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Happy New Year Maui!
January 1st, 2013

Betty Sakamoto: Happy New Year!

Roy Sakamoto: Happy New Year! Hauoli makahiki hou.

B: Here we are in 2013. I just decided this morning that it will be a great birthday this year for Roy Sakamoto because it will be 07/13/13, so I think 2013 is going to be a great year.

R: We won't tell what age I'm going to be.

B: No, no, no.

R: Okay.

B: In any event, welcome to Betty's Real Estate Corner brought to you by Sakamoto Properties where "prestige is our business, reputation our foundation". Roy and I wanted to be here together for the New Year's Day show and to bring in 2013 with you all.

R: You know, the fiscal cliff is notwithstanding, this is going to be a great year for everybody. I think our economy is definitely on the rebound and real estate sales are certainly headed up, so we're looking forward to a great year.

B: There's so many things, I mean, we've been kind of saying this but it's continuing to be true. Inventory is down which is definitely going to make prices go up, so if everybody keeps that mind, it is the time that you're supposed to be stepping in and buying. So we're really hoping that people, especially people who are living here, people who are visiting right now, it's time to pay attention, talk to us. One of the things right now that I really want to talk about today is our desk up at the Plantation because so many people are going to be around there. Come by and talk to us, talk to us there.

R: Right, we kick off this week with the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions at the Kapalua Plantation Course.

B: Oops, wait, one thing! The defending champions for the tournament are Roy Sakamoto and team Sakamoto.

R: For the Pro AM. Yes, we won in 2012 and are proud to defend it this year.

B: That's going to be great and I think that you can defend it, I think they've got a great team. It's going to be really amazing and hopefully, we found over the years that whether you get the first pick of a pro or the last pick, these guys are great and there's never been someone that we didn't make a nice relationship or friendship with after you've played with them, Roy.

R: Oh, no question. In fact, we had one of the last picks in 2012 and we ended up playing with Johnson Wagner. What a gentleman, and what a fun time we had, and we ended up winning.

B: And, he went on to win the Hawaiian Open right afterwards.

R: Right, the Sony.

B: And, he kept saying that these guys helped a lot because I think and it was all fun. And he said that he doesn't have that much fun playing golf in a long time, and they all, it's a casual group, nobody's, I mean they're all out to win it but it's more fun than that. If somebody is having a bad hole, they all rag on one another, so it was just Sunday golf.

R: Including the pros, Johnson had a bad shot in 2012 and we all looked at him and said, "God, we thought you were a pro. That one looked like one of ours".

B: He laughed, he thought it was pretty funny so ?

R: Absolutely.

B: That was all pretty good.

R: Well, it's all in fun, it's a tournament with great cause to help charities. There's a whole host of Maui charities that benefit, The Cameron Center, Hale Makua, the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Lahainaluna High School. Yeah, it's a great worthwhile cause, so come on out and visit the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, it's a great field. Bubba Watson will be there, Steve Stricker is the defending champion, our guy, Johnson Wagner, Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler, and the list goes on and on. There's some great players out there.

B: Rickie Fowler has been up there and I understand that during practice rounds he's been really great about photos. He took a nice photo with a friend of ours and her son, and that's pretty great of him. Really cute, and the little guy, I think is three years old, was dressed in a Rickie Fowler outfit. With an orange hat, with the brim turned to the side, the right logo on it, and orange shorts. So, he's pretty darling and Rickie Fowler took to him and took the time to have a nice photo.

R: If you come out, the program is actually set for Thursday, the 3rd, and you can bring cameras out, you can take photos of the pros, and you can take photos of the amateurs. It's a fun time, starting Friday the pros get down to serious business and no cameras are allowed but come on out.

B: Yeah, Thursday for the program, I think, it is fun for people to come out because you can get a little more up close and personal and it's really worth doing that and that's the only day that you can have a camera there without getting into a lot of trouble.

R: Right, and while you're there, stop by our real estate information desk at the Plantation Clubhouse. You'll find one of our agents sitting there, you can ask them any question you want about real estate or anything about the Kapalua Resort or Maui in general. So, come on out and visit us there or call us at (808) 669-0070 or get on our website SakamotoProperties.com.

