MAUI OCEANFRONT HOMES
Market Update, January 2020
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Maui has several areas with oceanfront homes: West Maui, South Maui, North Shore, East Maui and Central Maui. As you will see below, the home prices and activity tend to be highest in the resort areas of West and South Maui, and along the North Shore.
There are broad fluctuations in price depending on whether the property is beachfront or oceanfront; whether it is on a rocky shoreline or cliffside without water access; and the age, condition and size of the home.
Over the past five years, oceanfront home sales have consistently seen a volume of around 20/year, with a low of 13 sales in 2015, and a high of 25 sales in 2017. Comparing 2019 with 2018, it's noteworthy that the number of sales is down 30% and the sales volume down 57%.
Please note the 2019 statistics no longer include 6 sales in the Makena Resort by Discovery Land Co. that were reclassified in our MLS from Beachfront to Across the Street from the Ocean on 12/13/2019. This removed $60,162,136 million from the oceanfront home sales statistics that were previously posted in the blog post on 11/30/2019. That inventory had increased the average Days on Markets stat as escrow could only close when construction was complete. In addition, the average Sales Price and SP/Sq. Ft. dropped.
It is also worth noting that oceanfront homes are selling at a lower percentage of the asking price than the prior year as well as with a longer average days on market. This can mean great opportunities for buyers of oceanfront properties as the inventory has built considerably, with approximately 3 years worth of inventory.
We are already starting to see more pending escrows with 8 homes pending now vs. 4 in 11/2019. It is interesting to note that all but one of the pending sales is under $5,000,000, with a high sale pending at $10,880,000.
Maui Oceanfront Home Sales: Key Metrics
2014 to Present
| Year | Sales | Volume | Avg SP | Avg SP$/sq. ft. | Avg DOM | SP/LP |
| 2014 | 21 | $90,443,000 | $4,306,810 | $1504 | 287 | 91% |
| 2015 | 13 | -62% | $55,075,000 |-64% | $4,235,538 | -2% | $1793 | 16% | 214 | -34% | 93% |
| 2016 | 22 | 41% | $139,062,000 | 60% | $6,321,000 | 33% | $2878 | 38% | 219 | 2% | 84% |
| 2017 | 25 | 12% | $146,765,387 | 5% | $5,870,615 | -8% | $1533 | -88% | 274 | 20% | 92% |
| 2018 | 23 | -9% | $148,197,545 | 1% | $6,443,372 | 9% | $1759 | 13% | 222 | -23% | 91% |
| 2019 | 16 | -30% | $64,454,049 | -57% | $4,028,378 | -37% | $1288 | -27% | 285 | 28% | 88% |
Maui Oceanfront Homes: Market Snapshot by Area
Active Listings, Pending Sales and YTD Sales
| Oceanfront Homes | All Maui | West Maui | South Maui | North Shore | East Maui | Central Maui |
| Active Listings | 48 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 1 |
| Low List Price | $750,000 | $2,200,000 | $3,298,000 | $999,000 | $750,000 | $1,900,000 |
| Average List Price | $8,140,937 | $10,882,000 | $11,259,571 | $4,390,833 | $2,551,833 | $1,900,000 |
| High List Price | $37,500,000 | $37,500,000 | $27,498,000 | $12,000,000 | $6,500,000 | $1,900,000 |
| Average LP/Sq. Ft. | $2408 | $2889 | $3,469 | $1178 | NA | NA |
| Pending Sales | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Average List Price | $3,671,237 | $5,558,333 | $3,350,000 | $2,336,225 | 0 | 0 |
| Supply of Inventory* | 36 months | 45 months | 42 months | 48 months | NA | NA |
| 2020 YTD Sales | 0 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
There is often a misperception that we see more sales in the Wailea/Makena Market. What is important to note is that there are far fewer oceanfront homes in resort areas in West Maui than in Wailea/Makena. For example, there are only 6 oceanfront homesites in Kaanapali's only oceanfront residential neighborhood, Kai Ala Place. Similarly, there are just five oceanfront homesites in Kapalua Place, Kapalua's only oceanfront residential neighborhood. Wailea/Makena are larger-scale resorts, with more oceanfront residential communities such as Keawekapu Beach, Maluhia, Makena Place, the Makena Beach Cottages, and Black Sands, as well as homes scattered along the Makena Coastline that aren't part of a formal subdivision. Kihei's Halama Street is also a popular area with beachfront homes stretching along the shoreline.
The highest-priced listing on the island is located in the Kapalua Resort: 9 Bay Drive is an 8B/8.5 acre estate situated on 9.97 acres. It is currently offered at $37,500,000, reduced from $49,000,000. The highest asking price in South Maui is $27,498,000.
These compare with a high sales price of $27,000,000 for an oceanfront estate in 2011 in Makena. 7150 Makena Road is a 4B/5.5B home on 1.69 acres. To date, the largest sale on Maui for a private residence that was actually across the street from the ocean, in Keauhou, Makena $41,750,000 in 2015 (not in MLS) .
It should be noted--with such a small sampling, the statistics can vary widely at any given time, and the above are MLS statistics. Additional properties have changed hands privately and are not entered in MLS. For more information on all areas of Maui read: Maui Real Estate Statistics.
View Current Home Listings: Oceanfront, Beachfront and Across the Street from the Ocean
Maui Beachfront and Oceanfront Homes for Sale
This information is provided by the Realtor's Association of Maui. It is believed accurate, but subject to change. Readers are advised to do their own due diligence.
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