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Hawai‘i Real Estate Meets Reality TV

imgdive / Flickr
imgdive / Flickr

It’s not everyday that a real estate agency becomes a TV star, but it’s happened here. The local agency is called Hawaii Life and the television show has led to a dramatic growth in business. PBN editor in chief, A. Kam Napier, has more. 

Hawaii Life, the show, has just been picked up for two more seasons on HGTV. It’s one of those house-hunting reality TV shows, centered on a local real estate business of the same name, Hawaii Life.

The show premiered in 2013 with an instant audience of 2 million viewers, making it one of the network’s most successful launches. The exposure has helped Hawaii Life become one of the state’s most successful brokers. It has grown from just 3 agents in one office, to 218 agents in 13 offices on four islands. In 2016, Hawaii Life recorded sales totaling just over one billion dollars.

As that sum suggests, Hawaii Life specializes in luxury residences. Last year, for example, there were 241 resale transactions at, or above, $3 million and Hawaii Life represented more buyers and sellers in that category than any other broker. Hawaii Life dominates that $1 million and above category too.

It’s tremendous growth for a company that started out as a web design business called Wasabi. It was their work redesigning websites for real estate clients that inspired them to start their own real estate business, putting their design ideas for a smoother process to the test.

Hawaii Life expects its growth will continue, with an eye on expanding its Oahu presence next.

A. Kam Napier is the editor-in-chief of Pacific Business News.
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