To put it simply, no. While HGTV doesn't specifically address payment in their application, they do note that homeowners now must have a $100,000 renovation budget (this requirement was previously $50,000 and then $75,000).
No doubt, some homeowners do score a free onscreen renovation, but most have to foot the bill themselves. Specific rules vary by show, but some require notably hefty budgets for participation.
Does HGTV pay for the renovations? There's a common assumption that making it on a show comes with a free renovation, or at least discounted goods. On the contrary, homeowners have to come up with the money for the projects.
In most cases, homeowners are required to foot the bill for their renovations, and in nearly every contract, they are informed that extra perks, such as free materials and access to experts, come at the discretion of the show's producers.
You have to pay for the renovations.
A lot of people apply in hopes of receiving a free home renovation, but that's not exactly what they get. Be prepared to drop serious cash on the work done to the house. “The homeowners always pay for the renovation," an HGTV rep explained.
One such couple, Deena Murphy and Tim Sullivan, who appeared on HGTV's “Love It or List It” in 2016, sued for breach of contract and were countersued for libel, slander and product disparagement. They ended up settling out of court.
After the show ends, homeowners on "Love It or List It" are given a choice. They can keep the furniture that's on-site if they want to do so, or all of the staged pieces can be removed. If they decide to keep it, they'll pay for it.
If you often wonder how much your home or place of business can earn you income as a film production, the quick and general answer is between $1000 to $5000 per day. How to arrive at that number? The industry rate per day is generally your monthly mortage payment.
HGTV confirmed that goods and services featured on its shows might be discounted in a statement to Insider. "Design work is paid for by homeowners," the statement said. "HGTV pays for some labor or costs to expedite production if needed, but generally, homeowners are paying for their services.
If the winner opts for the cash alternative, the Dream Home crew is usually able to sell the home in a month, sometimes in days. Though the new owners remain nameless, they purchase the homes at or around the price that HGTV deems the houses worth, but “ rarely at full value. ”
Since those properties with valuations of over $1 million can come with tax bills into the high hundreds of thousands, the vast majority of winners end up either selling the homes back to the developers or just accepting the cash alternative, which is a lower amount but consequently comes with less tax responsibilities ...
The sales taxes on the 2009 house in Sonoma, California, were $500,000, and the annual property taxes were $25,000. So the winner sold the place three months after she won it, for $2.2 million, and donated the contents of the home — valued at $187,000 — to charity.
"People often ask us why we don't do bathrooms or why all the rooms aren't shown on the show," she wrote in a post on Instagram, "and the answer is easy: we design the rooms that our homeowners tell us matter most to them (usually common areas), what their budget will safely cover, and what we have time to do for ...
About The Show
Two couples, each with proven track records in house-flipping, endeavor to turn a million-dollar profit in the Dallas real-estate market — all in just six months and with starting capital of just $1000.
Casting for our shows happens through production companies. HGTV and its hosts do not contact anyone directly to participate in our programming.
If You Want to Be on TV
Some HGTV stars are only available for projects for their TV shows, so if you're looking for their services, you'll have to be cast in a future season. Conveniently, the network makes it pretty easy to find its casting calls: just visit HGTV.com/shows/be-on-hgtv.
Chip and Joanna reportedly earned $30,000 for each episode, as reported by E!, which did not include the fees they received from the families whose homes they renovated. So, they could take home upward of $510,000 in a single season, but that wasn't the biggest benefit to their new-found fame.
While HGTV shows are designed to look spontaneous, participants are scouted and chosen ahead of time, and the show's producers and staff have an excellent idea of what kind of detailed work will be involved. This allows them to get the necessary permits before they ever start rolling.
Sometimes they're just a set built for a production, but in many cases, those famous movie houses and television digs actually exist. Some of these famed homes, like the house from A Christmas Story can be rented out.
Start by contacting your state or local government's film and television office to register your home as production-friendly. (You can usually find a contact e-mail or phone number by Googling your state or city's name and “film and television office”).
Contact your local film commission and ask if they have any lists of location scouts or location companies in your area. Location companies and scouts keep a database of homes available for filming. These location companies are contacted by film companies whenever a commercial, movie, or tv show needs a location.
The home renovation reality TV show on HGTV, Love It Or List It, is great to binge-watch. However, not much of the show is actually real. Multiple episodes of HGTV's hit show, Love It or List It, have been binge-watched over the years, but some behind-the-scenes facts may change the show's perception.
Hilary Farr and David Visentin have such great chemistry on their highly rated series that it may seem like a bit of romance is going on behind the scenes. After all, they respect each other but tend to bicker here and there, and if that does not sound like an old married couple, we do not know what does.
Love it or List It is returning for a new season on HGTV. The cable channel has renewed the reality series starring designer Hilary Farr and real estate expert David Visenti. The upcoming season will have 18 episodes which will be split into two parts.