The first episode of HGTV's Selling New York debuted in Canada Wednesday night. I've been watching the trailers for it over the last couple of weeks, so I was really stoked to check it out. I can't get enough of HGTV.
The show centres around two competing New York City real estate firms. The daily "goings-on" of their brokers are followed as they work the real estate industry. I get the impression from the first episode anyway, that the two firms chosen couldn't be any more different from one another in how they operate. They're like night and day. I guess that was a conscious choice in order to bring more interest and potential conflict to the show in episodes to follow.
"Firm #1" comes across to me as the more polished, professional group. Not only are the brokers themselves polished, but so are their properties. They showed a condo listing that was staged to perfection. I'd LOVE to know who worked the magic on that one. It was simply stunning! This firm even goes so far as to wine and dine their clients and in fact, invited one of them to attend New York Fashion Week. Who could resist that? Hey, whatever it takes to get them to sign on the dotted line I guess.
"Firm #2" got off to a bad start right out of the shoot as far as I was concerned. I mean yes, "reality" TV has to have a healthy dose of drama in it if they want to boost ratings and gain more viewers, but I'm thinking that this firm is going to be made out to look a little like ruthless, bad guys. Case in point; upon hearing that a past client of theirs was going through a divorce, the mother of the mother and 2 daughter team was happy because this would mean more business transactions for them. If I was a Realtor®, I wouldn't have been too thrilled to hear that little exchange on T.V. It certainly didn't do much to portray the profession in a very good light to the public. If that's where the show is going to head, then I guess I'll be watching my old recordings of Matthew Finlason on The Stagers instead. Now that's entertainment!
Back to Selling New York. Putting aside the bad start, it was time for Firm #2 to "show us what they've got" as far as listings. They had a new condo which was listed at $5 million and explained to viewers that homes at this price range take longer to sell; so true, especially in this economy. They did find a client that was interested in purchasing a new property. Obviously the listing price didn't scare her off, so a showing was booked. I couldn't wait to see this one for myself. Hey, a brand new $5 million condo in NYC. It's going to really BE something right? I had pretty high expectations; especially after seeing how Firm #1's property was presented. I've got to say I was shocked. The condo was empty. That's right, empty! I couldn't believe that it hadn't been staged; especially at this price point and in a cosmopolitan, highly competitive city like NYC. What were they thinking?
The potential buyer's reaction was just as I expected. She stated that it was too austere. That was a good way of describing it. With nothing in it, that's exactly how it felt. It's going to be tough to move that property if it remains empty.
Needless to say, their client ended up settling on another condo which was less money. One that was furnished and although the wallcoverings were somewhat outdated, she chose it over the other. Her reason for choosing this one you might ask? She said that she felt more comfortable in it. Was there a lesson to be learned from this for the firm? I hope so. Staging works!
In another segment of this episode, Firm #2 was having their photographer shoot one of their new listings. I was amused to find Mother running around behind the photographer "staging" the room as he shot it. Obviously they don't have a Stager. Perhaps it's time they look for one. Something tells me that they are going to be inundated with phone calls from area Stagers now. At least they used a Professional for the photos, that much I'll give them. (I'm assuming this only because they didn't take the photos themselves).
Will I watch the show again? Sure I will. I'm not giving up on it that easily and I'd encourage you to check it out too. Did any of you watch the first episode? If so, I'd love to hear your take on it.
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Dezigner Digz is Burlington, Ontario's premier home staging, styling and redesign firm servicing Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Waterdown, Stoney Creek, Oakville and surrounding areas. The owner, Charlene Storozuk, is a member of the Real Estate Staging Association and currently serves on the Executive Committee as Regional Vice-President, Canada. Her work has been featured in the book FabJob Guide to Become a Home Stager, 2009 edition. Charlene has written several articles on home staging, some of which have been published by the International Business Times and the Women's Council of Realtors. She is also a Contributing Blogger for REALTOR Magazine. For more information about us, visit our website at www.dezignerdigz.com.
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