THE GUIDES
West Maui Real Estate Resources
Guides to buying a condo, buying a single-family home, selling, financing, and 1031 exchanges across West Maui — Kapalua, Kaanapali, Napili, Kahana, and Lahaina. AOAO fees and reserves, fee simple versus leasehold, the Bill 9 vacation rental phase-out, HARPTA and FIRPTA withholding, Maui County property tax classifications, and what closing actually costs. These are the same explanations I give my own clients, written down so you can read them before we talk — no forms, no downloads, no email required.
01
Selling Your West Maui Home: What It's Worth, What It Costs, and How It Actually Goes
Most sellers ask what the property is worth. The better question is what it nets.
This guide covers the pricing decision and why the debut price does more work than anything else in the sale, what the market is actually doing right now, and how the vacation rental phase-out is changing what apartment-zoned condos are worth before they ever hit the MLS.
It also lays out what selling costs at the closing table — the full buyer-seller allocation, conveyance tax, brokerage compensation, and the HARPTA and FIRPTA withholding that catches non-resident sellers off guard. Plus what to fix before listing, what to skip, and how sea level rise disclosure works.
02
Buying a Single-Family Home in West Maui: Neighborhoods, Subdivisions & the Process
Where you buy shapes your daily life here more than any feature of the house.
This guide walks the West Maui neighborhoods where single-family homes actually exist — Kapalua's estate subdivisions, Kaanapali's hillside, Napili's beach-town streets, the established pockets in Kahana and Honokowai — and what subdivision and association membership means in each.
Then the diligence a house purchase needs and a condo doesn't: survey and encroachments, the wastewater system, insurance quotes during your contingency period, assumed solar agreements. Plus the land conditions that decide long-term value — flood and lava zones, sea level rise exposure, wildfire risk, view corridors, microclimate — and a straight answer on whether you can short-term rent a house here.
03
Buying a Condo in West Maui: The Complete Guide
A condo purchase here turns on five things most mainland buyers have never dealt with.
The AOAO and its financial health. Whether the property is fee simple or leasehold. Whether the building's master insurance lets anyone finance a unit there at all. What the zoning permits you to do with it. And a lending path considerably narrower than a standard home loan.
This guide covers each one — what to review during escrow and how long you get, what Hawaii law requires of reserve funding, how the Bill 9 phase-out applies to apartment-zoned Minatoya List units, what your property management options actually cost, and the tax obligations that come with renting.
04
Financing a Home in West Maui: Lenders, Loan Types & What Ownership Actually Costs
Financing a home here isn't like financing one anywhere else.
Condo-tel restrictions, non-warrantable projects, a condo insurance market that can make an entire building unfinanceable regardless of your credit — the building often has to qualify before you do. This guide names the Hawaii-licensed lenders I refer my own clients to, and explains what actually narrows the pool.
It also covers what down payment to plan on by property type, how much a rate change really moves your payment, and the Maui County property tax classifications that separate an owner-occupied bill from a short-term rental bill by roughly eightfold at the same assessed value.
05
1031 Exchange & Investor Guidelines for West Maui Property
Four things determine what an investor actually keeps.
Whether you structure a 1031 exchange, whether HARPTA or FIRPTA withholding applies, what tax classification the property lands in, and — for condos — what the zoning will still let you do with it in five years.
This guide covers the exchange requirements and the 45-day and 180-day deadlines that have no flexibility, how a properly structured exchange earns a HARPTA exemption, the withholding rules for non-resident and foreign sellers, Maui County's investment property tax tiers, and why the Bill 9 phase-out belongs in your underwriting rather than a footnote.
06
Community & Lifestyle
Discover the West Maui Community Lifestyle, where culture, dining, recreation, and neighborhood highlights come together to showcase what makes living in Lahaina, Kāʻanapali, Napili, and Kapalua so unique. From local events and schools to oceanfront activities and resort living, this guide offers a closer look at the everyday experiences that define life in West Maui.
TOOLS
Minatoya List Rezoning Tracker
I built this because nobody else had.
The Bill 9 phase-out is moving building by building through numbered Council resolutions, and there was no single place to see which properties sat in which wave. So I made one — every Minatoya List property, color-coded by resolution, updated as the Council acts.
Whether you own an apartment-zoned condo or you're weighing one, this shows where your building actually stands. Sources are named on the page, and anyone making a decision on it should confirm with the County Planning Department.
Ready When You Are
Are You Ready for a Straight Answer?
Share the property, plan, or question you are working through.
I will tell you what I see, what needs closer verification, and what I would consider before moving forward. You do not need to have every detail figured out before we speak.
