Real Estate Shows: Different Shows, Same Storylines

[auntjess]

I'm still liking My City's Just Not that Into Me, and in a recent one, 2 cousins in Chicago, gay male and straight female, both wanted a place to find ment.
They were shown NYC (surprising because their budget was $2k a month tops), and Atlanta.  At the end they show a place in their home town to tempt them to stay.

The woman really liked the Chicago place, and wanted to stay, and you could just see her cousin's face fall, because he had so loved NY.

I was glad that each chose their own favorite, and didn't stick together.
Guy cousin found another roommate for NYC, and is loving it.
 

[auntjess]

For any fans of Unlivable, where Gary & Bama help people chose a dump, then fix it up, here's a Facebook alert from Bama.
"The words not lookin good ‪#‎Unlivable‬ fans! If y'all want more Gary& ‪#‎Bama‬ action, let @FYI hear ya RT @contractorgary http://t.co/aeuftosz2o"

I'm not on twitter, but I did post on the FYI Facebook page.

[auntjess]

From Scott McGillivray's Facebook page

 

Hang on tight everybody! I've got 5 new episodes of ‪#‎IncomeProperty‬ airing tomorrow night! 7pm, 8pm, & 9pm on DIY Network for USA and 9pm & 9:30pm on HGTV Canada. And live tweeting for everyone across the globe on Twitter @smcgillivray. It's going to be an awesome night!!!

Note, this on DIY, not HGTV.
Also, they dates are last year, but maybe that's the Canadian debut date.

[chessiegal]

Someone upthread asked about Beachfront Bargain Hunt on HGTV if they were on the Atlantic coast. Mostly, but they also do the Gulf coast, from Florida to Texas. Today I saw a rerun that was in a remote coastal area of Washington state. I think I remember others in the upper Northwest.

[bubbls]

Is parquet flooring as hideous as these homeowners say it is? I don't love it and would't choose to put it in, but I wouldn't take it out if I had it. I think the dark oak colored parquet is much nicer looking than the maple stained though. I almost bought a house that had dark oak parquet in the dining. It was well cared for but obviously original to the old house and it was beautiful. I loved it. 

Edited April 6, 2015 by bubbls

[Bastet]

I love parquet flooring, although I feel it has to be used sparingly; I don't like it in a large room or one that's pretty busy on its own in terms of furniture, rugs, etc.  I have some in my foyer (original 1938 flooring) and think it's perfect there. 

[Guest]

I just noticed this weekend how many of the renovation / flipping shows have switched over to having not just a couple as the host but including their kids.  I find it incredibly annoying.  One mother (I think it was Fixer Upper) said she lets her kid decide if she wants to go with her to work each day. Another mother (Flip or Flop) was carting her kid around through most of the auctions or shopping and the kid was screaming.  That kid must have been screaming all day if they could not find any footage to edit it out.

 

These are entertainment shows about fixing up houses.  I do not need to see your home life or your kid.  I especially don't need to hear your kid. 

Edited April 7, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[laredhead]

Bubbls, parquet flooring seems to be one of those love it/hate it features.  I would love to have the older parquet in my house because it can be refinished several times and is very thick.  The newer versions, not so much.  One refinishing would probably be the maximum.  I like the look of a parquet floor, and have seen some lovely floors using it in combination with a darker wood inlaid border in homes of the early 20th century.  I think younger HH's take one look at it and decide it's old and dated, but they would be throwing out some valuable flooring in that cast because you cannot buy the "good" stuff anymore.   

[Terrafamilia]

Property Virgins is back. The first episode had a couple searching for a starter McMansion. The third, most expensive one was a true monstrosity. The front steps looked like the contractor misplaced a decimal when ordering the stones and ended up with 10 times what they really needed so they just kept installing all the way around. It totally unbalanced the whole look of the house. Not to mention the railing was way over to the side so your aging parents would probably just skip the front door and go in the back. The entrance/foyer was cluttered with pillars. Don't know if they were structurally necessary or what. The layout of the second floor looked like the architect designed the exterior and roofline first an only then tried to stuff the rooms into the available space. I was heartened when the couple wisely turned it down.

[laredhead]

I agree with you about the 3rd house, Terrafamilia.  The front steps were horrible.  Looked like some wanted a castle and tried to incorporate that style into the house.  The interior columns were also a bit overdone.  Maybe one or two at the most were all that might have been necessary.  The wife's voice was another one of those little girl vocal fry voices that grated on me every time she said something.  i do wish women would quit imitating the famous person who started that trend.

