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Real Estate Report
On the Big Island, the median price of a single-family home was $240,000, a 38 percent drop from the median price of $385,000 in April 2008. The April median price was based on 90 sales, a 22 percent decrease from the 116 sales recorded during the same month last year. Sales from January through April were also down 22 percent from the same period last year. The median price of a Big Island condominium dropped 46 percent to $269,000 from $500,000 in April 2008. The median price for the first four months of the year was $282,500, down 43 percent from the median price of $495,000 during the same four-month period in 2008. Sales of condos in April were down by more than half. There were 21 units sold on the Big Island last month, a 53 percent drop from the 45 units sold in April 2008. Year-to-date sales of Big Island condos are down by 48 percent. On Kauai, the median price of a single-family home was $600,000 last month, 4 percent higher than the median price in April 2008, which was $575,000. That price was based on 23 sales, 9.5 percent more than the 21 sales recorded in April 2008. Sales for the first four months of the year, however, were down by 32 percent. Year-to-date, the median price of a single-family home on Kauai was $479,000, down 27 percent from the median price of $655,000 for the first four months of 2008. The median price of a condominium on Kauai in April was $222,250, a 47 percent drop from the same month a year ago, when the median price was $420,000. That price was based on sales of just 12 units, down from 15 units in April 2008. The median price of a Kauai condo for the first four months of the year was $238,000, a 58 percent drop from the median price for the first four months of 2008, when the median price was $570,000. Sales for the first four months of the year were down 42 percent. (Pacific Business News 05-06-2009) Want high definition television in your condo? This is what you need (besides a HDTV):
For more information, visit Oceanic Time Warner Cable or Other Options. If you use your condo as a rental unit, you may want to investigate a high definition entertainment system, and raise your rates to help pay for it. You will pay for it in less than a year at a $6 per day increase. Oh yes. Which set should you buy: a 720p or a 1080p? You will have a very hard time telling the difference on a 42" set, so save your money and go for 720p. Portable air conditioners are being installed at a fast pace in bedrooms, but are they the answer? Read your webmaster's (outspoken) assessment of this trend in their editorial, The Great Portable Air Conditioner Fiasco. Then check out Bob Ward's report on his air conditioner modifications. We have updated this page with a three-month electricity savings table and other information.
David Gerlach (Insurance
Associates) writes, "Water damage is one of the perils that are covered
under your master Property Policy. The water damage must be "due to
accidental discharge or leakage". New Real Estate Developments in Our Neighborhood Ke Ali'i Ocean Villas--a townhome condominium project above Kamaole Beach I. The units are spacious, and some have nice views. They all include a garage. Town Island Homes will entertain offers! Prices begin at $550,390 for a two-bedroom condo. Wailea Beach Villas--98 units including 60 penthouse condominiums and 38 ocean villas (resales from $2,150,000)
Kai Malu at Wailea--150 luxurious
3BR/2.5BA townhomes with 2-car garages being built adjacent to the 7th
Fairway of the Wailea Blue Golf Course. Resales that began at $1,149,000 last year have dropped to $885,000
Kanani Wailea--38
single-family detached units in a residential condominium complex,
located at the intersection of Piilani Highway and Kilohana Rd.
Resales, that began at $1,489,000 last year have dropped to
$850,000.
Ho'olei--A very exclusive
property located across the street from the Grand Wailea. Ho'olei offers
three different townhouse-style floor plans, all 3BR/3BA, minimum 2,563 sq.
ft., with a 1-car garage and exquisite finishes and amenities. Prices that originally started
at $2,925,000 now begin at $1,695,000.
Papali Wailea--Originally priced at
$3,700,000, and now $3.398,000, these 24 single family
homes in a gated residential condominium complex includes a pool pavilion,
quality construction, and expansive ocean views. Adjacent to the Wailea
Palms Residences, they boast copper roofs, spacious interiors, and attached garage.
