Property Virgins premiered on HGTV Canada in March 2006 and expanded to HGTV in the U.S. during season two. Now in season three, this show's popularity continues.
Buying a home can be a stressful experience because of deciding what home meets a budget yet meets the needs and tastes of the buyer. Many buyers want to buy the home of their dreams and live in a specific neighborhood but when it comes down to affordability, there could be a big disappointment in store.
Buyers either give up hope or buy a house that is beyond their means. Sandra Rinomato, host of Property Virgins, guides first time buyers through the entire process of choosing a home and clinching the deal.
About the Property Virgins Show
The show opens with real estate agent Sandra Rinomato interviewing the buyers and asking how much they can afford and what they want in a home; such as number of bedrooms, proximity to transportation, preferred locations and extras such as fireplace or swimming pool.
Sandra and the buyers take a walk in a neighborhood where the buyers would like to live and Sandra asks which houses they like. In response, Sandra tells them the price of the house. Most times, the house is out of their price range. This is where reality sets in.
Sandra proceeds with selecting homes within their price range and tells the audience about the neighborhood and how the house meets the needs of the buyers. When Sandra and the buyers arrive at the house, she lets them view the house while she waits outside. The audience sees the buyer’s tour the house and listens to their comments.
When they meet Sandra outside again, she gets their feedback and also asks them to guess the price. Sandra then goes back in the house with the buyers and highlights the good points of the house and the hidden potential that they may have missed.
Then they all move on to view several other homes. After the tour, Sandra asks which houses they would like to see again in order to decide on which one they would like to present an offer to the seller.
Sandra then presents the offer and gets back to the buyers with the outcome. In some episodes, the buyers need to present a revised offer and other times their offer is accepted. Sometimes the buyers lose out and other times a deal is signed and the buyers become homeowners. Not every show has a happy ending but in the end, first time buyers are better educated in the real estate game.
About Sandra Rinomato
Sandra started her career in real estate 12 years ago and is now a certified real estate broker manager at a large international real estate company in Toronto Ontario. She has earned a prestigious award for achieving sales within the top 5% of her company world wide.
In 2007, Sandra Rinomato received the coveted Stevie Award for the Best Canadian Entrepreneur.
Sandra has written her first book Realty Check: The Real Scoop on Real Estate which is due for release soon.
At the HGTV website, Sandra has a blog where she contributes articles on real estate.
Sandra is involved with fund raising for charities such as Breast Cancer Research, Coats for Kids and Baskets for Women’s Shelters.
In addition to her busy schedule of filming Property Virgins, Sandra works as a manager and coach for other realtors within her company.
The copyright of the article Property Virgins on HGTV in Home & Garden TV is owned by Maureen K. Fleury. Permission to republish Property Virgins on HGTV in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Each night recently as I watched Property Virgins, the couples ALL decided
NOT to buy. I'm watching the show because its fun to pick out "which
one" they WILL buy. If they ALL decide NOT to buy, then why watch the
show. If you are going to have shows that show couples NOT buying at
least skip one day and the next day have a couple buy (or a single buy).
Otherwise, people, such as I, will stop watching! That's too bad because I
like the show. To watch the show Each and Every night and no one is buying
is BORING and a waste of my time! THANKS for Listening
Jan 17, 2009 6:23 PM
Guest :
What is a shame is when the couples or wannabe buyers waste Sandra's time.
I've seen 3 shows in just the last week where that happened. That's truly a
big let down for her I am sure.
Jan 26, 2009 9:42 PM
Guest :
Of all the shoaws on HGTV,this is one of my top two(Vern is the
other)..both due to the host. Unlike the witch,self centered B____ on the
new show-Tatiana,and others,both Sandra and Vern are honest, caring, smart
folks, really interested in their jobs, and the people they encounter. They
care.It shows-big time.
Feb 16, 2009 3:01 PM
Guest :
I would love to see what the homes look like after the buyers move in... Otherwise, I love this show.
Feb 16, 2009 9:00 PM
Guest :
I agree with the post below on Jan 14th. Also, I don't know if it is
because Sandra is from Canada but I cannot believe that this educated
realtor (NOT REEL A TOR)cannot pronounce the world com'pra bles. And since
it seems she can only say kom pear' ables, I just wish she would be savy
and use the word "comps." She sounds so ignorant otherwise. Thank
you.
Mar 1, 2009 6:09 AM
Guest :
I love Property Virgins!!! Liz Troy, MI
Apr 24, 2009 2:10 AM
Guest :
Re: the previous post about Sandra and "comps" It is
"comparables"...she's pronouncing it correctly.
Apr 26, 2009 7:40 PM
Guest :
I love the job that Sandra does selecting the house's. She makes you
realize that sometimes you have to give up some features you want but at
the end she knows what she is doing. Hope one day she will help us when we
are ready to look for a home. Great job Sandra!!!
Apr 29, 2009 5:21 PM
Guest :
My husband and I enjoy watching this show, but since we deal with houses in
foreclosure and bankruptcy we do find she constantly tries to move these
first time home buyers to the top and often OVER what their budget is. I
would love to know how many "virgins" that have bought homes with
her have lost them due to buying at the top of their budget.
