If you’re like me, when you get home from the office you like to have a nice meal, maybe a glass of wine or a cold beer, turn on the TV – and clear your mind from the hustle and bustle of a busy day. The real estate business is the last thing I want to think about…right? Wrong! Like millions of Americans, I just can’t get enough of Real Estate Reality TV.
One of my favorite new shows is Million Dollar Listing on BRAVO. After only two episodes, I know that I will be glued to the TV for the entire season. For me it is like “watching a train wreck†– I just can’t turn away. So far, it seems the producers of Million Dollar Listing set out to find the goofiest, unprofessional (but successful) agents in the business. The show follows an agent wearing a velvet, leopard skin hat (not that there is anything wrong with wearing a velvet, leopard skin hat), an agent that allowed a $2M hogged deal (represented the buyer & seller) to fall through over a couple of thousand dollars in repairs (couldn’t cut into that $100k+ commission), and a team (married agents) sitting around the office belittling their clients. It makes for entertaining television, but it does not shine a very good light on the real estate industry in general. I guess the truly good agents are a little too boring for prime time TV.
Another one of my favorites is Flip This House on A&E (not to be confused with Flip That House on the Discovery Channel). Flip This House is a reality series that follows another group of dysfunctional real estate professionals as they buy, renovate, and flip (sell) properties. Again, the producers shined a light on the goofiest group they could find.
Although there are a few of these Real Estate shows (Vacation Home Search on the Travel Channel, House Hunters on HGTV, and others) that follow some truly professional agents as they work hard to ensure their clients complete a successful transaction, the latest (and most popular) shows are following characters that are embarrassing to the real estate profession. These shows are focusing on “Jerry Springer†types. As these programs continue to grow in popularity, you can count on new ones, with even more outrageous agents, showing up in the cable lineup.
Again, I admit it – I love watching these shows…but I can’t help but feel that they will have a slow, but long-lasting, negative impact on the profession.
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tags: real estate, reality tv, million dollar listing, bravo
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