[Tristyn] I think it's one of the worst houses
we'll probably ever encounter in our entire career.
-This house excites the crap out of me. -[chuckles]
I'm Kamohai Kalama...
-Right? [chuckles] -Ew!
And I'm Tristyn Kalama.
I put on extra deodorant for this.
[Kamohai] We buy and renovate homes
in the most challenging place in the country, Hawaii.
Shipping is more than the actual material cost.
The real estate here is crazy expensive.
[Kamohai] So to make this work, we have to take on
some of the most rundown homes on the island.
[Tristyn] Oh, good heavens!
-[Kamohai] How do we do it? -[Tristyn] Our giant family.
[Kamohai] I have 87 first cousins.
Yo, what's up, cuz?
More than anything, we want our children to be good human beings.
Exactly. We can't have little [bleep] walking around.
[chuckling] Little [bleep] walking around.
♪ Are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? ♪
-[Kamohai] Hi. -Howdy, partner?
This one's a looker.
[Kamohai] Yeah? You like the neighborhood?
Ah!
-[chuckles] -Questionable.
[Kamohai] The neighborhood is excellent. [chuckles]
I like the end of a cul-de-sac, though.
Look on the bright side, right?
I mean, I don't know.
-I mean, it's rough, right? -Yes.
-But we never know if we want these houses in the beginning. -I just...
-We got to look through them first, right? -Yeah.
[Kamohai] Today, we are in an area called Waipahu,
centrally located right between
North Shore and Honolulu.
It is densely populated
with big, multigenerational families,
[Tristyn] A lot of diverse population.
It's considered a more affordable part compared to other areas on Oahu.
[Kamohai] You have renovated homes and others
that really haven't been touched forever.
What's the deets? What's the story on this?
It's a three-bedroom, two-bath,
just over 1,700 square feet
on a 9,700-square-foot lot.
-[Tristyn] Really? -I mean, it's super unassuming when you walk up.
Yeah. Where'd you get this one from?
The seller reached out via our website.
They said they had tenants in here.
From what they said, they're dealing with some crazy stuff.
Sounds like they're motivated.
-Definitely. -What do they want for it?
[Kamohai] They're asking $700,000.
Comps in the area are selling for a little over $1.1 million,
so I wanted to get you here
to walk through the house, figure out
what we think rehab is gonna be,
so we can see if there's a deal here.
Average home sales price right now in Oahu
is just under $1.2 million, which is nuts.
But if we can fix and sell this property for under that,
it'll be great for local buyers.
But it also means we need to be super tight on our numbers.
We don't have a huge margin to play with here.
-[horns honking at a distance] -Do you hear that?
What?
It sounds like a lot of moving vehicles?
It's very apparent that we're very close to the highway.
-I can hear the cars as well. -Exactly. Yeah.
-Semi-truck. -I can hear it, too.
Show me the house.
-Let's go ahead. -I wanna see the house. Let's go.
[Kamohai] She said to use that side door right over there
on the side of the cardboard.
[Tristyn] From the outside, this place looks like it's in decent shape.
All right.
Walked right into the kitchen.
[Tristyn] And popcorn ceiling.
They decided that they were just gonna throw flooring
and just cover some cracks in this.
I mean, design.
-No. -[Kamohai chuckles]
-Look at the countertops. -[Tristyn] Gross.
It's just a bacteria nightmare.
Okay, so kitchen has to go.
Yeah, but it has good flow.
This door goes straight.
[Kamohai] Okay, it looks like the living room is out there.
What do we have right here?
It's a dartboard.
[Kamohai] That was a dartboard.
This was some kind of a game room.
[Tristyn] Yeah, but this is a great living room.
It's nice and big.
You have designated TV wall.
Like, this makes sense.
But it's kind of disjointed here, though.
This was all exterior.
-This is all built-on. -[Tristyn] Okay.
But if you come back this way,
what's behind this wall right here?
[Kamohai] Let's go walk down there and see what's on the inside.
[Tristyn] It looks very dark.
-Let me go first. -There's so many dead cockroaches.
Ew!
So this looks like the front entryway.
[Tristyn] But see how closed-off and weird this is.
Like, this is the main entrance
that a "buyer" is gonna walk through.
There's no way
you can walk in your front door
and you're in this, like, little, narrow, long hallway
with a wall right in front of you.
This has to go. This has to go.
-That has to go. -Totally.
Now I can see why she wanted us to come through the side door.
The bathroom.
-It's a good size. -It's a super good-sized bathroom.
-[Tristyn] Water damage. -No doors.
[Tristyn] Tiles coming out. Demo. Redo.
Well, this looks like bedroom number one.
-[Tristyn] This is not a bedroom. There's no window. -[Kamohai] But...
-There is no window. -There's a closet, but...
-[Kamohai] Not to code. -No.
-This is not a bedroom. -This doesn't make sense.
-Tons of closets. -Yeah, that's good, actually.
-Storage. -So, I mean, this is a decent bedroom.
The flooring has been ripped out.
So, demo has already been done.
