Making the most of property assessors offices in Hawaii will require the office to assess the market value of a property. This value is then multiplied by the tax rate to determine the actual tax that the owner must pay on the property each year. Property tax rates may be set by organizations such as cities, counties or school districts.

Hawaii property assessors offices use several factors such as location and size to determine the value of a property. This assessment is usually accurate and requires a property value appeal only on rare occasions. There are three things you need to do when evaluating the property value as determined by the assessor’s office:

1. Obtain the information the property assessors offices in Hawaii use to make the assessment. You should already know the size and location of the property, but the assessor also will be able to provide the value of other properties in your area.
2. Get a professional appraisal so you may compare it to the property value by the Hawaii assessor.
3. Appeal Hawaii property assessments if needed. Assessors have a specific procedure for accomplishing this.

Action Steps
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Learn more about the laws regarding Hawaii property assessments

Each state has laws that provide guidelines on the way that property values are assessed. There also may be laws that specify what property tax information is publicly available.

I recommend: Hawaii.gov provides guides to property assessments for each island in Hawaii. Prudential Locations has a report on property tax law in Hawaii.

Find out how professional appraisers determine Hawaii property values

Appraisers may use different methods to estimate the value of your property. You will want to ensure the professional appraiser considers the same factors as the property assessor.

I recommend: Sevco Real Estate Appraisers has a summary of estate appraisals among other links on property appraisals. Benson & Associates Appraisal Services is located on Maui and offers an overview of its property appraisal process.

Learn how your county performs a Hawaii property assessment

Many counties have online resources available to help you with your property tax assessment. You should be able to locate this information on your county's website, in addition to other information regarding property taxes.

I recommend: The Hawaii County Real Property Tax Office offers information on property taxes including brochures on appeals and exemptions. The Maui County Real Property Assessment Division has documents on property assessments and the appeals process.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Check with your Hawaii property assessor to see if you qualify for any exemptions on your property assessment. Exemptions may be recognized for disabled veterans, senior citizens or non-profit organizations. File any appeals to your current tax assessment before the tax deadline. It will be more difficult to obtain a favorable ruling on an appeal after the deadline.

Hawaii assessors offices maintain a lot of information regarding Hawaii land values and property information. Their records contain information about ownership changes for properties, keep up to date maps of property lines and maintain property descriptions. Hawaii assessors also analyze trends in property sales prices, the costs of constructing a new property and the average expense for renting property.

You can use the information obtained by property assessors in Hawaii to aid in your real estate investments. Consider the following when dealing with property assessors in Hawaii:

1. Hawaii property assessments show the market trends for properties in your area.

2. Research potential investment properties using databases provided by property assessors offices - Hawaii.

3. Determine that the assessment of Hawaii property values you invest in are accurate.

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Access records from property assessors offices in Hawaii

When you have interest in investing in a property, it's important that you research that property's history before making a purchase. You need to know how many times there were changes in ownership, any construction done on the property and changes in that Hawaii property value over the years.

I recommend: Visit the Hawaii property assessor's office website for the county your property of interest is found and use the search engine provided to find out the history of the property. All 4 of the property assessors offices -- Honolulu County, Hawaii County, Kauai County and Maui County -- provide a real property search on their website.

Verify that your Hawaii property assessments are accurate

You may find occasion for concern that your local Hawaii property assessors calculated an inaccurate value for your investment property. Hire an appraiser to provide a second opinion on your Hawaii property value. This will help you to be certain in your belief that the assessor's office made an inaccurate assessment, and provide you with proof of a more accurate value for your property. If you discover an error in your Hawaii land value, file an appeal with your local property assessors offices in Hawaii.

I recommend: Visit AppraiserUSA.com to find appraisers in Hawaii by county or city. If you feel an appeal to your Hawaii property value is necessary, Kauai County's website provides information on the appeal process.

Be aware of the regulations regarding Hawaii property assessment

Knowing the laws and regulations regarding property assessment in Hawaii can help you to understand what determines your property taxes each year and where the money you pay goes. There are a number of tax exemptions that can save you money on your property taxes as well.

I recommend: The County of Honolulu provides further information about property taxes on their website. Click on the Frequently Asked Questions or Real Property Tax Ordinance for a better understanding of the tax process. Visit the Tax Foundation of Hawaii's website for information on taxes from previous years.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Always pay the property tax on your real estate investments determined by Hawaii property assessment by the deadline each year to avoid penalties. Doing so also helps the credit score for your business.

Employees who undergo property assessors offices in Hawaii education and training must be able to determine the fair market value of real estate and personal property. Property assessors who work for the government may also assess property taxes by appraising the property and using prescribed tax schedules.

