Behind the scenes at HGTV

I had a blast being the Realtor Expert on HGTV's, "Band For Your Buck". The show looked at 3 homes in the Minneapolis area, all spending the same budget on their Lower Level remodel. I had to determine what their return on investment would be. Meeting the families and the crew from HGTV was a wonderful experience. What surprised me was..... that they really did want the drama! I really couldn't be wishy washy. I had to love something or really not like it. I think they wanted a definitive position from both the designer, myself and the homeowners. Also, they shot 40 minutes of tape to 1 minute that they actually aired. There was a lot of room to edit. The real purpose of the show is to help homeowners get a return on the money that they are spending on their home renovations. This may seem obvious, but most people renovate and decorate for themselves and their families needs. They only really care about the return when they are ready to sell. Then , homeowners assume if they spend $100,000, a buyer should realize this and pay them $100,000 extra, when they sell their home. It doesn't work that way. If you plan to stay in your home for many years, do whatever makes you happy. If you are planning on selling in the near future, consult a professional Realtor so they can advise you on current trends, your local market statistics and the biggest bang for your buck, so that you can get the largest return on your investment.