This article came out a month ago, but we thought we'd revisit it as it discusses high-end Hawaii real estate and confirms some trends we have been discussing on this blog throughout 2007 and now into 2008.

WHILE real estate transactions continue to slump in many places on the United States mainland, the strength of Hawaii's international pull has propelled its luxury sales ahead of last year's and has increased speculative development…While Hawaii has long drawn global interest, the international real estate market there has improved as developers are reinvesting in the state and the dollar has weakened against foreign currencies….Now, the Japanese and Canadian buyers are back, real estate experts say, adding that there was greater demand for Hawaii from other areas of the Pacific, and from Europe, China, South Korea and other parts of Asia…In the near future, planned tourism and banking charges are also expected to draw more Hawaii real estate offers from buyers in South Korea and China… HAWAII is very appealing to buyers like these because it is seen as a safe destination with fresh air and water and very little pollution…''There are other markets that are strong, but Hawaii has an advantage because it's more attractive than other destinations,''… ''After you go on a holiday to Cambodia, you aren't thinking about retiring there. However, it's just the opposite in Hawaii.''

For more details on each of these trends and examples of how they apply to Maui, please contact us!