April 2023 Paia Real Estate Market Update

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With the first quarter of the year done, we wanted to provide some more community level market updates. A few weeks back, we did a post on the Spreckelsville neighborhood. This post looks at market activity just up the coastline in Paia and Kuau. The Maui Real Estate Team Office is located off of Baldwin Avenue in Paia. Needless to say, it is a market we follow closely. This post looks back at market activity during the second half of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. We also give a few thoughts on the market outlook for the rest of the year.

One quick note before we get to the numbers, the local Realtor’s Association lump Paia, Kuau and Spreckelsville into the same district. That makes sense geographically, but the markets are just different enough that we like to provide separate market updates for the two areas.

Paia Second Half of 2022 and First Quarter of 2023 Sales Numbers

  • Nine homes sold in Paia between July 1, 2022 and March 31st 2023. The median price of the homes sold during this period came in at $940,000.
  • Over the same period between July of 2021 and March of 2022, twenty homes sold. The median sales price during that time came in at $1,175,000. The decrease in median price is a reflection of the inventory sold rather than a decrease in property values.
  • The lowest priced home to sell over the last nine months closed in December for $705,000. The four bedroom, two and a half bath home with 1,507 square feet of living space is located in the Skill Village neighborhood. The home needed some TLC.
  • The highest priced sale over the last nine months closed for $5,700,000. This 3 bed, 2.5 bath home includes 2,562 of living space on a 18,025 square foot oceanfront lot on Kuau Point. This home sold off the market.
  • Skill Village experienced the most sales activity over the last nine months with 3 transactions. Kuau Point and the downtown Paia area both had 2 closed sales. Neighborhoods like Kuau Bayview, North Shore Village and Paia Halelani did not see any inventory and consequently no sales activity.
  • One condo closed at Kuau Plaza in the last nine months. The one bedroom, one bath condo sold for $700,000 in July of 2022. That sale set a new record for this small vacation rental condo development. Two sales occurred in Kuau Plaza between July 2021 and March 30th, 2022.

A Particularly Quiet Start to 2023 in Paia

While the volume of sales for the last nine months came in quite a bit below the same period of 2021-2022, the first quarter of 2023 was particularly slow. Only 2 homes sold in the first three months of this year. Only two homes went under contract during this period. This is the slowest year for first quarter sales since 2014, and the slowest first quarter for pending sales since 2009!

This chart shows new pending sales and closed transactions in Paia during the first quarter between 2009 and 2023.
New Pending Sales and Closed Transactions in the first quarter from 2009-2023.

So what’s driving the decrease in sales activity? Well, there isn’t a community on Maui where activity isn’t lower than last year. That is due to a mix of both decreased demand and diminished inventory. That said, the Paia and Kuau area are seeing a particularly acute decrease in inventory at “lower” price points. Only one home priced for less than $1,500,000 came to market in the last six months and only four homes for $2,000,000 or less.

The golden handcuffs of low interest rates, the lack of opportunity for step up buyers and just a general lack of inventory in this desirable community combined to create the current inventory crunch. With so little inventory available at lower price points, it is safe to say that the dip in median price we saw during the last nine months won’t continue going forward. Once again, the shift in inventory sold will be the biggest driver in the change in median prices.

The Market Outlook in Paia for the Rest of 2023

Based on inventory levels, I don’t think I am going out on a limb saying sales volume will likely remain quiet. There are currently two properties under contract, and it does not appear as if significant inventory relief is forthcoming. The dynamics that resulted in the recent decrease in inventory remain in place. What about demand? It’s hard to say what to expect. The trajectory of interest rates will play a part. Lower rates may generate a few more sales, while any spike in rates could keep some buyers on the sideline. Needless to say, we will be keeping a close eye on inventory in this community. You can search the current inventory of Paia Homes for Sale on our site.

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