Sleep on it!

Todd Mathison, his wife, Anne, and children Kori and Caleb were planning to move from Fergus Falls, Minn., to south Minneapolis. They wanted to buy a house near Ebenezer Lutheran Brethren Church, where Todd accepted the job as lead pastor.

One option was a three-bedroom bungalow that was listed for $264,900. The family tested the shower's water pressure, and Anne chopped chicken for a parishioner potluck dinner in the spacious kitchen addition.

The couple also tried out some of the spaces for size. In the master bedroom, for example, they placed a king-size blow-up mattress on top of the queen bed.

"We'd have room for a bed and dresser, that's it," said Todd, lying on the mattress and looking up at clouds painted on the ceiling. "Hey, it's pretty cloudy in here," he joked.

And then they spent the night.

The Mathisons were participating in a local taping last spring of HGTV's "Sleep on It," a hot real estate reality show that follows potential buyers as they "kick the tires" of a home before signing a purchase agreement.

Now in its second season, "Sleep on It" was among HGTV's Top 10 shows last month. The episode that features the Mathisons premieres at 10 p.m. Sunday. It's the second of six episodes filmed in the Twin Cities recently. Another Minnesota family will be featured in the show's 5 p.m. episode on Sunday.

Their sales agent, Scott Wojahn of Edina Realty, heard about the show and asked if they were interested in participating. The outgoing, close-knit family aced the video interview, and before long they were house-hunting intensely to settle on the home where they would spend the night.

Steve Edelman, president of Edelman Productions and the show's executive producer, came up with the idea after he read a New York Times story about prospective buyers test-driving high-end homes.

"It was a different approach than the other real estate shows," he said. "It had that anything-can-happen potential."

Viewers get an insider's look at other people's homes, hear buyer's personal stories and learn inspection tricks. House hunters such as the Mathisons get a 24-hour chance to eat, sleep and live in a house they like.

"You can't get a feel for a house in 20 minutes," said Kara Wayne, a producer for Edelman Productions, which is based in San Francisco but has a Minneapolis office. "After spending the night, they may find out they love it -- or it could expose the home's warts."

Of course, each episode ends with morning-after suspense: Will they make an offer or walk away? Cue the dramatic music.

The morning after

After spending the night in the house, the Mathisons discussed the home's many good points as they gathered around the kitchen table.

It had abundant charm, with crown moldings, a brick fireplace and wood floors. The kitchen addition was functional and roomy. The kids could have their own space, with Caleb in the lower level and Kori in the attic bedroom.

They liked the neighborhood, which had a park where they could walk the dog and it's near the Midtown Global Market, which they visited the day before with the film crew in tow.

"We never felt uncomfortable," Todd said. "The house had a welcoming feel the first time we saw it."

There were some drawbacks, however. The yard was too shady for their liking, the water pipes were noisy and the master bedroom was a bit too small for their furniture. And the price was more than they planned to spend.

The family decided -- with the cameras rolling -- to buy the house. "It was a little stressful, being on a TV show and trying to make a decision on a house in real time," Todd recalled.

Two weeks later, they started negotiations with the seller, but couldn't agree on a price within their budget.

The family was devastated, but eventually bought a two-story home blocks away from Todd's church that they like even better. It has four bedrooms, an updated kitchen and a retreat for Anne: a four-season porch.

"Although we didn't buy the home on the TV show," said Todd, who will host a screening party for friends when the show airs, "the experience opened our eyes to want we really wanted in a house."

Lynn Underwood • 612-673-7619