1.  Are you a service member stationed in Hawaii and upside down on your home? (it is worth less than what you owe on it) 
2.  Did you buy your home prior to July 1, 2006?
3.  Are you on orders to PCS from Hawaii to a location more than 50 miles away?
4.  Was this home your primary residence in Hawaii?
5.  Was this PCS move ordered prior to Sep 30, 2010?

If you answered YES to these questions, you may be eligible to sell your house in Hawaii under the Homeowners Assistance Program or HAP.

You will need a real estate agent in Hawaii to help you navigate through this complex procedure.  Call or email me for more information.  I look forward to helping you.

Want another great reason to join Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach?  The monthly dues cover all of your greens fees (there is a fee for electric carts though which is very reasonable).  Unlike all the other private country clubs on Oahu, THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT TO SPEND A MONTHLY MINIMUM IN THE RESTAURANT!  Check around with the other private country clubs on Oahu and you will find that you have monthly minimums that must be spent in the restaurants (I have been told that one of the clubs monthly restaurant fee is higher than the monthly golf dues).

I have spoken to several of the founding members at Hoakalei Country Club and we all agreed that one of the major reasons that we joined the club was because there was no requirement to spend a monthly minimum at the restaurant. 

I know what some of you may be thinking:  THERE IS NO RESTAURANT AT HOAKALEI COUNTRY CLUB.  Think again!  The kitchen arrived a few weeks ago and it is being set up to begin food preparation next month.  We are all very excited that we will be able to eat at Hoakalei Golf Course very soon!

The permanent club house and restaurant is still years away from completion but in the interim, the temporary facility will work just fine!

Is the Safeway Grocery Store really coming to Ewa Beach?  As a resident of Ewa Beach, I have been following this story for the past 3 years.  The developer broke ground on the Laulani Shopping Center at the intersection of Ft. Weaver Road and Keaunui Drive several years ago and then stopped cold.  Some commercial company threw up a sign at the corner for advertising purposes only because they fail to return telephone calls or emails with inquiries about the shopping center. 

This past weekend, the Honolulu Star Advertiser newspaper reported that Safeway grocery store is moving forward with plans to build an approximately 217,000 sf grocery store in Ewa Beach along with several other locations across the Hawaiian islands.

Residents of Ewa Beach will be very happy to see this new grocery store come into town since Foodland (overpriced) is currently the only grocery store in Ewa Beach.  Star Market closed last year so Foodland is the only choice for convenience without having to drive to Kapolei to the Safeway locate there.

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported that the construction should be completed by 2012.

If the economy doesn’t tank again, maybe we will really see this new Safeway and shopping center get built after all.

Hoakalei Golf Course and Country Club in Ewa Beach, Hawaii will be having their first Club Championship on June 26th and June 27th.

All members are eligible to participate and there will be winners in several different categories including low gross, low net, men and women.

Have you played Hoakalei, the new Ernie Els designed golf course in Ewa Beach?  Are you aware of the newest and most challenging course in the state of Hawaii?  For more information about Hoakalei Country Club membership or for more information about the award winning homes at Ka Makana at Hoakalei, contact your Ewa Beach RE/MAX professionals at david@davidkucic.com or call us at (808) 218-9338.

The VA Loan Guaranty Office in Hawaii is located at Tripler Army Medical Center on Oahu.   It is on the makai side of the building (facing the ocean).  If you are facing Tripler, the VA office is located on ground level on the right, front side of the building.

If you are a vetaran eligible for a VA Home Loan in Hawaii and need help or assistance with the value of your appraisal, slow appraiser or help in regards to your VA loan eligibility, you are better off walking into this office, signing in and having a seat.  Trying to call them is virtually impossible since they routinely dont answer phone calls and dont return phone calls.

1SG (Ret) Kucic of RE/MAX Honolulu reports on Understanding Oahu Property Addresses.

 Have you been looking on line for Hawaii Real Estate For Saleand are wondering what our numbering system is on Oahu in regards to property addresses such as:  91-1234 Ft. Weaver Road or 95-6789 Kamehameha Highway?

The first two numbers refer to the postal code.  Just to name a few, Ewa Beach, Hawaii is 91, Kapolei, Hawaii is 91 and 92, Waipahu and parts of Mililani are 94, Mililani and Mililani Mauka are 95.

If you are familiar with these postal codes, you will immediately know what part of the island the property is located on once you hear or see the address.

There are many houses on the island that do not use the postal codes but the majority of them do use it.

