Primary Election and Maui Hurricane Preparedness

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Primary Election and Maui Hurricane Preparedness
August 5th, 2014

Betty Sakamoto: Aloha and welcome to Betty's Real Estate Corner brought to you by Sakamoto Properties where prestige is our business, reputation our foundation. Today, in the studio with me is Mitch Mitchell from Sakamoto Properties. Welcome Mitch.

Mitch Mitchell: Thank you Betty. Aloha everyone. It's great to be back.

B: And a great week to be here. Well, we've got a few little issues coming up here that we've got to talk about. One is, the primary election for Maui, for Hawaii, is this Saturday. Everybody needs to vote. So many times that I've talked to people over the last week or so. I've heard so many people say, 'well, I only vote in the general elections.' Well, keep in mind if you don't vote in the primary it's very possible that your person is never even going to get to the general election. So, if you've got someone that you want to be in power, that you want to be involved in our politics, you need to come out in the primary also. I know that you can vote absentee by going into the county building. I, personally don't have everything ready to tell you about that, but you can do it. Then check your voting place so you can vote on Saturday. It'll be all day voting.

M: You know Betty, I'm going to go in this afternoon right after the radio show because I just don't know what it's going to be like on Saturday.

B: Ooh, good point. You know, we all have got to start facing we could have a weather crisis. On the way over here Mitch and I were talking about how many people also on that issue right now are saying, 'We've gone through this before and nothing ever happens, it always turns before it gets here, it'll become a little weak storm.' Hopefully, that's exactly what happens. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared. We should each time use it as a time to get totally prepared, a thousand percent prepared. And when it's all over and we look at one another and we feel like we stopped all sorts of water, we did this, we did that. You know, it's things that are important for you to do. And if it does hit, you don't want to be standing there saying, 'I should have been prepared.' You know, I think we all need to be storing water. Like, eventually they say store it in your bathtubs so that you can actually use that to be flushing toilets, etcetera. So, there's so many things that we can do. You can, if you don't have a bathtub, you have only showers, find a way to store it in anything you've got because we really all need to be prepared this time. These are huge storms, there's two in a row. Something really bad could hit us. Again, hopefully it won't and we can all kind of make fun of ourselves afterwards, but be that as it may, get ready. Don't you think Mitch?

M: Absolutely, you know I hadn't been here quite a year before I lived through the '82 hurricane, and then ten years later the '92. I remember that was the first time I closed my sliding glass door and I had to open the oven to turn it on because I was cold, you know, since we don't have heaters down here at ocean level. But the big thing is, yes Betty, we get complacent, we think oh we did that last time. You know, we need to be ready. If we're not ready then, you know, we could get caught off guard. And if we get doubly ready then we could help that neighbor that doesn't get ready, if something does happen.

B: You know, that's true Mitch. We're also in a position, as real estate brokers, that we have people that aren't here. So, we're also in a little bit of a jam right now trying to, we've hired a few people, that trying to help us get furniture put inside, or put the furniture into garages, etcetera, of places that are empty to be sure there isn't damage. You don't want to have, even on your home, or your condominium, you don't want your furniture to become a projectile and possibly hurt someone. You also don't want it slamming through your windows. We're not only trying to get our own places ready, but we're working with clients of ours trying to help them be sure their place is ready when this hits, because there's a lot of people that aren't going to be here, and what Mitch just said, that's true. I mean, your friend's next door, you have someone that lives alone, or somebody with a couple of kids, a single mother, a young couple with kids that just need help. You know, they need some help knowing what they ought to do, and doing what they can to protect themselves. So, let's all think about that and help one another, because it is part of what we all do on Maui.

M: And, you know Betty, we all have to remember our visitors. The visitors to the islands, that ones that bring the money in that help keep us going, keep our businesses going, keep our rentals occupied.

B: Absolutely.

M: I already had a call this morning from someone that's supposed to be leaving on Friday. Of course they're a little concerned, they don't know if their plane is going to take off, or planes are coming in. So, we have to be a little understanding, a little compassionate for these people from the mainland who may not even understand what's going to be happening.

