Today’s blog looks towards leeward Haleakala and the beautiful beaches, stunning views, and high end amenities of the Wailea Resort. We wanted to take a look at how the Wailea market fared through the year to date. This post includes information on Wailea Home and Condo sales as of September 22, 2021. It is also worth noting that this looks exclusively at properties in the Wailea Resort itself. Our MLS groups Wailea and Makena together. I plan on doing a separate post on the Makena market some time next week.

Notable Number’s From This Year’s Wailea Home Sales

• As of September 22nd, Maui Realtors reported 41 home sales. That is a 227% increase in activity compared to the 18 that closed during the same period last year.
• The median price of the homes sold is $3,000,000. The average price is $3,691,505. That is an increase of 44% and 55% over last year’s median and average prices respectively.
• It is worth noting that the change in median and average sales price is not an accurate reflection of the year to year change in values. More sales at the highest reaches of the market helped to boost both of those numbers.
• The highest priced sale of the year to date in Wailea closed for $10,900,000. This Wailea Highlands property included a 6,042 square foot home on almost an acre of land.
• The Wailea Highlands close was one of two sales to close for more than $10,000,000 and one of six home sales to close for more than $5,000,000 in Wailea. There were no sales over $5,000,000 during the same period of 2020.
• The lowest priced sale closed for $1,350,000. This Wailea Pualani home offered 1,991 square feet of living space.
• Competition for homes increased significantly. Of the 41 sales, 11 sold for over asking price and 5 sold for full price. By comparison, none of the sales over the same period of 2020 sold for above asking price.
• More competition occurred at the lower price points of the Wailea home market. Eleven out of nineteen sales under $3,000,000 closed for asking price or above.
• Almost 66% percent of the transactions were reported to be cash sales. Cash seemed to be preferred in the more competitive $3,000,000 and under range and with higher priced transactions. A greater number of buyers chose to use conventional financing for the $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 price range.
• Wailea Pualani and Wailea Kai saw the most activity of all of the neighborhoods in Wailea. There were 8 closes in each subdivision.

Thoughts on Recent Activity and the Outlook for the Wailea Home Market

Needless to say, the numbers above point to a robust eight plus months of home sales in Wailea. While many second home markets took off in the spring and summer of 2020, Maui’s market remained relatively quiet due to quarantine requirements. We started to see an uptick in buyer activity after the governor lifted quarantine restrictions in October. Buyer activity started to increase during those last few months of 2020. It hit a whole other level in 2021. I checked the MLS data going back to 2003. Only January-September of 2005 came within 10% of this year’s total.

While this spring marked the peak of the frenzy, buyer demand remains strong. Inventory, on the other hand, is particularly limited. There are only eight active home listings for sale within the Wailea Resort. An additional seven homes are under contract. Barring any significant changes in the global economic picture or an unexpected influx of new listings, Wailea should remain a seller’s market through the rest of the year with sales volumes slowing due to the lack of inventory.

