Condominiums were invented in Hawaii. I bet you didn't know that. The term condominium not only refers to apartments and townhouses, it can also refer to single family homes that the land was divided under the Condominium Property Regime (CPR), formerly known as Horizontal Property Regime (HPR).
There are many properties in Hawaii that had multiple homes on them and they wanted to sell them individually. The problem is the property may not have qualified to subdivide for one of several reasons. Here are a few of them:
- One shared driveway.
- Lot is too small according to zoning to create individual lots.
- A shared water meter or septic system for multiple homes.
- Common area like a playground or pool.
When buying homes in Hawaii it is important to always get a full disclosure. If the property you are purchasing falls under a CPR, the condo association will provide a series of disclosure documents. You will be provided the declaration documents when they created the CPR, the budget, the bylaws, a reserve study, insurance summary, financial statement, minutes from the board and annual meetings and the house rules. It is important to carefully review these documents in the specified period of time. In most purchase contracts there is a contingency for the buyer's acceptance of these disclosures.
If you are shopping on the internet and you are looking at single family homes an easy way to spot CPRs is that the address ends with an apartment number. That is a requirement in Hawaii.
The safest bet is to use a top professional REALTOR® who knows the neighborhood well. They can help you navigate through the buying process and ensure you know what you are buying and what you need to look out for.
Good luck and good house hunting.
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Randy L. Prothero, REALTOR®, ABR, AHWD, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SFR
Century 21 Liberty Homes
Randy Prothero is well established as an expert in working with military / VA clients and first time home buyers. His home seller's (listing) campaign is one of the most aggressive marketing programs in the area.
Based out of Mililani, Hawaii. Randy services the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and the Leeward Regional Chairman of the Honolulu Board of Realtors. To improve overall professionalism in his area Randy also offers classes for real estate agents.
www.HawaiiRandy.com * Oahu (Honolulu County) Property Search * Hawaii Military Relocations
Great overview of condos and CPR in Hawaii Randy. Now you've given me my history trivia on the condo and I can pretend I'm smart ; )
Randy - It is sometimes funny reading your posts when we are in Texas. You guys are working with such different issues than we have with a wide open state! Hope your business continues to grow too!
Randy, this trivia will come in handy when I'm out showing condo's here. It's always nice to share a "Did you know...?" with a client.
Gary - I don't think you are pretending.
Susan - We are on an island with some of the most expensive dirt on earth. We have to be creative to keep everyone with their share.
Mark - I bought one in Tempe a few years ago and my real estate agent thought that was a cool piece of trivia.
Randy:
Gee, I didn't know that history about condos. I find lots of folks think a townhouse and condo are different animals, or that all attached units adn townhouses are condos.
Jeff
Jeff - We have attached homes here that are not condo. They are single family attached homes with no association. It can be confusing for those not familiar with our real estate laws.
Randy, I did not know condominiums were "invented"in Hawaii. That's interesting. I think the term condominium is easier to understand if folks realize it is a type or ownership and has nothing to do with the structure of a building. In my area many folks believe that anything with a joining wall and common areas is a condo and that's just not so. We have a townhouse community in Poinciana that is set up just like a condo. Association fees that cover insurance, exterior maintenance, common areas, parking spaces etc....but it's "fee simple" ownership. It can be confusing for buyers, REALTORS(R) and lenders that are not familiar with the complex.
Bryant - In Hawaii condos and single family ownership can be fee simple or leasehold. It can get confusing for those not familiar with the local laws.