Brandywine Hundred couple land on HGTV's 'House Hunters' Monday night

When was the last time one of your Facebook posts garnered 800 likes? 

That's what has happened since Brandywine Hundred's Matt Farina posted a secret he's been keeping with his wife Jessica for seven months: they will be featured on HGTV's "House Hunters" reality show Monday night at 8:30.

In an episode titled "Going Long in Wilmington," the Farinas are tracked by cameras as they search for their "forever home" with children Kiley, 5, and son Kamden, who turns 2 next month.

But the Farinas' house search stands out from the thousands of others that have been featured on the program since its 1999 debut because their realtor, Meredith Rosenthal, has known Matt since he was young.

Really young.

As a close friend of his sister growing up, she was at the house when Matt was brought home from the hospital as a newborn.

The longtime friendship was an irresistible hook for "House Hunters" producers, who filmed in Wilmington, Greenville and Townsend this past June and July during the couple's eight-month house hunt.

"They loved that I had known him for so long," says Rosenthal of Greenville-based Mottola Group of Long & Foster Real Estate.

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As Jessica puts it, "It's not every day that you've known the realtor you're working with for your entire life."

When the Farinas decided to move from their four-bedroom, 1,800-square-foot split-level in Claymont's Ashbourne Hills and begin house-hunting with Rosenthal by their side, Matt had an idea.

Since Jessica and Matt's mother, Janet, both watch "House Hunters," he applied to be on the show at the end of 2017. And after a "grueling" process of interviews and video submissions, they were chosen.

"Knowing they both enjoy it and it's their little bond together, I took the initiative to reach out to see how far we could go," says Matt, 37, a physical education teacher at Mount Pleasant Elementary School. 

Rosenthal says she has been watching "House Hunters" throughout its 19-year run, so it didn't take much cajoling to get her on board.

"I always have HGTV on, so the hardest part was not being able to tell anybody," she says. "I have people coming up to me now saying, 'Why didn't you tell me?!?' They were so upset with me.

"But they think it's the coolest thing. The response from former clients, friends and family has been really great."

In the end, the Farinas fell in love with a four-bedroom, 2,900-square-foot Colonial in Brandywine Hundred's Yardley Place development.

"We wanted to find something that fit us as a family — something that we were proud of," Matt says. "A lot of people are proud of different things in their life and for us it was a house. We wanted to raise our kids somewhere that was safe and comfortable."

While Rosenthal will be hosting a watch party for former clients, friends and family at a downtown Wilmington restaurant, the Farinas opted for a low-key family affair in their new home.

"The anticipation is exciting because we still haven't seen it," says Jessica, a 34-year-old workers compensation supervisor. "We'll be watching it for the first time just like everybody else. "

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

IF YOU WATCH

What: "House Hunters" featuring Brandywine Hundred couple Matt and Jessica Farina

When: Monday, 8:30 p.m.

Where: HGTV