Cost of living--WOW.

Just saw one when they had 150 k budget

It's all to do with where they film - it's the land that costs the money. I live in the Vancouver area, which in 2014 had the highest average home cost in all of North America. This unfortunately does not mean we make more money, it just means it is extremely difficult to get into the housing market if you aren't already in it. If you live around here, if you have a $250 000 budget, the show can't help you. I live in a 20 year old two bedroom condo out in the 'burbs and the units sell for $300 000+. The land value is simply too high. Reno costs are more consistent, but if you don't have enough for the land, the reno cost is irrelevant, and land in Toronto or Calgary is still well above $250 000 for a lot big enough for even a small house. I think you need to look more at the renovation costs and ignore the house cost, as that varies so much depending on the area.

maybe not MOST, but some would. Our house was 120k, we live in a low cost of living area, and Id love some ideas on how to spruce up our home. Not everyone has a 800k budget!!

"I don't think most viewers are interested in low-end remodels."

If most of the viewers live in Canada, then I could believe such a statement. This show airs in a number of countries so the viewers should be a good mix of people/couples of varying incomes.

The show "Fixer Upper" is filmed in Texas and they have what some people consider "low-end remodels". I'm starting to like that show more than Property Brothers. Home buyers have smaller budgets and yet get nice renos that include the exterior of the home.

I think the average viewer would rather see realistic budgets and remodels. I hate watching episodes where the couple has $400k to spend on a crappy house then a $200k budget to renovate with. I prefer Fixer Upper to PB because they buy cheap houses and fix them up beautifully for cheap-ish. I've even started turning the channel whenever I dislike the buyers budget, even on other hgtv shows like House Hunters.

I don't agree. I would love to see a design show that did some fixer uppers in the Dayton Ohio Area. We're currently house hunting here, hoping to find an historic home in one of our beautiful historic downtown neighborhoods like South Park, Linden Heights or Walnut Hills. A finished home in South Park, which is a really up and coming neighborhood, for instance can go for as much as $200,000, but typical range for finished 3 bedroom is from the mid 80s to the low 120s. Homes that need some work have sold in our area in the $60s and $70s that are now valued in the $140s and $150s. We are middle income family with three incomes, but because we area non traditional family (Mother, Adult daughter and permanent roommate) financing can only be based one of our incomes. For that reason, we have an absolute top budget of $100,000. We're looking in the range of $50,000 to $75,000. We have even looked at a couple in the mid $30s. The less we spend on the basic house, the more we can put towards upgrades to our own tastes. I'd love to see shows that actually reflect the cost of reno homes in our area.

Fixer Upper takes place in Waco, TX, and the homes are much less expensive. On House Hunters they show the city & state where the houses are located, and the prices vary a great deal due to the location.

Boo Hoo! Let me wipe away the tears with my PLASTIC hand!--Lindsey McDonald (Angel)

It is a Canadian show; and primarily located in the Toronto, ON area; however, they have done at least one episode in Vancouver, BC (red glasses lady) and they have also started to film in Georgia and I swear I saw one from Texas and North Carolina. The ones filmed in Georgia are obvious due to the, in my opinion, gorgeous architecture, but also in the ending credits the Georgia logo is present.

I do not understand why houses cost so much in Canada and I wonder if Manitoba and Saskatchewan are cheaper. At any rate I just saw this episode and my mouth dropped. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this house other than it needed flooring. A gorgeous house like that for $169,000 US....I live in Denver and one really cannot find turn key, single family houses in safe neighbourhoods for under $300,000 anymore and it gets worse every day. Even condo's for $169,000 are becoming rare. Too many people move to Colorado and it is driving up the cost of housing. A house similar to this one from the show in the Denver area would have easily cost over $575,000 or more.

I am not sure how Georgia and North Carolina keep housing prices relatively low but often times I cannot watch HGTV shows showcasing houses there because of how beautiful and how affordable they are. I suppose I could always move there....instead I am just bitter.

Yeah but you are living in Texas. No one really wants to live there unless you are from Texas. Although I hear Austin is a pretty cool city.

They generally stay away from California, New York, DC or Boston as the price of desirable real estate is considerably higher than the rest of the country.