[aguabella]

From Scott McGillivray's Facebook page

Note, this on DIY, not HGTV.

Also, they dates are last year, but maybe that's the Canadian debut date.

 

Happy they finally showed 2, S10 episodes, in a lousy (IMHO) Saturday timeslot.  Too bad that hour appears to be a one-off or two-off, lol.  There's nothing on the schedule so they've probably reduced IP to fill-in.  Awful, awful ...

 

So happy that Scott and/or his production company listened to someone's feedback and removed the (faux) house hunting portion of the program!

 

Speaking of his production company, am pretty sure he still works with Debbie Travis' team.  Smart, IMHO!

[Wings]

I took all of the real estate shows off my DVR last year because they are set up.  I don't see anyway they could be authentic either.   It takes way too long to hunt for a house, buy it and go through the 6 week, at least, wait for the closing on top of delays in getting financing, title searches and home inspections.  Their budget is not big enough. 

 

I like decorating shows; Debbie Travis was a favorite of mine.  Just thought I would do a drive by here to see if there was anything new going on.  And for the hell of it, I hate parquet floors.  I also don't like dark wood floors.  I should probably move to Sweden because I love all light wood on floors and in furniture.  It is such a bright, lovely fresh environment!   

 

Off to seek the decorating shows.  It is my passion and I am good at it.  Just love to continually tweak my house.  :>)

[auntjess]

 

So happy that Scott and/or his production company listened to someone's feedback and removed the (faux) house hunting portion of the program!

I thought that too, but then remembered seeing earlier shows where the people had the houses already.

Remember the woman who lost her job, and her sister helped her, and also some relative of his wife, who was getting married.

I hope these just aren't shows with new dates.

[aguabella]

I took all of the real estate shows off my DVR last year because they are set up.  I don't see anyway they could be authentic either.   It takes way too long to hunt for a house, buy it and go through the 6 week, at least, wait for the closing on top of delays in getting financing, title searches and home inspections.  Their budget is not big enough. 

 

 

 

The casting applications for these shows require prospective participants to have previously purchased a property.  It's reality television, i.e. not real.

[aguabella]

I thought that too, but then remembered seeing earlier shows where the people had the houses already.

Remember the woman who lost her job, and her sister helped her, and also some relative of his wife, who was getting married.

I hope these just aren't shows with new dates.

 

IIRC, Scott filmed approximately 7 seasons of primarily basement renovations, mostly existing properties, previously purchased by the homeowners.  Those were 30 minute episodes - well, actually 22 minutes, sans commercials, lol.  Yes, one of his inlaws appeared during this time period.  (Not sure which sisters you're referring to - he's worked with multiple sets of them.)

 

Like many other HGTV hosts, Scott jumped on the House Hunters ("HH") bandwagon, expanding IP to an hour for S8 and S9, adding the house hunting portion.  In addition, he also expanded the renovation focus, completing larger renovations instead of focusing primarily on basements.

 

If the initial 2 episodes accurately represent S10, he's retained the broader renovation focus but eliminated the HH scenes, returning to 30 minute episodes.  Although I appreciated Scott's attempt to put the IP spin on the house hunting process, it was too canned for me and always obvious which home they'd previously purchased.

Edited April 21, 2015 by aguabella

[Wings]

The casting applications for these shows require prospective participants to have previously purchased a property.  It's reality television, i.e. not real.

 

 

Sigh, I know, I know.  How about eliminating the fake search for a house?  There.  That is a good request, right?  LOL.

[auntjess]

The sisters I remembered were probably in their 50s.   Woman had lost her job at an age where job hunting is hard.

House was a suburban ranch or rambler-style house.
I do like this type of show more, but hoping that they really are new shows, not just re-dated ones.

 

[aguabella]

Sigh, I know, I know.  How about eliminating the fake search for a house?  There.  That is a good request, right?  LOL.

 

 

Was posting about this yesterday (previous post, for one) b/c Income Property eliminated the 30 minute house hunting portion for their 10th season. 

[aguabella]

I do like this type of show more, but hoping that they really are new shows, not just re-dated ones.

 

 

???  I just mentioned the 2 new IP, S10 episodes, above.  Do you have a dvr schedule or use tvguide.com?  The episodes were accurately listed as "New".

