Has anyone else seen the mother/ daughter duo on HGTV? I searched for a thread but didn't see one. Mods please combine or delete if this is a duplicate.

Boy do they grate!!! It is set up just like every other "how to sell your house faster show" except this time with 0% followthrough. Just a lot of talk.

Anyone? Buhler?

I couldn't find a thread either so thanks!

They get on my nerves. Who decided everyone wants everthing beige? I think they're throw up if they saw anything decorated on Color Splash or Design on an Dime.

I saw a couple of episodes of this mess -- probably only two. One where the people were living in a small house while building another and were in the process of moving into the new house and selling the old one. The hosts decided that the furniture was too big for the house they were moving out of (duh -- it had been purchased to go into the new, larger house), so the homeowners put all their furniture in storage and either bought or rented scaled-down furniture. Gee, it must be nice to have unlimited disposable income. Then there was another one where the dining room in the house for sale was really small, so they told the people to take the buffet out and put it in storage. Magically, the house sold instantly, because none of the buyers were smart enough to see that the dining room was still small and just didn't have any furniture in it except for a table and four chairs. Then, in one show, the mother (I think) did these little commentaries about things sellers should do and she actually said that you can create the idea that you've taken care of your house by making sure the toilet paper rollers are filled with brand new rolls of toilet paper. Keep the toilet paper you actually use inside a cabinet so that potential buyers can't see it. Since I think the idea that people will be worried about the toilet paper conveying and that will be the deciding factor in selling the house, I realized that this show was absolutely too stupid for words and I never watched it again.

I have seen 3 or 4 episodes of this show. The first few were OK. The hosts are the same two people - mother and daughter - who critique the houses before Lisa and Clive redo them on Designed to Sell.

The lastest show I saw though was really dumb. In the first house, the homeowners had literally painted every room a different color. And very loud colors at that. How much inside knowledge does it take for anyone to tell them they needed to repaint the rooms?!? There was not much good info from them for that house other than the obvious. Then the second house was a total disaster. Projects unfinished, piles of junk everywhere, etc. Again, it was obvious what the owner needed to do. He actually took the house off the market until he had it in better shape.

If the homes chosen for them to critique were more interesting and suitable, this show would do better. For it to work, the defects and problems need to be more subtle so that their expertise really is helpful and point out things that the homeowners (and viewers) appreciate and feel is valuable info.

I have to say I kind of disagree. Some of the more subtle things are valuable to know (and would probably be considered more of the 'secrets' in the title) but so many people selling homes are too close to the issue to be able to make the decisions and fix the problems to get the house sold quicker. They've shown a few homes that were just gorgeous - completely painted and decorated - that weren't selling. The issue was always that the HOs had turned the house into a showroom for their stuff with their tastes. When something is so overdone in one style or taste you will get buyers who will walk in and instead of seeing the potential will immediatley dismiss the whole house because they hate red and one room is painted red. Or they hate country and you've got country style accessories. I think those points need to be rammed home more than just the subtleties of staging. I purchased my first home with an eye of doing some work on it and keeping it no more than two years. Everytime I think about working on something or replacing something I am totally thinking of what it will look like when I sell it and to keep it so it will be as appealing to as many buyers as possible, even if it's not to my exact taste or personal preference. I'd rather paint in nuetrals now than realize in a year that painting in my favorite colors is causing my house not to sell.

I agree, and although the colors were realllly loud, and nothing I would have chosen, I liked the layout of the house, and the loud paint wouldn't have put me off at all. I don't get why people are so turned off by paint. I don't care what colors you painted your house, or what kind of furniture you have or if it's 'dated' (don't get me started on that term). I know how to paint, and unless the house comes furnished, I couldn't care less what kind of furniture you have or how it's arranged in your rooms. I'm not 'confused' because someone is using their dining room as an office....if the room is next to the kitchen and has a dining room light fixture, I know it's a dining room.

But... those are different kinds of shows entirely. This isn't a decorating show - it's a show about the best way to stage your house to sell it. And the fact is, the vast majority of all buyers are going to respond more to neutrals when they are house-hunting - they might not LEAVE the house neutral once they get to make their own design choices, but neutral colors allow them to focus on the house itself.

OSM MOM, while I agree with you, most folks don't think that way - it is hard for many people to see past what currently exists in the house to what it might be. Take a look at Sell This House - when people come through the house, they almost always comment on color, furniture, clutter and not the house itself. My best friend recently bought a house, and she was the same way - if she didn't like the decor, she dismissed the house as "ugly" and she just couldn't get excited about them, even if they just needed new paint to be great choices for her. She acknowledged in her head that the changes could be made, but she couldn't get past the initial emotional "Yuck!" that hit her when she walked through the door.

