When are you going to take us back to any of the houses that were given the potentail to remodel or did not one of them do this project? I feel the ppublic should see if there is anyone who took the advice of the hosts and did these changes that were given them, will we EVER see a reodel????

Does anyone know what computer program is being used in this show? I currently own a 3 family brownstone in NY and looking for ways to remodel it.

I completely agree. I just sent this email to someone attached to the show (I think). I hope they get it:

"While Hidden Potential starts with a good premise it leaves me feeling empty and full of questions. Did the people actually purchase the house they chose? If yes, did they actually do any of the renovations Paige or Barry suggested? If yes, it would be nice to follow the progress (something like Dream House) to the end result. Would you consider changing the format?"

Also, I saw this ad for an Architect to help Paige Rien and they are hiring another Real Estate person. Brandi and Barry are spinning off to another version of Hidden Potential; something they've already been doing sometimes called "Hidden Potential Home". Here's a link to the ad: http://archinect.com/jobs/description.php?id=78648_0_30_0_C217.

I wish instead they would spin off to my idea.

One deal-killer they've mostly danced around is the difficulty of getting a loan to buy a house that's in catastrophically-bad condition AND a guaranteed loan to improve it without a MASSIVE down payment. It's just way more risk than most banks are willing to take. I have friends (single, 700s credit, well-paying jobs) who were told point blank by WAMU and Wachovia that they could forget about getting a construction-to-permanent loan to buy DECORATOR-READY condos (brand new construction) without 40% down. And THOSE were condos that basically just needed kitchen cabinets, bathroom & kitchen fixtures, appliances, flooring, and wallcovering. To get normal financing, they would have had to pay the builder about $25k to install the cheapest fixtures, cabinets, appliances, and floor/wallcoverings available so they could THEN get a home improvement loan after closing (no guarantees, though), rip it all out, and start over. The builder even had a "finish" package precisely for buyers who only wanted it so their bank would approve the loan, but were planning to rip basically everything out the moment the sale closed.

By the way, my friends' experiences took place at the hottest, most insane peak of Miami's real estate boom (when pretty much anyone with a pulse and social security number could get approved for a zero-down mortgage). I suspect things have only gotten worse since that time.

One thing I've noticed, both from my own recent purchase and the few families on "Hidden Potential" who've bought the homes they saw... lots of things that seem absolutely intolerable and urgently in need of complete overhaul before buying suddenly become a lot less important after you've moved in. Partly, I suspect, because at that point it ceases to be abstract monopoly money being thrown around, and partly because after going through a hellish move, the LAST thing anyone wants to do right away is turn everything upside down all over again. My living room has been in general chaos for a week just due to tearing down wallpaper and preparing to upgrade moulding & paint, and it's ALREADY starting to REALLY get to me ;-)

re: Does anyone know what computer program is being used in this show? I currently own a 3 family brownstone in NY and looking for ways to remodel it.
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Paige Rien answers that question on her blog (http://paigerien.blogspot.com/2008/08/yeah-baby-post-partum-design.html). She writes:

What software do you use on the show?
3-D Studio Max for all you designers out there. If you are a graphics novice and would like to use an easier 3D program - try Google's Sketch-Up, which is free and much less labor intensive.