Betty Sakamoto: Aloha and welcome to Betty’s Real Estate Corner brought to you by Coldwell Banker Sakamoto Properties. Today, we have a really fun day going. We’ve got three young women that are all here from Brown University came in to do let’s call it a “pandemic semester”. They arrived on Maui and had to do a two-week quarantine. Fortunately, one of the parents owns a wonderful home that they’ve been staying at. I think we’re going to try to do a little bit of real estate, either at the beginning or the end, or I might sneak it in there somewhere. Here’s a bit, Coldwell Banker in September opened 101 Escrows in West Maui which is pretty fabulous. Actually, we may have had a little help across the island but I’m going for 101. Anyways, so for the girls. I’m not sure how we’re going to start this. Alyssa was right next to me and I probably again pronounced your name wrong.
Alyssa: No, you got it right.
BS: I did good!
A: Yeah.
BS: It’s the first time I think. Here’s all the different ideas that I’ve got and I’m going to toss them out. We could almost take some calls I guess but I don’t think that we can get through taking calls. But here’s some of the ideas that I have, the girls are going to be voting in their first presidential election and we aren’t going to talk politics at all. We aren’t going to even give you a hint who any one of us is for. Probably we could have an argument going which we’re not going to do and I don’t. I’m not sure about that but I think if we go one on one and talk a little bit about some politics, we do a little on the quarantine that they did, and maybe quarantine first.
A: Yeah.
BS: So, let’s start with Alyssa and see how you felt about it.
A: Yeah. I mean quarantining for 14 days it sounds like a lot but I think being with three other girls that are in it together and for anything for like the public health of others, we’re all for it. It actually wasn’t bad at all. We were able to spend a lot of time outside in our backyard and cook and get to know each other better. So, I think it was really nice and then classes started after a week that we came and arrived. So we started to get busy with that.
BS: I think it was really kind of a fun thing. They really worked hard on it with us and with other people prior to getting here. It did turn out they were prepared. I was probably more concerned than they were. But they had a lot of food, they planned to get delivered, we dropped off a few things. They had some restaurants I think that delivered but mostly you were cooking at home and nobody seemed unhappy. On the final day or the day after we all went out for dinner and that was really a pretty great moment.
A: That was amazing.
BS: How did you guys do with it?
Francesca: I thought it was completely fine. I mean, we have been with our like in the same place since March, once we got kicked off of campus so any change of scenery was really nice. So, yeah, I had a great time. I didn’t find it difficult at all. I think we had good company so it was really nice.
Tamsin: Yeah, even from the backyard. I mean, just the beauty of Maui was just still mind-blowing to me, so getting to see that every day was amazing and I was really thankful for the community support that we have here and people who are willing to help us out and the people who are willing to help us either get food or whatever resources we need so that we could stay safe.
BS: It seemed like it went really good. I had said to them today, if you guys did anything that you shouldn’t have done, do not say it on the radio but they looked at me and said no. We never would have done that. I’m so comfortable with it because they respect this community and the variety of communities that you all live in. They’re all in school at Brown which is located on the East Coast. Where are each of you from?
F: I’m actually from Columbia but I’ve lived in Texas for a while. That’s where I was before coming to Maui.
BS: Okay.
T: I’m from Manchester, New Hampshire. I’ve lived there pretty much since I was two.
BS: And Alyssa. You are kind of a Maui girl halfway.
A: Yeah. I mean, when we my family lived in Japan, we used to come here for months at a time. My brothers and I went to like daycare here as babies and then we kept on coming here even after we moved to the US. So, grew up half here partly in Japan partly in New Hampshire partly in Connecticut.
BS: Partly New York is.
A: Yeah, all over. Rhode Island now.
F: You grew up on a plane.
A: Basically.
BS: A couple of other things I think will be interesting for each of them. They’re all, somebody’s still 19 and everybody else is 20.
A: Yep.
BS: Okay. Everybody else and I guess there’s only two. This will be first presidential election and I thought it would be one of the things I’m worried about in the election is I think everybody needs to vote. I think it’s going to be one of the most important elections of my lifetime and it could turn out to be one of the most important elections of your young lifetimes. I think it’d be fun to hear from each of you, maybe starting with Alyssa. Give us an idea how important it is to you to be voting in this election.
A: Yeah. I think the first election that I was really cognizant of what was happening was the 2016 one. I was in high school in New Hampshire which is a swing state. I was really working hard like canvassing, trying to get everyone out there to vote and spending like waking up at five in the morning knocking on or putting like things on doors being like please go out and vote.
