For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
See also: In The Military
VA home appraiser
won’t guarantee
its conditionQuestion: When I get my home appraisal, will the Department of Veterans Affairs appraiser make sure everything is OK with the home I am buying?
Answer: No. The appraiser is not the inspector. The VA does not guarantee the condition of the house you are buying. The VA guarantees only the loan.
If you have any doubts about the condition of the house that you are buying, it is in your best interest to seek expert advice before you legally commit yourself in a purchase agreement.
Particularly with a previously occupied house, most sellers and their real estate agents are willing to permit you, at your expense, to arrange for an inspection by a qualified residential inspection service.
Also, most sellers and agents are willing to negotiate with you concerning what repairs are to be included in the purchase agreement. Steps of this kind can prevent many later problems, disagreements and major disappointments.
For more information on home loans, call the Honolulu VA at 433-1000.
Q: As a disabled veteran, am I eligible for commissary and exchange privileges?
A: Unlimited exchange and commissary store privileges in the United States are available to honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected disability rated at 100 percent, un-remarried surviving spouses of members or retired members of the armed forces, recipients of the Medal of Honor and their dependents and orphans. VA does certification of total disability. Reservists and their dependents also may be eligible.
Privileges overseas are governed by international law and are available only if agreed upon by the foreign government concerned. VA provides assistance in completing DD Form 1172, "application for uniformed services identification and privilege card." For more information, call the VA at 433-1000 (Oahu) or 800-827-1000 (neighbor island or mainland).
If you have questions about your benefits as a veteran,
call Fred Ballard at the Veterans Affairs at 433-0049
or the Star-Bulletin at 529-4747.Gregg K. Kakesako, who covers military affairs for the Star-Bulletin,
can be reached by phone at 294-4075
or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.
