Transaction coordinator · Hawaii
Transaction coordinator in Hawaii: disclosure periods, conveyance tax and HARPTA
For Hawaii agents: what the Real Estate Commission says unlicensed staff may not do, HRS 508D disclosure timing, the two conveyance tax scales, 7.25% HARPTA withholding, licensed escrow, MLSs and Oahu figures.
DeedSpring makes transaction-coordination software and publishes this guide. It has no office in Hawaii. Agents use it online, wherever they work.
Hawaii at a glance
- Contract
- HAR Purchase Contract RR201, revised September 2024 (members only)
- TC licensing
- No Commission rule; unlicensed staff may not negotiate or sign
- Seller disclosure
- Within 10 calendar days of acceptance (HRS 508D-5)
- Buyer rescission
- 15 calendar days from receipt; deposit returned
- Conveyance tax
- 0.10% to 1.25% by price and buyer type; seller generally pays
- HARPTA
- 7.25% withheld on non-resident sellers unless exempt
- Closing
- Licensed escrow depository (HRS 449-5)
What does a transaction coordinator do on a Hawaii deal?
The coordinator keeps the file moving from acceptance to recording: the disclosure clock, the deposit, the lender, the escrow company and the tax paperwork. Hawaii adds two pieces of tax work: a conveyance tax certificate, and a withholding rule for sellers who are not Hawaii residents.
The Hawaii Association of REALTORS publishes a standard Purchase Contract, form RR201, revised in September 2024. HAR licenses its standard forms only to members in good standing and does not sell them individually, so this page does not quote the form's default periods. Read each date off the signed contract and its addenda.
Does a transaction coordinator need a license in Hawaii?
Hawaii has no rule on it. Asked what an unlicensed assistant can do in a brokerage, the Real Estate Commission said in its May 2024 bulletin: "The Commission has no rule or formal or informal interpretation on this issue. Nor is there a list of do's and don'ts for unlicensed assistants working for a brokerage."
The same bulletin still drew a line. Unlicensed staff "may not perform duties that fall under the above definitions of real estate broker and salesperson, including but not limited to, engaging in any real estate negotiations or solicitations, and signing any real estate transaction documents." Anyone managing properties for more than one owner needs a license.
A later clarification from the Commission added detail. Unlicensed assistants may not show properties, and may not answer questions or give information about specific properties beyond fact sheets the principal broker has approved. Scheduling, tracking and document assembly fall outside those restrictions. Signing transaction documents, negotiating and fielding property questions stay with the agent.
How does the Hawaii seller disclosure work?
By statute, with calendar days. HRS 508D-5 requires the seller to provide the disclosure statement "no later than ten calendar days from acceptance of a real estate purchase contract". On receiving it, the buyer has fifteen calendar days to examine it and decide whether to rescind.
Silence counts as acceptance: "Failure to deliver the written notification to the seller within the fifteen-day period shall be deemed an acceptance of the disclosure statement." A buyer who does rescind in time gets the deposit back, because the statute says rescission is "without loss of deposits to the buyer which deposits shall be immediately returned to the buyer." Seller and buyer can agree in writing to shorten or lengthen either period.
One more date to check. Under HRS 508D-4, the statement must be signed and dated by the seller within six months before, or ten calendar days after, the buyer's acceptance of the purchase contract. A disclosure signed for an earlier listing may be too old.
Hawaii disclosure periods (HRS chapter 508D)
| Step | Period | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Seller signs the statement | Within 6 months before or 10 calendar days after acceptance | HRS 508D-4 |
| Seller delivers the statement | No later than 10 calendar days from acceptance | HRS 508D-5(a) |
| Buyer examines and may rescind | 15 calendar days from receipt | HRS 508D-5(b) |
| Change either period | By written agreement of seller and buyer | HRS 508D-5(c) |
Our guide to counting days in a real estate contract and the contract deadline calculator can help you set these dates against the contract's own deadlines.
How much is the Hawaii conveyance tax?
It depends on the price and on whether the buyer can claim a county homeowner's exemption. The Department of Taxation's Tax Facts 2026-1 sets out two rate scales. Forms and payments go to the Bureau of Conveyances, with Form P-64A, the conveyance tax certificate.
Conveyance tax rates by consideration
| Consideration | Condo or house, buyer not eligible for homeowner's exemption | All others |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $600,000 | 0.15% | 0.10% |
| $600,000 to under $1 million | 0.25% | 0.20% |
| $1 million to under $2 million | 0.40% | 0.30% |
| $2 million to under $4 million | 0.60% | 0.50% |
| $4 million to under $6 million | 0.85% | 0.70% |
| $6 million to under $10 million | 1.10% | 0.90% |
| $10 million or more | 1.25% | 1.00% |
The person subject to the tax is generally the seller or other grantor, and a national title insurer's chart of closing customs says the seller pays. Leases count too: the tax applies to a lease or sublease with five years or more left to run.
What is HARPTA withholding?
