Do ‘House Hunters’ Participants Get Paid to Appear on the Show?

Have you ever binge-watched HGTV’s House Hunters and wondered what it would be like to appear on the show? Maybe you always pick which home you think the potential buyers will choose or try and figure out which would be the best for you.

Another thought that may have crossed your mind is if and how much the participants get paid to be on the show. Well, we have the surprising answer to that and some of your other burning House Hunters questions including how you can apply to be on the series.

How to apply for House Hunters

Apparently, a lot of people share the same dream of appearing on House Hunters because the show receives anywhere from 100 to 200 applicants a week.

The production company is always looking for new people since the network airs so many fresh episodes in order to keep viewers satisfied. There are more than a dozen camera crews stationed across America to film at a time and that number doesn’t include the more than two dozen elsewhere around the globe filming House Hunters International.

To apply for the show visit the Pietown website. If your application is selected you will be contacted for a phone interview then asked to submit a short audition video.

Do the participants get paid?

Another reason you may want to join House Hunters is because participants do get paid for their time on the show, however, the amount they get receive is probably much lower than you think. Moreover, there’s a time commitment as it takes several days to film a single episode. Although one episode only lasts a mere 23 minutes it takes 30 hours to film. That time is spread out over the course of four or five days.

Filming takes so long since potential homebuyers spend around six hours taping at each house they are shown. This is so producers can get the best content for that particular episode. For example, past participants have said that at times the crew may ask you to repeat something you said or give a specific reaction several times so they can get the shots they want. Family interviews also need to be conducted as do aspects of their day-to-day lives.

How much they receive

Now to that remaining question: How much do House Hunters Participants Get Paid to Appear on the Show?

While the show’s budget is $50,000 the payout to the prospective homebuyers is $500 and that is not per person, that’s total. Lower than you thought, right?

When you break that number down for a couple who films eight hours a day for five days their hourly rate comes out to $6.25. Real estate agents chosen on the other hand do not get paid at all for their time, but they do get a ton of publicity which makes their appearances worthwhile.

Read more: Who is the Narrator on HGTV’s ‘House Hunters’?

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!