Unsellable Houses - General Discussion

[JTMacc99]

Quote

Real estate consultants and twin sisters Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb have a knack for helping desperate homeowners sell their lifeless homes. After visiting nearby comparables, the sisters make the necessary, impactful renovations that convert these unlovable houses into diamonds in the rough.

 

[ByaNose]

I watched the opening introduction and then switched to another channel. I guess I wasn't feeling it.

[RoxiP]

I sort of watched an episode of this last night (was it the first one) where they invested $45,000 into a house and sold it at the first open house (sorry, spoiler alert).  I guess they do not get their usual fee for selling the house but instead invest the money, raise the price after they have made the improvements (in this case they took a month), and then split any profits over the original list price and the cost of their renovations with the owner.  In this case the house was originally listed at $415,000, they invested $45,000, the new asking price was $485,000, and the house sold for $505,000 (I think those numbers are correct).  Other than the unique way they split up the profits it was just pretty much the same home improvement stuff as usual.  I guess the "draw" is that they are twin sisters and they do drive a cute VW bus.

[Jeeves]

I've just watched the first two episodes and am now watching the third one. (Combo of on demand and DVR.) I like that it's not a dragged-out hour-long show, and I like that the stars are young and exuberant. And opinionated. With a cute dog. And a VW van. 

It's also good to see a show that's not in California. No offense intended to Californians, it's just that so many of these shows are done there that I appreciate seeing other cities in the mix (including Kansas City, Boise, Minneapolis, and Detroit, to name a few that come to mind).

Edited February 5, 2020 by Jeeves

[RoxiP]

LOL...that tells you how in between awake and sleep I was - I didn't realize it was a 30 minute show!

[Kemper]

Is this anything like the show "Listed Sisters"?

[ByaNose]

I didn’t even realize they were twins. Identical or fraternal?

[amarante]

I happened to catch this show and watched two episodes. All I could think is how it contributed to the delusional idea that one can make money by renovating a home for resale.

Having just finished a gut remodel, the costs for the scope of work they are doing is laughable and bears no semblance to reality unless one has significant DIY skills or one is essentially a GC like the sisters and is providing a lot of the work and material at costs.

The reality is that the people selling the homes would do far better selling the homes as is because there would have been no "profit" if a civilian was renovating at actual cost for the projects.

[Grrarrggh]

11 hours ago, Jeeves said:

It's also good to see a show that's not in California. No offense intended to Californians, it's just that so many of these shows are done there that I appreciate seeing other cities in the mix (including Kansas City, Boise, Minneapolis, and Detroit, to name a few that come to mind).

Why? They use the exact same reno trends that are seen in California, and every other HGTV state. 

[Jeeves]

1 minute ago, Grrarrggh said:

Why? They use the exact same reno trends that are seen in California, and every other HGTV state. 

Why not? 

Anyway, different landscapes, city scenes, and price ranges. 

[DVDFreaker]

On 2/5/2020 at 8:52 PM, ByaNose said:

I didn’t even realize they were twins. Identical or fraternal?

They look identical to me

On 2/5/2020 at 12:34 PM, Kemper said:

Is this anything like the show "Listed Sisters"?

No it does not, Listed Sisters is more like Property Brothers

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by DVDFreaker

[mojito]

I saw the home (listed as S1E4) where they painted that slate fireplace. I was stunned. That wall looked so bland and could've used the slate. 

 

[blueray]

On 2/5/2020 at 11:52 AM, ByaNose said:

I watched the opening introduction and then switched to another channel. I guess I wasn't feeling it.

Did the exact same. The hosts were so annoying and rude. They barged into the people's house and told them how everything they had set up was "so wrong" and they hadn't even got passed the living room. Instead of showing the people how to sell the house, they yelled at them. There was also no introduction to the people selling the house, so as the audience it was hard to follow.

