If you are looking to build a distinctive oceanfront residence on Maui, we have a new property listed that could be a perfect opportunity. This Kihei oceanfront property is the ideal setting for a family compound with stunning views of the West Maui Mountains, Kahoolawe, Molokini, Lanai and of course the deep blue waters of the Pacific framed by towering coconut palms. Did I mention the sunset views?

This distinctive Maui oceanfront property is located on Halama Street in Kihei. This very desirable neighborhood is truly unique in South Maui. You have a quiet and beautiful oceanfront setting, yet you are still within a short walk of the grocery store, movie theaters, restaurants, coffee shops, shopping and more. In addition to the neighborhood beach, you are just a short drive from numerous other world renowned beaches and golf courses.

This great Maui oceanfront property already has an older three bedroom/two bath house with an attached ohana and swimming pool. Current tenants may provide some income as you go through the design and permitting process to build your new oceanfront estate.

One of the owners has an active real estate license in Hawaii. This Maui Oceanfront Opportunity is offered for $3,800,000. Contact the Jalbert brothers to arrange a showing or for additional information.

Yesterday, I came upon a good blog post from Amy Bohutinsky, a woman I knew from back in college who is now a vice president of communications over at the Internet Real Estate company Zillow. I liked her blog post a lot because it pointed out a pretty interesting statistic about homeowners. For all of the news that we have read about foreclosures and declining home values, 62 percent of all home owners think their home has either increased in value or stayed the same over the last 12 months. She goes onto report that the cold hard fact is that 77% of U.S. home values have declined over the last 12 months. Another interesting statistic relates to the future prospects for appreciation. While 42% of those surveyed thought that values in their neighborhood or community may decrease over the next 6 months, only 25% thought that their own home's value will decrease. As Amy goes onto conclude that there is a pretty healthy amount of denial among home owners.

Denial is not a healthy attribute for sellers if they want to or need to sell their home in a buyer's market. If you are considering selling, one of the first things you should do is evaluate your expectations vs. the reality of the market. At this point in time, there is a lot of inventory on the market and fewer homes being sold. If you have unrealistic expectations on your home value, you will be priced above the rest of the market. The over priced homes in this market aren't just having problems getting offers, they are having a tough time getting showings. For Maui sellers, you need to look beyond the sales stats to get a view of the market. With more activity on the high end of the market, we are seeing inflated median prices for homes and condos in particular. A closer look at comparable sales year to year will show you that the majority of the homes and condos are worth less this year than last year. The seller's who are having the best luck selling their properties quickly are positioning their homes equal to or lower than recent sales. While cleaning up clutter and repairing deferred maintenance are great ways to improve your sales odds, a makeover of seller's expectations may be the most important step towards a successful sale. Contact us today for a free consult if you are considering selling your home.

We just had a price reduction on one of our Haiku listings. This is a great opportunity for those that are looking for property with potential upside. The property is 5.8 acres including two separate parcels that can be sold separately. The one parcel is 4.255 acres with a three bedroom/one bath cottage. The cottage needs TLC, but it has real potential with vaulted ceilings and a huge lanai space that is ideal for indoor/outdoor living. The other parcel is 1.48 acres of gently sloping land.

This property offers a good sense of seclusion in quiet valley in Western Haiku. That being said, it is only five minutes from Haiku Elementary and less than ten minutes to Ho'okipa Beach Park. It is a reasonable commute to Central Maui. The price has been reduced to $849,000. Contact us today for additional information or to arrange a showing.

Billy and I live in Paia on the North Shore of Maui. It is located away from the island's primary resorts in South and West Maui. Despite the lack of resort amenities, the area has become a popular draw for island visitors. The area's appeal to visitors grew tremendously in the early to mid 1980s. People from all over the world were drawn to what is arguably the best wind surfing on the planet. It has since been recognized as a premier destination for other water sports including kite surfing, paddle boarding, surfing and tow surfing. Demand has grown beyond the water sport crowd as people have come to appreciate Paia's charming shops and restaurants and the natural beauty of the surrounding area. Arthur Fromer's even called Paia one of the ten coolest small towns in America.

With a lack of resorts on this side of the island, visitor accommodations started to sprout organically. Demand exceeded the limited number of permitted rental options. Residents began to rent guest cottages and small apartments in Paia and the associated communities of Spreckelsville and Kuau. Second home owners rented out their homes when they weren't on island. Many of these accommodations were opened without official county permits. The county was struggling with a cumbersome with an arduous permit process that was difficult for both county administrators and potential rental owners. As a result, the local government allowed many of the rentals to operate without permits. That changed in mid 2007 when a new county administration began to actively enforce zoning laws. The majority of the non-permitted rentals were shut down.

The end result is that it is much more difficult to find places to stay in the Paia area. That being said, there are some permitted options available for those that want short term rentals. The links below will provide an overview of some of the current permitted rentals, hotels and bed and breakfasts in the greater Paia area.

• The Paia Inn is a new boutique hotel in the heart of town. It features five rooms and one suite. The rooms are luxuriously appointed with 500 thread count sheets, flat screen HD tvs, beautiful artwork from Avi Kiriaty, and high speed Internet. The Inn has a beautiful lobby area with leather couches, wireless Internet, a 60″ flat screen TV and a state of the art audio system. There is a great patio area for morning coffee or evening drinks. Room rates run from roughly $199-$289 per night for the suite.

• The other hotel accommodation in Paia is Nalu Kai Lodge. Nalu Kai is also right in the heart of Paia town. It offers 8 hotel rooms and one larger one bedroom apartment. The rooms are clean, bright and cozy. There is a great little bamboo gated court yard with tiki bar and water feature. This area also has wireless Internet access. Room rates run from roughly $125 per night to $175 per night.