Notable Numbers From the 2021 Wailea Condo Market

• Maui Realtors reported 232 condos sold in Wailea between January 1, 2021 and September 22nd. That is a 362.5% increase over the 64 sold during the same period of 2020.
• The median price of the 232 condos sold is $1,398,000. The average price is $1,910,153. That is 15.3% and 12.2% higher than last year’s median and average respectively.
• The highest priced condo sale for the year to date closed for $14,000,000. This Wailea Beach Villas condo features 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, almost 3,000 square feet of living space and a direct beachfront location.
• The lowest priced Wailea condo sale for the year to date closed for $647,000. This is a studio unit at Wailea Ekahi.
• I did a double take when looking at the data for the lowest priced condo sales in Wailea. I saw two closes at Wailea Point for $375,000 and $425,000 respectively. That is a shockingly low price for one of the more premium developments in Wailea. Closer examination revealed that the two seemingly low priced condo sales were for boat garages in the development.
• According to MLS statistics, Makali’i was the busiest condo for sales thus far this year. It is worth noting that the majority of the 47 closes were new developer sales. These new developer sales were based on pre-construction contracts penned two to three years ago.
• While closes at Makali’i juiced this year’s total sales volume based on older contracts, it is worth noting that quite a few properties went under contract in 2021 that won’t close until at least 2023. La’i Loa at Wailea Hills is the newest condo development in Wailea. Sales began in the spring of 2020. A roll out right at the start of Covid-19 blunted momentum. That said, it picked up steam in the fall of 2020. Strong demand in the first few months of 2021 resulted in the reservation of all 75 units by this spring.
• Maui Realtors reported the most resales at Wailea Ekahi and Grand Champions. Both developments stand at 25 sales for the year to date.
• Of the 232 sales, MLS records show 129 were cash transactions. That is 55.6% of the total sales. That is up from 47.9% over the same period last year.
• Competition also increased significantly in the Wailea condo market. Of all of the closed transactions, 35 closed for over asking price. Over the same period of 2020, not a single transaction closed for over asking price.

Thoughts on and Outlook for the Wailea Condo Market

Like the Wailea home market, the Wailea condo market experienced strong activity through the first nine months of the year. Also like the home market, the trajectory of the market showed a similar pattern over the last 18 months. It was a slower spring and summer of 2020 as the island felt the impacts of Covid-19 and a lack of visitors. A gradual ramping up of activity followed when tourism reopened in October. The start of the new year brought a whole other level of interest in Wailea Condos. We entered the year with a fairly balanced market between supply and demand. That shifted as buyers ravenously chewed through the market inventory. As with the home market, we are seeing all time high levels of sales activity for the year to date.

With high levels of demand and a shrinking supply, we also experienced a lot of upward price pressure in the market. With variability in value between units, it is hard to quantify the exact levels of appreciation. If I were to guess, I would saw 10% or greater appreciation is quite likely with variability between some of the different developments.

As for the outlook for the rest of the year, it really comes down to inventory. Plain and simple, the active condo inventory is shockingly low. At the date of this post, there are 6 active condo listings in all of the Wailea resort. There are active listings at only four of the seventeen condo developments within Wailea. Needless to say, this will constrain sales volume unless we see a considerable uptick in active inventory. It will also lead to some upward pricing pressure.

Contact The Maui Real Estate Team

Contact The Maui Real Estate Team if you are interested in buying property in Wailea. We would be happy to keep our eyes and ears open for new inventory or unlisted properties. You can also keep tabs on the current inventory of active Wailea Condo listings and Wailea Homes for Sale on MauiRealEstate.com. I don’t think you could find a much better time to go to market if you are a Wailea property owner thinking about selling. Send us a message or give us a call to arrange a free consultation and an estimate of the current market value of your condo.

The South Maui Resort Community of Wailea is world renowned for it’s beautiful beaches, great golfing, fine dining, shopping and more. Makena is located just to the South of Wailea Resort. It offers its own stunning beaches, golf and a quieter setting. Both areas offer exclusive real estate and some of the most expensive properties on the island. While we are well past the first of the year, we wanted to provide a market update looking at how Wailea and Makena performed during 2012. We also give some thoughts on the 2013 market outlook.

There were 25 home sales in Wailea and Makena in 2012 at a median sales price of $1,410,000. By comparison, the 2011 numbers were 29 home sales at a median price of $2,100,000. That calculates to a 14% decrease in activity and a 33% decrease in median price.

There were 114 condo sales in Wailea and Makena during 2012 with a median sales price of $757,500. There were 101 sales in Wailea and Makena during 2011 with a median sales price of $900,000. That is a 13% increase in activity and a 16% decrease in median price.

There were 5 land sales in Wailea and Makena in 2012 at a median price of $875,000. The 2011 Wailea and Makena Land sales figures were 5 sales at a median of $2,000,000.

