Have you dreamed about purchasing a property here in the Kona area and turning it into a Short Term Vacation Rental? 
Aloha I am Stephen Proski with Real Estate Kona and I love living and working here in Hawaii.
Lets get started. You decided to buy a property and intend on turning it into a Short term vacation rental. Not every property qualifies for a STVR permit otherwise known as Short Term Vacation Rental whether it is a single family home or condo. So the first thing you need to do is find out is whether or not that property is zoned for an STVR permit.
This has been the biggest misconception I run across with potential buyers. The County of Hawaii established guidelines and regulations on Short Term Vacation Rentals back in 2018 and you will need to do some research to determine, first if the property is zoned for a STVR permit or if there are Homeowners Association Rules allowing a property to be used as a Short Term Vacation Rental.
Most condo’s in the Kona and Waikoloa Beach Resort area are zoned for Short Term Vacation Rental Permits. Not so much with single family homes, so be careful on going down this road thinking I will buy a home and turn it into an Short Term Rental Property. That might not happen
Just so you know, when you are searching for properties, there are no specific way to find Short Term Vacation Rentals in our MLS - Multiple Listing Service that is a required field. Sometimes listing agents will address Short Term Vacation Rental information in the public remarks section of the listing. I would suggest you talk with a licensed real estate professional, like myself, to assist you with obtaining the necessary information about properties you might be interested in.
In addition, if the property you are interested in are governed by a Homeowners Association, make sure you know whether or not it is zoned for short term vacation rentals and if there is a minimum stay requirement. The HOA may state, Short term rentals have a minimum stay of 4 nights or maybe seven nights. This may help you decide whether or not this is a viable property to consider.
So what defines a Short Term Vacation Rental? In the county of Hawaii short term vacation rentals are properties that rent for 30 days or less. Properties that rent 30 days or longer are consider long term rentals and those properties and do not require a Short Term Vacation Rental Permit.
If you have any questions about the Kona area or about this subject, let me know at stephen@realestatekailuakona.com and I will be happy to answer it.
If a property already has a Short Term Vacation Rental Permit in place, you can easily get that permit transferred into your name after you have closed on the property and have taken possession.
If a property qualifies for a short term vacation rental permit and does not have one in place you will need to apply to the County of Hawaii for one. There is $500.00 processing fee and it takes about 60 to 90 days to get a permit issued. It is not a difficult process, however you will need to provide the county some specific documents for their review. Again, you can not apply for a Short Term Vacation Rental permit prior to taking ownership of a property.
If you liked this information please check out some of my other videos on Moving To Kona Things You Need To Know and if you have any questions about the Kona area don’t hesitate to ask at stephen@realestatekailuakona.com I am here to help you. Mahalo
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