BS: And you. Wait. Excuse me, you were 16 then?
A: Yeah.
BS: Yeah. I got it. I give that a round of applause. Good for you. WOW!
A: Yeah. Well, I knew that I couldn’t vote but I had to do something to help people who are eligible to vote to go vote. I also helped out in Connecticut in the 2018 elections and now I’m also working at Brown and volunteering to get all the students out to vote, and so I think it’s so important that we do. I mean when you were born women weren’t allowed to vote or..
BS: Well, actually no. I’m not quite that old.
A: Okay.
BS: but I’ll tell you. I think it’s a hundred years right now be from the time women first got the vote. I believe somebody else here might know. No? We don’t know but I’m sure that’s it 100. It’s 100 years.
A: Yeah. There are people who are living currently who experience not being able to vote and now we are able to and we’re all women here and women work so hard for us to be able to vote. So, I think we should really respect how much effort and power went into that and exercise our right to vote.
F: Yeah. I really see it as a privilege to be able to vote. It’s kind of crazy that this is our first election because it feels so like dramatic and like it’s not the normalcy of it but I think it’s important to represent those who don’t have a vote or can’t vote and to vote with their interests to support one another. I think being able to vote is a huge privilege and I think everyone who can should totally use it.
BS: Absolutely.
F: Yeah.
BS: And it is hard because I think for everybody, at every age it takes a lot of thinking and reading and figuring out who the candidates are and what works for you. I mean, and it is a very personal moment who you vote for. I don’t think it’s necessary and I think sometimes it’s good to keep your vote to yourself. I think with a college, I would bet there’s a lot of sharing which I think is also good or the people we’re all close to. I think right now just encouraging people to vote at all ages. I mean, now you’re, you figure 20 years old. That’s pretty amazing that you’re right now and listening to Alyssa talk she obviously has it down in her head how important it is. I’m really impressed with that. Now, I mean your parents are those people also.
A: Yeah.
BS: Which I’m thrilled to have this going on again. Here to all of the young people on Maui, that maybe are wondering does it even matter what I do? It does matter. It matters today, it matters tomorrow and it matters four years from now but for right now it’s just this election do your best, think what’s important and vote with your heart and brain and family knowledge and community knowledge and everything. Reading and everything you can think of.
A: Yeah, and I think like a lot of people say that my vote won’t matter but it really does. We are so privileged to be able to vote for people and having that opportunity to do that. It’s a hundred years for women. The whole hundredth year that we’re able to vote. We’re not just voting for the president. We’re also voting for congress and senate and those are also very important people.
BS: And county council here.
A: Yeah, and so it’s not just our president that we’re voting for. We’re voting for more local communities as well, so your vote does matter.
BS: It really does matter. You know, now, as we get to that talking to some of the kids here. The young people, the same thing. I mean, really vote. The younger you are the harder it is. I think because sometimes it’s hard to believe that your vote is ever going to matter. In Hawaii, everybody feels like and it’s been talked this way for years. It doesn’t matter what we do because we’re so late. So, by the time, you know everything’s been counted. Typically, by the time you’re out of the West Coast you know who won and no matter what happens in Hawaii it doesn’t matter but I think it does. In one year and this could be that one year it will matter. It will really matter and it could theoretically. Everybody laughs at me for saying this. Let’s say this year, it came down to the very few electoral college votes that we have or the popular vote and it’s that close now. Again, I see somebody that gave a little bit of a sneer, not the girls. I think it really could come down to that and I want to believe it. I want to believe that one year in my lifetime it’ll come down to that and even if it never does. I’m happy that I’m able to vote. We have our vote already. We haven’t put it in, where we’re ever going to. We may deliver it or put it in the mailbox because I am comfortable with that. I think we’ve all it’s just an exciting moment.
A: Yeah. I mean, one of the prerequisites of getting a room in the house was register to vote. If you won’t register to vote you can’t sleep in the house.
BS: That’s good. Okay.
F: That was the first rule we all made up.
BS: The first rule for coming on the..
A: for coming to Hawaii
BS: Oh! Good for you. That’s really a great moment.
F: Yeah. I’m actually flying back to Texas early so I can vote.
BS: Good.
F: Yeah.
BS: Good for you.
F: Yeah.
BS: So everybody’s got it going. Now, we all knew that we couldn’t talk actual politics and all of you are have different. You’re all working. It’s really been kind of a semester in Hawaii. You’ll have done pretty much your full semester which is really kind of an exciting thing and it’s working for all of you. You’ve got it all going.