[Kamohai] I mean, it looks like they started to double-wall it...
-[Tristyn] I know. -...and put in some makeshift electrical.
-[Tristyn] Sketchy. -I feel like the house feels
structurally okay so far.
-Yeah, to me, I'm not seeing any crazy water... -[Kamohai] It's just--
...or termite damage. This is good.
Next room.
[Kamohai] This is a smaller bedroom.
What's all over the ground?
It smells like cigarettes.
Let me do something real quick.
Why?
[vehicles driving at a distance]
-Yes, you can still hear the cars. -Yeah, you can.
-Mmm-hmm. And it's a new vinyl window. -[Kamohai] Yeah.
But there's burn marks on the ground.
-All signs point to-- -The kind of house we buy.
Well, let's go to the other side.
I think there's another bedroom around that side.
Okay.
-[Tristyn] Okay, so this is-- -So, we have...
-Dude, look at all the cockroaches. -[Tristyn] So gross.
This is a very large bathroom, though.
[Tristyn] You could rework it to make it nice.
But right now, between whatever's smeared on the ground,
and then the amount of cockroaches, this is gross.
But you have a lot of space to work with,
-and it's another bathroom. -[Kamohai] I agree.
-Okay. -[Tristyn] So then, this is the last and biggest.
[Kamohai] This is the primary.
Really good size.
It stinks in here, but it's a great space. You're right.
They also have flooring
blocking off the windows.
It's a security measure. And the amount of cockroaches,
some of these are like B-52 bombers.
-You know what I mean? -[Kamohai] They're humongous.
[Tristyn] Like, they're legit flyers.
I want to play a game.
-[Tristyn] Ugh... -How many cockroaches
-are dead in this room? -Ten.
I'm guessing eight.
Are we really gonna count them?
-One, two... -You're very competitive.
-...three, four... -Four, five...
-...five... -...six, seven, eight,
nine, ten, eleven...
-twelve, thirteen... -[Kamohai chuckling] What?
...fourteen, fifteen.
-I win! -You win. Yes.
[Tristyn] Gross.
-I want to get out of this room. -Yeah, me too.
-We still have to see the backyard. Yeah. -I wanna see the backyard.
Overall, the layout is not bad.
But if the backyard is, like, in good shape and not gross...
Oh, my gosh.
There's a freeway in the backyard.
[Tristyn] Literally, right there.
I knew it.
-[Kamohai] Not good. [chuckles] -[Tristyn] Not good at all!
-[Kamohai] What? -[horns honking]
That's a huge deterrent.
Nobody wants a freeway in their backyard.
That is immediately gonna kill so many buyers.
[Kamohai] But look at how big the backyard is.
Can you imagine all of this cleared out?
-This is a lot of usable yard. -Yeah, this is... This is--
-[Kamohai] I mean, look at this beautiful plumeria tree. -[Tristyn] Yes.
-[Kamohai] There's a noni tree. -There's noni.
[both] There's mango.
-Yep, all the things... -[horns honking]
...but sorry, I can't hear you.
There's a semi-truck.
[Kamohai] Well, luckily, we're at a price point
where you can still make this work,
because if we don't buy this house, somebody else will.
I think we can sell this house
for a little over $1.1 million.
If we do that, you tell me
what do you think the reno would be.
For the house, you're like $180,000,
but you got to cushion the budget
for all this landscaping and a privacy fence.
I mean, easy $20,000,
so, like, $200,000.
[Kamohai] So that would mean,
if we're doing a eight-week renovation
and about $150,000 in holding and closing costs,
in order to hit our minimum profit margin of $100,000...
-[Tristyn] Yeah. -...we need to get it for $650,000.
-You're super confident in over $1.1 million? -Yes.
Nobody's living in it.
It's a vacant house. It's a house that we could renovate...
-Bring back. -...and bring back into the supply of the market.
If every house was renovated in this neighborhood...
-It would be... Yeah. -...the price of this house
would be so expensive, we wouldn't be able to buy it.
I get it. It hits the mission.
It checks all the boxes.
-Exactly. -But this scares me.
The freeway scares me.
I'm telling you right now that we will be
the highest sold house in this neighborhood.
-Do you really promise? -I promise.
-On our children? -Yes.
-[chuckling] Okay. I'm in. -[horns honking]
-[Tristyn] Another one. -[Kamohai] Yeah, another semi.
In order to make our minimum,
we had to buy the property at $650,000.
So our strategy was to offer a little less
at $625,000, just in case they countered,
which they did at $650,000,
so it was perfect.
[cell phone ringing]
[phone ringing]
-Hello. -[Rosalie] Hi, Kamohai. How's it going?
Good. How are you?
I wanted to let you know there's an issue with the Waipahu property.
Why, what's going on?
So, escrow is open and your deposit posted.
But we've been informed that a family member of the seller
actually is challenging the trust
and preventing the transaction from moving forward.
So they're getting attorneys involved,
and we won't be able to close
until that trust issue is resolved.
How long is that gonna take?
