Do the Homeowners Get Paid to Be on Episodes of HGTV's 'Love It or List It'?
Published Nov. 1 2021, 3:21 p.m. ET
Home remodeling shows have been fun to watch for years and after Love It or List It debuted in 2008, it was easily able to hold up against the competition. HGTV's Love It or List It features Hilary Farr and David Visentin in the cast working together to renovate and sell homes.
When the right real estate agents and home designers are paired up, things tend to go well! Viewers of the show are curious about one major detail though… do the homeowners get paid to be on Love It or List It? Do they walk away with a paycheck by the time their episode premieres on television?
Do the homeowners get paid to be on 'Love It or List It'?
When you fill out an official application to be part of Love It or List It, you’re agreeing to a multitude of things. Participants must be “outgoing, energetic, opinionated, and fun" if they want to be considered for the show. This makes a lot of sense because when it comes to being part of a reality TV show, the bigger the personality participants have, the better it will be.
People who are too shy or quiet might potentially cause an episode of Love It or List It to end up on the boring side. Participants must also agree to be fully available for five separate filming days staggered over the course of six to seven weeks in order to get all the necessary content filmed.
The last detail, which is probably the most important detail of all, is that participants must be willing to put forth $50,000 towards renovation costs while consenting to the construction and design ideas that come from Big Coat Media. In simpler terms, Love It or List It isn’t paying participants to be on the show… participants are using money out of their own pockets to be on the show.
HGTV makes absolutely no mention of cutting paychecks for any Love It or List It show participants, so it’s safe to say the homeowners on this show aren’t coming up financially whatsoever. Instead, homeowners are investing in new home designs and construction by agreeing to be on the show.
Do the homeowners at least get to keep the furniture?
It turns out, not everything is as rosy as it appears with Love It or List It. When the houses on this show are getting decked out with new furniture and decorative pieces, participants are left with the lovely ambiance afterward… right? Wrong! Once filming is wrapped for Love It or List It, furniture and unfinished renovation designs get completely removed from the homes.
It’s a total bummer that the participants of Love It or List It aren’t able to walk away with a paycheck or at least the ability to keep the furniture used for staging in their respective episodes. House Hunters is another HGTV show that treats its participants a bit differently, according to BuzzFeed. Guests will receive $500 for appearing on the show in the United States. If they’re part of the international version, they can make upwards of $1,500! What a contrast.