Chicken Fingers

Two episodes of HH tonight that were marked as new, and were new to me. The first one had a young woman, a data analyst, fresh out of college, buying a house in Wilmington, DE. I forget how much it was, but it was more than 300k. I wish they'd tell us a little more about how people on the show can afford what they buy. Young people who even want to buy big houses are like alien beings to me. I wanted to travel at that age. Good for her, though. She wanted an old house that had kept its original woodwork, etc. I liked the house she chose. Confession: I hate, loathe, and detest grey fake wood vinyl floors. The second HH was a 31-year-old woman wanting to buy a big house with land in/around Pittsburgh. She chose a nearly windowless monstrosity in varying shades of dark grey. So depressing. The "bedrooms," aside from hers, all looked like dungeons. Her friend/coworker who went along to look at houses was fun.

Former military kid perspective: I saw the military dad in the UK attempting to use the British terms for things (garden=backyard), and he also seemed to be having fun with putting an English spin on his general tone in speaking. I grew up as a military kid living in other countries, and we were given pamphlets when we'd be moving, with tips on local customs, language, etiquette, etc. We were strongly encouraged to show respect and be good guests in our host countries. Some service members and families really took to living abroad, while others never did, and it was about individual personalities and their comfort zones, for the most part, rather than a case of either showing off or being ignorant.

Sitges is a great gay hotspot, so if you don't mind the heat, and can afford it, seems like a nice place to end up.

Sitges is so pretty. I get the feeling production pushed for the young guy to twink it up and put on the demanding act. I hope they slather on the sunscreen.

Which woman ended up sleeping behind a curtain in the living room, I wonder. That had to be hard for them to see the decoy apartment, with three bedrooms, in a better location, when they'd already chosen the other place. I didn't find them annoying, though that seemed to be production's theme to play up. It was three individuals, yes, but they all seemed reasonable.

I liked the house they picked, too. Medford is very nice. And come on, two miles from her parents, who were itching to babysit. They were a pleasant couple. I loved the big rock in the backyard and the stone walls. I have fond childhood memories of playing on big rocks when visiting Massachusetts relatives.

What a fine mid-century Craftsman farmhouse.

I enjoyed the Yokosuka episode, as it was one of the places I lived as a military kid. We lived in a very old Japanese house, and as kids, loved it. Our mother hated it. As soon as I saw the Americanized place closest to the base, I figured that's where they'd end up. It's usually the case for these families with young kids, who are really looking for everyday practicality and convenience over anything, no matter what producers have them say. There's a ton of stuff to do around Yokosuka/Yokohama/Kamakura/Tokyo, and the kids will have amazing experiences. I liked the place down on the beach. That would have been a long ride to school on the base for the kids, though. I remember hating how long it took to get to school and back, and how anxious I'd get because I couldn't read the signs to figure out where I was.

Columbus has been booming for years. It's attracted the big tech companies and people looking for an affordable small city.

She did mention the expense of having two kids in college. She was probably also thinking of the budget for flying back and forth, which a lot of people don't seem to consider. Still, I was surprised she didn't take the house that was 15k over her budget, since the HHI people always seem to do so. How dare they have a sensible person on the show.

The Hague: I hated the house she chose--like a claustrophobic little fishbowl. I wonder if she was planning to age in place there with that staircase, or maybe move to her elderly parents' house eventually. The second house was lovely and cosy, with a fireplace and outside area, and near the beach. It was nice to see a sensible older woman on her own, torn between moving away from her college-aged kids and trying to spend a last bit of time with parents in their 80s. A lot of us can identify with that phase of life.

London: Yeah, when they were saying that kitchen seemed too small, it sounded completely fake and produced. I thought they were a sweet couple.

I wondered about the closet requirement, did a little googling, and it seems that most states have no legal requirement that a bedroom have a closet. (Alabama does.) If there is a requirement, it's down to local codes within counties and cities. Where I live, in a regulation-crazy suburban county of over a million people, there's no closet requirement. I had no idea. At the same time, in newer houses, bedrooms are expected to have closets, and that prevents potential arguments related to appraisals as to whether rooms are bedrooms or dens/offices.

If I'd never seen the show and these people hamming it up, I'd never imagine anyone would climb into a bathtub, in their shoes, while viewing a house. The worst is still when they lie on peoples' beds or let their dogs jump on all the furniture.

Good points. I had one measly cocktail and nodded off before I got to see the dogs.