My Situation

[islandguy]

We were stationed there for 4 years (1999-2003) at Schofield barracks (army base) and I was a pastor at kaneohe congregational church while attending wayland baptist university. Wife is in the army here in new york, that is why we moved FROM oahu. She is geting OUT of the army in march 2006 (not far off!). Army life SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS when you have her job (personnel).
I see her less than 3 hours a day, and she works 2-3 out of 4 weekends a month.
Army life SUCKS (did I say it enough?!)

We will be moving BACK to oahu at our OWN EXPENSE again in 2006. I have sold 80% of my belongings (books, videos, etc) on ebay, and the rest has been sold at garage sales we have had here on the base.

We plan on selling off the rest of our large stuff (we dont have much furniture!) that being
an entertainment center, couch and loveseat, washer/dryer, and queen size futon, and and king size bed (seely posturepedic mattress and boxsprings) and that is all that we have in the way of furniture!

We didnt buy a lot because when you buy nice things in the army, the movers DESTORY them. Whats the point in buying nice stuff, when the cheap labor the movers hire could care less if they RUIN it? No point....

I will probably ship our clothes via us mail PACEL POST. I can ship 70 lbs of things for $40 at the post office (movers want $1 a pound + fees!) Needless to say, we are going to be moving SUPER LIGHT! We are also selling off the rest of our videos and dvd's that we own on ebay.
The furniture and home theatre system/dvd players will sell FAST here on the base. They will be the LAST THINGS to go.

I dont care if we have to sell every @#$@#$!$!@$#!@#!@ thing we own, I despise army life (note I am a x veteran - I was a army parachute rigger/packer!). Again, keep in mind that we do not have a lot of personal possessions, as we did not buy alot of stuff while serving in the army.

We have $55k in the bank, and will have over $65k by 2006. We save a LOT of $$$, and we have NO BILLS (other than the $2,000 we owe on car, which will be piad off next month!) so we are moving DEBT FREE.

I have several friends from the church where I pastored that I am sure will help me. The major thing I am worried about is finding affordable housing. I have 2 years of college left, which the veterans administration will pay for, and will also allot us about $900 monthly while I attend college there. So, basically 90% of the rent will be paid, and we will have no BILLS!

I am getting older (36 now!) and if we are going to make a MAJOR life change, now is the time.
If we dont do it now, I fear that we will be TOO OLD to do it later. I dont believe I will have any problems finding a job on the island, there are TONS of jobs on oahu...dont believe me?
Look at http://jobs.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/jobs/jobresultsDD.aspx?argv0=Hawaii_Honolulu&argv1=&lr=cbepodunk&siteid=epodunk&ArgURL=/al.ic/Hawaii_Honolulu/%3Flr%3Dcbepodunk%26siteid%3Depodunk&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=87d34bbc9dcf46e4ab5f977f20d031df-169499058-tf-1

59 PAGES of job, at about 10-15 jobs PER PAGE, you do the math.

Anyway, that is our situation. Advice appreciated. God bless.

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Psa 37:3-4)



Brian

[Surfingfarmboy]

Howzit Brian:

Ex-kama'aina (and kama'aina someday) reporting here not far from you in Rhode Island.

It sounds like you've got the right idea in your plans to return to HI, with your intent on coming back with minimal material possessions. I'm pretty sure when I return, I'm going to have to contract for a cargo container via Matson, not that I really want to.

You're coming back with a whole heck of a lot more more money that most. Heck, if you scrimped, you could live off that alone for a least year; Lord knows plenty of people in HI are making it (Surviving? Existing?) on a lot less.

With such a stash of cash available, have you thought about, perhaps, using a good chunk of that for maybe a down payment on a townhouse or condo, right from the start, say in the Mililani area, like the ones seen off of Kamehameha in that town? With rents being so high now, it seems it might be better to start building up equity on your own home from the start. (I can't imagine real estate ever falling in value, over the long run in a state where land is as precious as it is in HI..get it while you can.) I know it would be tough to get mortgage financing when your just showing up without (presumably) a job upon your arrival..it would be a big plus to have a job nailed down upon your arrival to get home financing, if a lender would be willing to lend to you under your circumstances. Once one gets into that rent trap on HI, it's tough to escape.

