The Maui Real Estate Team has two contiguous properties in the Olinda area of Maui’s Upcountry listed for sale. The 6.7 acre parcel and the 30.45 acre parcel can be purchased separately or together to form a potential family compound.

The 6.7 acre property includes a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, modern Hawaiian Plantation Style home. Highlights of the home include vaulted ceilings, an expansive lanai, jacuzzi tubs in both bathrooms, a photovoltaic system and big ocean and West Maui Mountain Views. The property also includes a hot tub, cold plunge, a sauna, a big orchard and what we believe to be Maui’s longest slip and slide.

The adjoining 30.45 acre parcel has an older two bedroom, two bath home with a four car, car port and a separate office area. There is a small greenhouse, a water catchment building with two tanks and an auxiliary water catchment reservoir. This property has been planted extensively with native trees funded in part by a conservation grant. The beautiful Koa and Ohia trees are really flourishing in the Upcountry climate.

The two parcels offer a tremendous sense of seclusion and privacy. That said, they are still just minutes from downtown Makawao, close to great schools and just 20 minutes from Baldwin and Ho’okipa Beach Parks on Maui’s North Shore.

The six acre parcel with a beautiful modern plantation home is being offered for sale for $1,500,000. The 30 acre parcel is being offered for $2,000,000.  Buy one or buy both. The two parcels together have the potential to be converted into one of the more spectacular estate properties in Maui’s Upcountry.

Back when I posted the June Statistics, I promised a series of mid year updates on the real estate markets around the island. Mea Culpa. Sometimes, the rest of my work obligations get in the way of blogging. I have only been able to produce updates on Paia and Spreckelsville. Today, I wanted to turn my sights on the island’s luxury home market. Since it is the end of August, we are going to include all of the sales for the year date. We wanted to look at the volume of high end home sales around the island, notable sales and market conditions specific to some of the different neighborhoods and communities around the island.

Just from a methodology standpoint, I am classifying luxury homes as homes priced for $2,000,000 or more. We have used this $2,000,000 threshold for luxury homes regularly throughout our discussions of stats on this blog. That isn’t to say that there aren’t some very nice homes that have sold this year for less than $2,000,000.

Luxury Home Sales Volumes and Median Prices
There were 43 homes sold for $2,000,000 or more between January 1, 2015 and August 22, 2015. The median price of those sales was $3,196,000. Between January 1, 2014 and August 22, 2014, there were 45 homes sold. The median luxury home price for this period of 2014 was $3,800,000. When comparing this year to last year, there was roughly a 4% drop in sales volume and a 16% drop in median price. Just to be clear, the drop in median does not reflect any sort of change in values in the market. It is a reflection of the inventory sold.

Notable Maui Luxury Home Sales for the Year to Date
Here are some notable numbers that I thought were worth passing along from this year’s luxury home sales.

• The highest priced sale thus far this year was for a home in the Keahou at Makena Subdivision. The 4 bed/ 4.5 bath home with 6,737 square feet of living space is located on 4.23 acres. It sold for a whopping $41,775,000. That isn’t just the high sales price for the year, it is the highest ever sale price for a home on Maui by a significant margin.
• Including the Keahou at Makena sale, there were 8 sales over $5,000,000.
• Wailea/Makena and Ka’anapali were the two busiest luxury home markets through the better part of the last eight months. Realtors reported nine sales in both of those markets.
• Of the 43 luxury home sales for the year to date, 14 sales were either oceanfront or beachfront.
• The 43 sales were spread among 12 different towns or resorts in Maui County. Hana and Molokai are two communities that haven’t seen all that many $2,000,000 sales over the previous few years, but they each had one $2,000,000 plus transaction this year.
• The 43 sales included one bank owned property and two short sales.

A Look at Selected Luxury Home Markets Around the Island
The Maui Luxury home market is fairly diverse. Buyers typically focus their search on one or perhaps two areas of the island. With that in mind, we want to look at how some of the different areas around the island performed during the first eight months of 2015.