It could be really quick or it could take months.
-Oh. -What does that mean for us?
We're just in escrow right now. We don't own it.
We're not paying any mortgage. Nothing.
So we can keep escrow open, right?
Yes, we could keep escrow open.
All that we have in there right now is our deposit,
and it's not going to take up a ton of money.
It's just time.
And when it works itself out, we can still buy it.
I'm fine with that.
Okay. We'll just stay in communication.
Okay, great. Yep. I'll keep you posted on any updates that I hear.
Okay. Thank you.
It is what it is. We just wait.
Just gotta wait.
[Tristyn] I mean, we said we were gonna wait, and we waited.
[Kamohai chuckles]
[Kamohai] When it comes to real estate in Hawaii,
the name of the game is time.
Over time, properties appreciate,
and we've been really on a journey.
Our seller had to get court confirmation
to sell the property
because another family member had challenged
her ability to be able to sell it.
Which delayed it ten months.
We have done several other projects
while this one has been going through its court process.
I mean, we've had a couple birthdays, a couple holidays.
[cheering]
But in real estate,
this is the nature of the game.
You never know what's going to happen.
And sometimes, this is what happens.
Life goes on.
We only had five grand in escrow over this ten months
but now we're ready to go.
-Wow. What's up, man? -What's up, guys?
[Tristyn] Looks good.
[Kamohai] I mean, it looks better than it did the last time we saw it.
-[Tristyn] I know. -Everything's cleared out.
[Kamohai] And it looks like the landscape has been maintained.
-Plants aren't overgrown. -[Tristyn] Nothing's overgrown.
I'm pleasantly surprised.
If this is an indication of the inside, we're in good shape.
Okay, but there's chains on the door.
-[Kamohai] What the heck? -The door is chained shut.
I mean, I'm gonna chop it up as a good thing.
The property is secure.
[Kamohai] Dude.
-Holy [bleep]. -[Tristyn] What in the world?
-[Kamohai] Look at this place. -[Tristyn] Oh, my God.
[Kamohai] Somebody's living in here.
[Kamohai] Dude.
Somebody's living in here.
[Tristyn] Can you make sure no one is in here?
[Kamohai] Hello? Hello?
Time to go.
Check the bedroom.
[Tristyn] Can you check it first?
-[Kamohai] Yeah. -[Tristyn] How about go down that hallway?
[knocking]
Hello? Hello?
Well, I found how they got in. This back bedroom.
[Tristyn] Through the window?
-[Kamohai] Yup. -[Tristyn] But no one's here?
[Kamohai] Nobody's here.
[Tristyn] There's candles.
It's like somebody's just partying.
Like making house, no electricity.
This is full-on squatter situation.
They just moved in, did whatever they want,
left their trash everywhere.
Ugh!
[Kamohai] Somebody's been here for a while.
They were cooking inside the house.
Like not on the lanai, but in this corner.
There's like burn marks on the ceiling.
-There's a barbecue grill with charcoal in it. -[Tristyn] So dangerous.
They literally could have burned the house down.
We gotta secure the property. We gotta board up the windows.
We gotta get "No Trespassing" signs,
change the locks and then clean all this out.
-I'll call some guys. -[Kamohai] All right.
I'm gonna start cleaning it out while we wait.
[Tristyn] Ugh. What is that smell?
[upbeat music]
[Kamohai] That's wild.
The whole house could have burned down.
-[man] Tristyn. -Yo.
[Kamohai] Yo.
So first things first, we'll just take all this furniture out.
I'll start boarding up the windows,
and once the place is empty,
you can basically jump in with me.
Let's go.
While Travis and the guys continue clearing everything out of the house,
I want to introduce myself to the neighbors.
But what I really want to try and figure out
is when the last time somebody was actually in the house.
Hi. My name's Kamohai Kalama.
We are gonna fix the house up. That's what we do.
Yes.
-Hey! -How's it?
My name's Kamohai Kalama. We are gonna fix the house up.
-Do you live right here? -Yeah, yeah. I live here.
Nice. You been here a long time?
-Long time. -[Kamohai] Yeah.
When we walked over there today,
I noticed that it was chained up.
So I'm trying to figure out, was there somebody in there?
I think there was like a couple of squatters in there.
-I don't know. -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
My brother locked it up.
-No way. -Yeah.
When was the last time you saw somebody in there?
After we locked it up, we hardly see anybody there anymore.
-Nobody came back? -Yeah.
Thank you for your brother locking it up.
I owe you a lock, but I appreciate it.
-Thank you. Thank you. -Right on.
-Mahalo. -Mahalo.
-Have a good one. -You too.
Yeah, she's awesome.
[Tristyn] How'd it go?
[Kamohai] I talked to two neighbors.
The neighbor right across the street,
her brother is the one that locked the house up.
That's good. At least you know people are trying to watch the property.
I told her we cut her lock.
-We can reimburse her for it. -I know. I told her.
So, the house is cleared out.
So we can just come back tomorrow and demo.
-Let's get out of here. -Let's go.
