Betty Sakamoto: Aloha and welcome to Betty’s Real Estate Corner brought to you by Coldwell Banker, Sakamoto Properties. Here we are again, it must be Thursday.
Roy Sakamoto: It is Thursday.
BS: Yeah. We got a lot of different things that we want to talk about.
RS: How did we end up with Betty’s Real Estate Corner as a name?
BS: I don’t know. We just didn’t have a name.
RS: Just out of curiosity.
BS: And we were starting it. I don’t know. I really don’t remember. I might have to talk to Cindy about it.
RS: Yeah, pretty catchy though.
BS: It was kind of works for us. It’s just kind of a little bit of real estate, a little bit of everything else that’s going on in the world. Today in the studio, we have Shelli Sakamoto Burkhart, our daughter. She is here from California for just a few days but we are so thankful to have her here. We may get her to say a few words. She is a school teacher from the LA area Anaheim. She has a lot to say also about the virus and things that are going on in the world. We are going to hit on that kind of strong today but we also want to do a little bit of real estate, a little bit of this. Dr. Norm Estin is going to check in with us and he’s got some statistics that aren’t looking so good. He is available, all of his people, all of the medical that we have in Maui. They are ready. They are standing by. They want to vaccinate and we’ve all got to think about it now. I mean, no excuses anymore unless it’s a true medical urgency. We need to. I keep saying now protect the field you know one for the Gipper. Whatever you can come up with let’s think about whatever you need to do let’s do it. It’s easy. Let’s figure out how we do it.
RS: To a huge extent, it’s not fair to us that are vaccinated to have so many that are unvaccinated. Our appeal really is to all of you unvaccinated people out there and we understand there are some reasons that you can’t or won’t but if you can at all think of the rest of the society and please get vaccinated. This delta variant is just one of probably many more variants that are going to come down at us. It is not a laughing matter. It is very serious.
BS: It is dead serious. When you think now most of the aging population has been vaccinated. Not everybody and to fellow aging people let’s all push one another so that we get it done and we also are going to protect the youngsters by being vaccinated ourselves. The children under 12 and the babies and everybody else will have less chance of being able to catch the virus from someone and more children that are getting the virus these days than were in the early days. Again, we got to protect the field. We’ve got to protect everybody. We even have to protect those who refuse to get vaccinated. If you have no reason or you just have it in your gut that you want to take a stand on something don’t take a stand on this find something else. There are some better causes and better things that we can all do.
RS: Yeah. We are seeing a lot of different areas starting to kind of clamp down again and revert back to former statuses with masking. Everything’s tightening up again in a lot of areas of the country primarily the South I guess but in all areas of the country. We are seeing a huge increase and I think Maui itself had what 60 something.
BS: 69 people today.
RS: Yeah and Hawaii was 660 something.
BS: Yeah. It is a lot of people.
RS: A lot of people.
BS: A good news thing that I heard a few minutes ago here at the radio station congressional gold medalists were awarded to those who protected the capital on January 6th. I think that’s fabulous. I mean somebody should protect and these people gave up so much of themselves. I mean, there were people who died. There were some suicides among people that had been protected. They probably never ever thought they would have to have been in a position where they were going against our own citizens to protect the capital.
RS: Yeah
BS: Whatever has happened there to give congressional gold medals right now I support it. It is so spectacular and a good thing happened. I guess that’s it for that also.
RS: Yeah. That’s a good editorial right there too.
BS: Norm Estin is going to check in with us. We are going to try to do a little bit of real estate here.
RS: Here, I’ve got an interesting one. It is a house in Lanai. It is listed at $1,149,000, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, and about 2,300 square feet. It is listed by Max Blair from our Coldwell Banker office. Max can be reached at (808) 866-2334. Call Max and ask him about this great house for sale in Lanai.
BS: Another favorite one for me. Elizabeth Quayle has a listing close to the ocean on Front Street. 1133 Front Street little short walk to get to baby beach. Listed at $1,995,000, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 7,500 square feet of land. The house is just over 2,000 square feet but you can walk everywhere from there. The house is in really good shape. You can walk to Lahaina town, you can get almost anywhere simply and again baby beach. There’s no finer beach anywhere.
