Flipping The Block - General Discussion

[mecmimi05]

I agree that the winners will be between John and Whitney and the brothers. I think the back two condos will have the advantage over the ones on the street. I think the exposed ceiling looks unfinished and while I like the sister's condo minus the orange, they are right on the street.

I also agree with everyone that wish HGTV's Flipping the Block site was better organized. I hope they will do better next season and replace Nicole with another judge (please).

[auntjess]

If I were buying one, I'd pick the sisters' or the brothers'.

[needschocolate]

The blue frames are so easily taken down I was surprised that it was even mentioned.  Pull them off, spackle the holes and touch up the paint, just like we all do when we move a picture and the hole is exposed.  pffffffffft  

 

I agree that spackling for the nailed on frames isn't much different than spackling if they were hung by a nail or two - assuming two things - (1) they didn't used a bunch of nails to attach the frames (2 would be enough, but people go crazy with brad/nail guns) and (2) the paint was completely cured when they nailed on the frames. 

 

I doubt that they had enough time for the paint to dry enough, which means that when someone takes off the frames they will take off some paint and, therefore, some of the wall texture with it.  I recently took down a shelf and big chunks of the plaster came off with it, because the paint had basically glued the shelf to the wall.  I know I had waited at least a few days after painting to put up the shelf, and it still stuck like that.  They probably painted that morning and nailed on the frames that afternoon and that would be a mess to repair. 

 

A professional painting contractor recently told me that it takes at least 3 weeks for paint to fully cure. 

Edited September 7, 2014 by needschocolate

[needschocolate]

I think they were given $37,500 a the beginning to pay for everything in the house, except furniture and they were given a separate budget for the yards.  For winning the first challenge, they sisters received an extra $5,000 to use toward the second room (kitchen). 

[Wings]

There's some interesting price history at the bottom of this redfin page: https://www.redfin.com/CA/Glendale/1119-Sonora-Ave-91201/unit-D/home/7148824

In May all four units were taken off the market, and then sold on different dates in late June, which is probably when each buyer actually closed.

Two of the units went for $352,000, one went for $357,000 and the last went for $325,500. If the married couple's condo was one of the ones that went for $352,000, and Big Hair's condo went for $325,500 (I suspect), then there's a good chance that the brothers won.

 

 

Another breakdown could be, the sisters coming in on top because they are away from the pool.  2 back units in the middle.  And unless some random freak who frequents The Christmas Tree Shop just loves the Big Hair unit I think it is safe to say they are on the bottom.   

 

The brothers did some things that escape me.  Larger master closet is one and their master bath was nice.  Those are selling points right there. 

[auntjess]

To me, the brothers' biggest problem will be not having a bathtub.

[Wings]

I had forgotten about no bathtub.  Most women want those.  And they are necessary if you only use them once in awhile to soak aching muscles.  

[mlp]

 

To me, the brothers' biggest problem will be not having a bathtub.

 

I don't have any idea how most people feel about tubs.  Everyone I know takes showers including me.  My apartment has two bathrooms, one with a tub and shower and one with just a stall shower.  The only time the tub gets used is when I have house guests and, even then, they just stand in it while using the shower. 

 

I'd want a tub only if I were still young enough to have children too small to bathe themselves.

[auntjess]

I always take showers, and have a tub w/shower, BUT, as in many places now, there's no laundry tub, just a hookup, so for things I'd have used a laundry tub for, I depend on a bathtub.

These would be bathing the dog, and washing things that are really muddy or sandy, or where someone's been sick, and you don't want to dump it directly into the washer, or use the kitchen sink.,

If I could build a dream house, it would have a big, deep laundry tub, between the washer and dryer.

Edited September 7, 2014 by auntjess

[LizBug]

The auctioneer says the sale is subject to something for the buyer, didn't they pre-qualify the people who are bidding?

[Rhetorica]

WTH? 

[VartanFan]

Well that was horrifying. 

[LizBug]

Ok ... Glad that all the condos had good bids. Glad that there was no backbiting and sabotage with the couples. Feel that the auction order affected the final bids. And that the sister's condo should have sold fore more.

[Sapphire]

There is something equally horrifying that has been bothering me all season: John and Whitney look like twin brother and sister to me.  Has anyone else noticed that?  It creeps me out every time they are on the screen and I have a hard time fathoming they are truly husband and wife.

 

Other than that, ICK.  Especially since Amanda did all of the heavy lifting and Curtis mainly threw tantrums and ate cereal.

