s the Aloha Stadium schedule for summer 2021:
- May 2021 – market entry.
- July 2021 – Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and Request for Proposals (RFP) accepted to identify priority teams for stadium construction.
- Summer 2021 – Scheduled to prepare a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
- 1/2 quarter 2022 – The contract was concluded with the developer (developers).
- End of 2022 / beginning of 2023 – Start of construction.
- Unknown – Groundbreaking for New Aloha Stadium opens. More than 900,000 square feet are expected to be built in this first phase of development, which will include the stadium itself, as well as some mixed-use developments and infrastructure to connect to the Honolulu Railroad.
- 2033-2038 – The full development of the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District is expected to consist of several phases that will be completed over the next 10 to 15 years after the opening of the new Aloha Stadium.
What is the current status of Aloha Stadium construction?
Announced in December 2020, the state selected the top three developers from its summer 2020 request for proposals for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District. By the end of May 2020, six development teams responded to the request for qualifications (RFQ), and the evaluation committee selected three finalists. These three finalists will be invited to submit a Request for Proposals (RFP) to qualify to become the final developer and manager of the Aloha Stadium project around July 2021.
Below are the three finalists:
- Aloha Stadium District Partners. The leading shareholders are John Laing Investments Limited, Civil & Building North American Inc. and Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co.
- Aloha Hui Hilina’i Stadium – Plenary Americas US Holdings Inc. is the leading shareholder. and PCL Investments Canada Inc.
- Waiola Development Partners. Leading shareholders include EllisDon Capital Inc., Kobayashi Group LLC and BSC Acquisitions II LLC.
During the RFP, each finalist will propose their own stadium design in addition to plans to build, finance and maintain a facility on 20 acres of land adjacent to the current stadium.
“Due to delays caused by COVID-19 and the failure of [the Aloha Stadium bill] to pass this year, the procurement schedule has been amended accordingly,” said Chris Kinimaka, public works administrator for the Hawaii Department of Accounting and General Services. (DAGS). “We expect to review and confirm the stadium opening date as part of the RFP phase.”
Despite delays due to COVID-19, these three qualified development teams will soon be able to submit an RFP in July 2021. The winning team is expected to be paid to demolish the old Aloha Stadium and build a new 35,000-seat stadium. 20 acres next to the current stadium. This team will also have a contract to maintain the stadium for the next 30-40 years.
Another request for quotes/proposals for the development of the area around the stadium, known as the real estate project, is expected to be issued in July 2021, which is also expected to be selected in the first half of 2022.
Drafts of the selected master plan, as well as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), were released in the summer of 2020 at a cost to the state of $5,000,000.
Below are three options to help you imagine what the future Aloha Stadium will look like! These documents were prepared by Crawford Architects, who also worked on the Minnesota Vikings stadium and a number of university stadiums such as South Dakota State University and Pennsylvania State University.
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was published on December 23, 2020, and the public comment period closed on February 8, 2021. NASED held virtual community meetings and comments could also be submitted via email at any time. The Governor’s Office will provide final approval of the EIS, and the final EIS is expected to be released in summer 2021.
NASED also reports that a separate and specific archaeological inventory (AIS) is currently being conducted, although this is not a requirement of the EIS. This AIS must ensure that no historical or culturally significant resources are affected.
Who will pay for the new Aloha Stadium?
The New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District is being marketed as a public-private partnership (P3), meaning the selected developer will combine public funds with the resources of private development businesses to flexibly leverage the best of both the public and private sectors.
In July 2019, Hawaii Governor David Ige signed Act 268, which allocated $350 million for the Aloha Stadium renovation project. $20 million was general funds. $180 million was revenue bonds and $150 million was general obligation bonds to build the new stadium. Revenue bonds are backed by a specific source of income, and interest and principal are expected to be repaid, meaning that NASED is expected to generate income upon completion, and the millions allocated by the government must be returned with that income.
- $150 million in direct investment from the State of Hawaii for the stadium project.
- Expected economic impact of $1,000 million
However, funding for Aloha Stadium has stalled. In 2020, Hawaii Senate Bill 2940, which would have created a special stadium development fund, died in the House. To move forward with work on Aloha Stadium, DAGS got creative by asking the Hawaii Community Development Authority board to request $10 million from Governor Ige in January 2021 to complete the environmental study, request for proposal process, and successfully transition the project. private development. At the time of writing, there was hope that the governor would approve the $10 million request despite the state’s economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2021, the State of Hawaii said cost estimates for replacing the stadium had increased to $423 million. The idea now is that the state could lease 78 acres to a private developer to create a new residential and commercial development that would generate revenue for the state, offsetting the cost of building a new stadium and hopefully minimizing the increase in the tax rate for the development new stadium. Aloha Stadium on the island of Oahu.
“What we expect is a mix of residential, retail and entertainment, hotels, (and) some offices because we would also like it to be a place to live, play and thrive as well as a place to work.” said Stacy Jones, senior principal at Crawford Architects.
Is Aloha Stadium open for Swap Meet?
