Look, a little cacti.
[narrator] Priced out of Miami,
Skyler and Drew are moving to less expensive Phoenix,
where they can get a bigger house,
so they can foster a child.
I was adopted when I was a teenager,
and if I can give that back to a kid,
it can change the life of that child for the better.
[narrator] Drew wants to embrace the desert's earthy vibe.
It's neutral. It's a neutral.
-[Skyler] No, no, no. -It has a Southwest tone.
[narrator] Skyler, not so much.
I'm realizing I'm not a fan of shades of mud.
I like that it's a townhouse.
I really would like a single-family home.
I'm still not ready to settl
We are just limited by the reality
of the inventory.
[doorbell chiming]
[opening theme music playing]
Oh, my gosh! This dry heat is so nice!
Perfect for the hair.
So, we currently live in Miami.
I'm an events coordinator.
[Skyler] And I have a digital platform,
where I have my own dance/fitness brand.
We met 11 years ago. We both had moved to Miami.
[Skyler] We both have a dance degree,
a lot of commonalities.
The first time I saw Sky,
I was going to the dance studio
to interview.
I was waiting for the elevator,
the elevator opened,
Skyler walks out,
we kind of almost bump into each other.
He was like, "Whoa," and then he, like, took off,
and I just remember going, "Oh!"
What did he think? What did you think?
-I was like, "That's a really handsome man right there... -Oh!
...that walked out."
Um, the flight was good?
[Drew] The flight was really good.
-He has a start date for his job... -Mmm-hmm.
and we have to be out of our place in Miami
in one month, so we definitely need to find a home.
We've known for a little while that Miami isn't the place
that we necessarily want to stay long-term.
Home prices have been going up.
[Skyler] It's gotten ridiculous.
So, we've been kind of researching different areas.
We took a trip out to Phoeni
a couple years ago, and absolutely loved it.
The cost of living is much better.
It's really important that we have the space
-to be able to foster kids in the future. -Yeah. Mmm-hmm.
We really want to be able to give back the way
the woman who adopted me did for me.
I was adopted when I was a teenager.
My parents weren't able to take care of me,
and the woman who adopted m
was amazing, and changed my life,
and she encouraged me to dance,
and just be me,
and if I can give that back to a kid that is in need,
it can change the life of that child for the better.
[Drew] Y ou know, so that's really our hope.
-[Skyler] Yeah. - [Drew] I mean, I live in Uganda for many years,
and started an organization
and worked with foster children.
I really want to get back to that,
and I know that me and Sky in Phoenix could do that,
you know, where we couldn't in Miami.
$350,000 to $450,000,
we can find exactly what we need.
Uh-uh. I don't want to live in a...
I don't want to live in a shack.
And we've been approved for $525,000, so...
[chuckles]
...I think we should do $525,000.
[both laugh]
We are moving across the country.
We, you know, we haven't established everything here.
We just know what our bills are gonna be.
We don't know what our financial situation's gonna look like.
But we need at least three bedrooms...
-[Drew] Yeah. -...one dedicated for my home studio,
where I do live classes, and do tapings at home.
Let's see if I can show you a house that meets your needs,
because you can plan to spend
five to 10 percent above list price,
so we're gonna have to have some sense of urgency,
and look at everything that might possibly work.
Did you want to do a little tour of my house?
-Sure. -I wanted to show you
-kind of what you might expect from a townhouse. -I'd love to see a house.
Yeah, I'd love to see. I wanna see!
I wouldn't mind a townhome.
When it comes to, like,
bedrooms, and bathrooms, and stuff,
it's nice to have levels, and to have more privacy.
I definitely don't want a townhome.
Growing up in different apartments,
and being moved around a lot...
-Oh, look at the shoes! -[chuckles]
[all laughing]
[Skyler] I think you have more shoes than me!
[Drew] He's always concerned about noise with townhomes,
and I try to convince him that that's not usually
such a big issue.
I've been here a couple years, and honestly,
I never hear my neighbors.
