Rustic Rehab
hosts Chenoa and David Rivera are a married pair with tons of charisma and a penchant for rehabbing rundown holiday homes in Paradise, California. Catch them doing what they do best every Wednesday at 10PM E/P – but until then, here’s everything you need to know about this dynamic duo.
Role Playing
As a successful real-estate investor, David takes charge of the construction side of the renovation projects while Chenoa, who’s a design enthusiast and real-estate agent, handles the decor and sale of each property.
Deal Makers
The ambitious pair bought their first investment property back in 2012 in the small, mountain destination town of Paradise in Northern California. They found a foreclosed, half-finished house with a price tag they couldn’t pass up.
Confidence Builders
Renovating their own first family home gave this entrepreneurial couple the confidence to branch out and turn flipping into a viable business, something they’d always dreamed of doing.
Home Bodies
Despite having access to a whole swath of newly renovated properties, they still live in that first house in Paradise, with their four children: Lily, 20; Cienna, 16; Kalani, 4; and Keoni, 1.
Forever Freshmen
Chenoa and David met as students at California State University, Chico, where she was a business and marketing major and he studied event planning and tourism.
Sink or Swim
They began snapping up foreclosed properties and turning them into rental units, and after deciding to take a major leap of faith, Chenoa and David quit their day jobs and went all-in on real estate.
Rags to Riches
Their gutsy move paid off – in 2017, they flipped 20 houses and in 2018, they’re aiming for 25. On top of that, they also manage seven separate investment companies.
Colour Me Beautiful
As a licensed real-estate agent and interior-design aficionado, Chenoa’s favourite part of each project is digging into the decor concept and really upping the property’s curb appeal.
Small Town, Big Heart
Since they’re based in Paradise, a small touristy town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Riveras are faced with problems only found in rural areas, such as ancient septic tanks and access roads.
Mother Nature
When the Riveras filmed the pilot back in August 2016, Chenoa was actually pregnant with Keoni, and had to deal with long filming days in the high-summer heat.
Snail Mail
Chenoa answered an open call from HGTV for new house flippers by sending in a portrait postcard of her family. She had forgotten all about it, until a year later when they received a call from an HGTV producer and were invited to visit the Hollywood studio.
Cottage Country
For one season of Rustic Rehab, Chenoa and David bought, renovated and sold eight properties within six months. Since the town is a popular cottaging destination, the properties were cabins, bungalows or neglected vacation rentals.
Quality and Quantity
Like most professional house flippers, the Riveras don’t make a fortune on every project; but to them, maintaining a good reputation by using quality materials and licensed professionals is what matters.
Family Life
Family is important to the Riveras, so it makes sense that they’d want to create high-quality homes for other families who are moving to Paradise to find their own little slice of… paradise.
Mountain Men and Women
Thanks to Paradise’s alpine weather, the summers are cool and the winters mild, making it a haven for holiday-goers and country-loving families alike. Just ask the Riveras and the new homeowners on Rustic Rehab.
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