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ZIETZ: You don't have to be rich to live in Hawaii.
Let's go see the water.
You just have to want it.
Oh, wow. Look at this!
This is perfect.
At Hawai'i Life, we do more than sell real estate.
We connect people with a lifestyle
available nowhere else in the world.
It's like your own jungle in your backyard.
With thousands of properties available
across four major islands...
...there's something for everyone.
You just have to be willing to dive in.
WOMAN: Wow!
This is like our own private Hawaiian oasis.
That's fantastic. That's beautiful.
This is "Hawaii Life."
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
Aloha!
[ Bell dings ]
Hi. I'm James, and this is my wife, Lisa,
and I work as a real-estate appraiser.
And I'm a writer and a movement artist.
So, we had visited Maui I think maybe five or six times
before we made the decision,
"Let's try to make a go of it, and let's live here."
Why am I breathing harder than you?
You're more excited!
[ Laughs ]
LISA: Our life in Canon Beach, back in Oregon,
it was very sweet, but we were pretty cold.
[ Laughs ]
A large majority of the year can be quite somber.
You don't see blue skies as often as you'd like to see.
JAMES: I come from New Zealand originally,
born and raised very close to the beach.
Being close to the ocean, that holds appeal for us.
Here in Maui, it's warm, it's lovely,
and if we could find the right property
where we could open up a bed-and-breakfast,
start a business together,
that would be a very good thing, indeed.
We're very, very excited.
Let's talk about some criteria,
what you're looking for in a house.
We're looking for a home, and then, eventually,
we'd like to start this bed-and-breakfast.
It's really got to have four bedrooms
and probably the same number of bathrooms.
And we really like the idea of an ohana --
you know, separate living space.
Okay.
A pool would be lovely.
I mean, it would certainly be a nice amenity to offer to guests.
Have you guys thought about price range yet?
$800,000 would be the low end of where we're looking,
and $1.2 million would be the high end of the range
Excellent.
Since this is going to be a business as well as a home,
we're willing to spend a bit more.
And are you open to being able to do some remodeling,
as well as possibly building an ohana and a pool
for the right property?
Yeah, for the right property and for the right price,
we could see doing that.
What areas have we specifically looked into?
Focusing our efforts on the South Kihei area.
Give me a few days to line up some properties.
And, you guys, go enjoy the Maui lifestyle.
I'll give you a ring. We'll go see a few houses.
Okay! That sounds great. Thanks so much, Todd.
Good to meet you, finally.
Very nice to meet you, too.
All right.
See ya.
ZIETZ: Maui is the second-largest island in the state of Hawaii.
With over 30 miles of red, white, and black sand,
it's a beach lover's paradise.
James and Lisa want to buy a home in the beach town of Kihei,
which is located in the sunniest and driest side of the island.
The first home I'm showing James and Lisa today is on Kulipu'u.
This in Ke Ali'i Kai neighborhood in South Kihei.
It's listed at $895,000.
It has five bedrooms, four baths,
a little bit over 2,200 square feet,
and comes fully furnished.
So, this is Kulipu'u.
It's a nice, long driveway.
I like the fact that it's set back away from the road.
Yeah, and, you know, the rock wall
actually goes around the whole perimeter of the property.
I mean, they have beautiful landscaping throughout.
And beautiful lanai that's gonna give you a great ocean view.
Okay.
It comes fully furnished, so it's ready to go right off the bat.
So what we see is what we get?
Okay.
That might help things, eh?
That's true. Okay.
Sure.
Sounds good.
I like the color. It reminds me of the ocean.
Yeah, it's a great color.
Cool.
Great. Nice wooden floor.
Yeah, that's bamboo,
and it's actually throughout the whole house.
Nice and bright. That's good.
Nice kitchen.
Yeah, you've got your kitchen,
and it flows right into your great room,
and nice high ceilings.
Okay, guys, I'll let you take a look around.
If you have any questions, we'll meet back outside.
Sounds good. Thanks, Todd.
Todd said it was a great room?
Not so much a great room.
It's kind of sort of small,
and I'm wondering, where would everything fit in here?
You know, we can make the dining room outside,
because you can here in Hawaii.
It's got a view.
Yeah. Good! Let's check it out.
The view's good.
Oh, it's lovely.
In the morning, we'll be able to see Haleakala.
This is a really good view, eh?
I'm not particularly keen on, obviously,
the highway being right there,
although I really do like the view.
JAMES: Tradeoff.
Tradeoff. That's true.
All righty, eh?
Got to be a bathroom, doesn't it?
All right.