Wailea Beach Resort and Residences, the long-awaited
beachfront property to be built on the site of the Renaissance Hotel. A
5-star project with 193 condominium units--1,2,3,and 4 BR's, with
prices starting in the high $1 million's
for 1BR units, to approximately $10
million
for the 4BR front row units. No building yet, and the required
$250 million sales to begin construction is slow in coming. In fact, we
understand it is dead in the water.
Maluaka--69 condominiumized residences, 2,3,and 4BR's, in an exclusive gated community on the ocean in Makena, just south of the Maui Prince Hotel. Interior square footage for these unprecedented units will range from 2,300 to 5,400. Prices are expected to start in the mid $4 million's.
Hokulani Golf Villas--152
single-family residences in a residential condominium complex, featuring
ocean and mountain views from a 40 acre parcel located mauka of the Piilani
Highway surrounded by the Elleair Golf Course. Six
different floor plans starting at
$1.2 million.
Kai Makani Beach Villas--This 102 unit complex across
the street from the beach in north Kihei, features a mix of 2BR and 3BR
condominium units. Units originally sold in a range from the low $500's
to the high $600's, with
re-sales based on original sales prices plus market appreciation.
On a balmy Saturday evening as the stars began to twinkle brightly, I joined scores of people at a talk by wildlife biologist Fern Duvall on the Wedge-Tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus pacificus chlororhynchus) ('ua'u'kani). These birds have historically used Molokini to nest between March and November. They usually select remote places where the habitat allows the prevailing winds to help them lift off. As their numbers increased, they began looking for new sites to build their burrows, and they selected the area south of Kam III beach as well as Kamaole Point to nest. Using red cellophane-covered flashlights, we gingerly picked our way along the new coral-lined trail to observe the birds first-hand. As I stood there, I became aware of birds flying back and forth along the shore. Occasionally, they would swoop over our heads. Soon it seemed the night air was filled with their loud groans, moans and wails which give them the name "moaning bird". Vocalizations occur primarily at night in breeding colonies. Their courtship ritual begins shortly after arrival in late March. A pair will sit head to head, often near their burrow entrance, vocalizing two-part wailing duets. The birds return to the same nest site each year, Chicks hatch during late-July through late August. A few yards further down the trail, I approached a biologist who was aiming his light at a burrow. (Burrows average one to two meters in length.) There huddled two adult birds. All shearwaters have trouble standing upright on their legs, and they have difficulty moving about on land. Eventually, they waddled right over to us and almost moved over our toes. It seemed they were totally unafraid of the intruders. I walked away, contemplating the wonder of these beautiful birds who are flourishing near Kamaole Sands. If you wish to observe these birds, take a red cellophane-covered light and walk the trail between April and November joining the Kihei boat ramp with Kam III beach. Stop where you see the warning signs to stay on the trail. Walk quietly and speak in hushed tones. Enjoy. Incidentally, Buck Joiner is maintaining cat traps in the area. If you see a cat or a bird in the trap, call the telephone number on the trap and Buck will tend to the trap immediately. Why does Hawaii get so few hurricanes? Hans Rosendal, retired meteorologist, provides the answer:
The reasons for the lack of hurricanes in Hawaii are several. We usually
don't quite have sea surface temperatures warm enough (about 82 degrees) and
deep enough warm surface waters to sustain the development of
hurricanes. If we get up to 80 degrees now and then in August and September,
that is about max. We therefore have to import the few hurricanes that we
do get.
Secondly, the upper wind flow over our region usually features westerlies
which is very detrimental to keeping a hurricane approaching from the east
(intact). In countless cases we have been 'saved' by this
upper flow pattern as storms move into our region and fall apart due to it
being sheared. What is needed is easterlies at both the surface and aloft so
the entire column of air can move along without ventilating out the latent
heat derived from the convection which in turn cause the pressure drops and
wind increases.