**snerk**

I did find it amusing how TPTB apparently made the mom/daughter team tone down their rude schtick for this show, making them be polite to the person's face, then give one of them (usually the mom) an insert shot where she is holding her glasses and intoning snottily, what were they thinking?

I've only watched a handful of episodes, but the bits I liked were the couple with three kids who built some multi-milliondollar mansion up on a mountain somewhere, and then realized they couldn't afford the house. I'm always kind of annoyed at people who do that sort of thing since you would think that at some point in the construction planning they would start to get a hint of an idea that they were overextending themselves. But I'm digressing. I did like that the mom/daughter pointed out to the male homeowner that he had designed the house for himself and his family, and what he wanted. He hated the idea of families breaking apart and going to their own spaces and never interacting, so he had the bedrooms made incredibly small so they really could only be used for sleeping. I kind of agree with him about the concept, but I did think mom/daughter were right in telling him that he'd gone a bit far with the concept, and that very few people would find the small bedrooms attrative.

The other episode that sticks in my mind featured a couple with a perfectly nice house that happened to be right across the street from some huge yellow water tower or tank. And the mom/daughter basically said that with that kind of obstacle, you are basically screwed and you'll be looking at a long time selling. They did give the couple the usual tips (get rid of the dated furniture/decor, get rid of clutter, etc.) And since this is an HGTV show, I'm sure it ended well with a immense, over the requested amount of money sale for the couple, but in real life--doubt it. Every time I see a for sale sign in front of a house with that kind of problem, I just know the owner is screwed. Case in point, this really nice brick ranch house near me. Obviously well maintained house, out in the country, beautiful lot, flower gardens, etc. Right across the road is a huge factory. Painted yellow. Good luck selling that house.

WORD. When we were house-hunting, we went to look at a really nice rancher we found on Realtor.com. Brand-new, GREAT PRICE, had everything we wanted, pix of interior and exterior were fantastic. what we couldn't see was the view acroos the street of a 20ft high embankent topped with the state roads equipment depot. It practicalyl blocked the SUN. The house is STILL on the market 1 year later.

I saw a few shows, and thought it was just ok. Seems every episode I watched they told owners to paint beige. For me, I really don't care what color is on the walls....as long as it's not super dark...because I'm repainting it anyway. I might wonder if fresh paint was to cover something like stains from a roof leak.

So many of these shows, and they all have the same hints. Clean. Declutter. Paint neutral. A few add their personal little idiosincrisies. I personally enjoy the wrinkled "crisp white bedsheet" used as a tablecloth on the show with the big guy and the girl with the...well, let me look up their names. Roger and Tanya on Sell This House. And then there is the tiny woman with the coffee cup on Designed to Sell and her reliance on fairly hideous window treatments.

But in the end none of it matters if the school district sucks and the house is in a lousy location.

I had to laugh when I read that! It is so true. I think most of the changes Lisa makes on Designed to Sell are good and improve the looks of the room. BUT, her window treatments are just awful. They look like some kind of handkerchiefs that barely cover the top few inches of the windows. And as they show the tiny, weird semi-curtain like things - Clive always says that they spend $XX on updated, sophisticated window treatments. I always wonder why they don't show us the sophisticated window treatments?? Where are they - all I can see are the bizarro things Lisa put up at the windows.....

ITA. I've never understood why leaving your windows basically uncovered so the whole world can see in, is 'sophisticated'.

The episode with the black couple whose house had burned down and they had rebuilt. They didn't put in a dishwasher!! I'm sorry, but you want over a million dollars for your home, you better have a dishwasher! And that shower was the strangest thing..never seen a round shower before. When they did the 'after' part, the husband was going through all the things that they had done, and I noticed that putting in a dishwasher wasn't on the list.

Then the lady with the condo. Who put some sort of fabric around the chain on her chandalier because it was 'ugly'. Uh, honey, I've got news for you...if you think it looked better with that strange fabric you're crazy.

I didn't catch this episode. Did they explain why they didn't put in a dishwasher? Now, I'm one of roughly ten people left in the US who don't have a dishwasher so I'm not particularly pro-dishwasher, but I do see why people like them. I don't get this at all, especially in a million plus house.

