Thursday, June 12, 2014

Reality Check: Reno-Reality Shows Give Homeowners Unrealistic Expectations

I am a self-proclaimed HGTV junkie. I love pretty much everything about reno-reality shows. I love the drama of watching the contractors work in near-impossible conditions, and I love seeing the looks on people's faces as they walk into their homes for the first time and see the final product. Most of the shows on HGTV and DIY are entertaining and fast paced, but just how realistic are they? As an avid disciple of Mike Holmes I am well aware that real renovations aren't anything like their sterile, sexy, fast-paced TV counterparts. In fact, real renovations are dusty, noisy, time-consuming, and far more expensive than TV lets on. One of the biggest differences between Mike's shows and almost every other reno-reality show out there is that Mike purposefully works against many of the common misconceptions that homeowners get from watching entertainment-driven home improvement shows (and they are very entertaining). With his latest and arguably greatest show Holmes Makes It Right, Mike aims to set a realistic, almost sobering expectation for those watching by line-itemizing the cost of the renovation he and his crew just completed at the end of every show. The cost is usually in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range, and that's before the cost of labor. That's a lot of money -- much more than homeowners are willing to spend to get the job done right. The reno-reality TV show is a two-edged sword for most real-life renovators. The shows get people inspired and motivated to do a renovation, but they oftentimes leave homeowners with distorted expectation of the money, time, sweat, and tears involved with every project.

In this fascinating and well written article from Remodeling.hw.net, the author discusses the positives and negatives of home improvement television shows. The article makes references to many different industry celebrities (all of whom I have met in person, might I add!). Steven Fanuka ("Million Dollar Contractor"), Mark Clement ("MyFixitUpLife"/"Save My Bakery"), and of course Mike Holmes all throw their two cents into the mix, emphasizing their own very different backgrounds in contracting.

Brag time! (Did I mention I've met everyone mentioned in this article?):


 Okay, brag time is over...


Here is an abridged version of the article "Reality Shows Distory Client Relations." To view the full article, visit the link to the website below.

From Remodeling.hw.net:

Reality Shows Distort Client Relations—Here's How to Change Channels

Do remodeling reality shows always hurt, or can they sometimes help your clients?

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