For years, Americans have used HGTV’s show “House Hunters” to vicariously experience the trials and tribulations of buying a new home. But while the show has explored housing markets all over the world, one of its newest episodes will stick a little closer to home: in January, “House Hunters” is coming to Rochester NY.
John Balduzzi and Jessica Evangelista Balduzzi, the couple from the Rochester episode, left Washington, D.C. several years ago to be closer to friends and family in Jessica’s native Geneva. Since the birth of their twin 17-month-old daughters, however, the couple has decided that they need more room. They told the Rochester Democrat and Chroniclethat the Flower City seemed like a natural choice to combine John’s love of urban settings and Jessica’s Western New York upbringing.
Over the course of their search, the Balduzzis decided to contact “House Hunters” about appearing on the show. The couple went through a screening process, which included a video submission and interviews with the show’s producers. They were selected six months ago.
Few details are known about the Balduzzi’s installment of the show: the couple has only stated that they looked at a variety of homes in the Rochester area in both urban and suburban environments. However, the Balduzzis’ Realtor, Melissa DiMauro of Nothnagle Realtors in Fairport, commented that the process had been slightly challenging.
“Finding the right home for John and Jessica took a little work,” DiMauro told the Democrat and Chronicle. “No house was going to be 100 percent perfect, but that’s true of any house purchase, really,”
DiMauro isn’t wrong: because many homes in Western New York were built 10, 20 or even 30 years ago, they often require new wiring or plumbing, a new HVAC system or roof, better insulation and other repairs. While some future homeowners find this appealing, others balk at the idea of obtaining these low-quality features and choose to build custom homes instead.
The Balduzzis’ episode of “House Hunters” will air January 8 at 10 p.m. But while theirs is the most recent episode to take place in the Flower City, they are far from the first: in February 2014, Mike and Danielle Crisona appeared on the show with their Realtor, Susan Glenz. Later, in November, Karin Gagliano appeared on the show with Realtor Mandy Friend.
No Comment