Betty Sakamoto: Aloha and welcome to Betty’s Real Estate Corner brought to you by Sakamoto Properties, Coldwell Banker. And here we are. It’s another Thursday. We’re all set to talk real estate, talk what’s going on in the world.
Roy Sakamoto: Another beautiful day on Maui.
BS: It’s been perfect. It couldn’t be a better day, really. Oh, except there is a little vog floating around. Again, it’s pretty perfect.
RS: Compared to the mainland, what’s going on in California, Oregon, Washington.
BS: Yeah, it’s perfect. So, let’s just go with that. We were thinking this morning or almost afternoon that we should be talking about the food bank again, the Maui Food Bank. We got a flier from them yesterday or the day before, which I think really is pretty interesting in and of itself. But we should all really take a look at this. Roy and I talked about it quite a while this morning, but I mean, just some of the things in here. One of the things as it says, what is the solution? It is us. Every one of us. Together, we can take on the challenges caused by the rising costs of our basic needs and ensure everyone has access to nourishing food. And then it goes on to say that a gift of $10 will help to provide 40 meals. Now, I mean, there are so many people, and I think that we’re also dealing with people who have at one time been pretty wealthy or felt wealthy. I think that’s a really difficult thing because everybody looks at everyone else feeling like maybe that they have more than they do. But I think that there is a time it’s so embarrassing for anybody if you’re at the very lowest rung or if you’re someone that has recently lost a lot of money, but you still have a family that you need to feed. We’ve all got to work on this.
RS: Yeah. And it’s sad also because a lot of the children are affected. Wasn’t there a statistic, something like one out of every four or something like that?
BS: I think there is a statistic like that, Roy. One out of four hungry children and then our elderly that are at risk of missing a meal and they’re saying that over 13,000 people a month on Maui are at risk of missing a meal.
RS: That’s a lot of people.
BS: It is a lot of people.
RS: And a contribution to the Maui Food Bank. Like Betty said, you know, $10 feeds, gives you 40 meals. So, four meals per dollar. If you’re able to give $20, that’s 80 meals. That’s fantastic.
BS: What you said a minute ago, and I think I’m just going to go ahead and read this from their flyer and it just says, Who is hungry? It’s the parents working multiple jobs, but still skipping meals and making hard choices to provide for their families. It’s the child not getting enough of the healthy food their growing body needs. It’s the retired senior on a fixed income, unable to afford groceries. Hunger is touching every one of us, and we can’t turn away from that anymore.
RS: No, definitely.
BS: So, if nothing else, let’s all think of a way.
RS: Absolutely. And while we’re on the subject of Maui Charities, the Sentry Tournament of Champions was just completed a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to Sentry Insurance, a lot of our nonprofits here on Maui benefit from this golf tournament. It was a great turnout. The weather was fantastic. Some of the benefiting charities are Lahainaluna.
BS: Yeah. Lahainaluna High School.
RS: Right. Hale Makua, there is a Lahaina Junior Golf and what else is there? There’s quite a few charities that benefit from.
BS: I think Maui Prep.
RS: Maui Prep.
BS: Is on benefit in one way or another.
RS: Boy Scouts
BS: Boy Scouts
RS: Right
BS: And the Boy Scouts, again, that is such a great operation for young people.
RS: Oh, fantastic.
BS: It’s absolutely amazing.
RS: And again, thanks to Sentry Insurance, they put a lot of money back into the community. They’re talking about an exchange program with students from Wisconsin getting to maybe spend some time here on Maui and some Maui kids going to school back in Wisconsin on some sort of an exchange program.
BS: That could be really exciting.
RS: It would be fantastic. Yeah. I mean, think of the opportunities for kids in the Midwest there to come to Maui, learn about our Ohana style, food, culture, totally different from what they’re used to. And our kids from here going to Wisconsin, which is again, another cultural shock perhaps, but what a great experience.
