On the Job with the 'Property Brothers': Everything You Need to Know to Prep Your Home for Sale
— -- Twin brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott, better known as the “Property Brothers,” have turned their combined expertise in home improvement and real estate into do-it-yourself TV gold.
The HGTV superstars now have four highly successful shows on the network, including “Property Brothers,” “Buying & Selling,” “Brother vs. Brother” and "Property Brothers at Home."
“Drew is the most competitive man alive,” Jonathan said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re just running to the car … he has got to win everything.”
On their show “Buying & Selling” -- the new season premieres on tonight at 9 p.m. on HGTV -- the brothers work with homeowners who are having problems selling houses that have sat on the market for a while. On “Property Brothers,” the pair helps homebuyers who can’t afford their dream home to instead buy and renovate a cheaper fixer-upper.
Jonathan is a contractor and designer, whereas Drew is a real estate agent who prefers the power suit to the power tool.
“I have about 180 shoes. I have probably close to 1,000 ties,” Drew said.
“I have four pairs of boots and maybe three plaid shirts,” Jonathan quipped.
Their home improvement projects, good looks and cheerful sibling banter have turned the Scott brothers into big celebrities for the DIY crowd, with legions of fans from around the world. They even have been on People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” list.
“It’s their 50 sexiest people on the planet and there are 51 people on that list because the two of us are considered one,” Drew said.
“Nightline” went behind the scenes with the Scott brothers as they were helping a family in New York fix up their home for sale. Here are a few tips the brothers said homeowners can follow to avoid seller pitfalls:
DON’T Leave Clutter Lying Around
“Declutter, depersonalize, that would be one of the biggest tips because it does make a difference,” Drew said. “If someone walks in and they can picture them self in the space, if they’re not overwhelmed by all the clutter and the hoarding that you have, they will actually pay more money for the place.”
Homeowners should remember that when people come to visit a house for sale for the first time, they have no emotional connection to the house, Jonathan added.
“If they walk in and they go ‘ugh,’ they’ll turn and walk back out,” he said. “People will get thousands more for the home if they just cleaned it.”
DON’T Use Bold, Bright Colors
When preparing a house for sale, both Drew and Jonathan suggested homeowners paint the walls in light, neutral colors.
Even a bright yellow, which a homeowner might think looks “sunny and fun,” can turn people away, Drew said, “You want to have a space that feels light and fresh, brighter and fresh.”
The same principle can be said for installing new flooring, Jonathan said.
“People don’t want to see stained wood that’s either too red or too honey,” he added. “Look for slightly more contemporary colors that buyers will just know that you’ve put some money in.”
DON’T Spend a Fortune on New Features that Look Dated
Don’t waste money on trying to install original fixtures that may not look new, Drew said.
Instead, homeowners should make it obvious to potential buyers that they spent some money to fix up the home, Jonathan added.
“When you do a renovation or a makeover, when you walk into the house, buyers should instantly know that you have renovated,” Jonathan said. “If you’re choosing flooring that looks a lot like a dated floor, if you’re choosing paint colors that, 'Oh is that a fresh, new paint color?’ if you’re not choosing something that looks freshly renovated, buyers will not give you extra money for that."
