Betty Sakamoto: Aloha and welcome to Betty’s Real Estate Corner brought to you by Coldwell Banker Sakamoto Properties. Here we are again on another fabulous Thursday with so much going on in the world. Masters has just started. My husband Roy is here with me and it’s going to be a really fun show. We went to the Masters in 2017.
Roy Sakamoto: 17, yeah.
BS: It was absolutely the event of a lifetime. Now, just watching it is fun. I am not great about watching sporting events but it’s going to be a really great Masters.
RS: Well, for sure. You know that was always on my bucket list and we got a chance to go in 2017, saw the last two rounds. Sergio Garcia was the winner that year.
BS: He was spectacular really great.
RS: The whole thing of being at Augusta National was fantastic. It feels like you are walking on sacred ground.
BS: It really did.
RS: Unbelievable.
BS: One interesting thing was that there’s this area where the path more or less takes the observers walking. There had been rain and there had been all sorts of stuff and every time you looked at it, it was perfect. You figured how could they possibly do that. Finally, at some point, I got down and touched it. It wasn’t a real grass.
RS: Yeah. Your crosswalk areas where you cross the fairways to get to the other side are always green and so forth so Betty got on her knees.
BS: Checked it out.
RS: Checked it out and it is artificial grass.
BS: It is artificial and it’s just enough to walk on.
RS: You can’t find the seam.
BS: You cannot find the seam, absolutely.
RS: Where it melts into the real grass.
BS: It was amazing. You also cannot run at Augusta. If you want to race to get to the next tee, I mean you can get thrown out of there easy.
RS: They will stop you.
BS: There’s no running. They will stop you in a minute and they are everywhere.
RS: No running, no sitting anywhere.
BS: You can’t sit on the ground.
RS: Yeah, designated areas.
BS: Even then you need to have your chair. They have these cute little chairs that you can buy.
RS: You have to buy those.
BS: We bought those.
RS: Yeah, you can’t bring your own beach chairs.
BS: Then we gave them to some locals there before we left.
RS: Yeah, quite a nice experience though.
BS: Looking forward to doing it.
RS: Yeah
BS: Hope we get to do it again someday.
RS: It’s a lot hillier. The course looks kind of flat on TV in real life it is very hilly up and down and side hill and so forth.
BS: It was a job getting around there.
RS: Yeah
BS: It was really difficult, but it was really fun. There was some great play that year.
RS: You can have the dollar and a half pimento sandwiches.
BS: Have several different sandwiches that are a dollar and a half. Drinks are inexpensive maybe a dollar.
RS: Yeah
BS: Nothing was out of line. It wasn’t like you felt you are getting ripped off every time you had something. The pimento sandwich for me was a bit much. They did also have an egg salad sandwich for a dollar fifty.
RS: Yeah
BS: You could eat there. We went to the magic place.
RS: Berckmans Place
BS: Berckmans Place. We were given tickets for that for the final day and there were like several restaurants there maybe four.
RS: Three, I think.
BS: Three restaurants.
RS: Different cuisines.
BS: Like we went there for breakfast. Whatever you wanted they brought to you. It wasn’t a buffet, but it wasn’t away. You could just order. They’d bring you coffee and they’d bring you juice. If you wanted scrambled eggs but you may be hesitant, I don’t want fried or scrambled they’d bring you both but fresh. Crispiest bacon in the world.
RS: Bloody Mary’s.
BS: We don’t have those.
RS: Yeah, but whatever you wanted to drink.
BS: Yeah, they had everything.
RS: They had it. I am not sure what our hosts paid for our tickets, but you can’t tip the waiters and waitresses.
BS: No. You can’t tip anyone.
RS: What is interesting is Berckmans Place is a huge building and it’s open for one week out of the year.
BS: Yeah, this is the whole thing. There are a lot of things there that are open only for that.
RS: Yeah
BS: Hey, if we are on kind of nice restaurants on the way over here, we were kind of talking about Maui restaurants and some of the places that we love to go. We haven’t gotten on that on the show for quite a while. We were thinking about it and one of the ones I really love, and we go to Roy’s all the time in Kaanapali. This year we went to Roy’s restaurant that’s in Wailea. Humble?
RS: Humble kitchen.
BS: Humble kitchen for a dinner. It was some of the best food we’ve ever had.
RS: Is that the Wailea Marriott.
BS: I’ve just discovered that they actually serve breakfast there starting at seven in the morning. I am going to see to it that some Sunday when Chris Schrein and I head out that we go there for breakfast.