B: You know, another thing for today, we are at the end of the holiday season and at the beginning of the New Year so let's all be careful out there driving. Today is another big party day for everybody, lots of games and football and etcetera. But let's all be careful, there have been way too many accidents on Maui, so let's be careful. Let's remember our families and other people's families. Let's drive slower and don't drink and drive. There's got to be somebody that would drive for you, or leave your car. You would feel so much better tomorrow to be waking up and having to figure out how to go pick your car up than to be in jail or to have hurt somebody. So please, let's all remember to drive slower, I think that's half of the key by itself, but don't drink and drive. It's just not worth it, it's not worth it.

R: As a good friend of ours, Mark Ellman, who owns Maalaea Honu Ocean Tavern, says, "live aloha" and we who live here, let's live aloha.

B: And if we live aloha we won't do that, we won't drive like maniacs, we'll remember that if we are living aloha we're taking care of everybody around us and ourselves. So true Roy, let's live aloha.

R: Absolutely.

B: So, what about some real estate?

R: Well while we're on the subject of the Plantation, how about some of the homes we have listed at the Plantation? 231 Plantation Club Drive.

B: That's an amazing property, at 7.25 acres it's really got an interesting bedroom count. Every time I do it, I count it up a little bit differently, but it's kind of interesting because there's a two-bedroom ohana attached to the house, there's a separate building, auxiliary dwelling, that doesn't actually have bedrooms but it does have two full bathrooms in it, and rooms that are more like offices. But it's a great building because it's all by itself, it has its own, very large, two car garage, and then the main house. It has everything you could dream of, a huge family kitchen, a big living, a piano area, it's ?

R: The view is awesome, ocean and Molokai views, and you're surrounded by the golf course. On one side you've got the number nine green and the number eighteen green on the Plantation Course. Yet, you're separated from the greens by a little gulley, then you've got number four at the Plantation Course going up the other side. So you're surrounded by the golf course, yet private.

B: True, I think it is, you are totally surrounded, like Roy says, with the golf course, but the ravines totally give you privacy so you don't have that feeling like a lot of people that are "on the golf course", you're just there. You look outside and you can see it off in the distance, Molokai, Lanai, huge, huge views, every sunset, and it's also a fabulous sunrise out there.

R: And, when you're not playing golf or enjoying the oversized pool that is on the property, you can also play tennis. This is one of the few properties with its own tennis court.

B: It is, it's a great tennis court there and, again, Kapalua is dedicated to tennis as well as golf so there's a separate tennis facility there called the Tennis Gardens. It has ten tennis courts and it's really, truly a garden setting. It's, again, all a part of Kapalua. Two championship golf courses, one of them home of the Hyundai and that's a fabulous course. And the other courts, which I feel, is a little more user-friendly for me, although I'm good with the Plantation, I'm okay with it, but it's a little easier to play course. Usually it's a little less crowded. And for a while now it's less crowded because everybody is going to want to play the Plantation when this tournament is over.

R: Yes, no question, absolutely. And coming back to the tournament, I want to congratulate Nancy Cross, the tournament director. Nancy does one heck of a job there, and Mike Jones, director of golf for Kapalua with Troon Golf. Troon Golf manages both the Plantation and the Bay Course so congratulations and well done to both of you.

B: Absolutely.

R: What about 102 Honolua Place, also at the Plantation.

B: That's an amazing home, it's at the Plantation but it's at the second Plantation entry, which makes it even more private. It has its own golf hole that the owners set up so they can go down there and, let's call it a par three. But it's really pretty fun and I think he gets his practice in and I think his wife also does. So I think it's an amazing, large home, over two acres, it's really got everything. It absolutely has everything, I think it has a separate ohana which, what I mean by separate is, it's attached but away from the house so it's on the other side of the garage which I think is pretty amazing.

R: The main house is four-bedrooms, five-baths plus the one-bedroom, one-bath ohana. When you're not golfing on this, you can also go surfing at Honolua Bay which is just amazing. The home has a fantastic view of the huge surf that we're getting right now at Honolua Bay, so all you surfers out there, this is the perfect home for you.

B: It really is, you'll be out there and you're going to be able to see everything that is going on surf-wise. You know, people will come out there or call you, someone will ask us often if they know they're just getting a surf report as long as we're out there. So it really is great, we've had a lot of surfer people that have looked at that. It's really possible that whoever buys it is going to have a real tie, or their kids are going to have a real tie, to the surf.

