Windsor agents turn HGTV fame into a real estate brand megaphone

Deidre Ritsche, left, and Stephanie Bradt, co-owners of Border City Living in Windsor, Ont., filmed two episodes of HGTV Canada’s Hoarder House Flippers in 2022 and 2023 (supplied)
|

When HGTV Canada calls out of the blue and asks if you want to be on television, what do you do? If you’re Deidre Ritsche, you weigh the pros and cons, think about what you have to offer that’s different, and decide if the time away from your business is worth the effort.

Ritsche and business partner Stephanie Bradt of Border City Living in Windsor, Ont., filmed two episodes of Hoarder House Flippers. The series follows three teams as they renovate hoarder houses, turning them into sellable homes.

“HGTV Canada reached out randomly. It was a real shock,” says Ritsche. The process, which included an interview and background checks, took a while, she says.

Ritsche also did her own research to make sure the production company was legitimate. Season one had already been filmed, so they knew how the flips would be presented.

“There was a lot of communication with the team and production company. We saw the show and thought we could bring something unique,” she says. Their vibrant work is under-represented in a world of “grey on grey flips. We are bold and niche down to a certain type of buyer.”

100 hours under the lights

The two episodes were shot over about 10 visits of two days each. Each episode required 50 hours of filming, with shooting days starting at 6 a.m., Ritsche says. They hired an extra assistant to care for clients during their absence and made phone calls and ran their business between takes.

“HGTV Canada hadn’t been to Windsor to that capacity, and local businesses jumped in to help. The benefit of being in a blue-collar area was that trades pitched in,” she says.

On the show, clients were not involved. Ritsche and Bradt purchased the houses, renovated them and then sold them. The faster turnaround meant less time for market changes, and from a construction standpoint, the projects were completed faster than most that aren’t featured on TV, Bradt says.

Filming for episode one began in November 2022 and ended in late February 2023. Filming for episode two began in early February 2023 and ended in late May that year. “February 2023 was very intense,” Bradt says.

The show is available on Amazon Video, Stack TV and Apple TV.

The megaphone effect

Their television adventure resulted in editorial coverage in print, online and on radio. Ritsche and Bradt, who have been in real estate since 2015 and 2018, respectively, were featured on the cover of Windsor Life Magazine.

Their brand was already known in the Windsor and Essex County area, Ritsche says, but the show increased awareness. Although it’s difficult to put a dollar amount on the promotional aspect, she says the results speak for themselves.

“The market is down but our numbers are up. A lot of people mention that they saw us on TV, have read a story or seen us on social media. The show gave us a megaphone. We’re everywhere.”

Open houses have been busier, and on Instagram, some listings have had 120,000 views, she says. “The show is a piece of our brand recognition.”

A marathon, not a sprint

With 100 hours spent on filming, Ritsche says they spent a lot of time away from the business — but they view it as an investment in the future.

It was a busy and stressful period. When the cameras were gone between filming days, she and Bradt still had to manage the flips, complete designs and even do some of the physical work due to the tight schedule.

“For some people it’s not worthwhile. It’s a lot of work, like a marathon,” Ritsche says.

After

A partnership rooted in community

Ritsche is well-versed in flipping. She dreamed of selling amazing properties but says they didn’t exist in Windsor — so she created them. Her first flip was a $78,000 house that she gutted to the studs and redesigned.

Ritsche was passionate about improving her local community, says Bradt, who with her husband bought a derelict commercial-residential building with four apartments that required extensive work. Both experiences led to their partnership in renovations and flips.

The Border City Living concept started in 2016 when Ritsche returned from abroad. She and Bradt began working together in 2017 after meeting at a dinner party.

Windsor-born Ritsche went to school in Vancouver before moving to Europe. She worked fashion week in Berlin and was asked to manage musicians on tour, travelling, she says, “every inch of Europe, Asia and North America.”

After seven years, her thoughts turned to returning to Canada, where she decided to apply her European experience with architecture, history and design to real estate in an entrepreneurial way. She says Border City Living takes “a big city approach to real estate rooted in community and high-quality properties and design.”

Bradt’s background in editorial fashion, lifestyle publications and furniture consultancy paved the way for her transition into real estate. She is also passionate about the role thoughtful homes play in creating vibrant communities.

Her experience on Hoarder House Flippers deepened her appreciation for the transformation and potential every home holds, she adds. “As a busy mom of two, I understand how important the right home and neighbourhood can be for family life.”

Windsor’s bold niche

Ritsche’s first flip attracted considerable attention — the project was unique for Windsor and there was little competition for a company known for bold design choices. That flip, in a student neighbourhood, attracted a first-time buyer, and she realized “most young buyers don’t have the skills or interest to do deep construction projects.”

Border City Living now serves creative and successful clients looking for unique spaces. “Windsor is a blue-collar city but has a great university and underground arts scene,” Ritsche says. For properties that don’t need extensive work, the company offers staging designed to appeal to buyers looking for creative living space.

The television experience was positive. Ritsche and Bradt say they had a great director and were lucky to work with a strong HGTV crew. “We showed them around Windsor and they learned about and love the city,” Ritsche says.

With the experience behind them, she says there are no plans for future shows. Instead, she and Bradt plan to focus on their design-led real estate practice.