Here are a few other numbers of note that I thought were worth sharing about the 2012 Wailea and Makena Real Estate Market:

• The high home sale for the year was $9,850,000 for an oceanfront home in Makena Place. Also of note, there was an estate along Keawakapu Beach that closed for $23,000,000. This was classified geographically as a Kihei closing, but that area is often thought of as part of Wailea. About half the sales closed along that stretch of beach are classified as Wailea sales while the other half are Kihei closes.
• There were a total of eight home sales over $2,000,000 in Wailea/Makena. There were fifteen $2,000,000 plus sales in the area during 2011.
• Four of the twenty-five home sales were in Makena. There were six Makena sales in 2011.
• The low home sales price was $775,900 for a bank owned home in Wailea Pualani.
• The high condo sale was $5,992,000 for a three bedroom/three bath unit at Wailea Beach Villas
• There were 28 condo sales over $1,500,000 in 2012. By comparison, there were 41 condo sales over $1,500,000 in 2011.
• Grand Champions was the Wailea condominium with the most sales activity. There were 16 closes in 2012.
• There were nine bank owned sales in Wailea and Makena during 2012. There were twelve bank owned sales in 2011. Wailea and Makena have not seen near the number of bank owned listings as other communities.

The Wailea and Makena Real Estate markets saw improved overall activity during 2012 overall. Much of this increased activity occurred at lower price points for this market. The sharp dip in median prices for homes and condos reflect a slow down in activity at higher price points in the market. There was a 47% decrease in homes sold over $2,000,000 and a 32% decrease in condos sold over $1,500,000. This is in line with some of the trends we saw island wide.

What will 2013 bring for the Wailea and Makena Real Estate markets? We have the advantage of almost two months of activity to get a sense of what is happening in the market. For home sales, we are seeing signs of improvement. There are already four homes sold with six more pending sales. Of note, six of the pending or sold homes are priced over $2,000,000. If we were to continue at this pace, it would bode well for ultra luxury homes in Wailea and Makena.

The Wailea and Makena condo market appears to be following a similar pace to last year. There are 38 condos that have either sold or are currently pending in the area. The ultra luxury condo market does not appear to be taking off at the same pace as the ultra luxury home market with only five condos over $1,500,000 that are either pending or sold since January 1.

Some markets around the island have a muddled 2013 outlook due to a lack of inventory. What about Wailea and Makena? The chart below shows the Wailea and Makena home inventory by price point and compares it the 2012 Wailea and Makena Home Sales by price point.

The Wailea and Makena home market still has over a year’s worth of inventory based on last year’s absorption rates. The lower price points of the market are the only places were scarcity could be an issue at this point. There is only one active listing under $1,000,000 compared to the six sales in that price range in 2012. There is only one active listing priced between $1,000,000 and $1,250,000 compared to three sales in 2012. I surmise that this is going to be a price range with very limited opportunities during 2013. Bank owned opportunities are likely to be few and far between, and we may well see some upward price pressure. As you get higher in price, the options increase. Over $2,000,000, there is a few year’s worth of inventory based on last year’s absorption rate. That being said, it looks likely that absorption rate may be increasing based on early 2013 activity.

The chart below looks at 2012 Makena and Wailea Condo sales by complex and compares them to the current active inventory of Wailea and Makena Condos.

The Makena and Wailea Condo market appears to have a similar outlook for 2013 compared to the home market. Lower priced condos like Wailea Fairway Villas and Grand Champions are showing increased scarcity. As a result, you are seeing some upward price pressure. As you move to the condo complexes with higher price points, you start to see greater depth of inventory. One thing that differentiates the condo market is that there are two new developments on the market in 2013. The Suites at Wailea is a new offering that just came on the market in January. This low density vacation rental is situated at the top of Wailea. It is a unique offering in that there is a special focus on services and amenities. All owners will be required to purchase membership in Club 72. Club 72 membership provides access to the health spa, preferred dining at Capische Restaurant, Cooking classes, valet services, limo service and a lot more. The one bedroom condos at the Suites at Wailea Start in the low $600,000s. While the offer price is relatively low for Wailea, the monthly association and Club 72 fees come in at approximately $2,000 a month. Initial market feedback has been relatively tepid. It will be interesting to see if the market wraps it’s head around this amenity heavy offering.

