Unsellable Houses - General Discussion

[MartyQui]

Another bad kitchen…at first I liked it, but then I saw the overhang on the island.  If you put stools there, you’d be hit every time someone opened the refrigerator door. How are they so bad at this?  The Seattle housing market must be even more competitive than Boston.

[deirdra]

The wide-plank wooden walls before they were painted were my favourite feature of the house 😢.  

Edited May 26, 2022 by deirdra

[pasdetrois]

This was one of the better renovations, but I thought the dark blue cabinets were jarring. I didn't mind the exterior green and there was less clutter (although I think we were treated to old tennis rackets on the wall).

I bet the outbuildings were appealing to people who like to do shop work and keep lawn riders and such.

I'm glad the seller got a decent chunk of change so she can truly relocate and recover from her broken relationship. I bet she panicked when her fella left her with all of that work way out in the boonies. I wonder if he was on the mortgage and title and received some of the sale proceeds?

[FormerMod-a1]

This was a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house but we only saw 2 bedrooms and 1 bath.  I know that often happens in shows like this, and those other rooms probably didn't need much work - just fresh paint on the walls of the bedrooms, but I'd still like a quick look or at least a mention of them.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 5/24/2022 at 9:13 PM, chessiegal said:

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

I think a lighter brown would have been nice on the outside siding.    However, a really dark brown, or any other color was be a heat trap in summer, and probably will fade badly fairly quickly.     I dislike the 'added' bedrooms they show sometimes, that are so narrow.  

I disliked the kitchen island that was too narrow to use the overhang for seating without having to dodge the fridge door. 

[chessiegal]

We have an ultra-high def 55" Samsung tv, and I don't understand why colors described are showing up as something else. (dark green looks brown). I don't care enough to see if something needs adjusting.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I've noticed colors can look very different between two angles.    

"Colorfully Crafted" two friends need the twins to update their mother's rambler.  And when the two disagree about color choices, Lyndsay gets a second opinion from Keith and Evan (Bargain Block).   Lake Stevens, WA north of Snohomish.   

3 bed 2 bath starting price $475k , 1500 sq ft.    So, they want to take out the entry / foyer closet, so you can see the fireplace from the front door.  I'd rather have a coat closet.    Nice closets, nice size bedrooms.   It really needs flooring and counter top updates, replace bathroom sink/counter tops, and not much else.    I hate they want to paint the kitchen cabinets that drab green color they like so much.   Even in a hot market, the comp with some smaller rooms sold for over $700k.   They want to put $50k in it, and list it for $525k.  

Leslie wants neutral colors, Lindsay wants eclectic colors.   Lyndsay wants the olive green cabinets, pink blush back splash,  and white counter top, and brass hardware.      Leslie wants neutrals with olive green cabinets.   They just painted the wood mantle the same green as the cabinets, and wasted money on herringbone tile, instead of brick pattern or stacked with fewer grout lines, and look better.    The custom closets are that green also.   I'm so over olive green cabinets.     

Then, they want to wallpaper the laundry room ceiling. with peel and stick pink and white contac paper.   I would rip that 'wall paper' down so fast.     They were saying they are over budget, so they're bringing in an artist to do leaf patterns on the office wall?   As usual, staging is over the top, cluttered.  I think the family bath looks better with the darker stain.   I really dislike the pink/olive green combination everywhere.   I would have made the en suite vanity counter top bigger. 

Unsellable price $475k, rehab was $60k, list is $575k, sells for $650k, and split $62,500 each. 

[mojito]

Evan stated that millennials like the color blush.  He said that the almost see it as a neutral color. If true, that's interesting. I'm okay with the color, but can imagine men referring to it as "pink" and rejecting it immediately. 😏

[kirklandia]

I'm not convinced that Lake Stevens is ready for "millennial pink".

Edited June 2, 2022 by kirklandia

[jennblevins]

2 hours ago, kirklandia said:

I'm not convinced that Lake Stevens is ready for "millennial pink".

Maybe if it were pink camouflage, based on the (tiny number of) people I know from there. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

20 hours ago, mojito said:

Evan stated that millennials like the color blush.  He said that the almost see it as a neutral color. If true, that's interesting. I'm okay with the color, but can imagine men referring to it as "pink" and rejecting it immediately. 😏

I'm not a man, and I don't like pink in a house either.  

[bilgistic]

What the hell was that woman's "hairstyle"?

