Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced that his state is now conducting probes into individuals who allegedly made unsolicited property purchase offers to residents in Lahaina, the center of the wildfire destruction on Maui.
Green issued an emergency proclamation on Aug. 19 designed to prohibit property sales in Lahaiana to speculators trying to take advantage of local residents who lost their homes and businesses to the wildfire.
“We’ve seen that in a lot of different places in our country and in our world where people have lost everything but their land and someone swoops in and buys properties for pennies on the dollar,” Green said. “We want to keep this land in the hands of local people, and we want to give them at least a chance to decide whether they’d like to build back.”
It is unclear how many offers were made. Those found guilty of violating the governor’s emergency order could face up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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A $5000 fine is pocket change to those throwing offers to the land owners. Won’t do a thing to stop them. The fine needs to be at least $100,000 and that’s probably not enough.
In all honesty, our government should fine with one year in prison and a $5,000 fine to all individuals who make unsolicited property purchase offers. That is regardless of their location in the United States.
As a home owner, I’m at the end of my rope from so many unwanted calls from random people wanting to purchase my property (for pennies on the dollar).
I am totally against predatory offers taking advantage of this terrible situation. However, some owners may love to have an offer and a way forward. Last time I checked this is a free country. I have always championed free property rights. Why is it a criminal infraction to make someone an offer? I get trying to weed out the opportunistic people but are you not now lumping everyone into this category. I have not seen the wording on the bill so hopefully there are exceptions and opportunities for the property owner who would like to be done after this terrible tragedy.
Both $$$$ and prison – even if it’s Oprah,
So many constitutional issues with this… If you feel like somebody needs to serve jail time for sending you a piece of paper that offers you money-and can also just ignore or counter, then perhaps a free market system inside a constitutional republic isn’t for you. We are free to see them as dirtbags, but jailing them is some Russia grade shizzle.
What does living in a constitutional republic have to do with laws stopping greedy investors taking advantage of people in distress. And by the way, we live in a “Democratic” constitutional republic. You lawless do whatever the heck you want to do right-wing-dingers can just go off each other.
Greed comes in all shapes and sizes. Those with a flawed value system usually justify such greed. I’ve been in the real estate business for 30 years, and it’s an industry that stinks of greed. I agree that jail time or fines may be over the top, but heavy taxation of out-of-state investors may be a solution. In addition, America must start considering why the gap between the rich and poor is ever widening. Wealthy individuals owning multiple properties and charging high rents need to be re-visited for tax purposes. They are reducing the inventory of homes available to buyers and in the process driving the rents to record levels. Let’s tax them at higher rates for property #2, higher again for property #3 and so on.
(I agree with this line of thinking –
Greed comes in all shapes and sizes. Those with a flawed value system usually justify such greed. I’ve been in the real estate business for 30 years, and it’s an industry that stinks of greed. I agree that jail time or fines may be over the top, but heavy taxation of out-of-state investors may be a solution. In addition, America must start considering why the gap between the rich and poor is ever widening. Wealthy individuals owning multiple properties and charging high rents need to be re-visited for tax purposes. They are reducing the inventory of homes available to buyers and in the process driving the rents to record levels. Let’s tax them at higher rates for property #2, higher again for property #3 and so on.
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