The general thoughts from some economist on Oahu is the next that the next big real estate push will come from Buyers from Japan and China starting around 2012-2018.  The Japanese Baby Boomers will becoming into their peak spending years, and with the explosive growth of the Chinese economy, if the Chinese can get their tourist visas then we may double in sales price again to $1.2 million for single family homes.  There are a lot of “If’s” here, but the general outlook looks like an increase in buyers from Asia.  There happened to be an article in the Honolulu Advertiser that shows the potential in the tourist market, which can be relayed to the real estate market.  

Why would the Chinese want to invest in Oahu real estate?  Several reasons. 

For one, Hawaii is located midway between Japan and the US and is located in a tropical zone that is one of the most desirable vacation destinations in the world.  It also happens to be apart of the United States, which gives them a stable market and economy for which to invest in, and because of our proximity in the middle of the pacific, it is also a lot less traveling time than trying to go to the mainland US.  If tourist visa restrictions are lifted for entry into the US, we could see a large interest in Chinese wanting to buy second home/vacation home properties in Hawaii.  Click Here to read about the Chinese potential and Click Here to read an older article about the Japanese market.