My favorite show on Oprah Winfrey’s new OWN network is “Love It or List It,” a clever spin on house hunting and design shows.
I just finished a marathon of episodes and I’m totally hooked. I thought it was a new series created for OWN, but as my Canadian readers probably know, it’s been filming in Toronto since 2008.
Here’s how it works. In each episode, the homeowners are assigned a designer (Hilary Farr) and a real estate agent (David Visentin).
The couple tells Hilary what they require to be done in their current home in order to stay put, and they tell David what they’d need to see in a new house to convince them to move.
So not only do we get to see them house-hunting, but there are major (and impressive) renovating and redecorating projects to follow, too.
The homeowners give her a budget to work with, which is usually in the $30,000-$70,000 range. Even if they don’t stay in the house, her renovations make their homes worth more when they go to sell it, so they can afford a more expensive new place than they would have otherwise.
After watching a season of “Love It or List It,” I noticed a pattern:
1) The homeowners never trust Hilary’s decisions and argue with her. They are caught on “hidden camera” complaining about her and questioning whether she knows what the heck she’s doing.
2) They rarely like the first house David shows them and say things like, “I wouldn’t pay ten dollars for this place!” and “I don’t think he was really listening to what we said we want!”
3) Hilary runs into a major problem with the renovation, which means she’s not going to be able to make all of the changes she promised them. The homeowners get mad (even though it’s not her fault) and say things like, “If you’re a professional, you should be able to figure this out!” Her response to one homeowner: “I can’t print money.”
4) David finds them their dream home, and they LOVE their renovated house. They pretend to debate what they’re going to do, saying things like, “I’m really torn over this,” and “This is a really tough decision!”
(My guess, having heard the behind-the-scenes stories about how “House Hunters” is filmed, is that the decision was probably before filming even began.)
Despite the predictable pattern of possibly-manufactured drama, I get a kick out of it. Hilary and David bicker like an old married couple all the way through it, with banter like, “I hate to rain on your parade, Hilary.” “When you’re around, David, I always bring my umbrella!”
At the end of the episode, the couple announces whether they’re going to love their house and stay in it or list their house and move on.
Out of the episodes I’ve seen so far, I think only one couple chose to move, but according to message boards I was reading about the show, it’s split a little more evenly than that.
Is anyone else hooked on “Love It or List It”? Or got any behind-the-scenes scoop for us about it? I’d love to hear!
Update: OWN dropped “Love It or List It,” but HGTV has picked it up and you can now watch it there.
Wow.. so interesting! I need to watch it…. It seems better than HOuse Hunters. I’m a bit tired of that one. 🙂
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
I PVR this show and watch a whole bunch of them at one time…I am at the point now where its reruns for me but still watch…We get it in Canada on the W Network…
I’m with Sally on this one – lots of reruns but I’m always excited to find one I haven’t seen yet (I’m also from Ontario, Canada). I really enjoy the fact you get both design and real estate in the same show.
I had never heard of the show before your post. I will investigate because it sounds like a show I would love!
I am sick of House Hunters, though. Almost every time I tune-in to HGTV that show is on. Or House Hunters International. As if anyone can buy a home (or sell) right now! I think it is a conspiracy propagated by the National Board of Realtors. I think they own lots of airtime on HGTV…..how is that for your daily conspiracy theory? But I don’t like House Hunters, anyway. It is HGTV’s worst show ;P
Have a great Tuesday, Julia!
~Ricki Jill
Ricki, when I had my son last year, I got caught up in a House Hunters International marathon while I was in the hospital (I don’t have cable at home). They had a TON of episodes about families moving to Mexico, and how they could buy big, beautiful homes there fairly inexpensively. Maybe it was the pain medication I was on at the time, but I was convinced EVERYONE was moving to Mexico. EVERY.SINGLE.PERSON.
The worst ones are the eps in Italy. Beautiful villas in scenic, rustic villages (a la Under the Tuscan Sun), and they all cost millions. So out of reach for me!
I think I caught that same marathon. Everyone was moving to Mexico! Ha.
Agreed about everyone getting mad at Hilary, irritates me to no end!! Usually not her fault at all!!
You are so right unless you are giving your house away not a good time to sell.
I am starting to wonder the same thing. I find it amazing on love it or list it they never mention where they are at. Im in the far NorthWest suburbs of Chicago and we have a house we moved from 2 years ago that we cant sell. I am seeing real estate going for 50% of what it was 5 years ago. Why is Canada, and the European nation seem so high! Some one please tell me what the market is like around the rest of North America!
I am in Michigan and the housing market here for lack of a better phrase is “in the toilet”
I do not care what they analysts say to be a realtor in this state does not look good to me .No one can afford to buy houses and many cannot keep houses. I am talking about people who have lived in affordable housing vs their income;for many many years.Then job loses appeared .Obama’s plans to help people keep their homes does not apply to hardworking people. Sorry I do not mean to be political..was just trying to explain.
Autumn;
Maybe if the senate and congress would work together, and with the President, then things would fix faster. But it’s a big mess, and those take awhile (and people willing for change) to clean up.
Don’t let your perceptions color your views on things…go look at the numbers, actual statistics, and see how the economy in your area actually is. Asking people how they “feel” about it will only get you more colored perceptions. Across the country the housing market IS going up. I’m in SoCal and it’s bouncing back to pre-inflated-sales numbers.
“Hardworking people” in houses they could never afford in the first place need to reassess their situation. And losing a job has always, long before the current President, meant losing a house. It’s tragic but hardly the administrations “fault.”
very well stated, Georgiana
This sounds like a show I’d love. Unforunately, my cable company doesn’t carry it right now! I’m getting a little bored with HouseHunters although I still watch it all the time.
Best,
Susan
I live in the area and know of a couple who were on the show. What we don’t see is that some of the houses the couple are looking at, are not actually for sale. As well, the “after” shots of the rooms are not actually finished, sometimes. My friend’s room was only half finished as they ran into more problems during the renos, so they took the shot to look as though the rooms are complete. Actually, they even did not finish sewing some of the cushions for the couches and just wrapped the fabric and placed it just so to look as though it was. Very interesting!
Interesting! I was wondering about things like that. Thanks for the scoop!!
Thank-you for the “scoop” I was wondering does HGTV finish the projects they star? Also is Hillary really a designer and David a Realtor? Or, are they just actors? Just curious
Thx!
I haven’t seen that one. Love his suspenders. 🙂 Sometimes I roll my eyes at the formulaic way some shows run, but it is also nice to know what to expect. 🙂
In my opinion, “Love It or List It” really is one of the most palatable of the “home porn” shows that’s currently on television – my 9 year old daughter is hooked on it! There’s humour, drama, design and real estate all rolled into one … and since we’re from Toronto, we can recognize the neighbourhoods and we even know one of the families who have been on the show. My daughter would love for our family to apply to be on the program, but we love our location so much, that we have no interest in the “List It” part of the program. Maybe we just need to get down to doing the renovation that our house needs for me to “Love It” again! I’m so glad that OWN has picked up this show, so that everyone can see how fantastic Toronto properties are!
Love your blog, Julia (that’s my daughter’s name, too, so maybe there’s something in the name that makes one “hooked on houses” …)!
Oh fabulous, never heard of this show, will definitely tune in. A realtor friend of mine has been on a few episodes of House Hunters, and the deal is the people house hunting have to be in contract on a house. The other two viewed? They are there just to make the show…pretty obvious I guess, but I was still a little surprised to learn this! Janell
That’s true–a lot of things are faked on “House Hunters” (and many other shows, from the stories I’ve heard!). I wrote a post about it if anyone’s interested in learning more about how it works behind the scenes: https://hookedonhouses.net/2010/06/02/the-truth-about-house-hunters-on-hgtv/
Faked or not, I still enjoy them. Can’t help myself. 🙂
M too!! I get a kick out o watching some of the home buyers tryng to “act”. House hunting in one week has a wife go from a flat tummy to 6-7 months pregnant(ina week) and they happy couple announces they just foun out they are pregnant! Hilarious!!
On the “Celebrity Decoration Party” The decoator for EVA La Rue wore the same outfit for 99%of the show and the audiance was led to believe all of the decorating was done in one day. Maybe it was but not by one person!!
Thanks for the lead to what sound like great entertainment for the nesting addicted types like ourselves.Will check it out! Having moved within corporate transfers many times but now retired young & stationery (unless my hobbyist sheep farmer husband gets an agricultural transfer…unlikely) I love House Hunters! Skills learned in fast purchases stayy well honed. Biggest problem is the number of repeats. Understand the economics of new episodes and I will even watch some again but too often makes me realize the value of my time spent elsewhere.
we don’t have that channel so i’m missing out on this one. LOVED that bedroom…the headboard and that brick wall…swoon.
I have not heard of it, but it sounds fun.
I love this show also. I wish they would come to Vancouver where I live. I am always surprised how much renovation can be done with such a small budget. Granted, the shows are done at cost, but still…we all know how expensive even a bathroom redo is.
Gotta love Hilary and David.
They’re shooting in Vancouver this year.
I was just thinking…if they’re shooting in Vancouver this year…maybe we’ll finally get some new episodes 🙂
Yes Julia, my DVR has been set to Love it or List it, as I do Love it too. Have you watched the Property Brothers on HGTV?? Im also hooked on that. Youll love it also if you havent seen it yet. Love your site as always.. Have a great summer.
I too have been hooked on this show for a while now…even though it really is kind’ve scripted:) I love being able to see tours of homes with David, and then the big reveal with Hilary…I just LOVE her style! I SO would want to be on the show myself…although I know my husband is tired of the conversations starting out with “if Hilary was here, this is my wish list…”:) Glad that this Canadian show has made it across the border! Happy viewing and have a great day too!:)
Julia, love you, love your blog, but you get me in more trouble. (I bought the 7 year cd set of Gilmore Girls and did nothing for 1 month solid and then cried when it was over) . I just put this show on my DVR series manager so now I have 999 shows to watch a week. Keep it up. Love and addicted to TV .
I know, I know, I’m terrible–always trying to get you to watch more TV! I’m a bad influence. I have to say it makes me really happy to hear that you loved “Gilmore Girls” as much as I did, though. 🙂
Julia,
If you get to LA, you’ll have to do a WB studio tour. The tour guides point out all the locations filmed on their back lot for Gilmore Girls.
