Do The Property Brothers Cover The Cost Of Their HGTV Show Renovations?
The "Property Brothers," aka twins Jonathan and Drew Scott, are some of the most known faces on the HGTV network. With their first show airing back in 2011, the duo has since spawned a total of seven shows on the network, such as "Buying and Selling" and "Brother vs. Brother."
Throughout the years, fans of the Scott twins have had many questions about the behind-the-scenes logistics of the shows, wondering about the number of rooms featured in episodes and the rules that the contestants are required to follow.
Some of the biggest questions regarding the "Property Brothers" franchise are concerned with the finances of it all, as viewers often wonder who pays for the renovations and if the featured costs are accurate. Luckily, the brothers themselves provided some insight into this question.
It depends on the specific Property Brothers show
In a 2019 interview, Kathleen Finch, Discovery's Chief Lifestyle Brands Officer who previously served as the President and General Manager of HGTV, shared some behind-the-scenes info about the network's renovation finances. She explained, "In some shows, we come in and we pay for everything. In others, we are following along on a regularly scheduled renovation anyway. In some cases, we share the costs with the homeowner. There is no hard and fast rule" (via Frugal Confession).
There similarly seems to be no "hard and fast rule" for the "Property Brothers" franchise, with the bulk of the renovation budget coming from different sources. For example, a 2019 casting call for the seventh season of "Property Brothers" listed a $90,000 budget as a contestant requirement, indicating that featured clients were expected to pay for their own renovation costs.
In contrast, in a 2017 Facebook live stream, Jonathan Scott shared that he and Drew pay the costs for the real estate purchases and renovations done on "Brother vs. Brother," explaining, "We buy these houses ourselves, we put up the money for the renovations ourselves, so everything to do with the project comes out of our pockets."
Participants do get better deals through the network
While the source of a renovation budget can vary depending on the specific HGTV show, Jonathan Scott did share that the costs featured on the "Property Brothers" shows aren't the same prices you'll likely get in personal renos. This is due to a combination of partnerships and wholesale prices.
"You would probably never be able to renovate for the same price that we do on our shows because any time we get a wholesale price we pass that savings along to the homeowner," he shared in a 2017 Q&A. "The people who buy these houses are getting a steal of a deal because they're getting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of furniture and all this extra stuff, top quality materials from the decking to the tile, you name it."
Additionally, certain shows also feature partners that help reduce the cost of some items, with Wayfair sponsoring "Brother vs. Brother" and providing discounted or free furniture. So, whether or not the homeowners are footing the bill, they're definitely getting in on some special pricing by being featured on the HGTV shows.