‘Renovation Aloha’ Stars Address Claims That Hawaii Locals Can’t Afford Their Homes
What To Know
- Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama addressed misconceptions about Hawaii real estate.
- The Renovation Aloha stars opened up about the high price of homes, cost of living and materials, and assumptions about people who move to Hawaii.
- The couple also rejected stereotypes about the finances of Hawaii locals.
Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama are setting the record straight on misconceptions and assumptions about Hawaii real estate.
The HGTV stars have been renovating homes across the island of O’ahu on the small screen since Renovation Aloha premiered in 2024. Tristyn and Kamohai sat down for a Q&A with their Instagram followers on Thursday, April 9, during which they were asked whether most homes in Hawaii cost around $1 million.
“You guys, you gotta understand that our average price of a house in Hawaii is over a million dollars,” Tristyn candidly replied. “We didn’t choose that. I wish houses were prices that I see here in South Carolina, but that’s just not the case. We’re buying them something for over a million dollars.”
Kamohai noted that “most” of the homes they purchase to flip are under $1 million. Tristyn chimed in, adding, “And they are pieces of crap, you know what I mean so … But are there price points that are less? Yes, of course. There are price points that are less. You’ll even see them this season.” (Renovation Aloha returned for its third season on HGTV last month.)
Tristyn went on to state, “I don’t like the whole, like, ‘Local people can’t afford stuff.’ We are born and bred, and we couldn’t afford anything. And I think that I don’t like when people put locals and our Polynesian community and our native Hawaiian community into little boxes that we can’t do things. Because we can, and we do, all the time.”
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Earlier in the Q&A, a different fan asked the duo whether they are interested in renovation projects outside the island of O’ahu. “We go wherever there is an opportunity that makes sense,” Tristyn shared, to which Kamohai added, “We’re not opposed to doing a house anywhere on our island or any island. Honestly, the opportunities come to us. When somebody reaches out, and they’re in a situation, and they need help, then we go see if we can solve that problem.”
In response to another question about costs in Hawaii, Tristyn revealed that “everything is more expensive” in the Aloha State “because everything gets shipped in.” As a result, the “cost of materials” for her and Kamohai’s projects increases over time.
Additionally, Tristyn explained that there is a “housing shortage” in Hawaii. “We don’t have as much inventory as we need in Hawaii, and the cost of living — so, the cost of property — is really, really expensive, and it doesn’t match our wages,” she stated. “So, our local people, our native Hawaiian community, it’s a struggle to have housing here. And so, prioritizing our local community with housing, I think, of course, is important.”
As for whether Hawaii locals like people from out of state buying property there? “It’s not that people from anywhere can’t buy in Hawaii. I think it’s how you show up in our community and our spaces and respecting our culture and all of that,” Tristyn told fans.
Renovation Aloha Season 3, Tuesdays, 8/7c, HGTV
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