Page 4 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - Feb 10, 2021

4 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK FEBRUARY 10, 2021
Rotten
All Eyes On ‘WandaVision’
BY CHRIS MCKINNEY
PAPAYAS
When I was a kid, like a lot of oth- er little boys, I went through a comic book phase. My comic of choice was X-Men. That world had continuity. All the heroes and villains were simply power- ful, mutated versions of us who the world discriminated against. The Avengers, on the other hand, struck me as un- believable, even at that young age. A Norse god, a WWII hero and a science experiment gone wrong, among others, team up to fight enemies from outer space? Ridiculous, right?
ever seen that must’ ve been harder to pull off. And Disney is not done with the story.
Last month, WandaVision premiered on Disney+. The series takes two Avengers — Wanda Maximoff, a powerful telekinetic, and Vision, an an- droid who can fly and phase through solid matter — and traps them in some sort of 1960s sitcom alternate reality. Yes, I just said that. Yes, I re- alize it sounds ridiculous. The audacity of entertainment today has no bounds. It’s astonishing. Take everything old and cliché and unapologetically blend it together in an interesting way. It’s sampling. It’s mashup. It’s hip-hop. The series borrows from Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. It’s the first time I’ve heard a laugh track in years.
WandaVision also has shades of The Truman Show and Pleasantville. I’ve only watched the first three epi- sodes, but the obvious plot questions are: Who trapped Wanda and Vision here in idyllic suburbia? Is Vision re-
ally alive? Why can’t they re- member their pasts? Does this world exist in Wanda’s mind, the result of past traumas? Has she closed herself off to the real world because of the pain it has inflicted on her?
Flash-forward to now, and the highest-grossing movie of all-time is Avengers: Endgame. And I would argue, deservedly so. What can I say? I’m in awe of how the Marvel Universe has miraculously pulled to- gether this hodgepodge of he- roes into something cohesive through the course of 22 films. It’s not my favorite movie, or series of movies, but as far as degree of difficulty goes, I can’t think of anything I’ve
These questions will be answered, I’ m sure. By the 20-minute mark in episode three, the laugh track is gone, and the tone becomes somber and mysterious. I won’t say whether I like the series yet because that will depend on the execution of how the above questions are answered in the remaining six episodes. I will say that Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are clearly tal- ented actors, both comedically and dramatically, and creator Jac Schaeffer seems to have a very clear vision of what she wanted to make.
For me, WandaVision has done enough in the first three episodes to keep me watching. So far, it has certainly rekin- dled the comic book kid in me.
Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany and Teyonah Parris star in WandaVision. PHOTO COURTESY CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP
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At times, sellers also opt to offer financing so that they can make extra money on their sale. Permitissuesareapopularreasonforoffering financing as well. These are all fairly common and straight-forward reasons for seller financing. But what happens when the sellers owe more on the property than it’s worth or when their property is otherwise distressed or when the property simply will not appraise for the purchase price. These are situations when sellers tend to explore every sales approach. For a buyer, these offers should be considered with caution because there could be a “fudging” seller involved. Sales with an existing mortgage on the property are conveyed by way of an “agreement of sale”. This involves “wrapping” the mortgage which basically means that the buyer pays the seller and the seller continues to pay their note. Not all lenders embrace this concept because such a sale further encumbers title. While
lender permission, most title companies will not provide title insurance without it. But the difficulty presented in gaining lender permission pales in comparison with the problems created when a seller stops making payments on the underlying mortgage. This begins a chain of events that leaves everyone distressed. Of course, there are ways to address risks but it’s never foolproof. Seller financed properties generally do not (but can) include a formal appraisal so carefully consider information a about comparable sales. There may be times when seller financing works best but be sure to consider the players and understand why they are playing and by all means, hire a REALTOR® who understands this type financing and who can advise you about the advantages and pitfalls. In this Superbowl of transactions, it’s time to put aside kids games and equip yourself to play with the big boys! Enjoy the game!
WINNING WHEN SELLERS FINANCE???
It was Super Sunday! The winner took home all the marbles! Do kids even play marbles anymore? Is there an electronic version? Even thoughthatparticulargameisn’taspopular as it once was, like football, seller financing is always in vogue. In fact, if I had a marble for every reason a seller might offer to finance, I’d have a sock full. I’d have a “no other way to finance” marble and one for “I want to earn the interest”. There’d even be an “outside
the ring” marble for distressed sellers. But not all marbles are regulation marbles. In fact, players sometimes “fudge” by playing a “non-regulation” marble. When this happens, the “pros “generally feel it’s time to take their marbles and go home! Here’s the thing. Even in times when seller financing is less risky for buyers, knowing why a seller is offering financing is critical. The mortgage meltdown left us with few options for vacant
land loans especially for an out-of-state buyer. it’s possible to wrap the mortgage without
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