Dec. 2015 Issue_ August 2013a 2015-11-23 5:18 PM Page 52 52/ DECEMBER 2015 THE RIDER REAL ESTATE: Reality Television Shows About Real Estate


By Teri Davidson I didn’t watch


them..not for years..Why would I , I thought, I’m liv- ing the life every day. Then one Sunday


afternoon I arrived to do my standard Open House set up that I do every Sun- day all year long ( unless Christmas Day falls on a


absolutely wonderful ideas to apply to my business. I started watching


everything initially but soon weeded out those shows where they buy a property, usually in the states somewhere, for a very low dollar figure, then slap a few coats of paint hiding any issues, then sell the home for an over inflat-


Sunday! lol) and the sellers had done some- thing that usually never happens. They’d left their television on. And no, not at some sport- ing event, ...the televi- sion was tuned to a reality real estate show,. The day was slow so I sat in the liv- ing room of their home and I slowly became hooked! Wow! I had been missing a lot of fun, good advice, some nonsense and some


ed value. Not reality..no way are buyers that foolish or Realtors that unprofes- sional. The Million Dollar


listing shows are entertain- ing but again very unrealis- tic. At least in my opinion. Sometimes fun to watch jut to see what properties that we all dream about being able to afford really look like inside. I keep wonder- ing “ Where do those buy- ers get all that money??” and “ Why have I never met someone with the means to afford these homes?” Probably because I don’t work in New York or Miami. The best shows


walls and old fixtures while re-inventing floor plans and kitchen /bathrooms. They stay within a budget. The prices for the renova- tions seem accurate and the end result is always fabu- lous.


though are the real life, real situations and real renova- tion shows. My favorite is the husband and wife team who flip homes in Califor- nia. They do a terrific job with removing garbage,


to do the work and pick out color combinations for kitchens, baths and flooring along with the tile they use so nicely. I’m a big fan of this show because it helps buyers I am working with visualize how the home I am showing them will look with improvements com- pleted. Taking down walls and letting light in is so important! On this show the stars make a good prof- it but in my daily job work- ing with clients buying and selling it’s nice to help your clients build up that sweat equity. Shows like this make them realize it can be done. Unfortunately not in half an hour like the program but done neverthe- less.


The other shows I like They pay contractors


are the ones where people are buying homes in differ- ent locations throughout the world for either job changes or lifestyle changes usually because of retirement. Dreams are realized for many happy families who relocate to the waterfront or to Europe where the lifestyle is so vibrant and busy. Yesterday I watched


one where a couple from Texas, USA relocated to an ocean front property in Costa Rica. The prices were so low for homes there and the views were so breathtaking! It gives you food for


thought when you see the different options available for a lifestyle change. We get so caught up in the tra- ditional Florida, Arizona or Northern Ontario that is nice to see some really unique ideas and lifestyles. There are two shows


that offer alternatives to remaining either in yur cur- rent home with renovations or moving into an entirely


different home with all the things your current home is lacking. I am often sur- prised by the choice the clients make at the end. Neighbourhoods are impor- tant to homeowners and sometimes they will decide to remain in their remod- eled original home rather than move on to a fresh start with a larger home in a different neighbourhood. My only complaint with these types of show is that they don’t tell you which city they are shooting the show in. Its nice to know where the neighbourhoods are located and what is available like the other American shows. I was approached five


has just bought herself a huge bus of some sort and she and her husband are refurbishing it and intend to make it their new home for retirement..on wheels. Another different approach. They plan on traveling all around North American and living year round in this bus. Minimalistic and off the grid lifestyle. I think they should do a reality show on this! Not my choice but others would and have considered it.


years ago about participat- ing in a Realtor vrs Realtor show but declined as they wanted me to sell a farm in the Toronto area and that would be outside the area I normally work in. I don’t believe the show was suc- cessful and seems to be off the air now. I have a friend who


Teri Davidson is the Bro- ker Owner of Associate Realty and has been a licensed Realtor for over 38 years. She and her hus- band own “White House Farm” in Ancaster where they raise AQHA and APHA horses and quality Registered Longhaired Old Fashioned German Shep- herds.


teridavidson@rogers.com or by phone or text at 519- 758-7307


The Story of Figaro On September 23rd, 2015, The Story of Figaro


was published for the very first time. Her dream come true.


Laura paints a colourful true life picture of what


it was like to own her very own black stallion. The journey Figaro and Laura take together is heartwarm- ing, adventurous, filled with life’s drama and an end- ing that no expected. The bond between the two could be described as unconditional and each was the others soulmate. Laura was about four years old when her interest


in horses began. From that day forward there was no looking back. When she found her black stallion, Laura’s life would never be the same. Figaro was Laura’s dream come true. It wasn’t all a dream. Sometimes Figaro could be just as much a nightmare. There wasn’t anything Laura wouldn’t do for Figaro. He was her world and she was his. Laura is a young woman who lives in Toronto.


There isn’t any part of her day that does not have horses in it. Laura started working for her dream from


Real Estate Agent Directory Brant County


Central Ontario


Teri Davidson Broker/Owner


Over 36 yrs full-time experience • Canada's Most Referred Realtor


Serving: Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk, Oxford, South Dumfries, North Dumfries, Ancaster, Flamborough, Cambridge and Woodstock.


Associate Realty Brantford Inc.


519-752-4116 • (519) 647-3330 teridavidson@execulink.com


Halton, Peel & Surrounding Areas Helping owners and riders with all their real estate needs.


CAROLINE FEELEY, LL.B. 647-400-1145


SALES REPRESENTATIVE Inspired to move you closer to the barn


Broker


Caroline@CarolineFeeley.ca www.CarolineFeeley.ca


Sutton Group


Quantum Realty Inc., Brokerage T: 905-844-5000 • F: 905-822-5617


Harnessing Country Living For You


1-800-268-2455 • (519) 939-SELL (7355) E: jguagliardi@royallepage.ca • jacquelineguagliardi.com Top 3% in residential marketplace 2014


Erin, Caledon & Surrounding Areas


the time she was nine years old. While taking lessons at a boarding farm she worked part time mucking out stalls and doing barn work. She saved her pay every week, saying that she was saving to buy herself a horse. Laura’s goal was to fulfill that dream by the time she was sixteen. No car for Laura…just a horse, her black stallion. Laura soon realized that she needed to make


more money if she was going to buy a horse. She moved on and began working at the racetrack on weekends only because she was still in school. Once she graduated from high school and college (which she was doing at the same time), she worked full time at the racetrack. When Laura was sixteen, she found her dream horse. From that moment on her story real- ly began. The horse sense Laura came from experience.


Working on farms, at the racetrack and now owning her own horse made her a well-rounded, knowledge- able young lady. Laura is well respected in her field working with over 800 horses in her career at the racetrack.


“Figaro was a good teacher”, Laura would often


say, “I will probably never find another just like him.” She learned so much from him. No one said it better than her friend Brenda Marino, “Figaro was a one of a kind. He is often imitated but never duplicat- ed.”


You can reach Teri at


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