Archive for the ‘Hawaii VA Loans’ Category

Hawaii VA Loan | Hawaii Home Buyer | Hawaii Military Relocations

Monday, July 5th, 2010
HAWAII MILITARY RELOCATION TO PARADISE

HAWAII MILITARY RELOCATION TO PARADISE

Active Duty or Veterans of the Armed Forces have VA Home Loan benefits for their Hawaii home purchase that have proven beneficial for when it comes to little or no money down loan program. (provided their credit is satisfactory) VA guarantees the Local Lender that they will reimburse the lender a percentage should the veteran default on their loan.  

 *Across the Ocean to Paradise: Military Relocations Hawaii* has loads of information for your Military Relocation to Hawaii so you will have pertinent information on what to expect in your relocation to our island

The following steps are what this Real Estate Professional does in order to make the Hawaii Home Buyer and their Relocation to Hawaii and Hawaii VA Loan  as smooth as possible.

  • Speak to a Local Hawaii Lender (if you do not have one I can refer you to a few who are well qualified in the State of Hawaii) to submit your information and get prequalified. While talking to the Loan Officer make sure and let him/her know what you are comfortable with for monthly mortgage payments. After getting prequalified your Realtor® will now know in what price range to search for properties for you.
  • Let your agent know what other criteria you are looking for as far as # bedrooms/ # of baths, sq. ft. interior/land, parking, single family or condo/townhouse. Just remember to go over the  *Across the Ocean to Paradise: Military Relocations Hawaii* because this gives pertinent information on what to expect in your Hawaii Relocation.
  • Get all your financial paperwork together so you will have it with you when you arrive.(Do not pack your bank statements, W-2’s, LES’s and important documents you will need to submit for your loan!)
  • If you have a couple of months to spare you may order your Certificate of Eligibility from the Veterans of Affairs office. It is not necessary to do so though, because our lenders order them online once you start your loan process and if anything is held up we have a VA office centrally located on Oahu for your convenience and it takes just minutes.
  • Start your loan process before you get here so you will have everything in place when you submit an offer for a loan. The loan process is the lengthy and important part of the transaction so it is better to be proactive in your process. Your funding fee can be included with your loan but you will have some closing costs to close with.
  • Appointments are made and off we go in search of your new home!  When you decide that you would like to put in an offer we will go through the whole 12 page (plus addendum’s) contract and submit it to the sellers agent to present to the seller. 
  • After the offer is accepted the loan process begins. You will meet with your Loan Officer to submit your complete application and submit all documentation needed for your VA Loan process packet. Then it goes to Underwriting to process the initial packet and order the appraisal with their VA approved appraisers.
  • The Condominium and/or Subdivision Association Documents should be ordered immediately after acceptance of the offer and in the buyer’s hands within 10-14 days after acceptance. This agent will make copies of the Budget, last three Association minutes and the Property Information form (RR105C) and submit it to the lender. They need this for the VA Loan Guidelines and process for your loan.  (these documents will show how the Association budgets their money in reserve. % of owner occupants, any pending concerns or litigation going on and so forth.
  • Provided your loan process goes smoothly you should have a Conditional Loan Commitment Letter within the first three weeks in contract. This is an approval of your loan with Conditions. Maybe you need to submit a couple of more documents or the appraisal is not in yet or the survey and termite inspection are not done yet. These are the types of conditions that will be listed on this letter.
  • Within two weeks after the Conditional  Loan Commitment letter is issued all the conditions should be complete for signing documents with escrow and the loan officer. Not to worry! I attend all signings with you.

In Hawaii, we do not sign at the same time as the Seller due to conflict of interest and we sign approximately four days before recording. After the signing, the loan officer takes the notarized and signed documents to go through processing and within 2.5 days the Lender should have funded the money for your loan to the escrow company. When escrow receives all monies then they will take the documents to the Bureau of Conveyances in Honolulu to record. By the next business day it will record and we usually get word between 8-10am. At that time, the home is legally yours and I will have already made arrangements and have your keys in hand to open the doors to your new home.

