Archive: November, 2009

Nov 19

Buying a New Home? Make Sure It’s Green!

These days it seems like everything is green.

Green cars.  Green furniture.  Even green clothing lines.

Sometimes it may seem like overkill, but there is one area of “green” that you need to pay attention to if you’re in the market for a new home:  green building.

That’s because “green” isn’t just a catchphrase when it comes to home construction.  It’s a philosophy and a building practice that impacts everything from the way a home is designed to what types of building materials are used to how construction waste is disposed of and reused.

Green residences like Kai Ani Village, a Hawaii Built Green community, incorporate environmentally friendly features that can add value and reduce the lifecycle cost of the home.  It’s all about bringing together a vast array of practices and techniques to reduce and ultimately eliminate the impacts of buildings on the environment and on the occupants’ health.

Many environmentally friendly products provide benefits that help improve the performance of a home. For example, Kai Ani Village uses durable building products that not only save resources, but also reduce maintenance and replacement costs.  It also uses energy efficient appliances and water-saving fixtures that save buyers money over time through lower utility bills and maintenance costs.

Often, it’s the little details that have the biggest impact.  The pool and spa at Kai Ani Village will use saline instead of damaging chlorine.  The native Hawaiian landscaping will save precious water.  Even the paints consist of low volatile organic compounds, which means less indoor air pollution.

But it’s not just about the products and landscaping.  In a green built community, the community’s overall design should lend itself to a shrinking carbon footprint.

“Smart growth” communities are getting a lot of ink lately, but what exactly does that mean?

Well, communities like Kai Ani Village are built near the town center, which encourages walking and less driving.  Smart growth development maximizes space through better land use.  Kai Ani Village’s live/work residences incorporate office or retail space within the residence, reducing sprawl, traffic congestion and excessive energy consumption.

It’s a lot to consider, but oh so important.  The next time you’re in the market for a new home, make sure it’s a green built home – for your health and our planet’s.

Nov 17

Live/Work Units Popular With Small Business Owners, Entrepreneurs

Want a shorter commute?  How about upstairs to downstairs?

Live/work residences are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people start small businesses and look to save expenses.

Though the concept harkens back to days when the corner grocer lived in an apartment above the store, today’s condo hybrids allow professionals, entrepreneurs, artists and others to own a space that’s well-suited to serve both home and work needs.

Live/work residences, such as those at Kai Ani Village, offer modern, at-home work spaces specially designed to meet the needs of professionals and entrepreneurs.  In addition to providing a great street-front, business-building location, they also save the owners fuel and leased office space costs.

There’s little doubt that the live/work concept is growing.

In 2000, U.S. census found nearly 4.2 million people age 16 or older worked at home most days during the week, up from 3.4 million in 1990.  That 23.5% increase over 10 years almost doubled the growth rate of the overall work force.  The Census Bureau’s most recent estimate, made from community surveys conducted in 2003, raised the number of home-based workers to 4.5 million — an increase of slightly more than 7% in only three years.

Live/work residences like those at Kai Ani Village offer prospective buyers a range of possible floor plans to help them visualize possible uses ranging from a contemporary office with reception area to a small retail shop to a service-based small business.

Kai Ani Village’s live/work units offer professionals, such as attorneys, accountants or writers, the opportunity to have offices with separate entrances on the street and their living quarters above.  Plus, the downstairs work space is easily adaptable and accessible from the street level and the garage, making it easy for residents, guests and customers to come and go.

Artists and photographers requiring studio space, salespeople and home-business owners who need a combination of work and living space, are all prime candidates for live/work residences.

One of the most common uses for a live/work space is an artist’s studio.  Artistic endeavors such as sculpture, painting and installations require large workspaces, but the artist may want to live close to the project.  A well-designed live/work space such as those in Kai Ani Village provide artists with both home amenities and the space necessary to create and store finished works securely.

In today’s economy, the number of people looking for new careers makes live/work spaces attractive options for those who may not have considered them before.  A professional who once had an office, and has clients they still need to see, needs dedicated office space, not just a room in their home.  The hybrid units also eliminate the need to lease costly retail space for their business.