R: Right, and again, our number at the office is (808) 669-0070 or our website is SakamotoProperties.com.

B: If you take a look at our website, SakamotoProperties.com, you can look at any of these properties that we're talking about, you can look at everything in West Maui, you can hook in to the board of realtors by picking the area that says "Buy Maui" ?

R: "Buy Maui".

B: I kind of forgot exactly, yeah "Shop Maui" or "Shop the World" and it's really fun but you do end up, eventually, in the multiple listing service and you can pick a category, a price range, and it really will fill you in on a lot of knowledge. But call us, I often find that we get a lot e-mails. And even after the show, we get a lot of e-mails with questions and we're more than happy to continue to respond but sometimes it's so great if you call because it's so much easier to have a great communication, to be setting you up with a lender which we still think is a great first step. You know, that's not for everybody but in a lot of cases, if you're looking today and you're thinking, "what can I do?" let's all talk, and get you to a lender and figure out general price range. But again, Kapalua. Roy, I was thinking 214 Crestview, now that's Pineapple Hill, not the Plantation, but a fabulous price adjustment there which makes that probably the most showed home up there right now.

R: It's a great floor plan, it's all on one level, no steps at all once you're in the home. It has a nice little pool outdoors, covered area, and it's listed at $2.5 million. Just had a price adjustment.

B: The house was built by Gary Dixon who was one of the top builders on Maui. So everything built by Gary Dixon, if you ask around, was built with quality. He was an amazing contractor and everything in the home is beautiful. The cabinets are great, the floors, everything, even the laundry room was done right. So, it's really worth seeing. Big views, fabulous pool, Jacuzzi, it's got lots of color, it's a very colorful home but it was designed in a way that if you choose, once the furniture is removed, it's going to be a clean, empty palate. So I think it's the perfect home for anybody.

R: Yes it is.

B: So you can take a look at that one, again, 214CrestviewRoad.com, I hope that's right, 214CrestviewRoad.com. But again, you'll find that through our website SakamotoProperties.com so go in that direction first. Or call us (808) 669-0070, that's (808) 669-0070. If you've got a cell phone and you're here visiting, give us a call.

R: Now what about 114 Woodrose? Also at Pineapple Hill.

B: That's another one, that's an amazing home too. This one was done with more granite than I've ever seen anybody do and throughout the home it's identical granite, countertop and floors. So, again, it's a great palate because someone can add their own color and carpets and furniture. It's an amazing home, one of the largest lots up there, over 15,000 square feet. An amazing home, the upstairs has just offices, so that you go up there and you're able to work a little detached from whatever else is going on. Amazing home, amazing home.

R: It's three bedrooms, each is one suite, so each bedroom would have its own bath, and there are also two half baths for the home. One guest's bath downstairs and adjacent to the office is another half bath, upstairs.

B: This is an interesting property too, the sellers will consider talking to someone that wants to trade a condominium. I think they would prefer it was at Kapalua, but they're open to listen to someone that's thinking they have something and they'd love to be buying a home but they would prefer selling the condo first. So give us a call about that or get your own agent, if you have your property listed for sale, get your agent to call us and we'll see. It's always difficult to get everybody to agree on what their price is for their home but we're pros and we can help you through that and come up with something that might get a deal together for you so you end up a homeowner at Pineapple Hill. And these people will still have their piece of Maui because they have been, they're in the middle of moving back to the mainland and spending less time here. So give us a call on that, it's a great home, the sellers will always see to it that we can get in and see it. We look forward to showing it to you and showing you other homes at Kapalua or throughout the island.

R: So we'll be in and come visit us at our desk in the Plantation where one of our agents will be happy to assist you and walk you through the whole process of buying.

B: You know, the desk actually, right now especially, it's going to be great out there because there's an opportunity to slip in to The Clubhouse, say a quick "hello", and sit down there for a minute. The restaurant is going to be open under new ownership and a brand new menu and that's going to be really exciting for everybody at Kapalua right now. So I think if you're trying to get there for dinner, make some reservations, I don't know if they're taking lunch reservations and I'm sure they aren't for breakfast, but check it out because I know that the new menu is pretty exciting, the new owner is amazing. Amazing family, and they're there a lot so that's really going to make the whole restaurant a lot of fun again, don't you think Roy?

