Merrill Lynch has released their wealth report for 2008. Here are some key findings related to real estate.

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  The Ultra-HNWI “wealth band” ($30 million +) experienced the strongest growth, gaining 8.8% in population size and 14.5% in accumulated wealth

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  The number of high net worth individuals ($1 million+) will increase 6.8% in North America annually through 2012 and  higher than that in Asia-Pacific

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  Real estate holdings as an asset class has declined from over 20% in 2006 to and expected 11% in 2009

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  HNWI are still seeking "exclusive experiences" that lets them tell their friends a story

How does this data impact Maui real estate? Well, with the super-rich growing fastest, they will seek out the best places on earth. Maui qualifies. The report suggests that the decline in real estate holdings is temporary and that the wealthy will return to riskier asset classes over the next few years. The last bullet is perhaps the most interesting. People are seeking experiential lives and want stories to tell. What is a better experience than owning real estate on Maui? Over the medium term, these trends are all bullish for Maui real estate.