Was a bit taken by suprise the harsh review by another viewer. I have been binge watching this show ever since I found it. It is quirky, entertaining and informative. It is also over 10 years old, so dont expect most of the content to be relevant in 2021. I enjoyed the host and her design knowledge.
4 Reviews
Jodi works her charm and magic
ealrussell20 September 2023
Jodi Gilmore is super talented. She is both a realtor and decorator-on-a-dime. She takes on some unrealistic clients (really, they want the Taj Mahal at half price) with grace and humor. I like watching her finesse their expectations, and then execute some creative designs. Gives me great ideas for my place. A fun, enjoyable watch.
It is a Canadian import from 2008, so the prices are not applicable to the US (as one reviewer bitterly complained), but I don't think anyone watches a reality show in US to rent something in Canada anyways.
Just enjoy the host Jodi Gilmore's charm and talent. Recommend.
It is a Canadian import from 2008, so the prices are not applicable to the US (as one reviewer bitterly complained), but I don't think anyone watches a reality show in US to rent something in Canada anyways.
Just enjoy the host Jodi Gilmore's charm and talent. Recommend.
Awful non-reality reality show
LilyDaleLady22 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is a variant on the "house shopping" fake-reality TV shows that proliferate on cable... this dating from 2008-2010 (which goes a long way to explain why stated rents are laughably low!) and filmed in Toronto, Canada. Most of these are from Canada and this baffles me. Why? Surely Americans can produce these shows. I think we INVENTED the fake reality real-estate show. Not fully explaining to US audiences that "this is from another, however-similar-looking country with different pricing!" is No. 1 huge fakery.
No. 2 is that none of these shows are real. Investigations have proven that the couples have already bought or rented, and they are simply ACTORS playing a role. Some are not even in the market. The uber-chirpy host takes them to 3 -- always THREE -- rentals or houses and then the couples choose one (or sometimes NONE!) for what often appear to be weird or arbitrary reasons.
In the episode I saw, a young interracial couple was shown 3 rather nice apartments (cheap by 2021 rents!) and the woman's response? "My cat won't like the view in this one". Would anybody really say this? And if they DID, how mature are they? Cats like light and movement, they are not so interested in views. (I have four cats!) They spend most of the day sleeping. It is pure idiocy to make this about the CAT'S view! When you can't even tell if they like something or not!
On top of that, almost anyone knows that the most attractive and affordable apartments almost never ACCEPT PETS. Especially a cat. Cats pee and spray on carpet and walls and ruin them! Yet the couple is not stymied at all by this. They go from place to place, complaining bitterly that the ceilings are too low (they want 10-12', and sadly most normal places are 8-9'!!!) -- they expect a designer kitchen and a full en-suite laundry -- for about $1000 ($750 in US dollars!!!). Plus permission to keep a cat (and provide the cat with VIEWS!).
AND THAT IS NOT ENOUGH. The host shows them computer sketches of how she will "remodel" their APARTMENT (rental!) with things like paint, wallpaper, appliances, light fixtures, shelving, even new flooring. NO WAY JOSE! I was a property manager for 14 years. This never happens. Landlords absolutely do NOT want this done, usually forbid it and will evict you if you do it. They want all units to look the same -- bland white walls, beige carpet. (They buy that carpet by a dozen rolls, so all suites are the same and damage can easily be patched or replaced!). There is no landlord on earth -- as this in episode -- who will simply "give you" fancy new Pergo flooring because the woman "doesn't like carpet". Or let you paint the living room CHARTREUSE GREEN (neon)!!!
On top of that.... somehow the couple "negotiates" the price down $100 a month AND gets all new FURNITURE that costs a month's rent (didn't they already have furniture?) AND the capper is the man gets down on one knee and PROPOSES in front of the CAMERA!!!! Seriously? This just happened? Wasn't staged or anything? They wanted a TV host to witness this private moment? And she had flowers and champagne on hand? COME ON! This was 100% staged and no surprise to anyone. The furniture, the flooring -- that was the SHOW, not the landlord. All pre-arranged.
Nothing here bore the slightest resemblance to reality, nor any real estate market on earth -- if this is TORONTO, it is unrealistic even for 2008-2010 in terms of pricing and ability to remodel and have a cat. I have to seriously doubt any of this is real. Even the couple could just be acting students from the university.
