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