I’d love to take that tour someday!
My absolute favourite show! I too wish they would film elsewhere in Canada (like Halifax) so I could be on it. I want a ‘Hilary’ reno!
The episode where one of the contractor guys from the show actually goes on the show and gets Hilary to do his house is one of the best ones…
I haven’t seen that one–hope they air it again soon!
I just happened to be looking around the other day and found this show. I love it. I have always loved HGTV’s House Hunters and Get It Sold. I think the renovations are amazing. She does a great job and I think the “old married couple banter” is too funny. I have only seen two episodes. One stayed and one listed. I have a few more taped so I am planning to watch them. Thanks for blogging about it. I had wondered if anyone else out there had seen it.
My daughter loves this show and I’ve watched a lot of it with her. You nailed the “pattern” of how each episode goes perfectly. I have a friend who was on Colin and Justin’s Home Heist and it was fun to watch the episode with her and have her share the inside dish. It is interesting how many of these shows “fake” parts of them.
I’ve never heard of this show but I’ll have to see if I can find it and DVR it. I wish there was more of Sarah Richardson on TV…I love anything she designs. I’m DVRing Sarah 101 now.
Yes, I stumbled on it one weekend morning, and I love it too! I like that it shows the problems that happen when you’re renovating…I wonder if the prices include labor, or are just materials, though…
I’ve not seen the show – love the idea. The pictures are gorgeous – I love it – wouldn’t list it!
Mary
I’d not seen this yet! Thanks for sharing again, Julia.
I have not seen this show and probably won’t get around to watching it.
To tell you the truth, I am actually sick of most house shows because of HGTV. Although sometimes I tune into watch shows like “Dream House”, “Haulin House”, “Blog Cabin” and that’s about it. Also Sometimes they will have shows like “Amazing Beach houses”, “Amazing kitchens”, and other “Amazing” shows on different channels and I love those. Other than that, I don’t watch much house shows.
I hadn’t seen or heard about this show until I read your post. I will definitely have to check it out. It sounds interesting, even if it is “manufactured drama”! It is interesting to know how things work on House Hunters. I have gotten a little bored with that one, but I still enjoy watching House Hunters International. It’s always interesting to see how differently they live in other countries.
I will look for this show. Thanks for the tip, Julia!
Haven’t seen it yet, will def tune in! My current fave is ‘Selling New York’.
As I watch Design Star, I wonder what ever happened to Clive! Do you know, Julia?
I like “Selling NY,” too, and am looking forward to “Selling LA” (anyone know when that starts?).
HGTV let Clive go, and he’s no longer affiliated with them. He announced it on his Facebook page at the beginning of the year. I was so sad to hear it. I always liked him! I think HGTV is trying to change its image into something younger and hipper.
I am sorry to hear about clive! I hope that HGTV realizes that younger and hipper is not nessarily always better. Sometimes, it just looks “cheap”. 😮
I know I am behind related to the dates of other posts; but I think the biggest mistake HGTV mad was in firing Clive. Obviously they are trying to please the 20-35 croud. I am 56 but not dead yet!! Clive was such a big loss; as well as Lisa Laporta. Did she get fired too? She was and is my favorite designer. She seemed so down to earth. I went to her web page recently and it was gone. Any “gossip” or knwledge of what happened but mostly where she is would help. I believe she lives in LA.
Another favorite designer and I forgor her name: Very tal; thin; great designer from Chicago . She did many “Designed to Se;;”shows after Lisa left..Great designer and very down to earth.
It sadens e that so many of the shows seem to be produced for a very younger age group. BTW: Where is Mike Holmsesides in re-runs on Sunday Mornings!
Thank-you
I have not heard of this show BUT I’m going to go home and set-up this to record. Sounds fan-tab-ulous 🙂
The show that I’ve been hooked on lately is Milliondollar Decorators . . . but the last show of the season just aired last week . . . boo hoo . . . can’t wait until next season.
Susan
I miss “Million Dollar Decorators” already. It was one of my favorite shows of the summer. Hope they renew it and bring us another season–quickly! 🙂
i love this show!
hugs,
shelley
I try to catch it Saturday mornings on OWN – I had a feeling it was another show from Canada. I’m so jealous – Canadians seem to have the inside track on great home and design shows.
I know! What is it about our Northern neighbors and design shows? Lots of great Canadian home bloggers, too. 🙂
Our household has loved this show since it’s began in 2008 (Canadian girl). We always tune it to see if they’ll “Love It” or “List It”! The chemistry between David and Hilary is great and we find there is a good split between who stays and who sells. I also recommend “Property Brothers” which is a new take on real estate and renos combined into one show. I’m also hooked on “Summer Home” with Karen Sealy as the designer. She renos cottages into beautiful spaces (on HGTV Canada).
Hi Julia,
Well from one Gilmore Girls fan to another (why can’t they have a reunion), I am super excited to learn about this. I’m actually up right now at 1:30 a.m., can’t sleep…gotta love menopause and I’m going to DVR it! Woohoo! I’m so excited. I’ve seen every House Hunters episode 52 times! I don’t care if this new show on OWN is staged or not, it’s free entertainment. Thanks!!
I’ll have to try to catch this! Never heard of it either till now. I keep forgetting about OWN because it’s off the beaten path on my line-up. Hey…this is on right now! Yea! (Ummm, who doesn’t pick-up messes/clothes/etc or even bother to close dresser drawers/cabinet doors when your home is on TV?)
I have to add that I stopped watching HGTV years ago because it’s line up was House Hunters every time I turned it on. To me it’s such a stale format, same kinds of homes, same middle price range, rinse and repeat. I do like “Selling NY” but I forget about it because I never go near the HGTV station when I’m channel surfing. Also the latter years of the Dream Home contest houses often are design disasters and I used to look forward to them every year.
PS
The ABC Family Channel aired Gilmore Girls daily until about a week ago — I’m going through withdrawal!
I will try to remember to check this one out. I too am getting a little bored with House Hunters. However, I really like Bang for your Buck, but it doesn’t show as often anymore and when I do catch it, it’s usually a repeat.
Love this show, I really like Hilarys design astethic and always seem to fall for the final house David shows (always over the budget). Watch it constantly on W Network and OWN. You can also check out some before and afters on WNetwork.com/loveitorlistit
It’s also were you can find Candice Olson, if you haven’t seen her work I highly suggest you google it.
I love Candice Olson’s show, and she is so elegant and yet down to earth. The only thing Idon’t like is her persistence in add ‘shiny’ things and the colour blue to almost all of her designs. If she was renovating a room for me, strict instructions would be ‘no shiny things’ and no blue! 🙂
Great post Julia! I never heard about this show before, I will definitely be tuning in now! Such a great premise for a show, you get renovations and house hunting. What could be better?
I have been watching this show since it started and I do love it, but I always wonder where the homeowners get such a lump sum of cash…do they just put it on their line of credit? Also, Hilary’s assistant “Dessa” and her carpenter “Eddy” have both had their homes on the show and I was shocked to see that their homes were in such a sad state despite their roles in a successful design show. I always feel so sorry for the couples who really want a new kitchen or need a second bathroom and don’t get one. I wish Hilary would scale back her upscale designs a bit so she could give homeowners more of what they want….somtimes it looks like she has spend a ridiculous amount on new furniture when she could have reused or repurposed and painted or re-upolstered some pieces!
Try another great Canadian design show. Sarah Richardson has a whole group to choose from. My fav is Design Inc, or Sarah’s House, or Sarah 101
Sarah is my absolute favorite. I watched Sarah’s House while we had it here in the US on HGTV but haven’t seen her in quite a while. I miss her. Tommy, her assistant is wonderful too. Candice Olson is good but uses to much bling in my opinion. She likes shiny objects. Not a fan of any of the American Designers on HGTV sorry to say. Ok, I said it, Canadians have better taste and I’m American!
I love Love it or list it, to me its a combination of the best of the home improvement/house hunting shows!! Remember that awful show with Barry from Trading Spaces??? He would wander around with a laptop and show the couple what he might be able to do, it was so unsatisfying to not see the real thing!! Another great show is Property Brothers on HGTV, love it!!!
Hey Julia! I’m a little late to this conversation, but thought you would still like to know the inside scoop…
– the realtor David is actually an actor
– they film both Love It and List It endings for each show! Then the producers decide which ending they actually want to show. Sometimes, the ending they air is not what actually happens in reality.
– many people that appear on the show have no intentions of actually moving, but signed up for the show so they could get their renovations done at a discount. I’m not sure what the actual discount is, perhaps lower labour costs, but its cheaper than if they had hired an independant contractor to do the work.
Sorry to burst your bubble. Its an entertaining show and I like watching it too, but it is high on the manufactured drama and low on reality.
So it really is just as fake as “House Hunters,” huh? I wondered! Thanks for the behind-the-scenes scoop, Jen. I love learning stuff like that! I’ll still enjoy the show anyway. 🙂
“- the realtor David is actually an actor”
That is incorrectJen @ RamblingRenovators,
“David” is not an actor, and has never performed on TV or movies or stage before auditioning to be the realtor Co-host for “Love it Or List It” and is an actual working full time realtor.
Interesting–thanks!
People should have realized that Jen was full of it.
What’s your proof that David is an actor? According to wikipedia, he’s been a realtor since 1987.
Thank-You I just asked that question!
I was channel-surfing and found this show on OWN. Very interesting. I’m going to show this show to my husband. Right now, it’s very frustrating and embarrassing with all the arguing between husband/wife, contractor/realtor.
I’m with Ricki Jill–they should change the name of HGTV to All House Hunters All the Time.
When are they going to stop taping that one? I’m so over it.
Thumb up on the new show although I have been known to fast-forward thru some of the “drama.” If they left it out they could cut the show to a half hour and we wouldn’t miss much.
I absolutely LOVE this show, I have been watching it for years on the W network…so great to see this blog where you can share and express a common interest! The two have great competitive charisma and I love the house hunting vs the designer changes of the current home drama. I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
I’ve been watching since I heard about it here. The banter between Hilary and David is amusing. It’s not a show I concentrate on, but one I have on in the background while I’m reading blogs. 🙂
I ran across this show one morning and I love it, but I know that I have seen Hilary on something else and could not stand her, but can’t remember what it was….It is driving me crazy. I have googled her and everything else, but cannot find where she has been on any other show..Does anyone know?
