August 2026 Newsletter
Just another crappy Hawaiian sunset.
Make Golden Hour Last
Hey there — long time no hear! It's been a minute since my last newsletter, but I'm back on it.
Quick one from me this month: I recently spent a Friday night in Paia with friends, watching a lineup of local bands play to a packed house — mostly tweens in their best emo/punk-rock gear, dancing like it was their job.
Paia Bay Coffee was the perfect spot for it, and honestly it took me straight back, over 20 years ago, when Jacque's would have sushi, Dj's and dancing. And you couldn't miss '90s nights' at Charley's. You could go down to see Willie Nelson, Questlove and Brown Chicken Brown Cow jamming out. Just walk in thru the back door from the dirt parking lot. Good times!
After we left, we wandered down to Flatbread for pizza. Said 'hey' to our hanai niece's friend at the host stand, bumped into a Compass colleague I closed a deal with a few months back (small island), split a salad loaded with extra goat cheese & tried their "Sloppy Joe" pizza special (yes, it's exactly what it sounds like & yes it worked). Then we window-shopped our way back through town to close out the night.
Nights like that are exactly why I want to live here and nowhere else.
Anyway — here's what's actually going on this month:
Anniversary Date Night out at OAO Hachi Sushi in Kihei.
"Talk Story"
A few local suggestions worth your time this month:
Eat here: Hachi by OAO in Kihei — we heard the rumors, and they are actually true! This place serves legit sushi - I highly recommend booking the 'omakase' experience.
Go here: Rice Park in Kula — quiet, cool, green and views! The kind of spot most visitors never think to go to catch sunset.
Watch for: School's back in session! As of August 3rd, most kids on Maui start to integrate back to school. So give yourself extra time in the mornings and afternoons, the carpool lines and bus traffic are already back.
Mango Salsa … so ‘ono’!
“Ono Grinds”
Delicious recipes that might just "broke da mout" :
Our neighbor up the road just dropped off a bag of Hayden mangoes — hands down the best you'll find on Maui — so this month's pick was an easy call. Mango season's winding down, which makes this a good last-call recipe: sweet mango, Maui onion, lime, a little heat. Great over grilled fish, or just with chips.
Maui to Lanai Channel Swim
“Local Happenings”
August 28th, 6:00 AM, Maui Channel Swim
The Maui Channel Swim is a 9.6-mile open-water relay race across the Au'au Channel between the Hawaiian islands of Lanai and Maui. It is known as one of the world's premier distance open-water swims, featuring challenging conditions, marine life, and a team-based relay format with rotating swimmers across 3 or 6-person teams, or done as a solo swim. Established in 1972, the Maui Channel Swim attracts competitive long-distance swimmers from all over the world seeking a unique ocean challenge. The Maui Channel Swim is a prestigious event for serious open-water swimmers, testing endurance and teamwork in the beautiful but demanding Hawaiian ocean environment.
Aug 22, 2026 - 6:00 pm, The 28th Annual MAUI CALLS BENEFIT GALA
An exciting evening celebrating vintage aloha fashions. Delectable pupu's created by chefs of stellar Maui restaurants. Silent and live auctions offer the chance to bid on a multitude of items. The evening wraps up with dance music favorites under the glowing roof of the Yokouchi Pavilion.
“Maui Real Estate Minute”
No sales pitch, just what's true right now:
Don't read too much into any single month's price number — Maui's median swings hard given how few homes actually sell (70-90 closings a month, island-wide), so it can jump 20% one month and drop 9% the next.
The bigger 2026 picture: inventory's up noticeably from the last couple years, and average sale prices are down double digits year-over-year. That's exactly why you might be seeing more homes list below that eye-catching median — buyers have more choices and more room to negotiate than they've had in a while.
On the condo side, sales have more than "doubled" compared to last June, but that's because 88 units sold compared to around 50 last month. Prices have dipped and units are sitting almost twice as long. Part of that's the county phasing out short-term rentals in some condo buildings, which has cooled investor interest in that segment.
Curious what your place is worth right now, or thinking about a move? Reply back and let's chat!
A beautiful west maui sunset.
One More Thing ...
On a more personal note to close: August 8th marks three years since the wildfires. It's still hard to believe sometimes, and I don't think that changes much year to year - especially if you live here.
Our personal biggest connection to the recovery efforts has been our involvement with Mālama Kula — a nonprofit that was created after the fires, rooted in Upcountry Maui, focused on wildfire repair, prevention, green waste management and land stewardship through hands-on community action.
We believe in their mission so much, we leased out a section of our Kula property to them. It's become their base yard and central meeting area for their staff and team members. There is still a lot of the fire mitigation and rebuilding work happening Upcountry, and we pitch in and volunteer when we can. If you're looking for a way to help locally, visiting malamakula.org is a good place to start.
Take care & Talk soon, Kelly
P.S. — Next month: the three neighborhoods I'd buy in right now if I had the cash.
