Move over Los Angeles, where some of TV’s hottest reality shows focus on the city’s luxury real estate market. L.A. is not the only “hot market,” as the new HGTV show of that name – will attest.
Similar in format to Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing or Netflix’s Selling Sunset, Hot Market follows a team of real estate professionals. Only this time the setting is far from Beverly Hills; it’s anything from a Forest Hill mansion to a sprawling Muskoka cottage compound.
Hot Market offers a behind-the-scenes look at a world where the stakes are high, with beautiful properties selling in the millions. The five real estate brokers granting backstage passes to their world are Odeen Eccleston, Rizwan Malik, Rana Khaled, David Cinelli and Stephanie Adams.
The show will be different from its predecessors in other ways, says Cinelli. “We give people an insider look at what it takes to be a successful real estate agent in one of the most competitive markets in Canada,” he says, “And even though the agents on the show all know each other, we are hustling for ourselves and our clients, not competing with one another.”
Each of the show’s five realtors has a line on the hottest homes, and brings a range of clients and budgets to the table. Some episodes allow viewers to vicariously live the rich and privileged lifestyle, such as the one that focuses on a $19.8 million five-bedroom Rosedale mansion handled by Stephanie Adams. Besides having a glimpse of the home and its coach house, viewers get a peek at the “high tea and champagne gathering” Adams throws to get brokers through the door.
At the more accessible end, in another episode, Cinelli works with his wife Natalie, a designer and home stager, on a lacklustre Humber Valley four-bedroom home. The show demonstrates the magic of high-end finishes as the couple polish it into a jewel and how doing so can start a bidding war to take it beyond the $2 million asking price.
There is something for everyone in Hot Market, even if you are not living in the GTA, Cinelli says. “Viewers will get to see some beautiful properties and the relationships we have with our clients,” he says. “As well, they will take away some real estate tips and design inspiration for their own homes.” •
Hot Market is available for streaming through hgtv.ca
