The run-down motel that starred as the unofficial main character in the Emmy award-winning series Schitt’s Creek is set to hit the market this month.
The owner of the Canadian motel in Hockley Valley, Ontario, had planned to list the property a while ago, however, the pandemic put a stopper in the plans. Now, though, owner Jessie Tipping is ready to sell, and thinks now is the perfect time.
Confirming plans the list the motel in October, 2020, Tipping spoke to Simcoe of the property’s history, which includes a number of on-screen cameos in addition to Schitt’s Creek.
Tipping says A History of Violence, Umbrella Academy, 11.22.63, and a number of horror films, have all filmed scenes at the location. But no TV show or film attracted greater fanfare to the property quite like Schitt’s Creek.
Now, the motel sees visitors every day who come far and wide to take photos of the exterior or stay in one of the eight apartment-style rooms.
On the moment he received the call for the property to appear in the Dan Levy-produced show, Tipping says: “I just got a call out of nowhere from a location scout named Jeff”.
He was told a crew wished to shoot a pilot on the property, and following the instant success of the show’s debut, the show’s cast including Dan Levy, Eugene Levy, and Catherine O’Hara, returned for a month every year for six years.
“They didn’t just come in and do their thing. They interacted with the people around them,” Tipping said to Simcoe. “They were just a great bunch to work with.”
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While it’s possible the lucky new owner of the motel may choose to turn the property into a real-life Rosebud Motel, Tipping says he never tried to capitalise off the show’s success.
The motel was listed on Airbnb for guests to stay, however, the listings never made mention of Schitt’s Creek.
“We were pretty consistently booked. It wasn’t an expensive rental,” he said. “Each room we have set up has a little mini-apartment. It has its own kitchen and fridge. It is more than just motel rooms. They are all just little apartments.”
The eight rooms of the motel connect to a three-bedroom home. Though Tipping purchased the property in 2011, it dates back to the 1960s, when Tipping says it was a “party spot”.
It’s not yet listed online, but anyone keen to find out more about the sale of the motel should keep an eye out on local real estate sites in the Ontario area.
According to a recent estimate from Money.co.uk, it’s possible the property could sell for around $4,828,000.