Is sleepy Seattle now a go-to destination for the international jet set? Agents and developers say new downtown luxury condos and condo-hotel projects in Seattle and Bellevue are luring property buyers from outside the United States, turning the region into a global urban getaway.

The AVA condo project has disclosed that Canadians have reserved 21 units (243 total are planned) in the building. Paul Zumwalt, owners' representative for Seattle Hotel Group, says that two of the 24 residences sold thus far in The Four Seasons in downtown Seattle have gone to buyers from Asian countries and that he expects further foreign buy-in among the project's remaining 12 homes. Agents say residents from Pacific Rim countries - especially South Korea - like the area's newer highend condo projects because construction styles, developer brands (Four Seasons, Starwood), new "condo hotel" and building service offerings, and downtown living are familiar to them. They also say possible changes to visa rules may mean residents of many foreign countries can stay in the U.S. for up to 90 days without needing special visas, possibly spurring more interest in second home purchases by foreigners.

Tony Park, broker with CIDI Realty in Seattle, travels regularly to South Korea, where the government recently loosened restrictions on residents' overseas investments, increasing investment caps to $3 million from $1 million. He can't quantify how many condos have sold locally to South Koreans, but he says that, anecdotally, the number is rising. Park says buyers like projects such as 2nd and Pine, 2200, and Olive 8.

"We've been seeing a lot of interest and activity in the U.S.," Park says. "These buyers like downtown properties. Downtown is where everything is happening."

Larry Kramer, an agent with John L. Scott in Seattle, says he has sold about eight luxury condos to buyers from overseas during the past two years. While foreign buyers only represent 10 percent of his business now, he anticipates his foreign practice will grow to 25 percent within two years as projects currently under construction reach completion. (Foreign buyers may tend to buy closer to completion than do domestic buyers because of currency fluctuations, he notes.) He said he's getting inquiries from buyers in Europe, Mexico, South America and Pacific Rim countries.

"We're seeing more and more interest, especially with the way the dollar is," Kramer says, noting that buyers he's worked with like the new luxury condos and "big-city" living options that weren't previously available here.

Kramer adds that branded properties like The Four Seasons carry international cachet, and projects like The Bravern in Bellevue also appeal.

Dean Jones, principal at multifamily property consultant Realogics in Seattle, says that aside from the availability of new luxury products in the Puget Sound, some developers are using foreign outreach to help market properties.

Realogics co-hosted a symposium in Vancouver, B.C., last December to expose Canadians to downtown living options in the United States. Jones jokingly referred to it as "luring loonies" - a reference to the Canadian dollar - and its current parity with the American dollar. He said that some Seattle projects, including the forthcoming 1 Hotel and Residences, are offering "currency hedges" to help Canadians gain assurance that, despite currency fluctuations in the coming year or two, they can buy the property at a predictable price.

"I wouldn't be surprised if more developers tried this," Jones says. "There's no doubt interest has been rising recently because of the devalued dollar."