[upbeat music]
-[Kamohai] Are you guys ready? -[Tristyn] Ready.
-[Tristyn] Okay. -[Travis] What's the plan?
[Tristyn] Kitchen's staying in the same location.
We're just gonna rework where the appliances are and add more cabinetry.
I want to get rid of this peninsula
with these upper cabinets blocking the whole view,
and put an island right here
so it just flows from the door all the way to the outside.
Kitchen can get fully demo'ed.
This wall behind me has to come down.
This will be dining.
This will just be one big living room.
Off the living, you're gonna have two bedrooms.
Hall bath is not moving.
And then a large primary with the primary bath.
I have to create a fourth bedroom on this side of the house
because there is a bedroom here, but it's not to code.
[Kamohai] It's not a real bedroom.
So that wall can get opened up.
-All right, let's go. -And break.
[upbeat music]
[Tristyn] Whoo!
You're going wild over here.
Look at all this space we have now.
-[Tristyn] Yeah. -[Kamohai] So much more open.
[Tristyn] I'll take it.
It took us almost a year to be able to do this.
We're off to a good start.
We should be in and out of this house in like eight to ten weeks.
[Kamohai] We'll see.
[Kamohai] Now that permits are approved,
the crew can finish demo and start framing.
[Tristyn] We got lumber. That's good.
And a dumpster. We're cranking.
It means we're cranking.
[Kamohai] It means demo is probably almost done.
-Demo's done. -It is done.
Look, wide open in here.
It feels huge in here.
-[Kamohai] Yeah. -[Tristyn] So they started framing.
I see they're starting to frame out that bedroom, that bedroom.
We still have a lot of framing to do, but it's really good.
Are you finding any kind of crazy damage that we couldn't see anywhere?
Fortunately, no.
Pretty damn solid.
How long do you think framing is gonna take?
Maybe another day or two.
Sounds good. I like the progress.
Let's just keep a good thing going.
Absolutely.
[Tristyn] And remember, we've got to make sure
that that exterior wall is airtight
-to block out all of that freeway noise. -[Kamohai] Yeah.
[upbeat music]
-Babe. -What's up?
[Tristyn] We have to offset how not attractive the freeway is.
Best way to do that is to make sure people forget
all the cars when they walk in.
I want to go contemporary modern in this house.
Push the border of looks.
Something in wood, white, gray.
So this, I love.
I'm thinking kitchen backsplash. It's marble, geometric.
[Kamohai] This thing is cool.
-And then we'll do a walnut flat panel cabinet. -[Kamohai] Mm-hmm.
[Tristyn] With black hardware.
[Kamohai] Definitely black.
[Tristyn] On the perimeter, we'll do just a plain white countertop,
and then on the island, we'll do a gray countertop.
That makes sense to me.
Cabinet throughout the house.
-So envision that in bathrooms and stuff, too. -Okay.
This for bathroom floors, both hall and then primary.
With that said, hall bath.
Which gray do you like?
-This one. -Done.
[Tristyn] In the hall bath, we'll use a white flat panel cabinet
with the dark floors that are used throughout the home.
And then we'll layer in gray subway
on all three tub surround walls just to give it some depth
and tie in the gray from the kitchen.
In the primary,
we will do the same wood tile on the floor,
and then we will do this textured tile
on all three shower surround walls.
-Vertically stacked. -Vertically stacked.
-We spend too much time together. -Jinx.
[Tristyn] So we'll have this as a cabinet.
It's a very neutral palette, but it still feels elevated.
And then for the exterior of the house,
body color is this very dark green.
Trim, we can go with this creamy natural white color
and then for an accent, this...
-[Kamohai] Leather color. -...leather color.
-I love that. -I agree.
Finally, for landscaping,
thankfully, the mango tree hides a good chunk of the freeway.
We just need to clear out the back and add some grass
and decorative tealeaf, and then we'll extend the existing patio,
cover the length of the house
to make the outdoor area much more functional.
-Approved? -Yeah.
Cool. I'm gonna order that
and then I'll just go find flooring and then get the paint.
-Let's get it. -Done, son.
[upbeat music playing]
[Kamohai] We have tons going on at the house right now.
The new extended covered Lanai
really helps block that freeway sightline.
Hopefully, it'll deaden some of the sound as well.
-What's up, man? -How you doing, man?
-How are you guys? -All right. All right. Good.
How's this thing? Pretty dope, huh?
-Yeah. Nice, man. -[Kamohai] Yeah.
I just got that repaired.
-It looks so much better already. -[Regon] Yeah.
I couldn't even see down to the fence before.
They got a lot done so far.
So, Regon texted me that we may have an issue
with one of our fruit trees.
Which I'm hoping is not major
because we were hoping these fruit trees are gonna help us
with blocking out the sightline and the noise from the freeway.
And these things can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace.
So what do you got to show me?
[Kamohai] What?
-[Kamohai] Dude... -[Regon] Yeah.
Bro.
If I have to cut this tree down, I'm screwed.