Jun 9, 2009 3:37 AM
Guest :
I could watch this HGTV show hour after hour. Sure the home sales are
interesting but nothing I have seen lately on TV is as ravishing as Sandra
Rinomato. Sandra carries her poise and beauty like others only dream they
could. She is a genuine living beauty that really takes you over the top
like only a select hanful of women ever could. I enjoy everything about
her. Listening to her lovely voice makes me numb. I look at Sandra the way
we viewed outstanding beauties of the past that were always head & neck
in front of all the others...Rochel Hudson,Pricilla Lane, Paulette Goddard
and Ann Sothern to name a few. What is this lovely lady doing on a show
selling houses? My God she could be the top box office draw for MGM,Warner
Brothers or Paramount!!!
Jul 8, 2009 10:09 PM
Guest :
I wish Sandra would wear her clothes one size larger!!
Jul 22, 2009 8:30 PM
Guest :
I live in Los Angeles California. Watch your program everyday. Where can I
contact you. I have questions on your program of 07-22-09 with Brenda &
Ebony.
Jul 23, 2009 3:25 PM
Maureen K. Fleury :
Suite101 is not affiliated with the program. There is a page for Property
Virgins on HGTV and maybe there are some leads for contacting.
www.hgtv.ca/propertyvirgins/
Aug 1, 2009 10:20 AM
Guest :
I watch the show and enjoy it very much - however my husband is a realtor
and wonders how Sandra can present offers in different regions without
holding a real estate license in each of those areas (and two different
countries)? In our state you must be a licensed realtor (each state
requires separate licenses - there isn't a "national" license to
my knowledge)to present or administer any property contract. We are just
curious how she handles this from a legal standpoint. Does anyone know?
Thanks!
Aug 3, 2009 10:25 AM
Guest :
I was also wondering how Sandra is able to work in several states and two
countries. I was thinking maybe she worked with local realtors aand they
actually take care of the sales and get the commission.
Aug 23, 2009 5:03 PM
Guest :
I wish she would do more shows in other parts of Canada. There are way too
many shows about US real estate.
Sep 1, 2009 8:18 PM
Guest :
Love the show "Property Virgins". The only thing I would like is
to see the homes after the people buy them - that is, to see what they do
with them, how they decorate, etc. e.g., like House Hunters.
Sep 1, 2009 8:19 PM
Guest :
Love the show "Property Virgins". The only thing I would like is
to see the homes after the people buy them - that is, to see what they do
with them, how they decorate, etc. e.g., like House Hunters.
Sep 4, 2009 5:40 PM
Guest :
I watched for 5 minutes. It was just long enough for Sandra to tell new
buyers that a garage addition would cost only $10,000. She's obnoxious,
abrasive and condescending. I don't care how many awards she's won. When
she's on, I'll be changing channels.
Oct 16, 2009 2:01 PM
Guest :
I think Sandra is a phony and a terrible realtor. The first thing she
does is to dashes all hopes of buying a dream home by having her clients
meet her in a neighborhood they clearly can’t afford. If she really had the
clients best interest in mind she would have told them in advance the
neighborhood selected was well out of their price range and saved them the
embarrassment. I would expect no less from my agent. Then for a
cheap thrill she forces them, yes I said forces them guess the price of the
house they like only to deflate and embarrass them essentially saying,
“Sorry sucker, you don’t make enough money to live here.” Next this
whole concept of staying out side while the clients browse through the
house alone is nothing less than a cheap trick to get inside their head. If her intention is really to let them form their own opinions without
her influence then why listen in on them even worse make rude comments
about their first impressions. It’s painful to watch their confusion
about the property knowing the so-called realtor is right outside doing
nothing. Next without fail she makes them guess the price of every
single house. Who does that? Even if they come right out and ask
she will turn it around and won't tell them the price of the house unless
they guess first. I would fire the agent right there on the spot if
they tried to pull that do-do on me. I’m paying my agent a good amount of
money to give me the facts and information I need to evaluate my options.
You insult my intelligence and waste my time asking me guess the price time
after time like it’s some kind of a freaking game show. What makes
even worse is when they guess wrong and they usually do she will make a
comment like “wow you’re way off.” Or “what a typical property virgin!” Last but not least if they don’t like the house for any reason she will
make horrifically ugly faces mostly directed at the weaker of the two
clients and then makes desperate suggestions like blow out walls and
replace carpet. And who is going to pay for that Sandra, You? Sandra is rude, over bearing and should not be in this business much less
the host of a game show. Oh did I say game show? I meant to say
reality show. Bye the way. Stay out of the US. In case you haven’t heard
we have a job shortage here and every time you sell property in America you
are robbing potential business from our own realtors. They have family and
children to feed.
Oct 19, 2009 8:14 AM
Guest :
My husband and I catch this show fairly regularly. The other night I
couldn't help but notice how she was dressed when the couple was signing a
purchase agreement. She was in a black evening dress showing A LOT of
cleavage and this was while she was supposedly at work? Very
unprofessional in my opinion and distracting as well. The dress was
actually too small no matter when she chooses to wear it. I just felt
compelled to comment on this.
