Top 3 Home Deals in Kahana Ridge on Maui

West Maui is highly renowned on an international level for its amazing year-round weather, world-class golf courses (namely Ka’anapali and Kapalua), and its gorgeous white sand beaches. The real estate market is like a ripe Maui Gold pineapple for the savvy West Maui buyer right now.

This post focuses on 3 homes in one of West Maui’s most affordable yet desirable neighborhoods, Kahana Ridge. This is a very popular neighborhood due to its walking distance proximity to gorgeous beaches, fantastic ocean and outer-island views (most homes), dramatic sunsets, newer construction, convenient location, and strong overall consistency throughout the neighborhood. This neighborhood does have CC&Rs and relatively low association fees of $145 per month. Current values for Kahana Ridge are between $525,000-$825,000.

296 Kahana Ridge Drive (MLS# 346961) is a new bank owned/REO/foreclosure property that last sold in 2005 for $1,188,000, and is now being offered for $719,900.

I recently viewed these homes and here are my candid thoughts:

The Good:

1. Nice ocean view from the upstairs living/kitchen area and covered lanai
2. Very good overall construction with nice interior finishes
3. Adequate area on the ocean side of the lot to put in a pool

The Challenges:

1. The road noise—This home is on the bottom row of Kahana Ridge Drive which fronts the Honoapiilani Hwy. The home is very well insulated and the traffic noise can’t be heard from the inside of the home, but is considerable when windows are open in the home, or while lounging on the lanai area.

47 Poinciana Road (MLS# 346993) is a brand new short sale listing. The current owner paid $1,065,000 for this home in ’06 and it is now being offered for $748,000.

The Good:

1. Reverse floor plan—Master suite, kitchen, dining, outdoor lanai area are all upstairs taking advantage of increased elevation and thus better views
2. Nice custom finishes—Bamboo flooring, crown molding, granite counter tops, recessed lighting, and stainless steel appliances
3. Privacy and attractive tropical landscaping

The Challenges:

1. Short sale—Although the short sale process has greatly improved throughout the last couple of years, the typical response and escrow period for a short sale is still substantially longer than a “market sale,” or a bank owned/REO/foreclosed home.

95 Oleander Road (MLS# 339748) is the lowest priced home in all of West Maui with a pool. Current asking price is over $100,000 less than the original.

The Good:

1. Excellent ocean views from the large upstairs lanai—there is a vacant lot in front of it that will likely be built out, but there will still be good views in place
2. Reverse floor plan—The kitchen, living, and outdoor living area are all upstairs taking advantage of the elevation thus enhancing the views
3. Beautiful in-ground pool

The Challenges:

1. This home has been on the market for almost 500 days and the seller is not real flexible in their price. They have trailed the market prices downward, but I still feel this home is a solid buy at this price point.

I hope you enjoyed my 3 best buys in Kahana Ridge. Interested in the neighborhood, but these homes didn’t quite suit your fancy? Here is a gallery of the all the homes for sale in Kahana Ridge at this time.

Please contact me if you are interested in more in-depth analysis of these homes, or if you would like a full length video of any of them.