The pink tile is a no from me.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 6/2/2022 at 8:27 PM, bilgistic said:

What the hell was that woman's "hairstyle"?

The pink tile is a no from me.

I suspect it was a wig, nothing else would have held up to the Seattle weather the way her hair did.   

I don't care how many times they call pink tile 'neutral' it isn't to me.   Combined with the olive green and pink all over the house, I wouldn't even have finished the tour, and found something else to buy.   For the prices they sell houses for, I wouldn't buy something, and have to redo major portions of the house because of bad color choices, and the peel-and-stick 'wallpaper' on the laundry room ceiling was hideous.   I'm betting when you rip that awful wallpaper down, you'll have to patch at least a few places on the ceiling, and repaint it.    

Edited June 4, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[65mickey]

23 hours ago, bilgistic said:

What the hell was that woman's "hairstyle"?

I think she was going for a modified Kate Gosselin.  

[YupItsMe]

I didn’t like the pink either, but I am not “young and trendy”.

I am still shocked at what houses sell for in that area. $650,000 is 3 times what that house would have sold for in my area. I just hope that people are making 3 times the money which would be equal to about $75 an hour. Can anyone tell me if that’s approximately what the hourly wage is there?

[kirklandia]

"I am still shocked at what houses sell for in that area. $650,000 is 3 times what that house would have sold for in my area."

In April 2022 the median sales price of a single family home in Lake Stevens was $770k.  A bargain compared to towns closer to Seattle.  
Like Kirkland, where I live, where the median price in April was $1,737,500.  
Developers here are offering  $1.2 - $1.5 million for modest older houses which they tear down and replace.   

Edited June 4, 2022 by kirklandia

[deirdra]

On 6/3/2022 at 9:10 PM, YupItsMe said:

I didn’t like the pink either, but I am not “young and trendy”.

I didn't mind the colours of pink and green, however I'd never use them for tile and cabinets that cost a lot in materials & labour to replace when they are no longer trendy (in a year or two). Artwork, towels, vases, etc. is the cheapest & most flexible way to get the colours you like at the moment. If the countertop and tile were white and the tile shiny, having pink things in the room would make the tile reflect/look pink. I have a white bathroom that everyone thinks is mint green because the towels are green.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Deed Chicago host Sean Conlon, does real estate, flips, new builds, etc.    He was advising the flippers he bankrolls and finances, to do trendy, because for flips trendy sells. 

That's a reason that the buyers on this show pay so much.   They mistake surface trendy, and nice looking finishes, for a guarantee that the house is a good deal..   In my opinion, it's a bad idea to mistake cosmetic finishes that look like other flips for a product that won't need major overhauls in a few years.    

[Gam2]

I’m watching a rerun of the pink and green kitchen. Aside from the fact that I rarely like their design choices and they clutter up every house they work on, I really wonder if these women have mirrors in their houses. The clothes, the hair styles(?) and those stupid hats the blonde one wears. It’s all very distracting to me and makes me feel sorry for both of them.

[deirdra]

1 hour ago, Gam2 said:

those stupid hats the blonde one wears

either all of the stupid hats are oversized or the blonde one is a pin head

[CrazyInAlabama]

"Timeless Elegance", new

Everett, Washington, rambler for people who will retire to their country pr

3 bed 1 bath 1300 sq ft, 1 full bath, 1 toilet only closet, roof and exterior look good.   Interior is giving me flashbacks to the 60's and 70's, tons of little collectibles on the wall, the one toilet room with a missing sink is right next to the dining table, I would reface the kitchen cabinets, and get rid of the scallop trim.   1/2 acre lot, covered screened porch, definitely needs new window treatments, carpet in hall and bedroom is hideous, but rug covers hardwood floors, 1 full bath has a heat lamp, and sheet vinyl floors,    Their comp is a 3 bed 2 bath, that sold for just under $800k,  I don't think that's a comp. 

They want to spend $80k for rehab.   They're aiming at a second time homebuyer.  Concentrating on the kitchen, main family bath, and turn the dining room into more seating also, and uncover and restore the hardwood floors.   

Their odd theme 'Regal Elegance' is aimed at a second time buyer, is the theme.      Removing carpet, appliances, kitchen cabinets, and paneling.      The hardwoods were only in the bedrooms, and hallway, so they're going to cover everything with LVP, because matching and buying hardwoods for the other rooms is too expensive.   The walls are all painted white.   The new kitchen cabinets are imperfect, and other odds and ends, and they're painting the cabinets Sherwin Williams Aleutian Blue, another sponsor placement. 