In any event, I wish you the best of luck in your relocation to O'ahu. Keep us posted on your endevours.

[Cnecki]

We were stationed there for 4 years (1999-2003) at Schofield barracks (army base) and I was a pastor at kaneohe congregational church while attending wayland baptist university. Wife is in the army here in new york, that is why we moved FROM oahu. She is geting OUT of the army in march 2006 (not far off!). Army life SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS when you have her job (personnel).
I see her less than 3 hours a day, and she works 2-3 out of 4 weekends a month.
Army life SUCKS (did I say it enough?!)

We will be moving BACK to oahu at our OWN EXPENSE again in 2006. I have sold 80% of my belongings (books, videos, etc) on ebay, and the rest has been sold at garage sales we have had here on the base.

We plan on selling off the rest of our large stuff (we dont have much furniture!) that being
an entertainment center, couch and loveseat, washer/dryer, and queen size futon, and and king size bed (seely posturepedic mattress and boxsprings) and that is all that we have in the way of furniture!

We didnt buy a lot because when you buy nice things in the army, the movers DESTORY them. Whats the point in buying nice stuff, when the cheap labor the movers hire could care less if they RUIN it? No point....

I will probably ship our clothes via us mail PACEL POST. I can ship 70 lbs of things for $40 at the post office (movers want $1 a pound + fees!) Needless to say, we are going to be moving SUPER LIGHT! We are also selling off the rest of our videos and dvd's that we own on ebay.
The furniture and home theatre system/dvd players will sell FAST here on the base. They will be the LAST THINGS to go.

I dont care if we have to sell every @#$@#$!$!@$#!@#!@ thing we own, I despise army life (note I am a x veteran - I was a army parachute rigger/packer!). Again, keep in mind that we do not have a lot of personal possessions, as we did not buy alot of stuff while serving in the army.

We have $55k in the bank, and will have over $65k by 2006. We save a LOT of $$$, and we have NO BILLS (other than the $2,000 we owe on car, which will be piad off next month!) so we are moving DEBT FREE.

I have several friends from the church where I pastored that I am sure will help me. The major thing I am worried about is finding affordable housing. I have 2 years of college left, which the veterans administration will pay for, and will also allot us about $900 monthly while I attend college there. So, basically 90% of the rent will be paid, and we will have no BILLS!

I am getting older (36 now!) and if we are going to make a MAJOR life change, now is the time.
If we dont do it now, I fear that we will be TOO OLD to do it later. I dont believe I will have any problems finding a job on the island, there are TONS of jobs on oahu...dont believe me?
Look at http://jobs.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/jobs/jobresultsDD.aspx?argv0=Hawaii_Honolulu&argv1=&lr=cbepodunk&siteid=epodunk&ArgURL=/al.ic/Hawaii_Honolulu/%3Flr%3Dcbepodunk%26siteid%3Depodunk&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=87d34bbc9dcf46e4ab5f977f20d031df-169499058-tf-1

59 PAGES of job, at about 10-15 jobs PER PAGE, you do the math.

Anyway, that is our situation. Advice appreciated. God bless.

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Psa 37:3-4)



BrianHi there Island Guy, we were in a similar position around three months ago when we deceided to relocate to Hawaii! We just bite the bullet and purchased a home with everything we had and some. I am also a college student, HPU-Nursing major, and don't expect to graduate for three years.

We looked all over the island for homes and I can tell you there are very few homes under 400,000 except in the Leward side. Although, there are alot of nice 1 or 2 bedroom townhouses in the Waipahu-Waipio area from 200,000-175,000 with nice complexes and well cared for grounds. I suggest you get prequalified and get a realtor to bid for you before you come though, these properties are being sold the same day they are listed and are being over bid by 10-40 thousand easy.

Since we did not have a job we went super nodocs and are paying a higher interest rate, but we got in a home and we can always refinance in 2 years when we have a permanent work history. (Just an Idea)

We were going to ship our stuff because of the cost of replacing them, but with your warning about the movers, we are reluctant now?

I am going to work through a temp agency for the next few years until I finish school and suggest the same for you. We need a income right away so this solves our problem, maybe it can solve yours.

