Letter: Tourists pay for second homes

Choon James paints a vivid picture of hard-working residents slaving away on their fixer-upper, million-dollar second homes (“Not all ‘investment real property’ owners are wealthy,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Sept. 18).

However, she is not a completely disinterested observer. As a real estate broker, she stands to reap a hefty commission from the seller whenever she advises cash-poor locals to buy what she calls a second- home “shack” (at a million dollars or more).

How can such a buyer make a profit? Isn’t the likeliest way to rely on short-term, transient rentals to tourists?

I really don’t think locals could afford now — even without further taxes — to support this investor’s payments by renting from him.

Why not vote in November to use taxes on second, million-dollar properties to support education, so that we can diversify our job preparedness, and also benefit local renters and buyers by discouraging people from turning housing into lures for tourists?

Kathy J. Phillips

Moiliili

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