I really like the style of home
that's more contemporary.
They tend to have big windows, high ceilings.
I love the feeling of space
I'm really looking for more,
kind of like a Southwest-style home,
earth tones and colors, kind of hominess.
-[Skyler] Yeah. -[Drew] This I can get behin
because it's really low-maintenance.
For me, I really want a big yard,
-where the kids can play... -[Drew] Okay.
...where we can entertain.
-What he needs to do then... -[Ken chuckles]
...is commit to yardwork and other things...
-I'm not doing that. -...that he didn't do in Miami.
-[Ken chuckles] -Exactly!
I was always mowing...
-I don't know why. -...and it was awful.
Why were you always mowing?
I don't know.
That's a question for you.
Why were you never mowing?
-I don't know. -[laughs]
[narrator] First up, a townhouse for Drew.
-It looks kind of more like a Southwest kind of style. -Oh...
-Terrible. -[Drew] It has those, like...
I thought that Ken was on my side.
[Drew] $385,000, I think, is a really great price.
[Skyler] With townhomes, they have those HOAs.
$120 a month. We can easily handle that.
[Skyler] I mean, that's another--
[Drew] And that's gonna take care of
all of our landscaping.
We don't have to do anything.
[Skyler] Is this it?
It's really close to the neighbors.
[Drew] But, look. The walls aren't touching.
-I can't even believe this is considered a townhome. -I do like the trees.
It's really nice.
In this market,
you either have to be flexib on your time,
or you have to be flexible on your list,
and if Drew and Skyler need to be here in a month,
for a new job,
then they're gonna have to be flexible on their list.
-[Drew] Oh, wow! -[Skyler] Shag carpet!
-[Ken] It is carpet. -[Ken and Drew chuckle]
-I love it! -Um...
-[Drew] It's carpet. -[Skyler] And stairs.
-Not in the foyer. -[Ken] Did the three-story facade outside give it away?
-[all laughing] -Yes!
[Ken] You have a full bedroo
a full bathroom on the first floor.
[Skyler] What color is this
- Adobe mud? -[Drew] Neutral.
-[Skyler] Taupe? -[Drew] It's a neutral.
-It's a neutral. It has a Southwest tone. -[Skyler] No.
-[Ken chuckles] -No. I would like white walls, nice and bright,
[Ken] Okay.
-[Skyler] Not brown. -[Ken] But you can paint.
[Skyler] I'm realizing that I'm not such a fan of, um,
shades of mud.
I do like the natural light
-There's high ceilings. -There's a lot of extra light.
[Ken] And then, you just kind of have
this little bonus alcove.
[Drew] It would be a great little kind of...
-It's kind of interesting. -...toy space.
Ken!
-The arches! -Do you like the arches?
I love the arches!
[Ken] And the pass-throughs give you that connection
between your living, your dining room,
and your kitchen.
-[Drew] Exactly. -[Skyler] Look at this islan
[Ken] So, you have granite.
-[Drew] I do like it. -[Skyler] I do wish these were white.
You could reglaze them white...
-[both] Yeah. -...and that would be
just a fraction of the cost of replacing the cabinetry.
What's back here?
[Ken] So, this is the drive.
So, this is where you're gon pull in to your garage.
-Okay, the garage is underneath. -So, you've seen the front,
-the curb appeal of the house. -Uh-huh.
This is the back drive.
-[Drew] Got it. -[Skyler] Oh, there's no backyard.
-[Ken] Right, so... -[Skyler] There's nothing!
[Ken] You don't have a yard in this house.
That is one of the trade-offs,
but those HOA dues
give you playgrounds,
two pools.
-[Skyler] Huh. -Lots of green space in the community,
it's just not exclusively yours.
Oh, wow!
-[Skyler] It's actually... -This is actually a really nice space for...
-[Skyler] It's not a bad siz -[Drew] ...a primary bedroom
Not bad.
So, you definitely have room for your king-sized bed...