The other new condo development that came on the market in January is Andaz Wailea. This much anticipated beachfront resort is situated on 15 acres on Mokapu Beach. There will be a traditional luxury hotel component and 19 luxury villas on the property. Twelve of the luxury villas are included in the initial offering. The villas will range in size from just under 2,000 square feet to over 4,000 square feet. Pricing ranges from just over $5,000,000 to over $11,000,000. Andaz is still under construction with the hotel set to open during the summer of 2013. The residences are expected to be completed a little later in the year. These ultra luxury condos are not being listed on the multiple listing service, but the developer is currently taking binding reservations. Contact The Maui Real Estate Team if you are interested in learning more about the villas listed for sale at Andaz Wailea.

Andaz Video Preview

What does all of the above mean for those who are interested in buying a property in Wailea and Makena in 2013? Buyers shopping for condos under $1,000,000 or homes under $1,500,000 will find that they have limited inventory to choose from. Well priced homes and condos in this range tend to go quickly when they do come on the market. As buyers go up in price range, the inventory and increases quite a bit. Ultra Luxury condo buyers in particular have a lot to choose from between Andaz and existing offerings like Wailea Point and Wailea Beach Villas. That being said, I would be hard pressed to call it a true buyer’s market. Many of the sellers in this market have deep pockets and can afford to wait for more favorable market conditions. Sellers who are considering entering the market, will need to adjust their strategy in part based on their price point and their urgency. Sellers who are anxious to redeploy their capital will likely need to price aggressively to ensure a shorter time on market.

The Makena and Wailea Real Estate markets offer a lot of options for interested buyers. Contact The Maui Real Estate Team today for a free consultation that will help you identify potential properties that might fit your needs. You can check out the full inventory of Makena and Wailea Homes for Sale, and Makena and Wailea Condos for sale on MauiRealEstate.com.

We may be almost midway through August, but I wanted to follow through on our promise to provide midyear market updates for a hand full of Maui communities. Today, we are going to cast the spotlight on the resort communities of Wailea and Makena. This corner of Maui is a a world renowned resort travel destination. Wailea and Makena are synonymous with stunning beaches, great golf, fine dining, luxurious resorts and high end shopping. All of these amenities combine to make Wailea and Makena desirable locales for second home owners. The following is a comparison of the sales numbers between the first half of 2012 and 2011 for the Wailea and Makena luxury markets.

There were 17 home sales reported in Wailea/Makena with a median sales price of $1,635,000 during the first six months of 2012. During the same period of 2011, those totals were 10 sales with a median price of $1,472,500. That is a 70% increase in volume and an 11% increase in median prices. There were 58 condos sold in Wailea with a median price of $780,000 during January through June of 2012. The numbers for the first half of 2011 were 65 condos sold with a median price of $975,000. That is a 17 percent drop in volume and a 20% drop in median price. There was only one land sale in Wailea/Makena during the first six months of 2012. There were two during the first six months of 2011.

Here are some other noteworthy numbers for the first half of 2012.