BS: Even just learning the word ohana now everybody knows it’s family. And no matter where you are in the world, most everybody respects family but ohana here and to a certain extent, other places does add on the people around you. The people who maybe move here and become a part of your ohana, or the people that you work with and you’re suddenly part of an ohana. And I think it is amazing that the word can bring in so much love and so much caring. It’s fabulous really.
RS: Oh, yeah. You know, and I don’t think the sense of ohana extends maybe not far beyond the boundaries of Hawai’i. If you’re on the mainland it’s quite a cultural shock to have this kind of close-knit society that will help each other. You’re not blood-related necessary but, it’s something that we in Hawai’i can be proud and can share to the world.
BS: You’re right. And we’ve known people that have come here that have really embraced the feeling of ohana. Sometimes it’s someone that we’ve worked with in real estate, but they’ve come here, and they made a life, and they learned the whole idea of ohana. And they’re so great because they spread it and share it. I think it’s the most amazing thing. We’ve all just become used to it. In a way, we are one big ohana.
RS: Yeah, totally. Absolutely. While we’re on the subject of Maui nonprofits, Hale Makua.
BS: Yeah, Hale Makua. I think everybody knows what Hale Makua is. It’s the local nursing homes. It actually means more or less house of the frail and elderly.
RS: Oh, yeah.
BS: It’s gone so far beyond that in current years and the way it operates.
RS: Yeah, and it’s much more than a nursing facility. There’s home health, there’s rehab, and in fact, there’s some exciting news that’s going to happen and be publicly announced soon where Hale Makua will be planning a new rehab facility with perhaps 40 some-odd beds adjacent to our current facility in Kahului. So, stay tuned. We’ll be reaching out to the community as far as hopefully getting contributions because we are a nonprofit and can’t depend on government funding. We’ll keep you posted. Anyway, very, very exciting news coming forward.
BS: We were at Hale Makua today and everything there is so friendly and caring, no matter who walks through the door. I mean, of course, there are all the precautions today. You have to drive in and be tested. There’s so many things that are happening that are different than it once was. But all in all, don’t you think it is so friendly. Everybody is taking care of the patients our loved.
RS: Ohana.
BS: They’re ohana. The patients are ohana.
RS: Absolutely. Back to ohana.
BS: Back to real estate, maybe.
RS: Yeah
BS: Yeah.
RS: It’s kind of interesting, are mortgage interest rates are starting to fall again. There’s still some great buys out there, regardless of whether you need a mortgage or paying cash or whatever. We heard a statement just before we’re getting on the air here where mortgage payments are less expensive than rent.
BS: Well, that is true today.
RS: Something to think about.
BS: Yes
RS: Your mortgage payments are less than rent.
BS: Yeah. I mean, I really do think that that is, to a certain extent, the truth. And you’re going to have to maybe everybody is able to rent a place that you think is more upscale sometimes. But I think it is also worth today taking a look at real estate, seeing if there is something that you could live with and would be close enough to where you work because I just think you’ll have it forever. And that’s going to make a huge difference. Interest rates are going to come and go. You’ll be able to refinance it at a later time. Everybody keep creditworthy and get ready and check with your local lenders and see what you can qualify for and then call a local real estate broker. You can call us at Coldwell Banker Sakamoto Properties (808) 870-7060 for Roy. You can reach me at (808) 870-7062 and check out our website sakamotoproperties.com and you’ll find all sorts of information or just talk to a realtor. Everybody knows a realtor today. There’s a lot of us around there and talk and find someone you’re comfortable with and at least start considering the possibilities.
RS: Everybody should. Absolutely. Here is a brand-new listing listed by Ethan Kaleiopu out of our office. Brand new listing just hit the market is 906 Kaili Place in Lahaina. It’s below Lahainaluna and it’s an older plantation-style home, but it’s also got a two-bedroom, one-bath ohana which living in one rent the other. It’s a legal ohana and it’s listed at $1,250,000 for 906 Kaili Place. Call Ethan (808) 269-8033. Ethan excels in working with first-time homebuyers. He knows all the various financing programs that can be available to a first-time homebuyer. That’s where he specializes really.
