Maui Blog - Georgina M. Hunter R(S): May 2010

Kula Maui Hawaii Real Estate Newsletter     -         May 2010

On this rainy Haiku day it's going to be a pleasure to head up to sunny Kula to take in a local event and see some Kula homes for sale.  Let me know what you think of these Kula homes from the Realtor Caravan earlier this month.

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1.    Country Living, Kula  $647,000.00

- half acre lot with remodeled 3BD/2.5BA home, adjacent to open ag space, nice spacious feeling and bicoastal views- all decks completely rebuilt, new kitchen with quartz countertops and maple cabinets, new appliances, fireplace, solar hot water

- beautiful mature yard with protea flowers, jacaranda, and edibles include macadamia nut, peach, tangerine and grapes!

2.   Almost New,  Lower Kula  $1,975,000.00- beautifully constructed single story 4BD/3BA home with open beam ceilings, fireplace, travertine flooring throughout

- infinity edge pool and spa, huge paved deck perfect for outdoor entertaining, waterfall and koi pond

- every bedroom has a great view and easy access to the gardens and pool area, 2 acre estate

3.  Worth Mentioning, Kula Kai 2 new listings

- there's a couple of new listings in the Kula Kai subdivision, and this weekend they're both having an open house

- one is a well maintained but older home for $520,000.00 which is a super price for this area

- $599,000.00 will get you a small 1BD/1BA cottage on a lot that qualifies to have a main house, main house site prepped

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Today is the Holy Ghost Feast and celebration, with local food for sale, live auction and farmers market.  This 2 day event happens every year and it's a popular attraction for everyone upcountry.  I plan on being there for some of the ono food and who knows what else?  They have been celebrating the Pentecost at this location for over a hundred years!

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Georgina M. Hunter (RS) e-Pro (808) 283-0635

Jim Sanders Realty Inc.
PO Box 792050, Paia, HI  96779
(808) 579-8255  FAX: 579-9004

Looking for an infinity edge pool upcountry?    Call THE HUNTER...
Georgie Hunter, your Maui Realtor

Search all land and residential listings on my website... www.eastmaui.com
Follow me on Twitter .... I'm @mauihunter

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Sign up for these free newsletters at EastMaui.Com

Aloha from Maui.   "I want to help you reach your Real Estate goals."

Kona and Honey Girl go wild in Haiku Maui HI... dogs just gotta have fun.

My JRT Kona had a visitor today, a young Golden Retriever only 10 weeks old.  They hit it off instantly and it was so cute to see Kona having crazy fun with a little friend her size.  They played so hard and they just wouldn't quit until I separated them and made them take naps.  But it wasn't long and they were back at it again. 

I hope you like the little movie of them romping around in the country, here in Haiku Maui.

Paia Maui homes for sale ~ Haiku Maui homes for sale ~ Oceanfront Maui properties for sale

 Thanks for reading My Maui Blog!

Aloha from Maui ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro  

Haiku Maui MAP ~ call or text me 808 283-0635 ~ EMAIL

 

Speechless Sunday - Holy Ghost Feast in Kula Maui HI pictures

This Catholic church in Kula Maui has a lot of history.

Livestock auction was one of the day's highlights.

Rainbow shave ice is always a favorite at the celebration.

Springtime blossoms brighten a rock wall.

 Thanks for reading My Maui Blog!

Aloha from Maui ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro  

KULA MAUI HAWAII homes for sale ~ call or text me 808 283-0635 ~ EMAIL

I had to laugh at this one... but at least they got creative with the name.... Dr. McWealth is someone I'd like to show some Maui properties to!

FROM: DR. PETER McWEALTH.
DIRECTOR: WORLD FUND DISCOVERY MANAGEMENT AND PAYMENT BUREAU.

This letter is from World Fund Discovery Management And Payment Bureau newly invented by the World Financial Service Authority United States Of America/United Kingdom

This body was set up to discover an outstanding unpaid fund being owned to Governments or Individuals all over the world through Contract Payment, Inheritance and Lottery Winning Prize Awards.

It will interest you to know that we have discovered an outstanding unpaid/ unclaimed sum of money in favor of your name and a mandate has been given to this body World Fund Discovery Management and Payment Bureau to ensure that this fund gets to you without any delay.