Oh, my gosh, you can see 'em right there.
[Regon speaking]
Bro. I cannot afford to cut this down.
This tree is like saving us
from this whole freeway on this side of the yard.
Is there an option where we can save the tree still?
Um...
I don't know how I can try and convey this to you more.
Please, let's save this tree.
Let's do it.
[upbeat music playing]
[Kamohai] I have the worst luck with mango trees and termites.
-[Regon] That's good for now. -Doesn't look too bad inside.
-[Regon] No, that's good. -It was just the end, yeah?
We'll leave it just like that and treat it.
-And then you guys can come back tomorrow and spray. -Yeah we'll treat it tomorrow.
[Kamohai] In addition to being expensive,
mature trees are irreplaceable.
We were counting on it to not only add value
because of fruit that it bears,
but it's also deafening the sound
and blocking most of your view of the freeway.
I appreciate you guys. Thank you guys so much.
Yeah. No problem, man.
We've had to chop down trees like this before
because of rot, and it costs us $8,000.
Oh, the guys are jamming.
Stopping by gives me a chance to check out framing and the new layout.
And to make sure that there's no signs of active termites anywhere.
Feels really good in here, man.
Don't see any termites either.
[man speaking]
It's all good, yeah?
♪ I just do what I want ♪
♪ Do what I want ♪
♪ Do what I wanna do ♪
♪ Baby, give me more ♪
♪ I just do what I want ♪
♪ Do what I want ♪
♪ Do what I wanna do ♪
♪ I just do what I do ♪
♪ Do what I do ♪
♪ Do what I'm gonna do ♪
♪ It's time, pick it up ♪
♪ Let's go, pick it up Let's go ♪
[Kamohai] So now that Regon and the guys
have trimmed all the affected branches,
they can set the traps, they can spray the tree,
and we just gotta wait to see if the tree is gonna heal
and it kills all the termites.
[Tristyn] Work continues inside the house
with electrical and plumbing roughing
and we're trenching for the new laundry placement.
[upbeat music playing]
We're officially past the halfway point with only three weeks left
until we need to finish this project and list the house.
So, while the exterior is getting painted
a very deep hunter green, which I absolutely love...
it's always inspired by nature around us.
Work continues on the inside.
The traffic noise is definitely our biggest challenge inside this house.
So we're gonna invest in the insulation
and make sure it's installed flawlessly.
No big gaps between it.
Every corner tucked in tight
and we're also gonna use a much thicker drywall
that's gonna help deaden the sound.
[Tristyn] I mean, it better block it out.
Otherwise, we're screwed
because the highway is just gonna be an issue no matter what.
-[upbeat music playing] -[horns honking]
-[Laura] Hi! -Hi.
-So nice to see you. -Oh, nice to see you too.
-[Tristyn] I got your coffee. -[Laura] Oh, thank you.
[Tristyn] I'm excited to see what you brought.
Today, I'm meeting with my wallpaper designer friend Laura.
We're doing everything we can to drown out all the freeway noise.
But I also want to do something special inside
to visually entice buyers right when they walk in.
[Laura] I worked on a few designs.
-This is a mid-century modern design. -Yes.
I love that.
[Laura] And then this design incorporates everything Hawaiian.
-Mauna Kea, Ko'olau. -Yeah.
This is Kukui Nut.
I love this.
[Laura] Okay. So if there are any plants
that you would like to see on the walls...
-[Tristyn] Yeah. -[Laura] I can do whatever you want.
There's two Noni trees in the yard.
That's perfect. I haven't done that yet.
-[Tristyn] Let's do Noni. -[Laura] I would love to do that.
[Tristyn] I love the idea of incorporating what's already there.
It's a way to pay respect to the house.
-[Laura] Right. Right. -I think this is the exact finish
that will really make it unique
and make buyers fall in love with it.
Well, I can start on it right away.
-Another custom wallpaper, yes! -[chuckles]
[upbeat music playing]
Look at this exterior.
I love it. It just pops really nicely against the white.
It looks good. Let's go check out the drywall.
[Kamohai] Ta-da!
[Tristyn] It feels huge.
I love the fact that you walk in
and you can see straight to your backyard,
wide open and look at all the bedrooms.
Looks good.
The primary.
[Tristyn] Do we think a king size bed will fit in here?
Come on. A California king would fit in here.
[horns honking at a distance]
It feels really good in here.
What's going on?
I can still hear the freeway.
[horns honking]
Can you check to see if all the windows are all closed?
Yes.
They're all closed.
They're all closed, babe.
[distant engine revving]
Motorcycle.
-That sounds like a semi. -No, I hear it, but we did everything
to make sure we blocked out that sound.
This is the whole, like, reason
I, like, didn't wanna buy this house.
I'm just so scared of being able to sell it.
I'm so scared.
The margins are so slim on this one, too.
I said it when you first talked about buying it.
I said it when we were sitting in escrow.
You can make the most beautiful house ever,
but if it's in the wrong location, like, you're screwed.
This is the thing. We don't want them
to think about anything but the design
and what's in here while they're in here.
