L

indsay and Nikki Ishbia, 24-year-
old twins, have lived together since 
their childhood home in West 
Bloomfield and shared dorm and apart-
ment space together all through their col-
lege years and beyond. So, when the lease 
on their last rental apartment was up, the 
sisters decided buying a home together 
was the next logical step. 
Though they are identical, the sisters 
have very different views on what they 
want in a home. While Lindsay, a market-
ing analyst, wants new modern construc-
tion and close proximity to downtown 
Royal Oak where she can walk to restau-
rants, shops and nightclubs, Nikki is more 
of a homebody who prefers nights in sur-
rounded by the charming features of an 
older home, such as arched doorways and 

fireplaces. 
One thing they have in common is 
their love for HGTV’s House Hunters. 
“If there are over 2,000 episodes of 
House Hunters, we joke that we’ve prob-
ably watched half of them,” Nikki said. 
“So, when we were starting to look for a 
house, we said, how can we go through 
this process without being on House 
Hunters? We’d be letting ourselves down if 
we didn’t.” 
So, after filling out an application, it 
was not long before they began their 
house hunt last May in the Royal Oak/
Berkley area with a film crew in pursuit. 
The Ishbias, together with their realtor 
Dana Cooper of Max Broock, hosted 
a watch episode when the episode first 
aired on Dec. 2. The episode is now 

available on demand. You can watch the 
Ishbias check out listings in Royal Oak 
and Berkeley, shown by Cooper, as they 
lovingly tease each other and squabble 
over who gets the biggest bedroom as 
only sisters can do. 
“We’ve always been very responsible 
with our money and finances,” said Nikki, 
who is an accountant. “When our lease 
was up, we decided that buying a home 
would just be a really good investment 
for both of us. When we decided to buy 
together, the first question people would 
ask was, ‘What if one of you moves away, 
or what if one of you gets married some-
day, who keeps the house?’” 
Lindsay, a social media and marketing 
analyst. was quick to explain. 
“Obviously, we are still young, and 
eventually we are going to get married 
and move on. We want to live here for 
a few years and then eventually rent it 
out. It’s not like we are planning to live 
here for the next 70 years. When the time 
comes and one of us marries or wants to 
move, we’ll figure it out.” 
Lindsay said when they conducted 
their house search in May, there was a 
tight inventory. But she added that they 
“lucked out” and had the winning bid on 
the first house they tried to purchase at a 
competitive price point.
They both agreed that it was a bit 
strange having a camera crew follow them 
around on their house hunt. But the expe-
rience and the direction they got from 
the producers helped them focus on what 
they were looking for in a home, how 
their tastes were similar and where they 
contrasted. 
Nikki didn’t mind being further off the 
beaten path and was drawn to the charm 
of older homes that may need some TLC 
after move-in day. Lindsay wanted to find 
a modern, open layout as close to new 
construction as possible within walking 
distance to Royal Oak’s shops, restaurants 
and bars. They did manage to compro-
mise on a Royal Oak home they’ve lived 
in since July. Since then, they’ve enjoyed 
decorating and hosting friends for back-
yard barbecues and most recently, a 
“Friendsgiving” feast. 

OUR COMMUNITY

Local twin sisters are featured on HGTV.

House
Hunters

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

32 | DECEMBER 30 • 2021 

COURTESY OF THE ISHBIAS

Laurie Glass, Nikki 
and Lindsay Ishiba, 
and Dana Cooper

