Unsellable Houses - General Discussion

[65mickey]

There was an Unsellable Houses marathon on yesterday leading up to the season premiere. If I remember correctly they bought this house mentioned above for $515,000. So nice profit for them. 

The new show has them fixing up their cousin's house. They allegedly spent $60,000. It looked to me like they took the house down to the studs and even put on all new siding, new flooring, total gut job on the bathroom and turned an unfinished laundry into a beautiful mud room complete with new washer and dryer.   In real life this most likey would have cost way over $100,000. I can see where this show is going. 

[3 is enough]

I find all of the pricing for the work done to be quite low.  Maybe they can get the materials at wholesale prices, and their contractor/buddy cuts them a deal because the show pays him, but in the real world there is no way you could get all that work done for such a low price.

[CrazyInAlabama]

So one the new episode with the cousin, the cousins took out a support post, and the roof was sagging, and the home owners noticed their huge mistake and did nothing about it?  Fortunately, Jeff and the crew fixed the support for the ceiling, and fixed the broken ceiling joists. (I didn't put that in before, Jeff did fix the construction issues.  Thanks to jennblevins for pointing that out). 

I didn't like the wall paper, I didn't like the orange terra cotta color on the fire place, and where did they put the water heater?   I guess in the attic?    I hate hot water heaters in the attic.   The new kitchen back splash was nice.    I liked the first light Jeff put over the kitchen sink, and found the Rattan replacement to be boring, didn't match anything, and added nothing to the design.     I would have put a wall back going out to where the support post was taken out, moved the fridge there, and added so much more cabinet space, and counter space.  

I couldn't believe they had the gall to call that third bedroom, a bedroom.   It's wouldn't even have been a decent closet, office, or any other space.    I agree with the others who would have changed that to a second bathroom.   I also would have made the kitchen u-shaped, and added the extra wall of cabinets, and counter space. 

I keep wondering what will happen if the housing market cools down, and the people who bought homes like this one for so much over asking, want to sell?    The buyers are so far above market price, had to pay extra over list, and to get a mortgage on the appraised price can happen, but not the over asking price.  Unless the buyer paid all cash.    

I can't believe that not only did the cousin and wife rip out the breakfast bar, the counter space, and leave the ceiling unsupported, but the back splash tile was peel and stick?   They couldn't even regrout the tub properly.    What homeowners doesn't paint everything neutral, and clear out their personal stuff before trying to sell.  I call garbage on the cousins not looking at the house next door.   If there was an open house, I bet they went.  

So, the sisters sold the house to the cousin the first time?   So, they sold a house without a washer line, or drain?    And the cousin and wife lived with that awful, tiny capacity washer.   

I would have passed on that house.   The 'office', third bedroom was plenty big enough for a tub/shower combo, toilet, and sink.   

I liked the shutter color before, not after.    

When the twins went to the house, weren't they driving the VW van Ginger?   The one they claim they sold last season?  

Edited April 19, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[jennblevins]

I thought they mentioned Jeff fixing the beam issues, but I guess they didn’t show it since the twins couldn’t find a way to ham it up?

I think they really missed out on the potential to add a second bathroom - even just a powder room.  The “mud room” seemed oddly placed, to me — it looked like the door opened up to the middle of the backyard, not likely a place they’ll be coming in from that often?  

That said, I liked the tile choices in this episode.

I hope the house isn’t too noisy, with US2 that close. On the plus side, they’re further from the prison and closer to Fred Meyer.

I was disappointed by the lack of house-eating rhododendrons in this episode, though. I was hoping for some good ones to start the season!

[MartyQui]

I couldn’t believe that yet again they had a kitchen with so little counter space!

[SusanwatchingTV]

I'm sure they fixed the beam problem. The guy specifically said they would and they would re-joist the entire ceiling. They also raised the ceiling a few inches, which I thought did make a difference.

I'll join with the rest of y'all in not understanding why they didn't put in a second bathroom instead of the tiny "office" room.  Another bathroom would have added a lot more value and made a lot more sense, imho.

[bilgistic]

I thought we were moving away from open plan everything since the pandemic began?

Why not put an island with a cooktop in the kitchen to add some cabinets and since apparently everyone entertains all the time, the cook's back wouldn't be to everyone else in the house the whole time?