• There were three home sales in Makena during the first six months of 2012. By comparison, there were no sales in Makena during the first six months of 2011. On the other side of the coin, there were no condo sales in Makena during the first six months of 2012. There were four Makena condo sales in the first six months of 2011.
• The high sale during the first six months of 2012 was $9,850,000 for a 4,155 square foot home oceanfront home in Makena Place. The high in the first six months of 2011 was $5,200,000 for a 5,967 square foot home in Wailea Golf Vistas.
• The highest priced condo transaction in Wailea for the first half of 2012 was $5,992,000 for a 2,983 square foot unit at Wailea Beach Villas. The high condo sale in the first half of 2011 was $12,500,000 for a front row unit at Wailea Beach Villas.
• The lowest priced home sale during the first six months of 2012 was $775,000 for a bank owned home in Wailea Pualani. The lowest priced home sale in the first half of 2011 was $900,000 for a home in Wailea Kai.
• The lowest priced condo sale during the first six months of 2012 was $400,000 for a two bed/two bath unit at Grand Champions. Last year, the low priced sale was $360,000 for a one bedroom, bank owned unit in Wailea Ekahi.
• There were a total of six REO sales and one short sale in all of Wailea and Makena during the first half of 2012. The numbers were eight REO sales and eight successful short sales in all of Wailea and Makena during the first half of 2011.

The most striking element of the Wailea and Makena numbers was the divergence in market performance between homes and condos. While activity was clearly up for home sales, the numbers trended down for the condo market. I can’t say there is a clear cut reason for the difference in activity. That being said, I have a few thoughts. Looking at the home side of the equation, the bump may be a case of buyers responding to values. At our broker Billy’s suggestion, I looked at original asking price vs. sales prices for homes in Wailea. Looking at the five highest priced sales, the difference between original asking price and sales price was 10%, 15%, 53%, 28% and 20% respectively. The 10% number difference between original list price and sales price on the Makena Place sale may actually be a little low. This home had been on and off the market without selling dating back to 2007. Back then, it was priced as high as $14,900,000. While I can’t say this unequivocally, it appears that buyers responded to these properties in part because of a perception of value. An increase in well priced properties may well be the driver for the increase in activity.

I think this is something worth noting for luxury sellers. There is still a pretty healthy luxury inventory on the market. The buyers like Peter Thiel are more an exception than a rule. Luxury buyers are showing that they are value conscious in this market. Motivated sellers may want to take heed and position their home so that it stands out as a value among the rest of the inventory.

The reasons for the decrease in activity in the luxury condo market are a little murky. In my search for answers, I compared the sales volume of individual condo complexes in the Wailea and Makena area. You can see this comparison in the chart below.

There was one thing that stood out the most while looking at this chart. There appears to be a sharper decline in activity on the high end of the condo market. Among the places that saw sharper declines in activity, Wailea Palms is the only complex with a median less than $1,000,000. Other complexes with more notable declines included Papali, Wailea Beach Villas, Hoolei, Wailea Point, Makena Surf and Na Hale O Makena. All of these complexes are condos with median prices over $1,000,000 and in some cases well over $2,000,000. I looked back at all of the sales and my suspicions appear to be supported. There were 30 sales over $1,500,000 during the first six months of last year. This year that number shrank to 15 sales. What’s driving a high end condo slow down in Wailea and Makena? That’s tough to say. The decline in volume at Papali and Hoolei may stem from a decrease in inventory. These are new developments that have sold all but a few of the original developer listings. There is only one new developer listing remaining at Papali and the majority of the twelve listings at Hoolei are resales. With the rest of the luxury market, lack of inventory isn’t driving the decline in activity. There are an additional 39 condos on the market over $1,500,000. If these sellers are serious about selling, they may want to take a page from the book of Wailea luxury home sellers and start to sharpen their pencils.

The land market in Wailea and Makena remains limited. The one sale this year was for a property in Makena with upside development potential. There are fourteen vacant lots listed currently. Two of the fourteen are under contract. Looking at this inventory, many of these lots are resales. I can’t see a lot of activity in this market segment unless more of these listings become values in the eyes of buyers.

Contact The Maui Real Estate Team if you have questions or would like assistance buying or selling Wailea and Makena Properties. Search MauiRealEstate.com for the current inventory of Makena and Wailea Condos for Sale. You can also peruse the current inventory of Makena and Wailea Homes for Sale.