Please update your listing remarks! I had some buyers interested in seeing a small fixer upper in Wailuku Maui.  It's listed by a rather obscure company.  The agent remarks said it was vacant and easy to show... it even gave the lock box number.  I arranged to show it to them at 3 in the afternoon.  I called the agent's cell number to confirm the appointment and all I got was a message stating his voice mailbox was full.  Tried to call his office number, but wait it's the same number!  Must be a one man office.  So I emailed him about the appointment and let him know he needed to clear his voice mailbox. A couple of hours later I got a call from the listing agent.  Guess what?  No showings until he can get in touch with the tenant... oh yes, there's a tenant living there now.  He'll ge... 12/11/2008

Don’t miss the Feb. 1, 2009 deadline for My Mama Monologues© Ever felt like writing a story about your mother? Or listening to real stories about mothers at a special reading? Want to produce or direct?   YOU ARE INVITED TO WRITE … a story about your mother for a play reading TO PRODUCE … a simple play for theater, dinner theater and other public and private venues “My Mama Monologues”© is a staged reading to be held at multiple locations on Mother’s Day weekend, May 9-10, 2009. The reading will include a diverse mix of selected stories, submitted by the public, about one’s own mother. Actors reading the stories will be cast by Producers and Directors. Anyone interested in producing “My Mama Monologues” is encouraged to email Maui Playwright Pat Masumoto at: Pat@MyMamaMonologues.com wit... 12/11/2008

yes, I know we are spoiled here, with our ocean and mountain views and we can be very picky about those too! I would like to officially start a contest for the BEST MAUI VIEWS. Please feel free to nominate any property or area. I would like to nominate Maluhia Country Ranches . And since pictures are woth a million words, I will let you judge for yourself. These pictures are taken from my listing at 57 Hulumanu Pl., Wailuku. To find out how much these views cost please check  www.57hulumanu.com or www.westmauihome.com.   12/02/2008

OLD WAILUKU TOWN - Maui County Hawaii driving into old Wailuku Iao Elementary School Ichiban Okazuya West Maui mountain view classic Wailuku 3BD/1BA home for sale I took these the other day when showing a Wailuku homes for sale to some clients - young first time home buyers from Maui.  You know, some parts of Old Wailuku are just dripping with charm - classic homes and businesses from the 1920's and 30's.  Some of the most affordable housing and real estate on Maui is in Wailuku.  Wailuku is also the County seat, with the government offices and all that.  Want to see more Wailuku buildings? Then I grabbed some lunch at the Ichiban Okazuka - that's like local-style Japanese take out food.  Got the chicken katsu mini plate, with veg.  Damn it was good.  Busy spot at lunch time in Old Wai... 11/15/2008

I read this article on CNN.com this morning.  The article was stating that Obama and McCain are spending $300 million a week on negative campaign ads.  On top of that they are not working. So the article was saying that instead of spending all that money on negative ads that are not working give it to the homeless shelters to help people who are out of work from losing their jobs. What a great idea, then they could really show the American people how much they care.  Here is the link.http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/16/campbell.brown.negative.ads/index.html?eref=rss_topstories Steven Nickens R(S) GRI ABR The Wailea Group LLC. Wailea, Maui, Hi 96753 www.nickensmaui.com Email: nickens@maui.net 10/17/2008

  A lot of people really enjoy living in central Maui. What is great about central Maui is it is right in the middle of the island. If you happen to work in Wailea it is only a 20 minute drive. To lahaina it is around a 30 minute drive so you really cut down on your driving time. Kahului and Wailuku offer a few great options in new housing.  In Kahului you have Maui Lani and the legends which are pretty new housing projects. Now with the economy slow you will find great developer deals and the re-sales can offer some pretty fantastic prices. Wailuku and Waikapu offer some beautiful new construction homes by Stanford Carr and Townhomes.  They offer a variety of upgrades and some of the homes offer amazing oceanviews. So with the whole package it is very enticing to live in central Maui. ... 09/28/2008