Secrets That Sell. I have yet to see any "secrets" revealed in this series, although I confess that I haven't seen every single episode. What I *have* seen is the same ol' stuff from every show of this type: CLEAN UP, use neutral colors, remove clutter and personal items, fix deferred maintenance, stage to hide flaws, etc.

I hope they can come up with some new and interesting tips.

Right on greybear! It's all about how to undecorate and unclutter. Clutter = a china cabinet in a dining room. Can't have that!

Or a television set, anywhere!

What counts as a "neutral" color anymore? Beige or almond or white, I guess (although white can be pretty strong - in my opinion it's not as neutral as a softer off-white). But what about sage, khaki, or light clear yellow? Are those considered "neutral" in decorating land? I see them a lot in model homes.

I don't know if they're considered neutral, but Lisa LaPorta uses them very frequently on Designed to Sell. I think rather than being neutral, they're warm, pleasing colors that most people like, and they have more warmth than just white or off-white.

What I find most amusing about these shows is that they pretty much tell you to get rid of everything that the other HGTV shows tell you to add. Bold colors? Bad. Quirky little details? Bad. Any hint of the homeowners' personality? Bad.

It's like Lisa LaPorter and Joan Steffand are in a fight for dominance.

It's not so much that these shows are at odds with each other -- I see it as more of a "design to sell" vs. "design to live" kind of thing. The Decorating Cents/Design on a Dime crap is all done so that you can LIVE in your house the way you like and with things around you that are attractive and useful to you. The Secrets that Sell/Sell this House/Designed to Sell shtick is all about how to SELL your house to someone else. Real people (especially with kids!) could never live in the sterile, generic environments these folks are instructing us all to adopt, just as no buyers would ever gravitate toward the messy, chaotic, colorful clutter so many of us call home.

That said, the two women on this show are insufferable. They're mother and daughter, right? Can you imagine being the dad/husband in that family? Ouch.

I like Donna and Shannon and I think the show has potential.

My husband is one of those people who absolutely cannot see what lies beyond the red paint that he hates or whatever it is that catches his eye. He would not be able to see beyond autumn leaves resting casually under a bush. It would drive him to distraction. I am pretty sure he is not the only one in the homebuying public who is like this. Where I might see potential ( and lower my offer) he would see a deal breaker. So, I think these gals and Lisa etc are giving good advice.

I think the toilet paper is meant to be illustrative. As a seller, I don't want anything to distract the HH from the house itself. If keeping a fresh roll of TP on the spindle at all times keeps the HH from thinking about refilling the roll rather than how nice the bathroom is, then do it!

I really like the home buying and selling shows, and it always surprises me what things people pick to like or not like, both on TV and among my friends. Some of them have zero imagination.

Some of the tips given are fine. I freely admit, keeping maybe one appliance (two if you have tons of counterspace) out makes the kitchen look cleaner and more spacious. Same for keeping the fridge clean. And if all your landscaping is dead, then duh, your house won't sell.

But the way these ladies talk to the homeowners is unreal. My mom was a realtor (and now stages homes). No client would put up with that nonsense, because it's rude and unnecessary. There is absolutely no reason to chastise people as if they're naughty (and very stupid) little children.

Yeah I'm not watching this one anymore. Send them to the View.

I don't mind the show but, like with Designed to Sell, I get annoyed when people need to be told the obvious.

The latest ep I watched was the gal in Chicago whose teeny, tiny condo had been on the market for -- gasp! -- 11 months! While I'm not a stickler for paint color, her god-awful crazy pink wallpaper would've sent me running for the hills. Repainting I can do. That's easy. Removing wallpaper? Ain't gonna happen.

I did like the slightly darker color of her bedroom, though, and would not have changed it. IIRC, it was a grayish color. Then again, I work overnights and anything cocoon-like is welcome.

Upthread someone posted about the ubber-expensive house with the itty, bitty bedrooms. Yes, while the HO's reasons for their smallness was sound, if I'm spending a mil on a house, my kids (if I had any) had better have bedrooms larger than a crackerbox! At least the HO did the right thing in this case and knocked out a wall to combine two rooms into one.

I broke down and watched this bit of foolishness again. <<bangs forehead on desk>> In the episode I saw, there was a beautiful home that was owned by a military family. Dad was being transferred and they needed to sell their house quickly. Our hosts could only find the fatal flaw of too much stuff in the garage. The homeowners did absolutely nothing and the house sold a few days later. Huh? Why was this even shown on TV. The second segment was the too-pink condo girl. Absolutely, the bizarre wallpaper and PeptoBismol colored paint were a bit much. I guess she changed them and the place sold? I can't remember.