The qualifications necessary to work in property assessors offices of Hawaii primarily depend on the value of the property and manner in which the transaction will be financed. These requirements can be grouped into three general categories:

1. Education. Property assessors in Hawaii usually hold at least a bachelor’s degree, preferably in economics, finance or real estate. A property assessor will also need to complete additional coursework that is specific to property appraisal. This specialized education is usually taken from a community college or professional organization for appraisers.

2. Experience. Property appraisers will also need to acquire on the job training under the supervision of a qualified professional appraiser.

3. Licenses and certifications. Appraisers who perform property appraisals are required by federal law to have a license if the transaction will involve a federal loan of $250,000 or more.

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Complete the courses needed to work in property assessors offices in Hawaii

There are a variety of on-site universities and distance learning classes that teach students to assess Hawaii property values. These institutions should update their curriculum frequently to reflect changes in the state's educational requirements for property appraisers.

I recommend: Acheson Appraisal is approved by the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs as an education provider for appraisers. AgentCampus.com is approved to provide all of the qualifying education for appraisers in Hawaii.

Get on-the-job training for Hawaii property assessment

Job training for property appraisers in Hawaii has specific requirements, as laid out by the Hawaii Real Estate Appraisers Board. These requirements stipulate the length of time the training must take, the way in which the mentor must monitor the process, and the type of experience the trainee must acquire.

I recommend: Chapter 466K of the Hawaii Revised Statutes provides the legal requirements of work experience for each type of appraiser in Hawaii. Hawaii uses the minimum experience guidelines provided by the Appraisal Foundation.

Become a licensed Hawaii property assessor

Hawaii recognizes three categories of appraisers. A state licensed appraiser may perform appraisals on federally funded transactions with a value of less than $1,000,000. A state certified residential appraiser may perform appraisals on all residential property and all other property valued at less than $250,000. A state certified general appraiser can perform appraisals on all types of property.

I recommend: Career Web School provides a summary of the licensure requirements for each type of appraiser in Hawaii. ELicenseSchool offers a complete list of the requirements for becoming an appraiser in Hawaii.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Hawaii property assessors may choose to become a member of a national or regional assessor association. Full membership in a professional organization usually requires significantly more education and experience than the minimum licensing requirements of the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB). Many of these associations also offer a membership category specifically for trainees.

Hawaii property assessors offices laws and regulations deal with property taxes that are based on the estimated value of real property. The fair market value is the most common standard of value used in Hawaii, although there are other standards, such as the foreclosure value or distressed sale value. A property tax exemption is applied by reducing a property's assessed value by a specified amount before calculating the property tax.

There are a variety of information sources regarding the laws on Hawaii property values. These sources include the three following categories:

1. The Hawaii state government. These sources offer official information, including state laws that deal with property assessors in Hawaii.
2. County and municipal governments in Hawaii. These sources provide the rules and procedures for a specific property assessors office in Hawaii.
3. Hawaii law firms that include property law as one of their areas of practice. These firms may provide information on specific issues of property tax laws in Hawaii.
   

Action Steps
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Examine the laws that control assessors of property values in Hawaii

The state government of Hawaii will have specific laws for property tax assessors. Private organizations also provide summaries and general information on property tax assessor laws in Hawaii.

I recommend: James S. More is a certified residential specialist that summarizes Hawaii real property tax law and its effect on property taxes in Hawaii. The State of Hawaii Department of Taxation lists Title 14, Chapter 231 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, which establishes the role of the property assessor in Hawaii.

Study the procedures for conducting Hawaii property assessment in a particular jurisdiction

Local governments have specific procedures for property assessments and also may offer a Hawaii property tax search. A complete list of Hawaii property tax records may also be available.

I recommend: The Real Property Tax Office for Hawaii County offers links to the procedures for filing a property tax appeal in that county. The Treasury Division for the City and County of Honolulu provides the specific county ordinances that address property taxes.

Review Hawaii property assessors laws from law firms in Hawaii

Hawaii lawyers who specialize in property law frequently offer summaries on the property taxes that are assessed in Hawaii. They also may write articles on specific issues regarding property taxes in Hawaii.

I recommend: Harold Chu practices tax law in Hawaii and provides an analysis of property assessments for property owners in Hawaii. The Law Offices of Wesley Y.S. Chang provides specific information on property assessment law in Hawaii.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Many laws on Hawaii property assessments are the result of the Financial Institutions Reform and Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA). The savings and loan crisis of the late 80s resulted in the passage of the FIRREA in 1989, which required the adoption of property appraisal standards in the United States.