South Maui’s coastal enclave spans eight miles of shoreline and fronts four of Hawaii’s best beaches – the three Kamaole jewels, and Wailea-bordering Keawakapu (Kay-Ah-Va-Ka-Poo), and hosts a variety of residential and investment condo options.
Kihei is the hub of South Maui, and borders eight miles of pristine, warm-water swimming beaches, the three Kamaole beaches and Keawakapu Beach to the south. It’s a combination residential community (population 22,000) and vacation destination with a few ocean front neighborhoods, and an array of vacation rental condo properties on and across the street from the beach. On any given day our visitors outnumber residents in Kihei, which borders Wailea to the south.
The Kihei real estate market has been extremely active over the past three years, with values elevating dramatically. The pandemic did nothing to dissuade this Maui real estate trend, with prices increasing during and after the COVID shutdown.
Buyers exploring ownership of condos for sale in Kihei have found a challenging road with competing offers. The Vacation Maui real estate team has been fortunate in successfully representing buyers, with more than 85% of our clients successful in purchasing Kihei real estate. Whether you’re looking at homes for sale in Kihei or Kihei vacation rentals, we’re experts on the market and have a long track record of success.
Kihei embraces and celebrates Maui’s surf and beach culture and is all about outdoor living. Unofficially, there are two Kiheis – South and North Kihei. South Kihei runs along the shoreline of three of Maui’s best beaches, Kamaole I, II and III, and the beach vibe is pervasive, with standup paddleboarding, kayaking, whale watching, and snorkeling easily accessible. There are Kihei condos for sale in both areas.
The Kamaole beaches are easily accessible to all of South Kihei’s vacation rental condos, most of which are across Kihei Road from the shoreline. A few of these short-term rental properties are located beach front. There are also a handful of condos geared toward residential living that do not allow short term nightly rentals.
North Kihei has its own charm. It’s removed from and less convenient to the dozens of dining and shopping options you’ll find in South Kihei, which some of our clients find more desirable than the vibe to the South. The beaches are beautiful in North Kihei, but most of us are spoiled by the better water clarity and soft sandy bottoms of the southernmost beaches. North Kihei is also often windier than South; the gusts are favored by our wind and kite surfing communities, who flock to North Kihei.
There are pockets of residential neighborhoods across the street and a few blocks inland from the beaches in both North and South Kihei, and typically there is a good selection of homes for sale in Kihei. Prices of Kihei real estate have risen dramatically over the past six months, and now start in the $1M range for a basic home, and move toward $2M for more upgraded properties. Some have cottages, which are legal for long term rental. Lot sizes generally range from 8,000 to 10,000 sf. Note: technically Maui Meadows is also in Kihei, but it’s on the hillside overlooking Kihei and Wailea, and features half-acre lots.
North Kihei also offers more ocean front options than South Kihei. Ocean front property prices in North Kihei run from around $600,000 for a 1-bedroom in a complex location off the water, to $1.5M for a 2-bedroom unit practically on the sand. In South Kihei, ocean front prices range from around a million for 1-bedroom ocean front, to $2M plus for 2-bedrooms.
There are many options for Kihei vacation condos across the street from the ocean. In North Kihei, expect to pay in the $500-700K range for 1-bedrooms and near $1M for 2-bedrooms; in South Kihei, prices currently (July 2022) range from $650,000 to $1M for 1-bedrooms, and $800,000 to $1.5 for 2-bedrooms. These are all Fee Simple prices.
Kevin Spaise leads the Keller Williams Vacation-Maui Real Estate Sales team, and owns Vacation-Maui, one of Maui’s top-rated vacation condo management agencies. He’s the author of The Maui Condo Book, used by Maui’s top brokers, agents and Title Companies. He’s readily available to discuss Maui investment real estate at (808) 344-0624, or [email protected]