F: We’re trying really hard. It’s been difficult to adjust to online learning and having everything over the computer. We definitely get like zoom fatigue. Which is like we just get really tired of staring at our screens for the entire day but it’s nice to have that when we go outside we just have this beautiful view. Where you get to go to the ocean, to the beach.
BS: And surfing. You’re all surfing?
Alyssa and F: Yeah.
BS: They’ve all been surfing which is really neat.
A: It’s been so fun just being out in the water and kind of forgetting about school for like an hour or two and be really connected to nature instead of my computer. I really appreciate that in Maui we can go outside and spend time outside instead of it like becoming colder and us not wanting to go outside. We have that opportunity and we’re so grateful and lucky for that opportunity.
F: Yeah.
BS: One of you said a minute ago which I think is serious for everyone. Is what you call “zoom fatigue”. I call it corona, something I don’t know and I think we’re all handling this in different ways. When you say zoom fatigue, I don’t know what it is for me. I sometimes feel it’s just okay I’m getting older and I am. However, it’s like some days, I am so exhausted beyond whatever I’ve done. I don’t know. We’re between a home office and our new Kapalua office which is really exciting for all of us. Anybody out there, looking for real estate at Kapalua West Maui or anywhere in Hawaii come by and see us. We’re at 700 office road and talk to us about real estate. We’re still in the middle of a major remodel which I’m hoping will get done in the not too distant future. This fatigue thing. I find sometimes I wake up in the morning and I barely know what day it is.
Trio: Yeah.
BS: I’ve never been like that before but it’s something that kind of has happened through the whole virus moment and it’ll suddenly be like, God. What is today? Do I have the radio show today? I don’t think it’s Thursday. As it went and I often have to go look at my phone to see what day it is.
A: Yeah.
BS: It’s embarrassing because I’m the older person. It makes me feel less that I’m not remembering when I talk to younger people like yourselves, I think the same thing is happening. Everybody has some sort of a zoom virus, a corona virus. I want to give you all great respect for the way you handled yourself and we pretty well knew what you were doing most of the time. I think they handled themselves impeccably and respected the community and anyone that delivered to them. We dropped stuff off for them and we all kept in our masks. They stayed inside the door. We left what we had there. We maybe gave a couple of air hugs but stayed away. I think that really was.
A: Yeah. We were dancing and waving to you guys on the inside hoping that you guys would see how grateful we were.
BS: It was really perfect. Now, let’s see I can still go back a little bit and try to give you some real estate data that mostly what’s been going on and some of this is related to the corona virus. We’ve ended up with this huge surge of buyers on West Maui the very top of the market and in some cases the very bottom of the market. I feel a little bit like the middle of the market is just hanging in there somewhat but everything is happening. The loans right now, the interest rates for mortgages are really low. You’ve got people that really are working the mortgages harder than ever because they know this is going to be a great time for anybody to be able to purchase a property. Call us. Call (808) 870-7060 which is Roy Sakamoto, myself (808) 870-7062 check in with us. I was talking a little bit earlier to Elizabeth Quayle and she’s had a lot of activity kind of mid-market which is kind of interesting and I know she’s also been active at Kapalua Pineapple Hill. She’s another one. I think a lot of you know who Elizabeth is which is (808) 276-6061 and then our website sakamotoproperties.com is the main website that we’re still using. You can get in there and get into anything you want to see from Maui real estate and it’ll get you around there pretty easily, I think. Check it out and see where it’s all going. Let’s go back to the girls because I think they have had fun. What’s been your favorite restaurant now?
A: Oh…
F: That’s hard.
A: I personally love Moku Roots especially, because of their zero waste. They put everything if like to go either in a thin container and it’s a ten dollar deposit, you bring it back they give you back the ten dollars or they put it I think it’s like in a banana leaf and they wrap it, so it’s absolutely zero waste. It’s plant-based. Everyone’s really nice there. It’s such a beautiful atmosphere. We love taking out food from there and then on Fridays going to the beach and watching the sunset.
BS: Another great spot. The Pour House which is at Kapalua. It’s right next to our office. Italian food we’re all loving it there. They’ve been open almost all the time which has been really difficult for a lot of people. They did some renovation which they’re coming to the end of. They’re serving mostly outside, either in front of their store or their restaurant or in front of where our office is. But again they’ve done a great thing with takeout food. They’ve got really great Italian food, super salads sandwiches. Another restaurant, Frida’s in Lahaina has just opened up and their time is limited. I think they’re open from maybe two to eight , so it’s a late lunch but a late lunch there is going to get you through to sleep.