Makena and Wailea
The Wailea and Makena area typically sees the most sales activity of any luxury community on island. That rang true during the first half of 2015 as it tied Ka’anapali for the busiest area for closes on the island. Digging a little deeper within the numbers, there were 8 sales in Wailea and just one sale in Makena. Within Wailea, there was a good cross section of neighborhoods that saw activity. There was a sale in Maluhia, a sale in Wailea Highlands, 2 sales in Wailea Golf Vistas, 2 sales in Wailea Golf Estates and 2 in Wailea Kialoa. The sales activity in Wailea was actually up a little from last year. There were 7 homes sold in Wailea proper in the first eight months of 2014.

Makena saw a drop in activity with the one solitary sale compared to 5 sales during the same period the year before. It is hard to say why there was a dip in sales in Makena. Some of that could just be a case of market variability and inventory. The one other factor that could be coming into play is the Makena Golf and Beach Club. This new development spearheaded by Discovery Land Company is located at and around the current Makena Golf and Beach Resort. This new community is set to be Maui’s most exclusive and high end luxury development to date. There are no single family homes for sale in the community yet, but there are some very high end home sites on the market in Maluaka Estates. There has been one lot sold and an additional three lots are under contract. All four lots have prices of $10,000,000 or more. It is possible that some of those buyers may have been potential buyers for other Makena properties. That said, Discovery Land Company is known to have a loyal following that might draw buyers who might not have otherwise looked at Maui.

I thought it was worth briefly revisiting the high sale in Makena. The sale at Keahou smashed the old Maui sales record by $14,700,000. I will be honest, the sales price is something of a head scratcher. The neighboring property is on a smaller piece of land and the house is 1,200 feet smaller, but it is currently listed for sale for $13,400,000. It seems like quite a stretch for there to be a $28,375,000 difference in value between the two homes. As much as it makes the new listing seem like a value, I think it points to the big sale as something of an outlier.

It will be interesting to see what happens over the rest of the year in Wailea and Makena. There is still a fair amount of inventory for buyers to choose from. There are twenty active home listings on the market currently with 7 properties in Makena and 13 in Wailea. Check out the full inventory of Makena and Wailea Homes for Sale on MauiRealEstate.com.

Ka’anapali
Ka’anapali had a pretty strong first eight months of the year with 9 total sales. That is up a little over the seven sales last year. The sales came from six different neighborhoods within Ka’anapali. There were 3 sales in the Pinnacle Neighborhood, 2 in the older section of Ka’anapli Golf Estates, 2 in the Summit at Ka’anpali, and a single sale in both Ka’anapali Hillside and Ka’anapali Coffee Farms. The high sale for the year to date was $3,500,000 for a four bedroom, three and a half bath home with 3,715 square feet of living space on a .65 acre lot in the Pinnacle.

There are 13 homes actively listed for over $2,000,000 in Ka’anapali. That should give buyers who prefer Ka’anapali some pretty good options. You can see the full inventory of Ka’anapali Homes for Sale on MauiRealEstate.com.

Kapalua
Kapalua has been the third busiest luxury home market this year with 7 closes over $2,000,000 for the year to date. All of the subdivisions of Kapalua with the exception of One Kapalua Place have seen sales activity thus far this year. There were 2 sales in Pineapple Hill Estates, 2 sales in Pineapple Hill, 2 sales in Plantation Estates and a single sale in Honolua Ridge. The high sale was $5,700,000 for the Honolua Ridge property. For a price tag of $5,700,000, that buyer now owns a four bedroom, five and a half bath home with 6,509 square feet of living space on a 2.82 acre lot. It has stunning views overlooking the renowned Honolua Bay.

The Kapalua market currently has 29 homes actively listed for sale. This is the biggest inventory of luxury homes of any of the communities around the island. This makes for an excellent selection for potential buyers. That may also allow for some opportunities. Typically, high end sellers have more staying power and will hold out for a premium. That said, you could make an argument that we have already seen a premium property go at a substantial discount with this year’s high sale in Kapalua. The home in Honolua Ridge sold for $4,000,000 below its original asking price and $1,995,000 below the list price at the time that it sold. You can see the full inventory of Kapalua Homes for Sale on MauiRealEstate.com.