Note that a special payment arrangement has been made to deliver this fund to you through diplomatic means of payment or alternatively come in person to any of our payment Offices in Europe, America or Asia

You are advised to furnish this office with your contact information to enable us open up communication with you regarding the release of your fund
Immediately.

The information required from you to enable us process your payment are as follows;

Your Full Name _________________
Your Complete Address: _____________________________
Your Private Email Address_________________________
Name of City of Residence: ____________________
Date of Birth (Day/Month/Year): ____________________
Direct Telephone Number:_____________________
mobile ____________________________
Number: _______________________________________
Fax Number: ____________________________________

You are advised to contact us immediately with the above requested information for further details.

Thanks.

Yours Truly,

Dr. Peter McWealth.
Director: World Fund Discovery Management And Payment Bureau.
Email: info.dr@foxmail.com

OK OK go ahead and contact me:   Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro  

call or text me today 808 283-0635

Search the Maui MLS right here

Kihei Maui Hi beaches - fun at Cove Park 1 minute movie   

I'm on a roll to put together some short movies.  I like trying to keep it to the 1-minute format because nobody wants to spend a lot of time looking at a video.  This latest offering was quickly "filmed" one morning with my Flip camera, and then produced the next night.  It doesn't have to take long, but I find getting the music just right can be the challenging part.  This one comes with some pretty snappy music courtesy of the iMovie program.  

Come along and enjoy some fun at Cove Park in central Kihei, on South Kihei Road.  Kihei Maui has a lot of really nice beaches, and this one is suitable for people learning to surf.  It's also the home of the Wailea Canoe Club where they park their outrigger canoes.  Dogs, swimmers, surfers, stand up paddlers and sunbathers are all enjoying life in Kihei Maui.  If you lived here, you could be too!    

Maui Condos for sale ~ Wailea Maui homes for sale ~ Oceanfront Maui properties for sale

 Thanks for reading My Maui Blog!

Aloha from Maui ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro  

call or text me 808 283-0635 ~ EMAIL

• South Kihei Road
• beaches of South Kihei Road
• Makena Surf Resort and beach video

Teacher Teacher, can I be excused? - how the MauiHunter skipped class today.

Today our Jim Sanders Realty office had a couple of mandatory classes about using social media to network and enhance our business.  Topics to be covered included: having a presence on Facebook; maximizing Twitter; uploading video to YouTube; blogging for business; and getting connected on LinkedIn.  I managed to be excused from the classes after explaining to my principal broker that I'm already doing all of the above, and I showed him my YouTube channel.  In fact, he knows that I have already enjoyed some Real Estate success from my blog.  

You can usually find me as MauiHunter if you're looking and here's some of the highlights:

My YouTube channel is getting better all the time.  I started posting video on YouTube in June 2008, with a little clip of Paia Maui HI.  Now there's a good little collection of short movies from Maui - some neighborhoods, some towns and condos, beaches.  I find it's really fun to make these and share them.  YouTube members can subscribe to each other and save their favorite movies into lists.

I've been on Facebook since 2007 when a cousin invited me to join.  It has evolved a lot and now I have a business site with a great URL of facebook.com/RealEstateMaui, where I post items of interest to anyone looking to buy or sell properties on Maui.  Making groups is easy so I've made 3 for different towns on Maui... Haiku Maui 96708, Wailea Maui Hawaii 96753, and Makena Maui Hawaii 96753.  This is a great way to "meet" people with similar interests.  Go ahead and join some groups and make some of your own!

Twitter.com is another site that's pretty easy to learn, and a quick way to connect with others.  You've probably all heard about Twitter by now, as it's old news already.  Go ahead and follow me and I'll probably follow you back, especially if you introduce yourself to me so I know a little about you.

Twitpic.com kind of goes hand in hand with Twitter.  You can upload pictures and have them automatically post to Twitter.  I'm always amazed at how quickly a picture will get a lot of views!  Make a comment with your picture when you upload, so people know what to expect... entice them to click.  You can see my twitpics or view the public timeline which can be an interesting live slide show. 

