Designed to Sell
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Designed to Sell is an HGTV American reality television show focused on the fixing up an renovation of a home that is about to go on the market. The show is one half hour long and is produced by Pietown Productions. The show began airing in 2004.
The show provides expert advice, redesign advice, professional carpenters and a USD$2000 budget into fixing up the home in order to get a maximum offer when it goes on the market. To add excitement to the show, the renovations generally begin three days before the home's open house, by which time all the changes have to be complete. The show's $2000 budget does not include the carpenter's fees, which the show pays for. All changes are cosmetic, but some require drastic demolition and reconstruction, but all changes must stay under the budget.
[edit] Description
Each show follows the same general format:
- Homeowner introduction
- Recognized problems
- Professional realtor appraisal
- Redesign plan
- Demolition (if any)
- Construction, painting, etc.
- Review of changes
- Budget breakdown
- Open house
- Result
At the beginning of each show, the homeowners are introduced and explain why they are selling. Common reasons include needing more room for a growing family and wanting to shorten commutes. The homeowners then may discuss some cosmetic defects they recognize their home has.
Then the host gives a professional realtor a walkthrough of the property while the homeowners watch on closed-circuit television from a neighbor's home. The realtor is asked to be very direct in their opinion of the home and often their assessments can be brutal and demeaning.
After the appraisal, the redesign expert reviews the main defects the realtor pointed out and their solution to their criticisms. Then the homeowners, the host, the redesign expert and carpenters go to work fixing up the house, using the designer's plan as a guide. This often includes some demolition and building and/or installtion of new features (such as shelves, awnings, etc.). While the episode's budget pays for any materials used, it does not include any carpentry costs (i.e. the pay for the carpenters).
Often, as the date for the open house nears, they may run into unanticipated problems and may have to work around them or work longer in order to meet the deadline.
After all the changes are complete, the designer reviews the changes with the homeowners and the viewers are shown "before" and "after" views of the improved areas. This is often accompanied by host voiceover.
Afterwards, the host discusses how the $2000 budget was spent, such as for paint, construction materials, accents, etc. The show normally comes in within a dollar or two of the $2000 limit.
The homeowners and designer leave before the open house commences. The host stays and asks propective buyers their opinions of the home, which are almost universally gushing. The host often also asks if the visitors are considering making an offer.
After the open house, the host tells the homeowners the general opinions of the open house viewers and any offers they've already received. The show ends describing how quickly the house was sold. Often the house sells for above the asking price. While the asking price is never revealed, the host does disclose how much above the asking price the house sold for.
[edit] History
Designed to Sell was originally hosted by British Clive Pearse and renovation design was given by Lisa LaPorta. Recent episodes of the show feature either Michael Johnson or Shane Tallant as hosts and Monica Pedersen or Taniya Nayak as the renovation designers.
Professional realtors vary, but include Donna Freeman, Shannon Freeman, Bethany Souza, Brandie Malay, Terry Haas and Shirley Mattam-Male.
The shows normal carpenters are John Allen and Matt Steele, however other carpenters are featured from time to time.
