Tucson moms match ideas on ‘House Hunters’
Written on July 16, 2011 by Rose Ryrie
A local real estate agent and a single mom will appear on cable television tonight as they scour the Tucson area for a new house.
The “House Hunters” show on HGTV, or Home and Garden Television, will tell the story of Tucsonan Jennifer Elton, a single mom with a son, who recently divorced and needs to move into a smaller home that’s easier to maintain.
Leigh Ann Ganuelas, a Realtor with Keller Williams Southern Arizona, first contacted the show’s producers, who were reluctant at first about filming here. But she persuaded them to give Tucson a shot.
While the process was at times challenging, Ganuelas said she’d do it again.
And it seems she’ll get that chance. She said she’s been invited to do more episodes.
A Q&A with Ganuelas:
How did it come about that you ended up on the show?
“I was very, very ill last summer and basically got out of the hospital and had a ton of medical bills and no clients. I was trying to think of something that would … make me be excited again about what I was trying to do and get exposure. …
“So I went online to HGTV and went through all the different categories, the things you can apply for. But most of the shows were ‘if you live near L.A. and need a room redone, then call us.’ Or ‘if you live near Washington, D.C.’ There was really nothing that seemed like it was going to fit.
“So I found House Hunters, which is my favorite show, and it turns out it’s their No. 1 show. It was the one thing that didn’t have the restriction on it. …
“I applied and got a call back from a producer, … and she basically said, ‘Thank you, but no thank you. We no longer film in three states: Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.’ “
Did she say why they don’t film in Arizona?
“Yes. It’s really not very pretty on film. It’s not green. All the houses look the same … what people stereotype as Southwest.
“But we hit if off and basically I begged.”
When they told you they didn’t film in Arizona, “it’s too drab, the houses don’t have variety,” how did you convince them?
“I went through and basically talked about Oro Valley in particular, because that’s where we were looking, the mountain ranges and the scenery.”
They essentially left it up to you to create a story that would be interesting to viewers. What was your pitch?
“My pitch was that they’d never done a single mom, and I’m a single-mom Realtor. Our kids were about the same age. And that is a niche market for me. Because people tend to, with Realtors, they tend to feel comfortable if they feel that somebody understands their circumstances that are unique to them.
“They (the producers) really liked that a lot.”
Looking back at the overall experience, was it worth it?
“It was pretty grueling. It was. It was very, very grueling.
“It was a nail biter for sure, the amount of things that could go wrong to make it not happen. … Maybe an HOA wouldn’t participate, or we couldn’t contact a seller of one of the homes we wanted to film in. …
“I’m very excited about the exposure that Tucson does not get but deserves.”
If you watch
Leigh Ann Ganuelas will help Jennifer Elton, a single mom, in her search for a home in the Tucson area on “House Hunters” at 8 tonight on HGTV.
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