Episode Guide
The Algorithm I Like Sales People We’re Investors, Not Suckers This Is an Investment In People Chill! Thank You For Your Service Buy My House is essentially the Dragon’s Den of real estate, if you cut out all the intellect, detail, drama and tension that goes with it. In essence, this is a quick-fire series that’s more interested in the emotional backgrounds of its various homeowners than the actual selling process. It’s a shame too because there’s definitely potential here but it’s squandered in this humdrum series that fails to stand out. For anyone who has watched Dragon’s Den or Shark Tank, the format here is largely the same. A couple pitch their home to four real estate moguls and hope for a quick cash buy, cutting out broker fees and long, drawn-out negotiations with prospective buyers. Real estate mogul Glenn Kelman is the front-runner and he’s in charge of Redfin. H’s joined on the judging panel by self-made millionaire Danisha Wrighster, American Football player Brandon Copeland and real estate broker Pam Liebman. It’s certainly an attractive pitch and each couple give some background to the house and what it’s been used for. After some quick photos and rotating videos showcasing parts of the house, the pair head out onto a lavish set, with the four judges othrowing out their initial offers which are, more often than not, completely lowballing the expected asking price. A round of negotiation sometimes gets underway before a yes or no is given. Then it’s onto the next couple and montage. Rinse and repeat. The series is unbelievably light on details too, which is a shame because a lot of the drama in these sort of series comes from diving into the minute details. How many times have we seen a pitch fall apart on these shows when one of the judges has dived into the numbers and realized someone is lying? Here though, there’s none of that. And in fact, some of the neglect given to simple facts is pretty astonishing. At the end of episode 1 (and the start of episode 2) a couple discuss how there’s carpet in the primary bathroom. “Oh wow.” Is the reply. There’s no mention of water damage, potential mold, leaks etc. and it’s such a simple thing to even ask about that could have led down a really interesting avenue. Although some of this could have happened off-screen (and probably did), only a few pitches even mention property damage. There are a couple of times where the neighbourhood is mentioned but it’s done verbally rather than actually flashing up a map to show us where the nearest shops, schools etc. are. Another time, deep into negotiations, Glenn suddenly realizes there are solar panels on a house he’s trying to buy and changes his bid. But then if he’s supposed to be a real estate guru, how could he miss that? Simple things like that completely discredit the show and hold it back from being a better prospect. The other big part of this show is the emotional side of things. Buy My House is less interested in the houses than it is the people selling them. More effort has been put into getting to know the couples and their background than the houses they’re trying to sell. For some, that’ll be great, but others will inevitably see this as a way of emotionally goading the judges to being more lenient and getting better offers. As something to chuck on in the background, Buy My House is still average at best and there are much better options out there. This doesn’t hold a candle to either Dragon’s Den or Shark Tank, and for that reason most people will throw their hands up with this one after a few episodes and declare “I’m out.”
