Housely
If you have ever turned the channel to HGTV, it is almost guaranteed that you have ran across the fan favorite, Love It or List It. It’s a simple concept. Two homeowners are at a crossroads regarding their current home. While one is dead set on staying there (possibly forever), the other is ready to cut their losses and move on. Enter Hilary Farr, a well-known interior designer who is ready to turn their home into something they will both love, and David Visentin, a well-established real estate agent who is ready to help the couple find their dream home somewhere else.
In just an hour, their home has been transformed and they have found their dream home. (Of course, the current home is lacking at least one big renovation project, while the new home has at least one drawback.) Will they choose to love it or list it? The show, have just wrapped up its eleventh season, is definitely one of HGTV’s longest running and most popular shows, which is why you probably think you know everything there is to know about the show. However, you just might be wrong. Here are 20 things you did not about the HGTV hit, Love It or List It.
1. “Love It or List It” is filmed in Toronto.
Let’s face it. This is not a fact that is clearly evident on the show itself. The show, which began filming in 2008, was originally only filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Obviously, the more seasons it has been on, the harder it became to find homeowners to participate in a single city, so it has branched out some. For example, in 2015, the show filmed in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. By the way, “Love It or List It Too” is currently only being filmed in Vancouver.
2. David and Hilary start their day with the same smoothie.
It was David who first introduced Hilary to “The Morning Smoothie,” which consists of almond butter, banana, black pepper, cacao, cilantro, cinnamon, ginger, kale, lemon juice, and turmeric, and she has been drinking it ever since. From time to time, David changes it up a little bit by adding apple and avocado, but Hilary always sticks with the original ingredients.
3. In real life, Hilary and David are good friends.
Hilary and David first met when they were both cast for the show in 2007. After filming together for ten seasons, it is only natural that the duo would have developed a close friendship. In fact, Hilary will only watch the show with David. (She says it is “awkward” to watch their show by herself.) On a side note, when you see the two tweeting during the show, they are often doing it side by side.
4. David went into the family business and is married with a child.
After graduating from West Humber Collegiate Institute in 1987, David began working with his father, Nick Visentin, as an agent at Country Living Realty. Today, David is 50 years old and still works in real estate with his father when he is not filming an episode of “Love It or List It.” His two brothers and sister are also real estate agents at the family owned realty. He has been married to his wife, Tia, for over a decade. They share a 4 year old son named Logan.
5. Not only is Hilary older than you might think, but she is also single.
Hilary was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 31, 1951, which means she Is fast approaching her 65th birthday. She has been single since going through a “horrible, horrible divorce from her ex-husband, Gordon Farr, in 2007. Together, they have an adult son.
6. Hilary is quite the athlete and has an adventurous streak.
Not only is Hilary an accomplished diver and swimmer, but she has also played netball. She describes the sport as, “It’s sort of like basketball, but you’re not allowed to bounce, you have to pass, and you wear short shorts.” According to The Official Home of Netball America, it involves 7 players on each team, who move up and down the court without dribbling the ball, while having to pass the ball every three seconds. Plus, the ball and basket are a tad bit smaller than a regulations basketball and goal. Finally, to make it a bit harder, there is no backboard. As far as an adventurous streak, she hasn’t actually acted on it yet, but Hilary said in an interview with W Network that she really wanted to go skydiving.
On a side note, David did go skydiving in his early twenties.
7. David is just as athletic as Hilary is.
However, he prefers running and swimming. He loves it so much that he has participated in a couple triathlons in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, which he also calls home. In fact, in the 2009 Barrie Triathlon and Duathlon he finished in 37th place out of 244 contestants.
8. Love It or List It is currently involved in a lawsuit filed by two disgruntled homeowners.
In April 2016, Timothy Sullivan and Deena Murphy, a couple whose house was featured in North Carolina episode of the show, sued Big Coat TV (the Canadian based production company that produces the show) and Aaron Fitz Construction, a North Carolina contractor, for irreparably damaging their home. They also claimed a good portion of their deposit that was intended for renovations and repairs was spent on staging.
9. Hilary has more than a dozen acting credits to her name.
Before turning to design, Hilary tried her hand at acting in the late 1970s and early 1980s, using her maiden name, Hilary Labow. In fact, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is just one of the movies and TV shows she had a small role in. She played the character of Betty Munroe. She also played one of the leads in a Broadway production of Run For Your Wife. Interestingly enough, it was through acting that she became interested in designing after helping stage rooms for several movies and TV shows.
