It’s no question that Chip and Joanna Gaines have grown increasingly popular both from an entertainment standpoint but also from a business standpoint. The popular Magnolia Network couple is still (probably) most famous for their house renovations and recently nabbed some traction for renovating “The Castle,” a well-known property in Waco. However, Chip revealed they haven’t sold the property yet and the reason why speaks to one of the problems the couple has dealt with as they’ve grown more popular.
If you Google around for Magnolia Homes, you’ll probably find a slew of articles mentioning Airbnb or VRBO. The two house renting services now have a slew of Chip and Joanna-renovated homes available for tourists who want to see all of the sweet flourishes the reality TV stars have put into homes. In fact, a lot of the homes on Fixer Upper have ended up as rentals instead of single-family homes, as the show portrays.
When it comes to The Castle, however, Chip Gaines is adamant he really would like to put the property on the market “with the sole intention to sell it to a family.” He specifically wants someone to live in and enjoy the home not profit off of it. Opening up about the issue of homeowners choosing to rent out places he’s put time and love into rather than live in them, Gaines also told Variety,
The problem is, it’s hard to really govern that. Once I sell you something, it’s yours and you can do what you want with it… In my insecurity, I’m like, ‘What if the family owns it and then rents it out on the weekends?’ They can do whatever they want to do, I don’t want to feel like I’m looking over someone’s shoulder. If I can let this go and not really worry about what happens next, then I’m going to let it go and there’s no hard feelings. But if I’m going to constantly be second guessing what you do with what I just did, then I didn’t let it go.
Chip said the couple is hanging onto the iconic house for now, and it really sounds like he's looking for the right buyer before it goes on the market. As for his wife, she also told the outlet they talked and decided to "enjoy it for a second before they decide." So, right now The Castle's fate is in limbo.
This isn't the first time Chip and Joanna Gaines have been candid about issues that have cropped up during their time filming episodes of Fixer Upper. While they've said they have "no problem" with homeowners listing houses, as long ago as 2017 the couple had reworked contracts to try to cut back on the problem. A rep told the Waco Tribune at the time the "goal" was to do "remodels for clients' homes" calling it "the true intent" of the show and also noting it was what the audience expected.
While the rentals issue is on a larger scale, Joanna and Chip are fairly open books, and have even been candid about how the couples' first Fixer Upper renovation ended up being a "mess." They also have spoken about their crazy whirlwind cable run and how they ended up leaving HGTV, only to suffer headwinds getting their own channel Magnolia Network off the ground (you can now view programming with an HBO Max subscription).
What's next for The Castle is still up in the air, but given the time, love and care the reality couple put into the home, I am hopeful it won't go the way of The Barndominium.