First guest bedroom, I guess?
It is little.
Oh, this is the master suite, then?
This is lovely. Much bigger.
Now, the question is, would we want it for ourselves
or have it as a master suite for one of our guests?
JAMES: Either way.
Nice sunken tub.
Separate shower, too. Like that.
Yeah, and the double sinks.
Yeah. Let's see what else is downstairs.
JAMES: Okay.
Kulipu'u would work as a bed- and-breakfast, structurally.
There's three bedrooms downstairs,
two bedrooms upstairs,
so there would be a divided space between our living area
and where the guests would be.
Okay, so, one of three bedrooms downstairs.
Pretty small, right?
Fourth bedroom. That's a decent size, eh?
It is decent size. You could put a queen-size bed in here.
Last bedroom.
Oh. All right.
So, this is like the one that's upstairs.
It's a little bit smaller, but it's obviously larger
than the two of the ones we've just seen.
But it's got nice lighting.
JAMES: And it's got your own access, which is really good.
Yeah. No, that's great.
So, there's two bathrooms downstairs,
so that would mean if we had the guests
all staying in the rooms downstairs,
two of the rooms would have to share a bath.
Yeah, so that's gonna be awkward.
A little bit.
All right, well, let's go take a look at the backyard.
Okay.
Oh, nice breeze! I love those Hawaii breezes.
There's a bit of space here.
Looks beautiful.
Yeah, it would be a better area for a pool, I think,
and some landscaping,
rather than to bust out these trees and put an ohana.
That's my thought.
JAMES: Don't know about the economics of that.
Okay.
You know, what really still concerns me is this road.
So, you know, again, maybe the pool wouldn't be the best idea.
I think an ohana's the game.
I think we'd have to see some other houses
to see how it compares.
Hi!
So, what do you think?
There's definitely some pluses to it,
and then there's some things
that we're a little concerned about.
So, the big issue, I think, is the road.
And we know an ohana would cost about $150,000 to build.
Well, they actually have cottage plans
that have already been approved.
Okay. Can we put a pool in?
You're probably gonna have a hard time
squeezing both of them in, so it's gonna probably --
You're gonna have a choice of doing either one or the other.
Got it.
That'd be interesting to see those cottage plans.
Yeah. We'll get them. Come here, guys.
Let's go take a look at a couple more properties.
Sound's good. Thanks!
LISA: Even though South Maui, South Kihei,
is known for being dry and warmer and dusty,
here in Maui Meadows, it's just very lush.
I like that.
This the perfect neighborhood for a bed-and-breakfast.
It's so quiet and peaceful here.
I like the kind of mix of housing,
the whole range of sort of eclectic things going on.
All of the lots up here, they're half an acre or more in size.
I like that part.
Yeah. I do, too.
So it might be a better location.
The question will become, is it a better house?
The next home I'm showing James and Lisa is at Waileia.
This is in Maui Meadows, in South Kihei.
This home has four bedrooms, three baths,
with lanais and amazing ocean views.
This lot is on .6 acres.
This property is listed at $1.15 million.
Hey, Todd.
So, how did you like the drive through Maui Meadows?
Right on.
Okay.
This is Waileia.
It's a really interesting property.
What's really nice is
the house is kind of divided into two separate houses.
It actually has three bedrooms and two baths upstairs,
and then, a one-one downstairs.
And, so, when you say "one-one," do you mean that
there's a full kitchen down below, as well?
It is. Correct. And it's a really large lot.
It's .6 acres. So there's a lot of room.
You could put a pool and a cottage, up to 700 square feet.
You guys want to go take a look in the back?
Okay. Let's go.
So, I'm liking the fact that it's got two lanais.
Exactly. And then both sides have their privacy.
They can enjoy watching a sunset.
It's nice to have this big backyard,
and it's quiet and private and...
This would be a really good space for an ohana,
It would. Yeah.
It's really secluded back here, so you have that privacy, also.
And it would get a nice separation
between the house and an ohana or a pool, eh?
LISA: Yeah.
Stairs need a bit of love, don't they?
They do need a little bit of love,
and...yeah, there's two flights of them,
so it might be challenging for people
when they're bringing their bags up.
[ Groans ] So we'll have to think about that.
I like the entryway. It's inviting.
Nice, tall ceilings. Lots of light.
It's open. It's a good open space.
Yeah. No, that's good.
Okay.
Yeah, that view works, doesn't it?
Yeah. That's stunning.
We like eating outdoors, and it's a nice big area,
so it would be a really sweet spot
for our guests for their breakfast.
It really is.