[mecmimi05]

Wow...totally surprised with that ending. I would have put that condo as dead last. Wonder if connection to the garage helped?? It seems to me that poor decisions were rewarded, but then someone evidently liked what they did...go figure!!!!!

[JAndy]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I cannot believe that they won! Completely insane. It was my least favorite out of all of the condos. And like a PP said, I'm surprised the sisters sold for so little. Shocking really.

[chrisvee]

Wow.

Wow.

Did not see that coming.

[Moncheechee]

I haven't watched the episode yet, but am I to believe that big hair won?  HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE???

[NeenerNeener]

Hmmm....wonder what the 17k difference was between what the bids were for each condo and what was reported on the Redfin website. I can't believe the Big Hairs won.

[mecmimi05]

Yes Sapphire, I did notice that about John and Whitney.....and it was wierd. I do think they should have won.

[KLovestoShop]

How does anyone know if they didn't put in a "ringer" to bid on the condos?  I can really see ugly big hair having a cousin or another relative to bid higher on the condo.  I absolutely cannot believe they won.  It was the worst condo of the four. 

[VartanFan]

I would like someone to knock on the doors of the condos to see if the people we saw are actually living there.  Then I might believe that there wasn't manipulation from producers.  I'd also like to interview the owners to see how they like the condos now...the noise from the super special country ceiling, the outside litter box...also, what broke immediately, etc.  There's no way there was such time constraint on the teams and workmanship didn't suffer...

[Tink]

I agree the bidding order affected the prices, with going first being a disadvantage, and last having an advantage. Did they say how the order was determined?

[mustbekarma]

I would like someone to knock on the doors of the condos to see if the people we saw are actually living there.  Then I might believe that there wasn't manipulation from producers.  I'd also like to interview the owners to see how they like the condos now...the noise from the super special country ceiling, the outside litter box...also, what broke immediately, etc.  There's no way there was such time constraint on the teams and workmanship didn't suffer...

I'd trust the brothers' workmanship more than anyone else's. I wonder how the current owners would think that "quaint" exposed beam ceiling wasn't a design choice but an "oh shit, we ran out of money" choice. A one year later special that showed how many things had to be updated would be sweet.

[auntjess]

 

I agree the bidding order affected the prices, with going first being a disadvantage, and last having an advantage. Did they say how the order was determined?

I assumed they went by unit, A,B,C, & D.

Like everyone else, I was surprised, and also wasn't aware that the renovation money was subtracted from the purchase price.

And these didn't seem to match the prices that we saw in that link.

I was really hoping for the brothers to win.

Would love a revisit  after the units are occupied for a month or so, or resold or rented or whatever.

[DownTheShore]

I actually didn't mind Big Hair's townhouse or the fact that it had some personality, so I don't think that it would have been a turn-off for someone who wasn't all fired up about "putting their own mark" on the place.  Don't forget that was the only unit that had direct access to the garage via the side patio, which gave it an edge.  The tankless water heater freed up some space for them too.  The living room ceiling went with the whole shabby chic thing they had going with the second bedroom; if I had bought that one, I would have just painted the exposed wiring and pipes black and called it a day because I liked the look of that chandelier with the exposed wood.  For me, the drawback would have been the sandy beach side patio, but I would have just used that sand as a base for stone pavers.

 

I sort of took a perverse pleasure in John and Whitney not winning, mainly because they were so sure that they were going to win; Whitney almost dropped her sweet-thing persona for a moment there.  I noticed how they had the shower curtain pulled shut in the bathroom upstairs when they were showing the home, so I guess they never fixed that tiling mistake.  Surprise, new owner!  I didn't really like their kitchen, anyway, with there not being enough room to open the oven and the dishwasher doors at the same time.

 

The brothers never really had a chance of winning that competition - especially with eliminating a bathtub, which seems to be an essential item for most home buyers.  They did have the best-sited townhouse, though, and the best side yard if you like the natural look rather than something styled to the n-th degree.  And there was nothing actually wrong with their townhouse; I just don't think that it was decorated up to its potential and probably appeared drab compared to the others - especially if the furnishings are included with the house.

 

The sisters definitely suffered by going first, though from the way the bidding went, it seemed as though the buyers each had a specific townhouse that they wanted, rather than just wanting to buy one of the townhouses on that lot - which is the way that I would have approached the auction, since they were all of similar desirability.  Perhaps their townhouse suffered by being the one next to the driveway?  That probably would have made it the least desirable of all of them. 

 

I would have expected the later townhouses to go for a higher price, if they were in a desirable location in the town; perhaps location had an effect.  I would have thought that those townhouses would have gone for a higher price, given the prices we see asked for homes in CA on the HH episodes.

