Diane K. Pool's (trendi) Blog

The Mess In The Mailbox

Diane K. Pool (Coldwell Banker Island Properties) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:31:34 -0800

Are you disgusted by all those unsolicited credit card offers clogging up your mailbox? Tired of lugging catalogs and junk mail to the recycling bin? All of this unwanted mail creates nothing but headaches and wastes paper, so it’s no wonder putting an end to it is a priority for many people. While you can’t eliminate everything, you can noticeably reduce the avalanche of paper in your mailbox just by picking up the phone or hopping online. Here are a few wimple ways to put a kibosh on the heaps of junk mail that keep piling up: - So Long Pre-Screened credit offers: If your credit is anywhere near good, credit bureaus- Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – are selling your name to credit card companies as hot prospects. That’s why you are getting those “You’ve been pre-approved” offers every day. - Put an end to it by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). You will need to provide your name, address, telephone number, social security number and date of birth to ensure your opt-out request matches your credit record rather than someone else who shares your name. You can also opt out via the internet at: www.optoutprescreen.com/opt_form.cgi . If you are not comfortable disclosing your social security number and date of birth, the online form does not require this information. However, it is strongly urged that you do provide this information to ensure your request it properly processed, and it protects your information from unauthorized access. - Opting out is good for 5 years however, if you want to be removed permanently there is a form you can fill out at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre17.shtm Remember, this won’t stop all credit card offers- only those that result from screening your credit report. Your bank or Credit Card Company may still send you offers for new credit or share information about you with other companies. - Jettison the junk mail: you can reduce the other types of junk mail- magazine offer, sweepstakes and the other national advertising mail- by contacting the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS). This opt-out lasts for five years and can be renewed. There is no charge for registering. Go to www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/regist.action - Cut out the Catalogs: when you buy something from a mail-order catalog, your transaction is likely to be reported to Abacus, a company that complies a cooperative database of catalog and publishing companies customers. Your name is then sold to other mail-order companies that send you catalogs and offers. This explains why you are likely to receive several unsolicited catalogs after ordering anything by mail. To opt out of the Abacus database visit their website at www.abacusoptout.com You’ll have to notify companies yourself that do not participate in the DMA and Abacus opt-out programs. Contact the customer service department and request that your name and address not be shared with other companies. Contact magazines, charities, nonprofit organizations and professional associations to which you have either donated money or joined. It may take a few months to see results, but eventually the mess in your mailbox will thin out! Thank you for reading my blog & Happy Fat Tuesday! If you are looking to buy or sell something here on Maui or would like more information about Maui Real Estate please do not hesitate to contact me at 808-276-2004 or visit my website www.SoldOnMaui.Net to search theMaui MLS & check out New Listings and much more. Or e-mail me at trendi@maui.net and tell me what you’re looking for! Aloha for now!

When Choosing a Realtor- Confidence & Experience are Key!

Diane K. Pool (Coldwell Banker Island Properties) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:40:24 -0800

Aloha, Thank you for visiting my blog page. My goal is to provide you with helpful information about Maui’s real estate market and current events happening on the island! I am truly blessed to be able to call Maui home and to live and work in such a beautiful place. Maui No Ka Oi! As a Realtor supported by Maui’s #1 Real Estate firm – Coldwell Banker Island Properties – I have developed a vast knowledge of the island, its people, and their lifestyles. In today’s market it is important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Having been in the real estate industry for over 18 years, I have been through a few market cycles and have the professional experience necessary to weather these changing times to produce a favorable outcome for my clients. My commitment as your local connection is to provide you with the specialized service you deserve! So no matter what lifestyle you are looking for – executive homes, vacation rental investments and everything in between – if you’re looking to buy or sell property on Maui, give me a call at 808-276-2004 or email me at Trendi@Maui.Net and let’s get you into the Maui Lifestyle today! Aloha for Now!

Unique Opportunities!

Diane K. Pool (Coldwell Banker Island Properties) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:56:54 -0800

Aloha, Happy Thursday!! Click here for some Unique Maui Opportunities! The real estate market is picking up so, don’t miss your opportunity to buy here on Maui! Our winter season is winding down and we are getting ready to spring into spring! The whales are still here and the weather is wonderful so, what are you waiting for? When you are ready to find your unique opportunity here on Maui give me a call on my direct line at 808-276-2004 or visit my website www.SoldOnMaui.Net to search the Maui MLS & check out new listings and much more. Or e-mail me at trendi@maui.net and tell me what you’re looking for! Aloha for now!

