Real estate

In case you've been wondering — yes, there are real-estate agents at work in the Arctic Circle.

This was something of an exciting revelation for Freddy James, senior vice president for program development at HGTV (Home & Garden Television), which airs the popular "House Hunters International" series and is perpetually on the prowl for far-flung locations where its cameras can deliver a dose of real-estate voyeurism.

"We're doing our first episode in the Arctic Circle — in Tromso, Norway," said the New York-based exec. "We're showing (the house-hunting experiences of) a geologist who is going there to do some work on an island. I haven't told anybody this yet."

Although HGTV doesn't disclose viewership numbers, it reported that "House Hunters International" is among the cable channel's top five programs in the key demographic areas that its advertisers seek.

To find candidates for the show, the producers aren't necessarily looking for top-producing agents. This is show biz, after all.

"You have to radiate a great, positive energy — happy energy," James said. "It's similar to being a stage actor who has to play it 'bigger' when he's on camera so the energy transcends into the audience.

"We like real-estate agents (and homebuyers) who have big personalities, who are talkative and opinionated, and in the case of the real-estate agent, also is knowledgeable about the buying process," he said.

Typically, the film crew spends several days taping an agent and client as they view several homes.

"Over the years, we've sort of perfected the science of trying to find people who are close enough to find a perfect home — not so early in the process that we would have to follow them to 30 properties," he said.

After the sale, the crew returns to see how the new resident has settled into the new home and the new community and culture.

"What 'International' offers is a glimpse inside the nuances of how other people live in other countries."

There's the allure of exotic locales, but nosiness counts too.

"(The show is) a license to snoop into other people's homes," James said. "We don't get to do that legally — this is a legal way to snoop into other people's homes," James said. It's fascinating to sit on the couch and judge, to be quite blunt about what other people are doing with their money."

Television is a voracious animal, so it's a good thing the world is a big place.

"I was just hearing about how the Cuban government is getting ready to allow people to buy real estate," James said. "We'll have to look into that."