Two episodes of the popular US reality TV show House Hunters International were recently shot in Malta.

The programme gives 93 million viewers in 37 countries a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what is possibly the biggest financial and emotional purchase of a person's life - buying a new home.

A Pie Town Productions team was in Malta in the summer to shoot part of the first episode, and the second programme was shot last month. From touring open houses to making offers, each half-hour episode highlights the real experience of finding and purchasing a new home.

House Hunters International has been on air since 1999 and has documented over 350 buyers finding their next homes. The programme started weekly and is now shown three times a week.

In the first episode, Coldwell Banker Malta general manager Geoffrey Ciantar took the protagonists to see three apartments, including a penthouse in the north of Malta, with a budget of €375,000. The second episode covered upmarket properties and villas with a €1.4 million budget.

The three-man production team spent five days filming the properties and the scenic locations around the island, including Mdina.

In each episode, the protagonist makes a decision to buy one of the three properties shown and the production team returns about three months later to interview the person in the new property.