 DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COMJassen Tolentino, left, and Noreen Onomoto looked over their application for affordable housing yesterday at the 118-unit Nohona at Kapolei project. A lottery will be held among qualified applicants for the chance to purchase a unit. CLICK FOR LARGE |
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Applicants line up for affordable housing
and Brandi Salas / bsalas@starbulletin.com
Hundreds of people lined up for the chance to buy an affordable first home at projects in Kapolei and Waipahu yesterday.
Prices for 118 two- and three-bedroom homes at the "Nohona at Kapolei" development range between $325,000 to $390,000 -- far below last month's median home price of $685,000.
Another condominium development in Waipahu, the "Mokuola Vista," also opened sales offices yesterday.
Prices for 69 available two-bedroom apartments there range from $259,900 to $275,550, compared with the median condominium price of $334,000.
APPLYING FOR UNITS
» For more information on Nohona at Kapolei, call 626-1133. The Nohona sales center is at 91-1205 Kaiau Ave.
» Mokuola Vista is located at 94-333 Mokuola St. For more information, call Mokuola Vista project partner Linda McCabe at 225-1048.
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"It's crazy, it's just ridiculous the housing market here," said Nicole Tadaki, 28, who lives in a rented apartment in Makakilo with her husband and two children.
The two projects were built by private developers in partnership with the state Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. as part of an effort to provide more affordable housing.
A recent study ranked Honolulu as the third-most expensive urban housing market in six Western nations.
More than 500 people came in to pick up application packets at the Nohona development by yesterday afternoon, said marketing director Sora Kwon.
Among them: 32-year-old Jake Ramos and his girlfriend, 21-year-old Lei Paulo. Ramos said that it was his mother that forced him to visit the project.
"She wants me to get out of the house and I was just waiting for a good opportunity," Ramos said with a laugh.
Tadaki said that even though the prices at Nohona are lower than most housing projects, her family will still have to scrimp and save to afford it.
"We're gonna have to be wise about spending our money, cutting back on things like entertainment. Gas is still high too," she said.
Families must meet income requirements to buy a home or condo at the projects.
A lottery will be held at Nohona to give everyone eligible "a fair chance" to get a unit, Kwon said.
Those that don't make the cut will still be considered for the two other projects in Kapolei, which include rentals.
The date of the lottery has not been set. But the deadline to turn in a completed application is 3 p.m. on Aug. 31.
In Waipahu, Star Cabading, her husband, Haricris Cabading, and her two sons visited the Mokuola Vista tent to see if their family qualified. "We just wanted to see the place and we want to start out with an affordable condo. We're looking for our own place to start off. It's close to everything, even to our relatives in Waipahu," said Star Cabading.