[Jeeves]

I didn't have trouble following the story. I'm thinking about the most recent episode I saw, the house on the busy street. They set the scene with the busy street, then a short bit with the homeowners (husband and wife) explaining that they bought the house years ago as newlyweds, and now have four kids. They are selling to move to a larger house because they need the room. 

It was also easy to see that the wife wasn't on board with the idea of taking down all their family pictures. And the editing was good because we got a glimpse into her thinking in the scene where they were touring a comparable house that had been nicely updated. She was asked to note that there weren't any personal photos or items on display. She said, "there's nothing here to tell you who lives here." And she obviously found that disappointing. 

I'm sure if this were an hour-long show they would have had scenes with all the kids, and lots more yak yak about the homeowners' lives, and drawn-out scenes of the homeowners looking at comp houses. Which IMO is all a drag.

I'm old, and I like these brash young energetic Realtors. Although I'm sure they have their dark side and probably clawed their way up to their current alleged super successful status selling houses. Then, OTOH, one of them, after abruptly telling that homeowner she had to take down ALL those family photos because people were looking at their house, not their family, expressed regret for how she'd said it. It was in the van, she said something like, "I can't believe I really told her that nobody wants her kids! Why didn't you stop me!" And her sister said, I tried but you ignored me.

I I think they rocked that tired house.

IMO the wife in that episode was like a lot of people when it comes to selling their house. There's nothing "wrong" with them, but they just can't easily separate "house" from "home." They aren't selling their home - they are selling a house in which they have located their home, moving their home to a new house. Some people get that easily, and understand that shoppers aren't looking at their family, they are looking for a house to live in. Some people don't, and even when looking at a house as a potential buyer they want to know "who lives here?" As I said, that's not wrong, but it's counterproductive in the hard cold world of real estate when you want to sell your house as quickly as possible for as much money as possible.

(Indelible memory of the "I'm selling my HOME" attitude: Years ago an elderly friend of mine turned from gracious woman to something like Godzilla when it was time for them to sell their long-time family home. A modest tract house, 50+ years old, with some issues, full of their cherished furnishings and decorations, and needing many updates. The kitchen was absolutely a 1950's time capsule and not in a good way. But as her daughter said, over the years so many people had complimented them on their "lovely home," that her mother thought that meant the house was just fine as it was and should get top dollar. She was astoundingly stubborn and deaf to what Realtors tried to tell her, went through at least two listing agents, and by the time the sale closed everybody involved was a wreck.)

Edited February 14, 2020 by Jeeves
I think I got mixed up and mentioned something that was in a different episode

[CrazyInAlabama]

As a buyer, I hate looking at pictures online, or viewing the house, and seeing a ton of personal pictures or other stuff on the wall.    I know that means that I will at least have to patch a ton of nail holes, or even worse, remove a bunch of picture hangers, and then patch.   It also means that I won't know until the pictures or art work is gone if I'll have to paint entire rooms too, because of faded walls around the pictures.    

I've only watched a few episodes of this show, and some of their changes are nice.   However, the shiplap accent wall painted black was something I hated.  

Didn't they say that the realtors use their money on the remodel, but get that back from the extra sale price?    And who doesn't know you depersonalize a house for sale.   (My personal hint is lock up everything that someone might want to steal, including all financial items, small valuables, and electronics, and lock up anything that someone would want to take, like prescriptions).

Edited February 13, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Jeeves]

50 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I've only watched a few episodes of this show, and some of their changes are nice.   However, the shiplap accent wall painted black was something I hated.  

I didn't hate it to look at, but it would have discouraged me from buying that house. Because I don't see myself living with that black wall. And repainting it would be a big job. I'd probably insist on a painting allowance from the seller as part of the closing, just to turn that black wall into something I could live with.

[chessiegal]

I finally got to see this and I like it. I didn't realize they tell sellers that they will be using their money to make the renovations, so the sellers don't have tp put their money in. I suspect most sellers would not have $45K to put into renovations.

