Buying a Home Is Not What You See on TV

By Gino Blefari
President & CEO
Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Plenty of studies over the years have shown that watching too much TV is bad for your health – physically and mentally. Not only are you sitting and inactive for long periods of time, but the brain becomes passive and often disengaged.

However, TV can be menacing in other ways too, like in the form of misinformation.

Reports this past week have revealed that HGTV's popular "House Hunters" show is likely mostly fabricated. One couple that was featured on the show came forward and said that their story was mostly made up. Maybe that's not such a surprise, but it's worth talking about.

For those unfamiliar with the show, the premise is to follow home buyers in their pursuit of buying the perfect home. It aims to capture the dramas that come along with that journey – the aspirations, disappointments and, ultimately, the happy endings.

I felt compelled to write about this because the show is marketed as a reality show and is shot documentary style. While many of us already realize that most "reality" shows on TV are far from it, there's still a danger in people watching this show and thinking it reflects, in some way, the realities of a typical home purchase.

I feel this is a good example of why consumers need trustworthy agents to set realistic expectations about the real estate process itself far in advance, and also to educate them on the current conditions in their local market. Real estate, like personal finance, has always been one of those things in which people turn to the strangest places for advice. Parents, barbershops, colleagues, friends. Many tend to listen to anecdotes about what went wrong and what went right and take it as pure gospel.

Even though I give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that most were not turning to "House Hunters" as a way of educating themselves on the real estate process or turning to the show for financial advice, I'm glad this story was released. It is a nice reminder that often what we see on TV – even as it's being touted as "reality" – is, in many cases, fabricated or distorted.

The true reality is that sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't when trying to buy a home. The key is to be prepared, understand the process and the local market, and not let setbacks deter you from your goal of buying the perfect home. Use an experienced agent who knows the local market and you'll see that, mostly, there's no drama at all.