Hawaii Home Frank Diaz

Federal Housing Tax Credit for First-Time Hawaii Home Buyers

The bill provides an $8,000 income tax credit to people who buy homes between January and November and lets people write off, as a deduction, the sales taxes they pay on new cars, trucks and motorcycles they buy any month this year.
* $15,000 tax credit
* Available for all home buyers
* No repayment necessary
* Loan limits will be raised to $727,000 in high cost areas
* The tax credit will be raised to $8,000 with NO payback [a true credit]

Individuals who earn less than $75,000 annually will get a $400 credit to apply directly against their total income tax for 2009 and for 2010, and couples who earn less than $150,000 will get a tax credit of $800.

The bill provides tax breaks for people who send their children to college and install energy-efficient air conditioners in their homes.

The legislation also helps people who have lost their jobs, by letting them draw unemployment for more than a year. The current limit is 26 weeks and the bill extends benefits up to 59 weeks.

The bill provides a $2,500 tax credit for college tuition, books and computers. And it increases the maximum allowable Pell Grant for college students from low- and moderate-income families by $500 to $5,350.

The income tax credit has dropped by $100 and $200 respectively, so that it would now total $400 for individuals and $800 for couples (paid in 2009 and 2010), phasing out completely at $200,000 for couples filing jointly and $100,000 for single filers.

The bill also has over $50 billion in it for foreclosure mitigation, with Geithner’s Treasury plan signaling that the second half of TARP and TALF will be used to mitigate foreclosures through a government guarantee, drive down interest rates by buying another $200-300 billion of mortgage paper from the GSES’s thereby freeing them up to do the same with new mortgages, and Fannie has just agreed to lift the cap of 4 investment properties eligible for loans and raise it to 10.

honolulu-hi-beach-makapuu

Tags: First-time buyers, Hawaii Homes, home buyer, stimulus bill, tax credit

Hawaii Loa Ridge Homes - Honolulu

Here is a map of the Kuliouou / Hawaii Loa Ridge. As you can see, the Kuliouou Ridge Hike starts off of Kuliouou Road, whereas the Hawaii Loa Ridge hike starts on Puuikena Drive Nearby communities are Wailupe, Waialai Iki, Kalana Iki, Aina Haina, Kahala, Kuliouou, Niu Valley, Paiko Lagoon, Waialae Nui Lower, Diamond Head and Kaimuki. From Kalanianaole Hwy, turn onto Puuikena Drive (across from Kawaikui Beach Park). Tell the guard that you are a Hawaii resident and hiking the ridge. He will check your driver's license (sometimes registration, and insurance) before letting you in. Proceed to the very end of the road and park at the trailhead. In this area you will find “high end” Hawaii homes, located on, Ikena Circle, Kaialii Place, Kaulana Place, Kokololio Place, Lelekepue Place, Maono Loop, Maono Place, Moaniala Streer, Puuikena Drive and Puuikena Place. This community was named after Hawaii Loa, traditional discoverer of the land. It is also a form of Hawaiki, the traditional home of the Polynesians. A couple of theories exist on the origin of the name Hawaii. One theory has it that the name comes from a combination of the words "Hawa" and "ii" and means a small or new homeland; "Hawa" meaning a traditionl homeland and "ii" meaning small and raging. The other theory is that the name comes from the traditional discoverer of the islands, Hawaii Loa.

Aina Haina, diamond head, hawaii loa ridge, Kahala, Kaimuki, Kalana Iki, Kuliouou, Niu Valley, Paiko Lagoon, Waialae Iki, Waialae Nui Lower, Wailupe

Koko Head Terrace - Hawaii Kai Homes

Just behind Hahaione Valley and to the east of it is Kamehame Ridge. It travels high behind Hawaii Kai, Koko Crater then drops quickly into Kalama Valley. Kamilo Nui and Kamilo Iki are the areas adjacent to Hawaii Kai Drive, as you travel up Lunalilo Home Road, near the skate park. On the water’s edge at the end of Lunalilo Home Road is Portlock. The schools of the Kaiser school complex include Hahaione Elementary School, Kamiloiki Elementary School, Koko Head Elementary School, Niu Valley Middle School, and Kaiser High School.