RS: Yeah
BS: It will have to be spectacular food and the service was great, everybody there were wonderful, great views.
RS: You can stay for lunch and go to Tommy Bahama there.
BS: That’s right.
RS: That’s one of our favorite restaurants.
BS: Yeah, love Tommy Bahama. That’s really good.
RS: Right
BS: Now, having said that though we very seldom leave West Maui to eat. It is way too difficult and too far to go.
RS: Well
BS: We do though I know.
RS: In Wailuku, we go to Tokyotei.
BS: Yeah, Tokyotei love that. Marcos, for me Marcos is a favorite. They have a little bit of everything. The staff there, the owners there, everybody. It is another one like a cheers.
RS: Yeah
BS: If you go in there and you are going there off and on, they know your name. They know who you are, and they are happy that you are there. They are really glad you came.
RS: We had a great meal two weeks ago at Kula Lodge.
BS: That was really fun.
RS: Yeah, that was good.
BS: We actually went hiking believe it or not for anyone that knows me. Haleakala at the 8,000-foot elevation.
RS: Hosmer Grove
BS: Oh my gosh! That was not an easy task, but we did it okay. I mean we were fine. It was a little huffing and puffing off and on where I was. It sure was spectacular.
RS: Yeah
BS: The Kula Lodge for lunch is another place that everybody really is really great.
RS: Yeah and some of our Lahaina restaurants would be like Frida’s on Front Street right on the ocean.
BS: Frida’s, they used to say Spanish food versus Mexican. I kind of feel more Mexican but really it is.
RS: Latin
BS: Latin
RS: Yeah
BS: Love the food there and anytime we go there we tend to usually its lunch or an early dinner. We always have another meal for whatever we’ve had.
RS: Yeah, portions are huge, and the food is great.
BS: Food is really super there.
RS: Honu is right next door.
BS: Honu and Mala is still a really great restaurant. Great ones. What else? I mean I am not even well Joey’s.
RS: Joey Macadangdang.
BS: The new restaurant which is Macadangdang which is in the Strip mall in Kaanapali right on the I say the highway. You know Honoapiilani I guess it is a highway.
RS: Right
BS: Road doesn’t quite seem like a highway. That again really great restaurant. Joey is a spectacular, a super chef, and such a hard-working man. He had to have struggled like everybody to a certain extent at the beginning of the pandemic.
RS: Yeah, he used to be the executive chef for Roy’s.
BS: I forget that always.
RS: Started his own Joey’s kitchen and he has three locations I think now.
BS: Whalers village he is still there on the Napili shopping center and the new one Macadangdang.
RS: Macadangdang right.
BS: They are all close by and he sure does find the ability to be there often.
RS: We have grandkids in town now. Kids and grandkids’ first night out Macadangdang.
BS: Macadangdang or Joey’s.
RS: Joey’s
BS: Yeah, the kids love that and love eating it. They are happy at the Honolua store for breakfast.
RS: Loco moco
BS: They love to go out walking and getting loco mocos before they come back for breakfast.
RS: Yeah
BS: They are both athletes. One of our grandsons and his friend are here right now. Mikey Sherlock is here.
RS: Yeah
BS: With Julie Ehu.
RS: Yeah
RS: Mikey is on his way he will be starting at UDUB in I guess September.
BS: Right
RS: On a soccer scholarship. His high school Torrey Pines High School in San Diego won the state championship. Mikey was a big part of that team and now will play for UDUB.
BS: Yeah. I loved hearing his coach say that Mikey was just one of the greatest young people that he had ever coached. That he really was a spectacular, not just a great player but a great mentor to the other guys and such a help. Know that he was really going to be a spectacular college student.
RS: Yeah
BS: which is really a super one.
RS: They went out golfing yesterday too. He is a good athlete. When I asked him how far he hit a nine-iron he said about 160. I said really.
BS: Did he?
RS: I guess yeah.
BS: The one hole they said he almost drove the green.
RS: Yeah
BS: On a power four.
RS: He did.
BS: Did he?
RS: He did drive the green.
BS: The scores I guess weren’t fabulous. He doesn’t get to play golf very often.
RS: No
BS: It really was fun. He and his friend are here. They were perfect.
RS: Yeah
BS: It was really great. Julie Ehu Flynn Sherlock Lahainaluna High School
graduate. Her and her husband are here. Julie and Dan when they are here always going everywhere and spend a lot of time wherever.
RS: Yeah
BS: Every beach. They are going to hit every beach with the kids before they get out of town.
RS: Anyway, we are a real estate show, I guess.
