JAC1982 wrote:
But yeah these shows aren't really reality. The "buyer" has already bought the unit, and then they circle back around and look at 2 others that the dealer happens to have sitting on the lot to "compare".
House Hunters on HGTV works the same, they've already purchased the actual home, then when it comes time to film, the realtor finds two other properties that sort of fit their criteria. I used to be a realtor and one of my listings was used for a "no" house. It was new construction so it was ideal for filming since it was vacant and they provide like a 12 hour "window" of when they might be by to film that day, so not ideal for people who actually live in the house. That's why you see a lot of vacant homes on House Hunters. Plus, they only called with about 2 days notice and required the owner to sign some waivers and stuff, so again, a vacant new construction house was ideal since there was no personal possessions to mess up.
this is TRUE! we were staying at a house that got selected for the Island Hunters show.
the DW was able to hang around during the filming and the director and the couple told her the same thing. the couple had already purchased the house but acted like they hadn't.
none the houses were new but the show contacted a local real estate office who chose the couple and then found 2 other similar properties for sale, ours being one of them.