In the case of Iniki in 1992 (an El Nino year), we had an unusual flow
pattern with less vertical wind shear and other things working to sustain
the health of the storm. Just like living beings, a hurricane goes through a
life cycle. Since Iniki formed on this side of 140W longitude about two or
three days prior to it hitting Kauai on 9-11, it was a healthy and growing
youngster by the time it moved into our area. The health of storms also
depend on what is going on, often far away from the storm. Let me
explain.
This season with its many intense storms in the Atlantic basin has seen
unusal high amplitude upper flow across North America with strong surface
Highs and troughs along each coast. The pattern was so persistant that a
drought was going much of the summer in the midwest. I would compare it to a
flow pattern that prevailed during the early and middle 1930s across the
U.S. with some areas the driest since then. Also there was a severe drought
in South America with the Amazon basin being the driest in memory and lots
of suffering due to lack of water for transportation. These two drought
areas, to the north and to the south of the active hurricane breeding trough
of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, kept strong subsidence over these land
areas as an equilibrium to sustain rising motion over the trough in between
them and to feed a moist low level flow of air into the trough. The
trough also enhanced the sea surface temperature warming over the basin.
The feed of air from the south means that it is being imported from the
southern hemisphere (SH). During the past few months I have been looking at
wind speed and direction at Galapagos Islands on the equator off South
America at EQ and 90W. Winds there without fail have been out of the south
at 10 to 15 mph flowing across the equator into the NH day in and day out.
Then as the winds enter the NH, they become SW winds around 05N and flow
across Panama and central America into the Caribbean where they make a left
turn at 15N around the trough. This area where the winds make this left turn
is where the hurricanes seem to have been forming including Wilma.
This is getting a little far away from Hawaii, but it kind of supports my
own private ideas of the importance of the cross equatorial low level flow
component needed, or at least being helpful, to sustain hurricane formation
at low latitudes. Thus when storms threaten Hawaii it may be useful to look
at what is going on at the equator and beyond to the south of us.
Your question about the effect of the mountain areas of Mauna Kea and Loa
and Haleakala on hurricane motion, I prefer not to discuss here. No doubt
the massive mountains have a great effect downwind, and some effect
also a distance upwind during the stable stratified flow of trade winds.
Thus a weak tropical depression coming in from the east and surrounded by an
unstable showery air mass would likely not know the difference as it
approaches the mountains. On the other hand, a more intense cyclone
surrounded by subsiding ring of stable air could feel some effects. But
again, I would not count on it, since at times the forcing is strong, and we
have had cases of hurricanes striking the Big Island and Maui including the
famous Kohala cyclone in the 19th century.
The track of Iniki northward after passing south of the Big Island was
forecast quite well and the hurricane watch was issued the afternoon before
on 9/10 as we realized that the storm would not pass as far west of Kauai as
earlier thought. We did not get the full 36 hour lead time, we strive for.
I worked on the initial issuance of the watch, so I remember it well.
Friends of the Library
is located in the old townsite of Pu'unene near the sugar mill. Where
Mokulele Highway turns into Pu'unene, turn toward the sugar mill on Hansen
Road. Turn right on South Pu'unene Avenue and drive past the HC&S sugar
mill toward Haleakala. Note the historic buildings along this stretch of
the road. Drive to the stop sign and turn left on East Camp 5 Road.
Note the tiny "Books" arrow.
