By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, September 14, 2015
Egypt Sherrod has become a staple on HGTV thanks to hosting several seasons of the popular show "Property Virgins," which has largely been shot in metro Atlanta the past few years.
Sherrod smartly came up with a spinoff "Flipping Virgins," which debuts Tuesday night at 11 p.m. It's a modest four-episode test run but she is confident HGTV will give her more.
Doing "Property Virgins," replacing Sandra Rinomato in 2011, "has been a dream come true," said Sherrod, who for years juggled real estate work with radio hosting. "It's been an incredible ride. It's difficult to take over hosting of a show that's already successful. It was important for me to not do the same things the previous host did. I just had to be me and hope for the best. I'm very grateful the ratings continue to climb. What was not an ideal situation turned into a perfect situation."
While "Property Virgins" focuses on first-time home buyers, "Flipping Virgins" features Sherrod schooling people on their first investment property.
The show consists of three parts. She helps the investors find a property to flip. She then helps them renovate it. Then they sell it.
She herself has flipped homes over the years. She said she teaches the "virgins" how to renovate a house for sale and maximize profits. "If they end up not making as much as we had originally hoped, it's often because they didn't make smart decisions in design elements. They get so emotionally attached to every little thing as if they are going to live in that house."
She said they also have to learn what to do themselves (to save money) and what to outsource to professionals. In one of her own early homes, she literally fell through the roof. "The house," she said, "was obviously in need of a professional roofer."
Sherrod didn't make the final casting calls on the show but was seeking people willing and open to learn. The casting department, she said, does its homework to ensure these are truly newbies, not people masquerading as such to get on TV.
In 2011, V-103 recruited Sherrod to come down to Atlanta from New York to host mid-days. It didn't quite work out. V-103 let her go after two years. Good news: her real estate work has clearly blossomed.
"Some days I missed radio," she said. "But I love the freedom of running my own business. Every day I wake up, I face a new challenge, meet new people. I don't feel pigeonholed or boxed in. One day I may go back but right now it's about television and my real estate business."
Sherrod, who is married with a child, has no desire to move back to New York. Family members have moved down here since she arrived in 2011.
"Atlanta is a big city but it still has plenty of charm you get from being in the south without it being too slow," she said. "We've bought property here. We set up our business, our homestead. We aren't going anywhere for awhile!"
TV PREVIEW
"Flipping Virgins," 11 p.m. Tuesdays, HGTV, starting Sept. 15, 2015
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