We have set up everything before coming-kids schools, home, college, jobs, movers, and repairs to house. We did everything on line believe it or not! the only time my husband went over was to do the final walk through of the house we purchased and that was it. Oh if you buy a property with renters in it we highered a property manager to manage the property until we got there. Collect rent, pay morgage, and then clean it up when they leave so when we come it is move in ready. Here are some useful emails www.hicentral.com (hawaii real estate), www.hawaiihomeloans.com (susie Bass) Kassie Rogers-schulerhomes resale office (realtor) These wonderful people and websites made our transition, like it was in our backyard. Good Luck and welcome to Hawaii!!!!!!! Cnecki

[islandguy]

I am enjoying reading your comments! Thanks!

[Stephen]

My wife and I are as well looking to relocate to O'ahu. Cnecki, you mentioned that there are townhomes in the 200K range - are they fee simple or leasehold properties?

We were planning to get a short term apartment to allow us time to find a home in a decent neighborhood and jobs (so we can avoid the no doc loan - we'll probably put down 10-20% down area so should be able to get pretty good rates, and I'm currently a mortgage broker in St. Louis, so I know the tricks.)

I'm a little leary of the leaseholds - plus I'd rather not have another 200-300 "rental" payment each month. We will also be selling or storing everything - you've got to love relatives with big basements! I will miss the big screen HDTV!

If anyone has additional neighborhood/area suggestions, they would be appreciated. We're likely looking at a purchase price around $200K - would prefer a single family, but are open to a multi-family unit.

Maholo

[Cnecki]

My wife and I are as well looking to relocate to O'ahu. Cnecki, you mentioned that there are townhomes in the 200K range - are they fee simple or leasehold properties?

We were planning to get a short term apartment to allow us time to find a home in a decent neighborhood and jobs (so we can avoid the no doc loan - we'll probably put down 10-20% down area so should be able to get pretty good rates, and I'm currently a mortgage broker in St. Louis, so I know the tricks.)

I'm a little leary of the leaseholds - plus I'd rather not have another 200-300 "rental" payment each month. We will also be selling or storing everything - you've got to love relatives with big basements! I will miss the big screen HDTV!

If anyone has additional neighborhood/area suggestions, they would be appreciated. We're likely looking at a purchase price around $200K - would prefer a single family, but are open to a multi-family unit.

Maholo Hi again, they are all fee simple. Go on www.http://hicentral.com put in Oahu, Waipahu, waipio gentry, price range you are interested in, type of home so on and there you go. Good Luck and safe Voyage!! Just a little hint there are no homes on the island or for that matter any island for 200,000. Only townhouses in select neighborhoods. But you neaver know!!!!!!!!!! Cnecki

[cezanne]

A 3bed 2 1/2bath townhouse (fee simple) went for nearly $400K in my neighborhood (Kaneohe/Kahaluu). In the same neighborhood I hear of rentals going as high as $2100. Freakin crazy...

[LikaNui]

A 3bed 2 1/2bath townhouse (fee simple) went for nearly $400K in my neighborhood (Kaneohe/Kahaluu). In the same neighborhood I hear of rentals going as high as $2100. Freakin crazy...

A 2-bed/2-bath townhouse in Kaneohe just sold last week for $575,000 fee simple, and one offer came in at $605,000! Seller got six offers in the first three days, all at or above the asking price.
Rentals in the same townhome community go from $2,500 to $3,000; one went for $3,500!
:eek:

[1stwahine]

Kaneloa is still renting but gathering from what's going on...it's going fast. Prices range from 2 bedrooms - 3 bedrooms are $ 1,200 - $ 1,400+. Includes utilities! Lucky I live MWH! Now I know why there's so much of our island's people Homeless. The prices are outrageous. It's going to continue upwards.

Yesterday, I went to my neice's daughter's 1st BD celebration. Six months ago, she and hubby bought a 3 bedbroom home for $200,000. Today it's doubled per her realtor. Home is beautifully done old Hawaiiana style. Just beautiful. It wasn't hot at all. It's situated near the mountain in Waianae Valley Road.

