Q&A with The Property Brothers

We sit down with the renowned real estate and design brothers to talk about their new book, design trends and Vancouver.

Drew and Jonathan Scott, more popularly known as the Property Brothers, have always been keen on expanding their horizons. The duo’s talents have manifested in multiple TV shows, chart-topping country singles (!) and even participation in the annual NBA Celebrity All-Star game. Now, the brothers are venturing towards the literary world with the release of their debut how-to book, Dream Home: The Property Brothers’ Ultimate Guide to Finding & Fixing Your Perfect House. A Property Brothers book was something that was in-demand by fans, but for you guys, personally, what were the motivations behind the book?DREW: We wanted to have all the information we’ve learned over the years, mistakes that we’ve made in the past, mistakes that we’ve seen clients make, little things that we’ve learned that can turn any house into a home, whether you own or rent.The book covers numerous principles and tips regarding the housing market, but what would say would be your biggest advice for residents who want to live and remain in Vancouver, amidst the intense housing market?DREW: Organization is everything, having your mortgage in place, knowing what you qualified for, having a real estate expert that knows certain areas, because what people are finding is that they’re being outbid, whether it’s an investor or foreign money, they’re being outbid on a house.What would be your biggest advice for homeowners who want to start renovations on their own, and at what point should they start thinking of getting some professional work.JONATHAN: If you need to do electrical, plumbing and structural. People will message me on Twitter and say ‘hey I want to remove this wall, is it safe to do it?’ If you’re asking me on Twitter, you should not be touching any walls, so those are the ones where you have to bring somebody in.Another topic that I thought stood out was how you delved into the integration of technology in design, do you think that this immersion of technology is going to keep growing or is there still a lot of value in a rustic/organic look?JONATHAN: A smart home, is a better home because it’s going to save you money, it’s gonna be more functional for you – ease your living. The biggest thing we always say, our slogan basically is, your home should make your life easier, and a smart home is a big part of that.What are some of your favourite Smart Home features?JONATHAN: Wireless stuff. Now they’ve got light bulbs, where instead of having to install power control switches and adapters and things like that, all the power control are actually within the light bulb fixture itself, so you screw a light bulb in and instantly, you can control a light bulb from your phone.DREW: Even just TVs…now you have your wireless TVs and its like a picture, you hang it here, take it outside, leave it outside against the wall, take it wherever you want the party to be.What advice would you give to people who may be inclined to look for a smaller space and have to try to make the most out of a limited area?JONATHAN: Everything you look at should serve a dual purpose, for storage or for other uses. Instead of having a bench at the end of your bed, you have a trunk that you can also sit on; having a coffee table that also opens up and there’s storage inside; stuff that folds away when you’re not using it, so stackable chairs or tables in the living room area, all kinds of things like that.What’s your single most important lesson for homeowners?DREW: I hope the one thing that people takeaway from the book is that they see that it’s that same sort of fun that we have on our shows. We take the job seriously but not ourselves, that’s how we’re raised, our parents were such a huge inspiration for us.What are some of your favourite trends in terms of home design? As well as styles that may not be as popular yet, but you’re excited about?DREW: What I actually love more than the aesthetic trends, is the trend in the homeowners themselves, they’re so much more educated nowadays than even, 3 or 4 years ago, they’re understanding the value of the product, they’re understanding that hardwood isn’t the be-all-end-all for flooring, so people are understanding what the different products are and the values of it.What’s next for the Property Brothers?JONATHAN: Well we recorded a couple of songs for Property Brothers at Home on the Ranch, and one of them Billboard charted, and we went to #1 on VEVO, one of our other songs is now on the great American country top 20, so we’re like, “holy smokes”.DREW: Look out, Blake Shelton.