Twenty three years ago, I had a position set up in the "Fulda Gap" in West Germany to emplace my M109A3, 155MM Self Propelled Cannon capable of firing a 100 pound high explosive, rocket assisted projectile, approximately 18 miles. Positions were well documented where my .50 Caliber HB M2 Machine Guns would be placed. A diagram was drawn to let my Soldiers know what their left and right limits were so as to not shoot any friendly troops and insure interlocking fields of fire with the other howitzers to our left and right flanks. I had an Air Defense plan in the event that we would get attacked by air from the East German HIND-D helicopters or the fast moving MIG aircraft.
That was then.......
Today, we celebrate the fact that we do not live in a world like that in Germany. The country has become one and the city of Berlin is no longer divided by the wall.
I like it better the way it is now.
Sharing some pictures of my visit to East Berlin in 1985. Under the "Status of Forces Agreement" or SOFA, we as American Soldiers were free to cross the border into East Berlin after providing a stack of paperwork and checking in at Checkpoint Charlie which was manned by American Forces on the West Berlin side. I was fortunate enough to visit the divided city on several occassions and was even able to take my parents and sister there when they visited me in Germany.
1. Allied Checkpoint Charlie on the West Berlin side
2. Looking at Checkpoint Charlie from the East Berlin Side.
3. Brandenburg Gate can be seen on the other side of this building. This view was taken from the East Berlin side.
4. This was the "Changing of the Guards" for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. My fellow Army buddies and myself took turns posing next to these East German Soldiers that we could possibly be facing in war the very next day. When we were positioning for the "best photo", the Soldiers intentionally tried to exaggerate their "Duck Walk" and kick us.
5. This is the East Berlin side of Checkpoint Charlie. When i took my parents through here, they were taken into rooms and searched. They were only allowed to have a certain amount of money with them and were given a 1 for 1 exachange between East and West German Deutsch Marks. It was a total rip off because the value of the East German Mark was terrible compared to the thriving West German Mark. Because of the SOFA, I bought everything that they wanted and carried it back across the border without being checked. They had to go back through the chekcpoint on the East Berlin side and show receipts for whatever they purchased and were only allowed to purchase a certain amount or any overage would be confiscated.
This video was taken on October 5, 2009 at approximately 10:00 am. The video starts att he intersection of Ft. Weaver Road and Geiger/Iroquois Pt. Road. Fort Weaver Road now has 3 lanes open going from Ewa Beach towards Honolulu and coming back into Ewa Beach as well.
Fort Weaver Road traffic in and out of Ewa Beach is moving along extremely well as of October 5, 2009. Motorists are no longer complaining about the road. Sometimes, as the construction crews continue with their work, they might have to close down one or two lanes but they are doing that during the middle of the day and not in the morning or evening when traffic is the heaviest. This is a small sacrifice to make to finally have a wider road.
The addition of the third lane is about 80 percent complete from Kolowaka Drive going Ewa Beach bound and from Geiger Road going towards Honolulu. They still have to complete the concrete sidewalks, curbs and landscaping but the most important thing (the third lane) is now open.
In my opinion, home buyers are getting smarter on the situation with the new and improved Fort Weaver Road because I have noticed correctly priced homes in Ewa Beach are going under contract almost as soon as they come on the market. Also there are multiple offers on almost every short sale listing in Ewa Beach. Before the widening of Fort Weaver Road, these statistics were not like this. I must attribute some of the Ewa Beach real estate sales growth partly due to the first time home buyers tax credit but more than that, Ewa Beach homes offer quality construction, larger homes, larger lots, central AC standard in almost every home built since 1997 and most importantly, some of the MOST AFFORDABLE HOMES ON THE ENTIRE ISLAND.
For more information on Ewa Beach real estate, contact your Ewa Beach real estate experts. We LIVE in Ewa Beach and we LOVE Ewa Beach!
David J. Kucic, RA 1SG, USA (Ret) CRS, GRI, CDPE, ABR, e-PRO Mobile: (808) 218-9338 Email: david@davidkucic.com RE/MAX Honolulu, Kapolei, Hawaii Branch
We will be hosting a FREE Question and Answer discussion for anyone interested in using their VA Home Loan Eligibility to purchase Hawaii Real Estate. YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND BY CALLING (808) 218-9338.
