“House Hunters” Leads to a New Home and a New Career

Appearing on the HGTV show, “House Hunters” led Melanie Thompson to her first home and a career she enjoys. The episode exemplifies how a real estate agent can leave lasting positive effects long after a home is sold.

Chesapeake, Va., August 31, 2011- Melanie Thompson and her husband Kenny appeared on an episode of HGTV's popular show “House Hunters” on July 28, 2011. The program was filmed earlier in the year during January. SimonHouses.com real estate agent, Randy Tappen, helped the couple find a new construction home in the Hampton Roads community of Hampton. Even more importantly, he helped her find the career she'd been wanting.

Following the show's usual format, the Thompsons toured three homes with Tappen and selected their favorite one. A devoted fan of “House Hunters,” Melanie admits she never seems to guess the house the homebuyers wind up choosing. “My mom and my husband always get the answer. They'll always pick the right house and I always get it wrong,” she laughs. So she jumped at the chance to audition for the show, lightheartedly hoping viewers would never be able to guess her home of choice.

The Thompsons have adjusted well to their new role as homeowners. “It's our first home. We love it,” says Melanie. The couple is enjoying the process of personalizing their home with paint. They've also added a deck and fencing.

Getting to know Tappen through the home buying experience found Melanie refocusing her vocational aspirations. It didn't take long for Melanie to decide to take this path as well. “I told Randy, I think I want to do this,” Melanie remembers. She quickly completed the necessary schooling and received her real estate license. Tappen happily took Melanie under his wing to get her off to a great start at SimonHouses.com in February of 2011.

Now that her perspective is different, how does it feel being a full-time real estate agent? “It's definitely what I expected. I love my teammates. I love the lifestyle. I like having the flexibility,” says Melanie. She excitedly tells how nice it is knowing she helps people everyday. “People get so excited whenever they close on their home and they turn to me and hug me. I just love everything about it,” she explains.

“We're very selective about who we want on our top producing team and Melanie was a welcome addition,” says Brian Simon, founder of SimonHouses.com. He deems the whole “House Hunters” experience merely confirms that success comes from treating clients as individuals and it's nice to be recognized for such efforts at a national level.

SimonHouses.com is a Chesapeake-based real estate group helping buyers and sellers throughout the entire Hampton Roads area. This site provides the area's number one new home resource.