Betty Sakamoto: Welcome to Betty’s Real Estate Corner, brought to you by Coldwell Banker Sakamoto Properties. We had a little bit of a race to get here—got stuck on Napali, and it just took us a little more time. But you’ve got to hear more of Danny Couch than you usually do. And I love Hawaii. We do love Hawaii.
Roy Sakamoto: We do love Hawaii.
BS: It’s the greatest place in the world.
RS: Yeah. And the course is interesting today.
BS: Yeah, it’s been pretty funny. On the way over, we were talking about, “What are we going to talk about today?” And it got worse—the more we were talking about this, that, the other thing. We wanted to talk a little bit about Lahaina again, and Hawaii, and everything that’s going on. And maybe this is the perfect time we ran I Love Hawaii, which is my all-time favorite Hawaiian song, because I love Danny Couch.
RS: And what’s interesting is we are live.
BS: Exactly. We almost live from the car, and we haven’t quite done that before—but we almost got there.
RS: Now, the traffic was backed up. They were cutting trees in Olowalu, and we were backed up for quite a while.
BS: We really were. I mean, we could have left a little earlier, I guess.
RS: Yeah. You know, that brings up something else, though—traffic. Traffic here on Maui is getting horrendous in terms of speed. You know, if you’re in a posted 45-mile-an-hour zone and you go 45, you’re liable to be run over anymore.
BS: Absolutely. I think the speed limit is being violated, so it’s really terrible. And I don’t know—I mean, it’s almost like everybody. You’ll have trucks passing, and new cars passing you. If you try to drive the speed limit, it’s really difficult. I don’t think anybody is doing it on purpose. I think everybody is in a hurry.
I think that we all slowed down quite a bit since the fires. And we’d say, in particular, where we come from—Lahaina—I think everybody is in a hurry. They’re trying to catch up, play catch-up, do more. It’s a very difficult time for people.
RS: Yeah, especially on the Kaanapali Freeway.
BS: The Kaanapali Freeway.
RS: It’s a posted 40-mile-an-hour zone through the Kaanapali resort. Mm-hmm. If you go 40, it’s really scary, because you’re going to get run over.
BS: It’s horrible, because sometimes you want to speed up a little bit so that you’re able to not get run over. But sadly enough, that doesn’t help much, because you do feel like you’re going to get run over. I mean, it’s insane how it’s going. Really, really.
RS: Yeah, totally is.
BS: It’s going to be interesting to see how it all goes. And I think the police are doing their best to handle it, but it has to be an almost impossible task. They would probably need a huge number of additional policemen if they were really going to start stopping people who are going over 45 miles an hour.
RS: Oh yeah.
BS: Even the 45 to 55, you could ignore.
RS: Absolutely.
BS: And when you get above that, it’s a nightmare.
RS: Even if you’re going 50, you’re liable to be run over. And we have gone 50—we are one of the violators.
BS: Yeah. I mean, well, I try not to, but again, it’s scary not to speed up. You feel like there’s nowhere to go. Once you get on Napali, there’s no passing. So somebody will be right on your bumper, and I think that’s kind of scary. I don’t like it.
RS: It is. We have a myna bird right outside our window. Oh, just left.
BS: Anyway, that’s pretty good.
RS: Yeah.
BS: So we are going to talk a little bit about real estate, and it seems like a little bit about what else is happening in the community. Any things you can think of coming up that—
RS: Let’s talk about the Lahainaluna reunion. They’re planning a big reunion in Las Vegas.
BS: The Las Vegas reunion?
RS: Yeah.
BS: All classes?
RS: Yeah.
BS: We should really think about doing that.
RS: Yeah, but it’s next year, isn’t it?
BS: I think so. I think it’s still a year away. But very interesting—all classes. One of our kids went to Lahainaluna High School, Julie Sherlock—Julie Flynn Sherlock. She lives on the mainland now, but I think she’ll be there for sure. She’s already talking to her classmates, trying to figure out what they’re going to do, where they’re going to stay, etc.
RS: Yeah, I think they’re going to have it at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas next year. As soon as we get more information, we’ll certainly let people know, ’cause that would be fun.
BS: I think it would be really great—and fun for everybody.
RS: Yeah. If you’ve never been to a Lahainaluna class reunion in Las Vegas, it’s wild.