RS: That’s right, yeah.
BS: Elizabeth you can reach at (808) 276-6061.
RS: Speaking of Front Street here’s another one. This is oceanfront, 1441 Front Street listed by Robert Myers. Robert can be reached at 283-3067. This is 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. It’s about 1,988 square feet direct oceanfront. It is on the North end of Front Street and very worthwhile to see.
BS: Roy and I also have an exciting new listing at Kapalua at the Iron Woods number 72. It is listed at $5,200,000. It had an upgrade a number of years back that has made this one of the most spectacular properties that you will ever see. It sits overlooking what is now I think the 17th Hole of the Kapalua Bay Course used to be 5. The upgrade was so spectacular. You are right on the ocean. You can see sunsets every day. It’s really great so call us if that’s something that you’d be interested in or you know someone that would be. It’s obviously not for everybody but it is something that’s really spectacular.
RS: I think that’s the most spectacular oceanfront listing right now at Kapalua. It’s 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. The upgrades have been fantastic, unbelievable. You are right on the green basically at which is now again the 17th hole on the Bay Course. That’s probably the most photographed golf hole on Maui. That part 3 17th hole on the Bay Course.
BS: We have one other listing that’s it’s right at Kapalua but technically not the Kapalua resort at 6291 Honoapiilani Road. Listed at $9,900,000, 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. The acreage is 3.5 acres basically and it’s a really fabulous home. That anyone looking for a property like that oceanfront and if you are checking all of Maui right now the number of oceanfront homes available or even direct oceanfront condominiums is becoming minimal. If it’s something that you would be interested in a lot of these properties in a few years I think anybody will look back out and think if only I’d invested then.
RS: Yeah, that’s right.
BS: It’s going to be an interesting time.
RS: This is a fantastic property. You can’t find 3 acres on the ocean anymore anywhere.
BS: That’s true.
RS: This is fantastic.
BS: Almost anywhere in the country. If you went across the country and we’re trying to find 3 acres on the ocean it’s going to be really hard to find and living here is going to be really the finest in the world.
RS: Call Betty (808) 870-7062 or call Roy (808) 870-7060 ask us about 6291 Honoapiilani Highway.
BS: Okay, it sounds like we’ve got Dr. Estin on the phone. If you don’t know Dr. Norm Estin has a practice that’s doctors on call in West Maui primarily but has now opened up an unbelievably top office in Wailea. He also has other locations where they’ve been doing originally testing and now vaccinations. He is going to fill us in on what’s happening and the same thing Dr. Norm is going to tell you is that it’s time we all step up. Aloha Norm.
RS: Morning Norm.
Dr. Norman Estin: Aloha Betty and Roy. Nice to hear you both.
BS: Nice to hear you.
NE: Need to put the word out with a weekly update here. There’s some good news and some not-so-good news. The good news is around the state, around the country, and around the world. The vaccines that we have been working just great and if they’re still as safe as they were. We’ve now given them about 4 billion of them worldwide and the 3 that we have on this island are leading the charge. The Moderna, the Johnson & Johnson, and the Pfizer. They are all readily available, very safe, very effective, and they are working very well against the new strains that are coming out especially this delta variant. They work in terms of preventing people from getting very sick, from having to have a tube in their throat, from having to be in the hospital, or from dying. You still might get a very mild flu-like feeling and maybe a tiny cold but otherwise, it will prevent you from getting very seriously ill. Now, the not-so-good news is this new variant. The delta variant that we’ve all heard about is really wreaking havoc on those of us who haven’t gotten vaccinated yet and the reason is twofold. One, it is much more catchy. It is about as catchy as chickenpox or measles or even smallpox. That’s about two and a half times as catchy and communicable as the regular virus. Secondly, it is much more serious. It is affecting younger people. It is expecting them earlier and they are winding up being much sicker so our hospitals are starting to fill up again. So, as long as this delta keeps growing in which it is now it is responsible for most of the cases around Maui, around the state, around the country. The more it’s going to be important to get those of us who are not yet vaccinated to give us some protection while we have time because otherwise, we are going to be really burdened. It’s going to wind up being worse than it was last winter for all of us around the whole state as well as around the whole country. That’s where we stand. You should be able to get a vaccine at your doctor’s office at any pharmacy at most clinics any of these 3 are available. Again, they are all free and your health insurance will pay for it if you have health insurance. There’s no charge to you. We are seeing essentially no side effects. You do need 2 of them for total protection. Again, if it’s the Moderna and the Pfizer about 3 or 4 weeks apart only. One of it’s Johnson & Johnson. They are remarkably available and what’s going to happen now is that the United States government is going to require vaccination for all federal employees. The state is going to apply it for all state employees. We are probably going to require vaccination for any foreigner coming into the United States. We are going to be requiring it for all High School and school students competing in all the athletics in Hawaii as well as their coaches. Probably for the audience as well so it’s going to become standard. Those of us who haven’t gotten it yet want to come forward and get it.