B: That's true, I mean, again, spread a little aloha. Because I think that times like this, not matter how bad the storm is, the odds are pretty good we're going to have a storm. So, again, spread a little aloha. You're going to have people in the grocery store that are moving slowly, they don't have anything to do if it's raining, etcetera. But, you know, spread a little aloha. It's going to be hard. They also need to get a case of water to take back to their condominium, so that they have something. You just don't know, will restaurants be open? will they not be open? A lot of people are going to have to stay with their families. A lot of the workers in West Maui live on the other side of the island, South Maui, Upcountry, etcetera. So, I think it could be that people have a lot of difficulty getting over here. So, that's a great statement Mitch, I think we need to be cognizant of our visitors. Let's take care of them, they take care of us. So, let's do that. You know, we are Sakamoto Properties. We get on, we get off on this sometimes because there are a lot of things very important to us. And these two issues right now are vitally important. Vote in the primary on Saturday. If you can do it, go ahead and vote absentee before Saturday, just in case we have some problems. But, again, you will figure out how to vote on Saturday I'm sure. So, let's plan to do that. And let's get ready, we could have a hurricane. If we don't, so be it, we're all the luckiest in the world. But if we do, let's be prepared. And, again, like Mitch says, 'let's remember our visitors, let's remember our neighbors, let's remember to take care of one another at all times.' Yes, Mitch?

M: Correct. You know, Betty, we have a listing a Pineapple Hill.

B: Whoa, we're going to do a little business.

M: We got to try and pay for this, so.

B: I know.

M: this program here.

B: I know, let's do it.

M: So, I have a beautiful four bedroom, four bath house, 3,700 square feet.

B: Recent price adjustment.

M: Absolutely. It's $2,999,000. It's a great house. Unfortunately, the owners are unable to come to the island as much they used to, or like to. So, they're ready to have to move on. So, give our office a call, it's easy for us to show.

B: Actually, that's a great home. It's over 20,000 square feet...

M: Of land

B: Which is one of the larger lots. Yes, the land, sorry about that. The house is thirty

M: 3,715

B: Great home. It really is a special home. Because as you enter, you enter into this large courtyard, which has some pretty furniture, some landscaping there. It really is an amazing home and I think it's really perfect for an island style living. The pool is great, the view is great, there's so many things about this property that you would love. And I think right now it's one of the best priced homes at Pineapple Hill. So, the adjustment was several hundred thousand. And I think right now at just under 3 million, it's really a great home. Another thing there Mitch, state of the art audio visual media room.

M: Yeah, the owners don't even let me turn it on, I'm not that adept with those machines.

B: But it really is, it's pretty fabulous. We have some really great listings at Pineapple Hill. Give us a call (808) 669-0070, check out our website at SakamotoProperties.com. It's very easy to navigate, I've talked to some people this week that, again were kind of firing through it, asking me questions faster than I could catch up with them. I was on my computer trying to get a look so that I could help them with different things, boy they go through it really quickly. So get to that, sakamotoproperties.com, (808) 669-0070 and let us help you with your real estate needs. Mitch, you know, the other property I've gotten quite attached to this way is in Lahaina, on Ui Place.

M: 15B Ui Place. It's a 1969 family home. It's cinderblock, it has a little ohana in back, and the washroom. It's great bones, great lot, and it's just half a block from the ocean.

B: It really is. It is so close to the ocean, it's amazing. It's just off Front Street so there is a small, you know, those are smaller homes but this home, I look at, and like Mitch said, 'it's a family home.' It's something, I'm assuming is going to be purchased by a local resident. I happen to have showed it to someone the other day that is going to be moving here, they believe, it may be a second home for a while. But, they're looking for a home where they can walk to the library with their children, they home school the kids so, they will be able to come here part of the time and possibly go back to the mainland. They wanted to keep a home that would be under $800,000, $700,000, but they liked the idea this one is listed at 6, what is it Mitch, $629?

M: $620,000.

