Maui: Vacations

Every time I go on a trip and drive by a house and see one of those signs in the front lawn, advertising the sale of the home, I can’t help but smile. These antiquated methods may have been useful once, maybe, but they’ve become so outdated that at this point they are simply wasting space. To be fair to the old folks that still run real estate companies and their marketing strategies, I stumbled upon the right way to sell real estate by accident.

I became a real estate professional on the island of Maui, Hawaii. I work with high-end, luxurious properties and with clientele that demand the top-notch property stock on the island. It wasn’t always this way though. My life in paradise began after being brought up in Germany, and then completing eighteen long and hard years in the hotel and restaurant industry.

I was familiar with the German approach to a career – where the job you had was the job you would die doing! But coming to the States I realized that there was an abundance of new and challenging opportunities if you just decided what you wanted and went after it.

So here I was, on Maui, Hawaii – to me the most beautiful location in the world. I had met my wife, and was also the proud owner of one very sparkly greencard! So whichever way I looked at it, there was no reason to go elsewhere. Maui is in the United States. And that is the country of endless opportunities.

It was my dream to own property on Maui, and I also needed a job to keep me grounded and to satisfy my ambition, so real estate seemed to be the perfect answer for my future. I had experience in negotiation and I was creative in my work. I had the foundation skills needed for this industry, and all I had to do was to beat off the competition to get my first “crack” at success…

The competition seemed like they were worlds apart from where I was. They had twenty or more years experience, all the real estate qualifications that money can buy and extensive knowledge of the micro property market here in Maui. It looked like it was going to be an uphill struggle!

So, I knuckled down and considered my strengths versus theirs. I may have been a rookie in the industry, but I did have expertise in online communication. I became aware of the fact that the internet as a medium was literally revolutionizing business globally. I knew how to use a fast-growing medium that apparently my competitors didn’t! Very quickly, my unique selling point was to dominate and control the high end, highly priced properties in the high demand areas of Wailea and Makena on Maui.

So there was my key to a successful future – I had to leverage my ability to understand the social dynamics of the global online community, and then turn this knowledge into a competitive edge for my clients.

Fast forward a few years, and I have certainly proved a few people wrong. “Why are you doing it that way?” they said, “It will never work!” Well, it has worked. I now have a team of remote assistants that collaborate with me online to produce outstanding results. They are experts in their own field in areas such as computer hardware, web-design, graphic and print design and we form a highly effective, strong virtual team.

Working virtually has its own demands. I invest in the latest technology to ensure that I am working as efficiently as possible. The correct combination of software and hardware is extremely important. My equipment is state of the art, and my phones and fax lines offer my clients toll-free numbers from Canada and the mainland where I can be reached at nearly anytime. But the real key to my business is my website.

It is a fact that over 85% of home searches start on the internet. My website is my virtual “aloha” to important clients both old and new.

So you see why I am smiling when driving through the mainland, seeing homes with big wooden signs. These old school methods of marketing homes may have worked back in the day, but today, in this new, technology savvy world, they are not more than an inspiration. If you have the ambition, the drive and the right equipment, you really can beat off the “Old Pros”!

Volker Weiss – Maui Realtor(R/S) specialist focusing on Makena homes. Make your vacation last forever, check out Wailea Real Estate. For immediate help call VW directly at 888.572.6888

I had been working at my company in Washington for several years without a break. I did not even take a sick day. At this point I had several months of vacation and my boss said I needed to leave, “now.”

With nowhere to go (it being early December), I took my family to Maui, and here we are at this expensive resort that overlooks the beaches.

Every day I look out of my window I see sunshine. There is never more than a single cloud in the sky. The palm trees sway so gently it is as though they are not being pushed by the wind – rather they are dancing softly under the sunlight. The sandy beaches glow in front of the bright blue ocean, and each sunset is a rainbow of colors across the horizon.

Here in Maui, the women rarely wear more than a small bathing suit as they spend their days basking in the sun’s rays. The men walk barefoot across the sidewalk, sporting nothing but board shorts and a baseball cap.

Yes, Maui weather is always warm, fresh and comfortable. And I hate it. I can’t stand it anymore. I should have stayed in Washington.

