‘Love It or List It’: Page Turner & David Visentin Open Up About Second Season Together

Designer Page Turner is ready to go another round with real estate David Visentin on Love It or List It. The friendly foes are back for 12 new episodes as Season 21 premieres June 23 on HGTV. Turner stepped in for longtime Hilary Farr, who decided to move on after two decades on the show. 

Last year marked a new era for the series while the same recipe for success remains. Turner presents a full-scale renovation on current properties. Meanwhile, Visentin entices owners with a potential new property if they’re looking for a fresh start. Then it’s up to the clients to make the ultimate decision. Do they want to stay in their current transformed residence or go? 

During the first episode the duo helps a woman whose household also made up of a husband and three sons. The male-dominated family is stretched for space as the current home contains three bedrooms and just one bathroom. She hopes Visentin can find a place with enough space for everyone. On the opposite side, her husband puts his trust in Page to make the most of the square footage and assist in his argument to remain in the home. 

Here Turner and Visentin sit down to talk about their first season together and preview what’s to come. 

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What did you take from working together last season?

Page Turner: That David is a pro. Like, the pro. He’s a great real estate agent who knows exactly what our clients need, yes, but I mean he’s also a pro in the “clap back” department, too. I had to teach him that term, LOL. He’s so witty and quick. I watched the show for years before I was even on the network, much less on Love It or List It, so I knew he was funny, but seeing him in action is a treat! It keeps me ready at all times with a quick-witted comeback of my own. But also: trust. Last season, we were learning from each other–our approaches, our styles. This season, we’re not just co-hosts; we’re verbal sparring partners who genuinely respect each other’s craft, but we don’t hold back the jabs, because after all, this is a competition!

David Visentin: That Page will do whatever it takes to get a “Love It” even if it means getting her hands dirty in the process…literally. 

How did fans receive the first season? What feedback did you hear?

Page: Well…[laughs]. I’ll say this, for most people, change is hard. And I understand that. When something new shows up in a space you’ve trusted for almost two decades and then, BOOM, there’s a new face in town, that type of change is not always easy to accept. But change is also often necessary. After the initial shock of the new face in town, and getting through a few episodes, I started to see the tides turn. Whew! I was nervous for a minute! Then the love came: for my fresh take on design, for the new chemistry David and I were building. We hit it off fast, but what people expect from 17 seasons doesn’t just happen in one season with eight episodes. [People were] finding out I’m a quick, witty opponent for David. Now I think our viewing family will embrace us (me) and keep the Love It or List It party going!

David: The majority of the feedback was very positive, and people said they enjoyed Page and I working together. I think you are always going to have some folks that don’t like change, but even those people were saying that, although they might miss Hilary, they still enjoyed the banter Page and I have and the work she was doing on the renos! 

What did you learn about each other?

Page: I learned David is a gem. As cool as he is on the show, he’s the same way when the cameras aren’t rolling–just a cool, laid-back dude. He’s a great athlete, triathlons and all!. He is an avid swimmer and such a great dad to his son. We’ve had a lot of fun this season doing challenges. I’m not sure they’ll make the episodes, but we’ll definitely see them on socials—workout bets, stationary cycling bets. He even got this Los Angeles born-and-bred girl out on a huge snowy hill to go tobogganing! And then there’s me—already a ball of fiery energy! He was shocked daily when we first started filming, and now he just rolls with it! Overall, I think we both learned how hard we each work, how much we care for our clients, and how far we’ll each go to win!

David: That growing up in LA is not like growing up in Toronto. Page also learned what real cold is like and that tobogganing is really fun…but she may never do it again! 

Anything beyond filming you did to build that bond?

Page: David is so cool and laid-back that the chemistry came naturally the moment we met! From day one, it’s been like we’ve known each other forever. That’s a gift, because when we’re not filming we each have so much else going on, so when we come to work it honestly doesn’t feel like work at all. This season, we did a ton outside the show, like I mentioned above, that solidified the bond even more. I had to trust him on the high snowy hill tobogganing, during the cold plunge, the bike race and a bunch of other things that show off more of our friendship!

David: We didn’t actually have a lot of time outside of filming to hang out, what with her living in Toronto and me outside the city, and of course when there was time off, she would head back to LA. Plus, she was hanging with her ‘girl buddies” when she had time, who would be way more fun than me! 

