Last updated: September 5, 2026 · By the Hansen Ohana
Most of our out-of-state and international buyers see a property first through a live video walk-through — your agent walks the home or lot on a video call, showing rooms, finishes, views, and the surrounding neighborhood in real time so you can ask questions and direct where they point the camera. For land, lots, and properties where views or surroundings matter, Clint Hansen is FAA Part 107 certified and can capture drone footage of the parcel, sightlines, and neighboring terrain — a practical tool for understanding a property from a distance, not a produced video package. Combined with standard listing photos and floor plans, this gives a buyer who can't be on-island a clear picture before deciding whether to write an offer.
Once you're ready to move, Hawaii's standard purchase contract is signed electronically, just as it would be almost anywhere else. You review the offer, any counter-offers, addenda, and contingency paperwork on your phone or laptop and sign through a standard e-signature platform. There's no need to be physically present on Maui, or even in the same time zone as your agent, to write or accept an offer.
Hawaii closes real estate through escrow companies rather than the attorney-closing model used in some mainland states. The escrow officer is a neutral third party who holds funds and coordinates the paperwork through to closing. For a buyer who isn't local, that typically means a mail-away closing: your escrow officer sends the closing documents to you, you sign in front of a notary near your home (many closing documents require notarization, not just a signature), and mail them back. Remote online notarization may be available depending on the specific document and notary. If you genuinely can't sign in person, a power of attorney can let someone you trust sign on your behalf — this should be set up early, with an attorney's guidance, not at the last minute. Hawaii does not observe daylight saving time, so the time difference between Maui and the mainland shifts through the year; your escrow officer will help schedule signing appointments and closing calls around it.
A licensed home inspector still walks the property in person — you don't have to be there for it. The common approach is for your agent to attend the inspection on your behalf and video-call you live during the walk-through, so you can see what the inspector is pointing out and ask questions as they come up. A full written inspection report with photos follows afterward, and the same approach applies to specialty inspections when they're needed.
Mainland lenders can and do lend on Hawaii property, and plenty of buyers finance through a bank or lender they already have a relationship with at home. That said, local Maui and Hawaii-based lenders often have a better handle on property types that can trip up an out-of-state underwriter — condotels, leasehold land, or agricultural-zoned parcels among them — and can make the process smoother. Whichever direction you go, get pre-approved before you start seriously touring properties, even virtually, and ask your lender directly how they handle appraisals and documentation for a borrower who isn't local — your lender will confirm the details for your specific situation.
The biggest structural difference is the escrow-company closing described above, in place of an attorney-closing model — practically, this means more signing and notarizing by mail rather than a single in-person closing table. The other question that comes up often is HARPTA and FIRPTA, the state and federal withholding requirements — but both apply when a non-resident sells Hawaii property, not when you buy, so they aren't something you need to work through at purchase. If you're a foreign national, see our Can Foreigners Buy Property in Hawaii? FAQ for the full picture on those and other foreign-buyer questions, and our 1031 exchange FAQ if you're selling other property to fund the purchase. Otherwise, the contract terms, contingency periods, and disclosures will feel familiar if you've bought real estate anywhere else in the U.S.
You can — the remote process described on this page works end to end, and buyers do close without ever standing on the property. But we push clients to at least visit the island before committing whenever it's realistic, or to send someone they trust to walk the property in person. Video and drone footage are excellent tools; they still can't fully replace standing in a home or on a lot yourself — hearing the road noise, feeling the trade winds, seeing what the photos crop out.
Once you close, if the property isn't going to be your full-time residence, most of our off-island owners work with a local property manager to handle maintenance, guest or tenant coordination, and keeping an eye on the property between visits. Owning from a distance is a real, ongoing part of the decision, not just the closing — if you're considering renting the property, our Maui vacation rental investment guide walks through what that looks like day to day. Whether or not you visited before you bought, having a local team — agent, property manager, trusted contractors — matters once you own.
Buying from off-island? Clint Hansen works regularly with remote and international buyers (English,
conversational Spanish, conversational Portuguese) and can walk you through a fully remote purchase from first
showing to closing.
Clint Hansen, Broker (RB-21616) · 26 years
serving Maui County · The Hansen Ohana, Maui Luxury Real Estate LLC (RB-21577)
161 Wailea Ike Place, A-106, Wailea, Maui, HI 96753
Office: (808) 879-3667 · clinthansen@mauirealestate.net