I'm LinkedIn for what it's worth.  This is a more serious site and I think if I was looking for a job I'd be on here a lot more.  I hear that employers cruise LinkedIn to recruit new talent.  It's a great tool.

Blogging - don't get me started!  I really enjoy blogging and sharing my knowledge and photos of this beautiful island Maui.  I first blogged at Blogspot.com in 2005, which was a great place to learn, but it was a little lonely there.  Somebody steered me to ActiveRain.com and then I was really hooked.  The ActiveRain community is very friendly and helpful, with plenty of comments from other members to encourage me to keep on blogging.  I have to admit that I've started a few blogs and then abandoned them, but this is my main blog which also gets fed out to MyMauiBlog and Localism.com. I love to be contacted by buyers who have been reading my blog and find it informative.  Each blogging platform will have its good and bad points.  Try some out and see what feels right for you.

I recommend Flickr.com as an easy to use site with some outstanding content from members.  It's easy to get lost for an hour or two when looking at some of the excellent photos that people create.  Some nice features of Flickr are photo sharing and galleries, including Maui.  If you're not already on board there, take a look and see for yourself, and be sure to see what the MauiHunter has uploaded.  

Posterous.com is my most recent foray into the bogosphere - sort of quickie blogging.  If I see something on the internet I like, I can just click one button and it gets posted to my Posterous site.  I can also email or text in a post, how easy is that!?  Once again you can subscribe to other posterous members and comment on their posts if you want to get chatty.

Is there more?  Sure, lots more, but who's counting?  There's no end to sites where people can network together and meet others with similar interests and goals.  What are you doing to get connected?

Please reach out and connect with me any way you like..... EMAIL,  call or TEXT 808 283-0635, or visit my EastMaui.com website.

South Maui Sunset Brokers Open - Tuesday May 18, 2010

Yesterday I attended a brokers open in Kihei Maui, where a number of homes mostly on Halama Street were featured.  Halama St. is one of those quiet residential streets that runs along the coastline, 1 block back from busy South Kihei Road.  As you can imagine, anything on the oceanfront comes with a premium price tag, whether it's a mansion or a fixer-upper.

There were 7 homes to tour, ranging in price from $749,000. to $4,995,000. and it was planned that we all end up at the most expensive beachfront home for a little schmoozing and nosh.  It was nice to see my friend Katie there doing the catering which always means the food will be fabulous.  It was a good turnout, with plenty of Maui Realtors from all over the island, but especially the Wailea and Kihei agents.

Here's the lineup of Kihei homes for sale on the caravan:

• 1815 Halama St.  $1,395,000.  3BD/2BA multi-level home next to Kalama Park. How do you spell TEAR DOWN?
• 1745 Halama St.  $1,059,000.  3BD/3BA home and detached 2BD/1BA cottage.  Well priced and ready to sell.
• 1624 Halama St.  $2,750,000.  Oceanfront 2-story 5BD/4BA home and detached 1BD/1BA cottage.
• 1581 Halama St.  $749,000.  5BD/2.5BA home and detached 1BD/1BA cottage.  Best value of the bunch.
• 0 W. Kapu Pl.  $3,800,000.  Beachfront 3BD/3.5BA home and detached 1BD/1.5BA cottage.  Nice pool.  Vacation rentals?
• 1210 Uluniu St.  $2,595,000.  Beachfront 2BD/2BA single level condominiumized home with detached garage.
• 1390 S. Kihei Rd.  $4,995,000.  Beachfront 7BD/7BA 2-story home with 2BD/2BA attached ohana.  Stone spa.  Lushest lawn leading to beach.

Are you looking to buy a beachfront home on Maui?  Please let me help.

Aloha from Kihei Maui ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro ~ call or text me today 808 283-0635

Search the Maui MLS right here

Haiku Maui HI market update - what's been selling in Haiku lately?

I know you're all wondering what's been selling lately in Haiku Maui, so here's an update for the past month.

There have been 4 Haiku Maui home sales - ranging from $320,000 to $620,000.  Average price of $411,250. 

