Tag: Paia Oceanfront Homes

As we approach the end of August, I thought this would be a good time to check in on the Paia Real Estate market. We already looked at the Spreckelsville neighborhood last week. This post will look at just Paia and Kuau. Paia has been a strong market due to high demand and constrained supplies. Hemmed in by cane fields, there have been no new subdivisions in the community since back in 2003. Over that time, Paia has continued to grow in prominence and popularity. People have sought out the North Shore town due to its proximity to North Shore wind and wave sports, natural beauty, preponderance of wellness related business and plantation town charm.

Paia Town from Above

With no real growth in housing inventory and increased demand, pricing in the community has been on an upward trajectory since 2011. With limited plans for future development on the immediate horizon, the ingredients are in place for continued upward pressure on prices over the long term. This post looks at real estate activity in the community for the year to date and the outlook for the rest of 2018.

The map above shows real estate activity in Paia during 2018. The red pins represent sales while the yellow pins represent pending sales. You can click on individual pins to learn more about the individual properties. It is worth noting that the map above and the numbers below exclude the Spreckelsville neighborhood. Traditionally, the local Realtor Association lumps Spreckeslville in with Paia in our MLS.

Notable Paia Real Estate Numbers for the Year to Date

• There have been 17 homes sold as of August 18, 2018 with four homes currently under contract. Last year there were 11 homes sold over that same period of time. That is a 54% increase in sales volume.
• The median sales price for homes during this period is $615,000. The average price over this period is $1,154,610. Over the same period last year, the median price was 700K with an average price of $1,591,045. That is a 13% drop in median price and a 27% drop in average price.
• The high sales price for the year to date is $6,350,000 for a house and cottage on just under an acre of oceanfront land.
• The low sale for the year to date is $377,000 for a short sale in Skill Village. It is worth noting that the 2 bedroom, 1 bath home went under contract all the way back in February of 2017.
• There were two condos that sold at Kuau Plaza for the year to date with one more pending sale. The high sale is $375,000 for a remodeled one bedroom, one bath. This is above average activity for this small vacation rentable condo complex.
• There was one bank owned sale and two short sales among the seventeen sales in Paia this year. These are still properties being processed through the system from the last real estate downturn.

Thoughts on the Overall Activity to Date in Paia

The numbers above show a healthy bump in sales activity and a pretty sizable decrease in median and average prices compared to last year. These changes are not due to an increase in demand or a decreased value. Instead, it is a reflection of an increase in supply. For the first seven months of the year, Paia had a respite from the worst of the supply crunch. The more notable increase in supply came at the lower price points in the market. While the inventory for buyers under $650,000 remained relatively thin, it was a lot better than what was available last year. We even saw a few sales under $500,000. Unfortunately, the lowest priced inventory wasn’t that accessible to first time buyers as the condition of two of the three homes required cash buyers. The third was a home that had gone under contract all the way back in February of 2017. While Paia is a small community, it has a pretty diverse housing stock. The paragraphs below look at the sales activity in specific neighborhoods in Paia and Kuau.

Paia Halelani

Paia Halelani is a neighborhood located a few streets past the intersection of Hana Highway and Baldwin Avenue on the Mauka side of Hana Highway. It has had very little turnover in the last few years with no sales since 2015. During 2015, we saw record high sales for the neighborhood. This year, there have been two sales and both were priced under $500,000. That said, this is not a reflection of values dipping. Both homes were in poor condition requiring cash buyers.

Skill Village

Skill Village is located off of Baldwin Avenue about a mile above the intersection of Baldwin and Makawao Avenue. The neighborhood of modest homes sees more turnover than most parts of Paia. That said, 2017 proved to be pretty quiet year for sales with only 2 sales through Mid August. In 2018, much of the increase in Paia market activity can be attributed to a resurgence in Skill Village sales. There have been a total of 9 sales in the neighborhood this year. That is an impressive 450% increase. Skill Village also smashed its all time sales record this year with a close of $800,000. It is worth noting that this larger home was formerly owned by a building contractor who made significant upgrades to the finishing of the property.

Kuau Bayview

Kuau Bayview is another neighborhood that experienced an increase in sales through the middle of August. After only two sales in all of 2017, there have been four sales this year. Three of the four sales were noteworthy. We saw the first ever $1,000,000 sale in the neighborhood, the highest sales price for a home that backs on to Hana Highway and the highest ever cost per square foot sale. It is clear that Kuau Bayview remains an in demand neighborhood for Paia buyers.