[Cnecki]

I guess from what I'm hearing we bought our house at the right time. It was going for 510,000 but we had to bid 550,000 to get it!!!!!! Not sure what we will be having for lunch or dinner-but there is always saimin and chicken! Gobble Gobble. 4bd/2.5 bath-pool in Waipahu-Waipio. Cnecki

[Stephen]

First and foremost. . . .thanks to everyone for your feedback. It is greatly appreciated. I must admit that I have found properties (fee simple,) under 200K - some on O'ahu, lots on the Big Island. Obviously, they are in need of some TLC. Not a big deal. I currently live in a very old settlement on the mainland - a place called St. Charles. Founded in the late 1700s. Houses here need some love - I'm all about doling out the love. Would it be a ludicrous proposition to buy a fixer upper on O'ahu? Or should I wait 6 months when the interest rates start driving out the haoli's (How do you spell that damned word? Is it really necessary my brethren - are we really all that different? I would argue no. Put yourself and myself in on a beach. We both have coolers of cerveza (I love Mexico!) We both share our cerveza. We both get stupid drunk and tell each other stupid stories and maybe a few lies - but who cares? Not me. Phew, I am on a higher plane - you've got to love it - please pardon my indescretions. . . .

Please bear in mind as you read the following, I'm rightly intoxicated - but still able to put my thoughts on "paper." And I do tend to be a bearer of realism - with a flair for the idealistic. If that makes any sense, we're going to have to share a cocktail.

While I definitely (again) appreciate the feedback, I have one question, followed by some constructive criticism. Cnecki - WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH DID YOU PAY 550K FOR A HOUSE WORTH 510K??????????????????????????????????????????????

I am no real estate guru, but the second lesson of real estate is "don't over pay." Why on earth would you give someone more than they are asking for? Now the drunkeness comes out - seriously, how far up her/his arse was your realtor's head when they said, "There are five people bidding on this house, make your's count!?" Guess what? Your realtor is paid a commission - the more you pay, the more they make. Please help me understand this back-ass-ward logic of paying more for a property than it's listed for (and worth for that matter)

Sorry to be such a "hater," but I'm curiousl. And drunk!

[Stephen]

Cnecki, I apologize that I didn't hold true to my comment. I neglected the constructive criticism part. You made a poor decision (in my logical mind,) however you did purchase a home in O'ahu - as my friends at Guiness are trying to bring to the world, that was "BRILLIANT!"

[Cnecki]

Well, SILLY drunk guy. I said the house was listed at 510,000 I didn't say the house was worth 510,000. I actually got a great deal. Other homes in the area which had less square footage and no pool were going for much more! There is more to buying a home than the asking price. The neighborhood is what we were looking at-for one, the house had a pool-which is two, (which if we put one in it would cost a minimum of 50,000), the land square footage is large about 5,500 square feet and their is almost 2000 square of living space. We were lucky enough to find a home that the sellers wanted to dump because of financial troubles in the main land and if I had bought over market value the property would not have appraised and it could not have been sold for the selling price. Yes I know you can pay the difference in cash and still finance the home, but we did not.

Even without all the repairs being done the house has already went up in value to 620,000 and when you do the math, I could make a profit (if I wanted to). So the name of the game in real estate is do your homework before you buy.

Yes the ideal situation in purchasing a home is buy low, fix up and turn. Or buy low and keep the property until the value increases. But what you are not taking into account is AREA, reason for the purchase, higher end investment strategies, and amount of capital on hand to lower payment. We do own a home in California which we purchased for 125,000 oh, some 10 years ago and now it could sell for 605,000. This is just how most of the United States market is running now. This real estate bubble will burst and the properties will stabilize.

I can tell by your tone, you are feeling like I was trying to discourage you. I was not. My only intention was to open your eyes to the reality of the Real Estate market on the Island. Anything is possible in this world and the island is no exception.

If your goal is to obtain a cheap home as a investor, there are deals out there, but you will need a realtor or a trusted friend to check out the property before you buy. Good luck and take some asprin for the hang over, you will find what you are looking for, be diligent!!!!!!!!

