Halama Street – South Kihei’s Hidden Beach Block

Just a few blocks removed from South Kihei Road, Halama Street is a hidden ocean front oasis for its residents, many of whom have lived on the street for decades. Listings range from $1.4M to $2.75M on the ocean, and $680K to $1.34M across the street.

There are certain neighborhoods in Maui—many of them not so well known—that have retained their personalities through the years, even as Maui’s demographic and vibe have changed. Halama Street, a long two-block expanse that fronts the ocean in South Kihei, is such a neighborhood, and many of its residents have lived on the street for decades.

The neighborhood is an interesting architectural mix of original homes, mostly plantation style and built in the early to mid 1970s, and expansive oceanfront residences with unobstructed views off their back yards. Lot sizes range from 9,000 to 20,000 square feet, and most have detached cottages, or “ohanas” in local parlance.

Halama Ohana Beach

Though just two blocks removed from the hustle-bustle of South Kihei Road, Halama Street is an oasis for many local residents, and the street is one of the area’s favorite walking routes. The south end of the street adjoins Kalama Park, and there are a half dozen beach access paths along the way.

There has been a “beachy” renaissance in recent years as old homes have been torn down and replaced by larger, more stately residences.

One of the most dramatic is a Realtor-owned listing at 1676 Halama (MLS# 340275), an oceanfront beauty with 2,700 square feet under roof, and a 2-bedroom 864 square foot ohana, on just under a half acre. It’s listed at $4.5M.

Also listed on the ocean is a 5 bed / 4 bath (MLS# 336771) with a 1-bedroom ohana, at $2.75M, and a modest 3 bed / 2 bath on a great one-third acre lot (MLS# 340576), at $1.4M.

I recently listed this 5-bedroom home, with a detached rental ohana, at $749,000.

On the bargain end, I recently listed a 5-bedroom home across the street from the ocean (MLS# 342056). 1581 Halama St. is a two-story with 1,990 square feet in the main house, and a detached 1-bedroom ohana at the back of the property. The home has four bedrooms upstairs and one down. At less than $400 per square foot, it’s the lowest priced 5-bedroom home in South Kihei. The ohana has been a consistent permitted rental for several years.

There are two interesting adjoining lots for sale, across the street from the ocean on the north end of the street. A third-acre, zoned A-1 Apartment (MLS# 340322) is listed at $599K. Next door there is a 900 square foot cottage on a slightly larger lot (MLS# 340321) listed at $678K. The owner of the lots asserts that each of them is zoned for a 10-unit condo property without undue permitting challenges, but we’ve not verified that.

There is an extremely low turnover on Halama Street. There have been only four closed sales in the last three years. One, on the ocean, closed at $4M. The other three sold at $930K, $965K, and $1.43M. Two sales are pending, one on the ocean side listed at $2.55M, one opposite side, a short sale listed at $650K. Assuming it closes, it will be the lowest priced home sale on the street in more than five years.

One drawback to the lots: the ocean front property directly across the street is an aesthetic disaster, with an abandoned old boat, various junk, and a lot of overgrown brush. It’s a very valuable piece of dirt, so ultimately it will be cleaned up, but nobody can predict when.

Kevin Spaise is one of Hawaii Life’s property specialists, and the author-publisher of The Maui Condo Book, the reference guide used by most Maui Realtors, title and escrow companies, and lenders. Email Kevin your real estate questions at Kevin@HawaiiLife.com, or call him at (808) 344-0624.