To me, nothing is more exhilarating than sharp, freezing rain whipping against your face as you walk home from a long day at work. Those shooting pains are just what I need to wake me from my morning stupor, and the workout I get running to my car holding a soggy newspaper over my head helps me keep my body in shape.

The bright sandy beaches are an eyesore to say the least. I’m not a nihilist by any means, but to me, there is nothing more soothing than dark, wet concrete. Nothing screams “I’m happy to be here” like good old fashioned black mud.

Now many people that visit Maui claim that they love the weather. They love how the temperature is always perfect, and how the wind always offers a nice, cool breeze. But I’m here to tell you that “perfect” is in the eye of the beholder.

I, for one, love the cold. I get to wear my college hoodie, curl up in several blankets and watch reruns every day. I get to spend my time locked up in my house because snow has blocked the exits, or because community radio ordered a winter warning in effect due to severe floods and thunder showers. More time to bond with the family. I don’t work to spend time enjoying the sun. I work so I can sit at home in front of a TV.

My kids love to stay inside too. They do not have to risk injury playing exciting sports or going on fun adventures. Instead, they can sit in front of the computer all day and play World of Warcraft, bonding with complete strangers over the internet. The more time they spend in the sun, the more time they are not spending getting to know modern technology, like the computer or the television. Kids need this exposure if they’re going to grow up to be computer programmers. That’s where the money is these days.

Still, the Maui nightlife is by far the worst offender. Night time is meant to be cold and gloomy – but with Maui weather, every night is as warm as the day. No one wants that. They want an excuse to fight over the covers. That’s how my wife and I keep our relationship strong.

If you like warm weather, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, perfect skies and only the right amount of wind, then sure – you might like Maui.

But if you’re like most regular people and enjoy the occasional hail storm or flood – a person that likes to spend most of your day fondling the thermostat, trying to get the right temperature as you place bowls on the ground where your roof is leaking, you’re going to want to visit elsewhere. Like Milwaukee.

Volker Weiss – Maui Realtor(R/S) specialist focusing on Makena condos. Make your vacation last forever, check out Maluaka at Makena. For immediate help call VW directly at 888.572.6888

Do you ever recline on your couch and reminisce about all those terrific days you spent strolling through the Seattle streets on a January evening, holding hands with your loved one and playfully kicking the snow as you walk?

Yeah, me neither. No one creates some of their fondest memories in the freezing cold. No one searches for a vacation spot, lies out on the beach and hopes to get frostbite. And no one – no one – plans a romantic getaway to a destination that requires they bundle themselves up in 4 layers of clothing.

Instead, when I plan my travel, I look for places that I know to be warm, safe, and relaxing. The point of travelling is to find yourself in a place you wish you were every day – a haven where even work feels like play, and wherever you go you’re always in the right place.

Finding the Right Place

It took some trial and error, but I found my haven in Wailea and Makena on the island of Maui. Every day I found something to do, and every day was a tremendous pleasure.

The most alluring aspect of Wailea and Makena can be summarized by one word: Golf. They have the most phenomenal golf courses with such breathtaking beauty. I almost regret golfing, because for those few seconds that I watched the ball, I had to take my eyes off the scenery. If you see nothing else in Maui, see the Wailea Blue, Gold, and Emerald Courses. The great artists of the Renaissance could not have designed a more perfect golf course.

In Makena, the Makena State Park looks like a beach that will never end, with the most attractive men and women on the planet relaxing in the sunlight at all hours of the day. Unlike the beaches of California, Makena’s beaches are so vast, while Makena’s population is so small, that on any day of any week you can find a spot on the beach to relax with friends and family.

In Los Angeles, you spend half the time trying to find a spot on the crowded sand, and the rest of the time avoiding the kids running carelessly over your towels. In Makena, the only limit to the size of your spot on the beach is the distance you can throw a Frisbee.

But the greatest memories on Wailea and Makena are not formed during the day – they are formed at night. At night, the air is still warm and fresh, and although the sun has gone down, it feels as though the day has barely begun.

Night in Wailea is as exciting as the day. You can have a romantic evening at the Mokapu beach, complete with the privacy of the darkness as your blanket. Or you can find a place to chat it up with the locals – men and women that purchased a home in this tropical paradise to live their vacations for the rest of their lives.

