Real estate reality shows are lying to you

A few years ago, some friends appeared on a reality show looking for a house. They exploded, but then they revealed something that surprised me: it was all staged. They had already bought a house when they filmed the episode, and the house wasn’t featured in the show at all.The house they live in Did it Even if I saw it, it was not for sale.

Like the average person, so-called “reality” television admits to some extent that it is scripted, but previously A few The Truth About Those Real Estate Shows: The information they presented is somewhat credible, and you may be able to understand at least some basics about real estate and home refurbishment by looking at them. thing.

The actual reality is: No. Whether it’s a home hunting show, a home renovation show, or a home inside out show, the only thing you can trust is that you’re probably lying. Buying and selling a home is more complicated than looking at three homes and having a conversation over a glass of wine. Probably buy a fixer upper it’s not BargainAnd Property Brothers isn’t going to spend weeks in your home hanging drywall and grouting tiles.

But it’s worse than just a fake. Much of the information these shows provide is completely wrong. If you make your life decisions based on what you see at a real estate show, you will be very disappointed. This is the reason.

Everything is oversimplified

The simple fact is that remodeling, buying, or selling a home is almost always a long and complex process. With Reality TV, you can make the process of finding a home look like something you can do on a refreshing weekend. The realtor writes down a note, looks worried when mentioning the budget, displays three options and chooses one. that’s it. Or meet a contractor, write down a few notes, make a worried look when mentioning your budget, remodel the entire house that looks like four days, and make a small budget so you don’t overrun your budget. Manage it brilliantly. Sure, there are usually dramatic moments when they find mold or the entire floor tile shipment shatters and arrives, but somehow it all works on time and on budget.

These shows are lying. A typical home hunt can take weeks, if not months, and realtors work with people at every step of the process. These transactions are complex. Complex and time-consuming negotiationsPeople rarely make “cash” offers. Buying a home is often conditional on selling existing assets first. This includes repairs. that Working to sell the house and it. The act of buying a house is just a bank writing one huge check.Mortgage procedures can take weeks or months (I often see buyers biting nails at expensive law firms while waiting for a bank to send a fax) to fund a document. Deposit) — And Tons Of the associated additional costs, including more taxes and charges than you ever knew existed, these shows are usually skipped altogether.

Rough work

Another Lie Real Estate Reality TV Show Tells You: Their Remodeling Experts Are A) Actually Working On Their Own B) Doing good work. In fact, in many cases the opposite is true.

These shows have stories to build. Hosts meet homeowners, discuss their needs, and move their tails to miraculously change homes without blowing budget. In this formula, there must be at least one obstacle (unexpected cost or something terrible that was revealed during the demolition process) in order for the star to overcome with creativity and sweat equality. And homeowners get a beautiful home filled with brand new things!

The truth is not much rosy. These rapid refurbishments are expensive. Many shows have been sued by homeowners Does not comply with local regulations or Actually leave their home in a worse shape than before.. This makes sense when you think about it. Remodeling is complicated and expensive. Anyone who has worked at home knows. The contractor you hire subcontracts almost everything.And whatever you are doing, it will take eternally.. These shows can mean that bad weather often delays work, subcontractors quit your job for days or weeks at a time, or it can take weeks for on-site inspections to arrange for your home. It rarely shows that you can’t get the job done at all. Often to complete the work in time for the shoot The production company behind these shows cuts (and does)It hits superficial works that look good on the camera but don’t last long, leaving a mess.

Don’t watch the home remodeling show, assume your The house can be burnt down and renovated in two weeks, exactly for the amount you can save. It will take longer than you think, will cost more and will confuse your life.

Flipping math often doesn’t add up

The real estate calculations for these shows are also more or less imaginative. When it comes to the cost of buying, selling, and remodeling a home, apart from the sleight of hand mentioned above, TV loves to make turning a home look like a simple suggestion. Sweat equity and sell it to make a profit. If you repeat this often enough, you will be rich and you will be able to automate the process by subcontracting a lot of work.

this teeth Theoretically, it shows how house flipping works, but these shows usually omit a lot of details. There’s a permit to pull — and if you’ve ever tried to pull a permit at your local construction office, you know it could be a real-time vampire. There are tests that pass. There are shipping costs to consider, such as mortgage payments, utilities, taxes, insurance and HOA fees. These are completely ignored or displayed without problems as they turn the house within 30 days and avoid everything.

It doesn’t mean you you can’t Turn home and make money. The process is not as streamlined as these shows show.You have to be enthusiastic about understanding yourself total Purchase price, refurbishment materials, costs that exceed the contractor. And you probably need to fill your budget to make up for it, assuming you don’t sell your home right away or at the price you want.

The best advice to get away from a real estate show is to assume that everything on it is complete fiction. And can someone tell the people in these shows that they can paint the walls and that a bad color palette is not a reason not to buy a home?