What would owning on Oʻahu actually cost you?

A bigger down payment means a smaller loan, and with enough down, mortgage insurance on a conventional loan can go away. The trade-off is more cash up front.

On Oʻahu, a condo or townhome's maintenance fee is part of your monthly cost, so a lower price with a high fee can cost more each month than a higher price with a low fee. Don't just chase the lowest fee, though; check the reserves too.

Your credit range can affect your loan costs, and on a conventional loan, your mortgage insurance. Ask your lender what would help most.

Conventional, FHA and VA loans treat mortgage insurance differently, and VA has no monthly mortgage insurance for eligible borrowers. Your lender confirms which loans are available to you.

Once you own and live in the home, you can file with the City to lower your property tax. You have to file by the City's deadline, and it usually starts the following July, not right away.

Paying points, or using a seller credit to pay them, can lower the payment. There are costs and limits, so ask your lender to show you the numbers.

It depends on the price, your loan and the type of home. Cash to close is your down payment plus closing costs: title, escrow and recording fees, loan fees, and some property tax and insurance paid up front. Along the way you'll also put down a deposit when your offer is accepted, which counts toward your purchase, and pay for your home inspection. Run your numbers to see your own range; once you apply, your Loan Estimate lists the costs for your loan, and your Closing Disclosure has the final figures.

Not always. Many first-time buyers put down less than they expect, and VA loans offer down payment options for eligible borrowers; ask your lender. Less down means a bigger monthly payment and usually mortgage insurance, so we'll run it both ways.

There can be. In Hawaiʻi, down-payment help may be available through the State, the City and County of Honolulu and some banks, and programs open and close as funding allows. Which programs fit depends on income, the home and the lender, and each lender offers different ones, so your lender matches you to what they can offer. USDA loans can work in some rural areas, depending on the exact address and household income, so ask your lender whether an address is eligible and whether they offer USDA loans.

Yes, if the building is VA-approved. Not every complex is, so we check before you fall in love with a unit.

Your maintenance fee often covers more than upkeep: water, sewer and the insurance policy for the whole building (the master policy) are commonly included, and master insurance costs have climbed across Oʻahu. Some buildings also borrow for big repairs and build the loan payment into the fee, and new condo loan rules, with more starting in January 2027, push associations to set aside more for future repairs. No one can promise where a fee goes next, but the budget, the reserve study and the last two years of meeting minutes show the pressure on it. We read the budget, reserves and insurance with you before you offer, and go through the full condo documents with you before your review deadline.

Fee simple means you own the home and the land under it. Leasehold means you own the home but lease the land, the lease has an end date, and the listing always says which one it is. Leasehold can still make sense, since some leases carry low or prepaid lease rent (the charge for the land) until the next renegotiation, but loans have rules on how long the lease must run, like at least 14 years past the end of a VA loan. This calculator assumes fee simple and leaves out lease rent, so ask us about any leasehold home you like.

Homes on Hawaiian Home Lands follow different rules for the lease, the loan and property tax, so this calculator's numbers won't fit them. If you're looking at a home on Hawaiian Home Lands, message us before you run numbers.

There's no single number. Each loan type has flexible credit guidelines, and minimums vary by lender, so a loan officer can tell you what applies to you. In our calculator, your credit range only nudges the estimated rate and mortgage insurance.

Once your paperwork is in, a pre-approval typically takes 24–48 hours. How long you shop is up to you and what's on the market. After a seller accepts your offer, a purchase on Oʻahu usually closes in about 30 to 45 days, and the keys usually come the day the sale records. Court-confirmed sales, like some probate sales, take longer because a judge has to approve the sale first.

It depends on your agreement. How your agent is paid, and by whom, is set in a written buyer agreement you sign before touring homes, and that amount is negotiable. Sometimes the seller agrees in your offer to pay some or all of it, and the agreement spells out what you'd cover if they don't. We go over it with you line by line before you sign.

No. It's an estimate for education only, built from what you enter and market averages, and it never checks your credit. A pre-approval comes from a licensed loan officer at a lender or mortgage broker, after they review your income, credit, debts and savings. When you're ready for that step, we can connect you with a licensed loan officer.

Your numbers go straight to Jesus and Jesus Sr., and one of us reaches out within 1 hour if you send it between 8am and 8pm Hawaiʻi time, or by 9am if you send it outside those hours. You'll also get an email with your numbers and next steps. We text or call only if you checked the box that lets us; otherwise we email you. If you checked the loan officer's box, your request goes to that loan officer too, so they can reach out about financing; otherwise it doesn't go to any loan officer.