MovieChat Forums > Property Brothers (2011) Discussion > Not Geared to Help the Buyers

Not Geared to Help the Buyers

posted 9 years ago by lynxx55
7 replies | jump to latest

With a $500 budget, a couple is shown a $1.2 million house, which is just what they want.
They are bullied into buying a $375 house to renovate with a $125 K. It's just the same, right? And anyway, the brothers can put in a lowball offer for $345 K. $155 K to remodel will yield a dream house, right?

After the purchase price is bumped up to $365 K, the buyers are relieved when the offer is accepted, leaving $135 K for the remodel. Still all right, isn't it?

There is always a dramatic unexpected problem or two with the renovation (funny that), so the buyers must compromise on the original plan. The prospective alterations that sold the buyers
are totally unaffordable (too bad the brothers didn't mention that up front). The buyers are given a black/white, either/or choice. (There are always alternatives that are simply not mentioned.)

After the buyers come up with more cash for a cherished feature, suddenly the brothers are able to install extremely upscale kitchen appliances and lighting fixtures. These are often more trendy than tasteful.

The amazing thing is this: in addition to a 3% sales commission on a %500K house, the brothers get their hands on a great portion of the $ 135 remodel.

What a sweet racket.

[–] LadyMarysHat 9 years ago

As has been mentioned before, they also routinely tear out perfectly good wood flooring only to replace it with more wood flooring, so obviously they are receiving sponsorship fees/commissions from flooring and other vendors.

These are often more trendy than tasteful.

Yeah, trendy meaning utterly without substance or character and sometimes, it looks to me like, a lack of quality.

There is always a dramatic unexpected problem

..which I find hard to believe wasn't caught during the inspection , which leads me to wonder if the buyers are asked to waive this essential step in the buying process.

After the buyers come up with more cash for a cherished feature, suddenly the brothers are able to install extremely upscale kitchen appliances and lighting fixtures.

If buyers are NOT asked to waive inspections then I think someone needs to answer for these 'dramatic unexpected problems' that always crop up and why it is the buyers wallet rather than the expensive upscale fixtures must be sacrificed to pay for them.

[–] xxpo 8 years ago

There is always a dramatic unexpected problem

..which I find hard to believe wasn't caught during the inspection , which leads me to wonder if the buyers are asked to waive this essential step in the buying process.

Someone in a review mentioned that the BROTHERS are fixing homes in CANADA.

So what kind of REAL ESTATE LAWS do they have there???

In FLIP or FLOP that couple also buy homes at AUCTIONS (sometimes without even seeing inside of them to be able to know beforehand what's wrong with them).

So is it possible DREW could also be buying FIXER UPPER type of homes and then getting his TWIN to fix them up so other people will buy them???

So essentially DREW might be doing the same thing as the FLIP or FLOP couple do???

Something like that might explain why so many UNFORSEEN PROBLEMS POP UP.

But sometimes you also have to OPEN UP a wall before you find problems like LEAKS or MOLD, or bad plumbing or electrical issues that aren't up to code, etc.

And you also have to tear up the floor before you find other issues under it.

So it's not always possible for an inspector to know things are wrong before one buys a home???

Did anyone see that one home where someone broke all of the windows and poured cement into the toilet that got into the rest of the plumbing???

Whoever owned the home must have been really angry at the bank that took possession of it.

But the bank isn't the one who ends up paying for it when they TRICK the FLIP FLOP couple into buying it at an AUCTION without seeing it FIRST .

So the entire process of buying a USED home also seems like the same kind of A GAMBLE that one takes when one buys a USED CAR???

And if you get a LEMON (which you could also get when you buy a brand new car), then the best you can do is either fix it or else try to sell it to some other poor sucker???

What's amazing is how fast these places either go out of style or else FALL APART and need repairs.

And it also seems like the people who sell the FIX IT UP supplies (BACK SPLASH, SEE THROUGH GLASS SHOWER DOORS, FANCY SHOWER HEADS, etc.) would also be motivated to keep CONSTANTLY changing the styles in order to make sure that they stay in business???

🐇 🐰

[–] schizoprano 9 years ago

Agreed! I feel like they always get a house at the top of the budget and often the buyers have to pay more money or compromise on the initial plan at the end of the show. Maybe Drew isn't a very good real estate agent since he hardly ever gets the purchase price low enough to save the buyers money. Also, do they renovate the whole place? They don't show all the rooms when they show off the house. These days, I'm only interested in the end of this show to see the finished renovation.

[–] SataiDelen 7 years ago

Very rarely do they do the entire home. It seems that usually the bedrooms are not renovated. Only the Kitchens, bathrooms, and living and dining rooms.

So, that leaves people to question how this is "JUST LIKE" the "perfect" home they saw in the beginning of the show.

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[–] Catdisc 8 years ago

If you think this is bad, watch Love it or List It where they do an awful job each episode and find problems for $10k. I've always been impressed with Property Brothers, though the group Id most work with if Fixer Upper

[–] Tammyleighbarrett 8 years ago

Fixer Upper is good but check out the videos on YouTube... The decorating after the reno is staged and goes out after the filming is done. The entire house is not renovated and the choice of three houses in the beginning is just for show. The people they are helping to fix up the house have already bought the one they want. The show wants to make it more dramatic. It's still my favorite show!!!!!

[–] SataiDelen 7 years ago

That's just like House Hunters. Same thing. They show three houses, but the people have already bought the house they wanted prior to the show. So, it's all staged (including some of the stupid comments the buyers say regarding paint or "brass fixture" or whatever that makes the viewer roll their eyes and think these people looking at homes are total morons.

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