Location: Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach, Hawaii Dates: September 4, 9 and 18th, 2009 Time: 1800-1900 Given By: David Kucic, US Army Retired, RE/MAX Honolulu and Jay Oku, VA Loan Specialist with Evergreen Mortgage Company
Directions to Hoakalei Country Club: Head south on Fort Weaver Road. Turn right on Keoneula Blvd. Go all the way to the end of the road and check in with the security guard who will have your name (this is why you must register). Proceed to the end of the road and walk to the members lounge.
FREE refreshments will be served. Come enjoy the beautiful views of the new Ernie Els designed golf course, watch the sunset and learn about VA Home Loans and Purchasing Hawaii Real Estate.
David Kucic, RE/MAX Honolulu Jay Oku, Evergreen Mortgage Company
This was amazing.....a great email this morning from a short sale specialist at one of the largest lending institutions in the country, Bank of America. Maybe it is a form letter that was sent out to thousands of other real estate agents but it did requrire a person to read my email, enter a response and click "SEND". For those of you that have done short sales in the past, you know that this is a step in the right direction.
Here is the email...................
"Thank you for contacting me. I have been brought in to help with your short sale and to speed up the process. I will contact you as soon as I am available. I will be working each loan based on the age of the file and the foreclosure sale dates. Please be patient with me and the process. Your file has been assigned specifically to me in an effort to begin to move your file quickly.
I understand your buyers may be anxious if so, please advise them that the file has been placed in a special que in an effort to move the process along quicker.
I will be in contact with you as soon as I am able to, in the meantime please be as patient as you can with me.
Thank you for your understanding and your patience. My goal is to move your file to a successful closing as quickly as possible.
I know it has been a long journey for you but I have been brought on specifically to help you".
Name removed Loan Services Specialist Short Sale Closing mailing address removed email address removed
For more information on Short Sales in Hawaii and VA Short Sales in Hawaii, contact:
David Kucic, RE/MAX Honolulu (in the Kapolei office)
Are you still "sitting on the fence" and waiting to buy your piece of Hawaii Real Estate? Are you waiting for the prices to drop further?
I put these charts together to illustrate what could happen if you continue to wait on the prices to drop 10% but at the same time, interest rates increase 1%.
The first chart depicts purchasing a home now at an interest rate of 5% with 100% financing. With VA home loans in Hawaii for military, 100% financing is still possible.
The second chart shows what will happen if you wait on prices to drop 10% from the current price and the interest rate to go up to 6%.
Don't forget that the longer you wait to buy, you continue to pay rent which is money that is disappearing and will not find its way back into your wallet.
Purchase Price Monthly Payment (principal and interest only)
$300,000.00 @ 5%
$1,610.00
$400,000.00 @ 5%
$2,147.00
$500,000.00 @ 5%
$2,684.00
$600,000.00 @ 5%
$3,221.00
Purchase Price Monthly Payment (principal and interest only)
$270,000.00 @ 6%
$1,619.00
$360,000.00 @ 6%
$2,158.00
$450,000.00 @ 6%
$2,699.00
$540,000.00 @ 6%
$3,238.00
Fact #1: Interest rates for 30 year VA home loans in Hawaii are currently hovering around 5% to 5.5% as of the submission date of this post.
Fact #2: There is a large inventory of homes for sale right now.
Fact #3: Many Sellers are motivated to sell you their house and may be willing to negotiate.
Unknown #1: House prices. Are they going higher or lower?
Unknown #2: Interest rates. Are they going higher or lower?
Happy house hunting!
David Kucic, RE/MAX Honolulu located in the Kapolei, Hawaii branch.
Hawaii Property taxes are on the rise for the island of Oahu. The prior rate was $3.29 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The rate for 2010 is $3.42 per $1,000 of assessed value.
