MauiMovingSource.org - Hall of Greed

"And I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." - Matthew 19:24

The following are a few examples of how absolutely crazy the Maui housing situation has become. They are vivid demonstrations of what happens when the focus is on selfish profit and not on the damaging effects such speculation has on the citizen of average means. The middle class family, along with the poor, are steadily being evicted from Maui.

Example 1: The "Executive Cottage"

(1420 Kekaulike Ave, Kula, owned by Peter Cannon.)

The above cottage is around 950 square feet with a nice wrap around deck. It has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath with a largish living room / kitchen, all on 2 acres in Kula. It's a very nice place, built to a good standard. However, the closets are really small, not sure how an "executive" would fit their business clothes in them. To make matters worse, it's located on a curve in the highway, headlights will shine in the master bedroom window all night long. The owner lives on Oahu and is attempting to rent the place for $2250 per month. That is an absurd price, no knowledgeable local would ever pay it. In all honesty, such a place should not rent for more that $1400.

If someone fresh off the plane agrees to the ransom rent, the damage is done. It will do its part to drive the rest of the market up and regular families and the poor are left with the choice between food or rent. The owner is oblivious, all he is thinking about is himself and his portfolio.

Example 2: The "Don't Be Taken for a Ride Cottage"

(1495 Kekaulike Ave, in Kula)

2 bedrooms, about 1100 square feet, on 1 acre. When this cottage was first built the owner went for the jugular, convincing 2 new island residents to pay around $2300 per month and requiring the tenants to do the weekly landscaping. This hits high on the greed-o-meter. The rent is absurd enough, but the landscaping as well? At that price you should get a gardener and a maid. Don't be fooled, it is traditional on Maui for the landlord to pay for the landscaping along with the water and trash. This place rightfully shouldn't be more than $1400, and even that is kind of high, especially for a place right on the highway.

Example 3: The "Has it Come to This House"

(785 Kekaulike Ave., Kula)

A 1200 square foot house on 3 acres with a detached ohana (cottage). Built around the 1920's and renovated in the 1990's. 5 years ago it sold for near $600,000. Last year it sold for close to $1,300,000. The seller, last I heard, was moving to a very rainy and buggy part of Haiku where he bought a 250 square foot (not a typo) shack on 1000 square feet of land for $450,000. Completely nuts!

This house is not located in a fancy neighborhood or gated community, it's just a regular place on the side of a highway. Maui is an island, there is no "out of town" a family can move to in order to find lower housing costs. This home is very average, would cost $120,000 in a place like Kentucky. Yet what kind of normal working family can afford 20% down ($260,000) and the over $6000 per month mortgage payment it would take to buy such a humble home? The answer is none.

What's The Big Deal, It's Just the Market:
The "market" is not some alien life form that is imposing its will upon the helpless human race. The "market" is an outer expression of humanity's greed, the "market" is created by humans and humans are responsible for the damage it does to ordinary people's lives.

Here is a true account of such damage. An older woman in Kula, living on a fixed income, was renting a tiny room off the side of a run down garage for $400 per month. The rental market became distorted by people's abject greed resulting in her rent being raised to $700 per month. She can't afford to pay. Now she and her 3 dogs are living in a tent on jungle land, she would leave the island but is unable to afford to do so. This is a vivid example of the violent nature of the wealth besieging the island and is one of countless stories. Locals have never seen so many homeless people living in tents as we see these days.

Camels, eyes and needles indeed......