Lahaina
There are two parts of Lahaina where high end home sale activity tends to be concentrated. The first is along the oceanfront. Homes along Front Street and Baby Beach typically start over $2,000,000. The other area is just south of the town in the neighborhood of Launiupoko. Launiupoko has been one of the stronger markets for high end sales over the last couple of years. There have been five sales in Lahaina thus far this year. Three of the sales have been in Launiupoko and two have been oceanfront homes. The highest priced sale was $3,500,000 for a 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom residential condominium with 3,675 square feet of living space on 8.513 acres.

There are 16 active luxury home listings for sale in Lahaina at this time. Eleven of the homes are in Launiupoko with the rest located along the ocean. Lahaina is another market where buyers have some pretty good options. Check out all of the current Lahaina Luxury Home listings on MauiRealEstate.com.

Upcountry
The Upcountry area of Maui tends to see fewer high end sales than the resort communities of the island. That said, there are some pretty spectacular estates located along the flanks of Haleakala. Kula and Olinda are places where you will see some bigger acreage estates. There are also some homes along Baldwin Avenue below Makawao that fit the luxury home mold. The first eight months of the year have seen only two sales above the $2,000,000 mark in the Upcountry Area. There was one sale in Kula and one sale in Olinda. Last year, there was just one sale over $2,000,000 in the Upcountry area in the first eight months of the year.

The highest priced sale Upcountry for the year to date was $3,500,000. That was for a 24 acre estate in Olinda. It included a 3,300 square foot, three bed, three bath home and a separate two bedroom cottage. The 24 acres property included three separate parcels of land all with their own water meter.

While there haven’t been a lot of high end home sales Upcountry this year, there has been an uptick in buyer activity over the last two months. There are four homes in Kula listed for $2,000,000 that are currently under contract. That is more than anywhere else on island. There are an additional 16 homes listed for more than $2,000,0000 currently on the market Upcountry. That means a pretty good selection for high end buyers looking for more privacy or a different feel than the resorts or the beach. You can see all of the Upcountry Luxury Home listings on MauiRealEstate.com.

North Shore
The North Shore of Maui has become an increasingly popular location for luxury home buyers over the last five years. Prior to this year, Paia and Spreckelsville was the focal point of high end sales while the Haiku market lagged behind. We saw something of a shift this year. The Spreckelsville market has had limited inventory, Paia has been quiet and Haiku has seen the strongest sales activity since the downturn began. There were three total sales over $2,000,000 through the first eight months of the year. Last year, there were six sales on the North Shore in the first eight month’s of the year. For this year’s sales, two were in Haiku and one in Spreckelsville. The Haiku sales were particularly notable as they were the first and second highest priced transactions for homes in that community. The highest sale was for the 38 acre Baldwin Estate. This historic property includes a 10 bedroom, 10.5 bathroom home with 8,716 square feet of living space as well as a number of outbuildings.

Buyers looking for North Shore luxury homes will find that market conditions are going to vary based on the specific community. Spreckeslville is arguably one of the only true seller’s markets for luxury homes on the island. There are no active home listings for more than $2,000,000. Over the last few years, roughly half of the homes that have sold in this neighborhood have sold before coming to market. Paia has been quiet and it currently boasts the largest inventory of oceanfront homes of any area on the island. I think there may be some values and/ or motivated sellers to be found among those listings. Haiku has seven active listings currently on the market giving buyers some good options. You can check out the current inventory of North Shore Luxury homes on MauiRealEstate.com.

Overall Maui Luxury Home Market Outlook and Thoughts
The Maui Luxury Home market continues to offer a broad cross section of homes for potential buyers. From the privacy of Upcountry Estates to Beachfront Luxury compounds, there is considerable depth of inventory. While a deep inventory typically gives buyers more leverage, that isn’t always the case with the luxury home market. Luxury home owners typically have the means to hold on to properties for longer periods of time and many are less likely to adjust their pricing. That said, there are still bound to be a few sellers out among the current inventory who may have higher motivations. The challenge is finding those sellers.