BS: That sounds great Norm. I didn’t realize that all of those different entities are going to now say you have to be vaccinated and prove it. That says a lot for the direction we are going in and for the eventual safety of all of us.
NE: I think pretty much. It was just a news flash I saw that CNN has required it now of all
their employees. A couple of employees showed up and refused to be vaccinated and were terminated. It’s just a condition of employment and this is not unusual. I mean we have required vaccination for lots of things. We don’t let kids go to school at all unless they’ve had Measles Mumps from Rubella Meningitis types of vaccines. We don’t allow people to work unless they’ve had a TB test. We don’t allow anybody in healthcare to work unless they’ve had Hepatitis A or Hepatitis B shot so this is not a big deal. Requiring this as a condition of employment to ensure your own safety and the safety of everybody you work with as well as the people you take care of.
BS: Well, I think again like we were saying a little while ago here you’ve got to protect the field. It is something that’s always done and we’ve got to take care of one another. No one else is going to take care of us so we’ve got to really look around and take care of the person next to you, across from you, that you pass by on the street. We all have to take care of one another. It’s time for that. We are one country, one family of people.
RS: Yeah. Hey Norm, quick question. I’ve heard people say FDA hasn’t approved this and they are not going to get it until FDA approves the vaccine. Is that around the corner? Is FDA about ready to approve this?
NE: I think they are Roy. Historically the way this works is that it normally takes 6 to 9 months and to get a complete review by the FDA for permanent approval for a vaccine. What happened here with the pandemic emergency is they’ve actually been working on it for 10 years already in terms of basic science and so they came up with the vaccine itself in somewhere between 9 and 10 months which is phenomenal. They didn’t have a chance to move it through the entire approval process for final approval. It’s been distributed and 4 billion doses so far around the world under emergency use approval. Essentially, it’s been approved in terms of being so safe and it’s just a kind of a formality for the FDA to kind of say you know what this is great but they’ve got to crunch the numbers and make sure that there aren’t any hidden cases of problems. I don’t think there is because historically any kind of problem that the long-term problem actually also turns up in the first 6 or 8 weeks and we haven’t seen that. I think that’s around the corner.
BS: We had another interesting statement here a little while ago. Roy’s daughter, our daughter Shelli Sakamoto Burkhart is here with us today. Schoolteacher 5th grade, very well educated and as we were just in the car and we haven’t seen one another now for over 2 years. It’s just such a fabulous moment but she suddenly just said what she would say to everybody right now is if you are not vaccinated you are just plain being selfish. It is not all about you is that the most simplistic way to think about it. It’s not all about you. You are being selfish. Be vaccinated now.
NE: Well, I think that’s a good point. I mean, but there’s a lot of self-interest involved too. You are protecting yourself and that you know we’ve all know people who’ve gotten sick from this and unfortunately we all know people who didn’t make it. It’s preventable and at this point now all the people that are in the hospital. There are thousands and all the new cases we are seeing which are 50, 60, thousand a day now these are all people who are essentially unvaccinated. All the hospitalizations and deaths are for people who are unvaccinated. It’s not only as you say all of us but each of us, ourselves are vulnerable if we haven’t protected ourselves so you do it for yourself and you do it for everybody else.
BS: Absolutely Norm. Thank you so much for coming on and helping our community this way because when you hear a doctor say what you are saying right now it matters a whole lot more than the person next to you. I just think everybody’s got to listen and hear the message. Thank you again so much for being here with us.