And in Makena, you can eat at Capische restaurant, or stroll alongside the beautiful houses and simply enjoying their splendour. Rarely will you find a location where the aesthetic quality of the homes matches the aesthetics of the beach, and the inviting atmosphere and safe streets will likely keep you wishing for more during all hours of the night.

Both Wailea and Makena are more than just vacation spots, analogous to any other warm climate region – they are the apex of what travel was meant to be – a way to relax and forget all the pressures of life, while creating long-lasting memories that will endure through even the most stressful time periods and give you a place of refuge should you ever find yourself struggling to get through the day.

Maui may be an island several thousand miles from where I live, but whenever I find myself wishing I could be anywhere other than where I am, the memories of Maui become my home.

Volker Weiss – Maui Realtor(R/S) specialist focusing on Wailea condos. Make your vacation last forever, check out Wailea Beach Villas. For immediate help call VW directly at 888.572.6888

At one point it was hard work. There was a time when every dollar I spent was a dollar I didn’t have. A time when good food consisted of a corn dog from the local 7-11. A time when the closest thing I had to a stereo was two car alarms going off on both sides of my studio apartment.

But I finally made it. I hit the big time. My worries began to consist of whether or not to take the Yacht out in the late afternoon. Whether or not to drive the Lamborghini Diablo to the mall or slum it in the Cadillac Escalade. And whether or not my wife is going to be ogled by college kids while my sons drive through the streets in their custom made AMV’s.

I was at the point where I tipped 20′s to baristas just to make my wallet lighter. I bet thousands at the races on the horse with the limp, just to laugh hysterically as everyone stared at the only guy brave enough to cheer for the horse that came in dead last.

I had nothing I didn’t own, nothing I couldn’t buy. And, once that happened, nothing that could make me happy. Without value, my possessions became meaningless. It was more painful to look at them than it was to purchase them. I gave away most of my belongings to friends and family, and sold the rest to whoever asked me for them.

With my family (always supportive) in tow, I searched for that little bit of meaning I had lost. Back before I had money, I used to cherish the corn dogs that constituted a “healthy” meal. Now a bite of even the most expensive Italian cuisine was meaningless.

And so, with nothing left to buy, I decided to take to traveling. I thought that leaving my surroundings and enjoying a change in environment would help my regain my soul, but I found that the appeal of most vacations spots was nothing but more materialism. France was nothing if you could not enjoy the food. Asia had its trinkets that made it special, and that specialness was lost on me. Even the landmarks in Italy seemed like nothing more than large structures. I owned large structures. I did not need to see large structures.

It appeared that traveling was ineffective. My stress was beginning to rub off on my family, as they began to stay inside, rarely finding any of their own joys in our traveling adventures. It looked like this would be the way I would spend the rest of my life.

That is, until I found Maui.

When I stepped off the plane and onto Maui’s soft, warm sand, I could tell this place was different. It seemed that even the sun was pleased to be there. The scent of the air was as wonderful as its beauty, and the wind was as calm as its inhabitants.

Although we had several suitcases full of clothing, it appeared that all the clothes we needed could have fit into a single backpack. A pair of shorts, sandals, and the occasional shirt were all I needed to enjoy the Hawaiian sun. My wife found herself wearing nothing but a bikini and a skirt, even in the evening. It was as though materialism was inexistent, because in Maui, less was more.

We stayed at an amazing hotel in Wailea, but we could have slept outside and been equally as comfortable. The air was crisp and comforting no matter what the hour, and even my kids found themselves up all hours of the night, because the only difference between night and day was a light blanket of darkness.

In Maui, I finally felt renewed. Material goods were not only unnecessary, they were a nuisance. I slept well for the first time in years thanks to the soothing comfort of the ocean waves. In Maui, I managed to recapture the appreciation for what I had – a great family, a great life, and the ability to enjoy my surroundings.

My family and I canceled our return trip for almost a month before we decided it was time to head back. But I guarantee we will be going back soon. Though I won’t guarantee we will make the return trip.

Volker Weiss – Maui Realtor(R/S) specialist focusing on Wailea and Makena real estate. To conquer their frustration, successful people have purchased oceanfront property in Maluhia at Wailea. For immediate help with unbearable frustration call VW directly at 888.572.6888