How To Choose a Title and Escrow Company in Hawaii

Title and Escrow Companies on Maui Hawaii

Owning your own slice of heaven as a property owner in Hawaii may be in your near future. However, after you find the ideal property and negotiate a deal with the seller, the work isn't done yet and you must complete the escrow process before closing on the property. The timeline for this process varies, but it usually takes between one to two months and is outlined in the Hawaii Purchase Contract.

Buyers and sellers typically work with a title and escrow company based on the island they are buying/selling and since I work primarily on Maui, I always work with a local escrow and title company to go through this process. Given the timeline, your interactions with the title and escrow company will begin…

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The Maui Real Estate Market Update March 2023

Maui Real Estate Market Report March 2023: Will Prices Go Down This Year?

Looking back at the last 12 months of the real estate market here on Maui, it has certainly been an interesting period full of speculation and diverging opinions about the near-term impacts that rising interest rates would have on home prices and buyer activity. Last year, many were thinking the market would drop precipitously while others believed that the bull market would continue to run.  

The results, at least so far, have been a return to normal market behavior and resemble something closer to the soft landing the Fed has been trying to achieve with its incremental rate hike strategies. While most mainland markets have seen considerable softening since rates went up…

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What's Happening With The Kahana Bay Erosion Mitigation Project?

Kahana Bay Erosion Mitigation Project

Growing concerns about sea level rise and coastal erosion in Kahana on West Maui have led the Maui County Planning Department and the Kahana Bay Steering Committee to develop a comprehensive plan of action to not only protect the condominiums along the coast but to restore the Kahana beach entirely. This plan is currently known as the Kahana Bay Erosion Mitigation Project. 

Looking at the picture above it's hard to imagine that just 30 to 40 years ago a large beach existed in front of the Kahana coastline. Kahana Bay beach is all but gone today and the coastal condos in Kahana along with one residential property are in danger of being destroyed by rising sea levels. 

What's Being Done in Kahana To Restore…

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Confusion Over Maui County Bill 159 | Short-Term Rentable Condos and Homes on Maui

How Bill 159 Will Affect Short-Term Condo Owners on Maui

With the primary objective of establishing a means to limit tourism on Maui, the Maui County Council recently passed Bill 159. The desire to limit tourism on the island comes from environmental groups seeking to reduce the impact that growing tourism is having on Maui as well as from local residents who are growingly concerned about overcrowding and an ongoing housing crisis. 

The bill was originally introduced for discussion in January 2022 and addresses the total number of legally allowed transient vacation accommodation units on the island. These accommodations include hotel rooms, short-term rentable condos, bed and breakfasts, as well as camper vans and recreational vehicles. 

…

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The Real Estate Market on Maui is Doing Something Weird | November 2022

The Maui Real Estate Market Has Settled Down

Earlier in the summer, I wrote a market report when the real estate market had just begun to shift after having been on an extended hot streak since the fall of 2020. So, here we are today about 5 months after that shift started and we certainly have a dramatically different real estate market today nationally and locally here on Maui.  You're probably not surprised to learn that the market has cooled significantly, but Maui's unique market makes for a unique market report that has a few surprises. 

The national headlines are still full of doom and gloom stories, but at this point in the transition, while closed sales and pending sales on Maui are significantly down from the same time last year, the…

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A Realtor's Guide To The Hawaii Real Estate Purchase Contract | Section by Section

A Realtor's Guide to the Hawaii Real Estate Purchase Contract

If you’re buying or selling real estate in Hawaii, you’re going to encounter the Hawaii Association of Realtors Standard Form, which was most recently updated in May of 2022. The Hawaii purchase contract is 14 pages long and has 20 separate sections that are labeled with the letters A-T. Each section covers a different working element of the contract and they all collectively establish the terms of the deal, price, any and all contingencies for the sale, and the parties involved. 

As you can probably imagine, buying property on Maui has a few nuances as does our purchase contract. In this article, I’m going to take a look at each section from A-T and explain the purposes and nuances…

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What's Going On With Wailea 670 | The Honua'ula Project

Where Are Things with Wailea 670?

Originally referred to as Wailea 670, the development that is now known as Honua'ula is more than three decades in the making. This is a mixed-use development that would span across 670 acres in South Maui. This area, which is located just south of Maui Meadows and across the highway from the existing Wailea community, is both culturally and environmentally sensitive.

While opponents of the development say that the project is not advantageous for the communities, others say that it will provide much-needed affordable housing to the area. Recently, a major agreement has been reached as a result of years of stressful negotiations, but more negotiations are underway.

Balancing The Environment with Housing Needs

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You’ve Bought a Home on Maui, Now What? A Complete Homeowners Guide to Maintaining Your Property

The Joys of Homeownership on Maui

After purchasing a home on Maui comes the many joys of homeownership. The first ones that come to mind are enjoying a sunset from your lanai, having friends over for fun events, and enjoying the financial rewards. The other joys are, of course, either performing your own regular maintenance on your property or securing reputable service providers to take care of that for you. Finding the right team of home maintenance professionals is especially important for second homeowners who will need landscaping, pool maintenance, pest control, HVAC service, and cleaning service performed in their absence. 

If you own a condo there will be fewer items that you’ll need to stay on top of. Typically your association will…

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Market Perspective: Is The National and Local Real Estate Market Shifting?

Broader US Market Conditions And How They Affect Maui

It’s no secret that property values and prices on Maui have increased at an astronomical rate since interest rates were slashed in 2020 during the pandemic. While properties on Maui typically appreciate slightly faster than most other markets, a similar vertical pricing trajectory has been happening across the country. Even today, we are still in one of the hottest seller’s markets in history.

Fortunately for buyers, there are some indicators at the national and local levels that the market is shifting slightly and should begin to level out. The clickbait stories in the national media want us to believe that we are in a housing bubble, but how likely is it that home prices could actually be…

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Self-Managing a Short-Term Rentable Property on Maui | The Vacation Rental Guide

An Owner's Guide To Self-Managing Your Own Airbnb

Managing a short-term rentable condo on Maui is a great way to earn passive income on a property and have a second home in paradise at the same time. Most of our clients that purchase these types of properties are from the US mainland or Canada and use a local property management company to ensure everything runs smoothly.

While there are many benefits to using a property management company, there are some who elect to manage the unit themselves with great results. However, managing an Airbnb when you can't consistently visit the property to make sure it's in good shape can be difficult, but it can be incredibly profitable once you have a system in place.

Here are some useful tips I’ve…

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