We can put bigger trees out there
that will do two things, block out sound and also block out view.
Once, like the flooring is in here to absorb sound,
the furniture is in here, thicker curtain.
-Yeah. -I don't know.
Anything thick. More features inside.
-Whatever we can do to dull out noise. -Whatever we can do.
All righty, then.
[upbeat music playing]
[Kamohai] Now the drywall is done,
the guys are installing our oak floors.
We're entering the final week of our renovation.
We spent more money on high end finishes,
extra plants to deaden the noise outside.
Money is getting really tight right now,
and there's so much left to do.
[upbeat music playing]
[Tristyn] We need to hurry and get cabinets and counters installed ASAP.
So we can move on to tile, appliances, fixtures and staging.
[upbeat music continues playing]
And while they're doing that,
Kamohai and I and the kiddos
are heading out to Waimanalo to a nursery,
to look for trees to help deaden the freeway noise
and amp up the landscaping.
-Look at this place. -I know, it's so pretty back here.
[Kamohai] These mountains.
-[Tristyn] All right. -We need some trees, you guys.
Big trees that are gonna block out sound.
-[man] Hi there, welcome. -[Kamohai] Hey.
I mean, these are what I'm talking about.
[man] Yeah, the Eurekas are a really good plant.
You do need to plant as many because they're so thick.
-And it also blocks sound. -[Kamohai] Mmm.
I have two sizes, 15-gallon for $200 and 25 for $300.
-[Kamohai] We'll do seven of the 25 gallon one. -[Sandro] Okay. We're good.
-Right on, man. -Thank you. I really appreciate it.
Thank you.
You're welcome. Thank you.
[Tristyn] And there goes our daughter.
-[Vale] Come in. -[Tristyn] Come in.
[Kamohai] A tunnel of Eureka Palm.
-[Tristyn] Isn't this cool? -[Yasiel speaking]
[Tristyn] I want-- [laughs]
-[Tristyn] You want this to be your house? -Way too big to fit in there.
[Tristyn] I think we found a great solution
and we did a little family excursion.
[upbeat music playing]
So, there should be a lot--
I mean, cabinets, countertops, flooring, tile.
-Babe, massive production has happened. -[Kamohai] Wow.
The guys jammed this out.
I do think we went a little overboard for this area.
I'm trying to overcompensate for the freeway.
[Kamohai] Yeah, but I think buyers will love it.
-[Kamohai] This backsplash is amazing. -[Tristyn] Dope.
It's a classy tile.
[Kamohai] Between everything we spent on landscaping
and trying to block out the sound,
everything needs to be done correctly and fast
so we don't have another mortgage payment.
And hopefully the mango tree isn't ma-ke.
Let's check out this primary. Look at all the new trees, babe.
The landscaping looks really nice.
[Kamohai] Like I can't even see the freeway from in here.
All of those things that we did paid off
and I don't hear it, but I was thinking we could add something
that could just kill that last bit,
like some kind of a water feature.
-[Tristyn] Instead, your attention goes to that. -[Kamohai] Right.
-And that's normally a very calming sound. -Yeah.
It would be perfect.
[Kamohai] We're coming down to the wire,
but it's important that we use any trick
that we have to help elevate this house.
Talk about fruit.
[Tristyn] Look at all these mangos, babe.
[Kamohai] We wouldn't have this much fruit on the tree if it was dying.
-[Tristyn] Yeah. -[Kamohai] And all of this line of plants on that side
-is helping. -[Tristyn] A ton.
Chalk it up as a win.
-We can focus on just finishing the house. -[Kamohai] Yes.
[upbeat music playing]
[Kamohai] There's only a few more finishes to get done
before stagers come tomorrow.
[Tristyn] We've got wallpaper going in,
appliances and fixtures also getting installed,
and the landscapers are jamming on the exterior as well.
[music concludes]
[whooshes]
Oh, guys. The furniture is here.
[Kamohai] Let's go. We gotta get jamming.
So this is it.
We have to work as hard as we can to get this thing done today.
Our realtor, Jocelyn, is coming here tomorrow to look at the house,
and we have to come up with a plan...
-And price. -...to get this thing...
and a price, yes, we can't forget the price,
to get this thing sold as fast as possible.
[Tristyn] I wanna price it to sell on whatever comes in.
If they're a qualified and motivated buyer
and we still are walking away, not losing money,
I'm willing to take that and move on.
Not every deal is a home run, but a base hit is good, too.
[water splashing]
[Kamohai] Babe, check it out.
Oh, my gosh. It's so peaceful.
-[Kamohai chuckles] -[Tristyn] What freeway?
[Kamohai] Exactly.
It's only Zen. Hawaiian Zen.
[dramatic music playing]
[Kamohai] Do you like how it's turning out?
[Tristyn] Yeah. I mean, when you first showed it to me,
I did not wanna buy it.
But I can say that I love what we did.
We went above and beyond on the design.
We did everything that we set out to do.
My anxiety right now is if we'll find a buyer
that can look past the freeway.