They painted the back screened room black, and with white stencils, and they didn't even do a good job on the floor paint.   The kitchen cabinets look lighter than the color sample.  They're painting the fireplace, it looks like dark moss green.  Jeff the contractor says their strange kitchen tile would normally cost $4000 and up in labor,  and they're doing a feature wall of the same tile in the dining area.   Bathroom mirrors, hardware, faucets, are all different metals.   I hate mixed metals in the same room.  

The 'interesting' Lindsay made costs less than $100, but a simlar one sells for over $1500.  I see no point in shrinking the dining area, and having a bench where the built-in used to be.   They added a wheeled island cabinet in the dining room, and you're supposed to move it into the kitchen when you need it.   

The exterior is a slightly darker version of the kitchen cabinet colors, I'd call it periwinkle.   Way too many wall decor items, pictures, and way too many decorative items.   The 1/2 bath is finished, but still next to the dining area.  Their staging is still so over the top, it looks like a set for decor catalogs, not a home for sale.    In the dining area, they actually set the table and chairs on two stacked reed rugs.    

List goal $550k, was listed at $425k, actual selling price $650k , and split is $72,500 with five offers. 

Edited June 8, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[YupItsMe]

Aww, that lady had her thimble collection on the wall. My mom had the same. They’ve been relegated to my daughter’s attic because we can’t bear to get rid of them. 
 

The house looks like it smells musty just like my mom’s did.

[pasdetrois]

10 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

"Timeless Elegance", new

I swear the brunette one just pulls these ridiculous "themes" out of her ass.

Or, worse, she spends many hours deciding on these useless themes.

I'm beginning to reach hate-watch status. They are SO annoying.

[CruiseDiva]

1 hour ago, pasdetrois said:

I swear the brunette one just pulls these ridiculous "themes" out of her ass.

Or, worse, she spends many hours deciding on these useless themes.

I'm beginning to reach hate-watch status. They are SO annoying.

Personally, I reached the hate-watch status a while back and deleted them from my DVR. The houses they work on result in the worst flips in HGTV-land.

[3 is enough]

When they rerun the older episodes I have noticed they were much calmer and far less annoying.  I am convinced that HGTV gets them to play things up so their shows have “characters”.  I have seen it before with Chip Gaines, the “zany crew” on Good Bones and even to  a somewhat lesser extent with Ben Napier.  It seems once the talent have a season or two under their belts and are more comfortable on camera the producers start asking them to ham it up to build a “brand”.  Drives me nuts.

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, 3 is enough said:

It seems once the talent have a season or two under their belts and are more comfortable on camera the producers start asking them to ham it up to build a “brand”.

Or, as they become more comfortable on camera, their real selves come out. I'm convinced that's what happened with Paula Deen. She was originally very calm on her first show, and then her real bawdy self came out. Her antics at the Food and Wine Festivals were cringeworthy.

[65mickey]

I am enjoying seeing the scenes of the PNW. It is beautiful. Having lived on East coast all of my life this is a total change from coastal GA. However if I had to pay $650,000  for a 3 bedroom one bath house that looks like this one on the outside I am happy not to live there. My God that is one ugly house. They use that tile so often that I think they must have gotten a close out

This used to be my favorite HGTV show. Now I find it annoying.  I am convinced that the reason the stage their homes with all of that stuff is to keep the potential buyers focusing on the staging and not on the actual house. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

10 hours ago, 65mickey said:

I am enjoying seeing the scenes of the PNW. It is beautiful. Having lived on East coast all of my life this is a total change from coastal GA. However if I had to pay $650,000  for a 3 bedroom one bath house that looks like this one on the outside I am happy not to live there. My God that is one ugly house. They use that tile so often that I think they must have gotten a close out

This used to be my favorite HGTV show. Now I find it annoying.  I am convinced that the reason the stage their homes with all of that stuff is to keep the potential buyers focusing on the staging and not on the actual house. 

Their staging also serves as a national TV catalog for their store.   

I think the kitchen cabinets were periwinkle, which is light blue with some lavender in it.    I always thought periwinkle looked more lavender in a lot of cases.     