The Fairways at Maui Lani, one of the Wailuku subdivisions embroiled in a lawsuit is being put up for sale.   The Fairways at Maui Lani - one of two subdivisions at the center of lawsuits over grading laws and site preparation damages - is being put up for sale. The asking price is $13.5 million. The 50-lot subdivision on the Dunes Golf Course was put on the market Tuesday...The listing says the infrastructure for the subdivision including sewer, underground electric, cable, telephone and drainage, will be completed within the next 30 days..  While the grading issues and the lawsuits are peculiar to this development, our guess is it is more fundamental economics that are driving this sale. Tighter lending markets, slower demand for new homes and still high construction costs probably al... 09/08/2008

  .  . How to sell your home or condo in a slow Maui market?   We all know that the real estate market has really slowed down.  Maui homes for sale are not exempt from this current market. So what can I do to sell my Wailea Maui home or condo more effectively?  Pricing your home to current sales in the last six months is really important.  Have your Realtor do a price comparable of homes recently sold.  You might also think about getting an early appraisal.  This will also help all potential buyers get a reality check. I would recommend getting an early home inspection.  This will save you time so your buyer has full disclosure.  You can also list any defects if you want to use an AS-IS Addendum.  I would also recommend getting the termite inspection done during your inspection period s... 09/03/2008

      Maui financial update report from the Maui news.   A new state economic forecast downplays the long-term impact of recent layoffs and bankruptcies. The report reduces economic expectations for the fiscal year that began July 1 from 2 percent growth to 1 percent but sees better years ahead. ''Some people are panicking, but the numbers aren't that bad,'' said Pearl Imada Iboshi, state economist, noting that economic trends go through cycles. She said recent developments are a shock but do not portend the collapse of the island economy. Many people have been laid off from jobs in the state this year as gas prices soar and push other costs up throughout the island economy. Iboshi points to good news in recent weeks, such as the decline in crude oil prices. ''I really believe that over... 08/20/2008

Wailuku Maui Homes SoldHere are the sales for Wailuku Maui Homes that sold from January 2008 to date.  There were over 200 homes sold in this period from $357K to $737,600.  The median price was $562,250 with a lot of the activity coming from new construction closing. View all Wailuku real estate currently for sale in Maui MlS Wailuku has a lot of quality homes offered at pretty reasonable prices from the developers with great incentives. For information on new homes in this area email Steven for information on new developments in Wailuku and Kahului area. www.nickensmaui.com  I work for Elite Pacific Properties, #1 in luxury home sales in Hawaii. I am looking forward to introducing you to Wailuku communities, the lifestyles and the prestigious real estate properties in Wailuku Maui. Si... 08/18/2008

The ferry between Molokai and Maui is increasing its one-way fare to $68.40 the increase was due to the rising cost of fuel. The last fare increase was in 1995, and since then the price of diesel fuel has risen to $4.40 from $1 a gallon. spokesman at the sea link have been quoted saying "We can't take the losses any longer," "If the tariff doesn't pass, we shut down." 08/18/2008

Dear Diary, On Saturday I met with some first time home buyers, nice young local couple, from Hawaii.  They are renting in Pukalani and want to move closer to work... she works at the Maui Memorial Hospital, him at the golf course in Waikapu.  We looked at a unit in the Iliahi at Kehalani complex.  These are nice 2 story 4-plex townhouse condos.  They really like the end units because they have more windows, which makes sense.   They like this development because it's new and nice looking, and the views.  (not interested in Kehalani Gardens ... too close to the prison)  It's a perfect location, right in between both of their jobs.  Even though the maintenance fees are over $400. they will save a lot on gas, being so much closer to work.  It was really quiet up there at Iliahi, away from... 08/11/2008

  .  How to effectively sell your home in a slow Maui market?   We all know that the Maui real estate market or for that fact national real estate market has really slowed down.  Maui homes for sale are not exempt from this current market. So what can I do to sell my Maui home or condo more effectively?  Pricing your home to current sales in the last six months is really important.  Have your Maui Realtor do a price comparable of homes recently sold.  You might also think about getting an early appraisal.  This will also help all potential buyers get a reality check. I would recommend getting an early home inspection.  This will save you time so your buyer has full disclosure.  You can also list any defects if you want to use an AS-IS Addendum.  I would also recommend getting the termit... 08/09/2008

