"Home Town" on HGTV - Laurel MS (Jackson: real estate, houses)

[sheena12]

I have become so addicted an HGTV show - in fact, I am watching it now. "Home Town". What an idyllic little southern town! I returned from church today and began binge watching. My husband loves it too, although he'll be departing for the family room when the Super Bowl starts.

Erin has my taste - or very close to it. She restore and doesn't demolish. Ben is such a talented woodworker.
I also love how they make do, repurpose, and work with smaller houses that are not mansions - cozy cottages.

I am so shocked by the prices! Incredibly low. Is anything WRONG with this little village? It just seems picture perfect.

Can anyone tell me about Laurel? Does anyone, perchance - know them?

I like Chip and Joanna, but I don't find Waco to be appealing and their taste can be repetitive - ship lap, for example. They are not as unique in their use of color or design as are Erin and Ben.

Is anyone else in love with "Home Town", and Erin and Ben?

Surely, I can not be the only one.

Love it when Ben says "I like a little dinge" 'cause I do too.

[RogueMom]

Originally Posted by sheena12

I am so shocked by the prices! Incredibly low. Is anything WRONG with this little village? It just seems picture perfect.

Can anyone tell me about Laurel? Does anyone, perchance - know them?

Look up Laurel, Mississippi right here on City Data.

May explain the low prices.

Location, location, location.........

[cp102]

I loves this show too, i love the way they fix old homes and make the, beautiful again. The people seem to care about each other and their town.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by cp102

I loves this show too, i love the way they fix old homes and make the, beautiful again. The people seem to care about each other and their town.

Yes. They are good at what they do. Restoring Laurel one house at a time.

[brickpatio2018]

Laurel is a pretty town. Tree-lined streets, rolling terrain, nice architecture, and cozy.

For some reason the downtown is not separated from the historic residential district by any sprawl or run-down neighborhoods; I'm not sure how they got lucky in that way. But basically you go directly from the little downtown area, which is okay but not amazing, directly across the street into the historic residential neighborhoods starting with the art museum and a couple of churches.

From there it kind of gradually transitions seamlessly into homes from the 1960s to 1980s more or less, with large sloping lawns and huge trees. It's nice. The prices are low because average incomes in the area are still low-ish. I think it looks wealthier than it is because the original sources of wealth (timber company headquarters...and I think maybe even oil at some point) were point-in-time sources of income.

Laurel does have some nice industries and a pretty good location convenient to plenty of places (New Orleans, MS Coast, Florida, Birmingham, Jackson). In 30 years or so, this area, with typical US economic growth rates, will be affluent at about the level of prosperous suburbs today in your typical US metro area.

[Rock Climber]

They are a very talented, very likeable couple. Their work is really something.

The prices are definitely impressive to me, both the prices of the homes, and the prices at which they are able to do the work.

We paid much more per sq ft for our semi-historic cottage, and pretty much 1.5 times typical new constructin prices for a small addition and partial renovation. It was not cheap! Our renovation and addition cost as much as many of the homes they do "all in" prices. Still, we share some of their values, in that we'd rather live in a "real neighborhood" and have a small, but nice home, rather than some "maximum SQ ft of drywall under a roof" in a new anonymous subdivision.

Every economy is local. There really do seem to be a large number of cool old houses in that city, especially for its size.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Laurel was a thriving area back when the oil industry was big there, and the bones are still there. The city declined through the years, but it now back on the upswing. This show certainly helped with that, but honestly it's really about Sanderson Farms. They are headquartered there and are the biggest company in MS, Fortune 750 I think, not quite 500 yet.

It's been attracting a ton of attention through that show.

It's also good in that it isn't far from Hattiesburg, which is definitely growing at the moment.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by cp102

I loves this show too, i love the way they fix old homes and make the, beautiful again. The people seem to care about each other and their town.

That was my impression! These people care about the town. They love each other. And, this is subjective, but they seem to have positive values.

[gentlearts]

I love the show, and there will always be an appeal for affordable real estate shows. I cannot watch the ones from California or Canada anymore. They have no bearing on middle America.

I’ve watched my last show where the crappy house, with its un permitted additions that is the size of my garage, costs 3x as much as any midwestern house has ever cost.

[builder24car]

The wife was watching this show as she does all the time. I wasn't
paying much attention until I saw a train go by. Interested, I started
watching it more and more and became hooked on it as well. Not so
much for the trains anymore, more because they seem like a down to
earth couple who are extremely talented in what they do and love doing it?

After doing some research I found out that the trains I see are using the
Norfolk Southern Crescent Route which are the same tracks I fan in
Greensboro, NC. I started thinking about National Train Day a few months
from now and possibly making the 11 hour drive down there. It would be
cool I think to get a train in front of Dan's shop before following the route
back home. We shall see? It is a great show and I love it!