Happy that it has worked out for both of you, and you can feel good that you found them, as I am sure they feel the same way.

So happy it worked out for both of you. There certainly are far worse places than beautiful Kihei to ride out this pandemic.

Yes, I guess that worked out for both of you.

I'm surprised that the complex has so few or no owner/residents.

Aww......that's a happy story. Much needed right now!!!!!!

That is an amazing story. No one could have predicted such a mutually beneficial resolution.

A happy twist to your story. Guests stuck in paradise!

Glad you were able to find them and are now able to safely shelter.

To me that sounds like a win-win.

Pleased to hear that you both are pleased with the way that things turned out.

Sometimes it pays not to be in too big a rush.

ole joyful

I love a story with a happy ending. :0)

I advertised a rental house yesterday. Got almost a thousand views on Zillow....and 97 people have contacted my property manager with questions or wanting to rent it ASAP! Crazy! One guy is threatening a law suit if he's not chosen, but he's not the 1st to apply.... has a rottweiler....which voids my insurance....and he's just rude. I can't believe how CRAZY the market has become in such a short amount of time!

Elmer -- When we bought the condo in 2001 it was said to be about 50/50 short-term vacation rentals and owners who either lived there or rented their units long-term. Well...that turned out to be a dodge in some cases, where owners were illegally renting short-term. (I'm such an innocent. I did wonder about the large number of 'friends' and 'cousins' who used the unit across the hall from us!) Now Maui Kamaole is almost entirely *legal* short-term vacation rentals.

nicole -- Wow! That's some tremendous response! We've met mostly lovely people during the years we've rented the condo, but there are always some real lemons! You and I could write a book together!

We have to decide what to do with the Maui condo -- sell, rent long-term, or go back to vacation renting once Hawaii opens up again (whenever that is). If we sell and don't do a 1031 the tax hit is awesome (not in a good way). We could skip direct renting and contract with a Maui agency to handle it, but we have had a lot more damage from their bookings than our own in the past.

For those of you involved in renting -- here's great resource. There is a website called ListingsProject.com where people advertise rentals, sublets, looking to rent, etc. It started as a place for artists to find studio space, and was just in NYC. But now they have worldwide listings of art studios, homes, short term, long term, etc. They charge a small fee for listing, but they put you directly in touch with the other party, and have no platform for adding any additional charges.

chisue, thanks for filling in the details. That's interesting that the complex would evolve to that point but maybe that was inevitable. Tourism/vacation visitors are the name of the game in most of Hawaii.

Some friends owned a 3 bedroom condo a bit to the north from there and we've visited them a number of times (but for those visits we rented our own condo several blocks away in a place right on the beach). I think they'd said that their complex only allowed long term leases but maybe that's evolved over time as yours did.

Kihei is a lovely part of Hawaii - less crowded, a reasonable amount of services and activities, and an easy to drive to Lahaina/Kaanapali or Kahului to enjoy what's available in the larger towns. We haven't been there in 5 years or so because they've sold their place but we look forward to a future visit to Kihei when the world normalizes.

judipudi -- Thanks for the tip about that listing service. Sounds like the VRBO of old -- no middleman.

Elmer -- Some owners at Maui Kamaole moved to the complex where your friends owned. I think it's the one above the ABC store on Kihei Road. Although MK was zoned for STRs from the get-go, as more owners capitalized on that, some of the early buyers didn't appreciate the increase in 'traffic'. The new complex stipulated only long-term leases. I don't know if the AOAO there has ever changed it. There must be pressure for "highest, most profitable use". MK began with a few clusters at the bottom of the hill in 1988, then sat out a financial downturn until doubling in 1990-91, then doubled again in 2000, filling in the top of the hill. Like many projects on Maui, it was a Canadian venture.

I had to look at the map but yes, it's was the Ke Ali’i Ocean Villas development just off Alananui Ke'ali'i. There's an ABC store on Kihei Rd between it and the beach. Nice development, great pool and rec facility up at the top of the neighborhood.

I hadn't heard of a substantial presence of Canadian developers but I guess I wouldn't have had a reason to. The place we've stayed at is a single building of about 15 units on the beach. All or most of the units are for short term rentals and there's an on-site manager. Not huge units but clean and well maintained and a great location. We have enjoyed the Kihei area a lot, easy to understand why both you and our friends found it so comfortable.