Early this December I had the opportunity to host the filming of an HGTV program called “National Open House“.  Several months ago I was contacted by the producer of the show, Julia Huffman, to interview as the Realtor host for two episodes that would be filmed in Portland.  She told me that they had found my website and had been impressed enough to contact me for the interview.  At first I thought it was a joke, becuase I enjoy watching the show time and again, and had always wondered how they found their Realtors.  Now I know.  Well, the story ends up with me being selected to host two episodes of the show and my work began.

The premise of the show is that homes in four price ranges (250K, 500K, 750K, 1Million) in three different cities are examined to see what you can buy for your buck.  These three Real Estate Markets are examined as well, with commentary by Real Estate experts interspersed to add information about what you can expect to buy in these areas.  I located 8 Portland homeowners in all parts of the city for these episodes and the production crew arrived in the first week of December to film.

Filming is really an interesting experience.  The production team consisted of the producer Brad Hall, the sound specialist and the cameraman.  Brad is from Hollywood, and the sound and camera guys were from Portland.  The first morning I got all wired up and walked down the block in my neighborhood and answered questions relating to the current market.  It was a chilly morning, but the process was fun.  I felt like I was answering a lot of the same questions, but Brad assured me that they would edit what they needed, and I was actually doing several takes.  The most interesting part was that the sound equipment was so sensitive that they often stopped and started based upon a car door slamming blocks away or a bird chirping nearby.  Sounds that I never heard were audible for them and distorted the whole shot.  I once had to ask the mailman, Sal, to move his car for the shot.  I asked really nicely, and he was happy to do it!

Later that morning we hopped over to the riverfront to shoot in front of the Hawthorne Bridge.  This was a much more interesting view, and Brad seemed to indicate that this is where most of the material would be used.  We were quick on the dock, and the coast guard even floated over to see that we weren’t doing anything wrong and weren’t going to fall into the river.

On day two the crew interviewed a few more of the homeowners that I had recommended and we started our interviews around 3pm down at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park.  This interview was surprisingly quick, and we were done by 6pm.  The view from the North side of the Hawthorne Bridge was beautiful, and the weather was crisp but mostly clear.  It was a quick experience once all of the preparation was done, and I am looking forward to the finished product when it airs this summer.  Tune in to see the results!

Many people searching for a home are not aware of the green features that are prevalent in today’s market.  My job as a Realtor, among many others, is to educate the client on the specific amenities of my listings, or in a home that they are viewing.  My research into green building has led me to offer some unique perspectives on properties in Portland to my clients.  The exciting part is that I am seeing more and more green features in new construction and remodeled homes here in Portland. 

The reporter in the article quotes me as saying that “my customers are not looking for green built homes”.  Well, that is not completely true.  Buyers are primarily looking at price, location, and style of home as their main priorities.  That is just a function of the economics of the situation.  A buyer has to look within their price range in the location where they want to live and the style of home that they want to live in.  Nobody is going to live in a green constructed home if they can’t afford it, or its location and style don’t appeal to their interests.  Many people just have not had the luxury of choosing a green home.  The exciting thing is that this choice is no longer a luxury for many people here in Portland, its becoming more of a reality!