Paia Oceanfront

While not a neighborhood per say, I did want to look at the sales activity for Paia Oceanfront Homes. There have been two sales this year. One for a home on Nalu Place on Paia Bay. The other home was further East from downtown on Lae Place. The large oceanfront lot of just under one acre has a home and a cottage. That property has exchanged hands three times in the last ten years. The two sales to date this year equals the same number as last year through the same period of time. There is one other oceanfront home currently under contract.

Paia Outlook for the Rest of 2018

While the Paia market saw volume increase due to an increase in inventory over the last seven and a half months, the remainder of the year may see limited sales due to shrinking inventory. There are eight listings in Paia and Kuau currently with four of the eight homes under contract. While the pending sales will help to pad the year to date totals, buyers are going to find limited choices unless some additional homes come to market. You can see the current inventory of Paia Real Estate listings on MauiRealEstate.com. Contact the Maui Real Estate Team if you are thinking of buying or selling a property in Paia. We would welcome the chance to be of assistance.

The Maui Real Estate Team’s office is based out of the North Shore community of Paia. This small town known for its bohemian feel and proximity to world class water sports has been one of the stronger real estate markets on the island over the last 10-15 years. I wanted to take a look at the Paia Real Estate market and how it is fairing to start 2016. This post looks specifically at Paia and Kuau. It does not include the Spreckelsville neighborhood. If you are interested in that area, check out our recent Spreckelsville Market update. In this post, I wanted to show the general activity in Paia during 2016 with comparisons made to sales activity in 2015. I will also drill down and look at sales activity in certain neighborhoods around Paia.

The map below shows activity in the 2016 Paia Real Estate market. The Red pins represent sales. The yellow pins represent pending sales and the green pins represent active homes. You can click on the individual pins for details on each of the properties.

I have also included a map of the 2015 Paia Real Estate Sales for some context.

While the maps give you a visual reference as to what has been happening in Paia, the numbers below may be a little easier to digest. This is a look at the sales volumes, median sales prices, average sales price, some 2015 numbers for comparison and some other notable numbers from the first five months of sales.

• There have been 15 homes reported sold for the year to date in the Paia/Kuau area with an additional 5 homes under contract. One of those pending homes could conceivably be classified as a land sale due to the condition of the home. In addition to the reported sales, I am aware of one other home that sold without Realtors in Kuau Bayview.
• By comparison, there were 9 homes that sold over the first five months of 2016. There were a total of 26 home sales throughout all of 2016. That calculates to a 66% increase in sales for the first 5 months of 2016 and 57% of the total sales for all of 2015. It looks the 2016 sales volume is well on its way to beating 2015 totals.
• The median price for the 15 2015 sales was $600,000 and the average price was $1,372,000. By comparison, the median and average sales prices for the first 5 months of 2015 was $599,000 and $684,222. The difference in average sales price speaks to a couple of big dollar sales that closed earlier this year. The negligible difference in median price does not accurately reflect changes in property value. Perhaps we can glean more when we look at some of the individual neighborhoods below.
• The highest priced sale during the start of the year was $6,000,000 for an oceanfront estate. The property located at 23 Wa’a on Tavares Bay includes a 4 bed, 4.5 bath home with 6,258 square feet of living space and a 1 bed, 1 bath 1,025 square foot cottage on a 1.28 acre lot.
• There were two condo sales at Paia’s one and only condo complex, Kuau Plaza. There were no sales at Kuau Plaza during the first five months of 2015. There was only one Kuau Plaza sale in all of 2015.
• There were no land sales in the Paia area during the first five months of the year. There is one property under contract and arguably a second when you factor in the condition of the property’s home. There were no land sales during the same period of 2015. The low volume of sales is not a reflection of demand. There just isn’t any supply. Paia is hemmed in by agricultural land and there are very few remaining vacant lots. That could change in the future with the end of the sugar plantation, but nothing is imminent at this point.

For a small community, Paia has a pretty diverse market of homes. From old Hawaii Plantation Style Homes to luxurious oceanfront estates, there is a significant range in property values. With that in mind, it is worth looking at some of the market activity of some selected neighborhoods around Paia.

Kuau Bayview
Kuau Bayview was one of the more resilient neighborhoods coming out of the downturn. While many areas of Maui were just starting to see modest appreciation, Kuau Bayview was setting new market highs. The neighborhood offers proximity to town and area beaches, a community park, good views from selected homes and consistent pride of ownership. There have been two sales publicized in the MLS this year, one sale that did not involve Realtors and two pending sales. The three sales to date have all set new record highs for the community. Two of the three sales closed in the mid $900,000s. All three homes are two story, have good ocean views and they have been remodeled and upgraded. The two homes under contract are both smaller single level floor plans. While these homes will not set any new high prices when they close, they will be among the highest ever sales price for their floor plan.