The color on the fireplace and shutters was hideous. The darker color on the shutters looked better before. The wallpaper was weirdly beachy—and they put it in the nook in the master bedroom! It's going to be immediately removed.

Echoing the mentions that they should've done a half bath instead of a third "bedroom" (no closet, so not a bedroom). I would give up a toe to have a second bathroom, and it's just my boyfriend and me in a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment.

They gutted that house except for the cabinets, the fireplace and the main bedroom. $60,000, my ass.

[ECM1231]

14 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

I find all of the pricing for the work done to be quite low.  Maybe they can get the materials at wholesale prices, and their contractor/buddy cuts them a deal because the show pays him, but in the real world there is no way you could get all that work done for such a low price.

I hate mostly all of the tiling they choose for the bathrooms. Their personalities grate on me. I'm iffy most of the time on their design.

[65mickey]

9 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Why not put an island with a cooktop in the kitchen to add some cabinets and since apparently everyone entertains all the time, the cook's back wouldn't be to everyone else in the house the whole time?

 

I find this emphasis on entertaining when designing or purchasing a house really funny. On the "House Hunters" show almost every single client mentions the need for entertaining when deciding on which home to buy.  I have bought 4 homes over the course of my life and not once did the need for entertaining come into play when deciding on a home purchase. For some of the people featured on these shows it seems to be what drives the decision. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 4/13/2022 at 2:26 PM, jennblevins said:

I thought they mentioned Jeff fixing the beam issues, but I guess they didn’t show it since the twins couldn’t find a way to ham it up?

I think they really missed out on the potential to add a second bathroom - even just a powder room.  The “mud room” seemed oddly placed, to me — it looked like the door opened up to the middle of the backyard, not likely a place they’ll be coming in from that often?  

That said, I liked the tile choices in this episode.

I hope the house isn’t too noisy, with US2 that close. On the plus side, they’re further from the prison and closer to Fred Meyer.

I was disappointed by the lack of house-eating rhododendrons in this episode, though. I was hoping for some good ones to start the season!

Yes, Jeff and the crew put proper supports in where the cousins removed the post holding up the entire kitchen/dining/living area.   The homeowners are lucky it didn't cave in. 

I don't like leather pulls on cabinets.    I would rather have a color matching hardware.   I liked the kitchen back splash, and the new bathroom is spectacular.      I still don't like the green accent wall, or the terracotta fireplace.  In the bedroom where they turned the space next to the closet into a vanity,  I would have expanded the closet.   They took a lot of closet space out of the house.  

I dislike that they build the counter top and cabinets around the washer/dryer, I want full access.  

I'm guessing the ending where the cousins waited until the house was ready to close, to go house shopping was just a storyline.   I fail to understand how they were doing the cousins a favor with investing, and splitting the profits, that's what they always do. 

They're showing reruns until the updated episode, followed by the new one this evening.   I'm watching part of the hoarder house episode, and the seller is really ticked about them redoing the house.    He doesn't like anything about it.    Every time they ask him if he likes it, he says how different it looks.   I'm sure the neighbors were so happy everything changed.   My opinion is the back splash in the kitchen looks awful.   I'm not liking the interior paint colors, but I usually don't.   I'm tired of that green accent wall they used several times last season.  

I really dislike that they put a big plant in almost all of the showers.     

Tonight's new one in Bothell, home seller was a schoolmate of the twins, and just wanders by when the twins, and husbands are having lunch? 

I think I understand why they decorate so trendy, they are competing with new builds, and those are trendy.    I hate that the house is on a flag lot (a house with a long driveway, because it's built behind another house, or in the middle behind two houses.    I know they had talked about the flag lot driveway as hard to back out of, just turn around by the house, and go forward.   