Yeah.
It does actually have a good feel about it.
I wonder what the kitchen looks like.
It's small. It's pretty tiny.
I mean, it's functional. It's got lots of counter space.
Honestly, this kitchen, it's really dated.
This is absolutely 1989 kitchen.
[ Laughs ]
And the appliances, they're vintage.
Yeah, it is kind of old and...yeah.
All of that sort of needs -- needs a full makeover.
Bedroom?
It's a reasonable size. It's not huge, though, is it?
Nope.
But it's decent enough for a queen-size bed.
So, this is a bigger room.
LISA: This must be the master bedroom.
Look at the nice French doors.
That's a nice feature, eh?
Nice, big Jacuzzi tub.
I can imagine taking a tub in that.
JAMES: Could. Imagine that.
And an avocado tree.
JAMES: I love avocado trees. These little things are great.
Lots of fresh guacamole. [ Laughs ]
No, it's nice, the breeze out here...
And it's a decent size. They haven't skimped on it.
Okay.
It's a one-bedroom apartment.
And this is functional.
It's a nice open space.
We could do a couple different things.
We could live here.
We could, but what if we used this
as a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment
for a guest that wanted more privacy?
Got a nice kitchen.
Pretty standard.
A wee bedroom. It's actually not that wee, is it?
It's good.
No, it's actually a decent size.
And separate entrance. That works.
And have a lanai.
I know! It's good!
And it's got a view.
I could see a swimming pool here. I really could.
Me, too. It's lovely.
HUDSON: Hey, guys. What'd you think?
Okay.
We really like the high, vaulted ceilings
and the fact that it's in the neighborhood
we would most like to live in, Maui Meadows.
If we think it through, we know it needs a kitchen.
Certainly, like you said, there's room for an ohana.
I think there's room for a pool here.
So you got some things to think about.
Absolutely.
Okay.
Sounds good.
LISA: Does everybody have an MP3 player?
It's gonna move us through a lot of music and beats.
1, 2, 3, play.
Whoo!
I am the founder and facilitator of Beach Dance.
It was created in Cannon Beach, Oregon, in 2008.
[ Laughs ]
Beach Dance is the merging
of music, nature, and free-form movement.
Back in Oregon, Beach Dance had a small window of time
in which to dance out in nature.
Here in Maui, Beach Dance can run year-round.
I personally am not a beach dancer, but I do get involved.
It's not pretty for anyone, but it's a bit of a giggle.
Whoo!
As a movement artist, I think it's very important
for people to creatively express themselves,
so Beach Dance is certainly an opportunity to have fun,
to get a little bit of exercise,
but it can also be very cathartic and therapeutic.
It's a way to feel very free.
[ Cheers and applause ]
The next property I'm showing James and Lisa is at Kehala.
This is also in Maui Meadows, in South Kihei.
This home offers four bedrooms,
three-and-a-half-bath main house,
about 2,700 square feet.
It also offers a two-bedroom, one-bath ohana
at 696 square feet.
Also has a wonderful pool and is priced at $965,000.
The house is perfect to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast.
Hey, guys. Welcome to Kehala.
I like it.
Yeah, this has a lot more of the criteria
Okay.
And it's priced at $965,000.
Let's go take a look.
Dining room, kitchen area.
I really like the open feeling to this. Yeah.
Plenty of cabinets, eh?
And it's well-lit.
All these can lights, they're really cool, eh?
Granite countertop.
It's not bad.
I'm not particularly enamored with pink,
but we can always paint it whatever color we want to.
Yeah, paint is easy.
Let's go into the great room. Let me show you in there.
Okay.
Whoa!
It's big!
Yeah. Look at these vaulted ceilings. Aren't they great?
Yeah, that's cool.
You would certainly have enough space for all the guests
if they decided they wanted to come
and hang out in a common area,
whether it was to watch television or read a book.
It's a lot of space to play with, for sure.
Okay.
Great lanai. It's really spacious.
It's a lot of room out here.
Yeah.
JAMES: You catch the sunsets from here, too, eh?
Yeah, you'll definitely catch a couple of the phases of the sun.
Of course, some of it's gonna get blocked off by those trees.
I'm gonna go open up the ohana. I'll see you in a little while.
Thanks, Todd.
There's heaps of space here.
There's a ton of space here.
This is the only house we've seen that has a pool.
Unusual little pool, isn't it?
It's not like some long rectangular thing.
I like the garden area around here.
It's nice and protected.
JAMES: So, that's quite a narrow staircase
coming up through here, isn't it?
Yeah.
