Waipuilani condo in Kihei (appointed, renter, loan)

[moivng15]

Does anyone have information on this condo? We are hoping to move to Maui and a condo here looked great online. Our realtor, however, says it is a "dump"? Anyone know anything about it? Thanks in advance.

[whtviper1]

A lot of the units are vacation rentals - so you are going to have to compete with a very transient group of people who are in vacation mode, don't have a vested interest to take care of the place/grounds, and compete with amenities like the pool.

[MauiPartTimer]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

A lot of the units are vacation rentals - so you are going to have to compete with a very transient group of people who are in vacation mode, don't have a vested interest to take care of the place/grounds, and compete with amenities like the pool.

Viper,
The flip side of vacation rentals is that owners have a very real interest in keeping the place in top shape and enforcing all rules (noise, etc.) to ensure people keep coming back. Our condo is in a different complex and the owners/AOAO are really serious about holding up the value. In our place, I've noticed that the vacation renters tend to be a lot better neighbors than the long-term renters.

To the original poster,
I'm not familiar with this complex, but be aware that it's Central Kihei and the beaches there aren't very nice and the water is kinda yucky. If you're looking for something close to the beach where you plan on spending time, I think you'd be disappointed.

[Sherwoody]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

A lot of the units are vacation rentals - so you are going to have to compete with a very transient group of people who are in vacation mode, don't have a vested interest to take care of the place/grounds, and compete with amenities like the pool.

And get used to the sound of car alarms. Tourists in cars they are unfamiliar with coming home after midnight every night trying to learn how they work.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by MauiPartTimer

Viper,
The flip side of vacation rentals is that owners have a very real interest in keeping the place in top shape and enforcing all rules (noise, etc.) to ensure people keep coming back. Our condo is in a different complex and the owners/AOAO are really serious about holding up the value. In our place, I've noticed that the vacation renters tend to be a lot better neighbors than the long-term renters..

I hear ya - but there is always the inevitable hard core partied renter from hell.

Another downside of too many renters is many loan programs have certain owner occupancy percentage requirements for the complex to qualify for the loan.

[MauiPartTimer]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

I hear ya - but there is always the inevitable hard core partied renter from hell.

Another downside of too many renters is many loan programs have certain owner occupancy percentage requirements for the complex to qualify for the loan.

Yeah, our place (Maui vista) has security patrols and they provide enforcement. Without that, it might be a problem.

The loan issue tends to be a bigger issue if places are rented out long-term. I think most owners are like us; it's a "vacation home" that we rent out when not using it as opposed to a pure investment property.

[hotzcatz]

There shouldn't be any loan issues since we really hope the OP wouldn't be buying anything without looking at it first, don't we all hope?

[MauiPartTimer]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

There shouldn't be any loan issues since we really hope the OP wouldn't be buying anything without looking at it first, don't we all hope?

I actually bought my condo sight unseen.

Of course, we were very familiar with the complex (Maui Vista) and our Realtor was very familiar with our tastes and standards. She also sent us a ton of pics, including things we never would of thought of (like inside the fridge). It was a bit of a gamble, but we weren't able to get to the island right away and didn't want to let a good deal get away.

It had a happy ending (no, not that type of "happy ending", you perverts); there was a certain indescribable anticiaption/thrill to walking through the door the first time to a place we already owned...and it turned out the place was in better condition than we expected.

[WaikikiBoy]

If you are unable to see the unit yourself, and you are not intimately familiar with the complex, then I would recommend you trust your realtors advice. They are familiar with the area and building, so they are in the best position to advise you.

If you don't trust your realtors opinion, then go visit the place for yourself or hire a new agent.

At least that's what I would do.

[TwoByFour]

Buying something site unseen is crazy. You are talking about a lot of money, some of it unrecoverable even if you decide to sell the place. Let's say you pay 250k for a condo and then decide you don't like it. So you have to turn around and sell it, and pay 4-5% in fees and a bunch more in taxes. Figure on 10-15k in expenses to sell something you cannot stand. Flying over and taking a look, even for 2-3 days, is what, 2k? There are a lot of intangibles that go into whether you like a place or not, so how can you assess that without being there?