The new build comp, 2 bed 1.75 bath sold for $750k.   The prices in Seattle are just as bad as L.A.   The dark haired twin wants to paint the perfectly nice exterior, and I think that's a waste of money. Why do they act like they're picking tile and other finishes?    They are obviously buying in bulk, and reusing the same stuff.   If you're short on money, don't tile an entire wall, or do the wall behind the washer/dryer.    Don't do a herring bone pattern on the shower walls because it costs more time, and labor.  Use much larger tile, and save on labor for installation and grouting.    I hate built in headboards, unless you make them very wide, it may not match the size of the new owner's bed.  Sneaky to put a wide 'headboard' in the main bedroom, and only put what looks like a double bed in there, to make the room look bigger.   It's 3 bed 2.5 bath on the sale house.   I would have used a wider counter top on the main bath vanity.   Listed for $785k with 4 offers, $830k sale price $55k over list.  The winning buyer waived financing contingency, and a 2 day inspection period. 

The comp that was shown was ridiculous.   A 2 bed 1.75 bath isn't a comp for a 3 bed 2.5 bath.   

 

Edited April 24, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[YupItsMe]

Re the cousins, what I want to know is where they were putting the kids before the remodel (if they were even really living there)? They showed one bedroom with a large bed and another with a futon and huge tv. The only evidence of children was that weird teddy bear rug thing tacked on the wall. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 4/24/2022 at 4:28 AM, YupItsMe said:

Re the cousins, what I want to know is where they were putting the kids before the remodel (if they were even really living there)? They showed one bedroom with a large bed and another with a futon and huge tv. The only evidence of children was that weird teddy bear rug thing tacked on the wall. 

That's a great point.   I wonder if they were renting the place out, and the renters ripped the breakfast bar and support post out?    

Tonight's new episode, "Million Dollar Design" in Edmunds (Edmonds?)  a woman who used to work in the real estate office when the dark haired sister started in real estate, wants to sell a house that didn't sell for $800k, for $1 million plus.      I calling garbage on the back story.   So, someone who worked in real estate is trying to sell a place with all of the personal pictures and everything else out, a bedroom that has purple carpet, and garish walls, etc.     

I don't think so.    I never sold or worked in real estate, and I know you depersonalize, stow the personal pictures, and declutter, counters all bare, and everything sparkling clean.   You get rid of garish paint, bizarre carpet, and clean the place up before you ever talk to the realtor.    I bet it hasn't been on the market, and they told the potential sellers not to change or clean up anything before filming started. 

I agree with adding a 4th bedroom.   I think the $100k reno budget is the biggest they've had.   It's so easy and quick to take down full wall mirrors like the house has, you don't have to smash them all. 

Their 'tile packages' are just the same stuff as always.  However, in the Seattle area, the market is so hot, and even hotter now, that I think they could do very minimal updates with some flooring, and paint, and clearing out the old fashioned decor, and still get a great price.   

I don't see adding a walk in closet in the main bedroom as innovative, without that I think a lot of buyers would want a price reduction to add one.   

I don't like their green paint on the kitchen soffit, or the wood decor they added to it.   All the paint and wood just draw your attention to the strange looking soffit.  I would have refaced the existing cabinets, and added others to match, and saved a lot of money.     The 4th bedroom in the walk out basement level is tiny.   

The moving kitchen island doesn't have anywhere for bar stools, or a peninsula to sit at.   So, where is the casual bar stool eating area?    They put so much on the walls, and now the walls are full of nail holes, and all of that will have to be fixed.  

They seem to be obsessed with dark green accent walls in the bedroom.   No door on the main bathroom, I hate that.   The closet addition isn't big enough, or useful enough.   

The downstairs bar shelves are too high to be useful.  I don't see any reason to add shelves to the downstairs wet bar either.   I guess it never dawns on anyone that it's an earthquake area, and anything on flat metal shelves will end up on the floor? 

I dislike the fireplace tile, and the matching wall tile above the back  splash in the kitchen.   We've seen the lozenge shaped back splash black tile in the kitchen often too.   

Listed at $1 million, 8 offers, sold at $1.320,000. 

Edited April 27, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[65mickey]

So far this season, they have renovated the cousin's house, a high school friend's house and now tonight more friend's house and they are shooting for$1,000,000 plus.  This show is getting tiring. 

[deirdra]

On 4/24/2022 at 9:38 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Listed at $1 million, 8 offers, sold at $1.320,000. 

Despite the ghastly, busy, cheap-looking tile behind the stove and around the fireplace.

[Gam2]

I really dislike their latest commercial where they’re “dancing” and acting so full of themselves. Huh? Act your age and just do good work for a change.

