HGTV's Property Brothers casting Calgary homeowners for on-camera house hunt
Homeowners put up real money, for real renovations in the name of reality TV
Calgarians who are planning on doing some house-hunting this fall may want to consider doing it on camera.
The popular HGTV shows Property Brothers and Buying and Selling announced they'll be filming in the city come September, and the shows are currently casting prospective homeowners.
For those unfamiliar, both shows are hosted by twin brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott, a real estate agent and contractor respectively.
In Property Brothers the pair help real homeowners create their dream home through buying, and then renovating, a fixer-upper. In Buying and Selling, they walk homeowners through the process of moving up the next rung on the property ladder by renovating their existing home for sale.
Captivating stories
"Essentially, we want people that are excited that we're coming and want to be on the show first and foremost," producer Jessica Vander Kooij told The Homestretch on Tuesday.
"You're going to be on television. We want captivating stories, people that aren't afraid to tell the brothers how they're feeling. And obviously people that need the help and are looking for that expertise."
After shooting more than 200 episodes in the U.S. and Canada — mostly in Toronto and Vancouver — Vander Kooij said coming to Calgary was a way for the brothers "to get back to their roots." The brothers' parents live close to the city and they had previously worked for Calgary-based airline WestJet.
Real money, real problems
While the renovations and real estate transactions will all be filmed for TV, Vander Kooij stressed that the show is unscripted — the renovations are real, and so is the money homeowners are putting on the line.
Those looking to appear on the show need to have a minimum budget of $100,000 to appear on Property Brothers, Vander Kooij said, and $50,000 to go on Buying and Selling. They'll also be needing a bit of nerve as tackling a home reno can be stressful at the best of times, even more so under the glare of the cameras.
"We want people that are up for the challenge," Vander Kooij said. "It's a renovation, it's still going to be stressful but you have the support of Drew and Jonathan and the team behind the scenes. But it's real money and real problems might happen. So people can't be afraid of that."
People interested in applying to be on the shows should visit the HGTV website.
With files from The Homestretch