Today was my last West Maui Caravan serving as West Maui Regional Director for our Realtor's Association of Maui.  During this past year, I have seen a tremendous transformation in this weekly event and in my fellow Realtors.  As we all know, these have been trying economic times, and the real estate market has been affected.  Our weekly caravans have changed from being a forum where we preview  listings and talk about market conditions, to a forum where we still do those things, but we help the community at the same time. Let me explain how:  Each year, the  President of RAM selects a charitable cause for our organization to support.  The Wishing Well began with Sarah Sorenson and her vision to unite Maui public school students with the resources they need to better their education.  S... 09/24/2008

Maui's 23,000 acre Kapalua Resort is currently home to seven condominium communities and four residential communities.  While they all share in the resort's extensive amenities, each community has it's own unique character and charm.  Today I'd like to focus the spotlight on the Kapalua Bay Villas, which are one of Maui's lovieliest oceanfront communities.  These low rise condominium residences are nestled on 16.5 oceanfront acres, perched on the rocky cliffs above the white sand beach of Oneloa Bay.  Each of the 27 buildings is home to one and two bedroom floorplans, many with spectacular ocean and island views.  There are a variety of options to suit your needs: from one and two bedroom townhome style floorplans to single level living.  Residences range from approximately 1200 to 2000... 09/23/2008

The Kapalua Resort will host the inaugural Kapalua LPGA Classicthis October 13-19th, at the KapaluaBay Course.  We are excited to have this addition to our annual Kapalua events, which include the Mercedes-Benz Championship, played each January at the Kapalua Plantation Course and the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival held each summer. Watch the Kapalua Resort's host professional, Morgan Pressel, vie against other golf phenoms for the $1.5 million purse. Those fortunate enough to be staying at the condominiums and homes bordering the event Ridge Villas, the Golf Villas, the Ironwoods, Pineapple Hill and Pineapple Hill Estates will have front row seats for what is sure to be an exciting week of golf.  Order your tickets now, or if you are interested, volunteer.  The Kapalua Resort is seekin... 09/21/2008

Volunteering is a big part of being a Realtor.  We are integrated into the community and have a vested interest in its well being.  As a Realtor you're at the center of the community you know every house and every condo on every street in every corner of town and you truly care. The Realtor's Association of Maui has a program called Wishing Well.  This year in this market Realtors, title companies, lenders and other local businesses have raised and donated over $250,000.  That translated directly into lunches for kids, desks, books and now, volunteers are painting the dorms at the local high school, Lahainaluna. That's where we found out that volunteering can also be hazardous.  Barbara, my wife and partner, volunteered along with several other realtors lead by Siu Whitehead.  I was pla... 09/21/2008

There's no place on earth like Kapalua Bay.  Imagine: a perfect white sand beach, looking out across the ocean to the islands of Molokai and Lanai.  It's no wonder that Kapalua Bay has been named America's Best Beach by such publications as Conde Naste and the Travel Channel.  The sun sets nightly between these two islands, and to the left is the newly-opened Merriman's Kapalua, one of the most stunning restaurant locations to watch the island's nightly show. To the right is the new Ritz-Carlton Residences at Kapalua Bay.  Once the site of the Kapalua Bay hotel, The Residences at Kapalua Bay is currently under construction, with a completion date anticipated in the spring of 2009. The Residences at Kapalua Bay will be managed by The Ritz-Carlton, and are located on 24 oceanfront acres w... 09/21/2008

The Kapalua Resort is undergoing a spectacular renaissance:  What has long been a favorite destination for golf is being transformed, with a focus on providing access to more of the lush surroundings that extend from the mountain to the sea.  Resort wide renovations and new development will allow guests to enjoy the most luxurious accommodations. The Kapalua Shops, including the Logo Shop, my office at Kapalua Realty, Sansei and LaPerle, were relocated to beautiful new plantation style buildings in the central village.  Construction is well underway at the Residences at Kapalua Bay, at the site of the old Kapalua Bay Hotel.  Walls are in place in many of the units, giving us a sense of the floorplans and the incredible views from a particular location.  Next door, the Spa at the Kapalua... 09/19/2008

Maui Ka'anapali Villas unit C-255 has been price reduced.  Enjoy ocean views from your lanai in this comfortable studio property. Located in the north side of Black Rock, Maui Ka'anapali Villas offers access to one of the world's most beautiful beaches. The extensive lush grounds provide a sense of privacy and relaxation. The newly renovated pool area is perfect for cooling off in the day, or for a dip in the hot tub at sunset.  Now offered at $455,000 Fee Simple.   08/28/2008

Tickets for one of the year's premier culinary events, "Maui Chefs Present, Culinary Olympics: The Road to the Ritz," are now on sale, according to the LahainaTown Action Committee. "In keeping with the Olympics theme, Maui's 'Greek Gods and Goddesses of Hawaiian Cuisine' will be providing Gold Medalist Fare during an evening of international tastes for the first time in a new venue," said Rina Sampson, LAC executive director. The event will be held from 6:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua's spacious pavilion. 08/21/2008

Key negotiators from Maui Land & Pineapple Co. Inc.'s Honolua Advisory Council and the Save Honolua Coalition spoke at Lahaina Civic Center last week Wednesday to update the community on proposed plans for 3,467 acres from Lipoa Point to Nakalele Point, owned by Maui Land & Pine (MLP). The social hall became quiet as Kahu David Kapaku led over 100 people in prayer for the 274 MLP workers who lost their jobs. After the prayer, Kapaku, the president of the Save Honolua Coalition (SHC), shared the group's vision for Honolua. "It is more than a place to surf, swim and snorkel. It is an ahupua'a, a continuum from the mountain to the sea. We need to reconstruct our thinking on how to keep this place intact," he said. 08/21/2008