[bilgistic]

20 hours ago, deirdra said:

Despite the ghastly, busy, cheap-looking tile behind the stove and around the fireplace.

It was hideous.

[CruiseDiva]

12 hours ago, bilgistic said:

It was hideous.

Personally, I thought most of the house looked better before they "updated" it, although I liked the master bath and closet. Was there a bathroom in the lower level? If not, that bedroom is kind of a fail without a full bathroom nearby.

Are these two nitwits really top selling real estate agents in the area? 

[pasdetrois]

What sensible designer uses the word "dark" to describe a design theme? Homeowners want as much light as they can get.

I hate the tacky, cheap plywood strips nailed to wall surfaces.

I notice the twins have started pretending that they mirror each other's speech, saying words at the same time. They did it on Rock the Block too. But they didn't do it during earlier seasons of this show. It's fake and annoying.

I think the blonde twin and their contractor are the ones with skills (well, the contractor has skills), and the brunette is doing stuff any homeowner can do.

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by pasdetrois

[jennblevins]

I’m surprised that they didn’t add something closer to a full kitchen in the basement — it could have been set up as a rental apartment or a space for an elderly parent or some such. 

ETA: @CruiseDiva , they mentioned on their Instagram that there was a bathroom in the basement. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by jennblevins

[pasdetrois]

I wondered about the kitchenette, too. Some jurisdictions don't allow any kind of kitchen arrangement in a basement.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I remember them showing a bathroom in the basement, and the tiny fourth bedroom.   

Lots of places don't allow another full stove, and kitchen set up in the basement, because people rent it out, and they're single family only.    However, apparently adding an ADU is OK in that area. 

After reading Kirklandia's comment, maybe they would have had to change plumbing around or something to put in a full kitchen in the basement?   Adding a big sink, dishwasher, and big stove would require more plumbing, electrical work, and who knows if a buyer would want that?  I don't think the money they spent on upgrading everything to the basement for a mini kitchen would have returned much on the sale price. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[kirklandia]

2 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

 

I wondered about the kitchenette, too. Some jurisdictions don't allow any kind of kitchen arrangement in a basement.

 

In Snohomish County, anyone can add an accessory dulling unit (with cooking facilities) to their home. In "Urban" zones, two units can be added.  
In the Seattle area, restrictions on ADUs have been relaxed considerably for the last several years because of the lack of availability of affordable housing.

[MartyQui]

Another ugly kitchen with a useless island.  I'm not paying $1.3M for a house with a rolling island.

[jennblevins]

I guess I wasn’t thinking of a full kitchen in the basement — just something slightly less bar-like, maybe with a few upper cabinets, a larger sink, and a mini-fridge instead of a wine cooler.  (I grew up reasonably near the house in the episode — maybe this sort of thing is a local oddity?)

They posted more pictures on Instagram … apparently there’s a sauna and a hot tub, too. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 4/28/2022 at 4:04 PM, MartyQui said:

Another ugly kitchen with a useless island.  I'm not paying $1.3M for a house with a rolling island.

And with no breakfast bar or peninsula for more seating.    

Tonight's new episode in Everett, owners lived in the house for a while, then moved (did they say South America?) and the house has been rented for 11 years, now they want to fix it up, and sell it.    First, I hate the red stain on the siding upper level shakes.    I guess they're playing roles tonight, dark haired twin pushing for expensive changes and reworking the deck, and that will require a long permit process, over the sensible twin pushing for fixing the deck.  

I hate the idea of putting a metal awning over the top of the bow window in the living room.  I can't tell you how much I dislike the awning over the bow window   I don't want a banquette, but I'm hoping their buyer will.   I hate painted floors, so I would put a floor leveler, and then put LVP over it.   Click together would be finished in a day.  

I hate that the upstairs bedroom now qualifies as a 3rd bedroom because of that tiny, short closet.   I still hate their junky looking, over-the-top staging.    $500k for that tiny house.  Sells for $520k waived appraisal.   

I know since it's been rented for so long, that the couple wouldn't be able to gets the homeseller profit exception, so have to pay capital gains on any profits (I think it's capital gains, may be something else).    I think the owners made their profits renting it for so many years, apparently with minimal upkeep.   If they kept good records, and depreciated the house, and took the usual deductions for improvements, they probably didn't want to make a big profit because of the taxes.  I think they just wanted to get rid of the house, and not have to worry about long distance ownership.     

