If you thought you saw local sights and even a familiar face while watching HGTV on Sunday, you probably did. Shelagh Whitney, of Advantage Chatuge Realty in Hayesville, showed Lake Chatuge homes on the show, “Lakefront Bargain Hunt.” If you missed the show, don’t worry, that episode is scheduled to be shown again at 8 p.m. on May 8, Mother’s Day.
Whitney explained how the show came to Lake Chatuge along with how she was chosen to be the featured realtor. An HGTV executive stayed at Brasstown Valley Resort during the holidays in late 2014. “He fell in love with the area,” she said. HGTV representatives sent general e-mails to area realtors asking for someone with home-buying clients within a specific age range who also had at least one young child. “I saw the e-mail and deleted it because I thought it was a scam,” she smiled.
Realtor Michael Anderson saw the message and wanted to help bring attention to the area. Despite working as her competitor, Anderson felt Whitney had the right clients for the show’s needs.