BS: Well, that would be wild.
RS: We have attended a couple of times.
BS: I don’t even remember going to them, to tell you the truth.
RS: Yeah.
BS: Then what about Mother’s Day? Did everybody have a good Mother’s Day? I had the best Mother’s Day of my life. We had been out of town for a couple of days, and we were on our way back from the airport. We pull into our driveway, and our assistant pulls up next to us in her car—and I kind of was shocked to see her there.
BS: But Roy said she was dropping something off.
RS: She had a package.
BS: She had a package for us or whatever. So I glanced over and got out of the car, and all of a sudden my daughter’s there. I mean, I had no idea. But Julie and Roy—my daughter Julie and Roy—had made this plan, and that’s when we were coming back. And it was Mother’s Day. It was the greatest of all time.
We had the best four days. We did everything that you could imagine, and it was fabulous. It could not have been better.
RS: Fun times, fun times.
BS: We had a great breakfast in Lahaina.
RS: Yeah.
BS: And Mala. And it was perfect. Everything was great. I mean, obviously done with Mother’s Day in mind. But again, if you didn’t get to do Mother’s Day—create a Mother’s Day. Create a day and call it Mother’s Day. Another Sunday, or another Saturday, or a Wednesday—and make it Mother’s Day. Because I think the lady in your life will never forget it.
And the kids—your kids—will be a part of it and love every second of making Mom a Mother’s Day special, special.
RS: Don’t forget Father’s Day is coming up next month, too.
BS: I did! Yeah, when is that? (Just kidding.)
RS: Yeah. So…
BS: We have two of Roy’s kids here right now, though, so we could have a Father’s Day.
RS: Grandkids.
BS: That’s right. It is funny—sometimes I think of the grandkids as the kids when they’re here.
RS: So we’ve got Kai and Miley Sakamoto here from Portland.
BS: They’re out running the streets pretty quickly now.
RS: Yeah, they’re actually both college graduates. Miley is here working virtually. She has to get up at—I think she had to log in at 4:00 our time, 7 a.m. in Portland time. She works for Humana, so she has to hook into Louisville time, back East. Yeah. She’ll do that tomorrow, and also on Friday.
BS: They just got a couple of days.
RS: They leave Monday.
BS: So that Saturday and Sunday will be great days. We’ll have Grandkids Day.
RS: Yeah. Nice local names—Kai and Miley.
BS: Perfect.
RS: Yeah.
BS: It’s the greatest. And again, they’re having a lot of fun already.
RS: And their dad—our son Mark—manages one of the best stores anywhere.
BS: Yeah, he does.
RS: Trader Joe’s.
BS: Trader Joe’s.
RS: Everybody has to go to Trader Joe’s.
BS: Yeah, that is a great shopping spot.
RS: So if you are in Portland and looking for a Trader Joe’s—or go into a Trader Joe’s—ask for Mark Sakamoto.
BS: Just see if he’s there, no matter where you go.
RS: What do they call a manager? A captain or something for Trader Joe’s?
RS: Something like that.
RS: Anyway, he’s the captain of one of the local Portland Trader Joe’s stores. So that’s a plug for the family now.
BS: Well, it is a great store. No question about it.
RS: Yeah. So, how about some listings?
BS: Oh, come on. Come up with something.
RS: Yeah. There’s a great listing—it’s listed by one of our up-and-coming agents, Juliette Le Heron. This is a two-bedroom, two-bath Lokelani condominium—Lokelani in Honokowai. It’s oceanfront. Two-bedroom, two-bath, and listed at $1,450,000, which is a great price for an oceanfront, two-bedroom, two-bath, air-conditioned. It’s fully furnished, ready to go. And what a location—you couldn’t get any closer to the ocean.
BS: I’ve got a couple of great listings here. They’re listed by the great Roy Sakamoto.
RS: Yeah, okay.
BS: At the Ritz-Carlton—two listings. And they’re both amazing places. Two bedrooms. One is a two-bedroom, two-bath, listed at $3,250,000. Spectacular views from that one. Really, really great.
RS: Yeah, it’s a ground-floor oceanfront. Walk right outside—a few steps to the ocean, a few steps to one of the great restaurants at the Ritz-Carlton, the Banyan Tree, and very close to the pool also.
