Are you thinking about changing up your real estate investments - looking for properties with better opportunity for appreciation or increased rental income potential, but you're worried about capital gains tax on the profits? Welcome to the world of the 1031 Exchange.

The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 1031 Tax Deferred Exchange is a great way to sell your investment property and trade up to another investment property, tax deferred. And by investment property, we mean any property that’s not your principal residence or second home. Typically, it’s a rental that’s either residential, such as a house, townhome or condo, or commercial, like an office building, warehouse or strip mall or vacant land that’s either residential or commercial.

Foreign investors are pouring billions into the U.S. housing market, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Foreign buyers purchased more than $68 billion worth of U.S. residential real estate over the 12 months ending March 2013. That’s approximately 6.3 percent of the total U.S. Existing Homes Sales (EHS) market of $1.08 trillion for the same period.

International buyers frequently pay all cash with about 63 percent of reported transactions being cash purchases. How the payment is made depends of course on the buyer, country of origin and type of property they are purchasing. 

Mortgage financing for international clients can be tricky because of a lack of U.S. based credit history, lack of a Social Security number and difficulties in documenting mortgage requirements and financial profiles. However, with the right people and right documents in place, foreign investors can obtain U.S. backed financing.

Is your home market ready? Will it make a great first impression to potential buyers? I’ve helped many people prepare their homes – here’s a few items to consider before putting your home on the market.

Timeline – If there’s not too much that needs to be done, an average timeline based on my experience is about one month. However, if there are larger items such as roof repair, termite damage or items that require a professional, it may take longer.

No one should have to choose between their best friend and a place to live. According to the Hawaiian Humane Society, nearly 60 percent of Oahu households have pets, 43 percent of Oahu households own dogs and more than 300,000 pets are family members.

So how do you find a home to rent if you are a pet owner?

Which buildings on Oahu are pet friendly?

Unfortunately, the irresponsible few have made it very difficult for pet owners to find rental accommodations, but there are things you can do to find a home for your whole family – including the ones with four feet.