When Pamela Berberich ’91 and her husband Ken Boston started looking for a beach house that they could use as both a rental property and a place to get away, they never thought they’d end up being the focus of a reality show chronicling their search.
But the world will get an inside look at the process this week, when the HGTV series, Beachfront Bargain Hunt, tells their story. The show will debut on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. Central time.
The Boston’s objectives were simple: Find a close-to-the-beach house in a family-friendly place, have readily available parking, a good rental history, and keep the price below $340,000. They focused on beach houses that were built in the 1920s and 1930s, and were able to achieve their goals in part because of the damage done to the Jersey Shore by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Berberich-Boston, who received her degree in Information Systems and works as a sales representative for a publishing firm that provides information to energy, petrochemical, metals, and agriculture clients that help them make better pricing and business decisions, said she was excited when her real-estate agent asked him if they’d be interested in participating.
“How often does someone ask you to be the focus of a television show,” she asked, acknowledging that she’s a bit nervous about Sunday since the Bostons will be seeing the show for the first time when they sit down in front of their television set.
“We really didn’t get any input into the shooting, but it was really fun. “No hair, no makeup, nobody to dress you,” said the resident of Bergen County, NJ. “It’s just show up and shoot.”
After they purchased the house, the Bostons had it renovated and rented within five weeks. She laughs as she recalls the last scene that was filmed. “They show the family in their new property so we held a block party with some of our new neighbors. My 4-year-old threw of hunk of sand backward, right into my drink, which got a good laugh from guests and crew.”
Pamela can be reached at pamela_berberich at yahoo dot com.
