• 2
    watchers
  • 30
    plays
  • 8
    collected
  • HGTV
  • 30m
  • United States
  • Reality, Documentary, Home And Garden, Special Interest
My First Place follows the journey of real-life first-time buyers through the trials of finding and financing their first place. Every episode offers useful nuggets for viewers who want the latest info on securing financing in a down market, plus proven know-how straight from real estate professionals! See a set of first-timers and their realtor along the stress-filled journey, including the exciting search for the perfect home, learning the pitfalls of financing, the best bidding strategies and how to survive the home inspection. Their journey ends in the emotional culmination of homeownership - or sometimes not. Inevitably there's a compromise to reach closing on a new home for the first time.

13 episodes

Season Premiere

5x01 New Living Room for New Family

  • no air date30m

Kira Langnese and Rodney Cook are a part-time family determined to live together full-time in their first place. Kira and their 1-year-old son, Makaih, live an hour away with Kira's mentor, while Rodney lives in his parents' basement in Portland, Ore. They can't stand seeing each other only on weekends, but a full year's worth of saving free rent enabled them to put down $5,000 to buy a three-bedroom ranch in Salem, Ore. They've never lived together, as a couple or a family, and don't know how to negotiate a style for their living room. Designer Jennifer Adams will take that off their plate and give them a space that inspires this new family.

Raul and Catrice Alleyne were so determined to get their family of five a house, that when baby Gabe was born they downsized from a three-bedroom townhome to a two-bedroom apartment so they could save money. With five people and two bedrooms, their girls had to share a room while the baby bunked with mom and dad. Now that they've settled into the home of their dreams, the couple a space they can call their own. Designer Jennifer Adams tackles the challenge of creating a restful master suite, while keeping noise and toys out of the picture.

Wildlife biologist Rachel Rounds has roughed it the last 10 years, living in everything from tents to trailers. Living cheap, she was able to save up $20,000 to buy her first place. Now this bird lover wants to bring the outdoors into her new home. Designer Shannon Quimby sets out to create a living room for Rachel she calls "Natural Gatherings." In the process, Shannon must solve one huge design challenge: an imposing bump in the wall that must be camouflaged.

5x04 Hip Living Room

  • no air date30m

In the past three months, feisty Heidi Graebel broke up with her boyfriend, joined a roller-derby league and bought her first place in Portland, Ore., a 680-square-foot 1950s ranch. Designer Jennifer Adams helps her settle in by creating a hip living room that celebrates her inner derby diva.

To buy her first place, Cherri-Von Calhoun has overcome bankruptcy and won thousands of dollars in grants. She is ready to start anew and make a better life for herself and her son Marcus. Designer Rebecca King will help her settle into her Detroit home by turning the bland cellar into a welcoming family room.

Cynthia Bryan and her boyfriend Albert Campos left their jobs and families in Los Angeles and moved to Portland, Ore., to buy their first place. Shortly after they arrived, Cynthia lost her job and Albert couldn't find one, complicating their home-buying process. Determined to make their dream come true, they still managed to buy a townhome. Designer Jennifer Adams helps this struggling couple achieve a living room with an Asian flair that also features the couple's love of travel.

5x07 Vintage Living Room

  • no air date30m

After draining her savings during a year of unemployment, Jessica Black was afraid to commit to a mortgage. The Portland, Ore., resident has been back at work for four years now and finally feels confident enough to buy her first place. Though she works in the high-tech world of computers, her style is all vintage. Designer Shannon Quimby signs on to help blend Jessica's vintage accessories with some wild colors to create a living room design that is full of timeless style.

David Wagner is a Paralympic athlete who won a gold and silver medal playing tennis in Athens. After breaking his neck in a freak Frisbee-playing accident along the beach 10 years ago, David has worked hard to live a full life. After searching for a year, he finally found a home that was both accessible and beautiful. And that's the challenge for designer Jennifer Adams. She comes up with a design plan she calls David's Home Court. She showcases his medals in shadow boxes, gives him a cool flat-screen TV and comes up with some clever ways to make the room wheelchair friendly, but not sterile.

In the last five years, Kristin and Mitch Reece have saved enough money for a down payment twice, but custody battles for Mitch's son, Porter, and lifesaving gastric-bypass surgery for Kristin put dreams of their first place on hold. Now, on the third try, they own a home just north of Denver, Colo., that is perfect for them. The only problem is that they are starting with nothing except a million-dollar view in the master bedroom. Designer Carriann Arkowski attempts to blend Mitch's rustic tastes with Kristin's more elegant style to fashion a bedroom design that suits them both.

Faith Watkins and Drea Cooper's first place will almost triple their bills, but owning their little piece of Portland is worth some economizing to them. To lessen their financial burden and help them settle in, designer Shannon Quimby will give these two a one-of-a-kind living/dining room that takes modern cool to a whole new level.

5x11 High-Rise Retreat

  • no air date30m

Sam Taylor left a comfortable career as a financial consultant because he wants to use his life to improve others' lives. So, at the age of 24, he's a first-year med student in downtown Detroit. With a little help from his mom, who is also a doctor, he's buying a renovated condo just a few blocks from school. His first place has tons of potential and an amazing view from the 12th floor. All designer Erica Pedrosi has to do is give him a hip living room that he can relax in after endless hours of studying.

Buying her first place is a goal that seemed unreachable for most of 35-year-old Kailee Kinney's adult life. Throughout her 20s she was bedridden with lupus, often unable to walk, let alone work for a living. Thanks to new treatment, Kailee, a Portland, Ore., TV news producer, is about to live independently for the first time ever. Designer Shannon Quimby signs on to design a living area for her that celebrates her comeback.

Kathryn and Ryan Christiansen are newlyweds with very different styles. The compromise they arrived at in their rental isn't going to work now that they're moving, and they especially need help with the home office. Designer Tom Zemon has his hands creating a look that satisfies both of them in one shared office.

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