If I bought that house (not that I could ever afford it), I would have to patch the million holes they put in those walls, repaint the fireplace something besides green, and paint the cabinets light gray or something really neutral.    However, since it was a one bath, and that half bath right next to the dining room table, I wouldn't even consider it.  

The paint on the step and floor of the back sunroom was awful, they missed a lot of places, and the white stensils were awful.   

Staged homes sell quicker, and for more money than homes that are empty, or have virtually nothing in them.   However, that's staging, not a ton of stuff nailed all over the walls, full shelves, clutter on every possible surface, and things like huge plants stuck in the shower stall.   I think with the marketing that's done to the houses on the show, that they would sell for a decent price if they were just painted, decent flooring, and minimal staging, not looking like a gift shop exploded on the walls.   Rooms that are empty actually look smaller than rooms with appropriately sized furniture.   

Edited June 9, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[NYGirl]

I don't care what anybody says those kitchen cabinets looked light purple.  I did not like that nor did I like that tile with the gold in it.

Timeless Elegance my ass

[bilgistic]

23 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I hate mixed metals in the same room.

Yes! And in a bathroom, at that!

The porch floor was a mess.

Edited June 9, 2022 by bilgistic

[YupItsMe]

I just do not understand why they insist on over-staging these homes. We’ve always been told to declutter and take almost everything off the walls so the buyers can imagine their things in the house. I know they say it’s so the buyer can see how to use a room, but are people really so stupid that they don’t know what a living room, or a bedroom should be used for??

[letusprocrastinate]

JMHO, but if the housing market takes a decent-sized tumble this show and a few others of its ilk will be gonzo.  Right now the sisters or more likely the producers can pick and choose the houses they're going to renovate/make eyebrow-raising "improvements" upon and the markets in those areas are, as of taping, so hot it really doesn't matter what they do because the houses will sell for over-asking anyway and make them look like geniuses.  Same thing with other shows like theirs although it's well-known that there have been cases in which the selling price shown at the end of the show isn't accurate and/or shows get sued for crappy construction (for example, Windy City Rehab has been guilty of both).

This is not to say we're going to have a full-fledged repeat of the housing crash of 15 years ago because there were other issues such as subprime mortgages driving that one.  But I'm sure many of you recall how many flipping, renovation, and "what is my home worth so I can call the bank to remortgage for that addition/vacation" shows were on various channels in the years leading up to the crash and when it happened a good number of them disappeared from the airwaves. 

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

I used to like these two until I saw them on Rock the Block, they are idiots, especially the darker haired one. I watch a ton of remodel shows and they seem like they are doing these renovations to their taste and not what the buyer would want. I think I would get bored with blue cabinets after a while. I think the only reason why I watch is for Jeff, how he puts up with these harpies is beyond me

[Grrarrggh]

19 minutes ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

I used to like these two until I saw them on Rock the Block, they are idiots, especially the darker haired one. I watch a ton of remodel shows and they seem like they are doing these renovations to their taste and not what the buyer would want. I think I would get bored with blue cabinets after a while. 

As opposed to white or grey? 

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

20 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

As opposed to white or grey? 

there are wood tone cabinets as well, light to dark etc. For me, white or gray are more timeless than some of the dark blues or greens they pick - personal preference

[65mickey]

I agree that white cabinets are timeless. While I love to see those deep blue cabinets with the brushed gold hardware all I can think of is what happens in a couple of years when this goes out of fashion and it will. You will be stuck looking at blue cabinets and thinking  why did I do this?

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

there are wood tone cabinets as well, light to dark etc. For me, white or gray are more timeless than some of the dark blues or greens they pick - personal preference

Eh, timeless shmimless. If I'm living in a house I want to look how I want it to look, not how HGTV has told it it should look. I do miss wood tones though. 

[deirdra]

4 hours ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

I think the only reason why I watch is for Jeff, how he puts up with these harpies is beyond me

Me too!  I liked the time about a year ago where he made the executive decision not to use a third type of ugly tiles they chose for a bathroom and they still had to stage it with a wooden shower mat to disguise the fact that the two other tiles clashed and each made the other look dirty & dingy.

Edited June 9, 2022 by deirdra

[LazySusan]

I really enjoy this show, and like the twins. I’m pretty surprised so few of you enjoy their unpretentious, down to earth warmth and humor. Jeff is a sweetheart, and they accomplish so much with modest budgets.