I would anticipate that the rest of the year will continue to see sales figures at or close to the levels we saw during the fall and early winter of 2014. While projected increases in interest rates have the potential to slow sales activity at lower price points in the market, the majority of the luxury sales involve cash transactions or private banking. The biggest threat to the high end market is the overall economy. If the recent stock market uncertainty continues, you may see some buyers postpone their purchases. Contact The Maui Real Estate Team if you are interested in buying or selling a luxury home on Maui. We would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you for a free consultation to discuss your needs.

The beginning of April means our peak visitor season is wrapping up. It is also time to bid farewell to the bulk of the Humpback Whales that winter in the waters off our coastline. The end of another month also means another opportunity to take a look at how the Maui Real Estate market is performing. This sneak peek at the March Maui Real Estate Statistics includes information on sales volume, median pricing, pending sales, notable numbers and a few thoughts on the stats and the state of the market for buyers and sellers. Without further ado, here are the March numbers.

March Real Estate Sales Volumes and Median Prices

By my count, there were 83 homes sold in March 2015 at a median price of $625,000. There were 70 homes sold in March of 2014 with a median price of $590,500. That calculates to a 19% increase in sales volume and a 5% increase in median price.

I counted 122 condos sold in March 2015 at a median price of $442,500. By comparison, there were 127 sold with a median price of $420,000 in March of last year. That is a 4% decrease in volume and a 5% increase in median price.

I counted 14 lots sold in Maui county during March with a median sales price of $528,500. That is the exact same number of sales as March 2014 when there were 14 land transactions with a median price of $507,500. That calculates to a 4% increase in median when comparing this March to last March.

Other Notable March Maui Real Estate Sales Numbers
While compiling the sales volumes and median prices, I came across a few other numbers that were worth sharing from the March Maui Real Estate sales activity.

• The highest priced home sale on Maui in March was $14,500,000 for a beachfront home in Kihei. The 5,682 square foot home is located on a half acre lot directly on Keawakapu Beach.
• This was one of five home sales over $2,000,000 for the month. In addition to the Keawakapu home, there were sales in Kapalua, Spreckelsville, Olinda and one additional sale in Kihei.
• The highest priced condo transaction last month was a 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath unit at Montage Kapalua Bay which sold for $3,995,000.
• It was a busy month of sales for luxury condos on Maui with 13 closes over $1,500,000. There was one additional close at Montage, 4 sales at Honua Kai, 2 at Ka’anapali Ali’i, 2 at Wailea Point, a Wailea Elua, a Na Hale O Makena and a Masters.
• The highest priced land sale last month was $1,250,000 for a 5.12 acre lot in Launiupoko.
• There were 12 bank owned sales that closed in March as compared to 4 bank owned sales last March. There were 4 short sales that closed in March compared to 12 successful short sales last March.

Some Quick Thoughts on the March Stats
March saw a resurgence in home sales activity with sales outpacing both last month and the same period last year. The strength of the market varies by price range with homes below and close to the median sales price seeing the greatest amount of demand and activity. While Luxury home sales improved last month, we are still behind the pace of sales for 2014. This is an interesting market segment as there is a lot of inventory providing abundant selection for buyers. That said, it isn’t a true buyer’s market in the sense that there aren’t a lot of really motivated sellers. The majority of home owners in the higher price ranges tend to have additional staying power that thus far has enabled them to hold out for higher prices.

Condo sales activity dipped below the levels that we saw during March of 2014. Overall sales volume is being impacted by a soft middle of the market specifically in the vacation rental condo market. I would surmise that some of the dip stems from a lack of activity among Canadian buyers. The weakened Canadian Currency has put a good number of potential Canadian buyers on the sidelines. You could also argue that some of the decreased activity in the middle of the condo market may be due to inflated asking prices. With demand down, it is surprising to see how many condos are priced well above recent comparable sales. That said, this is another area of the market where seller motivation appears to be lacking. There are quite a few sellers with enough means and sufficient rental revenue to enable them to hold out for higher pricing. The lower price points of the market continue to see pretty healthy demand. The high end of the market condo market was particularly strong last month with 15 sales over $1,500,000. There is a good selection of high end condos on the market and buyers appear to be taking advantage of the quality available.

