Are you a beginner real estate agent or investor? Want to learn new tricks of the trade? This post will show you the top 9 real estate shows on TV – if you want to catch some real estate advice or just some fun drama.
Some of these real estate shows are fan favorites, some of them running for over 10 years and still going strong. Although there have been complaints that there are stage managed aspects of some real estate TV shows, you have to remember that the main purpose of these is to entertain, and if real estate processes can be simplified for the average Joe along the way, so much the better.
Interested in house shows on Netflix, house hunting shows on HGTV, or house flipping shows? This article will show you the best real estate shows you might want to binge watch:
1. Open House NYC (NBC), IMDB – 7.5
Starting in 2007, when extravagant home designs and exquisite staging weren’t as common, NBC’s Sara Gore helped open the veil on lavishly designed buildings, after a TV station she worked for asked her to do so. “We ended up going to George Oliphant’s apartment on Minetta Street and doing this little pilot in the corner of his tiny kitchen,” she notes. “A year later, in 2008, NBC bought the company and I’ve been under the umbrella ever since.”
In addition to observing the design tastes of the rich and famous, host Sara Gore interviews designers, architects, and real estate experts. Already in its 13th season, this show is different from the other real estate reality TV shows on this list. It’s definitely one to watch if you want to catch up on the latest trends in home staging and interior design.
2. Listing Impossible (CNBC), IMDB 7.7
Aaron Kirman is the star of this show, a top real estate agent in Los Angeles with over $7 billion in real estate sales. While most real estate shows focus on the sexy side of real estate sales, this show offers a unique angle. It captures some innovative ideas that Aaron Kirman and his team employ to sell expired luxury listings. The show only ran for eight episodes, starting on January 15, 2020 and ending on March 4, 2020, but it’s still a great show for anyone who wants to know how to find and sell expired real estate listings.
3. Selling Sunset (Netflix), IMDB – 6.3
The real estate reality shows’ version of “Keeping up with the Kardashians” – employees at the Oppenheim group, a luxury real estate agency in Orange County, CA, take center stage. The cast of Selling Sunset season 4, which recently began filming, includes twin brothers Jason and Brett Openheim, Chrishell Stause, Christine Quinn, Mary Fitzgelrald (and Roman Bonnett), Heather Rae Young, Amanza Smith, Maya Vander, and Davina Potratz. The first season premiered with eight episodes on March 21, 2019.
While the show is one of the most popular reality TV shows, and features some aspects of luxury real estate sales, it focuses more on the day-to-day lives of these real estate stars. This might not be the best show for you if you want hands-on knowledge about selling or investing in real estate, but it’s an entertaining show nonetheless.
4. Stay Here (Netlix), IMDB – 7.5
On Netflix’s Stay Here, which premiered on August 17, 2018, Genevieve Gorder, an interior decorator, who rose to fame on TLC’s Trading Places and her co-host, Peter Lorimer, a former DJ turned turned expert real estate investor, help homeowners remodel their home for listings on short term rental websites like Airbnb and VRBO.
The idea is that a simple, over-personalized home could be revamped and jazzed up to offer up more profit when listed on short term rental websites. The second season is expected to air on August 13, 2021. If you want real estate shows that navigate short term rentals, this one is for you.
5. Tiny House Nation (Netflix), IMDB – 7.1
Tiny House Nation is the leading real estate show focused on tiny houses
The cast of Tiny House Nation, two renovation experts, Josh Weisbarth and Zack Giffin, travel the US to help people design or build houses 500 square feet or less. While the show highlights the tiny house lifestyle and a message geared towards minimalism, it also features some design and architecture insights. The show reveals how small spaces can be utilized and designed for a comfortable lifestyle. Although the show premiered on July 9, 2014 generating its own fan base, it came onto Netflix in May 2019. The show was canceled after 5 seasons in 2020. But this is one of the best reality TV shows for people who want information on tiny houses and home renovations.
6. Flip or Flop (HGTV), IMDB – 6.0
Tarek El Moussa is popular for his house flipping shows. He runs his own real estate show “Flipping 101 with Tarek” but hosts this show with his ex-wife, Christina Anstead. Both are real estate agents who have been flipping houses for profit for a long time. The premise behind this show is to find inexpensive ways to renovate a fixer upper. The show also walks you through the step by step process of listing the renovated home on the market. This is definitely a good show to binge on if you are a real estate agent or real estate investor. The show was released on April 13, 2013, and is still running to date (currently in its ninth season).
Related: What Home Renovation Shows Get Wrong About House Flipping
7. Home Town Takeover (HGTV), IMDB – Not rated yet
This is on HGTV’s list of new real estate shows, but it offers a lot of promise. On the show, Erin and Ben Napier, hosts of a couple of house renovation shows including Home Town, will renovate a city: the city of Wetumpka, Alabama. The show will also feature celebrity guests including Grammy-winning singer Sheryl Crow and Food Network host and cooking channel Eddie Jackson. Sounds exciting because with its first season and first episode, Tapp 18, a struggling boutique store that got a makeover, sold out in less than 24 hours.
Erin and Ben will renovate 11 other public places in Wetumpka, including restaurants, shops, a farmers market, an entire low street, and more. If you are interested in renovations and giving new life to fairly old spaces, you would enjoy this show.
8. The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes (Netflix), IMDB – 7.6
Architect, Pier Taylor, along with actress Caroline Quentin travel around the world exploring a variety of architectural homes. The show isn’t primarily real estate buying and selling focused as it skews towards the architecture and construction side. It focuses on houses that have a unique structure and architecture and houses built to withstand extreme weather conditions.
For example, the Cloak House, located in Auckland, North Island and built by two award-winning architects, Gary Lawson and Nicholas Stevens, uses no metal or wood. A cladding was made of cedar wood on the outside and concrete on the inside to mimic the shape of the surrounding mountains. The show was originally launched on January 6, 2017 and is currently in its second season.
9. Million Dollar Listings New York (Bravo), IMDB – 7.3
Chances are you’ve heard of Million Dollar Listings star turned celebrity broker, Ryan Serhant. He is currently one of the top 1% real estate agents in the US. Ryan got his start on this show. Aside from Ryan Serhant, other celebrity real estate agents on Million Dollar Listings New York include Frederik Eklund, Luis Ortiz, Steve Gold, and Tyler Whitman. The show recently added Kirsten Jordan, a top selling realtor at Douglas Eliman.
If you ever wondered what it was like to sell real estate in New York’s most expensive locations, this real estate show will give you the inside scoop. Follow these top New York real estate agents as they compete for deals in a competitive New York market (even more so as the market recovers from the effects of Covid-19). There’s also plenty of drama along the way. Currently in its ninth season, the show premiered on March 7, 2012.
Related: 7 Real Estate Trends to Expect in a Post COVID-19 World
Beyond Real Estate Shows
While you can learn a couple things about negotiating and investing in real estate from real estate shows and real estate movies, you may be leaning towards the luxury real estate side of things. In addition, some of these real estate shows have had to fight lawsuits alleging that critical aspects of the show were faked.
If you want to actually learn real estate investing for beginners, subscribe to Mashvisor’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on the key aspects of evaluating deals, finding profitable properties, and creating real estate investment strategies.