• The Kuau Inn is a nice bed and breakfast less than a mile east of downtown Paia. It is a short walk to Mama's Fish House, Mama's Beach, Tavares Bay and Ho'okipa Beach Park. The house has a lot of old plantation style charm. The common areas give guests access to wireless Internet, a flat screen tv, barbecue areas and an outdoor area for sun and relaxing. Breakfasts of juice, fruit, bagels and cereals are included every morning. There are four rooms available. Rates are $100 a night with a three night minimum.

• Mama's Fish House is arguably the finest dining experience on Maui. The food is outstanding and the setting is incomparable. Mama's also offers a few cottages available for short term rental. The luxurious two bedroom beachfront cottage offers a beautiful setting with a full kitchen and a great lanai area that opens to Mama's Beach. There are also three garden cottages available including a two bedroom, a one bedroom and a studio. It is hard to beat the setting at Mama's not to mention you are right next to world class dining. Prices range from $175 per night for the studio up to $575 per night for the beachfront cottage.

• Kaiholo Hale is a beautiful legal Vacation Rental Home located in the same area as Mama's Fish House. The home may be rented in its entirety or it can be rented as four separate one or two bedroom suites. Prices range from $700 a night for the whole house down to $175 a night for the lowest priced individual suites.

• The Cane Cottage is a new cute little bed and breakfast on Baldwin Avenue in Paia. The bed and breakfast is a charming plantation style home. It offers two rooms for rent with a shared bath. There is also a suite with separate entrance and private bath available. Accommodations include wireless Internet, cable TV, laundry facilities and a continental breakfast. Rooms are $109 a night plus tax or $179 a night plus tax for the suite.

• Kuau Plaza is a modest condo complex located close to Mama's and Ho'okipa Beach Park. There are rentals available in this complex through VRBO. Here is a Two bedroom condo that I found listed for vacation rentals at Kuau Plaza. Here is a one bedroom condo listed in the same complex and one more Kuau Plaza one bedroom. Rates start at around $105 a night.

The county debate over vacation rentals remains dynamic. Some applications for rentals have recently been approved as new rules for vacation rentals and bed and breakfasts continue to be debated in county council. If you are interested in staying in the Paia area, but none of the above rentals fit your needs or you find that they do not have occupancy, you may be best served by contacting some of the local travel companies. They may know of some other accommodations available in Paia. Here are a couple of agents to contact.

• Maui Surf and Turf handles vacation rentals all over the island, but they are quite familiar with the North Shore. They may be able to help find newly permitted accommodations.

• Ho'okipa Haven is another North Shore based vacation rental company that may have leads for places to stay in Paia, Kuau and Spreckelsville.

Of course, you can always contact the Jalbert brothers if you are interested in buying a vacation home along Maui's beautiful North Shore.

It is a pretty busy weekend on Maui with music, festivals, movies and a grueling athletic event on the calendar. Here are some of the highlights.

• If you are looking for fun for the Keikis (kids), head down to the lawn at the Maui Community College Tonight. The Kids First Film Festival features two films starting at 6:30. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs for family fun. There will be snacks, popcorn and door prizes.

• If you are looking for action, Big Beach will be the place to be tomorrow. Save Makena will be hosting the first annual Save Makena Skim and Bodyboard Competition. The shore pound of Big Beach always provides entertainment. It should be that much better as talented local skimmers and body boarders face off.

• Maui's Kula Onions are thought to be the sweetest onions in the world. Saturday there will be a celebration of our island's famous onions at the 19th annual Maui Onion Festival at Whaler's Village in Ka'anapali. The festival includes cooking demonstrations, a beer garden, games, music, other live entertainment and more. Check out the Whalers Village website for more information.

• Maui's O-bon season is winding down this weekend. The island's various Japanese Buddhist Temples have been hosting Bon dances since May. The last Bon celebration at a temple will be held at Shofukuji Mission in Kula. There is a service at 6:30 and the dance will start at 7:30 PM. These cultural events are open to people of all denominations. The Shofukuji Temple is located at 53 Upper Kula Road.

• The Maui Arts and Cultural Center consistently brings world renowned performers and talented local performers to the island. Saturday night grammy award winning reggae artists Steel Pulse will be playing on the lawn of the A&B amphitheater. Gates open at 5:00 and the show starts at 6:00.

• For the masochists or those that like to watch masochists in action, Sunday is the Cycle to the Sun. Competitors in this event bike from Paia to the Summit of Haleakala through Maui's Upcountry. The 36 mile 10,000 foot climb requires legs of steel. The event starts at 6:30 AM.

With all of the wonderful events planned, this should be another great weekend to be on Maui. Contact us if you would like to make looking at property part of your Maui weekend activities.

We just had a price reduction on our great little listing up in Makawao. This property features two well maintained homes on a professionally landscaped 10,000 square foot lot. The main home is a two bedroom/one bath that was recently upgraded with new bamboo floors, new washer and dryer, window coverings, kitchen island and kitchen counter tops.

The one bedroom/one bath cottage with loft has a great feel. The second story living space is nestled under the shade of a large avocado tree giving you a tree house feeling. It is a great place for extended family, guests or renters. The property is situated at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac on the edge of tropical gulch. It offers a tremendous sense of serenity, yet you are still only a five minute walk to all of the convenience and charm of downtown Makawao. This wonderful property has been reduced in price to $519,000. Contact us today for additional information or to arrange a showing. You can also stop by tomorrow between 9:00 and 10:30 for an open house!

Click here for a virtual tour and more pictures.