Several years ago, I started to see a new crop of shows popping up on the home and garden channel. Then a few more, and now, they have taken over not only HGTV, but have also shown up on TLC, and The Discovery Channel. What am I talking about? Real Estate shows. There are a wide variety of them out there now. Everything from flip this to sell that, to buy this. It's a bit overwhelming.

There are some good shows out there. I just think that they followed the trends, the housing market was high, and the shows became popular, but now that the market is down, why are they still around? Contracts may be an issue, they may still draw in a lot of viewers, people trying to figure out where they went wrong, people looking for tips for when the market is back on it's feet, who knows. The only thing I do know is that they are out there, and there are a lot of them.

 If you are looking to buy a home, and want to get a few tips.  There are a lot of shows out there!  It seems as if the days of "Flip This House" have gone away.  Now, it's all about buying a home.  And, why not?  The market is in a slump, and houses are not selling.  It's a buyer's market, if you can find the financing, that is.

HGTV has quite a few shows about buying houses.  From shows like Property Virgins and My First Place, which obviously, follows the trials and victories of those new to the home buying market, to shows like House Hunters, that takes you all over the country and all over the world, with people looking for that perfect house, with everything that they could ever want for way less than it's worth.  Sleep On It is an interesting show that gives potential home buyers an opportunity to sleep in the house before they decide if they want to buy it or not.  And then there is Hidden Potential, it gives potential home buyers three options of houses that are not perfect, but then, through a new floor plan shown on their handy laptop, they show them what the house could be, with a little work and a little money, while still staying under budget.

Not to be left out, TLC has their own shows on buying a house.  My First Home sounds a lot like another show, and it should.  It follows the same basic formula.  Have you ever wondered what happened to your house after you sell it and move on?  Have you wondered about the style choices of those that lived in your house before you moved in?  Moving Up is the show to check out.  It follows three couples, moving into new houses.  The first couple moves into the house that the second couple previously owned, and the second couple moves into the house that the third couple previously owned.  They redecorate, and the original owners get a chance to come back, and see what was done. 

 If you are in the market to sell your home, and need some ideas, advice, tips and tricks, but don't want to spend the money on real estate experts, there are some great shows out there.

HGTV has three shows about selling your home.  Designed to Sell is a great show!  A real estate expert comes through the person's home, tells them what is wrong with it and why it isn't selling.  Then, a design team, along with some carpenters come in, and help you tackle all those projects that are making your home less than desirable to prospective home buyers.  The show offers great tips and ideas for those that are trying to sell their home.  Buy Me is another show that is similar to Designed to Sell. 

The Unsellables takes on this problem as well.  This is a show about a real estate agent that will try and sell those homes that never seem to sell.  If a house sits on the market for what seems like an eternity, that is when they step in and help get the house sold.

The Stagers takes on a different aspect to the home selling issue.  Quite simply, they stage homes for sale.  They purchase, borrow, and rent items to place in an empty, or inadequately furnished house, in an effort to make it more attractive to home buyers.  The show can be amusing, as the people on the show seem to have egos the size of Texas, but again, it can offer up some great ideas for getting your house sold. 

Not long ago, there were several shows about house flipping; buying a house, fixing it up, and turning and selling it for a profit. But, with the down turn in the real estate market, these seem to have drifted away. All except for one. TLC's Property Ladder is a show about just that. I have always wanted to flip a house, and at one time, my mother and I had even talked about it. It looked like fun on TV. Watching shows like Property Ladder, and Flip This House showed us how hard it really is, what is involved, and what not to do.

If you are interested in the value of your home, or of those around the country, there are a couple of shows that may give you some information. They are also great for knowing what work to do to get the most return on the money you spend. My House Is Worth What? is just what the title implies. Home owners invite the team into their home, a real estate expert goes through the home and assesses it's strong points and weak points, and then gives them the value. They also give them the value of what the home would be worth if those weak points were fixed. Sometimes the home owners are thinking about selling, other times they are considering renovations, and want to know where best to spend their money, and other times, they have done some renovations and want to know if they made the right decisions. National Open House is a show that takes several price points, and tells you what you can get for that price around the country. They choose three cities and several price points each episode. It gives you a good idea of the property values and real estate markets in several areas. It's great if you are planning on moving out of state, and want an idea of what you can get for what amount of money.

If you are interested in the real estate market, or have a desire to be a real estate agent, check out The Property Shop and Bought & Sold. Both shows follow real estate agents as they negotiate sales of houses from both sides of the deal, sometimes at the same time. You get to see what it's like for the agents as they deal with difficult sellers and overly picky buyers. Offers and counter-offers fly back and forth and the agents try to handle it all with respect for all of those involved.

If investment property is more your thing, check out Income Property. This show is about fixing up rental properties to make them more attractive to renters. It isn't surprising that a show like this has popped up on HGTV. More and more people are renting, and those that own rental property are struggling just as much as any property owner. Making rentals more attractive can mean the difference between an empty rental and a new lease, or the difference between a $1,000 a month property and a $1,500 a month property.