As you search on the internet for Hawaii Property For Sale, you may run across something like this or similar to this:
Assd Val Land: $317,800
Tax Year: 2008
Assd Val Imprv: $382,500
Mon Taxes: $160
Assd Val Total: $700,300
Home Exemp: 0
A simple way to figure out the taxes is to look at the "Assessed Value Total"....in the example above, it is $700,300. Get rid of the last two zeros and substitute the comma with a decimal point so that your new figure is 700.3. Now multiply that by $3.42 which will give you the yearly Oahu Property Tax of $2,395. Divide that number by 12 and you get $199.59 which would be your monthly tax. Pretty easy isn't it?
In the example above, you notice that the item titled "Home Exemp" is 0. If you are an owner occupant of your home, you may be entitled to a Honolulu County Property Tax Exemption of either $80,000 (up to age 65) or $120,000 (for age 65 and older). To view eligibility requirements, visit this website Honolulu Property Tax. Don't forget to file your exemption if you determine you are eligible! The deadline for applications is September 30th, 2009.
If you are quailed for the exemption, you can deduct the appropriate amount from the "Assessed Value Total".
Assume that you are under age 65 and are qualified for an $80,000 exemption. Subtract $80,000 from $700,300 and you get $620,300. Using the simple math formula that I described above, your multiplier is 620.3. Multiply by $3.42 and your Oahu Property Tax for one year would be $2,121, a savings of approximately $274 per year.
For more information on purchasing Hawaii real estate, contact David and Tonya Kucic of RE/MAX Honolulu.
If traditional real estate sales in Hawaii without photos don't get a lot of attention when viewed on the internet, what makes you think a Hawaii short sale listing will be any different?
Regardless of the fact that it is a short sale, you owe it to your Seller to publish some photos of the property.
It is bad enough seeing non-Hawaii Short Sale listings on the Honolulu Board of Realtors MLS that don't have any photos and I just wonder each time I see it if the Seller is aware that there are no photos. Granted, it may take a few days to take the photos, photoshop them and get them published but there is no excuse after that to not have photos unless your Seller directs you to not have any photos taken.
The listings that really get me laughing are the ones that say such things as "280 Days on Market", " Seller Motivated", " This is a must see property" etc....... Maybe if there were some photos, the property might really sell!
Short sales in Hawaii are no different. Even if you are looking at an extended listing period as the Sellers agent, a lot of additional work and telephone calls, a possible reduced commission, those are not excuses to not have photos. I wouldn't recommend spending hundreds of dollars on a professional photographer but at least you can grab a digital camera, take as many pictures as possible and get them published on the internet in order to be a better representative for your Seller. You wanted the listing, now do your job!
For more information on Hawaii real estate, Hawaii Short Sales and purchasing Hawaii homes with a VA Loan, visit us on the web at www.davidkucic.com.
As you prepare for your PCS move to Hawaii, you are probably overwhelmed with things to do. Two of the biggest headaches I remembered were Clearing CIF and dealing with transportation to get packed and moved out.
Dealing with transportation means that you will need a new home to place all of your personal belongings.
If you are making plans to purchase a home in Hawaii, you might want to consider some things that may save you some serious grief after your tour in Hawaii is over.
Your BAH rate will probably increase when you get here unless you are coming from another high cost area such as DC, San Francisco or Alaska. You will also be entitled to COLA whether you are single or married.
Should you really buy a home in Hawaii even if you can afford it with your BAH and COLA?
What are you going to do with that property after your 3 year tour is over? What if the value decreased or maybe stayed the same? Will you be able to afford the costs of selling of it at a loss? Maybe you will keep it and use it as an investment/rental property but are you prepared to pay 10% of the rent collected each month to a property manager? Will you have enough liquid assets to make your mortgage payment in between tenants? What about necessary repairs......do you have cash available to pay for those items?
Buying real estate is a great way to build wealth but it is not for everyone.
For more information on purchasing real estate in Hawaii, contact me anytime via email or telephone.
Blog for military service members interested in purchasing real estate in Hawaii using their VA Loan entitlement. We are a retired military family specializing in serving all members of the armed forces, reserves, national guard and retirees. Check us out at www.davidkucic.com
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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