Many fans of HGTV's "Fixer Upper" are thrilled with the idea of traveling to Waco, Texas, after finding out that they can stay in homes that have appeared on the show.
Some of the homes redesigned by designer couple Chip and Joanna Gains have been listed on online property rental services Airbnb and Vacation Rental By Owner.
According to the Waco Tribune, some homeowners who benefited the remodels said they didn't initially pursue the renovations with intentions to rent out their spaces. Instead, they said they felt pressured to rent out the spaces by "Fixer Upper" fans.
Some homeowners said that while they never felt threatened by the fans, people were intrusive when they visited the locations. Many fans would stop in front of the homes to take photos, and others walked up to the houses and asked to go inside.
"They're mostly women in their 50s and tend to be big 'Fixer Upper' fans or Baylor-oriented," Dave Morrow said of visitors to his "Fixer Upper" home, the Mailander House. "(The home's interior) is very Zen. We keep it like Joanna does -- no clutter."
One woman, Charmaine Hooper, said she and her husband listed their "Fixer Upper" home on VRBO after a friend suggested the idea.
Upon hearing the news, the couple released a statement through Magnolia House spokesman Brock Murphy:
"We have no problems with our clients' interest in using sites like VRBO and Airbnb to rent out their homes. In fact, we get it. But we are going to be more strict with our contracts involving 'Fixer Upper' clients moving forward. We want to honor our national viewing audience. We want to do remodels for clients' homes. That's the true intent of our show, and we want to ensure that does not get lost in this new vacation rental trend. What started off with perfectly understandable intentions could cast a shadow of a doubt on the much bigger picture, and we are going to do our best to protect that moving forward."
There are 12 former "Fixer Upper" homes available for rental, including the Mailander House, the Gorman House, the Barndominium, the Midcentury Modern House and the Shotgun House.
In a follow-up story, the Waco Tribune pointed out that the house-flipping has the potential to tarnish the "Fixer Upper" brand.
Read more here.
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