The pointless arguing between the sisters is ridiculous.   

 If you're trying to save money on remodeling, then don't do some expensive apron sink.   I wonder if there were laundry hookups?   I don't remember any.    I know there's an inventory shortage, but I would have passed on a two story house with only the main floor bathroom.   

I think the big hatch on the foundation was only for storage, maybe the furnace and hot water heater were down there?   The ceiling height didn't look big tall enough for real use.  I looked online, and $520k was a great price for that house.   I saw some at $500k, and they were larger, and nicer, so getting $20k over asking was a good price.  

Edited May 5, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[bilgistic]

I, too, hated that awning. It took all the "retro charm" from the house's facade. Totally unnecessary--and we kept getting a camera shot under the awning so we could see the awkwardly covered window "roof".

The kitchen cabinet color was industrial green, and I will die on this hill.

I actually didn't mind the banquette, but they spent way too much money on the kitchen in general—$30K on a small galley kitchen!

I also hate painted floors. I can't imagine why a sanding and sealing wouldn't be OK. Yes, Jeff, I realize you can't do it over and over, but it hasn't been done in at least 14 years. It's not a mystery how old the house is. Do people really expect "new" quality in a 1950s house?

The biggest mistake was not adding a second bathroom. Spend less on the high-end finishes in the kitchen and the fancy tile everywhere and put in a half bath somewhere. Three bedrooms and one bath (with one sink) might limit the so-called buyer pool to a single-person buyer. Two bathrooms with two bedrooms can house up to two adults and two kids. My boyfriend and I (we rent) have one bathroom with one sink and what I wouldn't give for a second bathroom!

Was there a laundry room/closet anywhere?

The 1970s ranch house I grew up in that my folks still live in is less than 1100 square feet. It has a living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, three bedrooms, and two full baths--one with a tub and the other with a shower. There was room in that house on the show to fix the layout.

[jennblevins]

I also thought the awning wasn’t much of an improvement, and that money would have been better spent on … something. I liked the kitchen, though, and I didn’t mind the painted floors. 

It looked like there was some sort of basement (there was a door to it next to the stairs from the deck), so maybe there was a laundry area down there?  There was also a detached garage, but it was so detached that it would be awfully annoying to take the laundry over there, so probably not in the garage. 

It seemed like this house had a really great location, so convenient to the college and the hospital. 

I’m really beginning to wonder if we’ll get any house-eating rhododendrons this seasons, though. So far two houses didn’t have any at all, and two had only slightly-overgrown ones, just nibbling at a walkway here or there. It’s kind of disappointing. 

[Grrarrggh]

8 hours ago, bilgistic said:

It's not a mystery how old the house is. Do people really expect "new" quality in a 1950s house?

Just from HGTV it seems 99% of buyers expect to walk into a single public room grey/white subway tiled house no matter the age or outside architecture. And that anything built before 2092, even if it was torn down to the studs and rebuilt, will fall apart the minute the contract goes through. 

[pasdetrois]

The profit seemed tiny given the location and how long the owners had the house. The twins could have done more and increased the sales price and profit.

Edited May 5, 2022 by pasdetrois

[MartyQui]

I think they bought the house for $250,000 so $435,000 (plus the rental income over the past 11 years) seems like a good deal to me?

Do the twins pay to have all the holes from hanging the typewriters on the wall fixed?

[bilgistic]

I was irrationally angry about the typewriters. Those would've had to be hung from screws in drywall anchors or nails driven into the studs. Either way, yes--wall damage for some twee staging.

[Pine]

I liked this one, 1920's house.  Just recently sold a house very much like this one, and it was interesting to see what they did.   I did sell for 3x more than they got, but, Everett is just coming up on higher prices.    The eastside is about maxed out, people are moving north.

On another note, we spent Mother's Day in Snohomish.  Got to visit Lamb, the twins new store.  Very nice, and good prices.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

So, "Fancy Farmhouse" so the twins are looking for their high school VW bug convertible, and 'just happen' to run into a couple of people who want their house improved for sale.    I like their house, agree the kitchen needs improvement.   However, I disagree with changing the formal, but not really enclosed dining room into more living room, and only having a little table in the kitchen eat in area, with seating for the island.    I don't like that they always do wasteful things.    Why spend money on a waterfall edge on the island?   I wouldn't want a two section living room, and no decent dining room. 