The land market continues to chug along at about the same clip as what we were seeing in 2014. Limited financing options and a lack of inventory at lower price points have been the biggest constraints to increased sales activity.

March Maui Pending Sales
Sales are always a lagging indicator of current demand. With that in mind, we started tracking pending sales in our monthly statistics posts. Here is a comparison on what we were seeing going under contract in March of 2015 compared to March of 2014.

It appears as if March was a pretty strong month for buyer demand for all but land, as both home and condo pendings outpaced what we saw in March of 2014. It is good to see the last full month of buyer’s season end on a good note. It will be interesting to see if the market sustains itself as we transition out of peak buyer’s season later in April.

What Does it Mean for Buyers and Sellers?
Maui market conditions have not seen any significant changes throughout our peak winter sales season. Buyers will find that market conditions vary pretty widely based on price point and geography. The greatest competition among buyers is occurring at or below the median sales price for each community. That said, buyers shopping at higher price points may find that well priced properties can go quickly at almost any price point. It all depends in part on demand within the specific community. As a result, buyers should prepare themselves so they can act quickly when the right opportunity comes along. We strongly advise buyers who will need financing assistance to get pre-approved prior to their search. Prospective Sellers should consult with a Realtor to better understand market conditions specific to their neighborhood and community. While some parts of the market are strong, other parts still have a glut of inventory. Sellers who want to sell quickly should take a strong look at depth of inventory and recent sales prices when developing their go to market pricing. Contact The Maui Real Estate Team if you have questions about buying or selling property on Maui. We would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you to learn more about your real estate needs.

Three separate parcels, two homes and just under forty acres make our new listing in Olinda an exciting opportunity for someone to own and develop a private, eco-friendly estate property in Maui’s Upcountry. The main home on the property sits on a six acre parcel. It is an updated take on Hawaiian Plantation style with two bedrooms/ two baths and over 3,000 square feet of living space. Amenities in the home include vaulted ceilings, two spa tubs in the bathrooms, Brazilian Cherry Floors, custom kitchen cabinets, a large covered and uncovered lanai, a photovoltaic system, outdoor hot and cold plunge pools and a sauna. The six acre parcel also includes a large producing orchard and what is thought to be the largest slip and slide on all of Maui.

A 30 acre parcel features an older two bedroom, two bath home with a four car carport and attached ag office. This parcel includes a water catchment building with two tanks and an auxiliary water catchment tank. There is also a garden area with a small greenhouse. The 30 acre parcel has huge views of the North Shore, Kahului Harbor, The West Maui Mountains and the East End of Molokai. Both the 6 acre and the 30 acre parcels have been enclosed with deer fencing and are part of a native forest restoration project. The seller has planted over 3,000 native plants on the property including Ohia and Koa Trees.

In addition to the 30 and 6 acre parcels, there is also vacant two acre parcel ready for building.

This legacy estate property has an ideal location in lower Olinda. The area boasts cool nights and sufficient rainfall to keep the area lush. It is just over five minutes drive to downtown Makawao. It is close to a variety of schooling options including Seabury Hall. North Shore Beaches such as Ho’okipa and Baldwin Beach Park are twenty minutes away and you are also within 20-25 minutes of Central Maui and its airport, shopping and medical facilities.

This Olinda Estate property already has all the elements of a spectacular, private estate. The future owners can continue to shape the property in their own vision. This property is offered by the Maui Real Estate Team for $4,400,000. Check out the 1050 Piiholo listing page for additional photos of the property. Contact The Maui Real Estate Team for additional information or to arrange an exclusive preview.

The champagne corks have long been popped and the smoke from New Year’s fireworks have cleared from the island skies. That means another month and another year in the books for the Maui Real Estate market. At the start of the New Year, we want to look back at how the market has performed of late, over the entirety of 2013 and what we might expect in 2014. This is the first of what I hope to be several posts wrapping things up on 2013. The first post will be focused on the last month of the year. My sneak peek at the December stats takes a look at sales activity to close out the year and a few other notable numbers from the last month of the year. Typically, these monthly posts will have an accompanying video commentary. I am going to forsake the video for a briefer written commentary. I will save my radio face for a separate post where I provide video commentary on the year end statistics. Without further ado, here are the December 2013 numbers.

