Alright, all you Property Virgins fans, gather ’round! These are all the behind-the-scenes secrets about your favorite TV show from HGTV!
And yes, there are going to be some things you don’t want to hear. But sometimes, you have to look at even the bad parts of your favorite show.
1. Sandra Rinomato Said “No” To The Show At First
As far as the Canadian Real Estate expert can recall, she said no to being on the show several times before deciding to do it.
Or as she puts it, she: “said no a million times but it happened anyway.”
2. In fact, she thought the show would flop
After saying no “a million times” she eventually said yes because she had zero confidence in the show.
“I never ever thought it would be a number one show. And never thought it would run worldwide. No one was more surprised than I was at its success.”
3. The Reason She Did It
The real reason she did the show was so that she could have fun and eventually show her grandkids.
[After she said no]:
“I thought, ‘Ah, what the hell? This will be fun. We’ll do two or three episodes and I’ll have a disc to show my grandchildren. Look what Nana did!'”
4. The Reason She Left
Sandra Rinomato left the show because she wanted to focus more on women buying real estate rather than couples.
A great cause for sure, so she went on to make a new show, Buy Herself .
She said about it:
“For the first time in history, a significant number of women are buying real estate on their own, taking charge of their financial situations. Women buying real estate is not a fad, it’s history in the making and I am very proud to be a part of it on TV.”
5. Egypt Sherrod’s Other Jobs
Not only did she host Property Virgins once Sandra Rinomato left, but she was also hosting a radio show.
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Once that contract was over, she decided to write a book… all while hosting the show.
6. The Show Supported Egypt’s Pregnancy
Back when she first landed the show she was obviously very happy.
However, only four episodes into her first season, she got pregnant. Terrified the show would fire her, she hid it from the producers.
When she eventually told them…
To her surprise, they were very supportive of her pregnancy.
According to her, they laughed and cried. Their response was:
“We don’t care, we were waiting on you to tell us.”
7. Sandra Rinomato’s Protege
The story of how [Alexandra Cote]https://www.tvovermind.com/five-things-didnt-know-flipping-virgins/) is simple but inspiring.
She came across a Craigslist ad for a job at Sandra Rinomato’s brokerage… and got it!
“It was crazy. The ad was only up for one hour because they got so many responses. It kind of felt like destiny.”
8. The Hosts Make A Lot Of Money
You’d think that being a host of an HGTV house show would pay a lot , and you’d be right.
While we don’t know how much she makes per episode, we know Egypt Sherrod is worth $6 million.
9. The Houses Aren’t Always The Best For The Buyers
The show isn’t as fake as the other shows on HGTV .
In fact, a lot of the houses they want to show on the show are dependant on the market.
According to Rinomato:
“We go out and preview homes based on the client’s wish list and try to find homes that represent ‘as good as it gets’ for them,” Rinomato said.
“It can be very difficult because we have to deal with what is on the market at that time, and we need to get permission to shoot in peoples’ homes.”
10. Egypt Sherrod Has Met Some Powerful People
Do you remember that radio job that Egypt Sherrod used to have before she joined the show?
Well, while she was working that job, she interviewed some really powerful celebrities. People like Beyonce and Oprah.
11. Egypt’s DIY Blunder
Sharrod has a funny story about a time she tried to DIY something for her own house:
“My budget was running short, and I had an issue with the roof. So I did a little research on what I needed to do to re-tar the back of the roof. I stepped in the wrong spot and one foot went through the roof! I was screaming for 20 minutes, ‘Somebody help get me down!’”