Which Property Brother Won ‘Brother vs. Brother’? See What They Did Right—and What Went Horribly Wrong
HGTV
After much bragging, bruising, and brilliant construction, the winner has been announced on Season 8 of “Brother vs. Brother,” where property brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott each bought homes and renovated them to see who could ultimately make the biggest profit.
This season, to make it more interesting, there were no rules.
“We were free to buy wherever we wanted, renovate however we wanted, and spend whatever we wanted,” says Drew in the final episode, aptly titled “No Rules, One Winner.”
Jonathan purchased his house in the Los Angeles suburb of Westchester for $1.25 million and gave himself a renovation budget of $500,000.
His goal? “To turn it into the ultimate eco-friendly, high-tech home,” he says.
Advantage: It’s close to the beach.
Disadvantage: It’s also close to the airport, and noisy planes fly overhead day and night.
Drew purchased a house on the other side of the county, in El Sereno, for $850,000 and budgeted $600,000 for renovation. His angle was to create the ultimate multifamily dwelling.
Advantage: It has a large lot and an abundance of living space.
Disadvantage: The buildings were crumbling and would require an extreme amount of work.
In the end, both brothers made a profit on their projects—but only the one who made more could be named the winner.
For good measure, we decided to take a look back and recap this season’s coolest upgrades—and a few design fails—that might have tipped the scales. Because after all, there’s much to learn not only from what the property brothers did right, but also what went wrong.
Right: They hustled to finish to hit the most profitable sales season
The property brothers in a moment of agreementHGTV
As Jonathan and Drew discuss their final competition for the exterior spaces, the one thing they agree on is that they both need to hurry and finish renovating their properties in a mere three weeks, because the best time to sell a house is generally in late spring—which is quickly approaching.
“Now it’s all hands on deck,” says Jonathan. “We need to get the outside spaces done and get them listed.”
“The ultimate judges now are just the buyers, and our window is tight, because we’re already getting past the peak time for listing,” adds Drew. “So if we can do three weeks, push, push, push to get these houses on the market, we’re going to be able to sell for top dollar.”
Wrong: They eliminated garages
Former toolshed, current designer shedHGTV
Both brothers opted to convert their garages into ADUs (accessory dwelling units) so that guests, family members, or maybe even renters would have a place to stay separate from the main house.
It’s nice that they added more living space, but we couldn’t help but wonder, where will owners store their stuff, let alone park their cars? Granted, the mild climate in Los Angeles eliminates the absolute need for covered parking and there was plenty of room for cars in the driveways.
But people need extra room to store their belongings, from tools to trash cans to keepsakes to original building materials they might have a need for in the future.
Drew even spent $24,000 to convert his property’s storage/toolshed into a “designer shed” with French doors and brightly colored lounge decor.
Right: Jonathan went ultrahigh-tech
Bed descending from the ceilingHGTV
Jonathan knew that Southern California buyers are very much into the latest in tech. He made sure his home had solar panels on the roof and a high-tech security system. He also added invisible induction stove countertops, a drop-down bed, and a pop-up TV screen, all of which blew away the judges and the buyers.
Wrong: Drew went too far with his designs
The vibrant living room in Drew Scott’s El Sereno houseHGTV
While Drew’s ornate rooms with lots of unconventional color and decor impressed the judges, it would be hard for most buyers to see themselves in those very specific settings.
Overspending on hand-painted murals, pink wallpaper, and chartreuse finishes weren’t likely to work well in the hard-working family neighborhood.
Right: Both brothers created eco-friendly exteriors
Eco-friendly backyardHGTV
Look closely at both Jonathan and Drew’s yards, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find one blade of grass. Instead of rolling green lawns, they used gravel, pavers, composite decks, and synthetic turf.
“Here in California, we’re prone to a lot of droughts, so artificial turf is a great way to save on water consumption,” says Jonathan. “It’s also zero maintenance for the future owner, and that is what we in the renovation business like to call a win-win.”
Wrong: Drew didn’t pay enough attention to the neighborhood
Drew’s home beforeHGTV
The median list price in El Sereno, CA, was about $739,000. Yet Drew paid $850,000 for a home that needed major amounts of work. So straight out of the gates, he was already pushing past what buyers in that area would typically pay for a house.
Plus, he budgeted $600,000 for the renovation—and ended up spending more.
“Yes, I did go over my budget by $100,000, but if I’m able to sell for close to $1.8 million, that will be a $225,000 profit, and I’ll be laughing at Jonathan all the way to the bank,” he says.
Given the comps in that area, that was one big “if” that just didn’t pan out.
In contrast, Jonathan’s neighborhood of Westchester, CA, had median listings for $1.5 million, so he could in turn spend a lot more without “overbuilding” for the area.
Drew’s home afterHGTV
Which property brother won?
In the end, each house received “multiple offers”—at two apiece.
As always, their older brother J.D. swooped in with blindfolds, instructing Drew and Jonathan to put them on so he could drive them to the winning home that made the most money at sale.
“The winner, by $115,000, is Jonathan,” J.D. announces, as both brothers ripped off their blindfolds to find themselves standing in front of Jonathan’s oceanside home.
Jonathan’s oceanside houseHGTV
Jonathan, who exceeded his renovation budget by $15,000, wound up selling his house for $2,040,000, giving him a winning profit of $275,000.
Meanwhile, Drew’s home sold for $1,710,000, rendering a profit of $160,000.
But no one was really the loser here, since the earning from both homes went to charity.
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