Local real estate agent to appear on HGTV this weekend

Merrick resident Peter Hirschhorn will take a star turn when he is featured on the HGTV show “House Hunters.”

Hirschhorn, a Bellmore-Merrick real estate salesman, said that the episode, which is set to air on Saturday, accurately mimicked one of his sales. An affiliate of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Bellmore, he told the Herald about his experience on the show, and what he believes makes the Bellmore-Merrick area a desirable place to live right now.

When a newly engaged couple, to whom Hirschhorn was selling, asked him to audition for the show with them, his initial reaction was, “What for?” He admired their enthusiasm, but the idea of having his work televised took some getting used to. Eventually, however, he embraced the idea.

The episode follows the couple, whose names will remain secret until the show airs, as Hirschhorn shows them three different houses in the East Meadow area. The couple are torn between a one-story ranch home with three bedrooms and a rustic vibe, and a two-story colonial with a more modern interior and four bedrooms.

In the episode, Hirschhorn must help them decide between the two.

After the shows airs, he said, he doesn’t expect to be flocked by customers. He added, however, that he prides himself on the number of customers that are referred to him by previous clients. “You become family with them,” he said of his customers.

Hirschhorn has been selling real estate for more than seven years, after a 22-year career in advertising. “There is some cross-over,” he said. “When I market a home, I can apply some of the same advertising and marketing techniques.”

Nevertheless, he said that real estate is more about getting to know what his customers want than simply “putting a sign in the ground” and making a sale. For example, he said, “Some people want to be by the water, some people don’t want to be by the water … It’s all about where people want to set up home.”

Hirschhorn said that the Bellmore-Merrick area is desirable because of its proximity to New York City, beaches and booming local businesses. The area, and most of Nassau County, is currently a “robust seller’s market,” he added. The inventory of available homes is low and demand is high, meaning that sellers are getting multiple offers as buyers compete with one another.

“You need to negotiate,” he said. “Your sellers need to make as much money as they can get … [but] your buyers must win the offer. Otherwise you let them down.

In his years with Coldwell Banker, Hirschhorn has earned multiple company awards, including the International Diamond Society Team Award, the International Sterling Society Team Award and the 2016 Team of the Future Award for Long Island.

He is also a member of the New York State and National Association of Realtors, the Long Island Board of Realtors and the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island.

When he was finished with the “House Hunters” taping, Hirschhorn said, a producer asked if he would be willing to be on the show again. He said he’d consider it.

The episode will premiere on HGTV on Saturday at 11 p.m., and will re-air on Sunday at 2 a.m.