It’s the renovation costs that are underpriced. That 75K renovation is actually a 150K renovation, but they are only counting materials and labor is provided by the show. The renovation costs always look really really low to me. I’ve been known to shout at the TV when a homeowner complains about how much money they are spending and not getting enough. Shut Up! This renovation is a steal!
I recall a show where they would have agents and designers look at completed renovations and the homeowners ‘competed’ to see who got the best ROI. Very good renovations were something like 80% ROI (which is still a loss). Typical was 50%.
I hate that show. What I hate most (admittedly completely irrationally) is during the voice over at the beginning they say they love disasters, and yet during the show they bitch and moan over every issue.
God, I hate that show. The wife sometimes has it on for background noise.
On Property Brothers, I think it is stated on Wiki that they do have a separate “furniture and decor” budget, hence the houses look so new. They’re also fairly realistic in building in a contingency money (which they seem to use up frequently).
In Love it or List it, they’re fairly fair on the renovations, so a renovation of $50K may only add $10K to their house appraisal.
What bothers me in Flip Flop is that they know there will be unexpected surprises, but they always act as if they hadn’t include those in their reno budget. So yea, if I’m getting a house I haven’t seen, I’m sure as hell putting some “stuff I should fix” budget.
In Property Brothers (and their other shows), I think they do ask the owners to pitch in, although how much depends on their abilities.
The point is, the original home is well above their budget. The PBs can bring them in **at budget **for the purchase and reno, and get them some of the “dream features” in the unattainable home. They never end up spending what the original house was.
Plus the brothers are cute and funny.
Flip or Flop – what galls me is how they whine (literally in the wife’s case - ah that voice) about how this is their livelihood, and their family’s welfare is on the line. Um, it was you who chose a high-risk profession because you get off on the thrill.
My wife likes PB, but frankly I can’t remember which one is Drew and which one is Jonathon.
The thing that bugs me about their show is with all of the work to be done and issues with the house, they waste several minutes each episode showing the most boring part: demolition. They take sledgehammers to perfectly good cabinets that could be reused in a garage or laundry room, or donated to Habitat for Humanity. That part really bothers me.
Yeah - anyone who has actually contracted to have any work done knows that the costson all of the shows are laughable. Love it when they look at a bathroom and say it can be gutted for $5K. Either someone is doing the work for free, and/or the materials and/or workmanship are incredibly shoddy.
And the timelines! They must have some large and impressively coordinated crews to get everything done as quickly as they claim to - including permits and inspections.
…
I liked that show - I think it was called something like “Bang For Your Buck.” I think the budgets were more realistic. For example, folk would have paid 70-100k for a major kitchen/living space remodel, or $30-50K for a master suite. What I liked was the folk who said, “To heck with resale value, we did what WE wanted!”
Here’s an article from the New York Times about the brothers and the show. Among other things, it mentions, “If Jonathan and Drew seem like the world’s fastest home renovators, it’s because only three or four rooms are done for television, and they work with numerous subcontractors.” The article also says, “because the homeowners pay for the majority of the renovation themselves, the creative clashes and little tiffs they get into with the brothers feel real (or at least more real than the conflicts in most reality shows)”
I’ve always thought the most interesting HGTV show was Rehab Addict. I wouldn’t be surprised if the math is massaged on that show a little, but they really emphasise doing it on a budget while still being true to the original time-period of the house.
In some cases, I wonder how they are able to afford it all, though.
I like the Prop Bros, but their houses are all so similar, and boring, after the Reno.
I used to be able to tell since Jonathan had the blond streaks to make him look more edgy and rock and roll, while Drew was the preppie one. But now no more blond.
I agree Rehab Addict is the absolute best. Every episode seems very different - she is always doing something new!
Seems like in the case of Rehab Addict at least, she can afford it because she works her aaaaaaassss off doing everything herself. Dang, girl!
I like Property Brothers because I like the guys as hosts. But one night I was home sick and started watching some episodes on Netflix and quickly got bored because everything was so formulaic. I ended up watching the first few mins for an intro then completely skipping all of the real estate hunting and demolition, and just watching the reno part and the reveal. Only about 10 mins of each episode.
I think I prefer serial series like Rehab Addict where it’s not one house per show. One house per show is just too formulaic. The brothers did a show that was them renovating a house in to their dream house (and yard) over 10 episodes or so and it was MUCH more enjoyable than Property Brothers.