BS: It’s close to everything—really. The ground floor at the Ritz is spectacular. When you get up to the fourth floor—I mean, it is a great, unbelievable view. But still, I think from the standpoint of—four or six is the actual top, or at least it’s called six, right?
RS: The way this two-bedroom, two-bath is configured, it can be locked off—so half of it can be rented as a one-bedroom, one-bath, with the other half rented as a hotel room. So it’s got a lot of flexibility. It’s rented all the time, which makes it difficult for us to show.
RS: But it’s a fantastic location.
BS: It really is. The other one, though…
RS: Yeah, it’s the only penthouse at the Ritz-Carlton. It’s unit 1626—
BS: Listed at $8,500,000.
RS: Right. It takes up the whole top floor, oceanfront. You’ve got a wraparound lanai patio that fronts this whole apartment.
BS: Look for that on our website, because there are some good photos. I think it gives you a pretty good idea of what the view is, etc.
RS: Right. Go to our website—SakamotoProperties.com—or call my number, 808-870-7060.
BS: Or 808-870-7062 for Betty Sakamoto.
RS: Yeah.
BS: But that one is really for anybody seriously looking at the Ritz-Carlton. $3,250,000 for the one that’s a two-bedroom, two-bath, and then the other one is a two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath listed at $8.5 million. But again, that has everything. They’re furnished perfectly—both of them. And the Ritz-Carlton wouldn’t rent them if they weren’t. I mean, they have to be in their program. And that is the only program that can rent them.
RS: Yeah. They have a fairly high maintenance fee and what we call an FF&E—furniture, fixtures, and equipment—allowance. But this allows the apartment to be refurbished totally every three to four years, so it’s maintained according to Ritz-Carlton standards, which are, as we know, five-star accommodations. Just a great location.
BS: They don’t let anything that isn’t still in pristine condition be rented. They won’t. It’s up to them—they take care of it, they fix everything, they never let anything go. I think they do a spectacular job there.
RS: It’s not bad for somebody who just wants to live there, also.
BS: Oh yeah. That would be where we could get rid of our house and get someone who would clean everything for us.
RS: Yeah.
BS: I’m thinking…, now that you mention it.
RS: Room service, 24/7.
BS: Right. If they would just deliver coffee first thing in the morning outside our door. Don’t bother us. Just knock lightly.
RS: You’re a happy camper.
BS: I would be a very happy camper. Just take care of my coffee, that’s all I need. A little more coffee? What else do you have there?
RS: We’ve got kind of a mishmash of different properties, sticking to, kind of the high end. Here is one at the Montage—a three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath. Unit number is 1205, Building One, right oceanfront at the Montage, right on Kapalua Bay. Location couldn’t be better. It’s listed by Mary Anne Fitch from our office.
Listed at $6,975,000. So a three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath, just under 2,800 square feet interior. So it’s a fantastic location for big units.
BS: Another one, Elizabeth Quayle, has listed a really spectacular Bay Villa. It’s listed at $3,699,000 and again, in superior condition.
RS: I’m familiar with this location and the apartment. It even has a Teppanyaki grill.
BS: Yeah, it is spectacular. I’ve got a picture in front of me of a view from the living room, and it really is great. The windows are huge, and you’re on the ground floor, so you can walk right out. It’s one of the best ones.
RS: In Building 22. You can’t get much closer to the ocean.
BS: No, you can’t. And you’re high, high up. So I feel like it’s really got a little bit of everything for everyone.
RS: Absolutely.
BS: But that one, again, it’s rented a lot. But call us and we’ll see to it that you get in, or you get to Elizabeth. There’s someone who can assist you in seeing the unit right away.
RS: Yeah. Here’s another unique location—that’s at The Whaler Oceanfront in Kaanapali. That’s the one-bedroom, two-bath, direct oceanfront, on the seventh floor, listed at $3,295,000. Listed by Ray Chen—hit our website, SakamotoProperties.com, and get all the information on Whalers 701.
BS: Yeah, that’s another one at The Whaler, and Kaanapali Beach is really one of the greatest buildings, two-stories.
RS: Right adjacent to Whalers Village. So you’ve got shopping, you’ve got restaurants right there.
BS: The restaurants in Kaanapali are the best. You’re right near—you can walk to Roy’s Restaurant, which is one of our favorites. You know, Roy’s in Kaanapali—they’ve got lunch, dinner. The food is always superb there. Love it. Love having either lunch or dinner there all the time.