A state withholding tax on sales by non-residents. Under HRS 235-68, the buyer "shall deduct and withhold a tax equal to 7.25 per cent of the amount realized on the disposition of Hawaii real property", and must file a return of the amount withheld with the Department of Taxation within 20 days of the transfer date. The rate rose from 5% for sales on or after September 15, 2018.
No withholding is needed if the seller signs an affidavit that they are a resident person, among other exemptions. A coordinator on the buyer side should make sure escrow has either the affidavit or the withholding set up well before closing, since the obligation sits with the buyer.
Who handles closing in Hawaii?
A licensed escrow depository, usually a title or escrow company. HRS 449-5 says no one may act as an escrow depository in Hawaii "unless it is a corporation licensed to do so by the commissioner", and an out-of-state escrow handling Hawaii property needs the same Hawaii license. The Division of Financial Institutions publishes the list of licensed escrow depositories.
According to the title insurer's chart, the owner's title policy premium on a residential sale is split 60/40 between seller and buyer, and closing fees are divided equally.
Which MLS and boards serve Hawaii?
RESO's national list shows three MLSs. HiCentral MLS, listed with the Honolulu Board of REALTORS, is the largest, with about 6,800 subscribers. Hawaii Information Service, also in Honolulu, has about 2,000, and the Maui MLS, listed with the REALTORS Association of Maui in Kahului, has about 1,900.
How is the Hawaii market moving?
The Honolulu Board publishes monthly figures for Oahu compiled from HiCentral MLS. Its September 2026 report shows single-family homes selling much faster than a year earlier, while the condo market held steady.
Oahu residential resales, September 2026
| Measure | Single-family homes | Condos |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | 293 (up 6.2%) | 375 (down 8.1%) |
| Median price | $1,110,000 (down 3.9%) | $523,000 (up 2.8%) |
| Median days on market | 16 (was 26) | 41 (was 40) |
| Active inventory | 798 (unchanged) | 2,509 (up 7.8%) |
| In escrow | 372 (down 14.3%) | 504 (down 20.0%) |
At a median of $1,110,000, a typical Oahu house falls in the $1 million to $2 million conveyance tax band. With a condo median of $523,000, at least half of condo sales fall in the lowest band.
What does a transaction coordinator cost in Hawaii?
No Hawaii TC firm in our October 2026 sample published a price. Two national companies list $350 and $400 a file for states other than California, and the 20 public price cards we read ran from $300 to $550 for one side, with a median of $400. The TC fee per file calculator compares that with a salaried hire.
What should you ask before hiring a Hawaii TC?
Ask how they track the 15-day disclosure window and the age of the seller's signed statement. Ask how they confirm the HARPTA affidavit or withholding with escrow, and who prepares the conveyance tax certificate. Ask which questions from the other side they pass back to you, given the Commission's limits. Our transaction coordinator checklist lays out the remaining steps for you to compare.
Freelance TC, TC company or DeedSpring: which fits a Hawaii agent?
The table sets the usual options side by side. A good freelance TC is worth every dollar on a messy file. What most agents are really paying for, though, is someone who never misses a date and always chases the lender. Software does that on every file at once.
Ways to get transaction coordination in Hawaii
| DeedSpring | Freelance TC | Outsourced TC company | In-house TC | Virtual assistant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay | $19–$25 per closing, or $15 a month for one | About $300–$550 per side | About $350–$500 per side, some with monthly minimums | A salary, paid whether or not files close | By the hour |
| Who does the work | Software that reads the contract and drafts the chases for you to approve | One person, often a licensed agent | A coordinator from the firm's team | Your own employee | An assistant you direct task by task |
| Contract deadlines | Set from the executed contract, with every open file checked hourly | Kept in their own calendar | Kept in the firm's system | Kept in yours | Yours to set and watch |
| When volume jumps | Add closings, with no one to hire | Capped by one person's file load | The firm adds staff | You hire again | More hours |
To see what the gap means across a year of files, put your numbers into the TC fee per file calculator.
Questions agents ask about transaction coordinators in Hawaii
Do you need a license to be a transaction coordinator in Hawaii?
The Real Estate Commission has no rule on unlicensed assistants. It has said unlicensed staff may not negotiate, solicit, show properties or sign transaction documents, and may not answer property questions beyond fact sheets the principal broker has approved.
How long does a Hawaii buyer have to review the seller disclosure?
Fifteen calendar days from receipt under HRS 508D-5. If the buyer does not deliver written notice of rescission in that time, the disclosure is deemed accepted. The parties can change the period in writing.
Who pays the conveyance tax in Hawaii?
The person subject to the tax is generally the seller or other grantor. It is filed with Form P-64A at the Bureau of Conveyances, at rates set by price and by whether the buyer can claim a homeowner's exemption.
What is HARPTA?
The common name for Hawaii's withholding on real property sales. Under HRS 235-68 the buyer withholds 7.25% of the amount realized on a sale by a non-resident and reports it within 20 days, unless the seller gives an affidavit of residency or another exemption applies.
Who handles escrow in Hawaii?
A licensed escrow depository. HRS 449-5 allows only corporations licensed by the commissioner to act as escrow depositories for Hawaii property, including companies outside the state.
Compare plans on the DeedSpring pricing page.