BS: We are. Two more before we quit. One thing that we’ve gone to a couple of times now is the Kihei Caffe in Lahaina.
RS: Oh yeah
BS: Why couldn’t they have called it the Lahaina Caffe now for some reason maybe this is catchier. It’s a great fun place, really nice food in a place that everybody tends to talk to one another. We had a couple of really amazing experiences there. One day we met some people from Ukraine.
RS: Yes
BS: That was really a very powerful moment. We just happened to sit next
to them and their two little kids. That was really a.
RS: Yeah
BS: The experience.
RS: Yeah, the wife was actually Ukrainian. The husband was Russian.
BS: Yes
RS: They have been on Maui for about seven months. He is an engineer. His headquarters is back in LA. They have to relocate back to LA but some sad stories that they related.
BS: Yeah. Probably the most powerful thing was that they said that they were talking to their friends. They were able to reach most of their friends on the phone, but it was horrible. I mean that they were like in a lot of cases the women and children had already moved on. They are not with them and they had horrible experiences getting away. The husbands and fathers and everybody were staying there to fight. Just a sweet couple.
RS: Yeah. What got me was her best friend in high school is seven months pregnant. She escaped to Poland. Her husband stayed back to fight and Kyiv. I mean how sad, her first child she has to go to Poland for safety. Seven months pregnant and her husband is in key fighting the Russians.
BS: Whatever home they had is gone.
RS: Yeah
BS: We can only say let’s all pray and do everything that we can that can help. Maybe that is the only thing that we can personally do right now is to pray and to care. Anyway, before we get to real estate one last thing Alaloa Lounge at the Ritz Carlton.
RS: Yeah
BS: That’s a final one. It’s just a simple place.
RS: Right off the lobby. We go there every now and then for a quick dinner. Actually, we go in we split a hamburger, we split a salad and we are done. Hamburgers are huge.
BS: They have great music playing.
RS: Yeah
BS: Hawaiian music and there’s always somebody fun that will a number of them actually can even do the Lahainaluna alma mater.
RS: Yeah
BS: That’s always fun being there. Again, getting back to a little bit of real estate before we run the show out. It is the same as we talked the last time. The market is a little bit crazy.
RS: It is nuts.
BS: People do seem to still be buying even local residents are coming out. If interest rates can stay a little bit low, it is still working for people if they need a home. Maybe the prices will come down but if you keep at this great interest rate and you intend to stay here for a long time, I can’t see that it’s ever going to matter. If you buy a home or probably it’ll end up being a condo at this point but with the interest rate, I think the payments are still going to be less than rent. You need some down payment unless you have some pretty substantial income because there are some loans that can work for first-time home buyers. Ethan from our office, Ethan Kaleiopu is a great person in that market and has been able to help a lot of first-time homebuyers figure out how to get in the market. We have done that also, but I just feel Ethan right now is totally on it. Young man, a graduate of Lahainaluna High School I think 2018, 17.
RS: Yeah, three or four years ago three or four years ago.
BS: Spectacular person and he is done a little bit of everything. He went to Honolulu for a little bit but working with us and really doing a great job for first-time homebuyers.
RS: I wish I had his energy.
BS: Me too. First-time homebuyers or luxury owners.
RS: Yeah. Anyway, coming back to contact us for any real estate questions you might have. You can contact Betty at (808) 870-7062 and myself Roy at (808) 870-7060.
BS: Perfect. One of the listings right now that can work for a local resident is Elizabeth Quayle from our office has a listing at Pohailani, two bedrooms, one bath listed at $697,000. Again, and I know it is so hard to say this out loud. It becomes affordable especially with the interest rates right now. It is decorated really nicely. It is in really good shape. It’s been on the market now for about two-three weeks. I know she had a lot of activity but it’s not in escrow yet. It is available to see. You could check in with her at (808) 276-6061. That’s Elizabeth Quayle Coldwell Banker Kapalua. It is really worth talking with her on that one.
RS: Yeah and Rick Kepler from our office has a great one bedroom totally upgraded in 2019. It is a Kahana Manor, unit number 313. It is one bedroom, one bath. It is 630 square feet and it is very livable. It’s really a must-see. Its really affordable asking price is $610,000. Rick Kepler and his number is (808) 283-3729.
BS: Another one, this one would be would work for a couple or a single person wouldn’t work for a family. It’s a studio at the Hale Napili Apartments and is listed at $725,000. It’s been on the market for a number of months I think close to six months because it doesn’t work for everybody because it is small. Ray Chin and Mihaela Stoops have that co-listed. Again, it’s very nice and it could work for the right person. I would at least think about something like that. Trying to keep in a price range that somebody can get in as a first-time homebuyer. That is listed at $725,000.
