Wailuku home sale draws long lines
By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor
WAILUKU, Maui — Barry Harkins doesn't even want to live in Wailuku, but there he was yesterday afternoon, No. 254 in line to reserve one of only 83 homes in the new Maunaleo subdivision in the Kehalani master-planned community.
Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser
The retired pharmaceuticals marketing exec lives in a townhouse in Napili and would prefer to stay in West Maui. "I want to be in a single-family home, and Wailuku is not my first choice, but it's what's available," he said.
Shelly Shaw of Countrywide Home Loans offers a sandwich to Michael Elam, No. 242 in line to reserve one of 83 homes at a new subdivision in Wailuku.
Stanford Carr Development is developing the 21-acre subdivision of single-family homes offered from the high $300,000s to low $500,000s. Homes are expected to be completed by the end of 2004.
The project is part of the 550-acre master-planned community located below the luxury homes of Wailuku Heights and above Honoapi'ilani Highway, just south of Wailuku town.
Hundreds spent the night in line for a chance to plunk down a $5,000 deposit when reservations were taken last Saturday for 140 yet-to-be-built homes in the separate 'Ohi'a subdivision being developed at Kehalani by Towne Development. Those homes are priced from the mid-$300,000s to mid-$400,000s.
The mob caught the developer by surprise, and portable toilets, lights, bottled water, food and off-duty police officers were brought in to accommodate the crowd.
Perhaps spooked by that, the first would-be Maunaleo homebuyer showed up at 9 a.m. Wednesday. By the end of the day, 160 cars and roughly 400 people, including families with children, were lined up to pay a $1,000 refundable reservation deposit.
In the interest of safety, it was decided at the end of the day not to make the crowd wait until noon Saturday, said Patrick O'Neill, vice president of sales and marketing for Stanford Carr Development. They were issued numbers and given appointments to do the paperwork.
The same process was followed Thursday, when 130 cars lined up. By early yesterday afternoon, the crush had subsided to about a dozen vehicles.
O'Neill said the response to the two subdivision offerings underscores the housing shortage on Maui.
"There's been positive population growth and deficit housing units being added to the market, and it's at all price levels," he said.
The Maunaleo early birds took the fun out of Carr's plans to open reservations with festivities at noon today. The company had rented tents and arranged for portable toilets, entertainment and 500 hotdogs.
Kihei renters Michael and Judith Elam were No. 317 for the 'Ohi'a homes, and at No. 242, they didn't do much better for Maunaleo. They still think they have a good shot at a new home.
"We're not worried. A lot of people change their mind or don't qualify," Judith Elam said.
Realtor Shelly Kusunoki also waited in line for 'Ohi'a homes last week on behalf of clients, and copped Nos. 64, 93 and 94. She got No. 40 for Maunaleo on Wednesday and returned yesterday for another client.
"This is what we have to go through to get housing," she said.
Contact Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