Cnecki

[ahola]

The real estate bubble dwarfs any past stock market bubble and tens of millions of homeowners and investors who bought at the top will have foreclosures and bankruptsies in their immediate future.But certain regions will be hit the hardest including CA,FL,Las Vegas,and my area outside NYC Bergen county NJ.Real estate appreciated in my area 23% last year but real estate appreciated only 7% in Honolulu.
And with the limited amount of space on the islands and many new retirees and the solvent-again Japanese coming,I plan to acquire as many condos as I could afford.
My real concern is the US dollar collapsing,but have Singapore dollar accounts with Everbank and Chinese yuan and euros in my safety deposit boxes as well as gold bullion coins and Perth Mint gold certificates.

[1stwahine]

The real estate bubble dwarfs any past stock market bubble and tens of millions of homeowners and investors who bought at the top will have foreclosures and bankruptsies in their immediate future.But certain regions will be hit the hardest including CA,FL,Las Vegas,and my area outside NYC Bergen county NJ.Real estate appreciated in my area 23% last year but real estate appreciated only 7% in Honolulu.
And with the limited amount of space on the islands and many new retirees and the solvent-again Japanese coming,I plan to acquire as many condos as I could afford.
My real concern is the US dollar collapsing,but have Singapore dollar accounts with Everbank and Chinese yuan and euros in my safety deposit boxes as well as gold bullion coins and Perth Mint gold certificates.

Impressive. Let us know if you'll be opening a business here too. In need of a cook or a bodyguard...Auntie Lynn is available! Nah, joke. Good luck in whatever you do. It's better than many who just let life and opportunities go by.

Auntie Lynn aka Auntie Pupule

[Stephen]

They need to create a device that prevents drunken ramblings.

Cnecki - Maybe I shouldn't have taken that last shot at the bar. You are absolutely correct - and that your home is already worth another 60K - that's awesome. I posted under a new thread that we have reconsidered the "absolute" move and are going to try O'ahu on a 6 month trial basis. I appreciate your feedback - and the eye opener. I figure a 6 month stay will allow us to get to know the island(s) better and see if we will be in a situation to find jobs, suitable housing and the like. I'm usually an optimist, but I think I was just a little to liquored up last night.

I do look forward to living on O'ahu - even if it ends up being for just 6 months. The experience will be more than worth the money we'll spend doing it. I tend to find ways to make things work, so hopefully we'll have the opportunity to find a nice fixer upper and be able to build a life in Hawaii.

Question for those who have built/looked into it. . . What are the costs per square foot for new construction? The Big Island seems to have some very reasonably priced land (less than 100K) - I know that the employment opportunities will be even more sparse, but if you find a deal you just can't pass up, you've got to jump on it.

Maholo and again sorry for the drunken stupor!

[Cnecki]

Sometimes we need to tie one on, especially with the apparent stress your under! Don't give up before the miracle!!! If you and your wife are patient and look, look, look, you will find what you are looking for. Don't give up on the island yet. A good friend told me that the people that are successful on the island are the ones that show alot of Aloha and alot of love. In the mainland it is a very cut throat environment and people will try to get over on you every where you turn but from what I have found and what I remember continue to do what you are doing (network) with island people and doors WILL open.

I was talking to my realtor the other day and we were discussing the foreclosure market. From what I was told: they have a date in the newspaper for the auction, at the court house they post the different properties on poles, the lender that owns the property stands in front of their property (on the pole) with interested buyers, the lender starts the bidding usually with the owed amount, than the interested buyers can bid. My realtor says usually the forclosed property owner is their to too bid to get their propery back. You have to have a cashiers check or money order for 10% of the house you bid on, so if the house is 200,000 you will need 20,000. Also if that house goes for 205,000 and your cashiers check is only 20 thousand not 20 thousand plus the 10% of the extra 5,000 you can not bid. ALSO- this I found really interesting-if the house is sold in auction, the old owner (the one that was forclosed on, has the right to get their self together and can (TAKE BACK THE PROPERTY WITHIN ONE YEAR) so even if you bid, you win, and you purchase the property, it will not FOR SURE be your property until after ONE year. CRAZY huh!!!!!!!! I am sure there are laws that make the forclosured give back the costs to the new owner, but I was shocked at this piece of information.

