Rodney Ho
Rodney Ho
HGTV's hard-working brother combo Jonathan and Drew Scott spent 10 months in Atlanta finishing 35 different projects for two shows: "Property Brothers" and "Buying and Selling."
They told me they enjoyed their time here, though they spent most of it working. Drew said he did play some golf on occasion and both loved the food here.
The Canadian natives live in Las Vegas but hardly spend any time there since they spend most of their time shooting their multiple TV shows. (Jonathan is also an illusionist, which is what drew him to Vegas in the first place.)
The brothers finished up their run in Atlanta last week. I visited the 34th project for "Property Brothers" in Brookhaven. The rehab of a kitchen, entryway, living room and dining room looked fabulous, though I won't give away details since the episode hasn't aired.
The owners of the home raved about the Scotts and the work they did. The couple, who are planning to get married next year, were moving to Atlanta from Dallas and joked about saving money by signing up for a rehab show. Aven Brooks looked on the HGTV website and filled out an application for "Property Brothers" on a lark. Within 20 minutes, they got a response and after multiple interviews, they made the cut.
Rodney Ho
Rodney Ho
"It's like we hit the lottery," said Phillip Clay Barbosa, a divisional vice president for a physician staffing firm. "It was a great experience. It was way more than we had hoped."
Aven got teary-eyed when the reveal happened and raved about everything they did.
While the couple had to pay for labor and supplies to fix up their home, they received the services of Drew and Jonathan for free. That includes the realty expertise from Drew and the construction/design guidance from Jonathan, work that could cost tens of thousands of dollars on the open market. They also received free furniture and appliances.
The brothers bring in local subcontractors crews and get top priority so they can finish the work much faster than normal. In this case, what normally takes 13 weeks was finished in six.
Drew said their 25-year-old Brookhaven home needed updating and a serious injection of personality, which they were able to fulfill.
The brothers cited three major reasons why "Property Brothers" came to Atlanta:
- Georgia's generous tax credits
- The production is partly financed for Canada so they split the production of "Property Brothers" between the U.S. and Canada. They prefer warmer climes in the United States, which Atlanta fits. Previous to Atlanta, "Property Brothers" shot part of its season in Austin. They are on their way to shooting in Toronto next. The next U.S. city has not been decided, they said.
- The brothers like that Atlanta has a wide variety of home styles (compared to, say, Las Vegas) and reasonable pricing compared to major Canadian cities. Plus, there is a range of pricing as well, so viewers can get different looks each week.
And since they are good-looking dudes, I asked if they had any time for a social life. Drew, who handles the real estate side, said he is dating a woman who works with the production. Jonathan, the dapper construction guy? He's available!
TV preview
"Property Brothers," 9 p.m., Wednesdays, HGTV