The first half of 2008 in Maui saw fewer real estate transactions compared to the first half of last year, with 25.9% less single-family homes and 17.8% fewer condominiums being sold. Home prices experienced a drop of about 8.9% to $590,000 from $647,000 last year.   Overall condominium prices for the rest of the island remain stable with a slight 0.9% increase. For single-family homes the majority of sales in the first half of 2008 occured in Wailuku, followed by Kihei and Kahului.     08/08/2008

Wailea MAUI REAL ESTATE MARKET!   What is happening in the Wailuku Maui real estate market? I do believe we are different from a lot of the mainland market problems. Maui has always been a destination for people looking for sun and great beaches.  With the dollar losing value Maui like other U.S. Markets has become a great value for foreign buyer's.  Residential sales on Maui has seen a decrease in home values and slower sales. This is not true for condos sales in the resort areas.  On Maui real estate market, prices are actually up 3% for the first quarter and the number of sales up a bit. So if you are looking to sell, remember pricing is everything. Price as aggressively as you can to the most recent sales. In a slower area maybe price a little lower than the last sale.  If it is in ... 07/28/2008

When people think of Maui and Hawaii in general, they often think of the beach first. Heck as an island resident, when I have some down time I tend to grab my surf board and head to the beach before anything else. Yesterday the prospects for surf were limited so my friend Tom and I did something a little different and headed up to the Iao Valley in the West Maui Mountains. Maui has some beautiful mountain areas from the massive dormant volcano Haleakala to the lush and rugged West Mauis. The West Mauis are an old remnant volcano that is eroding rapidly. The results of the rapid erosion are jagged, steep and lush peaks. The steep slopes are filled with the trails from periodic waterfalls. When the area is subjected to heavier rain, hundreds of waterfalls spill down these steeper slopes. ... 07/28/2008

So you're looking to buy on Maui.  It is a great time to buy prices are down from 2005 peak.  There are a number of great buys. So what do you need to do to realize your dream home in Wailuku or Kula Maui or other parts of Maui?  It may be time to start looking for that condo in Kihei you been dreaming about. First step I would recommend is to talk to a lenderMany lenders help prospective buyers get pre-approved for a mortgage loan before they begin a serious house-hunting effort. Give the loan officer or mortgage broker all of the information about your assets, income, and debts so they can tell you how much money you will be able to get under the available loan options. The loan officer or mortgage broker will do a credit check and work with the lender to straighten out any problems ... 07/27/2008

First Friday is coming up again. August 1st in Wailuku old town. We are having so much fun there, music, art, sales, pupu's, drinks, the whole family can come out and its free.   All Ages Free Music  featuring Musk Buddies 5pm heir 15 years old you gotta dig that Sing Sing Laugh Laugh 5:45 pm My band and Pat Masumoto Uncle Dirty 6:15 pm Slam Funny dirty ole band From Haiku Poetry by Pat Masumoto in between band sets. August 1st 2008 5pm to 7pm Wailuku's First Fridays @ Gallerie Ha 51 North Market Street Wailuku, Hi. 96793     Don't miss out on the fun, lots of Realtors come down, so shuold you!! 07/23/2008

Hawaii Looking to tap into China's Market   As the travel restriction eases up for China.  We are going to see an influx of Chinese buyers to Hawaii.  A recent agreement between U.S. and China allows more leisure travel for groups to United States. This will help the visitor industry with the decline in Japanese visitors.  This will also have a Hugh impact on the Maui Real Estate market.  We are already seeing a few interested buyers looking around on Maui. So will this be the next wave of buyers like it was with Japan in the 90's, we will see.  After the Olympics' are over this summer then I believe the migration will begin. www.nickensmaui.com 07/07/2008

Hawaii foreclosures rank low on Foreclosures Hawaii ranked No. 42 in the nation, as compared to the four highest states. California (Properties with Foreclosure Filings): 64,683 Florida: 35,264 Arizona: 11,620 Nevada: 7,276 Is buying a foreclosure a good deal? Compared to what? Compared to a market that is priced right and a knowledgeable Realtor who knows their inventory. There are many properties that have no balance owed that are for sale. Mom and Pops who can sell for less down size and move on for much less then a foreclosure.   Short sales can be good yet the work and time involved are going to vary. I was told that all the inventory and amount of work on Hawaii short sales to date June 1st 2008 will take the rest of 2009 to finish and close. Thats not accounting for whats coming ... 06/16/2008