But this is the difference between the mainland real estate market and the Island. The island cares about their peoples well being and understand people hit ruff spots in their lives. But the mainland has the mentality, you loose, next!!!! Good for homesteaders, bad for investors. Go figure?

Any who, there are alot of ways to set up shop on the island, this is just another route.

Take care and keep looking, good things will come!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cnecki

[Cnecki]

The real estate bubble dwarfs any past stock market bubble and tens of millions of homeowners and investors who bought at the top will have foreclosures and bankruptsies in their immediate future.But certain regions will be hit the hardest including CA,FL,Las Vegas,and my area outside NYC Bergen county NJ.Real estate appreciated in my area 23% last year but real estate appreciated only 7% in Honolulu.
And with the limited amount of space on the islands and many new retirees and the solvent-again Japanese coming,I plan to acquire as many condos as I could afford.
My real concern is the US dollar collapsing,but have Singapore dollar accounts with Everbank and Chinese yuan and euros in my safety deposit boxes as well as gold bullion coins and Perth Mint gold certificates. Aloha, we have some investments in Exxon-Mobil and Morgan Stanley. Worried about the Morgan Stanley stock. Have any good stock tips? We are interested in investing in some Hawaii goods or services. We want to transfer everything to the island so we can have access to stock holder meetings and so on. Thanks

Cnecki :p

[ahola]

Aloha, we have some investments in Exxon-Mobil and Morgan Stanley. Worried about the Morgan Stanley stock. Have any good stock tips? We are interested in investing in some Hawaii goods or services. We want to transfer everything to the island so we can have access to stock holder meetings and so on. Thanks

Cnecki :p


Unfortunately don't know which publicly traded companies are based in or mostly do business in Hawaii.Most large companies do business in Hawaii but not exclusively.I made some profits on a few smaller oil stocks like Harken(HEC) and Ivanhoe(IVAN), but feel oil will be go back down so cashed out and only kept some China Petro(SNP).I am bullish on uranium and unfortunately only Cameco(CCJ) is one of the few uranium miners not traded exclusively on the Canadian exchanges.My junior gold mining stocks are down
at support levels and think they will be going back up fast soon.Tech stocks like Lucent and Sun Microsystems are only a few dollars per share and they may have good appreciation value.
My wildest and most riskiest investment now are my 40 million new Iraqi dinars which cost about $40,000.Many of our friends and associates also have tens of millions and one friend is betting $100,000 with his 100 million dinars. One can get a million for $1000,about 1/10th of a penny per dinar, now and that million was worth $330,000 before we invaded Iraq and was worth 3.4 million dollars before the first Gulf war.If they can get things stabilized and get all their oil flowing I may have won the lottery and will be set for life.Would be happy if it just went up to a penny per dinar as $40,000 would be $400,000 instantly.I dream of it going up to a dime or a dollar per dinar so it can be Mediterranean cruises on the Celebrity Millenium forever.

[Miulang]

Aloha, we have some investments in Exxon-Mobil and Morgan Stanley. Worried about the Morgan Stanley stock. Have any good stock tips? We are interested in investing in some Hawaii goods or services. We want to transfer everything to the island so we can have access to stock holder meetings and so on. Thanks

Cnecki :p
One of the most profitable Hawai'i stocks is Alexander & Baldwin (www.alexanderbaldwin.com). They just issued a 22.5 cent dividend for their 2nd quarter. They're the ones who own Matson Navigation Co., HC&S Sugar and Kauai Coffee, and lotsa lotsa land. They mostly have stuff in Hawai'i, but I think they also have real estate holdings on the West Coast. Ticker=ALEX on NASDAQ. Not saying that they have any social conscience, but hey, they are making money off people in Hawai'i bigtime.

The other one that's local and that's kinda interesting is Maui Land & Pine (AMEX:MLP). They issued a 36 cent dividend in their 4th quarter. They own lotsa land too, and they're the ones who developed Kapalua Resort on Maui. They're tearing down the old Kapalua Bay Hotel and putting up multimillion dollar condos and timeshares. They've had a bit of controversy over some of their decisions (plus Steve Case of AOL fame is a majority stockholder) recently, but they're also making money. They are marketing boutique fresh whole pineapple up here on the Mainland because growing pineapple for canning in Hawai'i is too expensive. Most of the pineapple you get in cans now is from Thailand or the Philippines.


