The latest, newest, and hottest Maui Luxury Resort on the West Side.
Honua Kai—Maui’s premiere resort living.
I just recently closed on a studio unit at the Honua Kai, Hokulani Tower, unit 523 (MLS# 341243). The first night my wife and I stayed in it, we woke up to whales breaching right from our bed.
This beautiful unit not only has amazing ocean views, but is equipped with brand new, state of the art appliances and furniture including a big flat screen at the foot of the bed.
The views are amazing! I watched three different pods of whales playing while sitting on my lanai. The whales and a fresh cup of coffee; that’s a perfect way to start the morning. Read entire post →
3.875% loan with as little as 0%, 3.5%, or 20% down depending on what you qualify for.
This is a brand new 4 bed, 2.5 bath, 2,063 sf Maui home (MLS# 338214) in Na Hoku at Maui Lani. The property is located in a cul-de-sac with a fully landscaped yard, garden wall and fence. Upgraded appliances and solar are also included. Read entire post →
Honua Kai Resort is a beautiful place to stay because it is one of the newest condos on Maui, luxuriously appointed, and on a beautiful beach.
Even though this is a new complex it is not immune from our economic troubles and there are some distressed properties here with more to follow. Its only minor disadvantage is that it is over a mile walk from the main Kaanapali Beach hotel-condo resort area.
Special Values
(MLS# 336670) Ocean views | furnished | 2 bed, 2 bath | Great location within complex – $1,729,000
Last week the national health food store chain Whole Foods Market opened in Central Maui, luckily right around the corner from our new Hawaii Life Real Estate Maui Office. I had the pleasure of visiting it the second day it opened and had to circle the parking lot 6 times before stalking someone for a space.
I’ve been to a Whole Foods before so I knew what to expect but for some local residents this was their first time experiencing this gourmet shopping venue. The prepared foods section was jammed packed and people were wandering around star struck at the vast selections of everything from organic wines to the Shrimp Thai Basil Noodle Bowl that is prepared fresh and hot before your eyes. It was exciting to see people eating things that were good for them and making a conscious effort to be kind to their bodies. I grabbed a quick Kale salad and tried to bolt but ran into about 15 friends as I was making my way to the door. Not only good food but apparently Maui’s new social gathering place as well. Read entire post →
Hawaii had quite the weekend, with the eyes of the world watching to see what the tsunami would bring. We’re grateful that there was no loss of life, or even damage to property… and it was great to see the coordination of the State and local officials to effect such a successful and efficient evacuation.
My wife and I were in Los Angeles for a wedding… and despite the fact that we didn’t have television where we were staying, I was able to stream all of the local news stations online and, perhaps even more impressive, watch information and links to resources pour into Twitter. The conversation around the tsunami emerged as the leading topic of conversation on Twitter. People sent in photographs, links to buoy readings in the Pacific, videos of the ocean as the series of waves came ashore. It was an incredible testament of the power of the information age.
Here’s a recent video that illustrates the growing number of internet use and social networking. The numbers referenced are astounding.
Valuable info provided by NOAA's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
The threat of a tsunami wreaking havoc on the people and infrastructure of Hawaiian island shores has passed! We dodged a bullet!!
Authorities confirmed that a tsunami generated by the 8.8 earthquake off Chile did indeed hit the Hawaiian island chain, reaching the Big Island first with diminished effects as it headed N/NW.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s “Pacific Tsunami Warning Center” is fully prepared for this type of event, (even though the last state-wide tsunami warning was over 25 years ago). Read entire post →
If you were like me a few years ago and someone asked me to get a Hawaii home energy audit, I would have called my CPA to schedule one!
While we see Hawaii becoming more energy conscious, this term has not been familiar….until now. A Home Energy Audit, in a nutshell, is an evaluation of the energy consumption of your home and of your energy usage patterns.
We in Hawaii have different comfort issues to deal with…hot rooms that don’t cool down quick enough, air conditioned spaces that are either too cold or not cold enough. We need to understand these issues as it relates to a “Hawaiian Style” home. Read entire post →
If it’s been awhile since you shopped for property, brace yourself for some changes—not just in the shopping stage, where REOs and short sales definitely bear consideration, but also in securing your financing.
What worked in the past may or may not work in the present, with new guidelines in place and more distinctions between lenders and their individual requirements. But sometimes a little creativity, or even a few more phone calls can go a long way.
I’m working with a very successful investor client, who has weathered our current storm with a buying strategy that I’d call cautiously aggressive. She has eight properties in three states, and has timed her purchases not with the market, but by the individual deal. She put between 20 and 80 percent down on each, ignored the sirens sung by ARMS and other programs she calls “foolish” (her words, not mine), and made her money on the buying side. She has a positive cash flow on each of them. Read entire post →
Kaanapali Alii is the most luxurious condo building on Kaanapali Beach, one of my favorite Maui beaches.
Kaanapali Alii consists of 264 luxury condos in four 11-story buildings. The one-bedroom units have about 1,500 square feet and the two-bedroom units have about 1,800 square feet. All are air conditioned, unlike some of the less expensive condos on Maui. These are upper class condos with amenities to match, so expect to pay for it.
Prices for these units also reflect the high class standards of Kaanapali Alii. They start at $990,000 and go all they way to $5,200,000. Price depends on the location size and views in the complex. Maintenance fees for 1 bedrooms start around $1,448 and the 2 bedrooms start around $,1677. This is a leasehhold complex see (http://www.hawaiilife.com/articles/2010/02/maui-condos-le…-vs-fee-simple). The fee is available to purchase for 450k. Read entire post →
The Hawaii Association of Realtors’ President, Tracy Stice, has joined Hawaii Life Real Estate Services as the Broker-In-Charge of Hawaii Life’s new Maui branch office, located in the former corporate headquarters of Maui Land & Pineapple in Kahului.
Tracy Stice, R Hawaii Association of Realtors President 2010 and Broker-In-Charge of Hawaii Life Real Estate Services on Maui
Hawaii Life’s commitment to education and technology appealed to Mr. Stice. In his recent interview as HAR President, he told the Hawaii Realtor Journal:
“The market is permanently changed. Sitting in offices and waiting for people to walk through the door is obsolete. You need more internet contacts and you have to constantly educate yourself to acquire new skills. Those who don’t adapt to new technologies won’t make it.”
Mr. Stice has been a licensed Realtor on Maui for more than 30 years, and his reputation as a professional and community volunteer is well known throughout Hawaii. He has served as the President of the Realtors Association of Maui, and has chaired the Hawaii Association of Realtors Political Action Committee and the Legislative Committee. In 2004, he was named Realtor Broker of the Year by the Realtors Association of Maui. Read entire post →