-[Drew] Absolutely. -[Ken] ...nightstands, and a dresser.
-Your clothes could go in this corner. -No.
-[Ken chuckles] -I want to see the closet,
-'cause... -Take a look at the closet.
I know that's important to you.
Because right now, in Miami, Sky has the closet,
and I have a little frame thing
-with my clothes, and I don't want... -[Skyler] I have a feeling...
-...to have to do that. -[Skyler] ...you're gonna have more of that.
-Oh! This would definitely not work for both of us. -[chuckling] Nice!
-So I will have either... -And then do, maybe...
-...a guest room closet... -...a wardrobe, or something over here.
My wardrobe, yeah!
[Skyler] Yeah.
[Ken] Your en suite.
[Drew] It doesn't have a doo
You could easily put a track, and put a barn door on.
[Skyler] Okay.
A bonus about this guest room on this level,
which would be eventually the kids' room,
is an en suite as well.
[Skyler] This might work for my studio.
Versus the first floor?
Yeah, 'cause it's a little bit bigger.
[Drew] But that can be an issue if we have kids,
'cause why would we have the kids two floors below us?
I mean, one of the rooms has to be the studio.
-Right. -The other one is too small.
[Drew] If we're fostering little kids, especially,
I wouldn't feel comfortable
having them two floors below us.
-[Ken] Well, that's a big concern, isn't it? -[Drew] Yeah.
I really like that it's a townhouse.
It's gonna be low-maintenance on the outside.
We are gonna have time on the weekends,
to just go, and go on hikes,
and when we have kids, take them to the park.
Yeah, I'm still not ready to settle.
We are just limited by the reality
of the inventory.
You know, we don't have a week to think on it.
-[Skyler] Okay. -These homes go quickly.
I really would like a single family home.
[narrator] But even single family homes can come with surprises.
What's up with that tub?
[Ken] It's in the primary bathroom as well,
so brace yourself.
It says it's a little over 1,500 square feet.
I think with a three-two, that would be...
-Yeah. -[Drew] ...you know, a nice size.
You know what I did see, though?
-What did you see? -I saw a pool.
A pool?
So, I don't know.
-I mean... -That would be nice.
It could be good for the kids, for them to entertain, and...
[Drew] Ultimately, I just think, a pool,
I think maintenance.
It's a little high.
$480,000?
Mmm-hmm.
That's not bad.
-You know... -It gives us some room.
[Drew] Ken's saying we are gonna want
to put in offers over list price.
-[Skyler] Huh. -[Drew] It's not what I want to spend.
- It's a cute home! -[Skyler] Look, a cute... It's like a two-car garage.
Look, a little cacti.
Hi, guys!
It's a single family home.
-Single family home. -[chuckles]
[Skyler] I really like the white.
For Drew and Skyler, their priorities are...
At times, they're just completely at odds,
so the strategy is to try to show homes
that I think appeal to each of them individually
but try to find an opportunity to marry those needs.
-[Skyler] Oh, look at the ceiling. -[Ken] Come on in.
-[Skyler] This is low. -A little low, yeah.
-[Skyler] How low is that? -[Drew] I know you don't like that, so...
-[Skyler] Ooh! -[Ken] Mid-'80s home, you don't have
great ceiling height in the bedrooms.
[Drew] If this is your studi
this would be perfect for lights,
'cause then you don't have to worry so much
about getting them all up. You can have some down here.
No. I think I would put the logo here...
-Yeah. -[Skyler] ...which is cool.
I need lights here, to light my face.
Well, you've got a window bench,
- so you can take a rest between... -[Skyler] Yes.
-Between numbers. -When we're out of breath.
[all chuckling]
-What's up with that tub? - [Drew chuckles]
It reminds me of, like, a doggie tub,
-or something like that. -Yeah.
[Ken] That is a regular bathtub
that's just recessed into the floor.
[Skyler] I didn't know that was an option.
-[Ken] Uh... -[all laughing]
A recessed tub.