If you sell your local Maui car, be sure to send the bottom of your Certificate of Registration to the correct address (70 E. Ka'ahumanu Avenue, Kahului, HI 96732). The address on your certificate may be out of date and the Post Office will not forward it. Many locals have a strange notion that they save money by not transferring title. And some locals know that if they don't transfer the title, the previous owner is liable for tow-away charges in the case the car is abandoned. Further, liability for tickets and lawsuits stays in your name. And always make a copy of the bottom of the certificate that you send in, and store it with the bill of sale. Finally, heed this advice. Do not sell your car unless the new owner agrees to accompany you to DMV to file the paperwork. A new tourist attraction on Maui is being planned A new Haleakala Ranch Visitor's Center on Crater Road has been approved by the Planning Department. The visitors center will represent an “eco-tourism master plan” aimed at “small-scale agricultural tourism.” Eco-tourism already has begun in a small way, with Skyline Eco-Adventures, Pony Express Tours and Haleakala ATV Tours operating on the ranch. A combination museum and retail center just past the cattle guard at about the 4,100-foot elevation is being planned. The visitors center will have a ranch museum and shop; facilities for the tours; a covered picnic area for both tourists and locals wanting to hold baby luau and the like; new quarters for Jim Heid’s protea packing sheds and retail store; an expanded Sunrise Country Market; and a lavender farm and herbal essence distillery. Where can you buy Maui-grown beef? Haleakala Ranch and seven other ranches have formed the Maui Cattle Co., whose goal is to “not have any live cattle leave the island.” Already, demand exceeds supply. You can buy Maui-raised no hormone, no steroid beef at Hana Ranch Store; Long’s in Lahaina, Kihei and Kahului; Kula Ace Hardware; Morihara Store; Ulupalakua Ranch Store; Hanzawa Store; Ah Fook’s Supermarket; Mana Foods; Rodeo General Store; Hard Rock Cafe Maui and on Oahu and the Big Island; Roma d’Italia; Compadres; Smokehouse BBQ; and Kamehameha Schools. Hawaii ranks 8th on a list of healthiest states Hawaii ranks 8th on a list of healthiest states in America, according to a new report released by CQ Press, Washington, D.C., a division of Congressional Quarterly Inc. The state picked up one spot over last year and was measured by 21 factors including access to health care providers, an emphasis on preventative care, affordability of health care and the general health of the state's population. Hawaii was ranked highly for its safety belt usage, low obesity rates, low level of adult smokers and strong health care coverage, according to the report. Minnesota ranked first on the list of healthiest states, followed by New Hampshire. Rounding out the top five healthiest states were Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. On the bottom of the rankings was Mississippi as the least healthy state. Others included Louisiana, New Mexico, Nevada and Florida. Highway construction around Maui... The parking lot at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge boardwalk
is being installed. The parking area will provide four parallel
parking stalls, two big stalls for buses and eight diagonal stalls
along North Kihei Road. The project was expected to be completed around
March, but there have been delays. The 2,200-foot boardwalk was
completed more than five years ago - but remained closed when
construction of a parking lot was stalled by a redesign required by a
law that blocked cutting into the sand dunes, a funding shortfall and
requirements for special permits for work in an area subject to coastal
flooding. Kihei-Upcountry limited access road to run from the Haliimaile intersection with Haleakala Highway to the Piilani Highway at Kaonoulu will cost around $85 million. A consultant to work on the planning is being sought. The new route goes through 10 miles of sugar cane fields from the intersection of Piilani Highway and Kaonoulu Street in Kihei to the intersection of Haleakala Highway and Haliimaile Road. As proposed, the road initially would be a two-lane highway, but there would be enough right-of-way available to widen the road to four lanes in the future. Each lane would be 12 feet wide and have paved shoulders wide enough to accommodate bicyclists. The road’s speed limit would be 45 mph in the urban area near Kihei and 55 mph in rural Upcountry. When will it be built? Some locals jest that 2099 is a good guess. "The hotel hot tub may seem like a bubbly pool of joy for kids, but the risks can outweigh the fun, Gary Graham, M.D., warns. Small bodies can't regulate temperatures well, upping their risk for heat stress, or, in extreme cases, heart damage, brain damage or death. Kids under 10 should completely avoid hot tubs, but older kids can take a 20-minbute dip, provided the water's temp is no higher than 104 degrees F. Harry Bernstein, M.D. explains: "it is not safe to bring a five-month-old into a whirl pool or jacuzzi-type bath that has a high temperature. Most public spas or jacuzzis will have a sign posted stating that infants should not be allowed in it. The reason for this is that most of these types of spas have a water temperature of over 100 degrees. Young children, in particular, have a much more difficult time regulating their body temperature. When exposed to these high water temperatures, their body temperature can rise significantly and quickly, causing difficulty with a number of metabolic problems. Adults have a more balanced thermostat and even after spending ten or fifteen minutes in a temperature of 105 degrees, can still maintain an appropriate body temperature that allows all the bodily functions to work properly. However, a child does not have this capability and thus it is not safe to take an infant into a spa. It's also not particularly appealing to the other adults who will be using the spa to have a child in diapers share it with them! I would also avoid taking a young child (three to six) into a spa, partly for the reasons mentioned above, and partly because of the potential for drowning. The central area of many of these spas is one to two feet deeper than the edge, and children may falsely think that it is not over their heads. Also, the suction that pulls the water out can be very strong, and there have been reports of children who have been pulled under the water by the force of the suction."