Additional activity in the neighborhood during 2016 will be predicated on new inventory coming to market. Potential sellers should realize that the run of high sales does not necessarily mean the next home to hit the market will set a new record. For a relatively small neighborhood, there is a decent range in home values. The highest priced homes tend to be located towards the top of the neighborhood where views are better and there is little to no road noise from Hana Highway. Remodels and additional square footage are also factors in pricing.

North Shore Village
North Shore Village was built in 2003. It was the last new development in Paia. The two story homes are located on small lots. The area also offers consistent pride of ownership, and it is just a few minutes walk from all of the amenities of downtown Paia. Due to the limited number of homes in this neighborhood, we don’t see a lot of turnover. In 2015, there were no sales in the neighborhood. This year there has been one sale and one additional property is pending. The home that closed was a smaller two bedroom floor plan that sold for $589,000. The pending sale is particularly noteworthy as it was listed for $780,000. That is well above previous sales in the neighborhood. The home was well maintained, but not significantly upgraded. It is rumored to be under contract for close to the asking price. That would smash the neighborhood high sale. If say it were to sell for $740,000, it would be selling for 26% above the last neighborhood sale for a home that is only 145 square feet larger.

This is another neighborhood that would require new inventory if there is going to be additional sales activity in 2016. It will be interesting to see how the next home that comes to market is priced. Will this pending sale reset prices in the neighborhood or will the market view the one high sale as a one off close?

Halelani
Halelani is a small neighborhood nestled between North Shore Village and Kuau Bayview. It is behind the Paia Community Center. Most of the homes were built in the early to mid 70s and they tend to be modest in size and construction. There have been some nice remodels in the neighborhood over the last decade. It is a desirable neighborhood due to proximity to downtown and area beaches. It also offers a lower price point under $700,000. Halelani was pretty busy in 2015 with 5 sales in the neighborhood. Those sales included the two highest neighborhood sales of all time. This year, it has been quiet with no listings and no sales reported to date. With limited Paia inventory under $700,000, well priced new inventory inventory would be well received.

Skill Village
Skill Village is a neighborhood of more modest homes built in the mid to late 80s. The neighborhood is located above the old Mill in Paia close to Paia Elementary School. It is the primary location for entry level homes in Paia, but there have also been some homes that have been significantly updated. This neighborhood has had some pretty healthy activity this year and last year. There have been five sales thus far this year, with two additional pending sale and one active listing. Last year, there were 3 sales in the first five months of 2015 and 9 total sales for the year.

There were more high priced sales in 2015 than what we have seen to date in 2016, but that is a reflection of the homes sold rather than market dynamics. There was actually one home sold in both 2015 and 2016 with little to no new improvements. On August 20, 2015, 32 Palekana sold for $530,000. Less than 7 months later, it sold again for $561,500 on March 7, 2016. That is almost 6% increase in that period of time. Other signs of appreciation in the neighborhood are apparent when you compare the low sales in 2015 with the low sales in 2016. The lowest priced sale for the year to date was $465,000. Last year, there were two homes that sold for $385,000.

I would imagine, we will continue to see steady activity in Skill Village this year if there is sufficient inventory. Paia remains an in demand community and this is one of the more accessible neighborhoods for potential buyers.

Kuau Point
The Kuau Point neighborhood is a mix of older plantation homes, newer homes and oceanfront properties. Neighborhood amenities like a high end convenience store, Mama’s Fish House, Mama’s Beach and a great launch for wind and waves sports make this little community on the ocean side of Hana Highway very desirable. There have been three home sales in the neighborhood this year, with one oceanfront lot under contract and one new oceanfront home listing. The range of sold homes provides a pretty good cross section of Kuau Point properties. At the low end, there is a small residential condo just off of Hana Highway that sold for $590,000. With only 720 square feet of living space, it came at a pretty hefty price. That said, its size is offset by its proximity to amenities. The middle sale was a former vacation rental just a stone’s throw from Mama’s Fish House. This home sold for $1,323,000. The high sale was $4,850,000 for a house and cottage on .4139 acres of oceanfront. Last year, there were 3 sales during the first five months of the year and 7 total sales throughout the year.