 

Oh, do you view IP on DIY, too?  I don't have DIY and just program my dvr to record only "New" IP episodes on HGTV.  I do know, however, that the DIY and HGTV schedules operate independently of each other.  So, episodes might be accurately listed as "New" on HGTV but you've (possibly) previously viewed them on DIY - or vice versa.  Is that the issue?

 

Incidentally, WRT HGTV, to date they've only aired 2 episodes (each) from IP's S9 and S10.  So, going forward, most S9 and S10 episodes will be "New".  BTW, they're airing another S9 episode (an hour in length as indicated, above) at 11am ET/PT on Thursday.

Edited April 22, 2015 by aguabella

[auntjess]

I use the guide on U-verse, on the screen.
I guess I'm suspicious because I've been watching Cause of Death, on ID, a rewrapping of Forensic Files, and they have new dates on the U-verse guide, but if you look at the copyright, it's MMIV.
Also, in part of the opening, Scott is wear that long coat that he wore in the opening of the older shows.

IP hasn't been on DIY, as far as I know.  Looks like he was demoted, and Nicole, of all people, was promoted to HGTV.  (This is how I the the owner, Scripps?, considers the channels.  DIY is my go-to channel.)

[aguabella]

I use the guide on U-verse, on the screen.

I guess I'm suspicious because I've been watching Cause of Death, on ID, a rewrapping of Forensic Files, and they have new dates on the U-verse guide, but if you look at the copyright, it's MMIV.

Also, in part of the opening, Scott is wear that long coat that he wore in the opening of the older shows.

IP hasn't been on DIY, as far as I know.  Looks like he was demoted, and Nicole, of all people, was promoted to HGTV.  (This is how I the the owner, Scripps?, considers the channels.  DIY is my go-to channel.)

 

 

???  And something on ID would affect an HGTV / Debbie Travis production, how??  Sounds like someone typed in 2004, instead of 2014, in error.  Perhaps ID needs a new intern.

 

Scott didn't add the long cost until the last few seasons, i.e. his latest intro, IIRC.  That means you're probably watching newer episodes, not older, IMHO.

 

I believe all Nicole's seasons have been shown during primetime on HGTV but months after their initial DIY airings.  I've always thought of Scott as an HGTV personality.  (We don't get DIY so ???)  I'm sure Scott's a much bigger stah (lol) in Canada.  I am surprised, however, that recently IP's been given such lousy HGTV-US timeslots for intermittent episodes.  Is that why you believe Scott was demoted?

[auntjess]

My point was that it is done, and it was the copyright date, MMIV.

When he went to hour shows, I thought he changed the opening and dropped the long coat.
And yes, when new shows are shown in the morning, I consider that a demotion.
Nicole is how having new shows, premiering on HGTV.

[SmithW6079]

When he went to hour shows, I thought he changed the opening and dropped the long coat.

I thought the long coat -- and the gratuitous crotch shot -- was the opener for the hour show.

Good to hear the newest season us back to 30 minutes.

[selhars]

I'm watching an "Income Property" marathon this morning, and I have to say it's reminding me that I have to watch for the reno and reveal -- and not the storyline.

The storyline is fake, the financials are tweaked...just watch for the "before and after." I know, I know, the show is 'for entertainment purposes only. But, for me, the second you give me the what you say the financials are -- I want THAT to make sense, too.

 

This episode is supposedly about a previous friend of Scott's who went back to school to be a paramedic, and is selling his townhouse to get out of debt -- which over and over is said to be THE reason the guy is doing all this. As someone who is sort of our family's unofficial financial advisor, I want to know more about the numbers. BECAUSE if he's selling his town house to get out of debt, WHY isn't he using the proceeds from the town house to pay off the debts, and buy a smaller place or, go back to renting.

 

But of course the entire premise of Scott's math is buy an "income property" and have your rental unit pay a good part of your mortgage payment.

 

So given THE reason they give for the episode -- my question is ....IS that what would really get hims out of the debt he SAYS he wants to get out of.

His declarations that you bought the place for "A," you put "B" into the renovation, your mortgage is "C,".....but the rent of "X," will bring your mortgage down to "Y," and your house is now worth "Z" has always bothered me.

 

I also noticed that a while ago, they added a different 'financial disclaimer" as the show credits roll.

I want this show to really BE REALITY. IF you present it as true, and non-fiction -- that's what it ought to be.

[auntjess]

Another odd-time show on HGTV, is My First Sale (not Place.)  http://www.hgtv.com/shows/my-first-sale

I thought it was good value.  The first couple rejected suggestions from the first realtor, like ditch the mustard color paint, and the awful wallpaper.

