Chapter 23 – Brady Spangler
Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
I’m married. I have a 6 month old and three dogs. We’ve been here for a little over two years and it’s absolutely paradise. I’m a branch manager for a home loan business here in Wailea. You can surf, golf, swim, every day of the year. Don’t know how you’d find that anywhere else.
How did you decide to move to Maui?
My wife and I got married in Costa Rica. We got back to Chicago and said, this is not good. We didn’t have kids. So we basically called my buddy who’d been begging us to move. We quit our jobs, sold the condo, took a road trip, shipped our car from Long Beach, and the rest is history. Everyone says, you are so crazy for doing that. A lot of people don’t have guts to do that. A lot of people will be living in their home town and will never see a new place.
How did you choose where on Maui to live?
Our buddy lived in Kihei. It was a nightmare finding a place that would take dogs. We ended up finding a place in Maui Meadows, which is just above Wailea and just south of Kihei. As it turned out, it’s a mile from my office. It couldn’t have worked any better. It’s golden.
What’s Maui Meadows like as a community?
It’s a little elevated so it’s a lot cooler than Kihei. You get more breeze. You have older houses mixed with nice houses. It’s a magical place. I love it. You are a little bit above everyone. You’ve got some views. Kihei is very hot. We get a little breeze. We don’t have air conditioning and we haven’t needed it.
If you were pick to pick a place to live on Maui, where would you pick and why?
I’d be exactly where I’m at. I wouldn’t change that. I don’t like the west side because it’s touristy and there are so many hotels The south side is laid back. There is not a lot going on. I don’t need things to do. I moved out of Chicago for a reason.
Is Maui Meadows family friendly?
My wife doesn’t work and she says it can be challenging to meet people. She’s met some great friends, we have an amazing nanny. We go to the beach quite a bit. We take a walk every night on the beach for sunset with the dogs with the baby. You can’t beat that.
Was it hard to meet people when you moved to Maui?
In my business I’m meeting people every day. It was a bit more challenging for my wife. I moved out here to simplify my life. My wife and I are super low key. We just chill and cruise. She gets a bit bummed out because she’s far from family. But she goes home 3-4 times a year to get that family time.
What’s your favorite time of year in Maui?
365 days. What’s great about Maui is where we live I never have to look at the weather and I wear the same clothes year round. Maybe I need a sweatshirt and jeans at night. The temperature is anywhere from 80-88 on a real hot day. But when you have trade winds it cools things off pretty well.
What surprised you most about moving to and living in Maui?
How happy and how beautiful it is every single day of the year. I anticipated it but not to this magnitude. We take it for grated because we live here. You see whales breaching just when you are driving down the street, and our friends from mainland are like, are you serious?
What would you say is the one “can’t miss” event or place that a family living in Maui and Hawaii should be sure to experience?
There’s a lot. In Hana, the Sacred Pools is a great one. We love doing the crater hike, which takes 3 days. Hana is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s magical. If you camp overnight and wake up at 6 in the morning you have waterfall after waterfall to see, and it goes on and on.
How do you feel about cost of living?
Coming from Chicago, there wasn’t a huge change. I just buy what I need. I know my friends who moved here from a smaller town and they only made it a year. It was a huge shock for them, but for us it was so similar. There’s a local discount called Kama’aina. Some restaurants do 50% off for locals with the Kama’aina.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in Maui or in other parts of Hawaii?
Monkey Pod. They’ve got everything I love. I’m a vegan so I go there because they have options for me.
Is there anything that you don’t like about living in Maui or living in Hawaii?
Nothing. There’s not one thing that I don’t like. My wife would say the same. There’s nothing I would change. I’m living the dream one day at a time. I don’t lie when I say that.
Testimonials
“We used Team Lally for BOTH Buying and selling our home, and without a doubt, would use and recommend them time and time again! They made each process easy and enjoyable, and was always there to answer any and all questions or concerns we had. Can’t give a stellar enough review to the excellent Team. Above and beyond, definitely customer service orientated! Thank you guys for all you have done for us!”
“Team Lally is awesome!! Without their help we would have never been able to sell our home as fast as we did. Everything went smoothly and better than expected.”
“When my husband and I got transferred here with the Coast Guard we were interested in purchasing our first home. We found Adrianne through other military members that she had helped. Adrianne and her team went above and beyond to help us find our first home. She took out all the stress and helped us every step of the way, from finding a home to finding a lender to get a loan. We found a short sell and she helped us get into our house and close within a month! Adrianne and her team has made us feel like family the way they take the time to call and check on us throughout the years and through their client appreciation events. Thanks again Adrianne and Team Lally!”
Sold a Condo home in 2013 in Kapolei, HI.
“Last year my wife and I came to Hawaii for a quick to buy a house for our impending move to the islands. Cherrie worked hard and helped us to get under contrsct and then close the deal. Hats off to the Lally Team”
“I purchased my first home with Team Lally. Cathy was an absolutely fantastic agent and I would recommend her to anyone! We had very specific needs for our home, and Cathy helped us meet every single one of them. We also were in the need of moving in within 45 days of moving to the island. Cathy made that happen! Team Lally is fantastic. Buy a house!”
“Adrienne and her team helped tremendously with the sale of our home. I had relocated to the mainland on short notice due to a job and my wife was left with the daunting task to prep and sell our home before she could follow. Adrienne helped her get the property ready and advised her along the way. The sale closed pretty close to the schedule that Adrienne estimated and soon after my wife was able to join me on the mainland. Thanks Adrienne and Team Lally.”
“Dealing with team Lally has been a great experience. All of the agents which I encountered were very knowledgeable and courteous. The office which they conducted their business was neat and tidy. The atmosphere was very conducive.”
“Adrienne and Atillio knew the urgency in selling our home and worked so quick that at times I was overwhelmed. When they got a buyer, their team Member Howard Nett was so helpful in keeping us informed and updated as to how things were progressing and things we needed to do, that it made this whole process comfortable for us. We are VERY satisfied with their services. We recommend Team Lally when you are looking to sell your home.”
“Aloha, I am in the Coast Guard and my husband is a self employed landscaper, together we are very hard workers, but we aren’t the only ones. Team Lally is a hardworking real estate team who deliver exception customer service, care about their customers needs, remain patient and cater to customers ultimate desire. We purchased a beautiful home in Makakilo August 2012. When Team Lally showed us the house for the first time, we said “this is the one we want and we will wait a year if we have to.” Team Lally understood our end desire, accommodated us, and didn’t try to detour us into another purchase. They remained patient and informative through the short sale process and in the end, six months later, we got the house we wanted and felt relieved that we had an outstanding team who assisted us in making our dreams come true. Thank you Team Lally, I will always refer your team and I hope others will trust in your team as we did. Mahalo Crystal & Sandro”