DownTheShore

That Milan couple that was on last night, I just found them to be annoying: another American expat who needs a tub, and a local guy who has to live in a specific neighborhood only. And what realtor shows an already occupied place that isn't going to be available for another six months?

That container tiny house's interior was probably the least efficient use of space I've seen. No privacy, and no room. They might as well be living in a dumpster. And I'm sure its presence is doing just wonders for the neighborhood property values.

I don't know, other than Blind Joe and Victor, I can't tie names to faces yet. Usually I know more of them by now. There seem to be a lot of generic types this year.

Oh gag me! ”The fairy tale could be us" instead of where they live, as the reason he gets her to cave to his bland, under-budget housing choice. After she's been dreaming all of her life about living in a Victorian building in London. This is the couple going from St. Louis to London so she can get her English lit masters degree. He gets a transfer to London so they can move in together for the first time. She's another of those women who's fixated on an English author, this time Virginia Woolf.

I was looking at all the tchotchkes Hilary added to the last house and was thinking the same thing. All that crap isn't cheap. Frankly, if I.was. going to get those folks working on my house, I would give them as much money as I could scrape up because you know the're going to do a good job and bring everything up to code.

That's why I like 2, too. The housing stock is completely different from the Toronto area. I've even come to tolerate Jillian, because she has come up with some nice decor. But to own one of those waterview houses out in BC - wow! Though the original seems to be showing shows now based in the US.

Saw an spisode tonight. 7 or 8 miles from current neighborhood and husband thinks it's ”too far"! ~head-desk~

That was was the woman with Eastern European accent, wasn't it? Bet she met him while he was on a business trip and became the "other woman". I have to wonder about those people buying those Canadian islands that are nothing more than slabs of granite, or those ones buying the swampy islands in South Carolina. The first I wonder about water and sewage, the second I wonder about dealing with bugs and swamp critters.

I really wonder how well those tiny houses on trailers, being hauled back and forth across the country, are going to hold up? There's a reason why RVs are streamlined as much as possible on their exterior, and why welded metal is used in the framework. And all those tiny houses built by Zach always lack closet space for hanging clothes. Yeah, there's a lot of cubbies for household crap, but even someone who doesn't have a lot of clothes has more clothes than he builds in space for. Part of that I know is due to compromises made because those fools want such a small living space. I wonder how quickly some of those homeowners get sick of having just an upright padded bench as a sofa?

Back to the Ocean Beach episode, I just saw this post from the wife on FB: "Thanks for watching Proud to be owners in OB III. Our cottage is on owned land. Just so everyone knows, I had to create some drama so no one would easily guess we would pick the beach bungalow. Love the area and our new OB III neighbors."

Jeez Louise, you guys! When I was a kid, I lived in a four-apt building built in 1919. Better? ;->

Yes, the building was built in 1919, not me - lol. My grandmother bought it when it was new.

Or the ones who have been dating for three months and have decided to buy a house together. I wonder about the ones who just have to have that small place downtown by all the bars and restaurants. At what point does not having enough space in your home start to outweigh the convenience?

She had to have a decorator for that final shot of the place. Every room was just coordinated beautifully. I enjoyed that episode, too. So nice to see sensible people. I thought she was smart not to move in immediately. I mean, who knows, he might have had someone that he was with in Italy and her as his long-distance love. Also she understood that she would need space of her own to adjust to living in another country without having to add adjusting to living with someone else to the mix.

That South Padre Island home went up for sale 3 months after it was purchased.

I can never understand those women who are afraid of going into perfectly innocuous basements that are well-lit and uncluttered. I lived in a four-apt building built in 1919,when I was a kid. There was only one 60W light at the entryway of the cellar for the two corridors that contained wooden-walled storage areas for each apt. Ours was in the back of the cellar and I still don't know what was or if anything was at the end of our corridor section because no light made it there. The only entrance to the cellar was from an outside wooden door that you had to lift open, like a coffin lid. Our yard was open to the unused land under the adjacent roadway bridge, that was used as a shortcut by all and sundry. Now THAT was a scary basement!

I liked the couple moving from Texas to Tjorn Sweden so that the wife could get back in touch with her roots. He made some of the standard Texas comments but he didn't make a bunch of obnoxious comparisons. While I was watching the show, I kept thinking that he reminded me of someone, and now I've got it. Rick Bayless, the chef who has those Mexican cooking shows.

That Padre Island couple! That woman wasn't happy with anything. When she was going through that second house with her decorator friend (who seemed to be recommending all sorts of structural changes as if there was absolutely no cost involved) , I was thinking, “Why don't you just buy a piece of land and BUILD a damn home on it! " But I figured that they were going to get the first place because there was a huge sectional sofa covered up in the family room, which voila, just happened to still be there alomg with their TV when they “moved“ in. I felt really bad for that son who was remaining in the house with them. If there ever was an obvious, second-class kid, that was him. Momma's gonna mould Troy Lynn into a mini-me, and as long as Daddy can play with his boats, no one is going to stop it. She's going to become a little Texas Princess.

After 20+ years of living in an apartment without laundry facilities, that would be one of my primary requirements, that's for sure. Lugging laundry to the laundromat gets old really fast - not to mention expensive.

