All Forum Posts by: Duc Ong

@Sheldon Vic Since you have the VA, I would suggest a VA househack wherever you end up moving to. If you can find something that can qualify for the VA inspection, and be able to update it, you would be able to force appreciation, in addition to the tenants paying down your mortgage. Since VA is 0% down, you can use your cash for the rehab.

@Cole Jacobs

House hacking on Oahu is more difficult than the mainland, but can be more profitable in the long run, due to appreciation (both forced and market). Ideally, if you can find something that can qualify for a conventional loan and needs updating, you can get the best of both worlds. Also, there are certain advantages in terms of the financing, when you buy a single property as an owner occupant, vs. a pure investment property (such as higher interest rates). I'd be happy to explain more if you'd like.

@Ronald Bredemeier

Yes, I have done several VA deals recently. The first step is to connect with a lender, who would be able to look at your financial situation to see what you can qualify for. I'll PM you.

@Ronald Bredemeier I agree that a VA house hack might be your best bet, since you should be able to live for free if you have at least 3 units. The other alternative would be a live-in-flip--buy a SFH that would pass VA inspection, but needs updating. During the time that you live there, you could update it, and then sell when you leave.

@Jeremy Segermeister It would definitely depend on the numbers and your projections for STR. LH is usually not good from a long term perspective, since the value goes to zero at the end of the lease. However, if it's a short term play, it might be worthwhile to explore.

@Chris Martinez If you have experience and systems with running a vacation rental on Oahu, I think that might be your best bet, since you have a competitive advantage there. The trade off with investing in the other markets is that you would need to start from scratch. Let me know if I can help!

 Hawaii has a withholding called HARPTA, which is currently at 7.25%. 

Hawaii has a withholding called HARPTA, which is currently at 7.25%. 

Interesting, I guess they tightened their policy. 

@Daniel Kong I use Bank of Hawaii for their free business checking account. For the LLC, when I had a 3 unit in IN, I formed the LLC in IN. BOH was OK with the LLC docs from IN.