B: Okay, I'm wrong again. $620,000. Amazing property, and when I went into it for the first time it's really clean, it's neat, it's livable. Probably at some point, I would think that somebody would probably eventually update the electrical and update plumbing, but it does look to me like some of that was done at least to a certain extent. So, I think you can move in there, you can live there, and you could walk anywhere. Like that person said, you could walk to the library, you could walk to a grocery store, you can get everywhere in Lahaina, you could walk to the movies. Fabulous place. You can walk to the school.

M: You can walk to school.

B: That's right, yeah.

M: It's a great walking house.

B: It's a great walking house. Which is, you know Mitch, you and I have talked about this in the past, we said one time, 'lucky we live Lahaina.' But for someone who truly lives in Lahaina town, you couldn't find a better place to live. You can get around, you can do everything you want, and you can truly walk almost everywhere.

M: This is just off the South end of Front Street so it's not quite as busy as the North end. And you get a sense of community and city, or town anyway, by living there.

B: It's an amazing place. But I had, for some reason, I just hadn't seen it when we first listed it. And when I got in there, it was for a showing, and I'm very impressed with it. So, you know, condos Mitch mister.

M: Oh boy, have the Golf Villas really gone, I think they have made such a rebound. And, you know, they're finished with remediation now, and they all look brand new with the copper gutters, new tile roofs, they're in great shape. It's a good time to buy a Kapalua Golf Villa.

B: You know, one of the things that has been a real estate statement for as long as any of us have been alive, is you'd like to buy the worst in a great neighborhood. In theoretically at Kapalua the Golf Villas are the worst home in the good neighborhood, and by that you only mean they're the least expensive at this time because they are one of the best kept properties today, they're in fabulous unbelievable shape. In some cases, you're going to find one that you're going to have to actually upgrade the interior, but the exterior has been done the nth degree. Fabulous.

M: And the landscaping has all been redone. It's really a beautiful property now. It has that great location looking at year round sunsets out there. Kind of leeward of Pineapple Hill. So, it's a nice nice location to live or to come visit.

B: I agree, Mitch. They are fabulous places, we have lived in the golf villas at one time and I loved living there. You know, you've got sunshine the majority of the day. They are fully air conditioned, they have two air conditioners in the two bedrooms; one which would be in the living room side and the other for the bedroom. Pretty amazing properties. They've got everything that you would ever want.

M: We've got several in there that are listed. I really like the 24T3-4, has the two doors to it, so. It's all on one level; it's a great floor plan, two bathrooms, one bedroom.

B: Huge flexibility when you have that floor plan. Because if you had, especially as a visitor, you can actually have a bed, you could have a hide-a-bed in the living room. And with these doors, you've got a full bathroom in the living side and a full bathroom in the bedroom. So, it really is, once you close those doors you've got privacy on both sides. And the lanai covers both.

M: You know, if your husband snores stick him in the living room.

B: Stick him in the living room. Did you say that Mitch?

M: Yeah, I snore.

B: Oh, okay. Well, nobody's going to stick you in the living room, hopefully.

M: Hopefully.

B: Hopefully. You know, another good listing, which is the top floor of the golf villas, 26V1. It's listed at $675,000, top floor, on the eleventh fairway of the golf course. Nice upgrades, and again, great pricing, $675,000. So, a little bit smaller than the other one, but just a little. Two bedrooms, Mitch? Do we even have any two bedrooms. Yep, we do.

M: We do. 23P3-4, 23P1-2. Gosh, you could buy them both and have a four bedroom.

B: You could have a four bedroom there. And again, they're fabulous, the two bedroom there. They're around 1,400 square feet, air conditioned, great views, building 23 has fabulous views. So, again I think great patios all the way across the front of it, well manicured lawns, etcetera. Both of these units are upgraded nicely. So, give us a call if you're ready to take a look at Kapalua. At least give the Golf Villas a shot, they're great and I think they're the best value. So, give that one a try.

M: I think another place to live, Betty, is up in the Masters. It's just above Kaanapali, you can sneak down there in your golf cart to the beach and to the restaurants and shopping. We've got the two bedroom there in the Masters, 1402. It's right out in front, you can stand on that lanai and not see any other buildings of the Masters, it's really a great private location right on the golf course looking at year round sunsets again. It's a marvelous property, highly upgraded. Beautiful marble, and granite, and stone tile floor.