[Aunt Catfish]

16 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

As a buyer, I hate looking at pictures online, or viewing the house, and seeing a ton of personal pictures or other stuff on the wall.    I know that means that I will at least have to patch a ton of nail holes, or even worse, remove a bunch of picture hangers, and then patch.   It also means that I won't know until the pictures or art work is gone if I'll have to paint entire rooms too, because of faded walls around the pictures.    

I've only watched a few episodes of this show, and some of their changes are nice.   However, the shiplap accent wall painted black was something I hated.  

Didn't they say that the realtors use their money on the remodel, but get that back from the extra sale price?    And who doesn't know you depersonalize a house for sale.   (My personal hint is lock up everything that someone might want to steal, including all financial items, small valuables, and electronics, and lock up anything that someone would want to take, like prescriptions).

I'm in agreement with you and Jeeves about the family pictures.  It is beyond me why people want to plaster the walls with pictures of themselves that they leave up for thirty years.  My brother in law's house is like a shrine to his daughter (who is now 34 years old).  All the high school cheerleading stuff is still up in the rec room.  There are even photos in the guest bathroom.  Guess this is our sister in law's doing, but it creeps me out on the rare occasions I make it up there to visit them.  Have not seen this show yet.  Will check it out.

[Aunt Catfish]

Just watched the first episode "Old House To Sold House".  I like that it is a half hour show.  None of the drama or the termites have eaten the plumbing crisis situations.  It was wham bam thank you ma'am!  The remodel was very cute, but the nearly $300,000 asking price for a 900 square foot one bathroom shoebox was pretty mind blowing!  In my neck of the woods that would buy you Stately Wayne Manor!  I'm giving this show the thumbs up.  Good job HGTV.

[Gam2]

I watched one episode and that was enough for me. There are way too many shows on HGTV that are so similar that it’s become mind numbing. Zzzzzzzzz.

[DVDFreaker]

I guess Blue Ray and I find the sisters annoying 

Edited February 16, 2020 by DVDFreaker

[pasdetrois]

Yeah, the sisters are a bit frantic for me. Perhaps they feel the pressure of half-hour episodes. Still, I like seeing a new community.

[bilgistic]

Was there not a new episode Tuesday? There's only a "sneak peak" (not a full ep) on the HGTV app, which is where I usually watch the show.

[chessiegal]

8 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Was there not a new episode Tuesday? There's only a "sneak peak" (not a full ep) on the HGTV app, which is where I usually watch the show.

My DVR picked up a new episode on Tuesday and the info says it's 30 minutes long. Haven't watched it yet.

[bilgistic]

Ugh. I'm irrationally irritated when shows aren't uploaded to the apps in a timely manner!

[FormerMod-a1]

On Demand shows Ep 4 airing Feb 11, and Ep 5 airing next week on Feb 25.  So I don't think there was anything new this week.

[chessiegal]

My DVR has a new show on Tuesday, Feb 18, at 8:59 pm that is 3o minutes long, so there was a new show this week.

[FormerMod-a1]

Are you sure it's not a previous episode just repackaged?  HGTV's own website is showing a rerun of Episode 1, followed by a rerun of Episode 4.

[Jeeves]

My DVR caught a "new" episode this week but when I went to watch it, it was one I'd already seen. I recognized the house immediately; it sits down a few steps from sidewalk level with an odd "front yard" or courtyard. So I deleted it without watching any farther.