So, we got a bedroom here, fairly good size.
A second bedroom.
This is a little bit larger.
Wee bathroom. Needs a window.
This must be the owner's suite.
So, walk through the bathroom, which is unusual.
Yeah.
So, this is the bedroom.
It's big.
Somehow maybe dividing up the space a little bit
so that you have a sleeping area,
and then you have more of a sitting area.
It's not bad.
It's a generous-size room, eh?
You could put a king-size bed in here...
You could.
...and make this a suite for someone down here.
Or we could be down here,
and we can make this into a small office.
Or a really nice, big walk-in closet.
I like your thinking.
All right. Should we go look at the ohana?
Come on, then.
[ Birds chirping ]
Banana tree there. I think so.
Yeah, we got bananas and papayas.
This is cute.
Oh, this is a nice space.
This is the kitchen.
JAMES: Yeah, for an ohana, it's tidy.
Wow, nice large, private lanai.
It is cute.
So, we should go inside, take a look at the two bedrooms.
Oh, it's a decent size.
You've got a king-size bed in here.
That's nice.
So, this is the second bedroom, a little bit smaller,
but still has room for a double or a queen in the corner.
Yeah.
HUDSON: What'd you guys think?
I think there's a lot of pluses to it.
The fact that it has this really gorgeous pool
tucked away in the back, it's really nice.
We also enjoyed the great room.
I think there's a lot of things that we could do with it.
But the floor plan overall,
it needs revamping, and it needs reworking.
Well, the good thing is
it's right in that middle part of your budget.
So it gives you some room if you want to make some alterations.
Okay. All right.
So, I know you guys have some things to think about.
Again, sleep on it.
Let's get back together, and we'll go from there.
Sounds good. Thank you so much, Todd.
Talk to you soon, guys. Okay. Bye.
Appreciate it.
And we have a lot to think about.
Yeah. I think it calls for a mai tai.
Let's do it. [ Laughs ]
So, let's talk about Kulipu'u.
So, the views are outstanding.
JAMES: The master suite was a nice size, had a nice layout.
What about the floor plan regarding the bed-and-breakfast?
How will we work that?
The house is way newer than the other two.
So, being able to just move right in
and not have to do a lot of work,
that's certainly appealing.
And it comes furnished.
Yeah, points for that.
But that road noise.
I just don't know if I could get used to that.
There's no ohana. There's no swimming pool.
So, taking all that into account,
we have to make a decision.
I think we can eliminate Kulipu'u.
Yep. So, check that one off the list, then.
And now Waileia.
$1.15 million asking price.
It's quiet, it's private.
So, there is room for a pool, there is room for an ohana.
LISA: At that price point,
we don't have a lot of wiggle room to play with.
And so, that, I think, is a consideration.
JAMES: So, in the meantime, we could rent out that lower space,
cosmetically clean up the upstairs,
and make that something really nice.
Yeah.
And that one had the best view, right?
It does have the best view, for sure.
So, that brings us to...
Kehala. There's a lot I like about it.
It does have a swimming pool. It also has an ohana.
Those are two of the things that we really wanted.
It's got a really nice, big lanai.
That great room is a huge space,
so I think between the two of us,
we could do something really creative with it.
So, I think Kehala might work really well.
Good to see you.
Nice to see you, too.
So, what are you guys thinking?
You know, we really liked Kulipu'u.
It's pretty modern.
It's got the five bedrooms, four baths.
But for the money that we've got, you know, budgeted,
we couldn't move the road for that.
It'll still be there tomorrow and the day after and the year after,
so that one, it's off our list.
Okay. Then, we'll take that one off.
And how about Waileia and Kehala?
Do tell.
I think we've made a decision.
So, what'd you guys decide?
We're gonna go with Waileia.
Right on. Okay.
So, we'd like to offer $950,000.
Okay.
Basically $200,000 off what they're asking,
but we think it's a good starting point.
That's a great strategy.
It gives you guys some room
to get things done that you want to do.
We'll see where we go from there.
Let's go make an offer and make it happen.
Let's do it, guys.
Excited?
We're totally excited, you know?
It's hard to make a decision.
We've put in an offer of $950,000,
and we improved our offer to $1 million.
And they rejected our offer, so we've had to move on.
ZIETZ: A few weeks later,
James and Lisa ended up purchasing a home
with a pool and an ohana in the same neighborhood.
It really is perfect for us, for our home,
and for our future business
to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast.
It has five bedrooms and four baths,
and it was within our budget.
After some renovations, we're hoping
to have Sojourn Maui ready for our guests in 2015.