Shows like this are trash that make old-school soap operas look like Shakespeare. It's an insult to anyone who ever had to look for a rental or house to buy, making a difficult process look simplistic and easy, suggesting landlords will lower the rent and then let you paint your suite CHARTREUSE.
On top of that, it encourages the worst sort of prima donna behavior -- the woman here, turning her nose up at a perfectly ordinary apartment bathroom, saying "Oh, I can't have a RETRO bathroom ... I want glamor!" or "9 foot ceilings are not high enough for me!" (she's about 5'1"!!!).
Horrible stuff, can't change the channel fast enough. Also: this type of show DATES horribly -- prices are already more than a decade out of date, meaning the info on that as well as supply, are utterly useless.
No. 2 is that none of these shows are real. Investigations have proven that the couples have already bought or rented, and they are simply ACTORS playing a role. Some are not even in the market. The uber-chirpy host takes them to 3 -- always THREE -- rentals or houses and then the couples choose one (or sometimes NONE!) for what often appear to be weird or arbitrary reasons.
In the episode I saw, a young interracial couple was shown 3 rather nice apartments (cheap by 2021 rents!) and the woman's response? "My cat won't like the view in this one". Would anybody really say this? And if they DID, how mature are they? Cats like light and movement, they are not so interested in views. (I have four cats!) They spend most of the day sleeping. It is pure idiocy to make this about the CAT'S view! When you can't even tell if they like something or not!
On top of that, almost anyone knows that the most attractive and affordable apartments almost never ACCEPT PETS. Especially a cat. Cats pee and spray on carpet and walls and ruin them! Yet the couple is not stymied at all by this. They go from place to place, complaining bitterly that the ceilings are too low (they want 10-12', and sadly most normal places are 8-9'!!!) -- they expect a designer kitchen and a full en-suite laundry -- for about $1000 ($750 in US dollars!!!). Plus permission to keep a cat (and provide the cat with VIEWS!).
AND THAT IS NOT ENOUGH. The host shows them computer sketches of how she will "remodel" their APARTMENT (rental!) with things like paint, wallpaper, appliances, light fixtures, shelving, even new flooring. NO WAY JOSE! I was a property manager for 14 years. This never happens. Landlords absolutely do NOT want this done, usually forbid it and will evict you if you do it. They want all units to look the same -- bland white walls, beige carpet. (They buy that carpet by a dozen rolls, so all suites are the same and damage can easily be patched or replaced!). There is no landlord on earth -- as this in episode -- who will simply "give you" fancy new Pergo flooring because the woman "doesn't like carpet". Or let you paint the living room CHARTREUSE GREEN (neon)!!!
On top of that.... somehow the couple "negotiates" the price down $100 a month AND gets all new FURNITURE that costs a month's rent (didn't they already have furniture?) AND the capper is the man gets down on one knee and PROPOSES in front of the CAMERA!!!! Seriously? This just happened? Wasn't staged or anything? They wanted a TV host to witness this private moment? And she had flowers and champagne on hand? COME ON! This was 100% staged and no surprise to anyone. The furniture, the flooring -- that was the SHOW, not the landlord. All pre-arranged.
Nothing here bore the slightest resemblance to reality, nor any real estate market on earth -- if this is TORONTO, it is unrealistic even for 2008-2010 in terms of pricing and ability to remodel and have a cat. I have to seriously doubt any of this is real. Even the couple could just be acting students from the university.
Shows like this are trash that make old-school soap operas look like Shakespeare. It's an insult to anyone who ever had to look for a rental or house to buy, making a difficult process look simplistic and easy, suggesting landlords will lower the rent and then let you paint your suite CHARTREUSE.
On top of that, it encourages the worst sort of prima donna behavior -- the woman here, turning her nose up at a perfectly ordinary apartment bathroom, saying "Oh, I can't have a RETRO bathroom ... I want glamor!" or "9 foot ceilings are not high enough for me!" (she's about 5'1"!!!).
Horrible stuff, can't change the channel fast enough. Also: this type of show DATES horribly -- prices are already more than a decade out of date, meaning the info on that as well as supply, are utterly useless.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews