Central Maui Land Agricultural Designation

The petition put forth by Alexander & Baldwin Inc. to strengthen protection for central Maui agricultural land against development was signed by the state Land Use Commission on Friday.

This means that over 27,000 acres of Maui sugar cane fields owned by A&B Inc. will be safer from developmental pressures. The Land Use Commission declared the Central Maui acres as "important agricultural land" by signing the petition. This means it will be more difficult for anyone to use the land for nonagricultural purposes in the future.

The designated land ranges through Kahului, Maalaea, Haliimaile, Kihei and Paia. Most of it is sugar cane, but some includes seed corn and pastureland.

According to State Board of Agriculture Chairwoman Sandra Kunimoto, this was a strategic move to preserve some of Hawaii's best agricultural land for future generations. Other incentives to maintain agricultural designations include loan guaruntees and tax credits for landowners.

Explore the extensive listings of excellent Maui oceanfront condos for sale and Kaanapali homes on the market now. As always, don't hesitate to contact me by email at robert@mauihomesales.com or call 808-662-0003. Mahalo for reading this week!

West Maui Keiki Hula Festival

West Maui's Keiki will be performing in the upcoming hula fest next month on the 25th and 26th.  This event is a classic favorite for visitors and locals. Onlookers are routinely awed by the incredible performance skills of these kids. A consistent mixture of talent and grace keep each audience bigger than the last.

The event is free to attend and, in conjunction with hula performances, will feature Hawaiian artisans and crafters that will demonstrate lei making, wood carving and other traditional skills representing Hawaiian culture.

The Keiki Hula Festival will take place in West Maui at the Lahaina Cannery Mall. This mall is fully enclosed and air conditioned, so you can enjoy the fest without overheating. For those of you who want to learn more about West Maui living, including shopping, it may interest you to know that the Lahaina Cannery Mall offers over 50 shops and restaurants and is conveniently located on the north end of historic Lahaina town. If you need more information on this particular shopping center, check www.lahainacannerymall.com/.

If you are new to the island and haven't yet explored Front Street in historic Lahaina town, you are missing out! There are all kinds of fun shops and boutiques with fine dining for a romantic atmosphere or casual dining for the whole family. The street stretches right along the water, and you can still see some rustic characteristics serving as a reminder of its history as a whaling town.

On the real estate front, there is currently a beautiful selection of Maui oceanfront homes that you may be interested in exploring. Homes for sale in Kaanapali include some excellent buys, and don't forget to use our online real estate search tool to find real estate meeting your specific criteria. As always, don't hesitate to contact me by email at robert@mauihomesales.com or call 808-662-0003. Mahalo for reading this week!

Hawaii Foreclosures Rose Sharply in May

May saw a foreclosure spike to almost 400%. The increase was exactly 397.5% from May of 2008. April's increase was 19.3%, according to RealtyTrac's wednesday report. For the month of May, Hawaii was 15th highest in foreclosures, while it was 23rd in April.

Nevada had the highest foreclosure rate in the US at 1 filing per 64 households. California followed with Florida close behind. The highest number of foreclosures was California at 92,249.

On a national scale, May saw foreclosure filings at 321,480 total, which was actually down by 6% from April but up 18% from May of last year, according to the RealtyTrac report.

Prices have dropped sharply as well, so for the financially sound, an investment in Maui real estate at this time may be a smart move. It is a very rare day when condos on Maui cost between $50-$100K. Condo prices are down by about 30% since last year.

According to RAM's Multiple Listing Service report for May, the sales of 47 condominiums and 56 single-family homes closed that month. In May of last year, sales included 84 condos and 97 homes. Numbers suggest that the steapest price drops are taking place in the most expensive areas.

Whatever you choose to do, keep an eye on the numbers. There are some great opportunities out there.

If you are in a position to take advantage of better prices and mortgage rates, you may want to explore what real estate is available in West Maui areas. Some good places to start are homes for sale in Lahaina, condos at the Kaanapali Alii, and Oceanfront homes if you have a good budget. As always, don't hesitate to contact me by email at robert@mauihomesales.com or call 808-662-0003. Mahalo for reading this week!

Maui Business Management and Financing

Considering the current fragility of the national economy, many Maui residents and business owners are teetering financially. Conditions are more challenging than usual. Here's some advice for how to weather the difficulties.

A two-day leadership workshop is being offered by Lois Greenwood, based on the work of Stephen Covery, a renowned author and leadership consultant. This workshop centers around developing management skills. This is a crucial element in surviving difficult economic conditions. The goal is to teach you the insights and skills you need to manage both yourself and others while unleashing the full potential of your team. The class will take place on June 16th and 18 from 8:30a.m. to 4:30p.m. Check the announcement for details.

A class on financing is also being offered on June 18th from noon to 1p.m. This one is free. It will be presented by Susie Thieman, the CEO of MEO Business Development Corp and she plans to help participants learn about loan programs. If you think you may need $10,000 to expand or start a business or need to assess how long you can sustain a business with a loan of a certain amount, then this class should help you answer these questions. If you have bad credit or have been rejected for a loan, you should also attend. Not only will loan assessment be outlined to help you figure out how much you need for what period and purpose, but how to find financing in the first place will also be discussed.

The MEO Business Development Corp is a US Treasury certified Community Development Institution. The workshop will be held at the Maui County Business Resource Center at the Maui Mall across from IHOP.

If you are struggling financially, the most important factor in your survival will probably be resourcefulness. A great work ethic helps too. Be sure to be circumspect in your decision making process and explore all avenues for increasing revenues and minimizing unnecessary expenditures.

On the real estate front, there are some excellent Maui oceanfront condos on the market. Also consider browsing Lahaina homes for sale and as always, don't hesitate to contact me by email at robert@mauihomesales.com or call 808-662-0003. Mahalo for reading this week!

Maui Zoning Revisions

Building standards were discussed on Maui zoning by the County Council recently, and this marks the 50th anniversary of interim (temporary) zoning in Maui County. The Planning committe unanimously voted to recommend passing the revisions on first reading as of Monday.

According to Planning Director Jeff Hunt, the changes involve slight revisions. The standards discussed in the revised interim zone would allow bed-and-breakfast operations and limit the height of cell phone towers. Most of the discussions involved the permitted uses of bed-and-breakfasts, in fact.

While some concerns were raised that such operations wouldn't pay high enough property taxes, Dave DeLeon, the government affairs director of the RAM said that there was a case last year when a bed-and-breakfast property was actually assessed at hotel rates. It's payments wound up five times higher than when it was assessed as a single-family home.

The new ordinance allows bed-and-breakfasts in the extension interim, meaning rural and agricultural districts, unless of course there is no language in a particular community plan that prohibits it.

The other zoning measure that was raised was merely the question of whether to submit proposals on changes to rural zoning ordinance to the planning commissions for their advice. At this point, rural zoning allows minimum lot sizes of a half-acre or 1-acre. At this time, if an agricultural lot is subdivided, each new lot is allowed a house. The proposed change would limit each lot to one single-family dwelling. The goal is to limit housing in rural areas.

Maui Home Sales specializes in Maui oceanfront homes. Right now, homes for sale in Kaanapali include some excellent buys, and don't forget to use our online real estate search tool to find real estate meeting your specific criteria. As always, don't hesitate to contact me by email at robert@mauihomesales.com or call 808-662-0003. Mahalo for reading this week!

* Source: The Maui News