The most annoying bit in the whole show is the big dramatic "The real reason your house hasn't sold IS...." with the horrified closeups of the homeowners faces. That segment -- and it's been in every episode I've seen -- makes me crazy.

I can't stand those famewhoring Freemans, so as soon as I heard they were the stars of the show I knew I wouldn't be watching. Sounds as though I made the right choice.

Stinky ~ What else are they famous for?

I agree that "The reason your house has not sold IS"...is so hokey and phony - and very annoying. But, so far most of the shows are quite dull. Change the color, remove the clutter, etc. I guess they think they need the drama of telling the homeowners in an over the top fashion what is wrong as the only exciting thing they have to offer. I don't see this show lasting very long....

A lot of the "selling" shows on HGTV are doing this, and I have to agree it is stupid. Just give the people the amount. Since it isn't Buy Me, they're going to react happily no matter what the news is so there isn't any reason to pretend otherwise.



As far as I know, they are only famous for being the real estate experts on Designed to Sell. On that show, they tune their act up a notch with noses in the air, gasps of horror, etc. Believe it or not, they tone down their approval for this show.

Like many others, I wish they actually did have a few secrets to share--ones that aren't on every other single "sell the house" show on tv.

The Freemans were also on House Hunters many years ago.

I don't believe so. In addition to getting rid of that hideous wallpaper and painting, she also took to heart Shannon's advice about when you drop your selling price, that you better drop it significantly so that potential buyers know you mean business. IIRC, the HO not only did all of the upgrades but also slashed the price by a good chunk. See, I may've waited to see if I got any bites after doing the renovations and then try dropping the price, say, three weeks later or whatever if I still had no takers.

I can't tell if I hate this show or not. The "helpful" hints that they give are pretty much the same, but the people trying to see their houses don't seem to realize why their homes aren't selling. I guess in the end the advice is somewhat helpful and I guess that's all that matters. I guess we should be happy they don't do a whole half hour on one couple. They at least know that one couple would be a little hard to strech out for a whole show itself. Anyone?

<laughing> After tonight's "suspense-filled" reveal that the reason the couple's home (the one with the kid's bedroom done up in red and fireman stuff) was not selling after 11 months was because "they had decorated the house for themselves to live in" rather than for the buyers, I'm surprised they don't try to do the whole 22 minutes on that moment we have to wait while the camera flashes between the homeowners and the dynamic duo, before the grand pronouncement is delivered.

Slightly more seriously - I think the walk-through portion of the show is fine, although mom and daughter over-act excessively. But I don't see the point of the return from commercial to the grand pronouncement of the *single* reason why the house has not sold. Just segue to the "some time later" point where the mom/daughter get some kind of feedback from the HOs and we see some photos of what they did.

BTW - in tonight's episode, I thought that couple said they had a larger dining room table - but in the "after the letter" shots, I thought it was still the round table in the room. Or was it a *slightly larger* oval table?

I thought it was a different table, although not much larger. That house was a nighmare. I would have torn out the whole kitchen. It was more than dated, it needed an overhaul. I hope they were able to sell quickly after the painting; it did improve the overall look.

It's nice to know there is a show for decorating drama queens to be hosts. Of course the grand dame drama queen is the mother, but in time I'm sure the daughter will take her place with practice. The huge pregnant pause before they reveal their decision adds to the drama aspect of it.

I have to laugh at this show and the faux drama engendered by the oh-so pregnant pause as to why the house hasn't sold. Um, could it be for all the reasons you enumerated before the commercial break?

I always think of Ma Freeman as the seriously stupid woman from Designed To Sell who gets confused if a secondary bedroom has both a bed and a desk in it. "Cli-i-i-i-i-ive, what is this, a bedroom or an office? Buyers won't be able to tell." Well, yeah, Dumbo, if it's a smaller room with a closet located somewhat near the other bedrooms and a bath, it could probably be used as a bedroom or an office, or newsflash, a guest room/office.

HGTV must not have given this show much of a vote of confidence by ordering many episodes. It's already on repeats and I think it started this summer.

Note on the episode with the house situated near the water tower: I think I recognize that neighborhood. It's a large gated community in Mission Viejo, California called Canyon Crest. I don't think any homes around that thing really suffer because of it. Maybe they fetch a little bit less at resale, but they probably paid less than comparable homes nearby to start with. And it's really not that intrusive as it might seem.