I believe Hilary was on a show called Trading Spaces hosted by Paige Davis.
U so right and she never delivered on a design either …
That isnt the same Hilary as on Trading Spaces. Hilary on Trading Spaces,no accent and they look different
By the way, according to Wikipedia, Hilary’s “accent” is FAKE! Made up to sound “ritzy” and attract high-end clients.
Wikipedia says no such thing! It appears that Jane is making stuff up
Here is the link to Hillary Farr wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilary_Farr
It says
“Born in 1962 in Toronto but grew up most of her childhood in London, United Kingdom.”
No, Mindy is competely out to lunch on this one. I can’t even find anyone called Hilary associated the name “Trading Spaces” on google.
There was a “Hillary” who was a designer on Trading Spaces back 10 years ago or so, because I always hated her designs! I didn’t think this was the same Hillary.
The person K. Whyte is referring to on Trading Spaces is Hildi Santo Tomas. And there’s a reason the show didn’t last – the designers stunk, including Hildi. They oftentimes did hideous things that the owners specifically told them NOT to do. I believe one even stapled feathers to the wall as a design “feature.” Can you imagine getting THAT off your walls? People would think that Chicken Little died in your house.
Definitely a different person than Hilary Farr, who is an excellent designer.
Hillary on Trading Spaces, was the one that put straw on the walls of one of the houses. Disliked her designs all the time.
Ifind it quite odd hillary has a fixed budget but not so for purchase of a new home. Seems unfair.Anyone can find a home for people if they can go fifty to onehundred over budget.Thank you paul.
I, too, think it is the best house porn on t.v. One of the predictable points you missed, though, is that every couple has wanted to stay in the same neighborhood. Given that one person wants to stay and the other is willing to move it reasons that they would probably be quite happy with their existing neighborhood.
Another thing I have noticed is that garages or parking seems to be in quite short order where they are filming. Lots of houses come with sheds instead of garages and even some of the new builds came with a one car garage which is really unheard of in the Midwest. And so many of the staircases don’t have railings. Just sayin’ it’s interesting to see!
I think Hilary’s work is to die for! She always does so much better than I imagine.
And it is interesting how the homeowners decide how much they are going to give for renovations because it seems unrelated to the price that they are willing to pay for a new home. One thing I never see them discuss when they are househunting is how far the prospective home is from their employment or schools. That would seem to be a factor I would consider. Especially when David says it is only a 15 minute ride from their current house, how much farther does it put them from work/school?
One last thing I’ve always though was, if I “loved” the house even if Hiliary didn’t check every box, I would re-finance the home and give Hilary another budget to complete the one or two things she didn’t fix the first time around. Can you see I’m a big Hilary fan?
What I don’t understand is how the house is worth ever so much more after the renovations, so much so that the upgrades net the owners more than 100% of the renovation budget. Here in the states, you’re lucky if you get 60 percent return on your renovation when you sell your house.
Another thing that I wonder about is how the owners can afford to fix up a home that they may then decide to sell, and why they’d bother to throw that kind of money into a house they’re selling, especially in a bad market. If you sell it, who’s to say you’ll get the money out of it that you need to buy the home you want and that the home you want will still be on the market by the time your house sells? And how can you be allowed to buy a second home while still holding the unpaid mortgage on the first home, unless you’re super rich?
“And how can you be allowed to buy a second home while still holding the unpaid mortgage on the first home”
I don’t find this strange at all because they are selling the house they are leaving, not buying a second one.
I know many people who buy a house and move a couple of years later, long before the mortgage could have been paid off. As I understand it, the new owners take over the mortgage.
As for the return on the investment: someone told me that about 150% was typical, particularly when the investment is in something visible.
As for *why* they do it with a house they plan to sell: it’s because they have to, if they want a decent price. Few realtors will try to sell a house unless it’s been significantly tarted up: freshly painted and de-cluttered might sell a house at very modest price. Home staging helps also.
Unless you live in a really hot area of town, people will not buy something which requires they sink a ton of money into it. And let’s face it: some of the houses on Love It or List It are real dogs.
I have a relative who could not sell his suburban house for over a year because the previous owner’s renos were not cutting it (bare concrete walls in a “finished” basement) and my cousin and his wife didn’t want to spend the money on renos when they were planning to move. So, even after thousands of dollars on home staging, he was left holding this dog, paying two mortgages. (He and his wife had bought another house as well). So that full year of extra mortgage plus home staging was probably equivalent to the money given to Hillary for renos)
I have friends and family
reply cut off there
I have other friends and family who have had similar experiences after minimal fluffing of the house.
I first watched this show on the new OWN. I LOVE IT! I have recorded every episode and I love watching both the renovation transformation as well as David’s attempts to find the right new home for families. I hope to see it continue on OWN so that I can get my guilty pleasure fix with this show.
I look forward to this show when ever it is on and I am able to watch it. I have a huge crush on David…. is he married?
I´m totally hooked and even more I´m addicted to this amazing show! I can watch it over and over again, even the reruns! Lovely, Hilary is nothing but talented and kind.
Love the show. Only time it doesn’t appear is when budget to purchase a new home is allowed to increase but Hillary’s budget doesn’t. Unfair!
I agree!
Wife and I like this show but getting tired of hearing Hillary always getting surprized about costs. Everyone knows you’ll have surprizes when you reno and you hold money back for that reason. Also stop spending their money on fancy crap do a real reno.
U got that right! 🙂
after seeing this show now I realize what my house needs
Hilary is a bitch! She over-exaggerates everything. A real designer would never talk to their client the way she talks.
You are right Julia, the show is very formulaic. The first home David shows, is nothing that the client would want. You can tell by his sarcastic jabs.
However, the show is decent to watch – you know its scripted. But still, its entertaining. The false-feuding between David and Hilary is a bit annoying.
Another “real” real estate show that I loved but not longer in production was ‘Buy Me’. It was real, real emotions of the sellers, real timelines to sell homes.
Great site!
Buy Me was a great show. I guess if it aired nowadays it’d have to be called, “Good Luck Trying to Ever Sell Me at Any Price.” Of course, that was pretty much its premise at the time. I’d much rather watch old episodes of it than any House Hunter episode. I’m so over “it ticks all of the boxes,” House Hunters. Even the dialogue in House Hunters is drearily formulaic.
I wonder if some of the couples are as rude in real life as they are portrayed on Love It or List It? Some of them you want to reach right through the TV and pop them for their rude mouths and greedy behavior. I know Hilary probably doesn’t talk back to clients in real life but she must want to sometimes. David’s droll jabs are probably much more fun to lob at the mean customers
I have been watching this show since day one. I am very addicted to decorating and real estate shows but this is number 1 in my books. Finally a show that combines decorating and real estate, no more having to watch to separate shows. Well done! I love the way Hilary and David talk to the clients and each other, real entertainment.
I’m now watching a show with an extremely rude and arrogant black husband and a very nice petite wife with long black hair who is possibly French. I don’t know the episode “number” or where it was filmed. My question is…with such a wonderful show why would you put a complete a–hole like him on camera?
The man had no redeeming qualities, was a cheap lazy jerk, and the most pompous ass I’ve ever seen. Please don’t have another one like him – I was angry through the whole show that you put up with his rudeness!
Saw that episode twice. The husband was a sccessful business management type, Actually they both were kind of annoying In the show he says he’s purposely being like that to get their moneys work out of the 2 host. You have to realize this is staged and scripted. Nobody does the kind of rework on their home they did without first seeing a design plan.
Yep, think much of it is staged, including the ugly behavior. But it’s fun to watch!
What this show needs are home owners who have common sense and are realitic about their budgets! They have to understand how much a dollar could be stretched in the design, renovation and real estate! All of them had a so-called “budget” and wanted the designer AND the real estate agent to give them the impossible! Who would’t want that?!
Also, how could one calls oneself a designer if he or she designed anything or made any changes to the design without any communications with the clients?! Because of building Codes and local zoning codes, somethings are simply can’t be done and that’s understandable. However, just because the clients insist on one “must have”, so changes were made in other areas to “accommodate” without further discussions?! No wonder the clients were all frustrated at one point or another!! Forget “Love it”, I would’ve FIRED her!!
I have watched all of the episodes so far and I would like to know one thing. why does Hilary never deliver what she says she can and in the end where does all of the money go. I swear in one episode she charged $50,000 for renovations that I could only see about $10,000 with $3,000 going for materials. Scott McGillivray would have taken that $50,000 and did the basement, the kitchen and the bedrooms. I think this lady kept at least $35,000 for her fee.
Exactly what I think!
She still gets more bang for the buck than any real life contractor. And Scott McGilvrey is just genius at stretching those dollars! Although why does almost every Canadian homeowner stick an apartment in their basement? I feel so sorry for those light-deprived tenants! And why does everyone have shared laundry facilities? Do the homeowners actually GO THRU the tenants’ apartment to use the laundry facilities? That’s how it looks on TV (shudder.)
Actually relatively few houses on the show have basement apartments, when you think of the number of shows there have been.
When I was looking to rent, I found worse things than basement apartments with shared laundry facilities:
houses cut in half vertically, so that one tenant got the upstairs and former main floor living or dining room by entering through the front door, while the other tenant got the kitchen, one other first floor room and basement. In one so-called two bedroom “bottom half” apartment I looked at, one of the bedrooms was a small room (possibly the former dining room) right off the porch. The other bedroom was in the barely finished basement with no windows at all. (It had also been painted wedgewood blue, which made it even colder and dimmer) The furnace and laundry facilities were in the middle of this apartment. The upstairs tenants would come to use the laundry more or less through the other’s apartment, and the downstairs tenant was responsible for collecting the money for the heating from the other tenant and paying the gas company!
I have watched all the shows and I love the ‘idea’ of the program.
I do NOT and would NOT like the way they tell the home owners what they CAN and CAN NOT have with their own money, especially if the list that I give them is in a special order of what I insist on having.
If I say I want my kitchen flipped then I want it flipped! It can be done and has been done in the past. Just because in the market it wouldn’t sell well doesn’t mean I can have my own my way!
The designer needs to get a reality check and learn how to design first, SHOW the clients what she has on paper and THEN execute the plan if it was pre approved. The show isn’t about the designer but rather about the clients! (Now there’s a concept).
She also needs to THINK before she executes about possible problems in older homes, which she has proven time n time again that she can not live up to the task.
