Slumping Canadian country musicians look to real estate in ‘Masters of Flip’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Can a couple of slumping country musicians from Canada find happiness flipping homes in America’s Music City?

That’s the premise behind “Masters of Flip,” which premieres May 12 on W Network.

The series stars Kortney and Dave Wilson, who went to Nashville independent of one another and from opposite ends of Ontario. Born in Windsor and raised in Sudbury and Kitchener, Kortney bolted for Nashville at the tender age of 18. Within days of her arrival she had a recording deal with Disney. Within a year she was working with Reba McEntire. As Kortney Kayle, she cracked the country charts with a couple of singles. A role on the soap “One Life to Live” followed.

Born in Richmond, Ont., near Ottawa, Dave Wilson also had country music aspirations. The guitar player and songwriter made his own pilgrimage to Nashville and signed a solo deal with Lyric Street Records.

They met in Nashville, and before you could say, “You Had Me From Hello,” they became a couple. They even had their own short-lived reality show on CMT Canada, “Meet The Wilsons.” An album and single followed.

Along the way, the family grew to include three children. Unfortunately, their TV and music careers stalled. Dave lost his publishing deal. Down to waiting tables — poorly — to make ends meet, he realized the family would have to reach outside of music to pay the bills.

Calculating that they had US$70,000 worth of equity in their house, they risked it all and bought a fixer-upper in an affordable Nashville neighbourhood. Despite neither having a contracting background — let alone much in the way of handyman skills — they fixed the new place up as economically as possible. Kortney did the painting and Dave popped in new windows with the help of a few home building pros.

“Our goal was to use lipstick and rouge,” says Kortney.

The couple hoped to make a quick $10,000 in one month. Instead, they ended up ahead by $25,000. Another house was quickly bought and flipped.

“We thought we were going to make $50,000,” says Kortney. Instead they made only $15,000.

Among the lessons Kortney learned was that “the secret to flipping is time and money.”

She also saw how proximity to neighbourhood eateries could boost values faster than a new kitchen or bathroom.

It’s getting tougher to flip successfully, however.

“Nashville has undergone a complete transformation,” Dave says.

“It’s a booming market and feels like it’s on everyone’s radar,” adds Kortney.

Still, you won’t find houses listed at under US$100,000 in Vancouver or Toronto. Viewers will see them in Nashville on season 1 of “Masters of Flip.”

The stress of being hands-on house flippers shadowed by cameras could tear some couples apart, but the Wilsons seem able to roll with it. Their banter during a fast-paced shoot is peppered with plenty of good-natured ribbing. Kortney overrules Dave’s plan to box in a refrigerator. Dave pushes back for the cameras — but everybody knows where the fridge will wind up.

Surprisingly, the couple did not record a country theme song for this series.

“It’s really about renovating homes — that’s a whole other story,” says Dave, although he doesn’t rule out musical moments.

“Sometimes, if we can’t afford to pay one of our carpenters, we might say, ‘Do you want to hear one of our songs?’”

— Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont. While in Nashville, Brioux was a guest of W Network and Nashville Tourism.