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© National Association of REALTORS®
For REALTORS® Corey and Jill Wright, filming an outdoor segment of their episode of “First-Time Buyer” seemed to be for the birds—or at least one bird that wanted to crash the party. “When we were shooting, there was this really loud, bizarre bird sound,” Jill says. “Every time we rolled, the bird would start [making noise], and the bird would stop when we stopped.”
Everyone involved in the shoot for the National Association of REALTORS®’ new reality web series burst out laughing when the bird spoke up, which went on for at least 15 minutes.
The bird apparently had stage fright, though. “We never saw the culprit,” Jill says.
Eventually the bird went about its business, and the rest of the shoot proceeded without a hitch for the husband-and-wife Keller Williams team, who are based in Smyrna, Ga., and serve the Atlanta metropolitan area.
A friend of a friend on the production team told them about the “First-Time Buyer” opportunity, and it took off from there. The two-day shoot included a lot of repetition so the crew could get all the correct angles and coverage shots. But the REALTORS® were gently chided for repetitive propensities of their own. “We had a tendency to say ‘Great, let’s check it out!’ ” at the end of every scene, Jill says. “They had to tell us, ‘Guys, don’t say “Check it out” every time.’ ”
As seen in the episode, Jill and Corey met their client Max—who’s as laid-back in real life as he seems in the segment, they say—through his mom, who’s a mortgage broker they’ve worked with. They looked at about 10 properties together, and Max decided on a three-bedroom house in Smyrna.
After Max’s offer was accepted, a potential problem emerged. The appraiser suspected that a large crater in the backyard could be a sinkhole. When an inspector determined the actual cause, the Wrights quickly found a solution that would satisfy the lender.
And then another serious issue cropped up that didn’t make the cut: a water leak that was perilously close to the electric panel. A plumber and an electrician were called in. The Wrights were able to get the seller to give Max funds to help pay for repairs—which also paid for a new water heater and sink.
Handling such issues doesn’t rattle the Wrights. It’s what they do every day to help clients.
Appearing on “First-Time Buyer” wasn’t a leap either. Corey says he and Jill are “recovering actors” who met while on a contract job in Atlanta. They bought an investment property together in the area and became even more interested in real estate. After spending some time in New York City, they got their real estate licenses. When they were ready to begin “planting serious roots” and starting a family, Corey says, they moved back to Georgia. For now, The Wright Home Team is a two-person team (not counting their baby daughter, Eve). “But we hope to grow,” Jill says.