Another thing designers need to be conscious of is going GREEN! Donate lumber, old windows, trees, bushes, old fences ect to organizations that will gladly accept them. What a waste!
She also needs to get a new writer for her lines and stop saying, “Trust Me” as it is far from ‘believable’.
The realtor has me in stitches laughing and he is fun, not to mention straight up honest. He is the best part of the show.
The home owners they have gotten on the show need to actually be interviewed before filming. They seem to feel overwhelmed and startled all the time and even questioning what have they gotten themselves into. I personally feel their fear and always say to myself, ‘GLAD THAT WASN’T ME!!!’
Please keep the show on the air as I love the idea of these two competing for the homeowners attention but the bottom line is you have viewers out here that you have to convince this is worth it all.
Alleluia!! I second every word you wrote! I’m glad I’m not the only one that feels this way about Hilary! Although, I’m boycotting this TV show, I do agree about the nice decoration ideas they portray! I’ve been a fan of HGTV for a long time and always will be but just not for Love it or List it anymore!
I agree too..the best solution is to get rid of Hilary ..I hope the HGTV are reading these comments so they can keep viewer
I think your wrong they both complimen each other. It would not be the same if she left
I agree. They both compliment one another.
It’s the drama factor. The show would have little zip or tension if everything went along as planned. I’m guessing she submits a design plan ahead of time which the home owners’ approve, but for the dramatic value she appears to promise more while actually giving exactly what was agreed upon. I certainly hope so, anyway, or else she’s inept. Which I doubt, judging by her stunning work.
If a homeowner ‘insists’ on having a new kitchen and an extra bathroom at the expense of leaving a leaking roof or old knob and tube wiring, or trees left growing into the basement they want reno’d, what sense would that make? I know it’s disappointing to find out your reno money has to go towards fixing the hidden problems. But if those problems aren’t fixed, your fancy kitchen or your newly renovated basement, could go up in smoke from old, dangerous wiring, or the sewer backing up into your fancy basement renovations. It has been said that perhaps the homeowner should borrow more money towards getting their house completey safe and renovated, instead of moving to a new, more expensive house, where they will be paying a higher mortgage payment, higher taxes, and probably paying for many more years, than their original mortgage. Yelling at Hilary because their house has huge hidden problems, instead of trying to meet her half way, is totally a waste of energy, and putting the blame in the wrong place.
What company was used for the faux brick wall in that episode?
Ridiculous that the same $$$ amount is not applied to the love it as the list it.
Anyone that likes Love it or List it should also check out Property Brothers! Two great real estate/ renovation shows! The contractor/real estate agent twin brothers find fixer uppers and do some serious renos! One of my favs for sure
i have been watching this show for 2 years i love it i get tips for my own home
who pays for the renovation of their current home?
The homeowners do.
I can’t stand this show anymore. It’s always the same recipe EVERY EPISODE. Hilary promises all the home owners want as far of renovation goes and she NEVER delivers the product. She’s given a large budget each time and I’ve NEVER seen one episode where the home owners get what they ask for completely. It ALWAYS end up with BIG problems that takes most of the initial budget to complete the dream she sold the house owners and deceives them EVERY TIME. She does have an eye for nice things though…expensive things. Some of that money that she puts on expensive things could be used elsewhere in the renovation where the home owners could finally get want they want totally. One thing I despise about Hilary is the tone she speaks to the home owners with sometimes… If she would speak to me with tha tone, me the CUSTOMER WHO PAYS FOR HER SALARY, I would for sure tell her to take a hike and be more respectful… OK OK.. some of you are going to say… It’s all staged for the sake of the TV show bla bla bla… at the end of the day, i’m still the viewer that decides to change the channel when that TV show comes on. I gave it a chance, many chances but I can’t take it anymore!
Omg I totally agree with u Hilary NEVER delivers on her promises and she always has an attitude ..I just can’t stand the way she talks to the homeowers. Whoare Paying her salary.. she needs to be slapped one good time and I bet she delivers on a promise ..lol
LOL exactly… she soooooo snobby! I just can’t stand her! Who the hell she thinks she is anyways? After all, she’s spending their money left and right and she has the nerves to talk to the home owners as if they were a piece of shit!! :S It’s very possible that it’s all bull anyways and they’re all actors but a reputable designer would never treat their customers this way!
There are times that Hilary gets a bit snarky with the homeowners, but then again, the homeowners are getting their renos at a cheaper cost, for sure, and they should be grateful they were chosen to have their home renovated. I do understand that sometimes they can’t have everything they want, and they should know going in, that once walls come down, or a basement is ripped up, problems will likely be found, that will require more money to be spent. At least the electrical and/or plumbing problems are repaired and their house is definitely worth more than their contribution to the renos. I do agree that they should be cautioned and informed about the likelihood that might happen, and that she will do her best with the money they give her, provided there are no major problems showing up, once walls come down, and basements are cleared out. What really bugs me is when a homeowner trys to say they didn’t ‘know’ they had a water problem in their basement, or a leaky roof. “NOT” I love the show, but if you don’t like it, then you have the option of turning to another program. 🙂
I guess I’m alone in saying that I find some of the homeowners’ tones and whining to be far more annoying, and I don’t know how Hilary stands some of them. They act like Lord and Lady of the Manor: spoiled brats who grew up in a “gimme gimme gimme” generation and who don’t know how to talk respectfully to people they employ. Hilary and David are not serfs, dear homeowners, and I’d LOVE to see your faces growing up in the plain but beloved homes of the 70’s and 80’s. And also grow up with the politeness and respect of that time too. Brats.
PS: The above commentary was intended for the show’s homeowners, not any of the commenters, just to be clear! 😀
It is only my opinion but I think 99% of the show is scripted. Which explains why Hillary talks so mean to her clients at times. Every single show is exactly the same; only difference is different people and different houses. However to each his own. I miss the older shows.
Same script, different actors each show. Hilary can’t make the remodel happen and David wastes time showing completely unacceptable alternative houses until the last one which is just right. Then the remodel returns double what it costs which is in conflict with numbers from the Bang for Your Buck show. They all appear to be actors pretending to be homeowners as opposed to homeowners pretending to be actors.
yes
Hi Hilary,I have a question about my living room,the size is 19X13 so I have a very long room..on the one end of the living room the TV across from that is the computer and on the other end of the room is the chesterfield with end table on other side, and on one side is a chair we are doing renovations,I need so much help,Please help me
You know that this isn’t the “Love It or List It” website, right?
I actually don’t watch this show much because it is too scripted and phoney. How is it that every home Hillary renovates has and major problem that eats some of the budget? Coincidence?…
Anyway, I just saw the episode with Sandra and Jeff…Is it just me or was Sandra completely selfish? It was more important for her to have a closet for her dead animal coats then a bedroom closet for her daughter.
That woman should have been slapped. What a you-know-what!!
YESSSSS! I’ve seen this episode a couple times and she makes me cringe. I cannot stand her. She’s a complete B for sure.
My wife and I like the show but the routine is getting a bit boring. It is almost like the homeowners are coached to be obnoxiously resistant and they love everything at the end. Also, why does Hillary’s budget get comprimised when a house needs a new roof and that is not part of the project. To get a new roof which you need out of the show and not something you just want and then get mad about what you are not getting makes no sense.
Hillary – for goodness sakes have these folks sign a contract that says any existing structural, mechanical or any changes to the original plan you set with them is NOT TO BE REMOVED from your “decorating/design” budget. That woman who wanted you to take the new furnace money and relocataing the huge plumbing pipe money from the design monies and still wanted you to complete your design plan was out of her mind. How would you know her furnace had reached it’s due date???? People are selfish and unthinking. Great show, but Hillary you get shafted by these occurrences that are no fault of yours.
David – some of your clients are nut cases. I was laughing at one episode today and thought – Hmm David needs to call Jonathan and Drew the Property Brothers and hand em’ over. LOLLL
Enjoyed the show until I too realized the formula was the same for every episode. I’ve NEVER seen anyone decide to list. I’ll have to take others’ word for the 50/50 split; hasn’t been my experience of the decision distribution. Can’t enjoy it anymore because I’m too irritated by the predictability of the show.
I don’t think the OWN network had “Love it or List It” ‘before’ HGTV. The OWN network just started a few months ago, and I have been watching Love it or List It on HGTV for a couple of years. If ‘OWN’ dropped the show, those who enjoyed it can watch it on HGTV. Regardless of parts of the show being staged, I would imagine that’s necessary, because some people could be very unpredictable. I do agree that Hilary could do ‘less’ fancy, and possibly give some other rooms a necessary facelift, or a 2 piece bathroom, if it isn’t feasible to create a 3 piece bathroom without taking away from another bedroom, etc. One thing that drives me absolutely CRAZY is when people get into a bathtub with their shoes on!! How ignorant is that??? They could scratch the tub and literally make it necessary for the seller to have the tub refinished or replaced. Viewing other people’s homes should come with the necessity of leaving your shoes (or boots) at the front door!!
It’s obvious these shows are scripted/staged. Contractors who do not inspect the houses thoroghly prior to work/quote, Spending a ridiculous amount of money on a true fixer upper. No design plans. I watched one episode where, well lets say the house was a dump. No bank will finance above market value especially these days.
I like to watch the rehabs they put in, but let’s get real with the numbers and the staging put into the shows but they’re not real. Property Bros., List it or Sale it – purchasing houses for over 300k needing major overhall and finding all kinds of problems after the purchase and finding problems after work has begun,
not to mention nobody apparently needs to get a building permit to do the rehabs which means they have to have design plans in advance.
I recently relocated, but in the process I had an opportunity to check housing costs in potential different locations/states. Most – Most places I’ve found it was very easy to find modern houses in very desierable neighborhoods that were under 225K, with 3/4 br large kitchens etc. that didn’t need any rehab. Infact I had to over inflate typical wants just to limit the search results. (CA/LOS and NY city would we exceptions).
I would rather they skip the scripted fluff and spend more time on the rehab.
OMG, I am trying to watch the episode with Desta and her boyfriend as the homeowners and I can’t make it to the end of the show. Desta is such a B word that she is making me physically ill watching her. What a hateful, ugly, mean, selfish, did I say ugly woman she is. I don’t know if I will be able to watch the show ever again with her on it being all nice and proFAKEional after this episode. Ugh, she has totally ruined the show for me. Who’s dumb idea was it to showcase their old run down house.