Koko Head Terrace as you can guess is on the slope of Koko Crater on the back side of it, toward the Hawaii Kai Golf Course, you will find the Koko Head Botanical Garden. A two-mile loop trail leads visitors through a variety of dryland plant collections from Hawaii and around the world. Koko Crater is a large crater that is a strenuous 2-hour hike. The Queen’s Gate gated community is across the street from the garden. Koko Head Crater overlooks Makapu’u, Diamond Head, The Marina, Sandy Beach, and Hanauma Bay. Koko Head is the elevated, longer, flatter piece of land that extends into Maunalua Bay.

As you can see, Hawaii Kai has a lot to offer. Shopping at Koko Marina, Hawaii Kai Towne Center, Costco, Safeway, Longs, Ross and more. Great restaurants such as Harbor Village, Blue Water Grill, The Shack, and my favorite, Kona Brewing. If you are looking for a Hawaii home, give me a call.

Honolulu-Hawaii-Hotels-Rentals

I am often asked “Where is the best place to stay in Hawaii?” In Honolulu, there are dozens of hotels; the vast majority of them are located in Waikiki. Your budget will determine your choices. Whether you are coming here for a long-term or short-term rental, will determine another set of Hawaii homes, hotels, or rooms to choose from.

If you are coming here for the first time, you’ll want to get a feel for the cost of living. Rentals for the Downtown area: 1 Bedrooms start at $1600, 2 BRs are $2000 and up. Near the University of Hawaii, they are about 1/4 less. Add utilities costs to those (roughly $200 for cable, internet, electricity). Parking varies considerably. Email me if you need a list of rentals. I don’t charge or make anything from them or handle any rentals. Tip: keep a rental application handy (send me a request and I will send you one). I would fill it out before you arrive.

6 months expenses. That can range from $1500/month (no car, living with roommates, not much going out), to as much as you want to spend. In your own apartment, with a car, and able to eat out 2-3x/week - $2500 minimum, $3500 would be a lot nicer (large one bedroom for $1500-$1700/month) + car than runs ($500/month) + food and other stuff. I would say $20,000 and you could not work for 4-5 months.

On a fixed budget? Most likely you will want a roommate, so they can also sign a lease with you. Be sure to keep your personal references handy from wherever you are now. You’ll need a deposit equal to one month’s rent, + 1 month’s rent in advance. You also want to have a good list of professional references from work. Your present supervisor and/or manager and the new one as well.

Also check Craigslist Hawaii. Be careful, there are some ding dongs on Craigslist. I can check them out if you like. Personally I would try rent a room in Kahala, Waialae Iki, Hawaii Loa, Wailupe or Aina Haina. They aren’t too hard to find, and your credit won’t be as big an issue as getting an entire apartment.

OK, now for the juicy stuff. Vacation rentals. VRBO is by far the best place to check if you are renting a place for 3 months or less. The best approach is to send emails out to a half dozen places and see what kind of replies you get. Prices are negotiable. Many of these are in hotels too, so look around.

Waikiki Beach Near Hotels

On a budget? Try the Queen Kapiolani Hotel, The Waikiki Parc, the Aqua Hotels or the Ohana Hotels. Keep in mind that these are small rooms. Almost all of these can be found on Expedia, Hotwire, Priceline, etc.

Silverman - Kalakaua - Waikiki Beach

Interested in really living it up? Here’s the A list:
Fairmont Orchid – the Big Island
Four Seasons Hualalai - Kona Coast - The Big Island
Halekulani - Waikiki. Their restaurants are top notch. Select from the elegant La Mer (Hawaii’s only Five-Diamond Restaurant), Orchids for casual elegance or House Without A Key for relaxed resort dining until sunset.
Hotel Hana Maui
The Four Seasons at Wailea - Maui (lava stone massage)
The Kahala - get the Kona coffee and coconut-vanilla slimming wrap
Mauni Lani Resort
Do your homework and look for specials and internet deals. Same for cars and tours.

Tags: barack, beach, big island, downtown, Hawaii, hawaii home, homes, Honolulu, hotel, Kahala, maui, obama, university, vacation, Waikiki