Here's How Vacation House Rules' Scott McGillivray Really Got His Start In Real Estate

While HGTV Canada host Scott McGillivray of "Vacation House Rules" may seem like a natural in front of the camera, a TV career was never McGillivray's aim. Rather, he just enjoyed fixing and building things around the home growing up. As he explained to Remodeling Magazine, McGillivray's love of carpentry started early. "I've always been into it," he said. "Even as a kid, I was into woodworking, carpentry, building furniture just as a hobby." Ultimately, it was this hobby that led to McGillivray's start in real estate while he was still in college.

As a marketing management student at the University of Guelph, McGillivray was tasked during his second year with creating a business plan. And it was this plan that set McGillivray on his way to a real estate (and TV) career. Rather than pay for off-campus student housing, McGillivray, based on the plan he made for that marketing course, used some of his student loan money to buy a rental home. He ended up fixing it up and then renting it out to other students as well. After that, the remodeling bug bit, and McGillivray turned one rental property into 25 by the time he was 25 years old.

While it may have started with just real estate renovation and investing, Scott McGillivray has expanded his portfolio of talents to include all things real estate. Along with his brand management company, McGillivray Group, of which he is CEO, he also runs his own production company McGillivray Entertainment Media and is a television producer on his own TV series. He regularly speaks on real estate and actively contributes to the blog on his eponymous website that's full of real estate investing tips and advice.

McGillivray also recently teamed up with his longtime friend and fellow Canadian Bryan Baumler of "Renovation Island" for a new competition show called "Renovation Resort," which features four teams competing against one another to see which duo can renovate their resort cabin the best. It should be an all-hands-on-deck project, as McGillivray notes on his website that the property is "[a]n absolute wreck!"

A real estate expert, contractor, entrepreneur, author, educator, and HGTV host, Scott McGillivray has now become a well-known figure on the small screen and in his home country of Canada, but he doesn't get caught up in the fame. He also makes sure to give back. A longtime supporter of and ambassador for Habitat for Humanity in Canada, McGillivray not only donates products to the Habitat ReStore — including usable materials demoed during his shows — but he also takes the time out of his active schedule to build homes for those in need.

Though his hard work and entrepreneurial spirit have played a part in his successes, McGillivray also clearly feels lucky to be able to do what he does, and he is enthusiastic about encouraging others if they're interested in following in his footsteps. "It's amazing to look back and see that this all started with a school project and the decision to make it real by buying that first house," McGillivray said (via the University of Guelph). "There are always opportunities out there. Sometimes they are harder to find, but they are there."