If you’re like me, you love watching home shows. In particular, nothing satisfies me more than a good “before-and-after” scenario. Anyone who scrolls the TV channels knows that the proliferation of these shows has increased dramatically in the past few years. You’ll find shows dedicated to flipping, cleaning, shopping, staging, decorating, remodeling and evaulating a house—virtually everything under the sun. The Hartford Courant recently posted an article entitled “But It Looked Easy On TV: Buying, Selling A Home Rarely As Simple As Shows Portray” that seeks to answer the question of whether or not these shows help or hurt consumers. The answer may surprise you.

Credit: The Hartford Courant