Permits? We don't need no stinking permits!
I hear it all the time. Homeowners want to make improvements to their Maui homes, and they want to do it NOW. They don't want to wait to submit an application for a building permit to the County of Maui, and then wait for approval. So what's the big deal with a permit anyway? 'What if I use a licensed contractor?' they say. 'I'm doing it all to code' they say. Isn't that good enough?
Well you know what? That might be good enough for now, so long as nobody is looking, but what about down the line when you go to sell your Maui home? That's when the real value of a permit comes in. Without a permit for that enclosed garage you don't really have another 400 sf of living space, at least not according to the home appraiser. Without a permit for that 4th bathroom, you'll have a hard time getting the added value for your efforts. We all know what happens when the appraisal comes in low and the buyers are waiting for their loan approval.... possible deal killer!
Permitted improvements not only add value when you go to sell your Maui home, but they also add peace of mind while you're owning it. It used to be that the County of Maui would turn a blind eye to a lot of the non-conforming usage which is quite common here, and investigations were mainly complaint driven. Well times have changed and the new administration is more proactive in seeking infractions and levying fines. The county coffers need funds and guess what... you're next! Do you want to live in fear that any day your house of cards could come tumbling down?
Want to know about getting a building permit on Maui? There's a great County of Maui website to walk you through the process. Talk to some people who have been down that road. Hire a contractor to hold your hand. Take your time to do it right and you'll be glad you did. When the time comes to sell, you'll have an easier time attracting buyers and your home will appraise higher too. You'll be a happy seller!
Thanks for reading My Maui Blog!
Aloha from Maui ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro
Search the Maui MLS right here ~ call or text me 808 283-0635 ~ EMAIL
Great post Georgina! So many home owners do this and they may have gotten away with it in the market 4 years ago, but today it's going to bite ya, big time!
Georgina, this is great and valuable info for consumers! Thanks for sharing it.
I had a situation just like this once. I had someone who had an entire living space above their garage finished and finished nicely I might add, but there were no permits. Buyers were turned away because of this.
I guess if you stay there your entire life and don't care about the future then it is the way to go but with all the messes on the market now a clean up of "weird stuff" might be in order.
We have the same trouble at our beaches. Owners want to enclose bottom floor which is illegal unless grandfathered in and they hope to get away with it.
Thanks for all the great comments - I see this is a common problem everywhere!
Hi Georgina. I'm looking for a place to call home on Maui. Do you think I could get that nice home in your photo for less than half a million?
Good post, it applies to many areas of the country, just get a permit!
The best licensed contractors out here pull the permits for you. Of course, they best licensed contractors are also more expensive, so that leaves room for the less-than-best licensed contractors to do the work without pulling permits, even though they say that they do.
Not only are permits vital when you go to sell your home, they're vital for your insurance company as well. If, God forbid, a fire breaks out and the insurance company discovers that it started in an unpermitted portion of your home, guess who's not covered?
Craig - good point! I didn't think of that.
Jim - get it in writing!
Richard - I might have just the thing for you.
I see a lot of unpermitted work here, but the problem is that the city doesn't have an easy way for us to determine if permits were, in fact, pulled. It's not a part of the online tax assessment info, so we are reliant upon the seller's disclosures.
I have to laugh at this one! We moved to Florida in 1954 and back then a lot was done without permits - I could tell stories on that one!