RS: You’ve got Leilani’s and Hula Grill. It’s just a fantastic location.
BS: Whalers Village has a lot of other restaurants, too. If you’re just looking for coffee, you can get a great coffee, pastry… there’s a little bit of everything at Whalers.
RS: Yeah, upscale shopping—which is a little scary—but they do have it.
BS: Quite scary, actually! I even think it’s scary sometimes, but it can be pretty fun. It’s really great.
RS: The other end of the spectrum here is a house in Wailuku. Great buy. It’s a two-bedroom, two-bath kind of an older home. It’s listed at $895,000—again, by Juliette from our office. The address is 610 Kailana St. in Wailuku. Two bedrooms, two baths, on the smaller side—about 1,116 square feet.
About a 7,000 square foot lot. But what a great location, what a great price! You can’t find many houses on Maui listed for under a million dollars.
BS: No, it is amazing.
RS: $895,000—and I know this is getting a lot of attention. So, look at our website again, SakamotoProperties.com, and you can be directed right to Juliette.
BS: Perfect. You know, there are so many possibilities. Talk to someone. Talk to an agent you’ve already been working with. Or call us at Coldwell Banker Sakamoto Properties, and we’ll direct you. If it’s something that we’re not able to immediately show you, maybe we can connect you with the listing agent in some cases. But let us talk to you.
Roy, again, is usually available. I’m available a good deal of the time, too. We’re happy to get together with you. You can come by the office and talk to us, and we’ll fill you in on the market. We know everybody isn’t ready to buy today—but we’re happy to talk to people.
Or, if we’re not available in the office, get one of our other agents to meet you and go over what’s going on. At least you’ve made a connection. And you’ve got—I always kiddingly call it a new best friend—but really, you’ve got someone you can check in with from time to time and help you find the right property when you’re ready to make that move.
RS: We’ve got a great core of professional agents at our office, and you’re not going to go wrong. It’s kind of scary sometimes, walking into a real estate office. But whether you’re interested in buying or maybe selling—come on by. We’re at 700 Office Road in Kapalua, almost adjacent to the Sansei restaurant.
Come on by, talk story. We can certainly point you in the right direction. So come on by—we’ll be happy to meet you.
BS: Yeah, I think if you even have the thought in mind that you’re going to purchase in the next five years, it’s a good time to spend a little bit of time talking to someone—and then figure out your needs. I met someone years ago on an airplane, and we didn’t talk about real estate, but when she was leaving, I handed her my card. And probably four years later, she walked into our office carrying that card. They wanted to buy a house on Maui, and they bought a really great house in Kaanapali—and then later bought the adjacent lot.
But it was funny because we didn’t talk about real estate at all, and at the very end, I just handed her my card—just in case. And really, I would have helped her with anything. I felt real guilty that I didn’t give my seat to her husband. But it was an aisle, and I wanted the aisle seat. I tried to give her my seat at the very last minute.
But we just sat and talked for the whole flight. So it was great. But again, that’s what realtors do—I mean, we meet people, talk to them, and I would have helped her forever. And we have sold the house at this point. So anyway, we got the two-minute warning just now.
RS: Wow. Time flies.
BS: I know. Especially when you’re late.
RS: Yeah. Here’s another listing—it’s a great listing. Oceanfront. It’s 4851 Lower Honoapiʻilani Road in Kahana. It’s a great location. It’s one heck of a house. It’s four bedrooms, three and a half baths, and over 5,200 square feet of living area. The lot is a little more than half an acre in size.
RS: Direct oceanfront, listed at $12 million. It’s got a three-car garage. It’s fully furnished, really well-appointed. And again, go to our website—SakamotoProperties.com—whether you’re selling, buying, or just want to talk story. Contact us—we’re more than happy.
BS: Okay, now we’re at the one-minute warning. So I think we can say—you’ve got Danny Couch coming back up, and you’ll get the last little bit of I Love Hawaii. And buy one of his—there are so many fabulous, fabulous… I’m going to say records, because that’s what I still call them. But it’s amazing.
BS: Look for Danny Couch.
RS: Danny Couch.
RS: Aloha.
BS: Aloha. Thank you for everything.