Love it or List it is beyond ridiculous. Since Hillary is incapable of properly quoting her jobs, she is a total fail. I have watched many of these shows (too many) and she invariably encounters a problem which causes her to blow her budget. Since this happens EVERY SINGLE TIME, perhaps she should build 30% more into her quote. Unless of course it is SCRIPTED THIS WAY to add DRAMZ. How much more can you insult the intelligence of the viewing public? Ditto for Property Brothers. No staging there on those awful eyesores with the requiste missing cabinet doors. Nope.
I like this show, but I have to agree that the homeowners act all whiny when Hillary finds problems that are not her fault! They need to get over it, that is why I will probably stop watching it. A little unrealistic!
I agree. I watched the show a couple of times and just did not enjoy it. Obviously it is staged; but warching every show staged the same way was just boring to me. To each his own. :>)
I agree that the show is scripted but I would never act the way these people do on tv.
I just watched a man take $75,000 away from Hillary because of zoning laws that she had no control over. Granted, she should have gotten that info when she gave the plans to the zoning commission not after she started work. But that wouldn’t have made good television. The couples just come off as such @#$#%’s. If this is how they really are I don’t know how they can have friends. That is the problem with these show. If you have even a little knowledge of construction, Diy or real estate you feel that the shows are just Soap Operas with a different name.
I love HGTV but this show is clearly fake. David is obviously an actor. Having been around real estate all my life, he never uses language that a real agent would use. Hillary has never gotten her hands dirty in her life. I loved the show where they were supposedly a third of the way into a two story addition and the “architect” called her to say they were adding too much sq footage according to the county. As if that woudn’t have been the FIRST permit pulled.
Completely scripted, completely fake on all levels.
I’m afraid you’re wrong. David is an actual realtor. I’ve seen his listings and those of his brother. His father was a realtor too. Why don’t people google before they post wrong info?
Does “designer Hillary” EVER give the family everything she promises them? I’ve watched about five episodes of this show. EVERY SINGLE TIME, SHE DID ABOUT HALF WHAT SHE SAID SHE WOULD DO. So, I quit watching the show. And, if she worked for me, she would be FIRED!
My feeling is she should caution people that if they run into any problems, she might not be able to do everything on their list. Some of them expect way too much with a small amount of money. I watch it because I enjoy seeing the finished product. I get angry some days too, but it’s entertaining. I just wish they wouldnt have so many repeats of the show. Some of the clients expect way too much and are pretty rude at times. What’s with the ‘granite counter tops and stainless steel???” I guess they like having to wipe fingerprints off the appliances every day..lol. Then there are the ignoramuses who get into a tub with their shoes on!!! Grrrrrrrr…how dumb can they be???? Ah well…it’s all in good fun, and entertaining most of the time 🙂
Why isn’t the house inspected before the couple makes ridiculous commands? I do not know how much Hilary is paid but it is not enough for the abuse she gets. Those couples who have have champagne tastes and beer pocketbooks are the worst. Just today I saw a show where the couple basically wanted the house gutted! Add a bedroom, redo the kitchen, tear down that wall etc. and the budget is $25,000. When Hilary said that’s a big list for a skinny budget the woman turned mean and ugly. $25,000 didn’t even cover the hardwood floors in half of my house! Please, tell the couples to be realistic. Beggers can’t be choosers. The rude ones? Gut the house then walk away. That’ll teach them how to treat people.
I agree with you that most of the ‘clients’ expect way too much from the skimpy budget they give Hilary. It makes me laugh to see how people follow the trends, and demand granite and stainless steel. I’ll bet that most of them come from ordinary homes with ordinary counters and appliances, but they want to ‘keep up with the Jones’s’ and impress others, instead of getting the most ‘bang for their buck’ with normal, durable counters and appliances. The whole world has gone mad, and everyone seems to want more than they ‘need’ rather than what would make for a workable, comfortable home. Then there are the houses that are totally bursting with junk all over the place, where they have lived like slobs for years, and they expect Hilary to ‘clean up’ their pig pens and make them showplaces with a small budget. I watch the show to see the final finishings, but most of the people are ‘low-class’ slobs with grandiose ideas that are way beyond their needs. Someone needs to sit them down and explain that they are hoping to get ‘everything for nothing’ and make them clean up their homes before they even go into them to try to fix them up.
Are you kidding me! I watch this show and I have no idea why! I can not stand how they treat the customers! They are awful people, fake, disrespectful and just plain old rude! I can’t believe they still have a show…when Hilary is remodeling and telling the home owners what they are NOT going to get and when they aren’t happy about it she immediately gets an attitude! She is a crazy person! When David is showing houses he gets so annoyed with the people when they don’t like what he is showing them…how ridiculous.. I can’t believe people get sucked into this show…These two people need to go to a class and learn to talk to the customer in a professional manner…how do they have a job when both of them are such jerks to others..? they basically blame the owners throughout the entire show calling them stupid b/c they don’t like the ideas they are throwing at them or showing them houses that are ALWAYS over budget.
Jade, we agree with you! This is one of the worst shows that we have watched. Not only does the designer not do anything but she does not do her homework before taking on a job and then has the nerve to look surprised when there is a problem! She has the gall to look the owners of the home in the face and say I can’t deliver what I promised. OK, I can understand not being able to deliver every single wish list item but there has not been not one show where she has delivered even 50% of what was agreed upon in the beginning. This wonderful designer takes people’s money and where does it go…to the real designers and and people that have to deal with the city to get permits. That leaves about .02 for the renovations to be completed. I would have thrown her out of my home long, long before she could have done the damage that she does. I have grand kids that could do a better job than she has ever done.
The only bright thing I can say about her and her team is the gentleman that does that contracting work. He is competent and she is absolutely not!
Now, for the real estate agent…FIRE HIM QUICK! He’s nasty, belligerent and and selfish. Actually, THEY BOTH SHOULD BE FIRED AND people should not be dooped by them or sucked into this show.
Actually, I find that most of the clients are rude, and give a budget that is small, while expecting miracles and a ‘freebie’. They apply to be on the show, so they can get renovations for a reduced price and free labour, and then they act like they are doing the show a favour. I don’t blame Hilary for getting upset. Then again, it’s just a show, and the aim is to keep us entertained and feeling ‘something’, whether it’s anger or interest in seeing the finished product. The greatest joke is people wanting ‘granite’ and stainless steel, on a shoe-string budget. Getting into bathtubs in other people’s homes with their shoes on, and expecting to have their house totally cleaned, even tho some of them look like they are hoarders, and just want someone to organize their messes for them. What the heck, I still watch it, and complain while I’m watching, but mostly about the clients, rather than the stars of the show. 🙂
Horrible, horrible show. Horrible, horrible hosts. Horrible, horrible scripted dialogue. The “contestants” HAVE to be paid to do this because no intelligent homeowners (which they seem to want us to think they are) would keep Hill-ar-y-ous on the job at her first mistake in budgeting.
Budgets are always the same and, in the end the “new home value” is always up by the same percentage (and I wonder, is it based on reality or pre-burst-housing-bubble?).
NOTE TO HGTV: Please stop carrying this disgusting show. Its mimicry of real estate agents and designers give all legitimate ones a bad reputation.
You have the budget and Hillary incorrect. Hillary has to work with the buget the homeowner gives her and it is never enough for all the things that they want done and they have the nerve to complain when surprises and unforeseen issues show up in the house and Hillary has to readjust what can be done. I really enjoy the show until the homeowners start acting unreasonable.
Donna
I would not let Hillary near my home if the show gave me the money for my remodle she always does what she wants and not what the customer asks for and she is very rude she also is completly boring I hate it that she tends to say” over to David now “each time the reveal is over she doesnt belong on T.V. I do like David and the premiss of the show.
This show is COMPLETELY FAKE! The show plays out almost the exact same way on each episode. It’s like watching episodes of Scooby-Doo. I don’t what kind of idiots the producers think we are, but they most certainly think we are.
Either the homeowners or Hilary or David act or say things most real people would. However most the time the homeowners need to be slapped into next week, almost every week all the homeowners are *******’s. Excuse me, it is NOT my fault your house it rotting away, I cannot fix this and redo three floors of your home for twenty thousand dollars.
I know it is all set up and fake, if I was the designer and a homeowner was being as ******* like most of the homeowners on this show I would still deal with it calmly as possible and ask and state things a lot differently. Like instead of saying, I cannot do something it would be like, how important is a bathroom up here?
These homeowners want their entire house done with thirty thousand dollars, new high end kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, basement etc… and when someone goes wrong that is no ones fault it is somehow her fault?
Fake or not I am surprised anyone would want to make people think they are that much of an ******* on television.
They really need to change up the style of the show, it is the same thing with different people.
This is one of the worst shows on HGTV. It seems fake, but if it’s real, it’s even worse. There’s something seriously wrong with Hilary’s designs. They ALWAYS run into problems and they NEVER have enough money. They need to plan for problems before they find them. And, if they know they don’t have enough money for something, they need to be upfront about it before they start ripping things out.
Yes, the homeowners are rude, stupid, idiots, but Hilary consistently fails to deliver on her promises. It’s enough to make anyone mad.
Fake, fake, fake. If you’ve watched one episode, you’ve watched them all. I hate that it insults our intelligence. I hate the fake bickering between the hosts, and the fake animosity heaped on the hosts by the homeowners. I hate the fake drama at the end when we learn the homeowners decision. Is it so impossible to do a show that is not totally scripted?
I like the show, despite wanting to choke most of the recipients, but I’ve pretty much quit watching it, because it’s all repeats now. Too bad, it was fun and annoying at the same time, and it entertained me for an hour.
This was a fun show the first few times I watched it, but it was just too formulistic. Every show’s the same: Here’s Hilary and her contractor failing to identify a load-bearing wall until after they’ve started the job (or some other Renovation 101 issue that should never, ever happen)…there’s David showing the people a house exactly the opposite of what they’re looking for just to elicit the “he has no idea what we want” reaction…
And in order to produce more drama, they made Hilary and her contractor look like total morons. Pros diagnose obvious problems BEFORE handing you an estimate. Hilary would agree to remodel an entire house for $40K and then tell the people on Day 1 that the budget was wrecked because she hadn’t figured out it was going to cost money to run water/sewer/electrical. They even had an episode where they agreed to dig a basement deeper only to find that local code wouldn’t allow additional excavations. In the real world you’d fire somebody on the spot for dumb stuff like that.