Miulang

P.S. I think these are still privately held companies, but if they ever go public, another sector to watch is the bottled Hawaiian seawater (desalinated, bottled and sold in Japan for $3-4 a bottle). The handful of companies that are embarking in this venture are planning to market the water as a health food up here on the Mainland soon, too.

[Cnecki]

We diversified our stock portfolio about 6 months ago against my better judgment. We had all of our stock in Exxon-Mobil and have had for over 30 years. This was old money with old money planning. When my father passed and I took over control of the estate he told us neaver ever, diversify because Mobil Oil has always been good to us but when I reviewed the portfolio I saw nothing wrong except the rate of return. When I took over the estate I completely restructured the investments and today it is growing faster than before.

With my fathers age bracket, life style and income he used the stock as a toy not a money maker (although he invested well). He always told me to think of stock as paper not money and you will be alright. Mobil Oil has a sentimental value as well. Both my grandfathers and father were major stock holders and life time employee's. Today I am looking into some risker stock to increase our rate of return. Although, I am still going to keep our Mobil Oil Stock which has been very stable.

We do have some other investments in Van Kampen-Midstock/Cap, Morgan Stanley (an investment firm) and Real Estate. (Which all pay dividends with the exception of the Real Estate/rental). Even though these are good investments, we are now more interested in energy and raw material. We are also looking deeper into the companies you mentioned and will research them further.

For me if I was to give any kind of stock advice, it would be to buy Exxon-Mobil. Although the market has split 2 times in the last 30 years and has fell out once when the trade center was bombed it has recooperated nicely and is almost up to its high. When it did split we just had to be patient for the values to go back up and they did!!!!!!! Patience paid believe me!

Thanks and Aloha

Cnecki

[Stephen]

Mahalo for the advice Cnecki - that's an interesting quirk on the foreclosures. I think it's a good quirk though too - I hate to see people lose their homes.

On the stock advice - I'm surely not the best person to ask, but if you're looking for a lot of risk, these are currently in my portfolio

WFR - MEMC - silicone chip manufacturing company my Dad worked for in the US and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

MCLD - McCloud(?) they're a phone company and they're stock is in the tank (15c/share) and I bought in around 11c hoping for a buyout.

PKZ - Petro Khazikstan - I'm not currently invested in this one - I got out just before it tanked. It should be ripe for a rebound - they are involved in some type of lawsuit (I believe with the Russian government) and it has deflated the stock's price. I'm guessing it's about $10/share undervalued.

I will say that I'm not an investor for a living though - just some ideas.

Aloha.

[Cnecki]

Mahalo for the advice Cnecki - that's an interesting quirk on the foreclosures. I think it's a good quirk though too - I hate to see people lose their homes. Sorry for the off the wall message, I was responding to Miulang post, but we all can play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the most profitable Hawai'i stocks is Alexander & Baldwin (www.alexanderbaldwin.com (http://www.alexanderbaldwin.com/)). They just issued a 22.5 cent dividend for their 2nd quarter. They're the ones who own Matson Navigation Co., HC&S Sugar and Kauai Coffee, and lotsa lotsa land. They mostly have stuff in Hawai'i, but I think they also have real estate holdings on the West Coast. Ticker=ALEX on NASDAQ. Not saying that they have any social conscience, but hey, they are making money off people in Hawai'i bigtime.

The other one that's local and that's kinda interesting is Maui Land & Pine (AMEX:MLP). They issued a 36 cent dividend in their 4th quarter. They own lotsa land too, and they're the ones who developed Kapalua Resort on Maui. They're tearing down the old Kapalua Bay Hotel and putting up multimillion dollar condos and timeshares. They've had a bit of controversy over some of their decisions (plus Steve Case of AOL fame is a majority stockholder) recently, but they're also making money. They are marketing boutique fresh whole pineapple up here on the Mainland because growing pineapple for canning in Hawai'i is too expensive. Most of the pineapple you get in cans now is from Thailand or the Philippines.Sorry, I responded to your message, but I pushed the wrong button, see Stephan page 2. Cnecki