Ok, thanks for the reality check!!! Yes, what you all say makes sense. This other tv show, Wheelers Dealers, show how a car is purchased and rebuilt & it goes something like this: 3,000 pounds to buy the car, 1,000 pounds for parts and the car is sold for 5,000 pounds and they claim a profit of a 1,000 pounds. Of course, in this case it is obvious that they don't include labor, which could be 3,000 pounds. So if Love it or List it follows this theme, labor is picked up by the show and the materials is heavily discounted! I bet even the realtors commission is on the show's expense.
Just as there are truth in advertising laws. there should be laws governing the integrity of reality shows for the naive like myself! At the least, there should be disclaimer at the end of the show saying the finances may not be factual.