Visitor Spending In Hawaii

Diane K. Pool (Coldwell Banker Island Properties) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:37:40 -0800

Aloha, Some great news from an article on Mauinow.com about visitor spending in Hawaii December 2011 – see below. This is a positive sign for our economy here in the islands. This year is the year of the Dragon in Chinese culture. The dragon brings good fortune and is a sign of intense power. I am hopeful that this year the dragon delivers just that to our islands! When you are ready to find your good fortune here on Maui give me a call on my direct line at 808-276-2004 or visit my website www.SoldOnMaui.net to search the Maui MLS & check out new listings and much more. Or e-mail me at trendi@maui.net and tell me what you’re looking for and I will help you find your fortune! December Record Month for Visitor Spending- January 30, 2012 For the month of December 2011, total visitor spending reached theunprecedented high of $1.298 billion for the state of Hawaii, according to preliminary statistics released by the Hawaii Tourism Authority today. An outstanding 7.8% growth in total arrivals (to 683,293 visitors) and higher daily spending ($185 per person, up from $169 per person in December 2010) pushed total visitor spending to reach $1.298 billion, the highest one-month total on record. The increase, up $220.6 million over December 2010 in visitor spending, marked the 20th consecutive month of year-over-year growth since May 2010. December’s strong performance also resulted in annual visitor expenditures increasing to $12.581 billion in 2011, making it the second highest level of visitor spending in the history of tourism in the Hawaiian Islands, down 0.4% compared to the 2007 peak year when visitor spending reached $12.626 billion. Total visitor arrivals also increased 3.8% to 7,284,069 visitors over 2010. On Maui, total December 2011 visitor expenditures rose 13% over one year ago December 2010 spending to reach $318.1 million. Year-to-date visitor expenditures rose 12.9% to $3.1 billion in 2011, from $2.8 billion in 2010. Visitor arrivals to Maui rose 3.7% to 192,439 in December 2011, compared to December 2010, and year-to-date arrivals rose 4.1% in 2011 over 2010. Hawaii Tourism Authority’s chief executive officer, Mike McCartney acknowledged in a written statement that improvements in airlift and access to the Hawaiian Islands were the key to the record levels of spending seen last year. “This year we saw significant increases in airlift to our state from emerging and established markets contributing to the strong year in visitor spending and arrivals. The HTA has worked with our airline partners to establish more direct flights servicing the neighbor islands, which has helped to contribute to longer length of stay on the four major islands and in turn higher visitor spending. We anticipate the announcement of new routes in the first half of 2012, which will also help us continue with the momentum we saw last year.” The Hawaii Tourism Authority also released these 2011 year end highlights: All islands experienced increases in both total visitor expenditures and visitor arrivals in 2011 compared to last year. O‘ahu (+18.7% and +2.9%) Maui (+12.9% and +4.1%) Moloka‘i (+5.4% and +14.8%) Lāna‘i (+27.7% and +12.4%) Kaua‘i (+18.9% and +6.3%) Hawai‘i Island (+5.3% and +2.8%) Contributing to the growth in expenditures for 2011 was a notable growth in arrivals from higher spending visitors from Other Asia (+20.1%) and Oceania (+31.7%). The total number of Meetings, Conventions and Incentives (MCI) visitors rose 11.2% compared to 2010 with growth from all segments: conventions (+9.5%), corporate meetings (+17.2%) and incentives (+11.2%). However, Hawai‘i also experienced three months of double-digit declines given 2011 was an off-cycle year (MCI business in Hawai‘i has historically favored years that end in 4 and 5 or 0 and 9).

New Year… New Beginnings…

Diane K. Pool (Coldwell Banker Island Properties) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:53:12 -0800

Wailea Wellness & Health – Your Health & Beauty Event- Wednesday February 8th from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at the Wailea Golf Cours.

Kihei Mall Project Touted as “Job Generator”

Diane K. Pool (Coldwell Banker Island Properties) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:51:04 -0800