But I still don't know what the end result is gonna be.
Like, are we gonna make money on this,
or are we gonna lose money on this?
[music concludes]
[upbeat music playing]
I know this project was one of the most challenging ones
that we've had this year.
It took so long.
We have a freeway in the back.
There were squatters in the house.
Somebody's living in here.
Hello?
-Do you remember the chains on the door? - Tristyn] Yes.
And then, the amount of dead cockroaches over in the house,
gross.
[Kamohai] There was even a barbecue grill.
Like they were cooking in the house.
But from what it was to what it is,
it's gorgeous.
[Kamohai] It feels so good.
I don't hear a freeway.
[Tristyn] I don't hear a freeway at all.
I think I want a water feature.
Maybe I'll always be less anxious
if we have a water feature.
-I'm all for that. For sure. -[both laugh]
[Tristyn] I don't know what else we could have done.
The pressure is now gonna be on Jocelyn
-to get this house sold. -[Tristyn] I know.
Well, she should be here any second.
[Kamohai] Oh, babe. She's here.
[Tristyn] All right.
-Hi, Joce. -[Jocelyn] Hey, guys.
Oh, my gosh.
-You like it? -[Jocelyn] This is so cute.
Jocelyn is the perfect realtor for this house
because she does a ton of business in this neighborhood.
It's so important to find a realtor well-versed in the area
that your house is.
-Absolutely. -I can't stress that enough.
It was a no-brainer.
[Jocelyn] I love the pop with the dark and the light.
[Tristyn] What about the pop of color on the doors?
-[Jocelyn] Oh, yes. This rust like your nails? -[Kamohai and Tristyn] Yeah.
-[laughing] I channel... -What a great contrast!
[Tristyn] I think it needed a little pop.
[Jocelyn] That is such a nice touch.
[Kamohai] Just what it needed.
[Jocelyn] Great job on the curb appeal, you guys.
Um, but I do say there is some challenges.
-[Tristyn] Yeah. -I feel the area,
and then, I can, kind of, hear the freeway. I know it's in the back.
Probably our biggest challenge.
We did a lot of things to try and deaden that sound.
-So when you walk in... -Oh! Right.
...you don't hear anything.
[Jocelyn] Yeah. I wanna see it. Oh, my gosh. I'm excited.
[Kamohai] There is two entrances.
There's one through your carport and the front door.
We really want people to walk through this space,
so they get the full experience.
[Jocelyn] Okay.
Oh, my gosh. You guys, this wallpaper.
-[Tristyn] Do you like it? -[Jocelyn] Yes.
-Wow! -[Tristyn] I feel like it's a grand entrance.
It is a grand entrance.
Great first impression.
You walk in through this wallpaper
-and then you have a waterfall. -[Tristyn] Right?
-Very soothing. Very warm. -[Tristyn] Yes.
-Very homey. -[Kamohai] This is where
the distraction from the freeway begins.
-'Cause I don't even hear it anymore. -[Tristyn] You hear nothing.
-Not at all. Not at all. -[Kamohai] Yeah.
-[Tristyn] Mission accomplished. -[laughs]
And then if you turn around...
-[Jocelyn] Okay. -...the house unfolds.
[Jocelyn] Wow!
Oh, my gosh. You guys, this kitchen.
I love the contrast.
The darker cabinets, the gray
and then, the warmth of the gold handles.
-[Tristyn] The gold just softens everything up. -[Jocelyn] It does.
Honestly, you don't see a lot of kitchens like this in this neighborhood.
It just feels so luxurious.
[Tristyn] That was our goal.
[Jocelyn] I love it. Great elevation.
-You guys did a good job. -[Kamohai] Awesome.
-Yeah. -And then you made a bar.
[Tristyn] It could be a coffee bar. It could be...
[Kamohai] A whisky bar.
That's an added feature that I think was very, very important.
[Jocelyn] Also not common.
-[Kamohai] Exactly. -[Jocelyn] You guys elevated.
[Tristyn] Yeah, and it anchors the dining area.
Then it flows into your living room.
[Jocelyn] I love the openness.
I love the color choices,
the green tones with all the brown.
The natural lighting is really nice.
I mean, it's big already, but it gives it a more grand feel.
[Tristyn] I agree.
Then down this hallway, you have the hall bath.
Very gnarly before. It's beautiful now.
And then, two bedrooms.
Good size, perfect for kids.
[Jocelyn] Well, I love that layout.
There's also another bedroom on this side
-staged as an office. -[Jocelyn] Oh, office.
...with my head. Wow, you guys.
[Kamohai] This could easily be another kid's room.
[Jocelyn] I can, totally, see that.
[Kamohai] So you have a primary right next to the office.
Your primary starts here.
[Jocelyn] Oh, wow.
I like how you tied in, kind of, like with the bar.
Warm gold tones, double sinks, too.
[Tristyn] Yep. Matte black fixtures and then pops of gold.
Practical, functional.
[Tristyn] And luxurious.
And then, you have your primary bedroom.