[bilgistic]

It's just that their shenanigans all seem staged. Like, lets sit in the Vanagon and pretend we're having a sammy while working and, "Oh, look, here comes the owner! Let's chitchat about how we are definitely going to give the van back aaaaany minute now!"

There are no organic moments.

Jeff is an absolute saint. He seems incredibly talented and an extremely hard worker. I hope they pay him his full worth and more.

[YupItsMe]

What’s wrong with just saying “these are our friends and we’re going to help them sell their house”? Why set up all the pretense of just happening to meet? No one believes it anyway and it makes them look less than honest.

[LoveIsJoy]

This question is for all of you longtime HGTV watchers who remember shows from back in the day.  I’ve been enjoying watching Jeff working with the twins, and I keep getting the feeling that I’ve seen him before.

If you remember a show in the early 2000s called Decorating Cents with host Joan Steffend, she and a featured designer would redecorate a room for under $500.  The carpenter was always the same, and his name was Jeff.  He was also very pleasant to watch.  I’m wondering if this is the same Jeff on Unsellable Houses.  

I just now realized how long I’ve been an HGTV  viewer.  Those shows were back in the day, when “theme rooms” were a trend.  The shows were nice, the casts were agreeable, without the staged drama and shenanigans I sit through now.

I even recall designer Nate Berkus’ mother, Nancy Golden, being a featured decorator on many of the Decorating Cents episodes.  She was one of my favorites.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I looked around, and Jeff Lawrence is only listed on IMDB as a cast member on Unsellable Houses, but the Decorating Cents information isn't very good.  (Some sources list his last name as Laurence, the website for his remodeling business says Laurence, so I'm ignoring IMDB and figure they screwed up again)

Also, after finding out that at least one house (the 70's to current or something like that, that had to be resided), was never on the market before it was remodeled, I wonder how many of these other ones weren't on the market either? 

They had an older rerun this morning, and I see no point in putting a bench in the laundry room, with three pillows of one pattern, and two of another very different pattern, filling up the seating space on the bench.     Do they think anyone wants a bunch of decorative tiny shelves and a bench in their laundry room?   I hate their staging is hanging a lot of stuff on every wall, 

A Season 1 rerun of Better Than New, their idea of an area for the parents to sit and sip wine is with two chairs that look very uncomfortable, and nothing else.       Upstairs, two very similar looking leather chairs, and ottomans in the main bedroom, and instead of a regular door to the main en suite, another useless barn door.   I do like the kitchen back splash for once.    In my opinion, with the red hot Seattle area market, and the huge publicity, is why they sell for so much over asking.   I bet if all they did was declutter, repaint, and update the most desperate items, that homes would still sell for a lot over asking.    

 They also showed the house they redid, and then bought for a rental, and later maybe for the sons to live during college.  This is the one where they made that bizarre porch hanging out of old window frame.    They had it on the market a few months ago, so I guess renting out wasn't profitable, compared to the rise in real estate prices. 

Edited June 15, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[mojito]

On 6/5/2022 at 11:32 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

 In my opinion, it's a bad idea to mistake cosmetic finishes that look like other flips for a product that won't need major overhauls in a few years. 

People look for those cosmetic finishes so they can have a home straight outta HGTV.

[CrazyInAlabama]

New episode, man who lived in the house since 1972, so 50 years.    "Old Ranch to New Nest"

He raises homing pigeons, and the pigeons have to get used to the new home location or they would show up at the unsellable house.   They claim (I take everything with a lot of skepticism after finding out about the fudged storylines) it was on the market for two months. People don't like the pigeon coop.   

They haven't decluttered, or staged, or started to pack up, and they claim it was on the market for two months.  Second bedroom is very small.    Hardwoods under all of the carpets.    Baseboard heat, I hate it. It limits the placement of furniture, and if you don't have vents, no air conditioning.  They only have the air conditioning stuck in the hole in the wall.  The main bedroom does have an en suite.    I don't think it's funny that when the twins go to look at the coop, open the door, and a pigeon flies right in the blonde one's face, and the seller and his daughter laughed. 

Original 1972 price for house was $19,950.  Original market price was supposed to be $575k, reno budget $80k, redo kitchen, and both baths, pull carpet and refinish the floors.   Is claiming you didn't order enough tile supposed to make a home owner hire them?    Mismash of patterns just the en suite small bathroom has three tile patterns, one on the shower pan, one very busy one on the bathroom floor, another dark blue one on the shower stall walls. I would have gone with the blue shower tile, and vanity, but have a coordinating, much more subdued floor and shower pan tile.   House is dark green exterior.   The home seller owns a 1967 car. 

