Page 5 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - Oct 6 2021

Community Leader Lives By ‘E Hana Kākou Spirit’
FROM PAGE 4
“My heart breaks when I see the division that has risen between our citizens,” he con- tinues. “Many of us support the important role of govern- ment in managing the crisis situation; many others of us support the protection of indi- vidual rights and the rights of businesses to operate as freely as they see fit. Unfortunately, when these two perspectives are seen as antithetical to each other, misunderstandings arise and tempers flare, and we find ourselves with growing ten- sion.”
editorials and cartoons as “an independent voice” represent- ing the people of Hawai‘i.
rational, fact-based and re- spectful manner” can the state avoid “trampling on the rights of individuals” and “solve our problems.”
them to create distance be- tween each other, we’re never going to come together at the rate we need to. That’s why I continue to emphasize the e hana kākou spirit.”
sis-intervention programs for Youth for Christ and served as its president, and eventually founded the nonprofit Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders — to tossing his hat into the world of academia. He did this first as exchange faculty at Beijing University, which offered him lecture opportunities throughout China to discuss human rights issues, and later as adjunct faculty member at both University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and Hawai‘i Pacific University.
As an OHA trustee-at-large, Akina sees things more at “ground level,” in which he and other board members are charged with maintaining a trust fund while ensuring that the housing, employment, ed- ucation and health care needs of Native Hawaiians are be- ing met. In his five years at the state agency, he’s particularly proud of collaborating with colleagues and instituting nec- essary reforms, all of which he says has not only led to pro- tecting the trust, but growing it so that it can be used “for proper purposes.”
W
orator’s voice and Hawaiian culture leader Winona Beamer with turning him into a court chanter for her hālau while at Kamehameha (“I still prac- tice the art of chanting till this day,” he notes), Akina points to a famous reverend for in- spiring him to live a life in service of others.
hile he credits his mother with help- ing him find his
The OHA trustee-at-large makes good on a promise for greater accountability in trustee spending by returning his discretionary allowance to OHA beneficiaries. PHOTO COURTESY KELI‘I AKINA
derful opportunity to prac- tice bringing people together around problem areas while we find solutions,” he final- izes. “It’s gratifying to work with talented individuals who all have a passion to make Hawai‘i the best place in the world where our freedoms and opportunities can flourish.”
But while he acknowledg- es the vital role government plays in any crisis and firm- ly believes that state and city officials are doing “what they believe best” given the cir- cumstances, he advises cau- tion in moving forward.
“When I was a senior in college at Northwestern Uni- versity, I participated in a national conference at which Billy Graham spoke,” recalls Akina. “I was so impressed with his message of taking God’s love to the entire world that I made a commitment to devote myself to the service of humanity.”
“The past eight years with Grassroot Institute have been thrilling for me and a won-
Despite the different paths his career has taken, Akina’s original commitment to serv- ing others remains the driving
principle in his life. It’s why he continues to have faith in humanity, why he continues to use his voice to preach a mes- sage of unity, and why he still believes in better days ahead for the people of Hawai‘i.
OCTOBER 6, 2021
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK 5
Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty level ranges from Bronze (easiest) to Silver to Gold (hardest). Answers are on page 7
RATING: GOLD
“Government must not overstep its constitutional boundaries and end up vio- lating the freedoms they are actually charged with pro- tecting,” opines Akina, adding that only by proceeding in “a
Ultimately, operating from two perspectives at OHA and GIH has helped Akina under- stand “the different ways we can help people of all back- grounds, perspectives and beliefs work together.”
His career would then transition from serving in the Christian ministry on the Wai‘anae Coast — where for three decades he operated cri-
“Naturally, we are going to have differences and that makes us who we are,” he adds. “However, if we start with our differences and use
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Real estate issues can sometimes be very confusing. For instance, I have 2 side-by-side properties listed. They were developed together and the seller really wants to keep them together and yet I have them entered separately in our Multiple Listing Service. Similarly, owners at times own a home or an adjacent parcel of land. They want to sell both together because it’s a perfect package. Even though most buyers want all pieces, an experienced agent would advise that
listing together might not be the best course of action. In fact, it may cause problems later. Here’s why. Pricing is
always an issue. It’s key to getting the property shown and sold. If it’s not shown, it can’t be sold. A
buyer falling in love with one property
may make an extra effort to purchase the adjacent property, but they must fall in love first. An inflated price may take the property off their list from the get-go. A more complicated issue relates to financing. Take for example, the two side-by-side homes I have listed. While it
may be safe to assume that one property will be owner-occupied, owners can only occupy one dwelling. The same applies to a house with a vacant parcel next door. The house buyer isn’t going to owner-occupy the vacant parcel of land. Under normal circumstances, lenders only allow one parcel on the mortgage (check first). It makes perfect sense. Should a lender need to foreclose, multiple properties would only multiply the legal complications and the number of legal actions. Most loans today are written to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines. Fannie/Freddie do not allow multiple properties on a single mortgage.
A few short-term loan products might lump properties together under one mortgage, but the rate and terms differ drastically from conventional mortgages. These are very short-term products designed for a specific purpose such as accessing equity to purchase one property while waiting
for another one to sell. They are not designed to address contiguous property purchases. There have been times in the past that a seller might have been generous enough to “gift” an adjacent
parcel if the purchase price of their home was enticing. This means that the appraised value on the home be high enough to support what could be an inflated value. For instance, this might be possible on stacked lots such as Ohia Estates where vacant land is affordable. When properties are more expensive and there’s no apparent reason for a gift, it will become a challenge.
A loan underwriter would likely question such an arrangement. There are a couple of viable strategies for sellers with a strong desire to convey an adjacent parcel with the home. Your agent should be able to assist you with those. As for the sellers I was helping with the sale of two adjacent homes; once the decision was made
to sell them separately, they went into escrow right away. If this entire explanation sounds like Greek, imagine how complicated the reality of the purchase could become for a potential buyer! In today’s conservative lending climate, it’s always best to apply the K.I.S.S. principal to every real estate transaction!
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