Here is a list of the postal codes.  All of the numbers on this list start with a “1″ which means that it is on Oahu.  The other Hawaiian islands have their own numbers such as 2, 3 , 4 etc…

temponeighborhoods

For all of your Hawaii Real Estate needs, contact Team Kucic of RE/MAX Honolulu.  Your Hawaii VA Loan, Short Sale and Hawaii HAP Specialists.  Serving members of the Armed Forces in Hawaii at Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield, Kunia Tunnel, Fort Shafter, Hickam Air Force Base, Pearl Harbor, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Camp Smith and Tripler Army Medical Center.

Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach, Hawaii offers several different opportunities for membership. 

1.  Resident Non Transferable lifetime membership

2.  Resident Transferable lifetime membership

Both of these memberships give you, your spouse or significant other and children under age 25 full golfing privileges year round.  The only additional golf fee would be for cart rental which is $20 per rider, per round.  There are also monthly dues which includes all greens fees.

3.  Option Membership.  This is a 1 year membership and is only available for a limited time.

For more information about Hoakalei Golf Course, membership opportunities and the future of the Ka Makana at Hoakalei master plan, contact David Kucic, Hoakalei Country Club Founding Member at (808) 218-9338.

The city of Mililani, Hawaii consists of 2 separate locations that are referred to as “Mililani Town” and “Mililani Mauka“.

Mililani Town mostly consists of older homes that were built starting in the early to mid 1960’s.  Mililani Town is located west of the H-2 highway.  In Mililani Town, you can find single family homes of a variety of sizes and some with with generous lot sizes, townhouses and condominiums. 

Mililani Mauka which is east of the H-2 highway has newer homes that were built starting in the early 1990’s.  The word ”Mauka” means “toward the mountain”.  Mililani Mauka is built on the side of the mountain heading up towards the top.  The earliest phases of construction started at the bottom of the mountain and the last phase ended up much higher.

Military personnel that are relocating to Hawaii love Mililani Mauka and Mililani Town because it is very close to Schofield Barracks (Tropic Lightning), Wheeler Army Airfield and Kunia Tunnel (approximately a 10-15 minute drive).  It is also very conveniently located close to Hickam Air Force Base, Pearl Harbor, Tripler Army Medical Center and Camp Smith.  The drive to the latter bases is a little longer at 20-30 minutes.

Home prices in Mililani Town and Mililani Mauka range from the mid 200’s for a condominium to over 1 million dollars for a single family home.  Every single family home in Mililani, Hawaii is eligible for purchase with a Hawaii VA Home Loan and ALMOST every townhouse and condominium in Mililani is eligible for purchase with a Hawaii VA Home Loan.

Mililani, Hawaii is located in Central Oahu.

The newest course on the island of Oahu, Hoakalei Golf Course located in Ewa Beach, Hawaii,  is already nearing 2 years old.  The course is in beautiful condition from tee to green.  The greens are some of the best on the island.  The brand new homes being built in the Ka Makana at Hoakalei Subdivision are being snatched up buy Buyers as quickly as they are available.  (Call or email me for additional information on these new resort community homes).

Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach, Hawaii recently held the US Open Qualifier for both men and women.  The men’s qualifier moved on to another qualifier in the mainland while the ladies qualifier goes straight to the US Open.

Hoakalei has the most challenging bunkers on the island.  There are 108 bunkers at Hoakalei Country Club and water comes into play on 11 of the 18 holes.  That is tough!  The bunkers are new and very soft.  Many of the lies are “fried eggs” and some shots will challenge even the most experienced golfer as they take their stance in the bunker. 

Would you like to take the course for a “test drive”?  Call or email me and I will bring you on as a guest so you can challenge the course!

The Homeowners Assistance Program in Hawaii or, as it is more commonly referred to as the HAP is widely being used by Active Duty Military in Hawaii.

The program is designed to help Service Members in Hawaii with selling their homes and the HAP makes up all or some of the shortage.  Be aware that you may get a Form 1099 and you will have to claim the amount of money brought in by HAP as income.  Consult your tax professional for further details.

This is only available to Active Duty Military in Hawaii that meet certain criteria.  The exact criteria can be found at http://hap.usace.army.mil/EP_PCS.html.

Here is another very important fact about the HAP that many Active Duty Military Veterans in Hawaii are not aware of.   If the Military Member purchased the house using a VA Loan in Hawaii and the HAP doesn’t cover 100% of loss, the VA Loan Guaranty might pick up the rest of the shortage so that the Military Veteran doesn’t have to come out of pocket with any money.  I am working on a HAP right now for an Army Helicopter Pilot who has this exact scenario.

If you own real estate in Hawaii, are an active duty service member and you need more information about HAP or short sales in Hawaii, call or email me anytime for a personal and confidential assessment of your situation.