CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
An A&E network crew swooped into this Kaneohe home recently to film an episode of "Sell This House."
The crew of a new TV show
turns clunkers into sellable homes,
including two in Hawaii
With the real estate market as hot as it's been in 2003, with numbers of units sold increasing 8.9 percent for single-family homes and 22.7 percent for condos over the year, according to Honolulu Board of Realtors statistics, it seems every termite palace has buyers clamoring for a piece -- no matter how crumbly -- of homeownership.
But even in this hot market, there are clunkers -- houses that just don't feel like homes to potential buyers.
Enter the latest home-improvement series on A&E, "Sell This House," which, as the title implies, is all about "staging" a house to sell.
The show's host is Tanya Memme, a former Miss Canada from Ontario, whose show-biz resume as host of "Robotica" on the Learning Channel and ABC's "Eye on L.A." gave no hint of her real-estate background.
"My family was in the construction business in Canada, so I know quite a bit about home design and selling real estate from the ground up.
"The producers didn't know that. They were interested in finding somebody who could be funny and at the same time befriend the homeowners and make light of a situation that can be stressful."
Because the program is sponsored by Coldwell Banker, the company's listings show up most often. In each city, the "Sell This House" crew seek out 10 homes that aren't selling and choose two for a light makeover, including two from Hawaii -- one on the Hawaii Loa Ridge and one in Kaneohe -- that will be aired Feb. 29 and March 21.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Host Tanya Memme, in pink top, starts homeowners Suzanne and Brian Parnell off with the paint as sister-in-law Cindy Delgado, right, observes.
The crew can't change things like location, traffic or structure, so for the most part, they work at cleaning up and paring homeowner clutter, which turns out to be the problem of most homes that go on market.
"People buy on emotion, so you want them to feel welcome and help them to imagine they can start new when buying a home. You want to give them a clear picture, otherwise they'll just walk in and say 'No thank you' and walk out."
She said it's difficult for people to focus on a home's good features when they're distracted by clutter, a dirty carpet or pet odors.
"That's fine if that's how you want to live, but if you're going to sell, invest in some new pillows, fluff up the couch, get a new bedspread to replace the one that's worn and stained.
"We try to appeal to all the senses, so if you look at our Web site, there's a whole section on 'Smell This House,'" she said. Some suggestions for masking odors include heating a shallow pan of vanilla extract in the oven to scent the home, warming ready-made biscuits or simply baking. The site includes "Sell This House" designer Roger Hazard's recipes for chocolate chip cookies, apple pie and blueberry muffins.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Homeowner Suzanne Parnell paints with a roller in the foreground with the rest of the crew to get it in top shape.
THE FIRST PART of the show involves having potential buyers walk through a home to offer their brutal feedback.
"For most the biggest problem is clutter, personal style that's been there for years because these homes are set up to live in, not to be sold, and haven't been updated at all," Memme said.
Maria Hsu, a Coldwell Banker Realtor whose client's '80s-style Hawaii Loa Ridge home will be featured, said the home had been listed for about 60 days without generating much interest. The average for the area is 34 days on the market.
"The problem is a family of five live there," Hsu said. "They have a lot of personal items and unnecessary furniture, but they couldn't clean up because they have two teenagers in high school and the couple both work."
Memme said: "They had way too much furniture. The home has an extremely high ceiling and beautiful fireplace, but they were not showing off the architectural details. They had a beige leather couch in front of the fireplace, they had a TV set in front of bay windows, covering all the beautiful selling features.
"When you're living in a place, in your own space, it's hard to see beyond your possessions."
Hsu said: "(The crew) came in and made it like a model house. They opened up the space so the house looks much bigger now, so the sellers are very happy."
Personal effects were boxed and stored in the garage.
"They have to move anyway, and once they got started they learned a lot about how to keep the next house they move into looking nice," Hsu said.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Host Tanya Memme, left, takes a break from painting and jokes with homeowner Suzanne Parnell. In back is designer, Roger Hazard.
IN STEPPING INTO homes across the nation, Memme has learned that people live the same way across the country, and she was almost disappointed to find this true of Hawaii as well.
"I thought it would be more junglelike, because I thought we were going to an island that was not as urban.
"You do have different insects that we find under the couch when we move it. I saw a gecko under there, centipedes, scorpions. I'd never seen that before. I find that very entertaining."
About 80 percent of the made-over homes sell immediately after the "Sell This House" crew works its magic. In some cases, owners were resold on the houses that they had been so anxious to escape. "We've had one or two episodes where the owners thought they could stay because they liked the way the houses looked afterward," Memme said.
As for the way she lives, it's mostly out of a suitcase. But at home in L.A., she rents an apartment "with big, big rooms that I've decorated Spanish style, Mediterranean style."
She hasn't had time to shop for a home, but says there was one Arizona home she fell in love with and could see herself buying ... if only it were not in Arizona.
Location, location, location.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Cameraman Chris Raaum, left, works out some angles with producer/director Lee Christofferson.
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