Who watches Designed to Sell on HGTV?

[Mishetta]

Do you believe that people really keep their homes as they show on TV? I can't believe people actually live like they show their homes. I'm convinced that the producers get the people to really mess up their homes but then again.....those tubs! I can't imagine anyone climbing into a tub filled with mold but they show bathtubs like that often on Designed to Sell. Do you think some people really live like that or is it over exagerated for the viewers sake?

 

[ADisneygirl]

I love all the shows on HGTV. There is always something on that channel to watch.

At first I thought that the shows must be doctoring up some of these homes, making them worse than they really were. But after watching so many, I really think some people just live like slobs. It is still amazing to me though. How can someone bathe in a bathroom filled with visable mold?

 

[Brianne]

I watch it, and have often wondered about all of that too. But I think the average sales price for the homes has me more shocked than the clutter.

 

[Mishetta]

I watch it, and have often wondered about all of that too. But I think the average sales price for the homes has me more shocked than the clutter.

Well the average sales prices are very typical for California. Yep, pretty shocking, isn't it?

ADisneyGirl ~ I too love HGTV. If I'm not watching that, I'm watching the Food Network! But getting back to those bathrooms they show on Designed to Sell just makes me want to barf! Then they act insulted when the R.E. professional says "that tub is filthy." Come on people! That black ring around the grout line is not a designers creative touch! Also, were they just planning on showing the house like that before the R.E. professional comes in & says the mold needs to be cleaned up?!

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

I've never lived anywhere where there was a bidding war on a piece of property...or where a property sold for 10-20K more than the asking price!

In the South, you're lucky if you get the asking price without concessions. I wish they would come to my area to see what $250K can get you here!

And yes, I do believe people live that way...especially when they are living in homes they can hardly afford to make the payment on!

 

[DVCLiz]

I'm addicted to this and many other similar shows on HGTV and other channels. I don't really think these houses are that bad - cluttered and outdated, yes, but not really filthy or ready to be condemned. But maybe that's because I'm also addicted to Clean Sweep and How Clean is Your House? - both shows that make the DTS houses look like Buckingham Palace in comparison!!!

 

[disykat]

I thought I watched it pretty often - but I've never seen a dirty house on it! The ones I've seen have wall paper and stuff that the owners are attached to that is weird or outdated. Like Liz, I also watch Clean Sweep and How Clean is Your House. Now those are dirty!

 

[DVCLiz]

I thought I watched it pretty often - but I've never seen a dirty house on it! The ones I've seen have wall paper and stuff that the owners are attached to that is weird or outdated. Like Liz, I also watch Clean Sweep and How Clean is Your House. Now those are dirty!

Eeeeewwwww, disykat, don't you just want to go take a shower after you watch an episode of How Clean is Your House? Maybe add some Clorox to your bath water???

 

[chrissyk]

I like Designed to Sell, although I agree that lately they have been showing more and more dirty houses for some reason. I don't recall this on episodes in the past. It does gross me out that people live that way. I've been to enough actual open houses in the past year to know that it's not an exaggeration, either

I've watched "Clean Sweep" a couple of times, and those houses are

 

[The Mystery Machine]

After moving in April and looking at homes then, the "Designed to Sell" homes are not that bad, really. I think they are about what is out there.

Now people (like me), staged their house to look absolutely perfect to show, but I found most do not.

I love all those shows too. I am having a hard time with "Clean Sweep" since they have all new people, though.

My favorite is "House Hunters".

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I can't even bring myself to watch How Clean is Your House...makes me nauseous! Clean Sweep is a little different...it's a (MAJOR) clutter issue, usually.

I love "Designed to Sell". It irks me tho when the sellers make those snide comments...those HAVE TO be pre-planned by the show's staff, don't they? Or are people really that rude? Like commenting after the real estate agent points something out, "Well, I'd like to see YOUR house."

A friend of ours bought an old farmhouse about 25 years ago with bathroom walls that were BLACK with mold, and a pile of garbage out in the yard. I never saw the house when people actually lived there tho. Eww.

When we looked at houses, we were pretty amazed at what we saw. One thing that stands out is the bathroom completely painted with giant teenaged mutant ninja turtles. Stuff like that really just screams "Work to do" before moving in. And that house was on the market for a long time. If they had paid for some paint and done some work beforehand, they probably could have done much better with that sale.

 

[SC Minnie]

I like Sell this House on A&E as well as Designed to Sell. I want to know where they get all that furniture that looks that nice for only a couple hundred $$$ ???


I like Sell this House because it shows want a difference a little paint and decluttering will do.

 

[NMAmy]

I like Sell this House because it shows want a difference a little paint and decluttering will do.

I think I was getting this show confused with Design to Sell because I've never seen one that was really dirty--just cluttered and outdated.

I think one reason houses become so cluttered is that after a certain period of time, you just don't SEE the clutter anymore. DH made the comment to me a couple of weeks ago, "How come the house looks so much tidier after you clean then after I do?" Well, that's because I don't dust around junk, I actually take care of it! I really hate clutter but my mom has always just been terrible. In the last year, she's been making a concerted effort to get rid of stuff and her house looks so much better for it.

 

[Mishetta]

I'm addicted to this and many other similar shows on HGTV and other channels. I don't really think these houses are that bad - cluttered and outdated, yes, but not really filthy or ready to be condemned. But maybe that's because I'm also addicted to Clean Sweep and How Clean is Your House? - both shows that make the DTS houses look like Buckingham Palace in comparison!!!

I have watched both those shows a few times & enjoy getting some interesting cleaning tips but tell me, WHY in the world, would one of those ladies from How Clean is your House SMELL something that looks suspicious? (That is the show with the 2 ladies, isn't it?)

The Mystery Machine ~ I also LOVE House Hunters. My favorite part is seeing the house after the buyers move in. I'm always so amazed that after buying a house (especially when they pick the ones that are "at the top of their price range") that they have had the resources to knock down walls or completely gut the kitchen & add granite or new cabinets, etc....Geez! When we built our new home, we had to wait a year to buy couches! We just sat on the floor! It's taken 10 years for us to furnish every room & now update with granite & professional landscaping & decorating!

 

[SC Minnie]

I think I was getting this show confused with Design to Sell because I've never seen one that was really dirty--just cluttered and outdated.

I think one reason houses become so cluttered is that after a certain period of time, you just don't SEE the clutter anymore. DH made the comment to me a couple of weeks ago, "How come the house looks so much tidier after you clean then after I do?" Well, that's because I don't dust around junk, I actually take care of it! I really hate clutter but my mom has always just been terrible. In the last year, she's been making a concerted effort to get rid of stuff and her house looks so much better for it.

My Mom was the queen of kinick knacks. In the couple of years she has started to clear things out. I have also gotten the 'stuff' down to a minimum. I tried to decorate my house in a way that if we had to put it on the market we would be ready in a few days.

 

[chrissyk]

I like Sell this House on A&E as well as Designed to Sell. I want to know where they get all that furniture that looks that nice for only a couple hundred $$$ ???


I like Sell this House because it shows want a difference a little paint and decluttering will do.

There are 2 things that I don't like about "Sell This House," though. First of all, not everything can be fixed by putting a plain white sheet over it Second, people need to use common sense! If your house is a huge mess, clean it up before you show it. I like to see more transformations on the cheap, rather than a show devoted to cleaning up a mess. That's what "Clean Sweep" is for, KWIM I do like it when they repaint and move furniture around on "Sell This House," though, because that shows how you can have a big impact for small $$.

As for the furniture...we have a lot "estate sale furniture" places around here. I've scored one GORGEOUS piece very cheaply. I did pay to have it refinished, but it was so worth it. Maybe places like that are where they're getting the furniture.

 

[Chicago526]

I love Sell This House! I actually used a lot of their tips in getting my condo ready for sale this summer. Although it was already CLEAN, I did declutter (mainly cleaned out the closets, the rooms themselves didn't have much furnature to begin with!). I also repainted every room in the condo, and replaced ALL of the carpet (DB has a friend in the carpet buisness, did the whole thing for $750, carpet and install!!!). By the time I was done the place was spotless.

It sold in three days, to the one and only person that saw it! I got $3000 under asking!

So, these tips really DO work! I also like to watch them just for ideas on how to make our home look nice even though we don't plan on moving.

 

[Feralpeg]

I absolutely believe it. When I was looking for my first house (the only house that I haven't bought new), I saw some really disgusting houses. There was one house that had mold growing up the tile in the bathroom and large stains in the carpet from animal feces. My agent was very apologetic after showing it to me. It was a new listing that he hadn't previewed. He said he wouldn't show it again.

 

[chrissyk]

I absolutely believe it. When I was looking for my first house (the only house that I haven't bought new), I saw some really disgusting houses. There was one house that had mold growing up the tile in the bathroom and large stains in the carpet from animal feces. My agent was very apologetic after showing it to me. It was a new listing that he hadn't previewed. He said he wouldn't show it again.

Ewww. When we were looking for this house, we saw some really gross places. One house had broken flower pots with dirt spilling out of them onto the floor, huge mildew stains on the ceiling, and a truly indescribable odor It's now up for rent (a year later), so I guess that they didn't have any luck selling it. Gee, I wonder why

Another one had a GIANT hot tub in the living room as soon as you walked in the door. There was a big sign saying that the buyers couldn't have the hot tub (darn ), because the owners were keeping it. The house smelled like chlorine and cat pee. These sellers are always the ones want top dollar and who can't figure out why their houses aren't selling

 

[Mishetta]

I absolutely believe it. When I was looking for my first house (the only house that I haven't bought new), I saw some really disgusting houses. There was one house that had mold growing up the tile in the bathroom and large stains in the carpet from animal feces. My agent was very apologetic after showing it to me. It was a new listing that he hadn't previewed. He said he wouldn't show it again.

I had the same experience only this home had squished roaches all over the kitchen floor! The kitchen was so filthy, I wanted to gag. The conter top was tiled & the grout was all blackened (mold?) My Mom was with me & she said "I think we've seen enough" after just walking in. Dirty laundry on the floor, just piled up in front of the washer dryer which was in the kitchen area. I can't even think about describing the bathroom . This was in CA & the R.E. person told us it was a Nurse who lived there going thru a divorce. (Don't know why he felt the need to elaborate but....) I was a little shocked thinking it was a nurse who lived in that filth! I don't know....if you have your house up for sale, you'd think that people would do their best to keep it in some kind of order & CLEAN for people who might take a tour of your home when you're not there. Just a common sense thing to me.