Our 6 Favourite House Hunting TV Shows To Stream Now
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14 minutes ago
Get your fix of property porn
Finding your dream home is never easy. There will always be something that’s not quite right – whether it’s shoddy interiors, structural damage, the size, the location, or (most often) the eye-watering costs. Whilst the search can be painful, it’s always comforting to know that you’re not alone in your struggles. (Plus it’s always fun to spy inside other people’s homes). Looking for your fix of property porn? Here’s our favourite house hunting TV shows to watch now.
Credit: BBC / Naked West / Fremantle
Escape To The Country
Dreaming of a country home of your own? On air since 2002, Escape To The Country offers up 27 series (and counting) of bucolic cottages and rural farmhouses to inspire you. Each episode features a set of prospective buyers on a mission to escape the city rat race and settle down somewhere quieter. The buyers will view three or four properties, including a ‘mystery house’, in their chosen county or region, and guess the price upon viewing. At the conclusion of each episode the buyers are asked to choose their favourite of the bunch as they make plans to purchase.
If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, the BBC has produced a whole host of spin-off series to satiate you, including Celebrity Escape to the Country, Escape to the Perfect Town, and European version Escape to the Continent – plus retrospective look-backs at former buyers and their homes including I Escaped To The Country and Greatest Escapes to the Country. Bon appetite.
Location, Location, Location
Much like Escape to the Country, Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location, follows Brits on the hunt for their dream home – just free from the rural constraint. Presented by former property searchers and buying agents Kirstie Allopp and Phil Spencer since it’s launch in 2000, each episode follows two sets of buyers with distinct budgets and wishlists as the hosts guide them to finding their perfect property.
They’ll typically view three or four homes per episode, as Kirstie and Phil challenge them on unrealistic expectations and encourage them to make compromises. There are 45 series to work through, plus spin-offs such as Relocation, Relocation (in which buyers up sticks to a whole new location they’d never dared to move to) and holiday home special Vacation, Vacation, Vacation.
Kirstie & Phil’s Love It, Or List It
Based on the original Canadian TV show of the same name, Kirstie & Phil’s Love It, Or List It follows the Location, Location, Location hosts as they help unsatisfied homeowners decide whether to renovate or sell. With Phil on team ‘List It’ and Kirstie encouraging them to learn to ‘Love It’, the pair go head to head as they attempt to sway the homeowners to their point of view. Each episode, the prospective sellers will meet with both an interior designer and a real estate agent to help them make their final decision.
A Place In The Sun
The most exotic of Britain’s property TV shows, A Place In The Sun takes viewers through a myriad of overseas properties – from Mediterranean villas to Caribbean escapes. Made in response to the number of Britons buying homes abroad, each episode follows a British couple who are considering buying a second property, or permanently moving to, a sunnier locale. The show’s researchers then find three to five properties within budget, providing useful information as to what it takes to buy, run and maintain a home in that particular location.
House Hunters
You can’t write a round-up of house hunting TV shows, without including, well, House Hunters. The American TV series is the OG of its kind – debuting in 1999 and now with over 2,400 episodes to its name. Much like the British shows it has inspired, each episode follows a mix of individuals, couples and families on the hunt for a new home with the assistance of a local real estate agent. They are shown three homes, and must choose their favourite by the end of the episode. The crew then returns to find out how they’re settling in.
While it’s still very fun to have a nose behind the scenes, be warned this American variety is a tad less authentic than its British counterparts. Rumour has it that those who appear on the show will generally be under contract to buy their favoured home before shooting even begins.
Selling Sunset, Image courtesy of Netflix
Selling Sunset
A behind the scenes look at the world of real estate, Selling Sunset is less cosy couples pottering around countryside cottages and more botoxed, uber-glam realtors fighting it out to be the best in the bizz. Centred around The Oppenheim Group, these elite brokers sell LA’s sprawling mega-mansions and luxurious lifestyle to their network of high networth clients. Yes, there’s plenty of drama – but most importantly you get a sneak peek inside some insane celeb-worthy homes.
