Agriculture on Maui

I read a great article the other day in the Living Maui Style magazine. In the article Tom Blackburn-Rodriguez spoke with the Executive director of the Maui County Farm Bureau, Warren Watanbe about Maui's Kula Agricultural "Ag" Park. Most people when they think of Maui think of beaches, and when it comes to our fruits a pineapple, maybe some mango and papaya trees come to mind. Most visitors don't get a chance to learn about our fabulous farms Upcountry in Kula that grow mouth watering vegetables and other fruits not commonly thought of as "Maui" like strawberries.

The Kula Ag Park has 445 acres on 31 lots farmed by 26 farmers. Watanbe has a sustainable goal of 50% of residents food coming from our crops here in the islands. Currently it is estimated according to the article that we import 85% of the calories we consume. Crops like Maui Onion, Strawberries, Lettuce, Cabbage, Berries for Jams, tomatoes and herbs are all grown on Maui. There are many "fruit and vegetable stands" and a large one on Lower Kula Highway makai side of the road on the way out to Ulupalakua, but many of our locally grown products can be found in any grocery store.

Whether you live here or visit here when shopping for food take time to look for the Maui Grown seal with the green leaf. You will be enjoying food that is fresh and you will also support our local farmers.

Less than a Full Renovation

In the latest Realtor magazine there was an article called "Small Projects, Big Bang" by G.M. Filisko. They mentioned the Cost vs. Value report that is done yearly. If you would like a copy please email us at FineIslandProperties@gmail.com

They also listed 10 Big Impact, Low Cost projects and in these tough economic times it was a timely article and I use this information when listing properties myself. I would like to share a couple of their tips with some tips of my own.

Staging was all the rage and then when the market dropped and sellers were counting every penny it was a very needed service that unfortunately fell by the wayside. You can work with your Realtor to get staging ideas if you can't afford a professional stager. We see many homes and know what the buyers are looking for. This information if followed translates into $$$ for the Seller.

1. Tidy Cabinets. Along with their suggestion of tiding kitchen cabinets it is wise to take apart your linen closet and fold nicely your things and de-clutter to show there is even more space available. The same goes with your clothes closets. Don't under estimate what is behind your doors.

2. Replace Light Fixtures and Faucets. This is a relatively inexpensive way to bring an outdated room up to modern standards that today's buyer wants and expects. New faucets replacing older pitted or outdated looking ones is another great tip.

3. Garage. In addition to their wonderful suggestion of installing a touch entry pad for roughly $425 it is important to make your garage spacious and neat and tidy in addition to the rest of the home.

4. Last but not least: Landscaping. Don't ignore a tired lawn. Cut and Hard edge your lawn. Fertilize your lawn & your plants, pull those weeds and add a couple potted plants with some sophisticated plantings by the front door.


A little can still go a long way and add $$$ to your pocket when selling your home.

Owning Real Estate through your IRA

This is a topic that comes up every now and then, but is worthy to note. With the great buys that currently exist in our Maui marketplace now may be just the time to purchase real estate with your IRA.

With a self-directed IRA or real estate IRA you can invest your retirement funds in real estate. Diversifying your income can be good if you are planning long term. (Consult your tax advisor or CPA for their opinion). With a real estate IRA you can invest in many types of Real Estate including:

Single family or multi unit homes
Apartment buildings
Co-ops
Condominiums
Commercial property
Improved or unimproved land

If your IRA doesn't have enough funds to outright purchase the property you can finance the remainder or leverage any income producing property for collateral for the loan.

For further information call Entrust Hawaii and they will send you a Free Brochure via email.
888-694-7244 (MY-IRA-HI) or visit: http://www.entrusthawaii.com/
7 Waterfront Plaza: 500 Ala Moana Blvd #400 Honolulu, HI 96813

Entrust Hawaii is just one of the companies that can assist you in regard to real estate IRA and Clients are recommended to do their own due diligence.

