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“Property Brothers” stars Drew and Jonathan Scott are among the most recognized home renovation experts in America. These twins have a whole bunch of ongoing HGTV shows under their tool belts, plus a number of bestselling books, a successful home furnishings line, and much more.
So, assuming they weren’t born with hammers in hand, how did they get where they are today?
With some digging, we’ve learned that their path to real estate greatness began early—and took a number of long, meandering side routes involving busboy jobs, clown costumes, and even a little magic.
Curious how the Scott brothers got where they are today? Check out this timeline to see what milestones and experiences may have steered them in the right direction.
Drew and Jonathan Scott grew up on a ranch
Drew and Jonathan Scott were born in Canada, where they grew up on a ranch.
They let fans get a taste of their cowboy life during Season 2 of “Property Brothers: At Home” when they renovated a family friend’s ranch home, just a short drive from where the twins grew up.
“When Jonathan and I were kids, Dad worked as a rancher. So he was a real cowboy, and we spent a lot of time out here in the country,” Drew explained in one episode.
It’s no wonder, then, that the brothers often sing the praises of ranch homes and install farmhouse sinks and barn doors left and right—it’s their cowpoke roots coming out!
They started their first business at age 7
When Drew and Jonathan were 7, they embarked on their first business venture making and selling fabric-covered wire hangers for pocket money. While they started by selling the hangers to friends, eventually a wholesaler in Japan started buying the hangers in bulk.
The pair eventually amassed $15,000 from the enterprise—not bad for such a wee age! Nonetheless, they didn’t blow this sum on candy and comic books. According to Drew, they were both big savers.
As teens, Drew and Jonathan had some embarrassing jobs
These home renovation icons didn’t always work in the industry. Early on, Drew performed as a clown; as teenagers, both brothers worked as busboys at Red Robin.
These jobs seem pretty far from real estate and construction, but perhaps they helped prepare the boys for the future. Drew may still use clown training when thinking up zingers for his shows, and maybe their restaurant work has instilled a love of serving others, whether that be the early-bird special or by building a beautiful new home.
They bought their first house at age 18
Once they started college at the University of Calgary, Drew and Jonathan decided dorm room rentals weren’t for them. Instead, they bought their first house!
Later on, having clearly been bitten by the real estate bug, these college kids bought another house “whose previous owner evidently had a stucco fetish and an incontinent cat,” according to their memoir, “It Takes Two.”
They bought this second property for $200,000—only $250 down—and quickly flipped it for a sweet $250,000.
As they explained in their memoir, “The demand for student housing was always high; if we could just break into the real estate market, there was no way we wouldn’t make a profit.”
At first, Drew yearned to act, Jonathan to do magic
The brothers didn’t originally want to go into real estate. In fact, they went into this field simply to finance Drew’s passion for acting, and Jonathan’s magic career. That’s right, Jonathan was an aspiring magician, and can still perform some tricks!
While their artistic careers never took off, they’re both clearly naturals when it comes to being on camera.
HGTV originally turned down the ‘Property Brothers’—so it aired in Canada
Their first big break into TV came when Drew was offered a job as host of a real estate competition for Toronto-based Cineflix. That fell through, but then the producers asked him to shoot a pilot called “My Dream Home” with the hopes that they could find a female co-host. But upon hearing that Drew had a twin brother who was also in real estate, Cineflix recruited him for the role instead. (Weird side note: Cineflix originally wanted Drew to be the contractor due to his physique, but eventually relented since Jonathan was, in fact, a licensed contractor.)
Once the show was shopped around for a distributor, HGTV initially passed (?!), but Canada’s W Network ordered a full season, which aired in 2011—and the rest is history.
Their HGTV repertoire has expanded over the years
As the brothers’ popularity has expanded, so has their presence on TV. Their “Property Brothers” empire now includes shows such as “Property Brothers: Buying and Selling,” “Brother vs. Brother,” “Property Brothers: At Home,” and “Celebrity IOU.”
Each show is unique, but the brothers’ signature style and sense of humor is present in every episode.
Drew and Jonathan have a furniture line
Drew and Jonathan have also expanded into home furnishings. Their brand, Scott Living, launched in 2014. It allows fans to bring the brothers’ best designs into their own homes!
Last but not least, the Scott brothers can sing
With their acting, magic, and home design skills, these twins are clearly talented. But it seems Drew and Jonathan have one more talent up their sleeves: singing.
The brothers came out with a country album in 2015, titled “At Home.” Their songs “Hold On” and “Let the Night Shine In” were even featured on “Property Brothers: At Home” Season 2.
The post The Rise of the Property Brothers: How Real Estate’s Hottest Duo Got Started appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
source https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/the-rise-of-the-property-brothers-how-real-estates-hottest-duo-got-started/
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