1. 991 Haiku Road closed at $320,000.  Agreement of sale.  It was an old fixer home on a large lot of .45 acres.
2. 77 Nahele Road sold for $340,000. Cash.  Property had a lot of issues, but some good features were: 2 parcels totalling 5.7 acres; private well.
3. 300 S. Holokai Road sold for $365,000.  Cash.  1 acre with a couple of run-down homes.  Bank owned.
4. 77 Door of Faith Road sold without being listed, $620,000.  Not a distressed property.  2BD/1BA home on 2.3 acres.

1. Awalau Road sold for $230,000.  2 acres in a newish subdivision.  This is a really good price!
2. N. Holokai Road closed at $405,000.  Cash.  16.6 acres with no water meter.  Ocean side of Hana Highway.
3. Hana Highway sold for $450,000.  Cash.  14 acres with no water meter.  Ocean side of Hana Highway.
4. Hana Highway sold for $450,000.  Cash.  9.28 acres with no water meter.  Ocean side of Hana Highway.
5. Hana Highway closed for $650,000.  Cash.  41 acres with no water meter.  Ocean side of Hana Highway.

Currently our Maui MLS is showing 78 Active and Pending residential properties, and 43 Active and Pending land listings for Haiku Maui.  Please contact me if you would like more detailed info on the Haiku Maui Hawaii real estate market.  This is where I live and I can help you find the right home in Haiku.

Maui Hawaii South Shore Condo Newsletter     -     May 2010

I'm seeing a downturn of new condo inventory coming on the market.  Is this because sellers who aren't really serious are waiting to list their properties?  That will mean a higher percentage of what's for sale will be in the distressed category.  From the past month's 74 new listings, about one third of them are either bank owned or potential short sales.  Since so many buyers are still looking for that super deal, this month I'm featuring the bank owned new listings.  All of these are currently showing as active and ready for a quick sale.  Are you ready to make an offer?  Don't pass up these bargains!

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1.     Studio One, North Kihei  $139,900.00
- not a bad looking studio vacation condo complete with appliances, but no furniture
- some fresh paint and carpet will transform this ground floor unit into a holiday home

2.     Get Started, North Kihei  $174,900.00
- totally cute 1BD/1BA ground floor unit in a tropical setting, vacation complex with pool
- wood floors and kitchen cabinets, tumbled stone in bathroom, needs furniture

3.    Oceanfront Home, Maalaea  $179,000.00
- 3rd floor penthouse 1BD/1BA single level condo with vintage 80's look, needs updating
- situated on the good side of the building with ocean view and small lanai, appliances

7.    White Water, North Kihei   $419,000.00
- 3rd floor 2BD/2BA vacation condo with nice ocean and mountain views, oceanfront hi-rise building

- travertine floors throughout, kitchen and bathrooms with white tiles and cupboards, white stove

8.    Fairway Find,  Wailea  $468,900.00
- top floor 2BD/2BA home with granite counters and most of the appliances in place

- great ocean views over the Wailea Blue course, great value for a starter Wailea home!

- complex has a nice pool/clubhouse with fitness center, quiet setting away from busy roads

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With a Hollywood film being made on Maui, there have been numerous sightings of a few of the stars who are headlining it... Jennifer Anniston and Adam Sandler have been popping up in Paia and Wailea because they can enjoy themselves without being tortured by the paparazzi here.  

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Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro
Paia, HI  96779  (808) 283-0635

Jim Sanders Realty Inc.
PO Box 792050, Paia, HI  96779   (808) 579-8255  FAX: 579-9004

Looking for an REO condo?
Call THE HUNTER... Georgie Hunter, your Maui Realtor.

Search all condo and residential listings on my website...  www.eastmaui.com

Learn more about Maui by reading  MyMauiBlog.com ~   Sign up for the free Maui condo e-newsletters

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Search ALL MAUI CONDOS by name - active Maui MLS listings  ~  find the Maui condo you want - search our MLS here

Aloha from Maui... "I want to help you reach your Real Estate goals."

Silent Saturday - banyan trees at the Maui Country Club parking lot

Warning - don't park under these banyan trees late in the day or you'll be sorry!

MAUI COUNTRY CLUB, SPRECKELSVILLE, MAUI HAWAII

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 Thanks for reading My Maui Blog!