Paia Oceanfront
Paia Oceanfront isn’t a neighborhood. This class of property spans across a number of neighborhoods and there is some overlap with my Kuau Point discussion. That said, oceanfront is it’s own unique market segment that merits a separate discussion. It is also the only part of the Paia market where you can find an abundance of inventory. There are currently 10 active oceanfront home listings in the Paia/Kuau area. You could make a case that one of the home listings could be thought of as more of a land listing. The 1.1 acre oceanfront lot we have in Paia is one of the more stunning parcels along the coast. The older structures have less value and the heavy lifting has been done to get approvals to construct a new home. There is also one oceanfront lot on the market that is currently under contract. Thus far this year, there have been two oceanfront sales. That is ahead of the one oceanfront home sold last year.

Market dynamics for oceanfront properties in Paia are pretty interesting right now. The two homes sold and the lot under contract are an uptick in activity over last year. That said, the most recent close could put some downward pressure on list prices. Sellers have been shooting for premium prices. A number of those asking prices feel high in light of the sale of 23 Wa’a. The cost per square foot was significantly lower and the quality of construction was significantly higher than some of the other homes currently on the market. It will be interesting to see if the existing inventory is able to shrug this off as an outlier sale or if buyers successfully leverage the 23 Wa’a sale to negotiate lower prices.

Overall Paia Market Thoughts
The overall Maui Real Estate market has seen upward pressure on pricing due to a lack of new supply and strong demand fueled by compelling interest rates and high rental costs. These issues are particularly acute in the Paia area where the lack of new construction dates all the back to 2003 and market demand has increased as Paia has become seen a significant increase in demand from second home owners. Those dynamics would suggest that we may continue to see upward pricing pressure in Paia as long as the economy maintains or outperforms current level and borrowing costs do not increase too much. That being said, I would not be surprised to see the rapid rates of appreciation we have seen in some neighborhoods cool off. Price increases in Paia tend not to be linear. We get something of a stair step effect where prices shoot up and then level off for a while before they increase again. I can see that happening in a few neighborhoods. If you made it to the end of this tome, you have to be pretty interested in the Paia market. Feel free to contact us if you have questions about the market or if you need assistance with your real estate needs. We would welcome the chance to learn about your needs. You can find more details about the current Paia Real Estate Listings on MauiRealEstate.com.

It was love at first sight. You came to Paia with a group of friends to experience the world renowned kite boarding. The warm waters were inviting. You felt more nimble on your board without the encumbrance of a wetsuit. The consistent tradewinds of Kanaha were a dream. It wasn’t just the ocean that caused your heart to flutter. You couldn’t believe that Mana Foods has all of your favorite items stocked at prices better than the Whole Foods back at home. Your Ono Burger at the Paia Fish Market was by far and away the best fish sandwich you had ever experienced. The small town feel, plantation style architecture and colorful characters felt better than the more antiseptic resort areas. Each subsequent visit unveiled new charms. Your kids learned to love the ocean playing in the tide pools of Baby Beach. Your wife loves heading to Barre class at Infusion Yoga. You discovered Bi Bim Baps at Dazoo and the famous Blue Juice and Cold Pressed Coffee at Sporting Club of The Pacific. As your love deepened with each passing visit, you decided you wanted your own piece of paradise in Paia.

While you consider buying a Paia home, what you really want is a lot where you can build a place just to your specifications. Better yet, you want an oceanfront lot where you can check the wind and waves from your back yard. A little research shows that your options are limited. There are only two vacant lots left on the ocean in the Paia area. Neither of the lots are listed for sale.

Is that the end of your dreams? Before you give up, why not consider our listing at 129 Aleiki on Kuau Point. This property consists of a 1/3 of an acre right above Mama’s Beach. There is a charming two bedroom, plantation style cottage located at the front of the lot. The lot has the zoning, the space and an oversized 3/4″ water meter that allow for the construction of a primary residence. The property is located along a stable stretch of shoreline out of the floodzone. That gives peace of mind and keeps down flood insurance bills. The lot is two doors down from the access to Mama’s Beach. World famous Mama’s Fish House is a two minute walk from your front door. Best yet, you can check the wind and wave conditions at Ho’okipa from your own back yard.

129 Aleiki, Paia, Maui, Hawaii -HD from The Maui Real Estate Team on Vimeo.

This truly is a rare opportunity for someone who wants to build to their specifications on the water in Paia. Note This Property is no longer for sale. Contact The Maui Real Estate Team for assistance with other listings in the Kuau Point and Paia Areas.