However, a blue farmhouse/apron kitchen sink, with black cabinets leaves me cold.   The free standing tub with a black outside doesn't nothing for me either, and I have to laugh when Jeff the contractor says the tub won't fit.  Of course, they find a way to wedge the free standing tub into the end of the bathroom.   Good luck ever cleaning around it. 

In the bonus room, they set it up as a playroom, and put a tall ladder to the little loft area, that's very dangerous.   I can see some kid falling off of the ladder, and bouncing right down the stairs. 

They're painting all of the trim, walls, ceilings white, and the doors are all black.     That's the same thing they did at the house where the three bedrooms, became two bedrooms, and they converted it back.   

The kitchen is very taste specific, with the black cabinets, and blue sink.    Moving the dining makes everything look crowded in the family/kitchen/dining area.   The main bedroom closet is nice, but I don't like a bunch of decorative shelves. Put either regular shelves with more hanging space under them, and above them, or shoe shelves if it's too narrow for hanging space.   Putting way too much staging stuff in the rooms just makes the rooms look smaller. 

By the way, it was their high school VW Bug, and the dark haired twin bought it. 

Edited May 11, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[bilgistic]

I actually liked most of the design this week, but that's because my favorite color is black. Black isn't "farmhouse", though.🥴 I don't know where they come up with this stuff. I didn't like the blue sink at all. I always hate the staging, especially those stupid signs like "Laundry" in the laundry room or "Eat" in the kitchen. I've seen the same mirrors in three houses now.

The "suspenseful storyline" about the VW was so overwrought, but their Beetles make me miss my first car, which was a very used 1977 Beetle. I started driving in 1991.

Edited May 11, 2022 by bilgistic

[deirdra]

I actually LOLed when they were standing in the backyard and the blonde one was giving one of her clipped yet huffy & puffy declarative speeches and the brunette one goes - "who are you talking to?" Blondie says "I was talking directly to you". Yes, she was 2 'foot' away, but projecting her voice loud enough to be heard in the next county.  

I agree about the "farmhouse" sink and the B&W tub.  Plain white would have been more clean-looking and spa-like. And buyers can choose their favourite colour schemes with towels and accessories.

Edited May 11, 2022 by deirdra

[pasdetrois]

9 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I always hate the staging, especially those stupid signs like "Laundry" in the laundry room or "Eat" in the kitchen. I've seen the same mirrors in three houses now.

I mean, we've been seeing this stuff for 20 years.

The blue sink read mint green on my TV screen.

My first car: 74 Super Beetle. Drove it cross-country and back with no air conditioning one summer. (Ah youth). I wouldn't mind owning a VW bus.

This design was cleaner than some of their previous ones. The homeowners had a beautiful property and the home was already in great shape.

The twins' loud, emphatic enunciation has always been hard to take, especially when said enunciation is endless prattle.

 

 

[deirdra]

5 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

The blue sink read mint green on my TV screen.

And if she wanted it as a feature, why did she surround it in a busy off-white "marble" countertop? It made the sink & countertop both look dull & dingy.  The fancy bathroom with different tiles on the floor, walls and shower pan weren't impressive - white and two shades of beige next to each other made them all look dingy, especially with the mix of different sized squares and rectangles and a 4th set of rectangles on the shower door.  Unfortunately Jeff must not have had enough tiles to use only two types, like he did in a previous episode with tiles that didn't look good together.

I also don't get the attraction of painting all the interior doors black (or tan, in a previous house) unless you have someone with limited vision who has a hard time finding doors in the hallway. I don't see how the cost of labour, time and paint adds value. 

Edited May 11, 2022 by deirdra

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 5/11/2022 at 12:20 PM, deirdra said:

I also don't get the attraction of painting all the interior doors black (or tan, in a previous house) unless you have someone with limited vision who has a hard time finding doors in the hallway. I don't see how the cost of labour, time and paint adds value. 