The house was 850 sq ' and it sat for a LONG time. 

The wife kept saying that they'd spent $8k on granite countertops, and thought it would sell right away.

It was tiny and overpriced.
They fired the first agent, and did change some things when the second agent told them the same things.
The great part, is that it never sold, so they're renting it out at at loss, because they had to move.

[chessiegal]

Isn't "My First Sale" an old show? I know I've seen it but not for quite some time.

[auntjess]

I don't think so.  My First Place, and Property Virgins are old shows, but I thought this one was new.
I just liked to see the delusional sellers get stuck.

[chessiegal]

The next episode of "My First Sale" is on May 11 at 7 am EDT, and it's original air date is 4/25/12. These are old shows.

[auntjess]

Chessiegal, I double-checked last night, and you were right. 
I'll watch more though, because it's nice to see people get their just desserts.
I guess the Two Chicks one is new, though there's too much of them.
 

[laredhead]

I think I have just seen my most hated episode of Property Virgins.  Even Egypt seemed to be annoyed with the couple, especially the wife.  Couple with a small dog, and all he wanted was a "man cave" and all she wanted was for him not to have a "man cave".  I wish I had counted the number of times that man cave was uttered, but after 3 or 4 times, I tried to tune it out.  The wife declared she was not a compromiser and the hubby would have to bend to her wishes.  No wonder that man wanted his own space.  They low balled the offer on the house they wanted and the seller retaliated by not giving them what they wanted.  They finally bought the house, but they did have to pay more than they wanted and only got $1,000 toward closing.  I don't know if all of that negotiation drama was real or not, given all of the fake things about these supposedly real property shows, but at least the wife ended up having to compromise on something.  She hated trees and kept calling them gross and declare that all trees around her house would have to be cut.  Yeah, when she gets a utility bill in the middle of summer after she has cut down all of those beautiful trees, she might like them a little more.  She also might come to like them when she finds out how much it costs to have a tree removed.         

[NYGirl]

I saw that episode laredhead!!  The wife annoyed me so much.  She didn't care about anything but him not getting his mancave.  She was so meanspirited!!  She kept rolling her eyes and would hardly even look at the houses. They deserved to pay full price or a little over.

I've been watching Log Cabin? Living this weekend and there was a couple from NJ buying in Alaska where he was in the Coast Guard.  I was giggling throughout the episode as she was so upset that she didn't get her double sinks in the master bedroom.  I mean you're in the middle of the wilderness honey...and that's what worries you?

 

I knew he wasn't going to get his acreage...she had such a bitch face about it...of course I was right.

[MelinaBallerina]

The houses you see on the Alaska RE shows seem to depend on what network you're watching. HGTV seems to show more nice houses with most of the amenities you'd expect in a home. Discovery seems to show the stuff that is missing many amenities. That said, I still wouldn't want to live there, even with all the comforts of home - too much cold and darkness for many months for me.

 

Oh, exactly.  I love Buying Alaska on Destination America because of the unusual houses they show, perks or not.  Living Alaska on HGTV is just House Hunters in Alaska and is boring.  I'm kinda fascinated with Alaska right now.

[chessiegal]

I enjoyed the young couple on Caribbean Life buying in St. John USVI tonight.

I found their deli:

 

http://www.samandjacksdeli.com/about-us.html

 

Good for them.

 

[ByaNose]

HGTV is showing so many House Flipping shows that I can't keep up. And, there all single episodes. I guess they are trying to see who they want to give a full order to. There were two brothers, mother & daughter, Trista & Ryan from The Bachlorette (and, now all of the sudden they have contraction experience) and, I think one with two sisters. It's all very random and they are on no set schedule. I'm waiting for Hawaii Life to come back. That one is great for the scenery. Not so much for the actual homes. Usually, the budget the people have is no where decent enough near a beach that the people request. A little pricey in Hawaii. I'm not into Alaska (too far and remote for me) and, Big Sky looks beautiful but I can't ride a horse, LOL!!!

[bubbls]

I love Buying Alaska. It's so refreshing to see people get excited about fancy things like running water and indoor plumbing. I got a little crazy and looked into moving there but came to my senses soon enough.

[WildPlum]

Watched the new show "Sweet House Alabama" with Matt and Shauna West - don't think this one is going to take off. They also need better clients than the big taciturn guy complaining about money all the time and his wife, who was clearly just nodding her head even when she didn't understand a word.

