Metro Detroit’s Cristy Lee revives Michigan homes in new HGTV series ‘Steal This House’ | Television | Detroit

These who know Cristy Lee from television know her as the host of these types of engine-oriented cable sequence as Garage Squad, Superstar IOU Joyride, and the female-targeted All Ladies Garage. Ah, but this multitalented Clarkston resident has additional than gears and grease under her rolled-up sleeves.

Lee is also a recognized guru at authentic estate, remodeling, and renovation, as she’ll show in her new produced-in-Michigan sequence Steal This Property, premiering at 9 p.m. Saturday on HGTV. In truth, it was her enthusiasm for property that influenced the Florida indigenous to drop out of faculty 18 yrs in the past, offer her bike, pack her Volkswagen Jetta to overflowing, and forsake Daytona Beach front for…Detroit.

You read through that correct.

“It was a outrageous decision,” she concedes from the living place of her suburban household. “At the time I was like, ‘This is a good selection.’ Anyone else in my lifestyle — loved ones, close friends, every person — was like, ‘Wait…you’re heading wherever? Why not just go all the way to Saskatchewan? You’re a Florida lady — what are you contemplating?’”

She provides, “I rolled into city and there was two toes of snow on the floor. I imagined, ‘Great strategy!’ It took about 5 decades for it to sink in that I could no for a longer time use flip-flops calendar year-round. But there ended up huge opportunities at the time in Detroit and real estate was really booming. I’ve normally been really connected to true estate considering the fact that then.”

It’s a link Lee hopes to amplify on Steal This Home, the place she also serves as govt producer. In the six-episode premiere period, she suggests prospective homebuyers spend in fixer-uppers priced considerably beneath their price range and use the surplus to create the custom made dwelling of their goals via a complete renovation. The properties are located from Detroit and Royal Oak to Trenton and Bloomfield Hills, but just one episode normally takes Lee and her Michigan-centered development crew as far north as Leland.

“There’s a powerful diversity not only with the possible house owners, but also in the forms of properties we operate on,” she states. “I really adore that we never have a template for this demonstrate. We’re sort of all in excess of the place, and which is for the reason that it’s about what the homeowners are looking for, what their needs and requirements are. I’m not striving to influence them of what they want. I’m hoping to enable them look at qualities and tweak them a little bit, working with my know-how and experience to guidebook them. I’ve just started to mature and develop in metal work and fabrication for my automobiles, so I tap into that on the exhibit creating metallic tasks in the homes. This display has been a pretty extended time in coming and I’m so thrilled for it to finally air.”

Cristy Lee’s fingers-on, Ms. Repair-it mentality can be traced straight to her father Barry, a learn mechanic and qualified carpenter in Florida. “I blame my Father for literally almost everything,” she says, laughing. “He was a store operator and an instructor in AMI, the American Bike Institute, so he was educating motorbike professionals. I in no way seriously considered loving cars and bikes was not what most people did. Does not each and every nine-yr-old woman lust soon after exotic international cars? I’ve usually cherished doing the job with tools, operating with my fingers. My dad’s also a incredibly skilled builder and very proficient woodworker. I grew up with Do-it-yourself.”

She unquestionably did it herself once she arrived in Motown. Doing work with her legs as perfectly as her palms, the lifelong dancer received employment with the Detroit Pistons’ Automotion dance workforce and The Spark dancers of the previous Detroit Ignition indoor soccer team. Nevertheless, people who really do not know Lee from television may well bear in mind her multi-12 months stint on Detroit’s WRIF-FM.

“Gosh, of course, I was on the ‘RIF,” she beams. “Between dance seasons I was kind of seeking for the next huge factor, and driving down 696 I see this substantial billboard, ‘Be the Upcoming ‘RIF Rock Woman!’ I’m like, ‘OK, I can do that.’ So I auditioned and won the stint as the 2008 Rock Female, carrying out site visitors, athletics, and weather in afternoon drive. To this day that was just one of the coolest work opportunities I have at any time experienced. I loved it so much I stayed yet another three several years accomplishing my own graveyard air change.”

Lee says WRIF is “really what kick-started off my curiosity in broadcast media. We did a very little on-digicam work at ‘RIF, which led to me getting the in-arena host for the Red Wings. Every thing just form of took off from there, transitioning into motorsports pit reporting, and the rest is history. It’s all been a path to get me to where I am suitable now. It’s definitely the most astounding reward.”

And we have to question: presented the endlessly destructive stereotypes heaped upon Detroit, was Steal This Household actually the best title for a collection centered listed here? Or may it even have been intentional?

“I certainly would by no means speak on behalf of the community,” she says, “but I know a great deal of thought went into the title. The network wants results for all their exhibits. No a single needs to place nearly anything out there that people aren’t likely to like.

“As considerably as the show’s title goes you have to think about it. When you stay ‘Steal This Whatever’ you may initially assume of someone with a large burglar bag and a ski mask. But how do you physically steal a residence? You can’t just select it up and get it. So then you feel, ‘Wait! I guess it’s much more like a discount, locating a steal, a fantastic offer. Alright, that is effective.’”

So…it’s not a slam? “I lived in Detroit for years,” Lee responds. “I’ve invested there, shopping for houses, selling residences. I am a massive advocate for the results of Detroit and I agree there is an very unfavorable notion of the town nationally. I feel except you have been right here, you do not truly know. Can the city use some support? Totally. A whole lot of towns could.

“But myself, coming from Florida to a attractive town like Detroit that has so much awesome heritage and lifestyle, I consider there just have to be more than enough folks who are passionate about investing in it and delivering economical, prepared-to-stay-in, clean housing. That’s what the town truly desires. It’s possible Steal This Home will help. Any person that wants to speak about Detroit, occur on down, just take a seem. Then you can give your belief, Alright?”

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