[Drew] It doesn't bother me. It's not something that I'd--
Well, it's in the primary bathroom as well,
so brace yourself.
Okay.
[Ken] This is a great-sized bedroom
for a child.
[Drew] I like that there's that, kind of,
-open space, that you can use... -[Ken] Yeah.
[Drew] ...to store toys,
-or you could put a little changing station there. -Totally.
Oh, look at these high ceilings!
-Yeah, so... -Oh, wow, this is way different
- than the bedrooms. -[Ken chuckling] Yes.
[Drew] I do wish that it had a little bit mor
of that Southwest feel when you got into the house
-[Ken] Okay. -Like, we first pulled up to it,
it was really cute, but then you get in here,
-and it's a little more like generic '80s kind of style. -[Skyler] Ew!
[Ken] You could have a painter come in,
and scrape the popcorn ceilings,
-That's really the element that dates it a little bit. -Yeah.
-But you can take care of that.
-Oh, this is beautiful! -[Drew] Oh, wow!
We don't know what age the kids will be
when we start to foster.
I mean, I do sometimes worry about just having
a pool in general, if they're really young.
[Ken] Just enclose the patio with a gate.
This is perfect.
-Yeah. -Single family home, more space.
There's no yard.
-[Ken chuckles] -[Drew] In theory, it is nic
[Skyler] I don't love the cabinet color,
but I like how it's really open here, you know...
[Ken] It's good connection.
-[Skyler] Yeah. -[Drew] I wish the sink
was a little more within the space,
'cause you're doing dishes, and stuff,
It's like, really kind of...
-[Skyler] It's a little cave niche. -[Drew] Yeah.
-[Skyler] This is nice! -Oh, these are cute little slabbies!
[Skyler] A little, cute little kind of frame.
-This is like specialty blinds. -[Skyler] Like, random...
[Ken] And they frame where your bed will go.
[Drew] Here's another...
-[Skyler] Oh, is that... Why? -[Drew] ...doggie tub.
[Skyler] The sunken tub palace.
-[Ken] Yeah. -[all chuckling]
It's like, actually my dream to have a closet with windows.
I feel like you're coming around.
Like this is gonna be the house.
Yeah, I don't know.
I like that it's three bedrooms.
Two left, that's plenty of space
for future children, for your studio.
The tub sinking into the floor's a little odd.
-That's something that would have to be-- -It would change immediately.
Well, we wouldn't have...
We won't be able to immediately.
$480,000 is not what we're gonna pay for this home.
If we were to put an offer in, it would have to go over.
You do have to factor that in
when you're thinking about the list price.
Whew! I am tired this morning.
[narrator] Under pressure to find a home
before they move to Phoenix in a month,
Skyler and Drew are trying another single family house
It's a ranch style, so it's just one level.
Again, I think Ken is thinking about you.
That's good.
[Drew] Yeah.
How much is the house?
Just under $400,000,
-so it's actually a good price... -Oh, really?
...you know, for a single family home.
[Skyler] That's really good.
Yeah. I mean, being that the market is the way it is,
-we'll definitely have to go up from that... -[Skyler] Huh.
...but we have some wiggle room there,
-which is nice. -[Skyler] Yeah.
[car horn blaring]
-Oh, my gosh! -What is that?
[traffic roaring]
- I think we're here. -[Drew] Yeah.
That's the home.
- It's literally... -[Skyler] Right off the main road.
[Drew] ...right off the main street.
This is a really busy road, and...
-Dead grass. -...dead grass.
[Ken chuckles] You probably think I'm crazy right now,
but come inside.
I'm gonna show you the reasons
why I'm showing you this house.
-Okay. -All right.
-[Skyler] Nice! -[Drew] This is very differe than the outside.
[Skyler] Yeah.
It's better than the exterior.
-Yeah. For sure. -Yes.
[Ken] This home has been remodeled.
New windows,
new roof, new HVAC system,
so they've done some of the important and expensive
systems of the home as well, not just the pretty stuff.