A community forum on growth in West Maui will be held Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the West Maui Senior Center. Sponsored by Maui Tomorrow Foundation and Save Honolua Coalition, the forum is meant to create interest and encourage participation in the upcoming General Plan Advisory Committee West Maui meetings on Aug. 21 and 23.  West Side residents are encouraged to share their views on West Maui's infrastructure and traffic, medical services, water, schools and other issues for the 2030 Maui Island Plan at both the community forum and the GPAC meetings the following week. Wednesday's forum will include an introduction to the Maui Island Plan 08/11/2008

LahainaTown Action Committee announced Friday that "A Taste of Lahaina and the Best of Island Music" will not be held in 2008, but the event will return in 2009.The culinary festival's traditional opening event, Maui Chefs Presents," will be held on Sept. 5 at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. "A Taste of Lahaina" is a two-day event that attracts crowds in the thousands. Founded in 1991, the event features restaurant booths serving "tastes" of their signature dishes, concerts by new and established stars of Hawaiian music and a keiki zone for children. 08/11/2008

We went to Hawaii this last month for some much needed R & R and took our 15 year old granddaughter, Carli, with her new camera.  She took a lot of photos but these are a few of her favorites.  The American Flag waving in the breeze at dusk, a Maui sunset, swimming with the sea turtles, walking on the Lahina beach, and the final sunset as we drove to the airport to fly home. We are hoping that Carli will pursue photography as she gets older... we really  think she has an eye for it!This is our budding young photographer on the plane on the way to HI! 07/27/2008

Aloha All, OK... new to this whole 'blogging' thing but what the hay,here goes. The market here is Maui is not all that bad given the big picture nationally. What I am finding effective is to work the whole island, rather than the side I live on (westside). In the past the westside was all I would do, now I have realized current market conditions have forced me to do things differently and "spread my wings". You simply cannot do the same old routines in todays market. You need to evolve or else you will disolve. I am actually liking it. The real challenge as it is with all professionals whom have familes, is striking that elusive balance between work time and family time. Anyway for the other RE professionals out there, keep your head up and be proud of our profession, we do service peo... 07/25/2008

This top floor unit has spectacular ocean and golf course views. Located at the north end of the highly desirable Kaanapali Royal, this unit is extremely private with direct views to Molokai. Enjoy the large lanai off the sunken living room as well as the lanai off the upstairs master bedroom. Kaanapali Royal, a gated community, has 2 lighted tennis courts, a pool and a spa. It is walking distance to Whalers Village and the famous Kaanapali beaches.   This 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo is now offered at $818,000.  Call Erin Haywood (808) 264-8037 for details. 07/22/2008

With an extended Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deadline of September 2009, the state Department of Education (DOE) is working nonstop to convert large capacity cesspools at 60 of its facilities across the state.  Eight of those facilities are located on Maui, and perhaps the most costly and extensive of the design-build projects is located on the West Side along the slopes of Mauna Kahalawai two miles above Lahaina at Lahainaluna High School, where work is currently ongoing to decommission 21 cesspools on the 100-acre, 177-year-old campus.    07/22/2008

Aloha everybody! The statistics on how well Maui Real estate did in the month of June are currently available here. Thank you REALTORS Association of Maui! Before going on to review the statistics, I need to start with a " Readers beware" notice. Given the fact that the number of transactions on Maui , in general, are rather small, one sale can influence the average and the median prices significantly. Thus, take everything with a grain of salt. Kapalua still leads the way in terms of the highest average price for homes and that is $4,905,625 and there have been 4 sales in this area this year. Ka'anapali has suffered a drop in number of transactions, only 10 homes were sold until July and the average price was $2,086,100. This represents a a 20% drop in the number of sales ( in actual t... 07/10/2008

We just learnt that Bart Mulvihill with Monte Fitts Realtors in Lahaina, has decided to run for Hawaii Senate, for the position that is currently held by Roz Baker. The other contender for this seat is Jen Shields, most famous for her efforts to have a new hospital in South Maui. Burt addressed West Maui REALTORS today, at Caravan and mentioned that his focus will not be bringing a hospital to West Maui, but rather improving the quality of our schools and stimulating local businesses. Also, Burt made himself available to hearing all our questions, concerns and ideas. Bart can be reached at bartonmaui@yahoo.com Good luck Bart! 07/09/2008

I will be having a wine tasting this Friday the 11th from 7 to 9pm at the Ikena Lounge located above Pacific'o. The theme of this tasting will be "Wine Symposium Favorites", so if you missed out on the Kapalua Wine Symposium this would be a great chance to try some of the favorites! See you there. 07/09/2008

For the eighth year in a row, Lahaina Town will host fireworks at 8 p.m. on July 4.The fireworks will be shot from a barge moored offshore of Lahaina Town. All boaters, swimmers, surfers and other water users are warned to remain outside the 600-foot safety zone surrounding the barge from noon to approximately 9:30 p.m. on July 4. Two security vessels will patrol the safety zone to ensure compliance. Front Street will be closed to vehicle traffic between Baker and Hotel streets from 4:30 to 9 p.m. All parking lots will be open. 07/01/2008

This top floor 2 bedroom 2 bathroom unit has spectacular ocean and golf course views. Located at the north end of the highly desirable Kaanapali Royal, this unit is extremely private with direct views to Molokai. Enjoy the large lanai off the sunken living room as well as the lanai off the upstairs master bedroom. Kaanapali Royal, a gated community, has 2 lighted tennis courts, a pool and a spa. It is walking distance to Whalers Village and the famous Kaanapali beaches.  This is one of the best values in the Kaanapali condominium market.  Ka'anapali Royal P-303 07/01/2008