A local family in the market for a new home decided to call on a reality television series for assistance.
Jordan and Allie Darr had been renting a home in Sylvania before deciding it was time to buy. Facing some difficulties in finding the right house, they turned to the Home and Garden Television (HGTV) network’s “House Hunters” to guide them through the process.
“We signed up online to be on the show, then we did a phone interview and a video interview, and then they picked us,” Allie said. “They asked about what we were each looking for in a house.”
Finding a home suitable for all of the couple’s needs was indeed a challenge. The Darrs are parents to three boys, all under the age of 3. Additionally, both Allie and Jordan do a significant amount of their work at home — Jordan is in sales and Allie is a photographer.
Darr Family
“Jordan and I disagreed on the size of the house, and it was very hard to find a house that fit our needs for a home office for Jordan, a photography studio for me and then also room for our three boys to homeschool,” Allie said.
Kathy Willis, a Realtor with the Danberry Company, was hired by the Darrs as a buyer’s agent. Willis was eager to assist them in their effort to be accepted on the show, despite some initial anxiety.
“When Allie first asked me to be on ‘House Hunters,’ I was in shock and so excited,” Willis said. “Then panic set in as we had to do an audition tape.”
Willis realized that appearing on the show with the Darrs would be a valuable experience.
“Being a real estate agent and being asked to be on the No. 1 real estate show is pretty exciting. It was fun to see how they put a show together,” she said.
After the Darrs were accepted, filming began. The entire process of auditioning, house hunting and filming took about two or three months, Allie said.
The couple, originally from Columbus, focused on the Perrysburg area during their search.
“We like the atmosphere there,” Allie, one of the WNWO Moms on the Go, said. “We like how cute the downtown area is.”
During the process, the couple focused on a few houses that would potentially suit their needs.
“Our Realtor worked within our budget to meet our criteria,” Allie said. “I like old and vintage, and my husband likes something more functional. He likes smaller; I like bigger. He likes simple; I am looking for something more unique and unusual.”
Willis added that the filming of the show did not distract them too much from the task at hand.
“The camera wasn’t ever in the way,” she said. “Sometimes we would have to do things over a couple times, just to get the right shot of things as we went through the houses.”
The end result of the Darrs’ search cannot be revealed until after the show’s airing, sometime toward the end of March, but Allie hinted that they may be back for another appearance on HGTV.
“They do a ‘where are they now’ episode. They come back and see where the house hunters are, because sometimes [the show] leaves the viewers hanging. Right now, we’re in the process of getting on that show.”
For more information, visit the Web site www.hgtv.com/house-hunters/show/index.html.
