HGTV’s show “Lakefront Bargain Hunt” will feature a Warsaw teacher who found a home on Tippecanoe Lake. Sunday night’s show highlights the house-hunting efforts of Kandi Kesler, a client of real estate agent Deb Paton-Showley, who works for Coldwell Banker Roth Wehrly Graber of Warsaw. Paton-Showley’s involvement began when representatives of the show began leaving phone messages for her. Thinking it was a joke, she ignored the calls, but then realized it might be a serious inquiry when caller ID indicated it was from the cable network. The show’s criteria, among other things, seek to spotlight a house hunter under the age of 40 who is looking for a lake property under $400,000. Those restrictions make it quite challenging since most lake properties are sought by people older than 40 who are prepared to spend $400,000 or more on a nice property. As it turns out, Paton-Showley had three clients who fit the bill, and the network eventually chose to feature Kesler, a Warsaw Community High School graduate whose parents, Steve and Kim Kesler, own Explorer Van. Kesler, a teacher at Washington STEM Academy, could not be reached for comment. Paton-Showley said she and Kesler looked at homes on Barbee Lake and a Tippecanoe Lake channel before settling on a small home with a view of Tippecanoe Lake. The cottage-style home is near the Tippecanoe Lake Country Club as well as her parents’ home, Paton-Showley said. According to the show’s website, Kesler had been seeking a home under $200,000. Paton-Showley said she was able to help find her a home well under that price point. The cozy three-bedroom home includes about 720 square feet and features vaulted ceilings, she said. “It feels bigger than that with its very open concept,” she said. Paton-Showley said the filming phase was kept quiet to avoid people showing up during the filming. The production team was fun to work with, she said. “They kept us busy with a lot of busy work, but after it was all over, it was such an amazing experience and such fun to do.” Despite the busy work, Paton-Showley said she understands the residual benefits of participating in the show. “My company is very excited about it,” she said. She said it was especially nice to watch Kesler and some of her family interact with the production team and share personal insights into the local history of the lake area. “To watch Kandi and their family, it was very humbling to hear them talk about what Tippy Lake has meant to them,” Paton-Showley said. “The Tippy dance hall came up multiple times because the Kesler family loves that place and really loves the atmosphere and what the dance hall used to be way back when.” What viewers might not realize, she said, is that legwork for the show began more than two years ago. She said she was contacted in January 2016 by representatives of the show. Kesler had purchased the home a few months earlier. Filming was done around Mother’s Day of last year and re-created the house hunting experience. The shows debuts at 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Additional showings are scheduled for 3:30 a.m. Monday and 7 p.m. May 5, according to the show’s website.