They did that in the rerun that was one of the repeats with commentary, where it had been the late mother's house, and was being put on the market.   it had two main suites, and they put the third bedroom back in.   I think it was their highest profit over reno, and original price, they split over $200k.  

They claimed that white walls, trim, ceilings, and black doors make a statement.   My statement would be "call the painters', and get a nice neutral on all of the walls, change the doors back to white.   The painters would charge a fortune to spackle, and fix all of the nail holes too. 

I've found the tile selection to be the same things over and over, and look like they mix and match what they bought on clearance, or what was left over from other jobs.  I can't imagine how difficult it is to clean up water spills around that tub.   I hope the never need to work on the plumbing either.  

As a buyer, I would either want only the big shower, or a tub/shower combo in the main bath.  

Edited May 12, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[MartyQui]

I *hated* that black tub crammed into the corner.  Tubs like that are supposed to be a sculptural element, and you lost all of that impact.  And the bed in the bedroom crammed into the corner too.  I think I only watch this show as a "what not to do" object lesson.

[Gam2]

5 hours ago, MartyQui said:

I *hated* that black tub crammed into the corner.  Tubs like that are supposed to be a sculptural element, and you lost all of that impact.  And the bed in the bedroom crammed into the corner too.  I think I only watch this show as a "what not to do" object lesson.

We once stayed in the home of a friend for a wedding weekend. They had a black tub, black sinks and a black toilet in the master bath. OMG. Try to clean any of those things after just one use! We bathed our grandson in the tub one time and I like to have never gotten the soap scum off of that thing. Please, folks. Do not ever use black anything!

[deirdra]

I cringe every time they grind the gears while driving their various VWs. You'd think after 25 years of driving Bugs and Buses that they'd have learned to fully depress a clutch.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight's new one "Cottage Vibe" is in Everett.  It's owned by a grandmother, mother and daughter selling the family home, they've been in the home for 53 years. .    Both twins finally went to the salon, and the brunette one's hair is too dark and flat, and the blonde twin is going more blonde, and hopefully getting rid of those funky roots.   (No, blondish sister still has dark roots.  Apparently another style I missed hearing about). 

The house has a lot of projects that never finished, including no upper kitchen cabinets, and the hood vent pipe sticking out of the ceiling.   They also took all of the furniture out.   It still amazes me that a house with unfinished projects, window air conditioning, a bad roof, and spotty siding, was on the market for $420k.  The main bedroom and ensuite are nice, but the other three are small.  They want to convert the addition, current main and en suite back to living space, and turn the second bathroom and third /original main bedroom into ensuite, and the fourth bedroom will become a second living space.  They're moving the current laundry in the carport storage/laundry, into a closet in the hallway.  I really dislike hall closet laundry.    They're using a Cottagecore style. 

I really dislike the herringbone brick tile on the kitchen floor. The dark kitchen cabinets make the kitchen look tiny.   I think the exterior color is too dark.   Part of cottage-core is floral, so they want to put flowered wallpaper in the living or family room, but the twin's  mother demands it goes in the bedroom or bath.  The new main bedroom is tiny, and the en suite is as big as the bedroom.   The former laundry is staged as a drum room.  The back yard has the former front door leaning up next to the garden beds, propped up by cinder blocks, with the garden plants written on it.   

As usual, they sell for $65k over list, and split almost twice what they were hoping for.  

Edited May 19, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[FormerMod-a1]

I did not like the fridge smack dab in the middle of the wall of cabinets - it stuck out like a sore thumb.  I thought it would be better in a corner or end, or if it needed to be in the middle for some reason then get a cabinet depth one.  You'd have to constantly be stepping around that thing while working in the kitchen.

I also did not like the front "porch" it was really just a walkway with a half-wall along it - no way you could put a table or chairs there or anything. 

If anything, I would have staged the drum room as the office and left the other 3 bedrooms be staged as bedrooms, but now that I think about it, did it have any windows?  I also think it would have been fine to keep it as a laundry room, especially if you no longer had to step outside to get to it, and use that hall closet space for one of the small rooms.

Lastly, I thought just propping that door up in the back yard was odd - why even bother?  But overall, the backyard did look a lot better.

All that negativity said and done, I do think it looked a lot better after.  I really liked the exterior color, and the color of the floors and white accents, etc.  Didn't love the furniture colors but that's just staging.