This home, without the busy road,
would not be $399,000.
That's a huge bonus.
I will say though, it's a bit modern
for my liking.
-But look, look over here. -[Drew] Okay.
This island.
-[all chuckling] -[Drew] Yep, this is your island.
-We can entertain... -[Ken] Right.
...a place for kids.
I do like the white cabinets
This is definitely a Skyler kitchen.
From the outside, I was a little hesitant,
but once I got inside,
it's very modern, which I love.
We can really use the space,
and it'll be good for a family,
as well as entertaining.
I like this house.
Oh, it's big.
-[Drew] Oh! -[Ken] It is a good-sized room.
-[Skyler] Yeah. -This is a big closet! Wow!
[Ken] Yeah, for a slider door closet, it's deceptive,
'cause it's a big walk-in closet.
[Skyler] This could be my studio.
Yeah, this definitely would work for a studio.
I think you have some options for your studio in this house.
Oh, wow! Look at this!
[Ken] You could build a framed wall,
and this maybe potentially could be your dance studio.
I wouldn't even need to change the wall.
-I could get a, like, neon logo sign up here. -Yep.
[chuckling] That means we can utilize our bedrooms
-for actual bedrooms, or for-- -[Ken] All four of them.
You're not sacrificing your living space
for the dance studio.
- It's a veritable blank slat -[Drew] Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
[chuckles] It's a little rough.
It's a little thirsty.
It's a nice size.
-That's good! - [Drew] But, you know,
even if we made a desert landscape,
there is still maintenance involved.
[car motor revving]
-I'm just hearing so much noise. -Yeah.
-[Skyler] I am hearing that. -When we have guests and stuff over,
we don't want to be, like, yelling over cars...
-[Ken] Yeah. -...and I mean, that's just not a peaceful...
-Backyard space? -...backyard space.
[car passing by]
The backyard and the front yard,
from what I can see, needs a lot of work,
but the garage is a nice bonus.
I'm hoping that might outweigh
some of the other cons of the house.
[Drew] I do like the wall color.
-I know Sky likes it more white, more... -[Skyler] It's a little gray.
-But I like the gray. -Well, though this, at least, is a little grayish-tan.
-[Skyler] It's in the family. -Yeah.
-I think I could like gray. -In the family.
- Oh, some more. -[Ken] This is kind of a petite bedroom...
-[Drew] Okay. -[Ken] ...but this is a great kids' room size.
[Skyler] The fan is, like, the size of the room.
[Ken chuckles]
-[Drew] For a kids' room, this is perfect. -[Skyler] Yeah.
And again, you've got four bedrooms in this house.
Here is your guest bath.
[Drew] Yeah, it's really small.
[Skyler] Small! [chuckl]
[Ken] The first bedroom I took you in,
with the big closet,
maybe you would consider that as a bedroom versus this one.
-It's tiny. -[Ken] Um, and use the hall bath.
-You're not-- -Oh!
-Where are my shoes gonna go? -[Drew] Oops!
That's kind of why I'm talking about, um...
-[Drew] Let me see this. -[Skyler chuckles]
-...that front room as maybe, your bedroom. -[Drew] How?
I mean...
[Ken] It's a trade-off.
If you do the en suite as your bedroom,
you're sacrificing the closet space,
-and the bedroom size. -[Drew] Yeah.
If you do the front bedroom as your bedroom,
you don't have an en suite.
-[Skyler] Oh, a pedestal sin Oh, no! -[Drew] Oh, no!
- Sky's not a fan of the pedestal sink. -[Ken] I know.
I don't know who designed that,
no offense,
but it lacks storage, it lacks space,
I don't like that there's no tub.
It's just a shower.
Yeah, the tub in the house is the hall bath. Yeah.
Right.
I love the garage situation, for my studio.
I do like that there is a backyard.
- That's good. -[Ken] Yes.
-The biggest con is, like, the road noise. -[Ken] Uh-huh.
