Community Corner

Eagan Realtor Featured on HGTV's House Hunters

Eagan resident Melanie Willy spent 10 hours in December with a camera crew filming an episode of the popular real estate program House Hunters.

Melanie Willy's 30 minutes of fame will commence at 9 p.m. on April 11.

That's when the Eagan resident and local Realtor is scheduled to appear on  popular real estate show House Hunters. The reality television program, which fills a half-hour time slot on HGTV, follows prospective home buyers and their agents as they tour through several homes and eventually pick a property to purchase.

Willy, who got her start in the real estate business in 2001, learned last year that her clients, Ryan and Lindsay Hample of Minnetonka, wanted to be a part of the show. The trio sent an application—and two seven-minute-long video clips—to California-based Pie Town Productions, which produces House Hunters.

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To their surprise, the company picked their application and sent a film crew out last December to travel to three homes in Minnetonka and Plymouth. The crew spent 10 hours shooting footage of Willy and her clients as they toured the homes and eventually purchased a 5,000-square-foot home in Minnetonka.

While many home showings only take 20 minutes or less, Willy and the Hamples spent a half-day at each of the three locations shooting multiple takes, close-ups and post-tour interviews. The three homes were pre-picked by the Hamples, who spent considerable time touring properties with Willy and narrowing the field of possible candidates before filming.

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Since participating in the filming, Willy said she has received plenty of queries from curious friends and family members about the experience.

"I have lots of friends and clients that watch it, and I watch it sometimes myself," Willy said. "Everbody has seen it, so everyone is curious about how it was."

"We found out from the show that there are hundreds of applications a day from Realtors that want to get their face on TV," said Melanie's husband, John Willy, who noted that—in this case—it was the clients who were interested in being on the show.

"She appreciates the exposure of it, but at the same time, she's not the type of person that tries to get her face out there," said John, who also works as a Realtor at Edina Realty's office in Eagan.

Melanie and John are planning a small viewing party next week, when the show debuts on HGTV. The television premiere will be the first time Melanie and John have seen the finished product, the pair said.

"It was a fun experience to do, to say that I was on the show," Willy said.

Want to be on House Hunters? Check out this FAQ on applying to be a part of the show.

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