10. Sometimes projects do not get completed on time, but it looks like they do.
According to a couple of homeowners who appeared on the show (and their chatty friends), rooms are not always as perfect as they look [4]. For example, some couch cushions may just be wrapped in fabric and placed just right to look like it was completely finished.
11. Love It or List It Too is not meant to be a replacement show
When LIOLI Too hit the air, many viewers in the United States assumed the show was going to place the original. According to the production company, that is not true. It is simply meant to complement it. In Canada, the show airs under the name Love It or List It Vancouver.
12. You may have noticed that Hilary’s assistant, Desta, and contractors, Fergus and Eddie, have not been on the show for a while. Here’s why.
When the show branched out to North Carolina for the 10th season, Hilary and David made the move, but Desta, Fergus, and Eddie did not. While it does not seem they were as excited about the move as Hilary and David, Desta also stated in a post on Facebook they she “had assumed this was kind of a one-off special season,” so she had expected they had would come back to Toronto. Unfortunately, she admitted that this is “not likely.” Now, Hilary turns to Eric Eremita, a contractor-designer, who caught the attention of HGTV when he competed on Brother vs. Brother.
13. While on the subject of the show’s move to North Carolina, there is a very good reason for this
According to an interview in the Detroit News with Hilary, “There were a few reasons. One is Toronto is a very specific city in how it looks and the issues that it has, and I feel like we’ve kind of beaten that to death. I honestly don’t think I could do another basement without faking my suicide and running away.”
14. Hilary has an impressive net worth that is estimated to be around $7 million.
Thanks to her amazing interior decorating skills, extensive client list that includes stars such as actress Jenna Elfman and singer/ actress Jennifer Hudson, and the series, Hilary has managed to save up plenty of money. On a side note, her Love It or List It salary is not readily available on the internet, while David’s is.
15. Although not quite as high as Hilary’s, David’s net worth is impressive in its own right.
David, currently, has an estimated net worth of around $4.2 million. For the show, he is reportedly paid $23,000 per episode or $300,000 per season. Of course, he also sells real estate outside of the show.
16. If you are wondering if more people love it or leave it, here is the answer you have been waiting for.
Based on season 1-9 (from 2008-2015), Hilary is the winner, though it is pretty close. Hilary has convinced 85 couples (57.8%) to stay in their home, while David has persuaded 60 couples (42.2%) to pack up and move on. In fact, on the first three episodes of the show, the couples opted to love it. During the first season, Hilary actually had 9 wins to David’s 3. By the second season, things were a bit more even with Hilary convincing 10 couples to love it and David convincing 8 to list it. Unfortunately, there are no statistics available regarding the number of couples who changed their mind after the cameras stopped rolling.
17. Several famous people have admitted to being big fans of the show.
In 2012, Hilary Clinton admitted in an interview with the New York Times that Love It or List It was her favorite show because she found it “very calming” after a day spend immersed in politics. In 2013, Vanna White and Julianne Moore both reported that they loved the show as well.
18. HGTV finished the 2015 season with its highest ratings ever.
When the 2015 cable rankings were announced, HGTV was ranked #8 on the list of top 10 cable networks. The network experienced a 4% growth in viewership. Love It or List It is a big part of the channel’s popularity, along with Fixer Upper, Beachfront Bargain Hunt, and Flip or Flop. When the show first premiered in 2008, it was the highest rated reality series on the network, an honor formerly held by Candice Tells It All.
19. While Hilary is a big fan of pets, David isn’t so sure about them.
In addition to her grown son, Hilary is also mom to three cats and an absolutely adorable dog, Mimi. In addition, she had a pet raccoon over the 2014-2015 winter. She reports he came in through the cat door and stayed until spring. If you are interested in seeing her many pictures of her beloved pets, simply visit her Instagram page.
On the other hand, David just recently bought his son his first pet…a fish.
20. Love It or List It season 13 is currently filming in Raleigh.
Recently Hilary and David headed back to Raleigh to begin filming. Unfortunately, a premiere date for season 13 has not been announced yet. But given the show’s staying power we’re quite certain that plenty of viewers will be tuning in and that the show remains a must see.
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