Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
DH I found a new game last night, its called HGTV Bingo.
We all know the keywords, stainless, granite, updated cabinets, hardwood floors, guest bath, man cave and so on. So while watching house hunters (which we've renamed pretentious youngsters getting themselves in over their heads to have their dream house ...Yeah, I know kind of lengthy but its a more accurate description) each time a keyword is mentioned the first one to shout bingo! wins that point.
It kept us amused for ohhhhh 5 minutes before I once again changed channel because HGTV has become so boring and repetitive.
Hmm, flipped it on last night and the couple was looking at homes under $200k, so it seemed pretty realistic. But yeah, I've seen a few of them where the expectations and comments were unrealistic. But that particualr show is really fake anyhow.
Still love Fixer Upper on HGTV. Chip and Joanna are a great couple and they tend to use a lot more "found" items and reclaimed materials with more normal budgets (one of my favorites was a rehab on a home and the total price, including purchase was $100k, with the home bought for $25k).
"Join us for the next episode where this couple seek out a roach infested hovel with a tub in the front yard and obvious signs of cooking crystal meth. They'll find their nightmare home right around the corner from a hog farm. Or will it be the place closer to town built over the EPA superfund toxic clean up site ?"
Junk food and rolling paper ads instead of higher end bathroom remodeling products?
It's certainly obtuse to think there isn't a lot of room between the stainless-hardwood-granite palaces generally shown as desirable on HGTV and an affordable home being sought by someone of very modest meansmeans. A little variety would be quite frefreshing.
I like Property Brothers but am always amazed at how they manage to do a complete kitchen and bath remodel to the max, open a wall here and there, push out a roof, lay new hard wood floors, change out a window or door, and of course address the previously unknown "cash eater of the episode".........all for $130,000. Not in my neighborhood.
The best of the BAD, shows IMO, was on I think TLC, Trading Spaces, who in their right minds would allow a neighbor to redo their room????? Yikes.
I like Property Brothers but am always amazed at how they manage to do a complete kitchen and bath remodel to the max, open a wall here and there, push out a roof, lay new hard wood floors, change out a window or door, and of course address the previously unknown "cash eater of the episode".........all for $130,000. Not in my neighborhood.
The best of the BAD, shows IMO, was on I think TLC, Trading Spaces, who in their right minds would allow a neighbor to redo their room????? Yikes.
It seems that PropBros and Love It or List It, although both Canadian, have a different "calculation scheme". On PropBros the "dream room" is ALWAYS delivered in the reveal. In contrast the LIorLI crew ALWAYS ends up finding budget eating problems.
In their own way each is not unrealistic -- after all PropBros does have a full inspection prior to purchase while LIorLI starts with the owner's questionably maintained home with who-knows-what level of hacked DIY prior renovations...
Neither show does a particularly thorough accounting. I chalk this up to the common TV producer being stuck in a "math is hard" mindset. There are construction managers out there that can make very accurate estimates and explain where every dollar is spent / saved, but that is not "dramatic" in a "what tradgedy will be found lurking in that hideous electrical panel" way.
My gut also says all the shows get huge "advertiser contributions" that make all the shiny new products seem so wonderful -- it is afterall not on "public tv" and even shows that are increasingly have a long list of "generously supported by GMC, Delta, etc, etc..."
Folks it is ENTERTAINMENT. If you want some "reviewed for accuracy by the audit team of Nader, Waxman, Warren and Reno. No fudging allowed." then maybe you should write to lawmakers
One word left out of the OP is "en suite" - if I hear that one more time I'm going to run screaming from the room! But if I include it in the Bingo game, maybe it will have more positive connotations to me!
The budgets of these renovation projects crack me up. The prices are SO incredibly low, especially with the Property Brothers. Now - I think those guys are adorable and I really like their vision and many of their finished projects but honestly - their pricing is ridiculous and I actually consider it to be deceptive. Same with LI or LI.
When I watch the Canadian Property Bros & LIorLI it makes me really, REALLY thankful to live where I do when I see the home prices :-O Yikes. But yeah, the reno costs quoted after doing all that work....seems mighty low to me.
One show that I think is GREAT is Fixer Upper with Chip & Joanna Gaines in Waco, TX. The homes are very affordable there, and they take really REALLY run-down homes and breathe new life into them. But the re-use and re-furbish wherever they can (like cabinets) rather than ripping everything out. They try to keep the old character but update it. I guess I love the show because (1) it's based in the South (where I live) and I know the prices are realistic; (2) I LOVE her style anyway, so I pretty much like everything they do; (3) the husband is such a lovable, goofy guy! I wish they were my next door neighbors and best friends
When I watch the Canadian Property Bros & LIorLI it makes me really, REALLY thankful to live where I do when I see the home prices :-O Yikes. But yeah, the reno costs quoted after doing all that work....seems mighty low to me.
One show that I think is GREAT is Fixer Upper with Chip & Joanna Gaines in Waco, TX. The homes are very affordable there, and they take really REALLY run-down homes and breathe new life into them. But the re-use and re-furbish wherever they can (like cabinets) rather than ripping everything out. They try to keep the old character but update it. I guess I love the show because (1) it's based in the South (where I live) and I know the prices are realistic; (2) I LOVE her style anyway, so I pretty much like everything they do; (3) the husband is such a lovable, goofy guy! I wish they were my next door neighbors and best friends
Yes, I really like that show. Waco is "right down the road from me" too, and yes, I think the prices are more realistic on that show. Even so, they manage to do an awful lot with some pretty tiny budgets.
They really do seem like genuinely nice people.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.