Amid already hot housing market, foreign investment in Hawaii properties soars

Decades after the collapse of the Japanese investment bubble, foreign investment in Hawaii is making a big comeback. A Hawaii News Now analysis of real estate records shows that foreign investors purchased about $1 billion in residential properties in both 2016 and 2017. And for the first nine months of this year, they’ve acquired about $841 million worth of properties. That’s up sharply from the $500 million to $600 million a year seen from 2008 to 2015. Experts said the offshore boom is helping to fuel Hawaii’s economic growth, but critics warn it’s taking much-needed housing from working class buyers.