BS: Yes, he absolutely does. And he does excel at it. He’s done so many as a young person. He has done transactions in almost every price range, but he in his heart, he wants to help people of Maui and help them find a home. He will work with you for years. I mean, he is young, so he’s on it in this for four years, five years.
RS: Yeah. Lahainaluna High School graduate. Interesting story about Ethan back when he was a senior in high school, he called our office. We were Sakamoto Properties then before our merger with Coldwell Banker. He called our office and he wanted to learn real estate business. So, I asked Ethan to come on in and let’s chat, because I was interested to find out why the 17-year-old Lahainaluna High School senior would be interested in real estate. Ethan came on in and we started chatting and I asked him, why are you interested in going into real estate? In the back of my mind, I thought he would say, “I want to make the big bucks. I want to drive fancy cars, have a big house, whatever. Ethan’s answer was, I want to help people find homes. That just kind of blew me away. It wasn’t a typical answer of maybe a younger person going into real estate. Ethan’s answer was, I want to help people find homes and that’s what he’s doing and doing it quite well.
BS: As part of that remember when he first got his license, which we kind of tried to talk him out of because he was ready to go to college. Early on, when he got a real estate license, one of the first things he did was he started having like a group setting and he would invite people from Lahaina or anywhere, but in particular Lahaina, and he’d get a place that he could set up a mini-seminar of sorts and have people talk about what it is that they wanted and go over with them, what it would take to qualify. He got a lender that would be there, or he got different management people available. He really put together an amazing group and a lot of those people were able to later qualify that thought they would never qualify to buy a home.
RS: No question. Yeah. It’s a scary experience. I don’t care if you’re buying your first home, your second home, third home, whatever, is still a scary experience to go through. Someone like Ethan who really, really cares is a big help to you. So, call Ethan (808) 269-8033 and ask him about his brand-new listing in the Lahainaluna area 906 Kaili Place. This could fit whatever you’re looking for.
BS: Here’s another one that’s kind of a could be for someone, a good owner-occupant property Pohailani Maui. We’ve got someone in our office, Natalie. Her phone number (808) 268-5108. She has a two-bedroom one bath at Pohailani Maui listed at $675,000. It’s easy to get in and out of. It has nice amenities. It’s fabulous landscaping. There’s something I mean, it’s close to everything. It’s close to Kapalua, close to Kaanapali. Just across the street from the beach, from the Kahana Beach. So, it’s really a fabulous property.
RS: Great location, absolutely great.
BS: Again, call Natalie at (808) 268-5108.
RS: Here’s one. It’s a studio apartment at Honokowai East. If you’re a single person or maybe a young couple just starting out, here’s a perfect property for you. It’s a studio in Honokowai East listed at $350,000. It’s been on the market about a month and a half and should be selling soon I would think. Listed at $350,000 and it’s listed by Reggie Golden out of our office at Kapalua. Call Reggie at (808) 875 7000 is Reggie’s number.
BS: A lot of people are thinking now, like at Kapalua, that there’s nothing left for sale but there is. There seems to be something that keeps coming along. There’s a newer listing right now at the Golf Villas 21 T1 and 2, T as in Thomas. Listed at a $1,385,000 smaller unit, one bedroom, two bath, and the ones that we’ve been talking about listed by Jane Ford. If somebody is looking for Kapalua, you could check with her on that one (808) 868-9555.
RS: Great location It’s got a great view. Jane will be able to help you. She’s very experienced and quite straightforward, so call Jane on that one. There’s one maybe stepping up a little bit in price. There’s one at Pineapple Hill at 1000 Sunset Place as listed by Mihaela Stoops from our office. The address is 1000 Sunset. It’s in Pineapple Hill which is a nice gated community, two tennis courts, big pool pavilion area, gated with a private entrance. It’s a four bedroom, four and a half bath. Extremely well located. Beautiful views. Mihaela Stoops her number (808) 357-4000 ask her about showing you 1000 Sunset at Pineapple Hill.
