Hi Nancy,
Leasehold properties should be identified in advertising, however, perhaps on some websites, they slip through as the concept of "leasehold" is foreign on the mainland US. It is a good idea to be working with a Realtor, who can tailor home searches right to your specific tastes & requirements and who may be able to identify properties or neighborhoods that would be well-suited to your needs. I enjoy working with relocation buyers and having grown up on Oahu am quite familiar with neighborhoods, schools, commuting times, etc. Please call if I can answer any questions for you. 808-381-6848
Aloha!

If the property is priced extremely lower than others, this is your first clue. There should be (FS) indicated for fee simple property and (LH) indicated for leasehold. These designations will follow the list price.
KBay Properties' niche is the Kaneohe and Windward areas. Please feel free to contact us should you need further information.
Aloha,
Donna Kohls, R http://www.kbayproperties.com

Aloha, Nancy. I see that your question is about Kaneohe on Oahu and I'm the Broker-in-Charge for Hawaii Life Real Estate Services on the Big Island. In the state of Hawaii it is a huge ethics violation to not make the land tenure (fee simple or leasehold) hugely apparent in all forms of advertising. You want to look for the initials FS = Fee Simple (meaning you own the land and can convey it to your heirs) or LH = Leasehold, which is nearly the equivalent as a long-term rental contract (you don't own the land).

I can't say for certain about Kaneohe property, you say that prices are "all over the place" - here on the Big Island, you will find the prices for leasehold property are 30-50% of the prices for fee simple property, so if you're seeing a huge swing in prices, you probably can guess the ones that seem like they are "too good to be true" are most likely leasehold property.

If you don't want to buy leasehold, then be sure to talk with your agent at length, but don't discount leasehold properties all together, as in some cases it's possible to "buy the lease fee" which means for additional money, you can buy the leasehold AND the fee to convert the property from leasehold to fee simple.

We have a great website for browsing - it's fast and will give you all necessary info such as FS vs LH... http://www.hawaiilife.com. Good luck to you in your search!
warm aloha,
Katie Minkus, R(BIC), katie@hawaiilife.com

Hi Nancy,

The word "leasehold" is required to be shown on any advertisement for property if it is leasehold (not "LH" or fee simple). See http://hawaii.gov/dcca/areas/pvl/main/har/har_99-c.pdf. §16-99-11 Advertisement.
"A leasehold property advertised for sale in any medium shall be identified by the word "leasehold."

Also, if it appears to be good to be true, it probably is. We are starting to see a lot of properties for less than $100,000. It is very unlikely that it is fee simple for that price range.

Send me an email if you would like more info or call me at 808 723 0900.

Aloha,
Frank

You are right, it is difficult. The best way may be to have your real estate professional get the answer for you. There are so many possibilities, bu this is a starting point. They know the complexes and developments (or they should) as part of thier efforts on your behalf, and can check out other possibilities. Any other questions, you are welcome to call me. I hope this is helpful for you
John McCormick, Real Estate Circuit 845-344-8002

Hi Nancy,
Which Island are you looking on? If its Maui below you can use this search link and check the leasehold or fee simple box and your search will only bring up those types of properties. Link is to the Maui Board of Realtors website, mine is currently down for searches.

http://www.ramaui.com/Search.php?StaticPageID=495ec4664613d&… Maui County Listings

Glen
Broker