HGTV Airs Pilot with Minnesota Real Estate/Renovation Duo

Minneapolis real estate and renovation team Heather and Brad Fox are hoping to be the next big stars on HGTV. The two run Minnetonka-based Fox Homes and specialize in keeping Minnesota families in their favorite neighborhoods by remodeling houses to better fit their owners’ changing lifestyles and needs.

The pilot of their new HGTV reality home show Stay or Sell airs July 9 at 10 p.m. CST and will feature the duo and a St. Louis Park couple deciding whether to revamp their existing home for their growing family or buy nearby and renovate. Home design enthusiasts can join the Fox Homes team for a public pilot viewing party at 6Smith in Wayzata from 8 to 11 p.m. Stay tuned—depending on the pilot’s reception and HGTV’s decision, Stay or Sell could be picked up for a full season in late 2018.

Get to know more about Heather and Brad Fox’s passion for real estate and renovation, as well as their Minnesota pride and tips for homeowners.

Why did you decide to combine your talents of real estate and renovation?

BRAD: We both started in traditional real estate and found although we loved it, real estate alone didn’t totally fulfill our creative sides. We decided to try our hand at transforming a nearly condemned home near Lake Nokomis and fell in love with the whole process. People started asking us to renovate their homes, and it just continued to grow from there. After doing a few projects for new clients, we were hooked and worked to create a company that offered more than just traditional real estate. It’s our way to make real estate creative.

What do you love most about the renovation process?

HEATHER: We love seeing what a house is and having a vision for what it can be. The start of the process—sitting down with the homeowners and determining what they need and figuring out how to make it happen within a budget—it’s like a puzzle. We also really love when they’re done. Seeing the original vision as a completed project is amazing.

What is special about building and selling homes in Minnesota?

BRAD: Minnesota has just about every home style represented (one-story homes, two-story homes, bungalows, and split levels), each with its own style of architecture as well. So, whatever style house you like, we can usually find it represented here, and that’s pretty awesome. We love that on any block, you can find traditional, modern, or craftsman homes right next door. The diversity of homes here is unique, and we love that!

What do you hope to accomplish with Stay or Sell?

HEATHER: To be honest, we’re just really excited to be a part of Minnesota on the national stage. We never set out to do TV and definitely didn’t expect anyone to come calling. If it’s picked up for a season, we would be so happy and grateful, but we are really excited to be able to do this pilot episode. It was fun to go through the process, and we were able to complete a project for a family who we love and now consider friends. We aren’t really sure how we were lucky enough to be in this position and just want to represent Minnesota well. We’d LOVE to see more Minnesota talent represented on HGTV.

Where do you find design inspiration?

HEATHER: Where don’t we find inspiration?! Travel is huge. Brad and I love Palm Springs, California. It’s full of color, mid-century modern design, and people who aren’t afraid to take risks in decor. We recently stayed at the Parker Hotel, and I was like a giddy child. We dig it and take so much inspiration from there. We fell so hard in love that we are in the process of building a vacation rental home there based off of a 1950s plan. Also, there are so many amazing designers on Instagram, so if you’re looking for some inspiration, start scrolling.

What are some tips you can give to homeowners who want to remodel?

HEATHER: First, take all ideas of perfection and throw them out the window. Renovation is a far from perfect process! There are a million different moving parts and something will always go wrong … Usually those wrong things aren’t a big deal, but you have to go in with the right attitude.