R: And the new chef, Jojo, from The Banyan restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, Jojo is now the head chef at The Plantation House Restaurant and I highly recommend it.

B: He's been known, forever, for his innovative menus and right now we've been up there a couple of time, and though we haven't had a chance to sample everything, but everything that he's doing, I think, is somewhat unique and he's got bigger kind of food there that I think will be the "comfort" kind of food that we're all looking for. So I think it is going to be one of the top restaurants in Lahaina, and Lahaina now is pretty well known for great restaurants so it's going to add one more in Kapalua. So, you know, make a reservation and that will be really great. And get up there and come to our desk, hang out at the golf tournament, walk around. You know, you have to park outside and then take a shuttle up. So, they've got shuttle buses that will come up, and typically everyone enters the grounds where the shuttle drops you off and you can walk up to the Clubhouse and be able to come by our desks. So, let us see you, we're all excited about being at The Plantation.

R: And come enjoy the golf. Come talk to us at the desk and also enjoy golf. The world's best golfers will be out there all week, so come on out.

B: Here's another interesting thing, condo-wise. We have listings starting as low as $40,000 and that would be a leasehold condominium. But I think that it is interesting now to realize how much is going on and that everybody can buy a piece. If you want to buy a condominium here or a home, it's never been a better time. So you need to be stepping up before the market has totally, totally changed. And again, inventory is down which is definitely signaling that all prices are going to start going up.

R: Yes, and I think our "hot sheet" this morning we just checked, there's just about 500 properties in escrow right now and these are homes, condominiums, and vacant land so definitely inventory is decreasing and prices are headed north.

B: I think that is amazing when you think we came to the end of the year and there were a lot of people. I think there's going to be a lot of reportings today. Now, I'm not hearing anything at the moment but we did have a lot of people with the thought in mind of closing by the end of the year and every year we have that happen. Somebody, for one reason or another, is determined to close in the prior year so I haven't checked what's going to happen today but it's going to be pretty interesting. Did you see anything?

R: For a variety of reasons capital of tax advantages, or just personal tax advantages, a lot of reportings usually come at the end of the year and a lot of escrow companies are going crazy.

B: So that's been really good. Anyway, you know another project that I feel like I'd like to mention is going to be Napili Point. We've got a couple of really great listings at Napili Point, one and two-bedroom units, and that's had a really interesting flurry of activity. Great, great property, it has still a little feeling of "Old Hawaii" and the Hawaiiana that's exhibited to you at the front desk and in everybody's thoughts. They definitely spread aloha and feel aloha at Napili Point.

R: They live aloha.

B: They live aloha.

R: What about one more featured property? What about 100 Ala Hoku Place in Kahana?

B: That's really an amazing property, Roy. We talked about that driving over, and the last time we mentioned it on the radio, we mentioned the fact that it does have a working sod farm. You know, so it has a really great water rate, they have it set up already where they have someone that buys the sod and comes and harvests it and redoes the sod. So it's been a really great thing, it makes the house a super value.

R: It has a working farm and gives you a break from property tax also. Plus, it's really an awesome property. You're on over two acres, and under roof you've got over 3,500 square feet with an ohana ? a two-bedroom, one-bath ohana ? the main house is three-bedrooms, three-baths, and really laid out really, really well. The sunsets are awesome every evening and this is a must see also.

B: It really is. It's listed at $2,450,000, right in Kahana, it just is a house with stained-glass entry doors, the garage is a connecter between the house and the ohana. It still is a great neighborhood out there, there's a lot of really nice people and I think it is one that I think we're going to see sold early this year. So again, give us a call (808) 669-0070.

R: And it kind of is in its own little hidden enclave of homes. Not many people realize that there's subdivisions there and it's definitely worth looking at.

B: Well, we're winding down pretty quickly and we've got less than a minute left. So I think we're going to say "Happy New Year" again to you.

R: Happy New Year and come see us at the Plantation.

B: And drive carefully for the rest of the day and let's make 2013 accident free. There's got to be some way we can make that happen.

R: Absolutely, and live aloha.

B: Live aloha. Happy New Year!

R: Happy New Year!