RS: It’s a great price.
BS: It’s a lot of money but it’s going to be less than rent, hopefully.
RS: Yeah. Here’s a Hale Ona Loa, the unit number is 104. It’s a ground floor one bedroom, one bath at Hale Ono Loa. Hale Ono Loa is an oceanfront development right in Honokowai. This is listed by Matt Berglund-foster. His number is (808) 633-2410. Call Matt and tell them you’d like to see Hale Ono Loa apartment number 104 listed at $710,000. Again, nice small development, low rise, right on the ocean. Hale Ono Loa 104 Matt Berglund-foster, (808) 633-2410.
BS: Another one is a new listing of Kapalua at The Ridge. A one-bedroom, two baths. These units are really large. It is about 1100 square feet still a one-bedroom. I know people that have had at least one child living with them in one of the units. This one’s listed at $1,350,000 now we are stepping up quite a bit on this but for somebody looking to live at the resort, it really is a wonderful place. You can give again Elizabeth a call at (808) 276-6061.
RS: Here’s a real rare four bedrooms, three baths unit. It is at Opukea in Lahaina four bedrooms three baths unit number is F-404. It’s a top floor with four bedrooms and three baths listed by Ray Chin. Ray is at (808) 344-2677. You just can’t find a four bedrooms condo almost anywhere.
BS: No.
RS: This is four bedrooms three baths at Opukea Apartment number F-404. Ray Chin (808) 344-2677.
BS: One of the things that might be worth talking about a little bit is a lot of people that might be listening and I’ve gotten these calls a few times that it does sound like nothing makes sense today, it’s not a good time to buy, and a lot of people could move into that direction. What do you feel is something worth saying to let’s say a local resident or even maybe someone that moved here over the last couple of years but didn’t initially buy. From the standpoint of encouragement, it’s still okay to get into the real estate market here.
RS: Absolutely. Interestingly had a client yesterday that I met for the first time. He is from Oakland California and really a nice young man he and his wife. He says if you were my son what would you recommend I do in this market? I said if I were your son what would you recommend I said buy. You’ve got to buy because he says well, I might wait till the bottom of the market. I said how do you figure that? I’ve been in business 40 some odd years in real estate I can’t guess the bottom of the market or the top of the market, buy. The only way you are going to make money is by owning it.
BS: You are right I mean it is and we have watched that forever. You can’t recognize the top or the bottom. We certainly know it’s at a high. I also think for somebody coming here if they really want to live here and they want to be here they obviously shouldn’t be doing it if they can’t afford to do it. If you are here and you want to live here, and you want to spend x number of years and this is where you want to spend this period of your life. You are not going to be able to rent that’s really going to kill you at least if you own something you will build equity. If you leave here, you will always be able to rent something out and move if you had to move back somewhere. It is it’s always going to be worth doing it and you also have to follow your heart. If you’ve made this decision to come to Maui or if you live here and you want to live here for all of your life, I still think it will work.
RS: Yeah, Maui no ka oi. We kiddingly say wow Maui no ka oi but it’s true. I don’t care where you go in the world you will never find a place like Maui and you will never own a real estate in a better place than Maui. My recommendation is to buy.
BS: I’ve been here basically 48 years although Julie and I the other day were trying to count down the number of actual years but I’m pretty sure it’s close to that. A lot of times someone will say to me, what would you do if something changed in your life? If you were alone if this were happening or that would happen? There is nowhere in the world for me that I would ever go. I will never leave Maui and speaking of that though we do have the two-minute warning.
RS: Betty and I are always willing to talk to anyone. We don’t charge for our advice, our opinions. Give us a call again Betty at (808) 870-7062 or call myself Roy. My number (808) 870-7060 and tell us what your budget is, what your aims are, what your plans are, and we will work with you. We will point you in the right direction and I know we can help you find whatever you are looking for in terms of real estate.
BS: We are now just about off the air. We will come back on with Danny Couch. One of the things I keep wanting to say is let’s all remember, be kind to one another. Let’s make this world that we live in better. We can do it in the simplest ways just be nice. Be nice to the person standing behind you in line or wherever you are. We don’t need to shove in Maui, we don’t need to push. Be thankful to be here. Thank someone for visiting instead.
RS: And pray for our friends in the Ukraine.
BS: Pray for the Ukraine. Pray for all of us. God bless America.
RS: God bless. Aloha
