5 years after they said ‘List It,’ Raleigh couple still ‘Love It.’ So HGTV is returning.
At the end of their 2015 episode of HGTV’s “Love It or List It,” Raleigh couple Greg Sims and Rodolfo DeMartino had decided to “list it,” and put their Mordecai home on the market.
But five years later, they’re not only still in that same home, they’ve upgraded with a gorgeous swimming pool and have no plans to leave any time soon.
The home renovation program returned to Raleigh this summer to film an update to their story for an episode called “Greg and Rodolfo’s Change of Heart.” That episode will air Monday night, Aug. 31.
“We’re grateful that they approached us,” Sims told The News & Observer on Friday. “They said our episode was one of the most popular ones.”
The premise of the show is that designer Hilary Farr redesigns parts of a home and oversees construction and renovations, while real estate agent David Visentin looks for new real estate listings and tries to convince homeowners they should sell their house and buy a new one.
The original episode was filmed during the year “Love It or List It” spent an entire season featuring homes in the Raleigh, Durham and Cary areas.
Sims said after the episode was filmed in 2015, “I knew we didn’t have to sell, but I didn’t want to lie and not do it. So the next day we put a sign up there with info on how to tour, with our price. We did list it, but we started thinking about it and decided we wanted to stay.”
Sentimental value
Their home is the last one Sims’ father worked on before he passed away, so there was a sentimental pull. And it’s in a great location, near downtown, with a big backyard.
Plus, the added equity from the work done during the show made it possible for them to add one of Sims’ Wish List items: the swimming pool.
“The equity increased so much in our home — even more so than what David said that day — we could put in the pool without it really affecting our pocket, as far as payments,” Sims said.
Sims and DeMartino both work in industries that have suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sims is co-owner of Interactive Fitness Trainers of America, an international fitness certification company, and DeMartino owns the North Ridge Pub and Cafe Tiramisu restaurants on Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh.
“The pool has been a blessing during this time,” Sims said. “We almost felt guilty, but it has sure helped our anxiety level.”
Sims said the couple isn’t adamant about not selling, under the right circumstances, but they also aren’t looking to sell.
“Everything’s for sale for the right price,” Sims said. “But we really love it.”
‘A true experience’
The same season Sims and DeMartino participated in the show, a featured Chatham County couple sued Big Coat TV, the Canadian-based company that produces the show, claiming shoddy work and other construction problems. The case was settled in 2016.
Sims said their experience was nothing like that.
“Everything about the show was a true experience for us and it was incredible quality,” he said.
Sims also appreciated that the show took great care in protecting everyone during the current health crisis.
When the crew returned in late June, Sims said everyone distanced as much as possible, and the entire crew wore masks the whole time they were there — 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
It was a hot day with a lot of outside work, he added.
Hosts Farr and Visentin were the most distanced, Sims said, as they joined the show via Zoom from Toronto.
Monday’s episode, airing at 8 p.m., will feature a mix of footage from the original episode along with the updates.
Locally, HGTV can be found on channel 59 on Spectrum (Time Warner); channel 450 on AT&T U-verse; channel 391 on Google Fiber TV; channel 229 on DirecTV; channel 112 on DISH Network.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 6:41 PM.