How has your approach grown or evolved?

Page: I’ve leaned even deeper into listening. Every family has a story underneath their wish list, and my job is to design for the soul of the house and the life they’re trying to live within the walls they already have. Not just paint, cabinets and flooring, but a design that truly makes sense for their family. This season, I’m bolder with design and way more intentional about the why behind every choice. Because if they can’t see and feel the why, they’ll most certainly list it! And we know that ain’t gonna happen on my watch!

David: In the second season, we got a lot more comfortable with each other, which usually means things get a little more spicy in front of the camera. I think we both take and certainly dish it out, some of it you will see and some of it you won’t! 

What can you tell us about the clients you’re working with this season?

Page: The clients this season are something else! Some trust me immediately, some question me instantly! One may even have a house that’s sinking, unbeknownst to any of us! From growing families to multigenerational households and new moms to empty nesters, what I love is how different every story and every house is. I don’t love all the problems, however! The common thread is families stuck at a turning point. It’s a blessing and a privilege to help them course-correct so they can LOVE IT or LIST IT with full confidence and an absolutely jaw-dropping, life-changing reveal. This season has the most tears yet, which means the world to me. My favorite part is seeing their faces on reveal day.

David: It was a really good mix of homeowners this season. Very knowledgeable when it came to real estate and design. Some were very sure about what they wanted and some took a lot of work to get them to a place where they were both on the same page (no pun intended) in order to deliver, especially from the real estate side, what they were looking for.  

During the premiere you help a husband and wife who find themselves at a crossroads. What can we expect from this one?

Page: Expect real, raw emotion. I think we all cry at one point! Oh, and I get on a roller coaster! This one is special, mostly because the demands were literally not possible, in any world!  Not even mine! You’ll just have to see how I get out of it, if I even do!

David: People are going to love this couple and their three adorable kids. They are very sweet and love their neighborhood, which is never an easy thing for me to work around. They don’t really want to leave, but the house is bursting at the seams. And, they don’t know what to do about it. I do….and its a fun real estate/design ride for 60 minutes and, in the end, they get what they need. 

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Has the current economic landscape made it harder to sway someone on either the real estate or renovation front?

Page: It’s made the stakes higher, for sure. Costs are way up, but budgets are still tight, so it’s hard to land a renovation budget big enough to create a design that keeps a family in their home. Which makes me dig deeper in my creative genius bag and figure it out! And the pressure of clients always saying, “We believe in you Page, you can do it!” I am really doing a lot of deep digging this season! I also hear rumblings from David that listing prices are still so high that sometimes all he can offer is a lateral move, unless the couple can stretch their purchase budget significantly. So we’re squished on both sides this season! With labor, materials, interest rates and inventory where they are, “list it” isn’t the easy answer it once was, which honestly gives me an edge. But renovation costs are high too, so sometimes a client takes the (large) equity I built for them and moves on to their next home. Both sides are tough and tight, but David and I are true experts in our lanes and we work hard to figure it out. And since we’re both fierce competitors, the competition always stays spicy!

David: This market is definitely harder to sway a potential homeowner to move. The options for them dry up a little, because there is not a lot of inventory. People feel like they can’t get what they want and so they aren’t selling. The confidence in getting what you might ultimately want or need for your house is a little more unstable. 

What kind of challenges do you weather through this season?

Page: Ha! On paper it’s the regular stuff: limited space and low and tight budgets. But this season, I had hyper, uber, unbelievable, completely unexpected challenges that didn’t always involve money! Every reno has a moment where you have to problem solve on the spot. But I’m the “Queen of the Pivot,” and my challenges are where vision meets execution, which is exactly where I thrive. This season definitely kept me on my heels!

David: Blizzards, frigid temperatures, snow squalls, six-foot snow banks, parking issues and then you have real estate and design problems…so it gets messy.

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Do you see yourselves ever teaming up on the competition shows like Rock the Block?

Page: This is a Laugh-Out-Loud question! Good ole Rock the Block! Listen, I love RTB. It’s the most challenging I’ve ever been in over two decades in real estate and design! I believe if HGTV puts me and David on the Block, I guarantee you, my third time competing will be my winning time!

David: That sounds like a marvelous idea! 

Love It or List It, Season 21 premiere, June 23, 8/7c, HGTV