Hooked on this show!
I love it
I love it too, but it’s all repeats now. Wish they’d make some new ones.
ABSOLUTELY Love this show!!! Re-runs or not!!! Totally feel like Hilary and David are married though…….?? Any thoughts??
They aren’t. I found a blog or website of Hilary’s where she mentions David buying a gift for his wife
I have a question..the “budget” Hillary gets, do the Homeowners actually give her the $ up front, or the show actually pays for it?
If I was a homeowner thinking of selling my place, I would rather keep the $ as a downpayment than to risk it with renovations that may or may not increase the property value. If it didn’t increase the value or if it was a wash, they would be out a lot of liquid $ up front. I guess they would have to sell it first before purchasing a new property. But who knows what the buyers would pay.. regardless of appraisal value, its up to who’s willing to pay.
I do agree, most of the homeowners are pretty ungrateful throughout most of the show. Whether or not if they decide to sell or stay, they give a pretty good deal at the end for being on the show.
I too used to love the show but got quickly annoyed with the obvious staged production. Now I just dvr it and fast forward through most of the talking. I look at the new houses, the finished renovation, and decision only. And I think it’s complete bs that the renovation adds as much value as they say it does.
Several houses in my neighbourhood have been done over by the show. One couple, although they said on the show that they were going to list, are still there four years later. Yes, they do shoot two endings. Houses in Toronto and in my area specifically are rarely on the market for more than two weeks. There would be no way that a couple could put an offer in on a house David shows them without it being unconditional. There just isn’t enough time to get a house while waiting to see what Hillary has accomplished.
Me, I watch the show to decide whether the couple appear to be future divorce material.
I just recently found this show and I was curious if people really followed through with what they said on the show. The other thing that makes me curious is where are they staying during the renovation.
I live in Canada and watch this show a lot. MOST families stay (at least 70% of the time.)
Okay, I love HGTV and I hate reality TV-why are episodes of so many design shows becoming nasty-like Love it or List it? Enough already-if we wnant reality nastiness we can watch many other channels. Please provide the good old shows again like David Bromstead and his original cast were amazing-where’d Danielle go? Genevieve where are you? So many of the shows I,my family and I’m sure many others love are gone-turned reality and it’s frustrating. Just had to get it out. It’s bad enough that barely anyone has talent anymore on Tv and there are no family shows, but at least HGTV was always fun…then it turned….what a shame:(
I want Hilary to get some real education and learn how to spot construction flaws and problems in the houses. If not that, then she should bring her construction guy, who DOES know how to spot such, in with her before her assistant designer. She shouldn’t make promises about fulfilling the entire wish list until she knows (1) her budget and (2) house problems. I wish she’d stop whining so much and take a course with Mike Holmes or something so she doesn’t come off as so inept.
I think the conversations between the couples and the hosts are very much staged. It’s rather obvious, especially after seeing several eps in a row. Also, I think some of the arguments between couples and the hosts are staged, as people just AREN’T that rude and stupid, are they? Other than that, it seems legit enough.
PS: Are all people in Canada so rich? All these shows, they’re not blinking at prices of $600,000. I live in a very nice house in NC, USA that cost $100,000, and it’s all I can do to afford that!
Most of the shows are done in Toronto, where $100,000 will get you a 1-bedroom fixer-upper in a not-great part of town. Friends of ours paid between $360,000 and $435,000 for semi-detached downtown homes. They were lucky. 2012 prices for houses in Toronto topped half a mil last year. In Mississauga, just outside Toronto, the average two-story house costs $400,000
I’m a Canadian who has lived in the states for over 40 years. I live in a small town and no, we’re not all rich. Hubby and I do our own remodeling, painting, gardening, etc. I noticed the changes in HGTV also. I am so sick of House Hunters being on night after night. I love the decorating shows, like Genevieve’s, where she recreates an expensive room for about a grand. Love It or List It is an ok concept but I can’t stand David. He is so waspish and his nasily voice grates on my ears. I really miss the old shows from BBC that used to be on HGTV in the very beginning and a lot of the older HGTV decorating shows. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Of course, like most of the women who watch him, we all love Mike Holmes. Hubby does too and says you’d have to search far and wide to find someone like him here. But we’ve picked up some good tips from HGTV and have put them to good use. We are getting older now and are doing our last remodeling project in transforming an outdated bathroom. However we have a contractor coming to put on a new roof, siding on the areas that aren’t brick outside and 18 new windows and a kitchen remodel. And that will do it for us. Thanks for the ideas, HGTV.
I’m not a total fanatic of the show but have watched it over the years. when it comes to the conflict between hilliary and the clients, I think this is totally only for the drama and pre show all these issues have been worked out with the clients agreement. After that its show time! On shop many episodes, the client freak outs seem so very forced, and really, if they did stumble into a major snag of course the clients would be involved in what gets cut. What I’ve often wondered about if how accurate the after appraisals are. Sometimes the reno ends up mostly being structural fixes and that isn’t something that would improve the value that much. I also agree that some of these high end finishes are a little over the too. I’ve done some pretty major tennis at a much lower cost.
I apologize for any strange spelling. On my mobile and auto correct is bothersome.
I know that in a couple of cases, the home owners have refused to appear on screen and been replaced by actors. IIRC these were particularly contentious renos. I know that there were actors instead of the real homeowners because at the end of the show I caught a mention of their names.
Have you seen some of the designs from Hilary on trading spaces..example spray painting carpet and fabric chairs. Stapling hundreds of records on a wall (home owners usually cried) I wouldn’t let her decorate my dog house. Not the same Hilary at all. Goggle it.
Used to watch love it or list it all the time. Now it just lather,rinse,repeat. Do love the end designs though.
Once again – NOT THE SAME HILARY
im only 14 and i love this show soo much i just love seeing all these houses that r so pretty. my mom says im going to be one of those people that move all the time or im going to be one of thoese people that are always redecorating and re modleing my house because i am always moving my room around. XD cant wait til im older and to some more eposodes come one!!!!!! YOLO!!!
Maybe you could become a designer or house stager?
I have read all of the comments about Love it or List it. It’s obvious there are differing opinions about the show. I enjoyed the first few episodes, but soon realized the show is staged, the plot is always the same, and the ending is almost always inevidetable. It’s a matter of whether you can sit through the whole thing and justify the time you have wasted. However, if you want to be duped into giving your support to this show, then you must not have anything better to do with your time. I would like to start watching the show again, if the writers would add some spice, more variety, and acknowledge the viewers with more intelectual credit. If the show continues as is, consider using it as a ‘fill in’ program.
I love love love the show love it or list it! It is like the best in the world!!!! I wish to be on love it or list it, I have a list and a budget already. I love Hilary’s work. It impresses me so much. Love it or list it’s number one fan here.
I really got a kick out of so many of your comments. I guess because I live in California (have seen TV shows get made) and have had renovations done I could tell by the first show that it was all scripted. I find it funny that some of you are upset about this or that, when it is all just written into the show not real at all! The sad part about the show is, it really gives people the wrong idea about how renovations really work and what the real value of them is or isn’t, as well as what buying a new home is really like and how much more it will cost you than you think. I also think it is sad for Hillary’s reputation that she has to act like she didn’t know you could not do a full kitchen and basement reno for $30,000. I do like watching the show to get ideas for my own house. I DVR the shows and have a 1 hour episode down to about 12 min, including pause time to really look at the rooms. I DVR the Property Brother’s too but, I don’t watch as fast because they are so cute I tend to pause a little longer!
Hillary, you are my favorite of all the shows on HGTV. I find my self routing for you on everyshow. I would be more than happy to have you as the designer to redesign my home, you do exceptional work. our Number 1 fan Donna.
Sorry but this isn’t the Love It or List It website, or Hilary’s personal website or blog so she won’t ever get your fan comment.
You never know if she sees it or not. Lots of entertainers read blogs about themselves. So if y0u can not say anything nice do not say anything at all.
Have a wonderful evening.
So telling someone that they’ve posted on the wrong site is being “not nice”? That’s a bit over-sensitive. Hillary has her own site, you know, and IIRC so does the show, so people with questions or comments to Hillary could post there – but they won’t if no one points out that they’re in the wrong place.
So here’s Hillary’s personal website contact page: https://www.hilaryfarrdesign.com/portfolio/contact/
and here’s the Love It or List It website: https://www.wnetwork.com/Shows/Love-It-Or-List-It/Whats-New.aspx
the idea is a good one. the EXECUTION sucks big time. it is all MANUFACTURED and FAKE drama and it gets nasty and annoying quickly…esp in a hour format. the problem is it now seems to be the template for other HGTV shows. hose hunters now features a man whos back yard HAS to face west, a woman who must have a access to the beach but he husband must be on the golf course..and other absurdities. HGTV MUST stop this trend or fail more than it currently is failing.
watch,i really enjoy your program and i want to be one of the winners
This ISN’t the Love It of List It website, so you are not going to get a reno.
Here’s the Love It or List It website: https://www.wnetwork.com/Shows/Love-It-Or-List-It/Whats-New.aspx
and here’s Hillary’s personal website contact page: https://www.hilaryfarrdesign.com/portfolio/contact/
Both of these might tell you how to get a reno
Fake or not fake, the show is entertaining 🙂
What I do not like is the homeowner gives Hilary the buget and it is barely enough to do one of the big things on the list and they blame her when she can not work majic and provide them everythin on the list. They expect fine wine with a beer budget. They remind me of some of the house hunters that want everything and but do not have the money to afford it.
I agree with you. They seem to give her a really hard time with a small budget.
well hilary alway’s say’s she can do it.. but what really get’s me is when something go’s wrong the first thing hilary say’s is but u didn give me enough money,,, yet u watch the other show property virgan’s and the gal there alway’s give’s the home buyer’s a head ‘s up on thing’s that they might run into
How do I enter the contest ,this website keeps sendig me to pch.sweepstakes Please Help me! Thanks
How do I enter the sweepstake’s I just got sent to pch.
No idea. You need to go to the HGTV.com website, I imagine.
I love the show LOVE IT OR LIST IT…ok I love all those kind of shows.I think Hillary does a great job on all her houses…you what her redo your house ,then hive her themoney and shut up till she is do…
I agree with you. I also love the property brothers.
