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.
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.
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 addition to her busy schedule of filming Property Virgins, Sandra works as a manager and coach for other realtors within her company.
Sources:
HGTV Canada and U.S.
Stevie Awards