-[Drew] 100%. -[Skyler] You know, like...
If this were on an interior block,
a couple blocks in,
we'd be looking at $550,000-600,000.
It's basically $400,000
because it sides to a busy street.
[narrator] Out of time befor heading back to Florida,
Skyler and Drew need to make a decision.
By the time we land in Miami,
if we're not making offers at that point,
all these homes are gonna be gone.
-[Skyler] Fancy! -[Drew chuckles]
[Ken] No, it's just easier to do a tray for one trip.
I'm not fancy, I'm just lazy.
[all chuckling]
[narrator] Drew and Skyler have a tight deadline
working against their dream of finding a home in Phoeni
where they can grow a family
[Drew] I really liked that the townhome had, like
more of a community, parks and pools.
I think that would be really nice for kids.
We don't have to maintain it
I love that it's three stories.
Put the kids to bed,
you go to another level.
That's something that,
you know, is very important to me.
If I were to make the upstairs my studio,
I would feel leery
-about having kids on the bottom floor. - [Ken] Yeah.
[Drew] I really liked in the contemporary home,
the backyard area, with the patio.
I mean, if we were to go with a single family home,
I would want a space to, like, entertain people.
[Skyler] Oh, that's nice!
[Drew] I do worry about the maintenance
on the pool.
[Skyler] I really like the architecture
in the front of the house.
It had enough square footag
for me to have a studio with lights.
The one thing we would need to
change immediately with the house
are those sunken tubs.
[Drew] And that's more money and... I don't know.
That's just a lot of expenses.
-[Skyler] I love the single family ranch kitchen. -[Ken] Yes.
It was the nicest.
It had the most space.
I really liked that there was a dedicated space
for Sky's studio, away from the home.
We could really kind of settle,
and even if we wanted to grow our family,
we wouldn't have to sell the home
and find a bigger home, because that would give us
plenty of space.
[Ken] You get the four-bedro for $399,900.
It is a lot of house for the money.
The caveat is that you're on that road.
-[cars rushing past] -[car horn blaring]
[doorbell chiming]
So are you warming up to the stairs? [chuckles]
We got the mud!
-Townhome! -[chuckles]
[Skyler] So, we closed two weeks ago.
We drove across country...
[both] ...a week ago.
[both chuckle]
[Drew] Where do you think the couch should go?
So, I'm thinking we put the couch here.
We got really lucky.
The list price was $385,000,
and we paid...
...$385,000!
-We did not have to go over. -Yeah.
His offer that fell through, they were eager to get
someone else to take the home...
-Yeah. -...so that worked out
-to our benefit. -Yeah.
I'm thinking
not mud...
[chuckles]
[Skyler] ...but we just do white.
[Drew] It's just not the vibe of the home.
[Skyler] You told me, if we get a townhome
for a lesser price,
I can...
...do your projects.
-Yes. -Sooner than later.
In the beginning I thought, "No townhome,"
but in the end, it, you know,
it offers so many other things that I really wanted.
[Drew] Just without your backyard.
-I mean, we do have the patio, and that's something. -Mmm-hmm.
- It is something out front -[Skyler] It's a start.
- Yeah. -[Drew] Yeah.
I did learn Drew's, like, undercover bossy.
-[both chuckle] -So you gotta watch out for that.
I've been more bossy,
-just because it's more stressful. -Like, low-key bossy.
We've invested so much into just developing a life
in Miami with each other, so having to leave all that,
and having to go into the unknown
was a lot scarier than I expected it to be.
There was a lot more at stake than anything that I've ever,
um, done before.
Oh, my gosh!
It feels so good
to finally lay down.
I'm really proud of Sky,
because this is something that he's wanted
ever since I've known him.
This is gonna help us be more stable and secure,
no matter kids now, kids in the future,
This is just seeds for us to grow and, um,
have more stability and consistency.
And we can start fostering kids,
something that we could not do in Miami.
My adopted mama would be really proud.