In addition, working in a vibrant neighborhood such as Kiehi, Maui, Hawaii gives business owners a new community with new clientele.  The close proximity to other small business owners also offers fresh ideas to grow a business.

But can young professionals, often cited as the likely target market for live-work condos, afford to purchase them?  A study of affordability prepared by The Live/Work Institute, a nonprofit organization in Oakland, Calif., says yes.

An owner of a live/work unit saves money by not paying separate rents for living space and work space, as well as reducing transportation costs, according to the institute.

And with sustainable living becoming more in vogue, and with gas prices not expected to drop substantially, experts say live/work units will only grow in popularity because they combine personal living space and professional workspace in such a way that neither is compromised.

Nov 11

Brokers Tour Kai Ani Village’s Brand New Models in Kihei

BrokersOpen3At Kai Ani Village, we’re happy to show off our brand new live/work units and gorgeous condominiums anytime we have a chance.

We were thrilled recently to host dozens of local real estate brokers for a special two-hour open house.

Brokers were treated to tours of three of our model units – Live/Work 3-101, Live/Work 3-102 and Residential 2-101 – and we received lots of fantastic feedback.  Thanks to everyone who came out to see us!BrokersOpen4

We’d also like to thank Aloha Catering for providing such yummy refreshments!

Of course, you don’t have to be a broker to stop by and see our models.  We’re open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and we’d love to show you around! Our brand new Maui condos are the perfect blend of business and pleasure!

Nov 05

Kai Ani Village Opens On-Site Showroom in Kihei, Maui

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Julie Senter
Senterline Communications
310.975.5058


October 28, 2009 – Kihei, Maui – Kai Ani Village, a brand new live/work community conveniently located on South Kihei Road in Kihei, announces the grand opening of its on-site showroom.

With 20 live/work residences and 79 home-style condominiums, Kai Ani is the perfect blend of business and pleasure. The community, located at 1367 South Kihei Road, offers two and three-bedroom homes in seven distinctive open-style floor plans.  The 6.4-acre development nestles free-standing buildings, quiet lanes and winding walkways next to a beautiful rehabilitated wetlands area, just one block from the ocean and Kihei’s main shopping district.

Homes prices start at an affordable $329,900 and are environmentally friendly, having been built to the exceptionally high Hawaii Built Green program standards.  All homes are built to conserve energy and water and feature well-appointed kitchens and baths, including granite countertops, maple cabinets and ceramic tile floors. Each home includes a separate laundry room or laundry area and an expansive lanai. Community amenities include an infinity pool and spa with recreation area and spacious poolside deck, separate men’s and women’s bathrooms at pool area, a BBQ area, poolside cabanas, relaxing hammocks in recreational area and lush tropical landscaping.

For those wanting to work and live in the same location, Kai Ani offers three distinctive live-work floor plans, all of which feature an exclusive first-floor work area with street visibility and a separate bath, large, livable area upstairs with two bedrooms, a two-car attached garage with direct access and customer parking.

“We created Kai Ani Village to be a walkable, smart growth community that provides opportunities for both business and pleasure in the paradise that is Maui,” said Tim Piasky, COO of Victory Development Hawaii, Kai Ani Village’s environmentally conscious developer. “Our homes have the conveniences and amenities today’s buyers want, at a price they can afford.”

Piasky went on to say that with today’s low mortgage rates, buyers who qualify can often pay about the same amount for a mortgage on a Kai Ani Village home than they pay a landlord for rental housing.

“Prices have dropped so significantly it’s again a good time for renters to become buyers,” he said.

About Kai Ani Village

Located at 1367 South Kihei Road in Kihei, Maui, Kai Ani Village is a 99-unit, new-home community featuring 20 live/work condominiums. Amenities include two and three bedrooms, granite countertops, separate laundry areas, expansive lanais, and communal pool, barbecue and walkways. A Hawaii Built Green community, Kai Ani Village is a smart growth development located within walking distance of Kihei’s main shopping district and recreation areas. The sales office is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Showroom: (808) 875.7878 – Fax number: (808) 874.8713

Page 1 of 11