There were 75 homes sold in Maui during December with a median price of $510,000. Last December, there were 84 homes sold at a median price of $508,000. That calculates to an 11% decrease in sales activity with a very modest increase in median price.

There were 116 condo sales reported in December at a median price of $365,000. In December of 2013, there were 142 condos sold at a median price of $376,000. That is an 18% decrease in activity and a 3% lower median than last year.

There were 22 parcels of land reported sold in December of 2013 with a median price of $370,000. There were 29 sales last December with a median price of $340,000. That is a 24% decrease in activity and a 9% increase in median price.

While compiling the numbers above, I came across the following numbers and stats that I thought were worth sharing.

• The highest sales price for a single family home was $11,900,000 for a beachfront property on Keawakapu Beach right at the edge of Wailea. This is an older home on 8/10ths of an acre. It will likely be extensively renovated or scraped with a larger estate home built.
• There were two other homes that sold for over $2,000,000 last month. One was located in Olinda and the other was in Kapalua. It was notable that the Kapalua property was purchased via auction.
• The highest priced condo transaction last month was $3,900,000 for a place at Wailea Beach Villas.
• There were 9 other condos that sold for over $1,500,000 at a variety of complexes around Maui County. There were sales at Honua Kai, Ka’anapali Ali’i and Hoolei on Maui. On Lanai, there were sales at the Terraces at Manele and the Palms at Manele.
• There were 10 bank owned (REO) properties that sold last month. There were 20 REO sales last December.
• There were 14 short sale transactions completed successfully last month. There were 21 short sales that closed in December.

The December 2013 sales numbers appear to have been pretty healthy. While sales activity is down from what we saw last December, I don’t necessarily see that as a sign of a weakening market. December of 2012 was well above average for sales and a reflection of a surge in market activity that started in early Fall of 2012. October and November of 2012 had more properties go under contract than any other month of 2012. This was especially noteworthy in that the fall is usually the slowest time of year for transactions. This was the start of a run of heightened buyer activity that continued through the first half of 2013. Increased buyer demand was fueled by low interest rates, improving consumer sentiment and scarce inventory. As we hit the fall of 2013, the market behaved a little more like normal. Sales activity started to slow as we entered the traditional slow season for Maui Real Estate. As we enter peak visitor season, we should start to see a steady rise in the number of properties going under contract. Sales volume is a lagging indicator so we may not see that bump in the stats until February or March.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, this is just the first of what should be a few Maui Real Estate statistics posts to start 2014. Leave us a comment if you have any questions on the December stats. If you are interested in buying or selling a property on Maui, Contact the Maui Real Estate Team to arrange a free consultation to discuss your real estate needs.

Yesterday, I posted about our weekend overnight at the Polipoli Cabin in Upcountry Maui. The redwoods of Polipoli are beautiful, but distinctly non-native. It is somewhat ironic that on the same day I posted about Polipoli, I stumbled upon this great video about recent efforts on the island to restore the native forests of Maui. I had the opportunity to watch this talk live at TEDxMaui. Dr. Art Medeiros has been spearheading an amazing project that is restoring the unique ecosystems of the dryland native Hawaiian forests. If you have a moment, it is worth the time to learn about Dr. Medeiros’ efforts.

Watch this video on YouTube.

This post is something of a non sequitur from the usual content on The Maui Real Estate Blog. To tie it back into the real estate world, we have a listing in Olinda where the owner has been embarking on his own efforts to restore the native forest. There have been over 1200 native trees planted on the property including varieties such as Koa, Ohia and Sandalwood. The trees are flourishing like this beautiful Koa showing in the photo below.

The native forest restoration is subsidized by a NRCS grant. Over 30 acres of the estate are protected by a gated deer fence allowing a future owner the opportunity to continue the restoration efforts and expand the plantings.