Haleakula was the
subject of a lecture by University of Hawaii geologist John Sinton, who
believes that "we’ve been going through a quiet period for the last 300 years,
but how long is it going to last? Is it going to last 1,000 years? Is it going
to last 100 years? Is it going to last an hour and a half?”
Owners are reminded that fines will be levied for faulty
air conditioners with excessive dripping where water collects on lanais
below the unit. Further, the owner is liable for all damages to walls and
concrete. In the long run, it is cheaper to replace old units than pay
damage costs and high utility bills for constant running of the unit. What was the Kihei-Wailea-Makena area like in 1970s? Your webmaster and his family visited Kihei when the original Azeka store was an old wooden-framed plantation-style shop near the family’s chicken farm. There were farms here and there with empty beaches stretching southward where hippies (often with limited clothing) congregated. Resort accommodations were limited to North Kihei, where the Maui Lu along with other condos and hotels attracted visitors. Kihei Road was a rustic, rural road that turned to dirt south of Kalama Park. Clusters of homes were spotted along the way. It was easier to get to Makena from Kula, using the Ulupalakua ranch road than along the shoreline south of Kihei. The Wailea Intercontinental Hotel (now the Marriott Outrigger Wailea Resort), was built in 1976. Had you been on Maui in the 1950s, you would have found plantation towns in Wailuku, Paukukalo, Waihee and Waikapu. Wailuku Sugar Company was the major employer. Kahului hosted a scattering of plantation camps, sandy scrubland and a few stores. Kihei was deserted, with a scattering of villages here and there along the shoreline. The largest towns were Paia, Puunene, Hamakuapoko and Haiku. The total population numbered less than 40,000. The Kahului Railroad extended from Spreckelsville to Paia, into Wailuku and later Hamakuapoko (near Hookipa) and Haiku. A passenger coach took children to the high school at Hamakuapoko. The trains stopped in 1966. Had you wanted to visit Lahaina prior to 1950 from Central Maui, you would have had to negotiate the torturous road that you see off to the side of the present highway. Now let's go back to the World War
II days. At the north
end of the Kama'ole I beach (known to most local residents as Young's
Beach), the military took over this area and other surrounding parcels to build
a Combat Demolition Training Station. The training was said to have been the
most rigid and intense of any naval training at the time. Over forty teams of
one hundred men each were thoroughly schooled in reconnaissance and demolition
activities. The beaches of Ma'alaea, Kihei, Kama'ole, and Wailea were fortified
to resemble enemy beachheads and they were assaulted in training exercises. At
the south end of the beach at Kama'ole I, an old concrete pillbox is one of the
few reminders left of the war years. Another pillbox is visible in front of the
Marriot Wailea Resort. After the war the barracks and other buildings at
Young's Beach were torn down, and in 1950 the Youngs were finally able to build
their home.
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You will pass an old deserted church on the left and the old Pu'unene School
that is now being used by social agencies. Turn right into the driveway
at another tiny "Books" arrow. Wind your way back behind the school
to the old plantation building beneath huge trees housing the
