The Property Brothers Help Achieve the American Dream

Twin brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott have become the backbone of HGTV. With shows like Property Brothers, Buying and Selling and Brother vs. Brother, the duo has all but taken over the home and garden-centric network. Drew is the real estate professional while Jonathan is the design and construction wizard. In a recent exclusive interview, Jonathan summed up why they are successful on the network: "We're not stuck-up designer types. We're more relatable to people. We take the job seriously but not ourselves." The Property Brothers were born to sell and entertain Although they were interested in performing from a young age, the brothers decided after high school that they didn't want to be starving artists. So they got into real estate. By 18, after purchasing a real estate course from an infomercial, they bought their first property for $250 down. Their business was off and running. In 2009 they were approached about doing a show for HGTV. Jonathan explained, "Originally the show was called My Dream Home, and they had an idea for a male/female host typical dynamic.'" He joked, "They thought, 'Well Drew's very effeminate so this could work well.' So they adapted it and changed the show to follow what Drew and I were doing with our clients." The Property Brothers play an almost cruel joke on their homeowners On Property Brothers they sit with a client and determine the wish list of what they want in a home. Then Drew takes them to see the house of their dreams. But in an almost cruel fashion, the structure is always way beyond what they can afford. Drew stated, "When I take them in to the first home, it has all of their must-haves and then unfortunately the price is way out of their budget, but it also gives us ideas when we see what they're wowing about. It gives us ideas for their actual space." Next Drew takes them on a tour of fixer uppers, bound to disappoint after seeing the perfect specimen already. This is where Jonathan steps in. Aided by fancy computer programs, he shows the homeowners the hidden potential in the house and then works within their budget to renovate the new purchase into an ideal living space. His impeccable sense of design always leaves the new homeowners wondering why they ever doubted that he could achieve their vision. Drew pointed out, "Jonathan does great designs for us, but because he's a collaborative designer, as well, we really listen to what the homeowners want. It's [the homeowner] that's going to live there. It's their dream home so we make sure we know what they want." Jonathan proudly noted that they have never had an unhappy customer. "There may be a piece of furniture that they don't feel they're clicking with or maybe a piece of art. But fortunately, knock on, I'm in a vehicle, so knock on leather, I've never had anybody that said they didn't like the actual design." The shows both play off the tough economic times Property Brothers hit the air as the bottom fell out of the economy, and so the show was built on the principal that most prospective homeowners can't afford the American dream. Jonathan explained, "The whole premise of Property Brothers is getting people into their dream home without busting their budget. We do a custom renovation to give them a custom dream home and then in the end they have equity in their pocket." To find out more about Property Brothers visit the show’s official website.