Donna
This show has the same theme over and over. Hillary commits to tearing down walls and later finds out that she can’t do it because it is load bearing wall, The cost was never considered. You would think they would learn from their experience. But no! There is an hour of show to fill. Perhaps the show would be more informational if it combined an inspection from Homes prior to making the design plans. It’s a soap opera!
I still love it no matter what you say. It is very entertaining.
Donna
How can I list my house
I loved this show at first. Then I realized every show had the same pattern.
Say what they want in their home and their budget.
Go to the first two homes and usually the wife picks it apart and complains about everything.It seems very scripted.
Then they go back to check on Hilary in their home and something has gone wrong and needs to be fixed which means that something on their wish list has to go.
They get mad and complain about Hilary.
Then magically they go to the third house and it’s perfect and they love it!
Then they decide if they love their renovated house or list it. Most I have seen “list it”.
They need to change some things up so it’s not so predictable and quit telling people to be nasty. It’s so cheesey.
I just love watching David and Hilary. “Love it or List it” has become one of my many favorite programs on HGTV network. Hilary and David have me glued to the television.
Thank you for the energy you have that keeps your show alive.
Love your show!
Are furniture and decorations included in the budget? I don’t see how. If they are not, then are they donated? Do the homeowners get to keep them and move them to their new home if they decide not to stay?
I love you both Hilary and David and i love your show too .
I like the show but I think that the homeowners are all actors. No one from the public would say the things they say. It is all scripted. Also, the colours of the clothing all match the background.
i love your program i watch it all the time i wish i could have you two in my house that would be a drea….9052775011
i love your show it would be a dream to have yu in my house
This is all taking place over weeks, and yet they are always wearing the same clothes..Hilarey and the homeowners so you know that it isnt impromptu secret conversations caught on tape. it is all staged and that bugs me. As a big time renovator and designer Hilary knows better than to promise anything right from the start. if it were a bit more realistic on those points I would like the show much more.
Hilary is a designer; she says she’ll do all this stuff that usually involves construction, but nobody (contractor) does a thorough inspection to know what is behind those walls! NOW, a better show would be if Mike Holmes did the inspection FIRST, THEN Hilary said what she could do with the money she’s been given. But that wouldn’t make for good TV drama, would it?
I loved the show “Love It Or List It.” I found it by accident one night and even though we live in our “dream” home, I am hooked!
Hi,
Does anyone know where to get the beddings on the bed picture that’s featured here?
Thanks!!!
I really love this show, Property Brothers too, but definitely cannot understand how Hilary’s reno pulls in such a high return – when you watch other DIY or HGTV shows regarding do renovations, for different rooms or types of reno, the experts give numbers like a 60% return, or very high being around 80%, where Hilary’s are always around 150%! I really like Property Bros. better as I am in a situation where I would like to buy a home, but the fixer-upper is all I can afford, and am looking for ideas!
“Love it or List It” wouldn’t need a contest to boost it’s viewership if they just changed their format and interaction. They need to take a page from either “Income Property” or “Property Brothers” as to how to interact not only with the homeowners as with their co-workers. Both Scott McGilvray and Jonathan Scott interact pleasantly and cooperatively with the homeowners and the co-worker who brings them bad news about the property. By contrast, Hilary grouses angrily at her contractor and has a bad attitude toward the homeowners comments. David on the other hand is either the world’s worst real estate agent or the house hunt is scripted, because the first two houses he shows are either out of their price range or out of their target area or both, the only one which seems to come close to the criteria wanted is the last one. Come on, folks! Change this crap or say goodbye to the show.
I truly hate this show
While I realize that much of the show is scripted, I’m hooked. I especially enjoy the banter between Hillary and David. David is a funny guy, and Hillary, well, very nice on the eyes!
I used to watch this … but i truely hate the bickering . Thought i would let you know…
I always find myself asking the SAME questions:
A. Does Hillary go through the house, make all kinds of promises WITHOUT walking through with a contractor? I mean, if she walks through with a contract, HOW could she NOT know that she is dealing with a load-bearing wall. Either she is stupidly promising stuff or she is being portrayed as looking STUPID.
B. Does she run into MAJOR problems with EVERY renovation?
My wife and me were watching the “Love it or List it” TV program, in Spain. We try to follow it as much as we can. After searching for this program through the internet I discovered your interesting website. These are difficult times for the Real Estate industry as you may know in Spain. Your writings are helping me out to improve my grammar and english vocabulary related to this subject. Your blog is very very good, and useful also, please keep on doing it.
Saludos.
Why all the negativity on Love it or Leave it ? The people they select are so snotty and most of the time when David and Hiliary look at their existing homes they are so messy and look filthy, On that note, how can they be so picky about anything, They would probably make a disaster out of any home they had. I would like to see either David or Hiliary really tell those awful people off, and refuse to take their attitudes. It really makes a bad impression!!!
Why did you respond that I already a comment. I looked at all your comments and did not see it!! I wanted to say that these rude, lacking class, normally live in a very messy/dirty house, If I were showing my home even, with children, I would clean it up.
I sooo agree with you, I often will turn to my husband and say “there’s nothing wrong with that house they just need to clean it, and throw some of the junk away.”
OMG! I LOVE this show!! it kind of funny, because when I watch house hunters I usally guess which home they want about 75% of the time. But when I watch LOLI…I guess wrong 75% of the time! LOL. Oh well, even when its reruns, I forgets and still guess wrong. But I love the program anyway. I think David and Hillary have a lot of sexual tension ….Like they need to get it over with. 🙂
Sorry, but this show is staged. My friend just finished being in an episode and everything is planned out before its even filmed.
They even tell them (the homeowners) what to say. You can tell, the acting is sometimes laughable.
My friend knew what was going to be renovated. Hilary adds to the list just so she can run into a problem later and pretend she can’t fund the checklist. Most of the houses they visit with David are not even for sale!
Two endings are also filmed.
Is there any reality tv that is actually reality anymore????
Interesting! Thanks, Fiona. I have yet to hear of one show like this that ISN’T staged.
Yes it’s stagged it called a program, not a reality show! It’s scripted like a preface, context, and the end….. Buy it or list it?
I must say I am so confused as to where they are finding all these wealthy people! They all have so much money to renovate and in all of the episodes the houses are worth half a million or more!! What city are these people from and why is it so expensive to live there? It is a fun show to watch though! Hilary is awesome I’m always rooting for her!
I loved HGTV (the only chanel ever on my TV) Love It or List was one of my favorites, that said, I dont watch HGTV anymore, I just got tired of all the reruns, there hasnt been anything new in a long time.
I have tried to like “Love it or List it” but after the same plot with nearly the same script I just do not like the show. I am curious though as to how the show is filmed; as is it another House Hunters with a “different” plot…every episode?
Thanks!!
Yes, according to multiple comments here and emails I’ve gotten from people behind the scenes, it is staged like “House Hunters.” Two endings are even filmed and producers decide which one to air (and it has nothing to do with the real-life outcome).
I love this show too! I’ve been watching it for years and yes there is a pattern – always a construction surprise (knob and tube wiring; additions not done to code; water damage) – that puts a major dint in the reno budget. Homeowners get mad at Hilary for not being able to do everything on the wish list due to budget constraints. Homeowners tell her she is not professional. David can’t find a house in their neighbourhood. Couple bickers with each other and consider the other unreasonable. Despite this predictability, the show is great and I watch it whenever I can. I love the banter between David and Hilary and usually they each pull a rabbit of their hats.
Having been subjected to Love It or List It through my wife, I have to admit it can occasionally be an entertaining show. Having watched it with a jaundiced eye, there can be no doubt the show is formulaic and scripted. With that in mind, after reading many of these comments, it might serve people well to realize that what HGTV has become is the equivalent of professional wrestling for the homeowner, where the shows and storylines are all done in character by what amounts to performers with a background in the field. Nothing is real, and if they’ve sucked you into thinking that, then they’ve likely succeeded in what they’ve set out to do. Pro wrestling has been called a soap opera for sports, and HGTV shows are that for the real estate market. No more, no less.
her accent is not fake. It says that she was BORN in Toronto but raised in London! that is not fake!
I’ve been watching this show a long time too but I’m tired of the pattern. Are homeowners so stupid that they don’t know that the house needs to be to code to sell it? They don’t know that they couldn’t renovate for those prices? Why is all of the furniture new? I like seeing the new homes and the renovations but don’t really like drama.
Fake? So what? Most of TV is fake. Knowing that doesn’t prevent me from watching HGTV shows because I know they are ultimately just entertainment. But watching such shows is really not much different than browsing through such publications as Architectural Digest or House Beautiful. We read magazines like these to get ideas and gain inspiration. Having been in the custom interior furnishings business for 25 years and working on many magazine shoots, I know that virtually all magazine photos are staged with the use of a stylist to create the views. That makes it fake, right? Also, when we have guests over to our house, don’t we usually clean house before they show up? Fake again because that cleanliness is not how we normally live. Why, it seems we’re just as fake as the TV shows we love to bash!
I agree, don’t care if they are fake. That was obvious from the start. I watch to get ideas but the fake outrage directed towards a decorator is getting annoying. These people would have to be completely clueless to think that issues are the decorators fault. Just like any tv show, I would like the content to be a little more believeable.
I dislike the show because of its overabundant and lazy fakeness.
The Hillary conversations are obviously staged and improv-style scripted. Each homeowner takes on a “David-side” or a “Hillary-side,” awkwardly making argumentative points that appear silly. Also, the Hillary-Homeowner conversations are clearly all shot on the same day. Everyone wears the same outfit in each one. It’s such lazy fakery. Try to fool me at least. Have three outfits around on the day you shoot. Do one at night so the “weather” is different.
Also, the returns on investment are laughably overvalued, some returning 150% of the investment. Even when some of the renovations actually hurt the value of the house. Or, they are not including some major cost, such as a designer and an architect, as it’s part of the show’s budget. (I think Property Bros. skips the charge for the contractor & design too, as some of those renovations are way too cheap.) Cutting the cost of the head contractor or the designer would give you a better return.
There should be a disclaimer:
“The renovation you are about to see is fictional and does not depict any real renovation.”
For real renovations, I prefer I Hate My Kitchen and Income Property. The prices are more accurate and the homeowners appear awkward on TV, sometimes not knowing what to say or do.
