Keep in mind that they are looking for ratings, and people watching the show want to see cool places, not a $75K fixer upper.
All the houses on HGTV are in expensive markets. If they did a House Hunters around here people would be absolutely floored. For the prices people usually pay for rundown fixer uppers on the shows you can get a mansion here.What I don't understand are the young first time home buyers paying $200K+ for a house. Where do they get that kind of money? Around here a nice first home for young people would cost about $75K. If you want to do some work you can get a nice house in a good neighborhood for $50K.