Have you ever been flipping through the channels, only to find yourself glued to the couch, four episodes deep into House Hunters for an HGTV binge session? We’ve all been there and with no shortage of shows like Fixer Upper, Flip or Flop, Love it or List it, Million Dollar Listing, and Property Brothers, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by how easy reality tv shows make the house buying, selling, and renovating process look.
When you’re in the middle of your favorite real estate show marathon, you might start to think that everything you see on TV must be how it works in real life, but you may need a reality check.
VIEWERS BEWARE – Spoilers for some of your favorite shows are below. Continue with caution!
Reality TV Show Myths vs. Real Life:
Myth #1: Buyers only look at three homes before deciding to purchase one of them.
Truth: Sure, there are buyers out there that only need to look at 2-3 homes before making their final decision. However, that is not the norm. According to the National Association of Realtors, the average homebuyer tours TEN homes as a part of their search.
Myth #2: The houses the viewer sees buyers touring are still for sale.
Truth: Everything is staged for TV. Because of the intricacies and lengthiness of the home buying and selling process, many of the homes being shown are already sold and are off the market.
Myth #3: The buyers haven’t made a purchase decision yet.
Truth: There is no way to show the entire buying process in a 30-minute show, so television producers often choose buyers who are further along in the process and have already chosen a home to buy.
Myth #4: If you list your home for sale, it will ALWAYS sell at the open house.
Truth: Of course, this would be great and can certainly happen! Open houses are important to guarantee the most exposure to buyers in your area, but they are only a PIECE of the overall marketing of your home. Keep in mind that many homes are sold during regular showing appointments as well. While it may work “every time” for the Property Brothers, that isn’t necessarily how your house will be sold in real life.
Myth #5: Homeowners decide to sell their homes after a short conversation.
Truth: Similar to the buyers portrayed on the shows, many of the sellers have already spent hours deliberating the decision to list their homes and move on with their lives/goals. Like we mentioned earlier, you cannot show all of the components of the home buying process in a 30 minute show, so most of the time, decision making is over looked. Let’s be honest, it wouldn’t make for the best TV!
These are just a few of the common misconceptions reality television shows can lead viewers to believe. Click here for more!
While we hope things will work out for our clients the way they do on television, unfortunately that isn’t always the case. Having the experience of the Robinson Team while navigating the real estate market is the best way to guarantee that you can make the home of your dreams a reality!