 

The husband, Matt, doesn't seem like a particularly skilled contractor, either, not with the trouble putting up that mantle and the fact that the bathroom tile went in with the wrong grout - as GC it is your job to make sure that doesn't happen. Of course, you never know how much of that is the reality vs the staged drama. Wasn't "wow"ed with Shauna designs, either. Of course, I am not a fan of the "Southern Living Magazine look," either.

 

Some interesting old houses on the walk through (I am sure it is already a done deal for which house they will select, just like all the other reno shows), but all three had just been left to rot and looked like they needed major work, far in excess of the scope of work discussed.

[laredhead]

Sweet House Alabama is Fixer Upper set in Alabama.  I guess the Fixer Upper formula was successful and now there will be spin offs for other other states.  I agree with you WildPlum, that the scope of the work needed on these houses will out distance the stated budget.  Sure, you can say the second floor rooms just needs a bit of paint and spiffing up, but renovation never is as simple as that, especially with old houses like these.  When you purchase an older home, be prepared to spend money on it for as long as you live there.  At least that has been my experience with older houses. 

Edited June 6, 2015 by laredhead

[Amethyst]

Like many other HGTV hosts, Scott jumped on the House Hunters ("HH") bandwagon, expanding IP to an hour for S8 and S9, adding the house hunting portion.  In addition, he also expanded the renovation focus, completing larger renovations instead of focusing primarily on basements.

 

If the initial 2 episodes accurately represent S10, he's retained the broader renovation focus but eliminated the HH scenes, returning to 30 minute episodes.  Although I appreciated Scott's attempt to put the IP spin on the house hunting process, it was too canned for me and always obvious which home they'd previously purchased.

 

Same.  I hated the house buying bit of IP.  Not only have we seen it all before, but a nice trait about the old IP was that the homeowners had a lot of sentimental value towards their properties.  Often they have lived in them a long time, or a relative had passed it down to them or something.  Showing them buying the house and fixing it up later just felt like a rehash of Love it or List It, and Property Brothers.

 

Just to confirm, IP is no longer on HGTV, only DIY, correct?  

[laredhead]

Anyone watching Buying Montana?  Can the average person afford a house in Montana these days?  I guess they are showing only high end houses, but I'd like to see was $200,000 will buy there.

[bubbls]

Anyone watching Buying Montana?  Can the average person afford a house in Montana these days?  I guess they are showing only high end houses, but I'd like to see was $200,000 will buy there.

Real estate is astronomically expensive out west. We rented out there years ago. Our running joke was to point out a cow shed and yell out "$400,000!!" We looked at buying in South Dakota last year and were shocked by the prices of regular plain homes.

[bubbls]

.  When you purchase an older home, be prepared to spend money on it for as long as you live there.  At least that has been my experience with older houses.

We almost bought an old home (got suddenly out bid twice on two different homes). Your comment makes me so glad we changed our minds and bought, not new, but definitely not old.

[MelinaBallerina]

Was watching a Buying Alaska episode last night - Alabama girl hitching up with her high school boyfriend who had moved to Alaska several years before.  Apparently, she she flew up there, reconnected and got engaged before summer was even over and now they're house shopping.  She kept saying over and over - "I don't even know how to drive in snow," and "I'm not shoveling snow.  He can do it."  Ha.  I may be from the sauna that is Houston, but even I know that she better get over that attitude fast if she wants to even step outside the door come winter!  They picked the mountain house that got an average of 10-12 feet of snow per year (per the agent)

[NYGirl]

Island Life last night had a couple that were renting an island for one week.... ONE WEEK.  Their budget was $21,000!!!!  They were not rich by any means.  He just finished his residency and they were celebrating it.  So they spend all that money for one week on an island in Bora Bora.  There was 2 other island where the price was $10,000 and $12,000 respectively for 10 days.  But heavens no...they'd have to share with a couple of other couples.  It was ridiculous.

 

Of course they took the very expensive one so they can be the only ones on the island for a week.  What a waste of money.

[JasmineFlower]

So, I'm trying to remember which HGTV had this episode that came to mind today. It's from at least 6 years ago, but probably more like 8.