[MaKaM]

I liked it. I'll admit, I thought it was the Listed Sisters with a new show at first. (okay, until someone here said it wasn't them). I am certain that they still get a realtor fee from the sale. So if they make an extra 20k after getting their investment back, they get the 10k AND they get the 3% seller fee or whatever. I could be wrong, but I wouldn't settle for just my investment back and a few thousand more and forego the realtor fee. It is boring that everything basically goes gray and white but, well, that is what sells, so I do get it. I wish people were a little more adventurous with what colors are acceptable in a house (and what colors on a car are acceptable because dang, I am so tired of black, white, silver, and gray cars only)

I wish there was someone like this near my mom's house. She isn't ready to sell just yet but she refuses (REFUSES) to consider wood floors in the living room and dining room (to replace the 35 year old carpet) because "that would be too much wood!" Because there is a wood beam and 3 wood pillars between the room. She's apparently never seen a log cabin. Let's not even talk about the pink carpet room and the blue carpet room. Someone to slap a little sense into her would be amazing. And the fact that *she* wouldn't have to put the money up, up front would definitely encourage her to have the work done.

So, yeah, I like the idea of this show

[DVDFreaker]

I am not sure what the sisters are thinking about the green cabinets in the kitchen, it looks awful

[pasdetrois]

I'm taken with Home Town, and it's affecting my perspective on this show. There's so much care taken with Ben's and Erin's work, vs. the more routine (and more common) flip market. The sisters' reno and design work seems very predictable and simply follows trends for their market (shiplap, ugh). It works for them, but it's boring.

[Jeeves]

4 minutes ago, pasdetrois said:

I'm taken with Home Town, and it's affecting my perspective on this show. There's so much care taken with Ben's and Erin's work, vs. the more routine (and more common) flip market. The sisters' reno and design work seems very predictable and simply follows trends for their market (shiplap, ugh). It works for them, but it's boring.

I know. I'm enjoying Home Town too. I remind myself that Ben and Erin are remodeling a home for homeowners who they know, so they aim to address their clients' needs and tastes. OTOH the sisters on this show aim to make the houses attractive to the market, so they will sell ASAP for as high a price as possible. 

Since I'm old, I like watching both shows to see what young(er) people are going for these days. 

[Gam2]

I really can’t stand this show. Since several people have referenced Home Town with Erin and Ben, I much prefer their show. The sisters on this show irritate the crap out of me. This show is so formulaic and done to death.

[chessiegal]

14 minutes ago, Gam2 said:

I really can’t stand this show. Since several people have referenced Home Town with Erin and Ben, I much prefer their show. The sisters on this show irritate the crap out of me. This show is so formulaic and done to death.

Mileage truly does vary. I like this show. I've never seen a show where the listing agents are willing to put up their own money to fix a problem, and split profits with the sellers. I'd hire them to sell my house in a heart beat.

[pasdetrois]

Plus I assume they get money for being on the show.

I thought the green-kitchen was ugly, and "eclectic" read as "jumbled" to me.

I figured out that the sisters kind of yell and over-enunciate when they talk, and that's what bothers me. Still, I like that they know their business and are not bimbo TV props.

[Grrarrggh]

The house where they took out the closet by the front door was a bad move. Especially in a rainy, cold place like Washington you need somewhere right by your front door to put coats, shoes, boots etc. 

[sasha206]

I just watched the show; the premise is definitely unique with them putting in their own money in. While the houses looked better in the after's, I just couldn't get over how tacky a lot of their stuff was.  One episode, they painted the front door from a cute red to a light pink color.   I felt like a lot of their decor dated and cheap looking.

[DVDFreaker]

I just think the sisters are terrible at designing, that green cabinet is awful, how that house got sold is beyond me

[DVDFreaker]

On 2/27/2020 at 5:17 PM, Grrarrggh said:

The house where they took out the closet by the front door was a bad move. Especially in a rainy, cold place like Washington you need somewhere right by your front door to put coats, shoes, boots etc. 

It is like they have no brains 

[sasha206]

8 hours ago, DVDFreaker said:

I just think the sisters are terrible at designing, that green cabinet is awful, how that house got sold is beyond me

I agree.  What I think is funny is seems like there would be very few people that green cabinets would appeal to.  Isn't the whole point of selling your house to take away very taste-specific issues?  I really question whether the houses sold as fast as they did for more then the asking price.   I feel like that might be reality TV manipulations.  Just like House Hunters where the house has already been purchased, and the other two are fake properties.  It wouldn't surprise me if the house had just sold, then the TV show comes in, asks what the new homeowners like and one said, "Green cabinets!"