NE: Thank you both and aloha.
BS: Aloha
RS: Aloha
BS: See you soon. Shall we go back to a little real estate or should we stay on our message?
RS: Well
BS: Real estate. Let’s do it.
RS: Yeah. Well, besides our message as far as vaccinations and so forth again we keep harping on local charities.
BS: Yes
RS: The Maui Food Bank you know they do a fantastic job supplying food for the needy and we can always help. All of us can help.
BS: We’ve supported for a long time Hale Makua in any way that we could and Roy’s been on the board of directors for the better part of 40 years in a variety of capacities. Haley Makua is one that definitely as time goes on always needs something. A lot of caring people fought really hard because of the virus and because of everything else that’s been going on. I think that is another thing really so important for everybody. That’s not always just our seniors, our aging population, we saw a young man there. When we were first involved who was really amazing a quadriplegic that had been injured on the Big Island and an accident. You could see the spark in his eyes but he couldn’t communicate. They made for him the greatest life that he could have as he was. You could go in and talk to him I mean you were talking he wasn’t responding but he was because he had bright eyes and a bright smile.
RS: Yeah, you could see it in his eyes.
BS: Yeah. It was really pretty amazing.
RS: Yeah, absolutely.
BS: And babies have been treated there for different things.
RS: Yeah and there’s some really big exciting news that’s coming out about Hale Makua. You will all be able to see and hear what’s going on in the next few weeks. There are some expansions of our facilities and our services that are going to be announced shortly so stay tuned. Keep Hale Makua on your radar for one of our local charities to support. The Maui Food Bank, Hale Makua, and many other great services here.
BS: Quite a few years ago, Roy and Sue Cooley were involved with us. Sue who did the stadium at Lahainaluna High School was interested in a project called the greenhouse which I couldn’t give you enough information about it right now but all of a sudden it’s resurfaced. It will be interesting to see if it could be something that could ever happen in Maui. It was a setup that would make nursing homes totally different. There would be like 9 bedrooms possibly in the place and there would be like 10 residents. It would just be like a home. It would be a hearth room and a kitchen. Everybody could be involved and Roy went to Tupelo Mississippi to see what it was all about and has talked about it.
RS: Birthplace of Elvis Presley.
BS: That’s right. Anyway, Hale Makua was at the forefront of trying to attempt that and I don’t think it’s going to happen at least not for a long time. I’m really proud of you Roy that you found that and tried to make it something that could happen here. We probably should take a few more real estate moments because we have the 3-minute warning.
RS: Okay, here’s a brand new listing. It’s by our buddy Dano Sayles. Dano can be reached at (808) 870-4899. Dano has this great new listing. It’s at 30 Hui E Road in Napili. It’s a fantastic location oceanfront. It’s 5 bedrooms, 6 baths, 6,300 square feet even has an Ohana, and it’s listed at $11,950,000. Fantastic views of Lanai and Molokai.
BS: Another quick comment would be, right now there are some new programs coming out for 1st-time homebuyers that are going to make it possible for some people to be able to step in and figure out how to buy a place with a very low down payment or in certain cases possibly no down payment.
RS: Yeah, there are some county-assisted programs available also.
BS: Yes. I wasn’t sure what they were but there’s so much right now.
RS: Call us Roy at 870-7060, Betty 870-7062. We will clue you in about these down payment assistance programs. Here’s one that you can really qualify for in Kahana Manor. It’s a 1 bedroom, 1 bath listed at $499,000. It’s listed by Rick Kepler from our Coldwell Banker office. Rick can be reached at 283-3729. This has been newly furnished and upgraded at the end of 2019 so everything’s spick and span on this.
BS: Great location. You can walk over to the beach, very simple living, and you can afford it. The interest rates are going to make it better than paying rent in most cases and it will get you started on a path even if you have to be a little bit squeezing in. Now, we are down a 1-minute warning so we are going to get closed out of this pretty quickly. Danny Couch is going to be coming back with our I love Hawaii which oops here he is. Thank you so much for listening today.
RS: We love Hawaii.
BS: We love Hawaii and please help us all with the vaccination. Let’s get vaccinated. Aloha.
RS: Aloha.
