By Claudine Zap | Realtor.Com

Troy Warren for CNT #RealEstate

The founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, just added another property to his cart. The billionaire and his partner, Lauren Sánchez, recently picked up a 14-acre estate on the island of Maui. The cost of the off-market transaction was said to be in the neighborhood of $78 million, Dirt reported.

Bezos, whose company Blue Origin has launched him and a number of lucky guests into suborbital space, appears to enjoy the earthly delights of the the tropical paradise.

Sweet spread

Known as the Carter estate, the property is located on the island’s southern shore. Set on La Perouse Bay, the property was previously owned by Doug Schatz, co-founder of Colorado’s Advanced Energy, according to SF Gate.

The quiet deal took place without posting a listing in public view, so photos and details of the mansion are hard to come by. However, Schatz apparently purchased the property with business partners for $4.2 million in 1996. Then he and his wife bought out the partners, and proceeded to build themselves a compound.

The offering is said to include a 4,500-square-foot main house, a 1,700-square-foot guesthouse, and a 700-square-foot pool. The holding encompasses seven parcels of land and a fish pond with a private, white-sand beach.

The impressive outdoor kitchen includes a fire pit and ocean views, according to a 2020 article in Maui Magazine.

Hot Hawaii housing market

Across the state, Hawaii has been experiencing an extended upside in real estate. A $45 million deal in August set a new Maui record, according to the Pacific Business Times. Presumably, the Bezos buy, if anywhere near the rumored amount, will massively raise the bar.

The second-richest person in the world is in good company. Other high-profile people making land grabs in Hawaii include Oracle’s Larry Ellison, who owns most of the island of Lanai. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg recently expanded his property to a total of 1,300 acres in Kauai. The media mogul Oprah Winfrey also owns a scenic, 163-acre compound in Maui.