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<moving_to_hawaii>
MOVING TO HAWAII
Links
Hawaii Newcomers Guide:
This site offers great information for newcomers to Hawaii, including animal quarantine state laws, current island weather conditions, motor vehicle information, and much more.
Mapquest:
Find your way around Hawaii easily with this great resource. Get detailed maps and driving directions for everywhere you need to go.
Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau:
If you’re heading to Hawaii, this helpful resource gives you insight on each island’s most popular attractions, dining and shopping venues, and short-term accommodations. The special events calendar keeps you posted of upcoming musical concerts and shows.
Chamber of Commerce:
Use this website to explore business opportunities in Hawaii and to learn about educational options for both children and adults. You’ll also find various links to state departments and agencies.
Online job listings:
This is a comprehensive site that features employment opportunities across America. Simply select “Hawaii” and it can help you find a new job, plan your relocation and build a new network.
Moving:
Get free quotes from various moving companies with just a few simple clicks. You can also rent a truck online and find local self-storage providers. Additionally, this site has a planning guide to help you organize your move and offers a free address changer.
Vehicle shipping:
If you need to send your car over to Hawaii, you can ship your automobile with Matson. Matson is one of the leading U.S. domestic carriers, offering careful handling, professional service, and online tracking capabilities.
For more listings and details not available to the general public, register for BrokersMLS dotay!!!
Public Schools:
Parents will want to research Hawaii’s Public Schools and the standards set by the State of Hawaii. You can locate a specific school for contact information and performance indicators.
Hawaii Association of Independent Schools:
As another education alternative, parents may explore independent schools in Hawaii. These schools tend to be smaller and encourage parent involvement, and foster diversity in curricula and philosophies.
Pet-Friendly Buildings:
Powered by the Hawaii Humane Society, this website provides lists of pet-friendly buildings on Oahu, including details regarding dogs, cats, birds and rabbits.
Hawaii Animal Quarantine Regulations:
If you own a dog or cat, make sure you visit this website to get all the information you need on sending your pet to Hawaii. You’ll find extensive information on the whole animal quarantine process.
The Honolulu Advertiser:
This online version of Hawaii’s largest newspaper gives you the current news as it unfolds in the islands. This site is a wonderful resource for examining the weather, weekly entertainment, local and national news, and job opportunities.
Honolulu Star Bulletin:
The Internet edition of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin provides the latest local news and highlights top national and international stories. The website also includes feature articles, sporting news, local classifieds, and job postings.
Pacific Business News:
For the business professional, the Pacific Business News online newspaper is a must-have subscription. The publication features Hawaii’s economic outlook, discusses upward trends and forecasts, and includes a section entitled “Today’s Featured Jobs.”
Weather:
For current weather conditions in Hawaii, use The Weather Channel’s official website to plan your day. Includes daily temperature, wind, humidity and pressure, and detailed 10-day forecasts. Be sure to check out the Sunlight Summary and Sightseeing Index.
For more listings and details not available to the general public, register for BrokersMLS dotay!!!
Why Owning Real Estate Can Make You Rich
In his book, The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner TM , David Bach teaches you how to make solid decisions in real estate that will make you rich over a lifetime.
1. Owning is cheaper than renting. By owning property you can lock in your monthly payments. Conservatively landlords usually increase rent 5% per year. Assuming 5% increases if you start renting at $1500/month by the end of 30 years your rent would be $6,174/ month and you would have paid over $1.2 million in rent.
2. Homeowners get leverage. Leverage is when you use “other people’s money (OPM).” With a relatively small amount of money you can control a home worth hundreds of thousand dollars. Assuming a $200,000 purchase with $40,000 down payment, if values increased 10% and you sold for $220,000 your profit would be roughly $20,000. So you made $20,000 on a $40,000 investment- a 50% return!
3. Homeowners get tax breaks renters don’t. The best way to stay poor is to pay more than you have to in taxes. When you rent you get absolutely zero tax breaks on your housing costs. As a homeowner you are allowed to write off the mortgage interest paid on loans up to $1.0 million.
4. Homeowners can earn tax-free profits. Another way to stay poor is to keep letting the government take part of your investment profits. When you sell your primary residence (where you have lived for at least two of the last five years) you do not have to pay capital gains tax on the first $250,000 in profits- $500,000 if you are married. If you are selling an investment property you may defer your taxes with a 1031 exchange.
5. Homeowners become savers. Every time you make a mortgage payment you are reducing your loan balance a little bit and gaining equity (Assuming you do not have an interest only loan.) The longer you own your home, the more equity you build, the more you save – and the richer you get.
To learn more or if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.
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