05-21-2019, 01:28 PM
quote:
Originally posted by AnnieFC
Thank you all, this helps a lot. I’ll be sure to pass names and information along. Another question, do all realtors charge GE tax when selling a home? This is what one realtor said would happen when they go to sell. my friend understand there is the Off island tax but we were unsure about the GE tax.
I've never been charged a GET on real estate transactions in Hawaii. If somebody is trying to charge you one, it's either a misunderstanding or they are trying to scam you. I just did a cursory look on the internet and only came up with responses that GET doesn't apply to real estate transactions. There are already a lot of taxes that already apply to owning/selling/buying real estate. It is possible that a realtor is trying to upsell you a repackaged service (I don't know... hiring a drone operator or something) where the non-real estate related fee is subject to the tax, but you're not under an obligation to accept such a service.