Hi everybody!
I love the program. in Spain we have begun to see the year 2012 and it seems amazing.
Personally I see it every day and I love it. But most of all we like to see for the style of houses and slums. They are very different from those we have in our country. I would not mind living in one of them.
Someone makes a change of address to Barcelona?? 🙂
The both are the best, I want to live there in Canada
This show always the same. Hillary keep having the same issue even when she get a $100,000 budget she is crying no enough money. come on it is getting boring, Than she wine about the owners complaining. She as a professional need to know all the hidden issues in old houses. Another concept is always the last house is the contender house. Please change this stupid formula. Boring ….! She get so much money and never deliver.
I think Hilary is made out to be a idiot. No pro. would do the stupid things she does. No one would tell a homeowner she could redo her home without checking all the things what could go wrong before she comits to it. Hilary can’t be that stupid. But Hollywood needs a show.
I am amazed that hilarys carpenter always runs into problems , however that is understandable in old homes. What really bothers me is the cost he quotes for the repair. Which in turn causes hilary not to make good on her promises to home owners. I think Eddie is gouging Hillary on his so called, repairs. Just an opinion from an observation…..
It’s because the entire thing is staged to be that way. . .very irritating.
Hi there,
Love the show!!
I was wonderig if you ever consedered giviing Hillary the option to have a range of Good, Better and Best for product purchases? After all when one renovates a house you never know what problems you will run in to. In reality, when any contractor renovates they will likely have to consider quantity (how much they can get done) over quality (having a good quality job and not a designer priced job).
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Regards,
Linda Patterson-Gibson
.
I like the premise of this show, but I cannot stand it. It is so predictable and FAKE. Just who is this Hillary? Like one homeowner ‘said’ if she was a designer, shouldn’t she have thought of this beforehand? It’s all for drama and to make the show interesting. And the homeowner never likes any of the houses until the last one.
All reality TV is staged and this one is one of the worst! Sorry.
I would like to know if hilary and david are married to each other?
Nope.
This show has a great concept, and I watch HGTV almost constantly, but I ALWAYS turn off the channel when this stupid show comes on. It is the corniest, cheesiest show on TV today. . .making every episode into a fake fight and always having major ISSUES come up. . .I absolutely hate it, and it’s the only home related show I can say that about.
One thing about Love It or List It, is that the houses are sooo expensive. Of course some houses are going to cost 600k or 700k or even a mil, but the vast majority of these houses cost that. They had one episode where the guy was a firefighter and also had a martial arts studio. Presumably, the wife worked, too. And they said they could afford to go 750k. Seriously??? I’m sure they were doing ok, but three fourths of a mil?
In all the episodes I’ve ever seen, I’ve only seen two familes whose houses were worth less than half a mil. One was a family with a very worn smaller home worth about 200k and the other was a family with a 450k house.
Yet, when I google Toronto home prices, they appear to have a pretty wide range.
Something seems odd about this..
Not sure what the mystery is: downtown Toronto houses are very very expensive, and when some of these episodes were filmed there was a massively inflated market for certain areas – like Playter Ave near Danforth. I went to see a house in that area that was badly renovated (ugly) and small and they were asking around 900,000 for it! It went for over $700,000.
10 years ago, I also looked at houses in the Gerrard-Donlands area which were row-houses about 80 years old, not renovated, and they were running between $380,000 to $400,000. Just to make sure that the market hadn’t bottomed out, I checked a current Toronto real estate website for downtown and other homes actually *in* Toronto (not the burbs). There were a lot of listings for over $1million.
I also agree about the show seeming to follow a formula, though I certainl do like to watch it anymore.
I also noticed that, when the couple is talking together about whether they want to love it or list it, if they sound like they’re leanng one way, they will nearly always decide the *other* way.
Also, Hillary finds structural problems causing them to have to give something up in every single episode.
I just watched re-run episode – 2011 Hazardous Household. David belittled her “carpet thingy” when the couple reminded him that, with her Lupus, she needed to have level floors from room to room. He talked terribly to them. You have lost a viewer. I too am disabled.
I’ve been watching this show’s marathon whenever it comes on. I do get kind of pissed when Hilary is unable to finish some of the client’s must-haves but then she will go and get them top of the line appliances and granite counter tops. She doesn’t have to put the BEST appliances in a kitchen for it to be worth it.. she could use that money for something else that the couple wants.
But the clients shouldn’t get angry at her when she runs into structural issues with the home, that is definitely not her fault.
I just watched the episode where they were re-doing Desta’s house and let me just say, I hate Desta now. She was so rude to everyone, including her husband. Ugh.
I like the show, but getting tired of hearing Hilary time and time again what she cannot do. It’s actually becoming a turnoff. She should check out in the beginning if there are any challenges. Focus on making what she can do a great success and stop all of the “I have some bad news.” #SickOfIt
love the show – agree there is a formula but still very entertaining. The exterior of the homes are generally very unattractive and sometimes just hideous. Are there any attractive exteriors in Canada.? I watch the show for ideas on ineriors.
Why doesn’t hillary consult the builder more before she begins?? Almost like a death wish.
I like the show but totally agree with the home owners. Why does she consistantly begin renovations without doing due diligence to find out about zoning…blah blah and then claim it’s out of her control…I keep hearing her say, “I assumed” that’s just poor designer…
If you ask Canadians who watches this show on the W Network, you would hear comments that Hilary is, most of the time, annoying. There’s a contrasting “thing” about the hosts, which I think makes it more dramatic or interesting for the viewers. My husband and I watches this show and it’s always on in Toronto. I heard that the other show, The Property Brothers will be shown as well in the US. The show is about twin bros with a fixer-upper house, etc. It’s also an interestng one. Back to the show, I think this show is better than the new Love It or List It-Vancouver, they are no Hilary and David =)
david,hillary.come on .hillary im sure this shows just for intertainment.but your contractors suck.my son gets really aggivated at your contractors.they can come up with less costly repairs that are still good..get different ones.and hillary open your mouth.tell them that.and tell the people ”look,have you priced things.they want a catle for 30,000.say no i i cant do it.you cringe back to much.me id say look pick two things for that amount.or say i have to allow for surprises..my son and i have done houses and we just tell it like it is.and if they insist on more i hold my hand out and say so do i.
david,stop trying to cottle to people.if they want a certain house somethings got to give .or they have to dig deeper in their pockets.ths shows ok.but the two factors ”contractors that can work better budgets and still pass inspections.been there.dont let people walk all over you.now the sows probabaly just intertainment but boy it aggrivates me..they say thats all the money we have .well just say this is all we can do.
Is this just a TV show or is this for real..? I would Love Hilary to come and renovate my house, I hate it and simply love her designs. I love the location. List it, maybe but I know Hilary would get me to Love it.
Is this just a TV show or is this for real..? I would Love Hilary to come and renovate my house, I hate it and simply love her designs. I love the location. List it, maybe but I know Hilary would get me to Love it.
I have never been on your website so how can you say I already said that. !!!!
I love Hilary and David, I am addicted to this show! My satellite wasnt working correctly for four days and I was having withdrawals from not seeing it!.lol I love the way Hialry handles her clients, sometimes I feel sorry for her bacause they are so rude and tacky about the house that had issues to begin with then when she finds something, fixes it right for them, they complain! omg! they should be so ashamed for behaving so poorly with her! David is taken on wild rides , with people that want MORE than what their budgets can even handle! bless Hilary and Davids heart they really get some doozy’s to work for! I wish I could have them here at my house! 🙂 They are an awesome duo.. I’m NOT looking forward to the new show.. “Love it or list it too” I dont think anyone can compare tothe awesome job Hilary and David do.. I want them to do the NEW SHOW TOO! …. Love the show! it’s my favorite! Thanks ! Jami P.
I think it’s interesting that they got the former “Bachelorette” Jillian Harris to do the new “Love It or List It Too” show on HGTV.
I think it is unfair that Hillary’s allotment is jeopardize when unforeseen repairs are needed i.e.: mold, electrical, beams, etal & the monies have to be used here & there; consequently a new room/area can’t be completed. It seems the cost of repairs outweighs the actual remodeling and the owners get upset at Hillary. I like it when she comes out on top even w/discrepancies.
I watched the first airing of the new Love it or List it and I do not like the new host. They are too stiff and not natural like Hillary & David. I will sure miss them. I know I will not watch the new show. Sorry.
I think the new show has confused a lot of people. It’s actually just an additional version so they have more episodes to air. David and Hillary are still hosting their version–they didn’t go anywhere!
I love your show. David, it’s easier for you to found a new house, 3 choices. Meanwhile Hillary, have to used her creativity and maintain within the budget. I have to commented Hillary, her quick and ingenious brain to make the clients happy. She usually have more challenges and difficult tasks on her hand.
I have so many shows that David come out top.
I would like to see a turn around for Hillary.
Where can I found a few episodes that Hillary make the clients happy. I would love to see that.
if my home was remodled I would most likely love it because theres not a lot I want besides 3 bedrooms 3 bathrooms and a finished bacement
I need to know what happen to Hilary Farr and David?
When will they come back on? Missing them…
I enjoy watching this show as well and love Hillary’s style but the problems do seem similar from episode to episode and I always wonder if the homeowners are actually that rude to her.
I wrote a newer post about this that you can see here: https://hookedonhouses.net/2013/03/28/is-hgtvs-love-it-or-list-it-fake/
I totally love “Love It or List It”. I would say anyone without design knowledge would feel Hillary can not possibly make my house do anymore than it is. I tell you Hillary is a supper customer service person because she takes some verbal abuse. My this is, why don’t people understand – you have water getting into you basement, we found rats in the walls and they have chewed your wires etc. This is going to cost more money. Daaah
I love this show, love it or list it. Hillary is the bomb on her remodel ideas & decorations. I think shes great. I wish she could do our house . lol, Davids a great realistate Agent. “I really love them ” I was glad to see the renos of their team. I think if they are fixing & helping others. then why not their team members too. THEIR AWESOME. : )
I wrote a more recent post about “Love it or List it” that answers a lot of the questions being left here. so I’m going to close comments on this post and move the conversation there. Here’s the link to it:
“Is Love it or List it Fake?” and More Questions Answered:
https://hookedonhouses.net/2013/03/28/is-hgtvs-love-it-or-list-it-fake/
Thanks! -Julia