In this market, buyers for Maui real estate generally, and Wailea real estate in particular come in several categories; the current Maui owner looking to upgrade, the committed buyer seeking the dream property and the opportunistic buyer who is only in the market for a "deal." The current Maui real estate owner usually has the best understanding of this market and understands that with regard to Wailea real estate in particular property must really be "bought." What we mean by that is that the ordinary Wailea seller is under no financial stress to sell. They'd obviously like to, but they are not under pressure. The committed buyer is usually buying for emotional reasons, like us, Maui's beauty, climate and spirit has captivated them. They generally will pay what it takes to purchase their dream. They will negotiate hard, but nonetheless will purchase what they love. The last group, the opportunistic buyer, is very difficult. They want to buy Wailea real estate and are surprised that the mainland downturn has had so little effect here.

Regardless of which group you fall into, here are some tips in todays Maui real estate market:

• Make yourself the equivalent of a cash buyer-Have your financing in place before you make an offer. In today's more difficult mortgage market, seller's are more likely to negotiate with an approved buyer;
• Start a conversation-Some buyers are afraid that a lowball offer is an insult. Well, it can be. But Sellers in this market will often at least entertain an initial counteroffer to see if the negotiation can lead to a price they are comfortable with. Your worst case is a seller says no and then you can rethink where you are.
• Offer to close as fast as is humanly possible-Oftentimes the difference between a seller accepting or not is the amount of certainty in an offer. A short time frame is usually highly attractive to a seller.

For more thoughts, contact us!