A: Yes.
BS: Frida’s, we should go there next week.
A: Yeah. I would love to. No need to worry about what am I eating for dinner today.
BS: No. We all need that on. And Merriman’s. You guys have had a great time at Merriman’s?
Trio: Yeah.
BS: We were saying before.
F: They have great truffle fries.
BS: Yes.
F: That’s what we always go for.
A: Yeah. A great view of the sunset too right on Kapalua bay.
BS: Oh, it’s so great there. It’s such a spectacular place. Roy’s in Kaanapali, another favorite for us. They’re serving lunch and dinner. I think they may serve something real early, probably eleven. They are open but they’re right there on the golf course and we’ve gone there for a lot of lunches. That’s another really great one. All these people that are running the restaurants and doing things, we should have a list of them for you. Many people have worked so hard so that people have had places to go. And today is open up day, which is going to be another huge day. The visitors should be back today. I would think it’s going to be a pretty low arrival rate and they’re doing a variety of testing which I couldn’t even tell you exactly what they’re doing right now. A lot of us had felt that we were the last week and a half. We were trying to eat out constantly with the idea in mind that we’re going to quarantine now for two weeks.We’ll do our best to kind of stay out of the way and stay healthy for ourselves and just see if there is a huge increase. My husband and I in that age group that they’re saying you really want to be careful. I think to everybody, let’s all be careful. Let’s take care of ourselves and be sure that we don’t have any problems. That we don’t end up with a virus or any other illness because we’re all pretty squeaky clean right now and everybody arriving has been on airplanes, etc. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to miss the increase that a lot of people have had.
A: Yeah. I mean, now, the tables have turned and we’ll be bringing you guys some food.
BS: Yes.
A: You guys are not quarantined..
BS: Yeah. I hope none of us will. This will be our quarantine. These girls also made cheesecake. Spectacular cheesecake. They actually made homemade cheesecake for us.
A: Yeah.
F: That’s all we get.
BS: We aren’t doing too much homemade these days. We feel we want to support all the restaurants that have been here and seen to it that when it was hard to get out shopping and do things we were still able to pick out takeout food. Joey’s at the Napili Shopping Center. Joey’s has been pretty much open every day since everything happened and he’s still open. He’s making his own desserts now. The coffee store right there so someone can grab things easily in the morning, get lunch from Joey’s dinner. Pick up things at the Napili market. It’s pretty spectacular.
A: Yeah, one of our friends yesterday I got takeout from Joey’s and had some chow fun and he loved it so.
BS: Everything. We should do that one night before you go too.
A: Yeah. That would be amazing.
BS: Well, it looks like we have about two minutes left and then we’re going to have Danny Couch come back on singing “I Love Hawaii.” We kind of drifted away obviously from real estate but I think it all matters. All of these things in order to stay in business and stay happy and visitors. These are three of our most spectacular visitors right now who came here by choice to do a semester. Her mom is really good friends of ours and dad and brothers. The brothers have been here a lot too so we’re really happy that your friends came. One friend I think is studying today.
Alyssa and F: Yes.
A: She has a presentation actually on covid-19.
BS: Should we give a shout out to her?
A: Yeah.
T: Shaw, you’re going to do great on your presentation. We believe in you.
F: We love you and we miss you.
A: Oh! Also today is national hand washing day and she mentioned that in her presentation. So, make sure everyone washes your hands with soap. 20 seconds.
F: saying Happy Birthday twice.
A: Yeah.
BS: I think that is funny. Happy Birthday twice is a long time.
Trio: Yeah.
BS: We’re all doing that. (singing) Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday. Anyway, it’s pretty fun. Danny Couch is much better. Call at Coldwell Banker Kapalua. Come see us 700 office road. We’ll have a cup of coffee for you or just hang out a bit. Come on by and learn what’s going on. Whether you’re a first time home buyer. We have someone that will be able to help you or a listing of Kapalua Properties or anything in your real estate needs. We will be there to help you out. Again, best numbers (808) 870-7062 or (808) 870-7060. Our old office number is also good. Danny Couch right now is more important because I Love Hawaii and this guy is the best. Isn’t he? Danny Couch?
A: Yeah. Amazing.
BS: We’re going to make you all take home Danny Couch.
A: Okay.
BS: Well, not Danny.
A: Yeah. His music.
BS: Aloha and thank you so much. Look for this online, it’ll be on our website SakamotoProperties.com. Aloha!
