Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Wednesday Morning Coffee on Maui - 2/5/14

Aloha & Good Morning!
Maui's forecast for today will include sun and rain... keep an eye out for rainbows!   

Yes it is true that Maui is getting a lot of rain right now.  We are in our rainy time here and it is good because our islands need the rain.  This past weekend, I had the pleasure to spend the time helping a friend with her business on the beautiful island of Lanai.  Even though we had some gray skies it never changed the beauty that surrounded us. 

On one of the days we had the great pleasure to watch a very special first ever same sex marriage on Lanai.  One of the men in the picture is a fellow realtor from Oahu with Prudential Locations.  It was truly a lovely event and capped off my visit to Lanai and sent me home feeling so happy.


In other news, the island of Maui is getting ready for lots changes including new stores and affordable housing.  Check out the following news articles for more details.  Also, please consider stopping by my open house tomorrow at Kihei Village.  See the details below and please let me know if you'd like more information on this great condo in South Maui. 

ARTICLES

Safeway to start work on Target-anchored shopping center on Maui - There will be a blessing and a groundbreaking ceremony this week as the store prepares for a 2015 opening date.     

Target to hire 200 for the first Maui store - More info on the new Target store including an estimated 250 construction works, 200 employees and plans for a pharmacy and a Starbucks inside the store.   

Charlotte Russe to open first Neighbor Island store on Maui - This fashion retail store is for young women and has plans to open late summer in the Queen Kaahumanu Center.

New low-income rental complex opens on Maui - This 28-unit complex is for those earning 30-50% of the median income for Maui county and just opened last week.  The complex is near the Maui Community College.   

Walgreens to open new Maui store in Wailuku - In the next month or so there will be a new free-standing Walgreens store in Wailuku.  This will be the third on Maui and the company plans to keep the other two stores open.     

Maui County home prices rise 13% in 2013 -  Just in case you missed this news in my previous newsletter.       




OPEN HOUSE ON THURSDAY

Are you looking for a fully renovated condo, ready to move into? This is absolutely it! Beautifully remodeled residential condo in North Kihei, the sunny side of Maui. Everything has been replaced & upgraded throughout. The kitchen was remodeled in 2006 & boasts Silestone countertops, double granite sink, & new cabinets. The bathrooms were remodeled in 2008 & vanities & quartz countertops are brand new this year! Bathrooms also have silent fans inside a nice light. The upgraded fixtures, light switch plates & full sized w/d feel luxurious! Bamboo hardwood flooring in living room & tile in entryway, hallway, kitchen & bathrooms. The flooring was done in 2007 & brand new berber installed in master bedroom 2014. The living room is wired for surround sound. There is a sweet West Maui Mountain view from the lanai, which faces the ocean. There is also a nice orchid tree outside the lanai providing shade form the afternoon sun. This is a nice location in the complex. There is a park & youth center across the street, which is directly across the street from the ocean & a long stretch of sandy Maui Beach! This unit is vacant and can be shown anytime, so call your favorite Realtor today

Unable to come? Check out the full listing HERE!
WHEN: Thursday, February 6th from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Hosted by Debbie Guimond, R(S), ABR, RRS
                                                                                       
WHERE: Kihei Village
140 Uwapo Road, #17-202
Need help finding the open house?  Give me a call or text 808-298-7850

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Lender Corner by Craig Haueisen                                                                                         
Last Week In The News
The Commerce Department announced that gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services produced in the U.S. — increased at an annual rate of 3.2% in the fourth quarter of 2013. This follows a 4.1% pace of growth in the third quarter of 2013.
New home sales fell 7% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 414,000 units. November’s initial reading of 464,000 units was revised to 445,000 units. On a year-over-year basis, new home sales were 4.5% higher than December 2012. At the current sales pace, there is a 5-month supply of new homes on the market. An estimated 428,000 new homes were sold in 2013. This is 16.4% above the 2012 figure of 368,000.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted composite index of mortgage applications for the week ending January 24 fell 0.2% from the previous week. Purchase volume rose 2%. Refinancing applications decreased 2%.
Pending home sales, a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts, fell 8.7% in December. On a year-over-year basis, December pending home sales were down 8.8%.
The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city housing price index — on a non-seasonally adjusted basis — fell 0.1% in November after a 0.2% increase in October. On a year-over-year basis, prices rose 13.7% when compared with November 2012.
Orders for durable goods — items expected to last three or more years — decreased $10.3 billion, or 4.3%, to $229.3 billion in December. This follows a revised 2.6% increase in November. Excluding volatile transportation-related goods, December orders posted a monthly decrease of 1.6%.
Initial claims for unemployment benefits for the week ending January 25 rose by 19,000 to 348,000. Continuing claims for the week ending January 18 fell by 16,000 to 2.991 million. The less volatile four-week average of claims for unemployment benefits was 333,000.
Upcoming on the economic calendar are reports on construction spending on February 3, factory orders on February 4 and international trade on February 6.
Craig Haueisen is a Loan Officer with Prospect Mortgage.  Please feel free to email him or call him for any of your Mortgage needs.
Office: 808-298-7549 or Email: craig.haueisen@prospectmtg.com
Click here to visit Craig's website and apply online: http://myprospectmortgage.com/CHaueisen