Congratulations!

Hawaii Home Buyer | SOME Military Qualify for Extended Tax Credit

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

Yup, the Home Buyer Tax Credit ended yesterday, April 30, 2010 but there are some “Qualified service members” (which means a member of the uniformed services of the U.S military, a member of the Foreign Service of the U.S., or an employee of the intelligence community) that may still qualify for the extension of this Home Buyer Tax Credit.

Qualified service members who are ordered on a period of official extended duty are extended for one year. For these home buyers, the tax credit applies to sales with a binding sales contract in place on or before April 30, 2011 and closed by June 30, 2011. 

READ THE DETAILS HERE:

http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/service_mem.php

HAWAII VA LOANS, REAL ESTATE -What’s the FACTS!

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

WooHoo! You have orders to your next duty station and it’s all you’ve ever dreamed of…..going to that tropical paradise you saw on TV shows and the movies. It’s a HAWAII PCS and RELOCATION for you and your family!

It’s a magical mystical wonderland with fairies in the woods watching over you and fluttering from each exotic flower to the next. You can live on the beach in a grass shack and drink those Blue Hawaii drinks with the little umbrella in it in the evening while watching the sun set. The hula girls will automatically pop out of nowhere and start doing the hula dance on the beach while in the near distance the surfers are catching their last waves of the day.

ZAP! You awaken to the true reality of it all. You’re being proactive in your search for a Hawaii Home or Condo and you don’t know where to start. You know it’s going to be hard looking for just that right Hawaii Real Estate Agent and Hawaii Loan Officer so just be aware of some myths and facts regarding your Hawaii Home Buying Process.

Myth: The first Hawaii Realtor® you come across while searching the internet is your ‘lucky’ pick …therefore, that one just has to be the one who is going to fulfill all your needs. You fairy tale come true!
Fact: Search the internet for Real Estate Agents that not only have a strong internet presence, but have articles and information that know what they’re talking about. Contact and interview a couple of the agents so you know if you will be comfortable with them and if they really know what they’re talking about.
Myth: You search for information on Hawaii VA Loans and it appears that all the websites you come across are loan officers who are seemingly working with the Veterans Administration. GONG!
Fact: A VA Loan means that the Veterans Administration guarantees the lender a % should the vet default on their loan. They are not working in the VA Office. Make sure your loan officer is a seasoned loan officer who KNOWS the Hawaii Real Estate Laws and the Hawaii Real Estate Contract as well as their VA Guidelines for your loan.
Myth: If the company has other ‘affiliated’ entities (i.e. if it’s a real estate company and they use a loan company that is based right in their office…or vice versa) in their office they must be good because they do it ALL. NOT!
Fact: It’s a conflict of interest to have real estate, loan company and escrow company that are all in the same office. The buyer is ENTITLED to have a separate entity for all and should not be pressured to use their affiliates. It’s like having a loan officer /real estate agent (wears both hats) represent both sides in a transaction. How are they thinking in your best interests?????

It is in your best interests to know who you’re working with and get the correct information before you start with your Hawaii VA Loan Process and Buying Your Hawaii Home or Hawaii Condo. There are many things to be aware of before jumping right in. Choosing the RIGHT Realtor® & Hawaii VA Loan Officer, & Hawaii Military Relocation Information may enlighten you just a bit more. Just know that being proactive WAY AHEAD of your scheduled Hawaii PCS will ensure you getting educated and finding the perfect fit for your Hawaii Home Buying with your HAWAII VA Loan Experience.

Note:
The 2009 Honolulu County VA Loan Limit is $625,500.
Using the table for your Honolulu County BAH Rates and my Hawaii Home Mortgage Calculator you can let the loan officer know what your budget is for a monthly mortgage. Just because you have great credit and qualify for x amount does not mean you want to afford those monthly payments.
For more information click on the following link to the VA site with their brochure>>>> What VA Does For the Home Buying Veteran
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Want the whole scoop about Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Military Relocations?


Celeste “Sally” Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii & serving all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents with the understanding that a listening ear is the key to understanding client’s needs.