'Fixer Upper' winners are listing their homes on Airbnb, and HGTV stars want them to stop
Families in Waco, Texas live the dream when they're chosen to get a newly renovated house from the couple behind the hit HGTV show Fixer Upper.
And some of them have tried to keep that economic good fortune going by renting out those new houses on Airbnb.
Chip and Joanna Gaines, who remodel run-down homes on the show, discovered the trend and are now asking their winners to please stop.
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They are considering revising the terms of the show's contract to prevent future winners from using their new homes as rentals.
“We have no problems with our clients’ interest in using sites like VRBO [Vacation Rentals by Owner] and Airbnb to rent out their homes. In fact, we get it. But we are going to be more strict with our contracts involving ‘Fixer Upper’ clients moving forward,” a spokesman for the Gaines' remodeling company Magnolia Homes told the Waco Tribune.
The pattern of Fixer Upper homeowners putting their houses on Airbnb emerged for good reason. Many of the homes have become tourist attractions in Waco, with visitors slowing down as they drive by or even asking to come inside.
That might be a downside to living there, but the upside is that it's great for rentals. Many of the rental listings go to Fixer Upper fans for as much as $350 a night, the Waco Tribune reported.
The Airbnb listings are advertised as "Seen on TV!" or "as seen on Fixer Upper."
It's a lucrative business. But the next generation of Fixer Upper homeowners may have to actually live in their homes instead.
Topics Airbnb
Emma Hinchliffe is a business reporter at Mashable. Before joining Mashable, she covered business and metro news at the Houston Chronicle.
