FIRST HOME FIXER-UPPERS
Renovated wrecks get Vancouverites into market in new HGTV series
If you want to start a lively (read: heated) conversation in Vancouver, you’ll likely need to touch on only one topic: real estate.
The city’s housing market has long been a hot-button talking point — to put it mildly — and the intensity has only increased in recent years thanks to skyrocketing prices and a seemingly limited supply. Affordability and availability can easily be classified as buzz words concerning life in the city and surrounding areas.
With this omnipresent dialogue in mind, it will come as no surprise to hear the region’s real-estate roller-coaster is being thrust further into the spotlight thanks to a new television show. Dubbed Worst to First, the Vancouver-based HGTV series, follows 10 local families as they search for their dream homes in a very unlikely place: among the worst wrecks on the block.
“The real estate market is obviously such a hot topic in Vancouver. And if you compare it to the real estate market in other parts of the world, or even North America, we’re definitely set apart, completely,” says Sebastian Sevallo, half of the contractor team that stars in the show.
Predictably, for a purchase-renovation scenario in the metropolitan area, the families that signed on to the show were all working with budgets above $1 million. And the cheapest house purchased during the show rang in at around $800,000 to $900,000, Sevallo says.
“It’s interesting, on the one hand, because these houses that we’re buying are the worst houses on the block, but they’re in the millions — not all of them, but most of them are up there in value,” Sevallo says. “To buy a home like that, and then invest $100,000 to $200,000 into these homes, whereas that renovation budget could buy you Worst to First airs Monday nights on HGTV. Check local listings.
an entire home in other areas, it’s such the upper echelon of price.
“It’s really interesting to see where these families can fit in.”
Despite the six-figure-plus price tags, the homes they helped the families choose were riddled with issues such as rot and improper construction in varying stages.
“It’s really easy to think you’re in good shape — like, ‘Sweet, this is going to be in-and-out,’ ” says Mickey Fabbiano, Sevallo’s co-star. “And then all of a sudden you open up a wall and realize, ‘Oh boy, we’ve bit off more than we can chew on this one.’ But that’s the reality of home renovations.”
Fabbiano, 31, and Sevallo, 32, say their first priority during the show is to sit the families down and sort out the main objectives.
“We give it to them straight,” Fabbiano says. “We say: ‘This is how much the house is. This is how much you’ll have left in your budget. This is what we can fit into it.’
“The first thing we asked the couples was what their objectives were. They have a wish list together and then a wish list separate. They may want an open concept, hardwood floors and a fireplace together, but then the wife might want a wine fridge and the husband might want a garage or workshop. We establish what they want, establish how much money they have and we go from there.”
Fabbiano and Sevallo each come up with a design plan for the home to give the new owners “some choices” in layout and design. Each renovation is six to eight weeks.
“It helps them envision the overall project,” Fabbiano says. “That can be a very difficult thing. You see a blank canvas and some people see a masterpiece, while other people see only a blank canvas.”
Aside from showcasing their chops as contractors, Sevallo and Fabbiano, say the entire process was personal.
“As born-and-raised Vancouverites, we know this city,” Fabbiano says. “And as contractors, we know the real estate market and we know what can be done within a certain amount of money and time.
“There’s nothing worse, and we’ve seen it year after year, growing up in communities with friends and then seeing them pushed out and having to move away. They get to a point where, they want to buy the house and they can no longer live in an apartment, and all of a sudden, all these friends that you grew up with have moved away. We want to try to keep communities together.”
Through the show, they hope viewers’ take-away is that it’s not impossible to live where you want to live.
“If it’s important enough to you, there are ways around it. You can put that variable back into the equation,” Fabbiano says. “It’s not: ‘Vancouver is too ridiculous, we’re out.’ It’s ‘Well, let’s see what we have here to work with, and possibly get you where you want to be.’
“We want people to know that, yes, this is an expensive city to live in, but if it’s important enough to you, anything is possible.”
While the drama and emotions of home renovations are at the centre of the show, the duo’s so-called “bromance” is sure to be a secondary highlight for viewers.
Chatting with the pair before the show’s launch on Sept. 4, it was easy to see Sevallo and Fabbiano share a close (and funny) friendship.
“Basically, we met through our siblings,” Fabbiano explains of their relationship before the show. “His brother married my sister.”
Their respective siblings kept recommending the two meet as they thought they would get along. After more than a year of cajoling, they agreed to meet.
“If you asked me if I had of believed in true love before, I probably would have said no,” Fabbiano says jokingly.
“... In a bromance way,” Sevallo adds with a laugh.