 

It could have been Buy Me, the people and the house was a mess and it couldn't sell at all, but I can't say definitively that's where this episode was from. I'm hoping someone else might remember the episode, since it was memorable,

 

So, the episode has people trying to sell their house, really a mansion. I think it was Beverly Hills, but it was definitely the LA area. There was a realtor helping them in the episode, she had shoulder length super wavy, like crinkly hair. She was the second realtor they were working with. They thought switching would sell the house. The woman went in and told them, that wasn't going to cut it, that she would try to sell their house, if they made changes to the first floor of the home, and they would see where they were after the agreed upon time frame. It made it sound like she was going to do her best, but the listing would be a challenge and she didn't want to get stuck in the deal too long if they were going to be hard headed. The house was worth at least a few million dollars.

 

The house was gorgeous, except for the massive tree, like a full and complete tree with trunk and sprawling branches, in the center of the living room, extending from the floor to the ceiling and it was rather large all around, not some skinny rendition. The homeowners wanting to sell the place thought it was a gorgeous work of art and were against taking it down and thought that almost all potential buyers would also see it as a beautiful living room. They were not willing to believe that was the reason the house hadn't sold with the first realtor. When you see the house starting with the first floor, it seems like it's going to be a disaster because of the tree and them thinking it looks great. But on the second floor, it's gorgeous, like something out of a magazine. Something almost anyone would like and appreciate. You see the second floor, it would seem like this place would have sold within days not weeks.

 

Is this ringing a bell for anyone? Do you remember the show name? I can believe it was Buy Me (an all time fave), but I also think it may have been a different show that was similar with not as much success.

[auntjess]

Well I think that Buy Me was filmed in Montreal, or elsewhere in Quebec.  I loved that show, and the Man in Black.
Could you be remembering an episode of Staged to Perfection, where that stager has a warehouse full of furniture?
Or maybe one of those Sell This House shows, on FYI?

[JasmineFlower]

Thanks so much for the ideas. I hadn't thought of those yet in trying to consider which show this was on. It's neither of those. I remember both, and know for sure it was on HGTV. This episode was such a hot mess, I know I saw it at least twice, but think I saw it even 3 times, it was one that was replayed several times, and definitely on HGTV.

 

Buy Me was mostly Canada, but then it started doing some US episodes if you remember the "motivational speaker" in NC (her name may have been Edie), the LA realtor who thought she could drive up the NC real estate market and failed miserably, or the repair shop owners in Colorado in a planned community who were getting daily fines for having a super large vehicle parked in their tiny driveway or narrow block in violation of community rules. The problem is, although I know Buy Me did shoot in the US in later years, I'm not sure they did so when this episode aired.

 

I barely ever watched Sell This House. As for Staged to Perfection, I'd swear that was in Canada as well, but maybe not. I definitely remember that massive warehouse of furniture. But, not that one either. I do think whatever show it was, it wasn't one that aired 100 episodes, it was a shorter run, maybe only a season or two.

Edited August 25, 2015 by JasmineFlower

[auntjess]

Staged to Perfection, http://meridithbaer.com/staged-to-perfection/, is Los Angeles.
I didn't watch many of the high-end real estate shows.  I just liked the above because I coveted a warehouse like that.

I missed any Buy Me in the US.
 

[JasmineFlower]

Ahh, okay. Thanks for the link. This was still not the right show, but interesting to see that. I looked through the list of the shows on HGTV and it's not there, but that doesn't mean much, just makes it harder to find. There's many shows I remember perfectly well by name not listed on that page for some reason. I really wish the old TWOP forums were easily viewed and searchable because I think I could find the answer there.

[auntjess]

Are there old HGTV forums online?
I know there were TLC forums for shows like Trading Spaces.

[SmithW6079]

Does anyone watch "Income Property"? Does it warrant a forum? My DVR recorded two hour-long episodes yesterday, but I thought the show had gone back to a half-hour and narrowed its focus to renovating an income property, no longer including the home-buying aspect.

 

I like watching Scott work and appreciate the thoroughness he puts into every renovation, but the numbers they come up with just drive me crazy. Telling a homeowner they'll get $XX for their apartment, reducing their mortgage to $YY but not including the costs of the renovating is misleading. 

 

One of the episodes yesterday showed a couple who wanted to start an orphanage (in Ecuador, I think), so they were looking to buy several properties. The first one they bought, they renovated into an executive rental. It was beautiful, but Scott does the usual song and dance about they'll get $3000 a month, reducing their mortgage to whatever. The little end blurb (which is so hard to read these days) says they're currently renting the place for that amount. But there's no talk of how much extra work they have to do to ensure the property stays pristine, restocking linens, dishes, etc., nor what happens when there's no one renting it.