BS: Here’s another one, Roy. I think we talked about this one driving over. It’s located at 660 Luakini Street in Lahaina. Listed at $2,500,000. Now, I think it is a property that someone will probably buy because of its location. Totally location. It is a newer home in Lahaina close to everything that everyone’s used to. Built in 2005, whereas the majority of the homes in Lahaina and about are definitely older for many, many years. This is a newer home close to everything four bedrooms, three and a half baths, and you could call Myrna Ah Hee on that one (808) 264-0784. If you’re trying to get in, you can also go to our website sakamotoproperties.com and go in and locate any of the properties that we’re talking about and give us a call and we’ll do our best to help you or refer you. I know that we’re saying all of these phone numbers pretty quickly, but if you check out our website sakamotoproperties.com you can get in and look at everything. I know everybody is also using a variety of other sites to locate everything that’s for sale on Maui. That works too but for right now try sakamotoproperties.com.
RS: There’s a great listing listed by Ray Chen out of our office. It’s a two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath apartment at Kahoma Village in Lahaina. Listed price is only $938,000 for two bedrooms, two and a half baths Kahoma Village. Ray Chen (808) 344-2677. Ray Chen is the lister of this Kahoma Village unit number is 9-104, two bedrooms, two and a half baths listed at $938,000. Ray is one of the more experienced agents, a great guy to work with. So, give him a call.
BS: As you were saying that I’m thinking no one in the world has more energy than Ray Chen. If you call him and talk to him about real estate, he will see to it that you really know everything that there is to know about real estate, and we’ll hang on and do his best over the years to help you if you’re not in a position of buying something immediately. He does have all the energy has a way that he seems to find whatever it is. I really give Ray a lot of credit for that.
RS: Oh, fantastic. Ray also does a lot for the community. He’s very instrumental in the success of Maui Preparatory Academy. He’s had a couple of daughters attend school there, and what a great dynamo guy.
BS: He is. He can just get it done and it’s really fun. He was involved with us at the golf tournament recently and we were all doing a variety of things that were important. We had a booth that was basically four or five of us. We met a lot of people, spent a lot of time there but I’ll tell you Ray was there, he photographed everything. Everyone that walked through was going to get a great photograph of whatever was going on and we had a ball. Again, he can exhaust all of us. There was no one in that booth that he didn’t spin circles around. Remember that?
RS: Lots of energy. Great guy having work for you. Call Ray. You can look at that listing also on our website sakamotoproperties.com. That’s an easy way to go shopping sakamotoproperties.com. Again, call myself Roy (808) 870-7060 or Betty at (808) 870-7062.
BS: Perfect. Anything else we need on the standpoint of the different charity things or whatever is going on. We’re down at the three-minute warning. We didn’t have Norm Estin today to kind of check us up, especially with everything going on right now with COVID. We’ll have to have him at our next show just because I think it is time for people to learn what that all means and what we should all be doing to be sure that we remain protected.
RS: Absolutely. Coming back to charity and working with kids, especially Tony Finau, who’s a professional golfer. He’s been on the PGA Tour for a few years now, maybe six, seven, eight years. Tony did a clinic for junior golf.
BS: Yes
RS: Two weeks ago just before the start of the Sentry and the turnout was absolutely fantastic. He was signing autographs, showing kids how to hit the ball, and making it a fun game. It’s maybe not a fun game if you’re watching it on television. These pros are very, very serious, lining up putts and getting their drives maybe into trouble in the bushes or whatever, doesn’t look like much fun, but it is a fun game and it should be treated as a game. My hat’s off to Tony Finau for taking hours. It was supposed to I think be an hour kind of a performance. My understanding is he was there for like two and a half, 3 hours talking to the kids, signing autographs, and so forth, and all for the benefit of junior golf here on Maui.
BS: Junior golf here on Maui is fantastic. Oops! it looks like we are pretty much over Danny Couch back. Aloha and thank you for listening. Mahalo.
RS: Happy New Year.
BS: Happy New Year.