The exchange at Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium is an enticing event for visitors and Hawaii residents alike, and it is said to continue despite possible construction. Aloha Stadium is open for COVID-19 vaccinations on Sundays and is also open for Swap Meet with many booths selling local produce, trinkets, crafts and delicious food on those days:
- Wednesday from 8:00 to 15:00
- Saturday from 8:00 to 15:00
- Sunday from 6:30 to 15:00
Options for a new Aloha Stadium
NASED officials attended community and community meetings in 2019 and early 2020, sharing concept drawings of what Oahu’s new stadium could look like. These different options show how different locations for a new Aloha Stadium could spark different developments around it. Developers and design teams will explore these and other options before finalizing the ideal design for the new Aloha Stadium.
In all scenarios, stadium games, events and exchanges are expected to continue without interruption.
Tax hike this year? What’s next for Hawaii?
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Watching proposed tax increases make their way through the Legislature has become an annual tradition in Hawaii, like Fourth of July fireworks or Christmas carols at the grocery store in mid-November.
There’s really no need to raise taxes right now , especially given the state’s $3 billion budget surplus. But rising revenues are no longer the primary reason for proposed tax increases. Instead, lawmakers want to use taxes for social change.
Some tax bills aim to discourage certain behaviors, such as using fossil fuels or drinking alcohol. Others are purely redistributive, such as a bill that would create a new income tax bracket and raise Hawaii’s marginal income tax to 19%, the highest in the country. Or a proposed ” wealth tax ” that would levy a 1% tax on the global net worth of individuals with assets over $20 million.
For example, a proposed massive increase in the state’s so-called carbon tax, designed to wean Hawaii consumers away from fossil fuels, “would predictably result in a very large increase in the [gas] pump.”
While this in itself is not bad news, not enough attention has been paid to how significantly higher fuel prices will impact consumers and businesses in the islands as a whole.
“If you think you’re having a hard time getting from one side of the island to the other right now,” he said, “think about whether you’re a truck driver. It’s up to you, and while you may not pay the bill, it’s going to be a hell of a bill.”
Or consider a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the state to join counties in real estate taxation. Those who don’t own a home may think that higher property taxes aren’t their problem.
But, this will affect you whether you rent somewhere, own your own home, or live in an apartment. Essentially, the problem is that the cost of simply being somewhere will rise.
As for all the bills aimed at soaking up the “rich”, raising the state income tax, corporate income tax or capital gains tax, if passed, would still affect the little guy.
“If you, for example, punish someone who has a business with a hundred employees, won’t they just stand there and pay the increased tax? The owner is going to pull more money out of the business to cover the tax, which leaves less for employees or higher prices for consumers, or both. … Or a business owner in Hawaii says, “I don’t need this, I’m going out of business. I’m going to jump on a plane and I’m out of here.” So businesses move, jobs move, and what happens to us? Hawaii is losing revenue . “
Even “sin” taxes, such as the proposed surcharge on alcoholic beverages, can have consequences that our legislators may not realize.
“When you … find a cause that relies on this sin tax—for example, using a tobacco tax to fund a medical school or a cancer center—the tax gets some people to quit smoking, but it means revenues go down. Then [proponents of] the causes supported by the sin tax panic, wondering if [the revenues] will disappear. Their response is to raise the tobacco tax even more.”
While supporters of these various tax proposals may be swayed by ideological considerations or the allure of Robin Hood, we must continually remind legislators that raising taxes has real economic consequences, such as discouraging investment and raising the cost of living.
That’s why we continue to urge the Legislature to reject tax increases and focus on policies that will make Hawaii more affordable, such as loosening regulations, removing barriers to housing, and lowering taxes and fees.
Taxes should not be used as a political tool to shape public behavior. All they do is make Hawaii more expensive and increase the number of people leaving our state for better opportunities on the mainland.
I created the portal Biography of Hawaii [Hawai’i Biography www.Hawaii.Bio] about laws and business in Hawaii in Russian, since a large number of people who have their own businesses live in Hawaii, and they are united by business in Hawaii and a common language (Russian /English), although many are from different countries, such as Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Uzbekistan, Russia.
According to officially published data, there are 291,484,482 people in the United States over the age of 5. Of these, 879,434 people speak Russian, 152,325 speak Ukrainian, 1,805 speak Belarusian. In the US, 237,840 people speak Armenian, 39,790 speak Lithuanian, 16,035 speak Latvian, 435 Americans speak Tajik at home, and 50 speak Ossetian at home. – a little more than two thousand.
In the United States, only 6,035 Estonians speak their native language.
This means that now more than 1,300,000 people in the United States speak and understand Russian, and they can read our portal and be interested in helping legislators defend the interests of residents and businesses of the United States and the state of Hawaii.
In Hawaii, 1,169 people said they spoke Russian at home, 85 Ukrainian, 45 Lithuanian, the same number Estonian and 50 Latvian. There are a total of 1,287,075 people living in Hawaii.
Nika Vidi
Hawaii Bio 2022
Home Staging – Home Staging and Interior Decoration
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Home Staging – “staging a home” – preparing real estate for sale or rental, taking into account psychological, aesthetic and marketing principles. In European countries, the terms “housedoctoring” and “homestyling” are used, which also mean homestaging.
Used to improve the efficiency of real estate transactions
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