Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In addition to what has been said already, I'd add that in your kind of situation you can probably just call it however you want to. In other words, if you can make a good case either way, ie, you spend equal time in each, choose the one that gives you the most financial benefit. But if you spend more time in one location than another, that is really your principal residence.
A couple of reasons you might wish to choose Hawai'i:
If you sell your Hawai'i property, as a non-resident you will be taxed 10% of any gain on the sale price. Residents are not liable for this tax.
As a resident you can declare your property as a Homestead, which give you some protection against losing your home in event of a lawsuit or personal bankruptcy.
As a Hawai'i resident you will get kama'aina rates on a lot of things which can really add up. When I need to rent a car, with my Hawai'i driver's license I pay half what tourists do. At many hotels, kama'aina rates are much lower. At Uncle Billy's in Kona, for instance, I pay $54 a night for the same room that tourists pay $80-120 for. And at the big resort hotels it's even better. I once stayed in a Hilton suite that normally costs $600/night and only paid $100. Even 10% discounts on things like Kona coffee or Hilo Hattie shirts add up.
And this is much harder info to dig out, but there are things like the unadvertised boutique hotel I stay at in Hilo when I have a late night down there and don't feel like driving back up the mountain to Volcano. It's very nice, and it costs $50. But they don't rent to non-locals. It's strictly a word-of-mouth thing for kama'aina.
Yes, mahalo for the correction. I meet that standard myself, but I do spend a fair amount of time on the mainland so it's good to be clear what the legal standard is.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