[3 is enough]

Prices in the greater Seattle area are quite high, so even a fixer-upper would go for more than expected. 

My son bought a house 45 minutes south of Seattle last year.  Prices are lower further away from the city, but we are still talking high 600's for a new construction, 4 bed, 3.5 bath, 2800 sq ft home.

I'm not always crazy about the renovations that are done, but the prices don't surprise me at all.

[MartyQui]

I didn’t understand having the family bath all the way across the house…they kept calling it a guest bath, but it was the only bath aside from the en-suite.

[bilgistic]

I've only ever heard of "cottagecore" in a comic that an artist I follow posted on Instagram, so I didn't think it was a real thing. I still don't really believe it is.

My complaints are the same as some of y'all's. The exterior was too dark. They should've fixed the front walk to be more inviting than that closed-off concrete behind plywood that I guess they slapped siding on? Literally anything else would've looked better.

The drums plunked down in the utility room were just weird. "Utility room" is what we call that room at the end of the carport in the house in which I grew up. My parents have since enclosed the carport into a garage, which would've been a smart choice for this house, too.  Show that room as a tool shed/workroom or a potting shed because that room stays full of bugs. I'm 47 and still scared of the utility room at my parents' house.

Or...they could've closed it off from the carport and opened it up from the inside of the house and kept it as a laundry room.

The kitchen cabinets were too dark. The "new" main bedroom was small. I thought at first there was a twin bed staged in it. No one could fit a king, for sure.

The door in the backyard was just stupid.

[pasdetrois]

On 5/18/2022 at 10:16 PM, bilgistic said:

The drums plunked down in the utility room were just weird.

Surely the show is trolling the viewers.

Or these are two of the worst designers on the planet. Those caca-brown cabinets were horrible.

[mojito]

I liked the cabinets as a nice change from white. I liked the kitchen floors a lot, but wonder how smooth the surface was. 

That dish rack was horrible. That funky curly cutout design, ugh. The kind of thing that is the first to be hit with a sledgehammer in reno shows. I'd pass on cottage core.

The staging looked cluttered and kind of tacky.

Just over 20 years ago, a co-worker was telling me about the blonde hair with the long, dark roots as a thing in Hollywood. I didn't see how that would last. But apparently, I was wrong about that. In the late 80s, I didn't see how the ripped jeans would last, and it didn't. But damned if it didn't come back in spades. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

New "Rustic Cabin Reno" 20 minutes drive from town, on 9 acres, in Snohomish.  Brunette sister wants the house, blonde doesn't because rural properties can be money pits.   It has two huge outbuildings, kitchen wallpaper is hideous, kitchen needs refaced cabinets, back splash, and new counter tops.  There's a lot of paneling, why do I guess they'll paint it all some icky color?  However, it hasn't sold after four months on the market for $675k.  Hall bath looks ugly.  No en suite for the main bedroom.   finished basement, with 2 bedrooms, it needs new flooring, and some paint, but it's nice, but I don't know if there's a second bath down there, yes, there must be a second bath in the basement), now a 4 bed 2 bath. 

The twins want to put $100k into it, and aim for $850k., but they want a mid-century modern, and cabin, and the mixture doesn't appeal to me already.   No surprise, they want to paint the wood paneling.   I think the white upper kitchen cabinets, and dark blue lower cabinets is makeing the room look smaller.   They're painting the exterior dark green. but I hate the green.  They want to do an accent wall in the kitchen, either dark green or orange, I don't like either one. So, the front door is orange, the kitchen accent wall is dark green, and the exterior wood is dark green.    I'm underwhelmed with their project of a tiny bus stop shelter, at least I think that's what it is, I guess they don't think the buyer will have more than one kid, and they won't be very tall either.   Staging is way overdone, as always.  Painting the paneling took all of the style out of the house.   The former office, now main closet needs to have a lot more hanging space.   The house will probably sell for the usual high profit, but it's so generic, and no longer looks like a rural property.   List was $675k, now $850k, with a 2 day open house.   6 offers, sells for $1 million with $112k each split with the homeowner.  

Edited May 25, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

What they described as dark green showed up as brown on my tv, which is worse. 🤷‍♀️