B: That's one of the only units in there too, Mitch, that you have a great view down the gold course into the ocean, from the kitchen.

M: That's right. You know, and nobody, none of the other buildings can see in.

B: It's fabulous. It truly is, and you can have a pet at the Masters. You know, which is one of those things that a lot of the condominiums, pets aren't allowed. But you can have a pet there, there's certain regulations that go with it, but again, you can ask us about that and we'll have you talk to management if you are going to buy something at the Masters. But I think the Masters, from a stance point of view, amenities, there's tennis courts, pool, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

M: Betty, I'd also like to talk about Kokua for Kapuna. This year it's the Hale Makua annual family luau. It's going to be on the West side for a change. So all of the folks on the West side or those of you from anywhere else on the island, come have a 'staycation' in Kaanapali. Saturday, September 27th, 5:30 to 8:30pm. We're going to have Kapena, so it should be a lot of fun out there on the lawn in front of the Sheraton Maui Resort.

B: The Sheraton, Mitch, I think has great rates don't they? For anyone who wants to stay there for their 'staycation.'

M: They do, so please tell them you'd like the Hale Makua special benefit rates and I think most of you here know of Hale Makua. Roy, Betty, and I have really tried to support Hale Makua for our frail and elderly for many years now. In fact, I'm going to get frail and elderly pretty soon so, anyway. And Maui Jim's has donated their boat for a door prize. Fishing trip for ten. I think you just used one, didn't you?

B: We did. We had bid on something like this, the Maui Jims boat. Unbelievable fishing boat, these guys really know what they're doing. Well, we had a day out there from, I think we started at like 6 o'clock in the morning or 5:30, or some god awful time, and we were out there until like 6:30 or 7. It was absolutely amazing. We caught four fish, which unfortunately we caught all immediately. It's like we were out there for just a little bit an ono hit, then three Mahi's, then we spent the rest of the day kind of, they have a television there for the kids that were with us, the grandkids, they were all watching soccer. The World cup was still on so we were kind of praying for fish and we had a couple that hit the line that we didn't get in but the guys out there were great, the food was fabulous. We just all had fun in the sun. I just, we haven't done anything like that for a while, and we've bid on it a number of times and we have it so that we can use it but just somehow we couldn't find the time, so we loved it. So, anyone coming out, it would be really worth bidding on that because you will love it. And it'll be, I'm not sure, you'd have to talk with your accountant about how you'd write it off, but you will be making a donation to Hale Makua and it really will be an exciting time and you will end up with an absolutely spectacular, spectacular.

M: You know, we have to remember to thank Maui Jim Sunglasses, they support so many different charities here on the island, they really believe in giving back to our community. And I think it's kind of fun to be in New York and see somebody that's wearing Maui Jim Sunglasses.

B: Okay, Mitch, I just put mine on.

M: Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.

B: Okay, we're doing it now, Maui Jims. You know, they are the greatest sunglasses in the world. A couple of time, if I put these on and it's an odd time or a weird overcast it can almost clear things up. I love my Maui Jims. You know, Mitch, we have hit the two minute warning, and we're probably pushing down to the one minute warning. I think we've come up with some good things. The Kokua for Kapuna, I think is really going to be important. I think that all for you that will come out to the Sheraton, it really is going to be pretty amazing, and stay there. And there is also going to be buses available from the, I think, East side more or less.

M: Yes.

B: Or from the South side, both.

M: From Hale Makua.

B: Okay, meeting at Hale Makua. It's going to be really great because you don't have to drive, so that you'll have the bus going over and back. When they've done that, back in the old days, when they were doing Lahaina it was really great because everybody had a ball doing it. So, taking the bus will turn out to be part of the party and it will be amazing fun. The Sheraton is fabulous, staying there will be the best. So, give it a go.

M: The only thing I'm disappointed in is when it's down in Wailea, I get to have a 'staycation' myself.

B: There you go. We are just about at the end so we're going to quickly have, Neil Everett's going to come back on and remind you what to do for Lahainaluna High School and then Danny Couch is going to sing again, I love Hawaii.