[pasdetrois]

House flippers put in their own money all of the time, in that they buy the property and then invest in renovations and staging in prep for a sale. Homeowners usually spend money to prep a property prior to a sale. So to me this is the same construct, expressed differently.

Lots of small houses with only one bathroom that apparently sell rapidly. Quite unusual these days. It seems these houses are for first-time buyers who plan to move to something bigger later. I wonder if there are weird restrictions on adding another bath, because with some of those views that's what I'd do.

I'm not surprised at the fast sales. In my neighborhood houses often sell the same day they are listed, with bidding wars. It's all about location, which in my case is metro and schools.

The sisters may waive their Realtor fees in exchange for splitting the profit.

Edited March 4, 2020 by pasdetrois

[Jeeves]

I pretty much liked that house, except the pink door. But that's just a quick paint job away from salvation. I didn't hate the green cabinets. I really liked that they didn't ignore that laundry room. In such a small house, it had IMO a disproportionate amount of square footage and they were clever to maximize the storage in there with reused kitchen cabinets. Although I wasn't a fan of painting the cabinets pink. 

Until someone can show Zillow or other listings that disprove the sisters' statements about the sales of those houses, I believe those houses did sell. They may ham it up for the cameras, but this doesn't seem like a completely faked-for-TV show such as the infamous Zombie House Flippers or whatever it's called.

Edited March 4, 2020 by Jeeves

[chessiegal]

I have sold 5 houses, and never once did the listing agent offer to put in any of their money to help it sell. They offered advice, but no money. I've never heard of listing agents doing that, so this is a new concept to me. After retiring, I got a real estate license for something to do. I never practiced, but in the training I had to take to get my license, including continuing education to keep it, the suggestion that a listing agent put in their own money was never mentioned.

[CrazyInAlabama]

In a super high priced area like Seattle, a one bathroom home may be all you can afford.   The only other shows I've watched with big dollar price tag, they do remodel, stage, and paint, but it's on the homeowner.  

[mojito]

I can understand replacing the bathroom vanity, but definitely not with a pedestal sink in a home that only has one bathroom. What's the thinking behind a thing like that?

I think these two try a little too hard to be chipper and fun.

[Grrarrggh]

26 minutes ago, mojito said:

I think these two try a little too hard to be chipper and fun.

That's because for HGTV it's "personality" that sells, not design talent. (Well, actually it's being white that sells, but "personality is second....)

[chessiegal]

48 minutes ago, mojito said:

I can understand replacing the bathroom vanity, but definitely not with a pedestal sink in a home that only has one bathroom. What's the thinking behind a thing like that?

No kidding! I said the same thing. The house they showed for comparison had a lovely sink with a cabinet. I have a powder room with a pedestal sink, which is fine. you just need a place to wash your hands. A single main bathroom needs room for storage. I didn't like the pink front door, or painting the repurposed kitchen cabinets in the laundry room pink. There was nothing wrong with those cabinets. They could have left them just the way they were.

[CrazyInAlabama]

In the price range they're talking, especially in a single bathroom home, I wouldn't even look at a pedestal sink.     I want some storage, and easy to clean, and a pedestal sink doesn't fit that criteria for me.  

[Beany Malone]

On 3/4/2020 at 6:46 PM, chessiegal said:

There was nothing wrong with those cabinets. They could have left them just the way they were.

But, but they were wood!  Honestly we just bought recently and we bought despite, not because, the previous owners painted perfectly nice oak cabinets a shiny green.  Sigh.  I get it if the cabinets are stained or damaged in some way and you can't afford to replace them.  But when there was nothing wrong with the cabinets why can't people just leave them alone?