 All of the tiles are very busy patterns, I wouldn't be able to stand that.  Both baths have cement look tiles, but different from the kitchen floor, and  inside the front door, it's like a clearance rack assortment.   The twins goal was layering patterns, and I think they used every pattern they could find, and nothing matches.  

Living room is OK, but it's centered around the cedar wall the home seller did years ago.  The cedar wall already made the room, with the revived hardwood floors. Too many textiles, and decor items in the living room.  It would look better with half of the extra decor items. 

I hate the kitchen terra cotta backsplash, with the white countertops, and gray cabinets, it's just too much.  Nothing in the kitchen looks coordinated, or finished.   I'm betting people will buy, but want to change the back splash kitchen tile as soon as they can.    The bonus room, former garage, is nice.  The white walls look good with the wood ceiling.  Still too many plants, and soft stuff.   Daughter's old bedroom is now an office, with too much stuff in it. 

The guest bath is too much color, it would have looked better with a more subtle floor tile.   Main bedroom had a metal tray with a tall, skinny candle sitting on the bed, why?   

The guest bathroom has too many varied patterns, but's it's an improvement over the original.   The ensuite with the dark blue shower tile and vanity would look better with a more cohesive, less busy floor, and shower pan tile.    They staged the pigeon coop as a chicken house, with real chickens.   I wonder how long the free range chickens will survive?    Main bath is nicer, but still not coordinated.   . 

They listed before for $575k, now listed at $770k , 11 offers, splitting $57, 500 each extra profit.   

(I agree with RowdyCam, I think we saw the end of season, clearance tile last night from Jeff's warehouse. )

Edited June 15, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[RowdyCam]

I'm thinking they didn't order ANY tile, just used up all the random odds and ends left over from other jobs, and called it "layering patterns."

[CrazyInAlabama]

They're showing an older episode, enhanced. "Rough  Rental Reno", this is the house that supposedly was rented out for 25 years, and no one will touch it.  I'm not watching it, the storyline is so off, and the house has obviously never had maintenance, or ever had an inspection.   My guess is relatives were living in it, not just rented on the open market.  Or the sellers inherited the house. 

New episode, "Builder Drab to Coastal Fab"  Snohomish $800k unsellable price, 5 bed 3 bath, 3100 sq ft., for Jeff's kid's history teacher,     House has a mother-in-law suite too.  They're moving closer to the Idaho side of Washington.  House is huge, kitchen is dated, rarely use the formal dining room, and room is small because of the walls around it. Main bedroom has older blue carpet, and funky wall paint, main bath has dated sheet vinyl floor.   MIL in walkout basement is huge.   I disagree when they say downstairs extra bedroom can't be anything but an office, it would make a nice guest room, just add a closet.  I agree upstairs / main kitchen needs work, and dining room needs to be more open.    I wouldn't do anything to the MIL kitchen .

The twins want to have a budget for reno for $100k, and list the house at $975k, bet they want a bidding war.  However, they want a wet room for the main ensuite.     I don't like their paint dab project in the living room either.   I see no connection between a blue wall with paint dabs on it and Pacific Coastal.   The dining/ kitchen area in the main house is nicer, and the kitchen is so much more useful now.   Back splash in the kitchen doesn't coordinate with the cabinets, or flooring.     The kitchen bar seating is only two chairs I think, one on each side. 

Main bedroom/bathroom suite is lighter, and brighter.  Closet doesn't have enough hanging space.    En suite bath is nice, except wet room wall tile doesn't belong with the rest of the room.    Downstairs the MIL kitchen is OK, but why gray back splash in a room with beige cabinets, and matching floor?   

They put a mermaid cutout hanging next to the front porch.  

They claim the neighbors are interested in the house. 

$800k unsellable, plus $100k reno, listing $975k, multiple offers, selling price $1.4 million, split $250k each.   Yes, sold for $425,000 over asking. 

[Feline Goddess]

On the Rough Rental episode Leslie said they rarely get to meet the buyers. Aren’t they realtors? I realize the people touring the open house are probably actors or just nosy neighbors but at some point they should meet actual potential buyers. 