Aloha from Maui ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro  

call or text me 808 283-0635 ~ EMAIL

Video tour of Haiku Marketplace shopping center - Haiku Maui HI 96708

It's been a long time since I blogged about downtown Haiku Maui.  Since then I have been making videos to help people get a better understanding of what it's like here on the island.  This morning the Haiku Realtor Caravan tour was short, so I stopped here and got some images to stitch together a short movie of the Haiku Marketplace.  This actually used to be a pineapple cannery when pineapple was king, and would you believe there was even a train that would come here and take the product to Kahului for shipping out?

Some shops and services that you'll find here at the Haiku Marketplace:

• Haiku Grocery
• Colleen's Restaurant
• Haiku Medical Clinic
• Haiku Laundromat
• Haiku Pharmacy
• Haleakala Bike Co.
• Postal Shop
• Ohana Greenhouse and Garden Supply
• Spa Luna
• The Studio Maui
• Naish Sails Hawaii
• Pacific Bio-Tech
• Pacifica Island Art

Are you looking to buy a home on Maui?  Please let me help.

Aloha from Haiku Maui ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro ~ call or text me today 808 283-0635

Search the Maui MLS right here

YouTube videos from sunny Arizona...

Please bear with me for a little more vacation fun from our short visit to AZ last week.  I promise I'll get back to blogging about Maui right after this!

Having the flip camera on vacation really makes it easy to capture the moment.  If you take a few short clips along the way, you can then produce your own little movies after the sun goes down.  

If you've never visited the state of Arizona, these short movies might help you decide it's a worthwhile destination for a family trip.  Take a quick look...

Montezuma Castle National Monument

All footage was taken with the flip mino HD video camera.  Editing was done with iMovie on a MacBook Pro.  Music and sound effects supplied by iMovie.

South Mountain Park, Phoenix AZ

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 Thanks for reading My Maui Blog!

Aloha from Maui ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro  

call or text me 808 283-0635 ~ EMAIL

Silent Saturday - Vintage road signs - Sedona Arizona

Even Realtors have to take a vacation.  So where does a Maui Realtor go for a change of scenery?  This time it's to the Phoenix area.  We don't see too many things like this back home on Maui.

 Thanks for reading My Maui Blog!

Aloha from Maui ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro  

call or text me 808 283-0635 ~ EMAIL

Paia/Haiku Maui Hawaii Real Estate Newsletter     -     April 2010
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4.    Easy Living, Haiku  $1,695,000.00
- 2 acre estate in a nice Haiku subdivision just off the Hana Highway, level and usable
- 2-story 4BD/3BA home with open floor plan, gourmet kitchen, ocean views, detached ohana is 2BD/1BA
- beautiful pool and paved terrace, perfect for entertaining

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May 1 is Lei Day in Hawaii - Happy Lei Day!

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Georgina M. Hunter (RS) e-Pro (808) 283-0635

Jim Sanders Realty Inc.
PO Box 792050, Paia, HI  96779
(808) 579-8255  FAX: 579-9004

Have you tried the FLIP video camera yet?

Flip HD is the greatest little camera!

I got this sweet video camera for Christmas and have been having a blast with it ever since.  It's just so easy to use there's no excuse for not having videos of everything!  I think this one cost about $200 - it's Hi Definition, and it has the tripod mount on the bottom.

It's small and light, and fits in your pocket or purse.  Whip it out and press one button, start shooting!  No messing around with complicated settings.... just point and shoot.  This model will take a couple of hours of footage.

Ready to download?  Just FLIP up the USB connection and plug it into your computer... PC or Mac, it doesn't matter.  Downloading your files is quick.  While the camera is plugged in it's recharging it's battery so you never have to think about that.

What are you doing with the footage?  Have you tried iMovie on your Mac?  I gave a quickie lesson to my stepdaughter - she had never even tried her iMovie feature yet.  In a few minutes I was able to slap together a 37 second little movie from some clips and the music that comes with iMovie.  No time for posting it here... will be back later.

IT'S SO EASY!  TRY IT.

 Thanks for reading My Maui Blog!

Aloha from Maui ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro  

Haiku Maui MAP ~ call or text me 808 283-0635 ~ EMAIL