Debie Nale, an Onekama resident and real estate agent, poses in front of Lake Michigan at the Arcadia Overlook. Photo by John Nale.
By Pat Stinson
“Flabbergasted” is the word Debie Nale, a real estate agent from Onekama, used to describe her homebuyers’ reaction when they were selected to appear in an episode of the HGTV program, “House Hunters.”
The episode, “From Florida to Michigan,” will air on the popular cable-television network on Saturday, March 15, at 10:30 p.m. It will be shown again the next day at 1:30 a.m. It can also be streamed on HGTV GO, MAX and Discovery+.
“I was so surprised and excited,” Nale said, describing her reaction when her buyers relayed the news and asked her to be on the show with them. “We were all so happy.”
Nale has managed many of her customers’ expectations and felt their emotions during her 30-year professional career. She is a former career life coach/certified business consultant and is now a top-producing real estate agent in Manistee County for Century 21-Northland in Traverse City.
This was one experience, however, she couldn’t have foreseen.
She shared the show’s premise for those who haven’t watched it.
“’House Hunters’ highlights homebuyers looking for a home — typically a couple and their views of what they want. They look at three or more homes, and they decide (on one),” Nale said.
A description of the show, found on the HGTV website, states, “House Hunters takes viewers behind the scenes as individuals, couples and families learn what to look for and decide whether or not a home is meant for them. Focusing on the emotional experience of finding and purchasing a new home, each episode shows the process as buyers search for a home.”
The local episode was filmed in Frankfort, Benzonia and Traverse City. Nale said her homebuyers, a couple, were ready to leave Florida and move back to Michigan. One wanted a vintage farmhouse, an older home with a “classic feeling” and extra bedrooms for guests. The other was hoping for a smaller, ranch-style home to better align with their lifestyle. Nale said whichever home they chose, it had to be attractive and near the water because “she likes the water and fishing, and they like the outdoors.”
“My challenge was to blend both near the lake,” Nale said, adding that they wanted an affordably priced home under $500,000. Asked about the additional challenge, Nale replied, “That’s what makes it intriguing and a part of where we live.”
She said her buyers are avid fans of “House Hunters.” When they were ready to search for their dream home, they applied to be on the show. (Those interested can apply via the website.) After each was interviewed, they asked Nale if she would like to be their real estate agent on the show, and she agreed.
That wasn’t the end of it, however. Nale had to pass a “Hollywood” audition via Zoom, just as her buyers had, before she was cast as their real estate agent.
“It was interesting,” she said. “The producers made me feel comfortable.”
She said she felt a bit nervous at first during filming, but added, “I just went into my professional real estate mode and really enjoyed the experience; it became very natural.”
The appearance of Northwest Michigan on HGTV adds to the area’s growing national reputation as a beautiful place to visit and live. The PBS primetime series “Antiques Roadshow” (a BBC production), will travel to Charlevoix on July 1. “Samantha Brown’s Places to Love” (a PBS series) recently aired the travel host’s visit to Traverse City and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. And CNN Travel nominated Northwest Michigan as a top travel destination in 2024, behind heavyweights that include an eco-conscious island in Indonesia, a coastal region of Turkey, a European cultural capital in Estonia and an international hotspot in Taiwan.
Debie Nale helps sellers find buyers and buyers find properties along the M-22 corridor. She can be reached at 231-920-4260. For more information, go to: https://debienale.c21.com.
Click on RELATED STORIES for more about the M-22 corridor in Manistee County.
Read photographer John Nale’s photo essay, “Wide wheelin in winter”