While that house was improved, it was still fairly awful. It looks like they turned one of the bedrooms into the TV viewing room. And that shelf with the bump out was ugly. The laundry room/bonus room was also a big ‘no’ for me. I don’t know too many people who’d want to spend a lot of additional time in the same space they were doing laundry. 
 

Maybe the tree they left out front was dormant, but it looked dead and should’ve been removed and replaced with an evergreen. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

18 hours ago, Feline Goddess said:

On the Rough Rental episode Leslie said they rarely get to meet the buyers. Aren’t they realtors? I realize the people touring the open house are probably actors or just nosy neighbors but at some point they should meet actual potential buyers. 

While that house was improved, it was still fairly awful. It looks like they turned one of the bedrooms into the TV viewing room. And that shelf with the bump out was ugly. The laundry room/bonus room was also a big ‘no’ for me. I don’t know too many people who’d want to spend a lot of additional time in the same space they were doing laundry. 
 

Maybe the tree they left out front was dormant, but it looked dead and should’ve been removed and replaced with an evergreen. 

I think they do a lot of remote viewings.   You don't see them in the same shot, but when you do I'm everyone was tested right before, and I suspect the person who does the open house is probably a staff member, and they're edited in from a separate shot.    They wasnt to stay safe, and not infect their families.      

The former rental (the one the homeowners claimed was a 25 year rental, and I think was a family rental or inheritance) was hideous, before was awful, and after still made me wonder what needed to be updated.   I hated the TV room, and the laundry room/bonus room was useless to me.   

The new episode house didn't do much for me.    The shower bathroom was better, but the en suite with the wet room was a big fail for me, especially the wall tile in there.    I wonder how many changes the buyers made after they moved in?    If someone can pay $1.4 million, $425k over asking, then I'm sure they could afford renovations.   First thing I would rip out would be the en suite wet room with the odds and ends of tile.      

Edited June 23, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[topanga]

On 5/31/2022 at 10:00 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I've noticed colors can look very different between two angles.    

"Colorfully Crafted" two friends need the twins to update their mother's rambler.  And when the two disagree about color choices, Lyndsay gets a second opinion from Keith and Evan (Bargain Block).   Lake Stevens, WA north of Snohomish.   

3 bed 2 bath starting price $475k , 1500 sq ft.    So, they want to take out the entry / foyer closet, so you can see the fireplace from the front door.  I'd rather have a coat closet.    Nice closets, nice size bedrooms.   It really needs flooring and counter top updates, replace bathroom sink/counter tops, and not much else.    I hate they want to paint the kitchen cabinets that drab green color they like so much.   Even in a hot market, the comp with some smaller rooms sold for over $700k.   They want to put $50k in it, and list it for $525k.  

Leslie wants neutral colors, Lindsay wants eclectic colors.   Lyndsay wants the olive green cabinets, pink blush back splash,  and white counter top, and brass hardware.      Leslie wants neutrals with olive green cabinets.   They just painted the wood mantle the same green as the cabinets, and wasted money on herringbone tile, instead of brick pattern or stacked with fewer grout lines, and look better.    The custom closets are that green also.   I'm so over olive green cabinets.     

Then, they want to wallpaper the laundry room ceiling. with peel and stick pink and white contac paper.   I would rip that 'wall paper' down so fast.     They were saying they are over budget, so they're bringing in an artist to do leaf patterns on the office wall?   As usual, staging is over the top, cluttered.  I think the family bath looks better with the darker stain.   I really dislike the pink/olive green combination everywhere.   I would have made the en suite vanity counter top bigger. 

Unsellable price $475k, rehab was $60k, list is $575k, sells for $650k, and split $62,500 each. 

These twins (especially Lindsay) are fixated on giving everything a splash of Crayola color. I did not like the pink and green kitchen at all. I was totally on Leslie's side-- why are you creating such a specific look when you're trying to sell to a universal buyer? And I'm surprised both of the Bargain Block guys agreed with Lindsay (the taller guy, the contractor, is usually more level-headed). 

I'm guessing that whoever eventually paid that high price for the house has the money to redo the kitchen right away. 

I just looked up kitchen remodeling trends, and apparently, these very bright cabinet colors (green, royal blue, etc). are the trend. No thank you. In a few years, these colors are going to be like the olive green and burnt orange appliances from the '70s.

And yet I keep watching this show. There's something both appealing and annoying about these twins. I can't put my finger on it. In my mind, they'd be good friends that you couldn't hang around with all of the time because they're exhausting.