I am watching this show for the first time, and I am sure it is a rerun. What was up with the couple with the luxury townhouse and it was beyond cluttered and had a LITTER BOX IN THE BATHTUB!! And cat poo in the garbage can. And they were showing it that way? I have cats and even I know that if you are gonna have a prayer of selling you get rid of ALL pet stuff and put all the pets in the car and drive around during the open house. When we were house shopping we went into many homes where the cats were hanging out on the couch. Now as a pet owner I do not care but a lot of people do care and their allergies will send them running. And their house has so much stuff in it! Rent a storage unit and clear the crap out, people!!!!

Well, nutgoodie, you've just stated the real problem with this show. They're not imparting any "secrets." Most of what they tell homeowners is just plain common sense, and we've already heard it on at least a half dozen other real estate shows.

Exactly. But the producers obviously believe that inserting exaggerated, bad-high-school-drama-club reaction shots and pauses makes this show special in some way. And that having *two* of the critics walking through the house together, sharing snide asides, is also a feature we want to see. (No! We the audience prefer our own snark on a "regular" RE show)

Oh Please HGTV get rid of this show!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get rid of the highchair? Get rid of the valence? Only one window covering?

What planet are they from?

I believe the "litter box in the bathtub" is actually the show Get It Sold. The only reason I know this is because I actually enjoy the host, Sabrina Soto, much more than the two screechy women that host Secrets That Sell. There are so many dang shows out there about selling homes that they are easy to confuse, but I cannot stand the mother-daughter pair from Secrets That Sell. They come in, critique your space, and then critique the results! Why do they have their own show?

hangingstar, you are right. But all these "Let's clean out your space with really obvious suggestions so your house will sell" shows do tend to blend together. I have seen the other one with the two women and yes they are beyond annoying. Do people really leave their crap around when trying to seel their house? Sadly, the answer is yes. On another show a long time ago, the homeowners had broken goldfish crackeres all over the floor in the kitchen and the mom was all, "What is the big deal? They are crackers!" I was thinking, "What is the big deal? GET A DAMN BROOM!!!!"

I'm not sure if Sunday night's episode was a repeat. And I wasn't paying close attention throughout. But what got me to yelling WTF at my TV was when the homeowner and mother/daughter bitches were in the basement, which was unfinished although it had insulation in the walls. The HO said that the basement added another 1,000 square feet to thehouse, but that she had left the walls open because if they were putting in A/C, they'd have to put in the ductwork before closing up the walls. Mother said, "I hereby give you permission to add the A/C and finish this basement."

I took issue not so much at the phrasing, which was presumably intended as a joke. But - if I had that basement and were planning to sell my house, I don't think I'd be interested in the hassle of arranging HVAC contractors to add necessary equipment and ductwork, and then other contractors to drywall and tape and electricians to finish the lighting - just to sell the home. Thinking more of the required timeline and associated hassle of finding/vetting needed contractors.

If I recall, though, the HO didn't go that far and the home did sell after only fixing some things on the main floor.

"Go ahead and add air conditioning and finish the entire basement". Right.

I didn't understand why the HO simply couldn't price it to sell without the AC and finished basement. I would rather finish it myself so I know what underneath. I like when they ciritcized napkins for valances. Doesn't Lisa La Porta do that? ;-)

Place mats, IIRC, but same kind of thing. When I saw that, I was like, WTF ladies, Lisa did something like that on y'all's other show!

They actually pulled this out of DTS and showed this tip on the Lisa La Pointers "handy hints" section that runs between various shows. Last night it popped up I think between Designed to Sell and Buy Me. So way to criticize the same show you appear on there, ladies!

I think it's a question of proportion. The napkins looked too dinky for the windows. Placemats, on the other hand, are more often fairly close to the right size.

My sister did something similar using 3 large napkins per window, placed on the diagonal. But before she used them, she sewed some backing to them so they had some substance (almost like tiny quilts - not quite that thick but you get the idea), and then placed them with the three points down, and the ones on the end folded back over the curtain rod so they looked more like fixed valences. It looked nice when done. Personally, I don't have the patience for that and would just rather buy ready-made valences, but have to say hers looked nice.

Last night was the Military family with the huge house. They redid the kitchen and it was stunning. The only thing the mother/daughter found to really gripe about was the clutter in the garage. They had suggestions like move the outdoor furniture outdoors, take the furniture out of the dining room and put in dining room furniture, etc.

The house sold before they had to lift a finger, so i'm beginning to wonder if it really helps to sell your house if you move that dresser to this side of the room or turn the sofa on an angle?

Know what I mean?