Exciting news for Kihei residents! See the article below from the Pacific Business News; January 27, 2012. This project will bring much needed jobs for our Maui residents. Our community needs projects like these to keep our island thriving! Eclipse Development Group LLC , a California developer, has targeted a 30-acre Maui site in Kihei where it wants to build the state’s largest outlet mall. The Maui Outlets shopping center will be comprised of about 300,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, according to Eclipse Development Group President and CEO Doug Gray. If the project goes forward as planned, it would be twice the size of the Waikele Premium Outlets on Oahu. The project, to be built at an estimated cost of $250 million to $300 million, will be done in two phases. The first phase is projected to open in the fall or winter of 2013, with the second phase set to open in 2014. Gray said he hopes to pick a local contractor within the next 10 to 15 days, and break ground on the project sometime in March. California-based Architects Orange will serve as the lead architect. The project could create as many as 300 construction jobs, and add another thousand retail-sector jobs once the stores start to open. Economists say the Maui Outlets should provide a big boost to the local economy, attracting both visitors and kamaaina. Eclipse Development Group LLC, which has built close to 10 million square feet of retail space, is already in talks with possible tenants. Gray would not name any of the prospective tenants because of ongoing negotiations. “I love Maui and my family has been taking trips to this island for the last 20 years,” he said. “To me there isn’t really an attractive place to do shopping, and what we wanted to do is create a sense of place so people could go and hang out.” Gray said he has had his eye on Kihei for the past two years, and toward the end of 2010 he finally struck a deal with the former landowner to buy the land. The mall will have between 60 and 90 stores, mostly outlets, consisting of the usual mix of clothing and accessories found at outlet malls. Gray said the theme will reflect Maui’s architectural heritage. “You’ll see a sugar cane warehouse theme and even a seaside theme,” he said. “It will be the destination people will want to go to and we’re somewhat prideful in that we want to make sure that when we go there ourselves, we feel proud of what we built and see people enjoying it as well.” Fred Rickert, senior business consultant of the Hawaii Small Business Development Center Network — Maui Center, believes the Maui Outlets will have a major impact on the area. “Something like this will attract more people to Maui,” he told PBN. “It will have a multiplier effect when talking about taxes and imports because when you hire a thousand people they will pay taxes and the new businesses will pay general excise taxes.” Jeanne Skog, president and CEO of the Maui Economic Development Board, said Maui residents have talked about the need for additional affordable retail options. “From past conversations we’ve had with residents, clearly, retail operations like Kmart and Costco are thriving on Maui,” she said. “So it obviously has interest on the part of residents and consumers, as it helps these individuals afford living on Maui.” If you are looking to buy or sell something here on Maui, need more info, or want help finding your own personal ”best buy” please do not hesitate to contact me at 808-276-2004. I would love to help get you into the Maui Lifestyle! Aloha for now!

South Maui Condos & Homes Best Buy Lists

Diane K. Pool (Coldwell Banker Island Properties) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:19:27 -0700

We recently updated the Best Buy Lists, which can be seen on my website www.SoldOnMaui.net To see the condos click here. To see the homes click here. Prices in South Maui are inching down at the moment, and some of the prices have dropped from just a few days ago when I made my picks for the lists. Click on the MLS # in the left hand column to see the most current info available for each property. If you are looking to buy or sell something here on Maui, need more info, or want help finding your own personal "best buy" please do not hesitate to contact me. I would love to help get you into the Maui Lifestyle. Aloha for now!

South Maui Moneymakers

Diane K. Pool (Coldwell Banker Island Properties) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:32:32 -0700

I'm looking at two recent sales in our Multiple Listing Service here on Maui and thinking we really do have it all...even when it comes to real estate. Check out these two tales of moneymaking investments. On the low end we have Kalama Villa 103 - a 1 bedroom 1 bath condo with 640 sq. ft. of living area. It's located one block from Kihei's surf spot & is a quick walk to Kamaole I Beach, a local favorite. It was an REO which closed on August 24th, 2011 for $94,500 cash. It appears from the photos to be in decent condition, and I bet this condo could easily stay rented at $1000/ month, maybe even more. Factor in the low maintenance fees of only $265 and this becomes the kind of moneymaking deal that real estate investors are on the lookout for. In my opinion, someone got a great deal with this sale! Are you looking for a deal like that? Then consider Kihei Shores A 102, a potential short sale listed at $129,900. This 600 sq. ft. condo with 1 bedroom & 1 bath was beautifully remodeled in 2005 with bamboo floors, nice cabinets, plantation blinds, new light fixtures - it's a really great looking unit! Kihei Shores is located directly across the street from Kamaole Beach III, another top South Maui beach & park area. This complex has a pool & BBQ area for its residents and has low maintenance fees too - only $324 for this condo. I estimate this condo would rent unfurnished at $900 or $1000 per month easily, more if it were offered furnished. This represents a great buy for an investor, owner occupant, or someone who would use the condo for the same block of time each year and use rental income to help defray the costs. If you want to jump on this great opportunity contact me soon, this one will not last long! On the other end of the spectrum we have Wailea Point 102, which closed on August 22, 2011 for $8M ca$h! At 3,172 sq. ft. with 4 bedrooms and 4 baths it is big enough to accommodate the whole family, but the price tag is not for the extra rooms included. WAILEA POINT IS ONE OF THE FINEST SPOTS ON MAUI! It offers access to both Polo Beach, Wailea Beach & the famous Wailea Coastal Walk. You'll find panoramic ocean views, 3 swimming pools, tennis courts, paddleball courts, a pool pavilion with full kitchen, 24 hr. roving security and gated entry, fitness center & BBQ areas all on the property. A quick stroll gets you to the best resorts, restaurants, spas, shops, and beaches in South Maui. Hop in the car (these condos come with individual garages) and you're minutes from some of the world's best golf courses. Wailea Point is pet friendly and only allows rentals of 1 month or longer. We won't mention the maintenance fees for this one...it falls under the category of "If you have to ask how much, then you can't afford it." But with those high fees come really high incomes! A 4 bedroom oceanfront at Wailea Point probably earns $35,000 per month! Now THAT'S making some MONEY! If this is the type of investment you're looking for then check out Wailea Point 1801. It is a FANTASTIC condo being offered at $3,150,000, and one of only a few rarely available that offers walk out access directly to Polo Beach! You can literally watch your family frolick in the surf while you relax on your lanai...IT'S THAT CLOSE!!!! It has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths with nice touches and upgrades including custom Koa desk & cabinetry, a wine fridge, outdoor hot/cold shower, automatic european lanai shutters, full laundry room, and a Viking gas grill. While this specific condo has not been used as a rental by the current owners, based on comparable info available I estimate this unit would rent for around $25,000 per month. I represent the seller as the Listing Agent of Wailea Point 1801, and he's asked me to get it SoldOnMaui!!! These are just a few examples of how the market is moving here! Good buys are available at all price levels - what we've mentioned and everything in between. Today we have 16 REO condos & 31 potential short sale condos available in Kihei or Wailea, but you have to act fast to get the best deals. If you are interested in learning more about investing in real estate, buying Real Estate Owned (REO) or potential Short Sale property, oceanfront condos, residences, or just plain ol' good deals then let's connect...I'd love to get you into the Maui Lifestyle! South Maui Condos Best Buys Search the Maui MLS Contact me!

