{"id":93705,"date":"2017-11-13T11:00:06","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T18:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/renewsblog\/?p=93705"},"modified":"2021-03-16T13:43:08","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T19:43:08","slug":"good-riddance-fixer-upper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/good-riddance-fixer-upper","title":{"rendered":"3 Big Reasons I’m Not Sad to See Hit HGTV Show Fixer Upper<\/em> Go"},"content":{"rendered":"

“It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” \u2014Neil Young<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh boy, h<\/span>ere we go. I\u2019m sure you are rolling your eyes or maybe fuming at the thought that I\u2019m about to take on this upstart powerhouse!\u00a0<\/span>Like most upstarts, Chip and Joanna Gaines<\/a> have built their empire quickly. When most get into this position, they either burn out or fade away into obscurity. The show Fixer Upper<\/em>, however, has decided to complete five seasons and then pull the plug at the height of popularity.<\/p>\n

Chip and Joanna are the plucky center of the show, helping a couple buy and then renovate a home, with Chip bringing the construction knowhow and the sass and Joanna offering the design and adult daycare to balance it out. Built on pillars of likable hosts, before and after oohs and ahs, and scripted episodes\u2014and held together with more shiplap than you could imagine\u2014the show is now much more than just a TV show. It entails a real estate brokerage, retail locations, many brands, and merchandising. For some reason, it has also created a vacation destination out of Waco, Texas. <\/span><\/p>\n

Because of this cult following, most anyone in the renovation side of the real estate business has been impacted by Fixer Upper<\/em>\u2019s massive stamp on the industry. Just mentioning to someone that I fix up houses to sell them, I get met with, \u201cOh! Like Fixer Upper<\/em>? I love that show. Chip is so funny, and I just love Joanna\u2019s designs.\u201d It’s easier sometimes just to answer, \u201cYeah, that’s what I do\u201d than explain the whole, real process.<\/span><\/p>\n

I make it all sound a bit campy and bad, but it’s not. I actually like the show (and my wife Stacy loves it). We even put the Fixer Upper<\/em> book in the top 7 self development books of 2016!<\/a>\u00a0Out of all of the fix-up shows out there, this one is the most palatable. After all, it’s somewhat realistic, and it’s generally likable. <\/span><\/p>\n

Still, it does have many problems, which is why I wrote this whole thing. The rest of those fix-up shows on TV? Well, that might be a blog post for another day (heavily sprinkled with much profanity). As a fix and flip investor, I take subtle design cues and notes from these shows, but I still get plenty frustrated at the unrealistic scenarios and budgets portrayed.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, Anson, you like the show but are happy to see it go? I am, it’s true. And here are the three reasons why.<\/span><\/p>\n

3 Big Reasons I’m Not Sad to See Hit HGTV Show Fixer Upper<\/em> Go<\/h2>\n

1. No More Monopoly on Design<\/h3>\n

As the general public (i.e. the buyers of our finished products) watch more DIY and real estate-related shows, their tastes get changed and influenced. First was HGTV as a whole, forcing baked scone walls and brown tones throughout. Now we have Joanna Gaines pushing painted brick, farmhouse vintage, and lots of shiplap. Those things are, of course, fine, but they have become a bit more popular than the average flipper likes. When one show is so popular that it nearly holds a monopoly on design, it can only be a bad thing. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the good, timeless designs are pushed as well, including open floor plans, evergreen cabinets and fixture choices, and mostly neutral colors (minus those black bathrooms I\u2019ve seen lately\u2014ugh). Getting people to think more about design in general is good, so kudos to Fixer Upper<\/em> for that. <\/span>
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\nRelated:<\/strong> 7 Ways TV Flipping Shows Are Completely Fake (As Any REAL Investor Knows!)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

What will replace this show as design inspiration for most people? It’ll probably be back to Pinterest and Houzz.com\u2014and I’d personally recommend following the designs of friends of mine who are killing it: TTM Development out of Portland<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Enfort Homes from Seattle<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Room for Less Formulaic Shows<\/h3>\n

If you take a minute to quickly flip through all of the TV stations available to you, you will notice a few things. First, drama sells\u2014and second, people love scripted, formulaic, predictable shows.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is the given formula for Fixer Upper:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n