Questions:
What is the difference between Fee Simple and Leasehold?
Can you explain what CPR is ?
What is qualification and pre-qualification?
How much does it costs to buy an average home on the Big Island?
What will it cost met to ship my personal belongings?
Which are the major lending institutions in Hawaii? What are the pet quarantine laws?
Is there information about the schools in Hawaii?
What is the rainfall on the Big Island?

What is the difference between Leasehold and Fee Simple?

It is easy for Buyer's to become confused about this. Simply put, if you purchase a fee simple property, you own the land and all of the improvements upon it indefinately, or until title is relinquished.
  
However, if you purchase a leasehold property, you are buying a lease for the land. Most commonly, you own the improvements on the land. If, for example a residential leasehold has been set for 55 years but if the ground lease began 30 years ago, there would be 25 years left on the lease. Most financial institutions require a minimum number of years remaining on the lease before they will agree to lend on the property. Some require that the lease be renegotiated with the ground lessor, whic is often a family trust or large landholding estate. This can be a long process, in fact, lessors are not obliged to extend or renegotiate the lease.
  
So why would anyone buy a leasehold property you might ask? Often it is less expensive to purchase and the lease is depreciable, which could have some tax advantages. Before purchasing any leasehold property, you should consult with your tax advisor and your attorney about how to protect your tax position and your estate.

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What is a CPR ? CPR stands for "condominium property regime", and is most commonly heard when referring to a number, the "CPR number", which identifies one condominium property from another for tax and sales purposes. 
  
In Hawaii, every single property has it's own unique Tax Map Key number, which is comprised of a Division - Zone - Section - Plat - Parcel number. For example, a normal TMK number could be 3-1-5-11-10, and it would refer to a specific piece of land and everything on it. Because condominium ownership includes a percentage interest in the land with other owners, the Tax May Key has a sixth number, the CPR number. This identifies a specific apartment in a high rise or a portion of a lot when land is "condominiumized." Thus a condo TMK number looks like this: 3-1-5-11-10-226.
 
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What are the pet quarantine laws? Going directly to the source for this information is your best bet. You can visit http://www.hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/info to find the checklist for Hawaii Resident Pets. Although the State of Hawaii is very strict about quarantine procedures, the previous law was modified in June 2003.
 

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What can you tell me about the schools in Hawaii ? There are public schools in or near each community. There are also are a number of private schools, including HPA and Kamehameha Schools. You should allow time to investigate for yourself and decide which would be the better choice for your children. Visit the Hawaii District DOE (Department of Education) website at http://www.doe.k12.hi.us/myschool/map_hawaii.htm and select the area that you're interested in relocating to. You can also access information on the entire University of Hawaii Sytem, including UH Hilo at http://www.hawaii.edu/ and our Hawaii Community College at http://www.hawcc.hawaii.edu/

 
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What are the locations of the medical facilities on the island?The Big Island has hospitals in Hilo, Kamuela, Kohala, Kau and Kona. Medical clinics and physicians' offices are located in most every community.
 
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What is the average rainfall on the Big Island? The Big Island contains nearly every climate in the world! Accordingly, some areas are classified as a desert while others are considered tropical rain forest that receive over 250 inches of rain per year. To view an avergae annual rainfall map for the Big Island click here. For basic information regarding weather around the Big Island, go to http://www.gohawaii.com/weather/default.aspx
 
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How much does it costs to buy an average home on the Big Island?Housing costs vary greatly from community to community on the Big Island, as they do on the Mainland. To get an idea of current property prices you can browse through the "Land Listings and Residential Listings" found in this web site and you can also see everything that's presently for sale on the MLS through our company search engine. Once you've pinpointed an area that interests you, email Sunny for more information regarding the specifics of that neighborhood. Having an experienced, knowledgeable, and full time agent really takes the guesswork out of the equation.

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What is qualification and pre-qualification? To qualify for a loan means to actually get approval based on your credit history, earning power, assets, and the other conditions that your lender requires for you to meet. To pre-qualify means to get approval before you submit a full application to a lender for a specific property. All buyers should inquire about how much funding you're able to obtain prior to making any offers that are subject to financing. Talk with your motgage broker or lender and find out what kind of financing options are available for you.

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Which are the major lending institutions in Hawaii? Bank of Hawaii and First Hawaiian Bank are the largest banks in the state. Other well-established institutions include American Savings Bank, Central Pacific Bank, City Bank, Hawaii National Bank, and Territorial Savings Bank. Many major mainland mortgage companies have offices in Hawaii as well.