South Maui Real Estate - Big Sales & Big Deals!

Diane K. Pool (Coldwell Banker Island Properties) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:43:02 -0700

On July 6th we saw a 4 bedroom home on 1.69 acres of exquisite oceanfront located at 7150 Makena Rd. close for $27 million. This brings to mind the old real estate adage of "Location, location, location!" Oceanfront property of this caliber exemplifies the ulitmate in Lifestyle living here in South Maui. And if you have the means, the opportunities do exist. If this is the lifestyle you seek, consider another oceanfront property currently up for sale in the Black Sands subdivision, a gated community consisting of only 7 homes in Makena. It has 4 bedrooms & 4 baths with 5400 sq. ft. of living area, and features "sweet life" extras like a trellised pool cabana that seats 12 and an 800 bottle climate controlled wine room. Being offered at $19.5 M it's a steal compared to the recent sale right up the street! Whether you're interested or just curious...check it out by clicking HERE to take you to the listing on the Maui MLS. The other big sale was for $5.1 M cash for a home in the exclusive gated community of Wailea Golf Estates. This 4 bedroom villa offers privacy, panoramic golf course and oceanviews, and year round sunsets from every room in the house! With pocketing sliding doors & shades, the new owners will really be able to enjoy the indoor/outdoor lifestyle! If that one sounds nice check out my listing right down the street, a contemporary custom built executive home offering very similar views and amenities as the one recently sold. This home is featured in the August issue of Luxury Home Magazine (see page 40 for the editorial) for its pool deck lanai featuring a sunken kitchen with Viking BBQ and Flat Screen TV for the multi-tasker who wants to soak in the hot tub, grill, and watch the game & sunset all at the same time! This home features a clean, contemporary design with special touches throughout - a media room with projection screen & full surround sound, a wine cellar, 2 oceanview guest suites, a gigantic soaking jacuzzi and serene indoor/outdoor Japanese style shower for the ultimate tropical experience to name just a few. To see the Virtual Tour CLICK HERE. No matter what you are looking for in South Maui Real Estate, there are some great buys out there right now and the market is moving. I know this market, and if you're interested in buying call me, I can help you find your dream home! Wouldn't you like to be living the Maui Lifestyle?

Best Buys in South Maui Real Estate

Diane K. Pool (Coldwell Banker Island Properties) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:24:32 -0700

If you are interested in buying real estate in South Maui I encourage you to check out my "Best Buy Lists." Featuring active properties listed in the Maui Multiple Listing Service, I include condos and single family homes available in Wailea, Makena, and Kihei. Whether you are looking for a studio condo close to the beach or oceanfront property in Makena, it's all on there. Some properties have been included for the location, some strictly for their price, and any number of reasons that I feel qualify them to be good buys in today's Real Estate Market. Should you wish to see any of these properties or find out why I condsider them to be a best buy, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to the opportunity to serve as your Maui Real Estate Professional. CLICK HERE to see the Best Buy Condos CLICK HERE to see the Best Buy Homes CLICK HERE to search for properties on my website, SoldOnMaui.net. Aloha for now! Diane K. Pool 808-875-8535