Wow, you guys. I love this space.
Look at how much light is coming through.
[Kamohai] Tons of natural light.
The question is, do you hear the freeway?
I don't. You can't even tell.
Great job 'cause, really, you can't hear it.
[Tristyn] That's all I need to know.
[Kamohai] Yeah, that's a win.
[Tristyn] It's really about the outside now.
-That's where things get tricky. -Let's go check it out.
-I guess, we'll see. -[laughs]
I'm just nervous for her to actually see the freeway and be like,
"How is she gonna present that to the potential buyer?"
'Cause, like, I honestly wouldn't know how to do it.
-That's why I'm not a realtor. -[chuckles] Facts.
-[Tristyn laughs] -Wow, guys. This is huge back here.
[Tristyn] Nice and open, shaded.
Oh, and I love this seating space.
-[Tristyn] Isn't it great? -[Jocelyn] Yeah.
[Tristyn] You also can put a big table.
You can eat outside.
[Kamohai] You have a full outdoor area.
-[Jocelyn] Yeah. -[Tristyn] 100%.
And two mango trees.
A very fertile mango tree.
[Kamohai] Yes. It is, actually, fruiting right now.
[cars passing by]
Oh, wait.
-Is that the freeway? -[Tristyn] It's right there.
-[chuckles softly] -[Tristyn] It's, literally, right there.
[Jocelyn] Yeah, it is really back there. Wow.
-Is it that bad? -Actually, honestly,
I mean, I had to duck to see it.
I commend you for everything you did
to, kind of, buffer the sound,
but I got to be honest,
that, for you, is, kind of, gonna be...
a challenge.
[Tristyn] So you've seen it all.
-It's beautiful. -Inside, outside...
-Yes. -...every nook and cranny.
[Kamohai] From the very beginning,
-I was always right at the 1.1 mark. -Okay.
Looking at the comps in this neighborhood,
there was one that was, like, one less bedroom...
-Mmm-hmm. -...1,400 square feet,
and it also backs the freeway.
1.075. It was upgraded.
It wasn't "elevated".
-[laughs] -Oh! That one was just upgraded.
This one is "elevated".
[Kamohai] Yes.
I don't think we can have one and one together.
I think we have to be under that.
So I think we can drop it 10,000 from there.
And let's do 1,090,000.
That's the highest, I would say.
Ten grand less. How do you feel?
I wanted to list conservative
and get it off the market quickly,
so I'm totally cool with that.
-Okay. Let's do it. -Awesome.
You just got to get it sold.
-Well, we're gonna get it blessed. -Yes.
-That's important. -Then, we're gonna get it in test run.
Yes. Always blessed.
-[Jocelyn] Always blessed first. -[Tristyn] Yeah.
[Kamoa chanting in other language]
[Kamohai] Watch out, babies.
-Hi, Dad. -[groans softly]
I like the color of the house.
-Hi. -[Tristyn] Oh! I can get you the color of the house.
[indistinct chatter]
[Kamoa chanting in other language]
-Hey! What's up? -[Kamohai] What's up? You made it.
-Thank you for having me. -[Kamohai] Of course.
I got something for you.
-Ta-da! -Oh!
[laughing] There you go.
Told you I would get you a lock back, and I did.
-Thank you. -Yeah.
It looks gorgeous.
Yeah. Well, come in. Come look at it.
It's so candid here.
Can you sit right here?
Okay. Hello, everybody.
As we come to this hale n Waipahu,
this will be our blessing for today.
♪ I see...♪
♪ You flying ♪
♪ Come...♪
[speaking other language]
[all applauding]
[Kamohai] Now that we have a list price,
and we have a plan and strategy with Jocelyn...
[Jocelyn] Hi!
[Kamohai] ...I feel confident in her ability to be able to find a buyer
and sell this house quickly.
We just have to get that right buyer in the door.
[Jocelyn] Look at our deluxe kitchen.
[Kamohai] She's getting a ton of great feedback.
[Jocelyn] So your freeway wouldn't be an issue at all.
It's not too loud. Even out here, it's not too loud.
But she's also getting some not-so-great feedback.
[woman]
-Sorry. -Sucks but okay.
Now it's just a waiting game,
how good or not good we do.
What is it listed at?
[Jocelyn] 1,090,000.
Wow. That's a great price for this.
[Kamohai] So we bought the house for 650,000.
We spent a little bit more money on the renovation
trying to block the freeway out at $210,000.
We're estimating our holding-selling costs at $150,000.
If we sell the property at 1,090,000,
we're gonna walk away with about $75,0000 in profit.
That's a huge win to walk away with anything
when the odds are stacked against you.
But now, pouring all of the energy and love back into the house,
like, I think it turned out really well,
and I'm very proud that we took it on.
[Kamohai] It is always a win to get a family in,
revitalize the neighborhood
-and move on for the next. - Tristyn] Rinse and repeat,
maybe with less freeway and less chickens.
So I'm looking for a freeway house.
[laughs]
[upbeat music concludes]