Heavy/Getty "Property Brothers" Drew and Jonathan Scott
If you’ve ever dreamed of having Drew and Jonathan Scott give your outdated home a brand-new look, you’re not alone. HGTV’s “Property Brothers” receive half a million messages from fans each week, according to the Wall Street Journal, but only a handful qualify to have the twins renovate and redesign their homes on one of their TV shows.
The Scott brothers, who signed a new three-year development deal with HGTV and its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, in September 2022 after a bidding war with other networks, have just announced they’re casting families for a new HGTV show to begin filming this spring.
An email to the Scotts’ newsletter subscribers on March 14, 2023, said “Property Brothers” producers are now “casting for a new show.” The application for the unnamed show is lengthy and there are lots of requirements for interested families, including a hefty starting budget and plenty of time to film. Though the list of requirements is lengthy, the show’s producers say there are clear benefits to working with the Scott brothers.
Here’s what you need to know:
How Do You Qualify for a Renovation With Drew & Jonathan Scott?
HGTVDrew and Jonathan Scott on “Property Brothers: Forever Home.”
In an online overview of the new show they’re casting for, producers say they’re looking for homeowners who are “frustrated and overwhelmed” by all the work that needs to be done in their home. Producers have listed five requirements for being considered for the show:
- You must own a home in California. More specifically, interested families must live in Los Angeles or a surrounding neighborhood, which is where the Scott brothers both have homes. Drew and his wife Linda live in a $3.4 million home in Los Angeles’ Hancock Park, while Jonathan and his longtime love, actor Zoey Deschanel, live in a fully renovated home they call the “Park House” in Brentwood. Producers say “it doesn’t matter if you have owned your home for 60 days or 60 years,” but participants must own the home they’re renovating.
- You need a healthy budget. Depending on the scope of each project, homeowners typically need at least $150,000 “ready to go.” But it’s important to know, producers wrote, that “residential renovation costs are at an all-time high” and that the construction industry has seen “unprecedented” increases in the costs of materials and labor. Before the pandemic, they noted, renovations featured on “Property Brothers: Forever Home” typically spent between $100,000 to $175,000. But in 2023, the application states, the same projects now cost $200,000 to $250,000. “We want to make sure our families are aware of this new reality before making the exciting (but big) decision to renovate,” producers added.
- You have to be ready to renovate and start filming right away. The “Property Brothers” are ready to kick off filming for the new show, so interested families must be ready to start renovations as soon as spring 2023.
- You have to be willing to move out. Renovations will typically take place in three to four areas of the home, so families have to find another place to stay during renovation and filming. According to HGTV, the network’s shows can take anywhere from three to eight months to film.
- You’ll have to be available to film for over a week. Producers need featured homeowners to be on-site for filming for approximately eight days, “staggered over the renovation period.” So those with jobs or other commitments will need to work around the production schedule in order to be available.
And there are other requirements embedded in the application:
- You need a sidekick. Producers want two people present for filming at all times, so applicants must name the person they will have by their side throughout the process, whether that’s a spouse, partner, friend or relative. That person has to be available for the eight days of shooting, and applicants are asked to describe what makes their relationship unique.
- You need to choose three to four spaces for renovation. To work within their “accelerated timeline,” producers need homeowners who have several spaces in need of renovation. Among those spaces, homeowners can choose to renovate either their kitchen or a bathroom, but not both, and the “Property Brothers” won’t tackle a basement or an addition on the home.
- You need good photos and video of your home. Applicants who don’t submit photos of the rooms they want renovated won’t be considered, according to the application, and the more detail they provide, the better. Producers say they want to see “what in your space is making you stressed, anxious, scared, sad etc. and why your space is currently not working for you and your family.”
- You must be able to keep secrets. Before submitting the lengthy application, homeowners must agree to a set of legal terms and conditions, which include agreeing not to divulge any confidential information they learn in the process of filming about the Scott brothers or their business, nor behind-the-scenes details on their home’s renovations.
What’s the Upside to Working With the Scott Brothers?
HGTVJonathan and Drew Scott with homeowners on their show “Property Brothers: Forever Home.”
With so many requirements for participation, “Property Brothers” producers say there are benefits to working with the duo on one of their shows. On the online application for their new show, producers say those chosen to appear get to “hand over the reins” when it comes to applying for permits, finding capable contractors and crews, and paying extra for architectural and interior design work.
Another unique aspect of appearing on a “Property Brothers” show is that most homeowners get to keep everything in the home, whereas many HGTV shows, like Erin and Ben Napier’s popular “Home Town,” are staged for reveals with the participants left to decorate on their own or purchase items they like from their finished home, according to Southern Living.
“The budget includes construction and design,” the application points out. “These will be fully move-in ready spaces once we’re done! All furniture & appliances will be yours to keep!”
In addition, appearing on a “Property Brothers” show is the only way to get a home renovated by the twins and their crews, since they don’t do any private design work, according to Distractify.
Not everyone has been thrilled with the results of appearing on a “Property Brothers” show, though. In 2021, homeowners Paul and Mindy King sued local contractors and the former production company behind the “Property Brothers” show they appeared on in 2019, claiming “misrepresentation, fraud, and faulty workmanship,” according to Suggest. Drew and Jonathan Scott aren’t named in the lawsuit.