Foreclosure Filings for Hawaii

When we speak to buyers many are looking for Foreclosures so I thought I would give you an update on the filings for Foreclosures in the State of Hawaii. Filings are different from actual foreclosed homes which are listed as REO. Many homes that are foreclosed on are sold prior to being listed as REO at Auction so buyers can obtain property at auction too. Fine Island Properties Team can assist our mainland buyers by being your representative at the auction. Buyers just be prepared to place usual minimum of 10% down.

In November state wide their were 872 filings up from last years 393 number. (figures from Realty Trac). This is slightly skewed as it counts filings which can reoccur on a property. Lender repossessions (future REO) accounted for 196 of the filings. The Fine Island Properties Team has listed 3 REO's in the last month. Default notices were at 96 as compared to 76 from a year ago.

Per the Honolulu Advertiser local attorneys feel this number is low as many defaults are not handled through the courts and sometimes aren't publicly available. Realty Trac also includes numbers that are for commercial property, condotels, and time shares which can paint a much broader picture. At Fine Island Properties we see more Investor buyers in trouble than Maui residents who live in their homes although due to the tough economic times we are seeing signs that direction too. Demand for Real Estate is up but we feel due to more layoffs, furloughs, and tax reductions the sellers on Maui are still up for a challenge.

Hawaii is ranked 15th worst in the nation with one filing for every 581 homes, but better than the national rate at 1 per 417 homes and much better than the worst: Nevada at 1 in every 119 homes. Oahu has 1 in 905 homes , followed by Kauai at 1 in 379 homes, then the Big Island at 1 in 341 homes with Maui being the worst at 1 in 330 homes.

New Maui MLS rules don't protect the seller :(

New Maui MLS rules are not designed to help sellers in short sale...

Our board recently decided to have all offers submitted on short sales trigger the active status to pending on the listing in the Maui MLS system even though escrow isn't opened and the seller may still be allowed to accept other offers till their lender approves one per the listing and sales contracts.

This doesn't protect the seller as many times multiple offers are needed to get the lender to approve the short sale, buyers of short sales are often fickle and drop out prior to lender approval and a host of other reasons.

So if you are a buyer looking for Maui short sales, you had better hope your agent knows of this and diligently cks and calls on the pending sale short sales too.

Foreclosures & Short Sales What does a Homeowner Do?

In our business the Fine Island Properties Team handles short sale listings as well as assisting buyers who wish to purchase REO (Foreclosures).

We receive calls from Sellers that are having financial trouble and wonder what to do. I always advise to first seek your tax advisor and a foreclosure/bankruptcy attorney's advice.

We also advise NOT TO WAIT.

Waiting and doing nothing severely hinders your options when it is time to decide which direction you would like to proceed.

Don't even wait till you have missed payments. Consult us regarding short sales, and keeping your home by contacting your lender. Their are many FREE options for homeowners.

We also advise to not pay anyone for services to save your home unless you consult your attorney first. Most homeowners can communicate directly with their lender FREE.

Please call us today if you think you may be heading into trouble. We will arrange a CONFIDENTIAL meeting to discuss how the Fine Island Properties Team might assist you with kind and compassionate service.

Aloha, Gina Duncan, R (S) Team Leader FIP

Fineislandproperties@gmail.com

Pukalani Upcountry Golf Course Custom Home

FORE!


Calling all Golfers, Custom Home Seekers, and folks who want Ocean Views. You can have all of that and and more at this very charming Residences at Kulamalu Golf Course Home.

Listed Below Recent Appraisal $757k

4 bdr/4baths home w/ohana for relatives or the teen hangout. This home features bamboo flooring, granite counters in kitchen and upstairs baths, wood flooring in the ohana, and spacious secondary bedrooms. This home has all the amenities buyers are looking for including central A/C, Large Corner Lot on Golf Course, Stainless Appliances, Ocean and City Light Views +++

A full upper lanai and lower patio run the entire length of the home. The yard has beautiful tropicals and lush green lawn that is large enough for a pool.

For further information visit featured properties at www.FineIslandProperties.com or contact Gina Duncan at 808-250-9858 or by email at Mauigina@gmail.com