I understand where everyone is coming from regarding his behavior. His behavior didn't irk me because I saw it as a guy who was holding onto a childhood dream knowing that he was going to have to convince three females, used to their space and creature comforts, to try something completely different. And really, if you're a beach person, a lake is just soooo dull; it just sits there doing nothing. The fact that they did buy the cottage they did makes me think that perhaps they have already vacationed there, the wife and girls knew what they were in for, and realized that post-Sandy is a good time to buy because that event knocked at least $150K off the average cottage price. And going by the price they paid, they probably bought the land too; the majority of the cottages are on leased land. For example, this one finally has a contract on it and it is the third row from the ocean, on leased land and costs less than what they paid. You can see the ocean from the patio (my sibling rented it once): http://www.oceanbeachnj.com/sales-ocean-blocks-20po.html The segment was taped, IIRC, around the end of last year/beginning of this year, according to the word that was going around the community. Cottages on leased land closer to the ocean were going for less than they paid at that point - and still are. Right after Sandy, the ocean front leased lots (empty) were selling for $259K. Now, with a house on them they're going for $700+K.

Actually, at Ocean Beach (which is the name of the community) you can relive your childhood. The community association has deliberately kept things much as they were when the community was built - even through all the devastation caused by Sandy. It's probably harder initially to adapt when you're used to, say, living in a 2000-3000 sq ft home with everyone having their own room and such. I didn't come from that so there wasn't any sense of being cramped. Back in the day those cottages were really rustic with no interior sheathing on the walls. Then wood panelling came along and that was the spiffiest thing - lol. But then people manage to stay in small spaces in an RV or when they go camping, so I guess it depends on the personality. I've still got to disagree about sea air and maintenance issues. None of our major appliances, roofing, siding, air conditioning or doors have had any problems because of it. The windows are vinyl-clad and they've held up well too, with the only replacements needed being the scissor crank on some of them. It's a matter of choosing the right product. You go with a good vinyl siding or cedar shingles or cement board. You don't go the painted wood siding route. You put on asphalt roofing thats designed for hurricane/shore use. You make sure your outdoor light fixtures are powder-coated paint and not lacquered metal. You don't install solid wood exterior doors. You do wrap up your gas grill and air conditioning unit for the winter. Ditto your patio furniture. He's going to have very little maintenance work to do, and cleanup is a breeze - as opposed to the work they would have had to do for that lake house (which was a very nice house at a good price). She's not going to have a big workload and will just get a chance to relax. It's sort of like "island time" when you're down there.

Yet you would be surprised an the number of Mercedes, BMWs, and other luxury cars parked by them. Some of the cottages are landscaped in the front and on the roadside; ours is. But the point is low maintenance. And truly, people don't spend a lot of time hanging around in the cottage. You're on the beach during the day. You often go out to eat, you go to the boardwalk amusement parks, to the race course, play miniature golf or regular golf, to the casinos, to the outlets. You can go crabbing, fishing, boating, kayaking in the bay. You can go deep sea fishing on the party boats; nothing beats a fresh-caught fish dinner. As to outdoor space, the kids have the entire beach to play on in the evenings. We'd eat supper and then head back to the beach to play and fly kites. Re the close quarters, people are respectful and friendly because of those circumstances. There is also a noise curfew at night, and group rentals aren't allowed so there are no party groups renting there.

My family has a place exactly where the Jersey family bought; our cottage is the same size, though remodeled differently. We are also much closer to the beach than their cottage is. The ”sea air” does not destroy things at a quicker rate, because you build, remodel, and buy products that stand up to it, so that is a straw man argument. I always laugh when one of the househunters uses that argument while looking at a property whose owners have been either lax with their maintenance or who haven't kept up with the wear-and-tear that renters create. My family started vacationing there when I was a little kid. It's one of those places where various branches of a family vacation at the same time for a summer get-together. Two of my aunts used to rent there the same time as us, so it was a great chance for cousins from various states to spend time with one another. The community is safe, and the beach is one of those places where you can leave all your stuff there when you go back to the cottage for lunch. The community also has a bayside beach which is very calm and great for little kids. The beaches are clean - no dogs, cars, food, alcoholic beverages allowed. The water is clean and clear, and well life-guarded. It is a very safe place to allow kids to run around; and it's maintained that sense of community for decades. I totally understood where the guy was coming from. I have the same idyllic memories of that place that he does. I'd buy down there instead of on a lake any day. The small size of the cottage is really immaterial because you're on the beach most of the time. And the point that the family is forced to interact with each other more is true; there's no going off to separate areas and being unsocial. Being able to walk up a sand road to the beach at will is a wonderful thing. Not having to carry the beach stuff off if you decide to go back to the cottage to have lunch, go to the bathroom, take the baby/toddler back for a nap is very relaxing. Knowing that you can spend the day on the beach and not have a long drive home is relaxing. All my siblings and all my cousins have nothing but good memories of staying there; I understand why that guy would want his girls to have those memories too. That house they were looking at in Bayville is on the opposite side of Barnegat Bay from Seaside Heights. There are bay beaches there, but to go to the ocean beaches you have to get on a highway and cross a bridge over the bay, find a place to park, and the pay to get on one of the town or state park beaches.

Those bonus rooms, un-sheetrocked, would be called attic apace.

I thought that Victorian was a B&B, too. That front desk was the elephant in the room that no one was mentioning, and the realtor didn't mention doing any conversions. The Gainsville couple seemed to be good people, and it was refreshing to have someone who just appreciated the fact of owning their own house.