Drew and Jonathan Scott are shockingly handsome, in a Harry Connick kind of way, and they're also identical twins.
And if that isn't enough to jump-start your pulse, consider that the 32-year-old Vancouver-born brothers buy, sell and renovate real estate, which makes them pretty much perfect.
The Scotts are the latest brawny boys starring on the W Network, where reality television is less about downing shooters and cruising the boardwalk on the Jersey Shore than it is about demolishing walls and debating the merits of bamboo versus laminate.
Their show is called Property Brothers, because, well, the Scotts are siblings.
Drew is the real-estate agent, while Jonathan is the contractor, both of them picking up their respective licences in Alberta, where they headed after graduating from their Vancouver high school hell-bent on making money in the booming Calgary real-estate market.
The brothers, who decamped to Las Vegas from Calgary a few years ago, are on the phone -- Drew is in Vancouver following the premiere of his independent movie at the Victoria Film Festival (it's called The Perfect Proposal and he's the one proposing), and Jonathan's still at home in Las Vegas.
The reality show, says Drew, was a natural progression for the artistically inclined sibs, gelling after several failed pitches he made to the network. Then, when he mentioned he had a twin brother, "they pitched a show to us because they liked the idea of brothers working together."
The one-hour program, which airs Tuesdays, debuted Jan. 4 and features couples coming to grips with the age-old dilemma of coveting a gold-plated house on a tin-plated budget.
The tough part? Homebuyers these days are a spoiled lot, and want everything from the stainless-steel appliances to the perfect man-cave right away, and sometimes can't see the forest for the wallpaper.
Much of the brothers' time is spent convincing skeptical buyers that with a little vision (aided by a 3-D computer program), sweat equity (provided by Jonathan and team) and a decent renovation investment (which the clients mostly provide), that first "dream home" might just be a fixer-upper ripe for a transformation.
"I'm still shocked and surprised," says Jonathan, "that with all the knowledge and all the shows there are that they still can't see past the dirty laundry on the floor. Can't see that it's just a coat of paint."
But the brothers' advice and vision usually prevail, and that's when the work starts, with Drew doing the negotiating and Jonathan whipping out the tape measure.
Participants get about $10,000 worth of design advice and $10,000 added by the network to their reno budget to help cover costs like labour and materials, and contractor and permit fees.
And, says Jonathan, they also get much as $25,000 in "contra stuff" from companies anxious for product exposure.
Season one's 13 episodes, which just wrapped, were shot in the Toronto area, but the brothers have been trying to convince producers the show would work anywhere, like Vegas or Vancouver ("Please, please, bring it to Vancouver," laughs Drew), cities where they own a number of properties.
The pair also knows that along with their solid real-estate experience, their good looks and breezy brotherhood form the bedrock of the show's growing popularity.
"It's always, oh, he's so rugged," says Drew of his hammer-swinging brother. "But when he's inside working, I'm outside playing with the kids... I'm getting all the moms."
The two, who are both single, have other creative outlets besides real estate -- they are both actors and into improv and sketch comedy. Drew also writes scripts and Jonathan is an illusionist who, when he's not into his real-estate projects, works the Vegas clubs.
Their advice for the real-estate investing faint-of-heart, especially the first-time buyer?
"If you don't want to be in a tiny condo and you want a house," says Drew, "start out with something with a basement suite."
And, "don't keep putting it off. If you're able to do it... get into it. Just make sure you do your homework."
-- Postmedia News