 

It would be interesting to watch the auction over to see if everyone there bid at least once on the property or if there were some ringers in the audience.  The fact that no one initially offered for Big Hair's townhouse made me think that the producers told the audience to pause for a moment before making a bid, because there was no reason for that delay in bidding.

 

I'm guessing that the people at the auction had to pre-qualify in order to bid.  On HGTV's house flipper shows, those people who buy houses at auction have to put up $100K right up front as surety in order to even bid, IIRC, and then have to be able to pay the rest right at the time of the auction, so I would assume that there would have been something similar to that with this show.

 

I hope they do another one of these shows, and do not add any false drama to it because I liked seeing regular people just trying to get along with one another without any backstabbing or angst while working toward a common goal.  I really don't identify with anyone on those reality shows where there's constant gamesmanship to harm another player's chances, and don't like to watch that. 

 

Hopefully, though, they won't invite Nicole back to be a judge.

[auntjess]

 

I'm guessing that the people at the auction had to pre-qualify in order to bid.

I'd have thought so, but the auctioneer was saying something to the last winning bidder about "subject to..." and I didn't get all of it.

[magdalene]

At least now I am pretty sure this thing wasn't totally rigged. I fully expected the blond married couple who look like siblings to win because they are so fitting into the HGTV mold. I was rooting for the brothers to win but I didn't have much hope they would.

[DownTheShore]

Thanks for the link, very interesting. It shows that the building was sold for $1,500.000 in September 2013. Woud that be when it was bought for the planning of the show? Because if so, the added prices of the 4 units is less than that. Am I missing something? (I am not really familiar with how real estate works in the US).

 

Joss & Main got a lot of constant, free advertising on that show, much more than the cost of the furniture and accessories probably cost them to supply - wonder if they coughed up some cash for the purchase price?  Don't forget that HGTV sold advertising minutes for the show so they made back the cost, especially if they are planning on having a second season of the show.

[windsprints]

I am so surprised they won. I thought any of the other 3 could have taken it but never expected Big Hair to win the big prize.

 

I hope they do another one of these shows, and do not add any false drama to it because I liked seeing regular people just trying to get along with one another without any backstabbing or angst while working toward a common goal.  I really don't identify with anyone on those reality shows where there's constant gamesmanship to harm another player's chances, and don't like to watch that.

 

Agree. I found it refreshing to have the drama be from each team trying to finish rather than the typical backbiting. I thought it was sweet how Big Hair was all excited about seeing the baby bump. I hope the contestants they have for season 2 follow suit.

[GaT]

Seriously? SERIOUSLY??????? The turquoise rustic nightmare had the biggest bid? How is that possible? I find the fact that nobody bid at first & then all of a sudden they bid the price way up really suspicious, almost like someone was pushing people for bids.

 

Was this the first we heard about their budgets being subtracted from the total amount? Because I don't remember hearing about that before & it kind of feels like something they just threw in at the end. IMO, a really unsatisfying ending.

[meep.meep]

Fuck this!

Did the buyers think they got to keep the staging?

[Double-S Mom]

I definitely have to co-sign on the whole Whitney & John look alike thing.  They kind of make me think of the Flowers in the Attic kids.  Yes my brain is weird.

 

As for the winner. I definitely think the attached garage was a biggie.  There was a lot of blue in the design but with a little paint and some different accent colors, maybe light greys or creams & throwing out some the seashell/kitch I think its mostly livable.  I am glad to know there is a season 2--hope the drama factor stays low.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Double-S Mom

[rehoboth]

What a letdown!  I would have preferred any of the other three to win over Big Hair duo.  Won't the noise level be super high between the living room and bedroom above with no buffer?  I thought you only exposed the ceiling like that when there was nothing above your room or you had super high ceilings.

 

I do think the order affected the outcome.  I wish they would put the houses up for on-line bidding all at the same time next season.  Less dramatic than an auctioneer but the results will be more realistic.

[VartanFan]

On an up note, at least Curtis' whole body was covered last night.  So there's that...

[Hero]

Even Josh seemed surprised that Amanda and Curtis won. That ceiling is a big turn-off.

[needschocolate]

I agree that auction order had an effect on the outcome.  They should have done a "silent auction" where people list their bid on a piece of paper  - so all condos would effectively be auctioned off at the same time.  Not as dramatic as having the auctioneer call out numbers, but much more fair. And they could still have drama by having Josh say "the lowest bid was ____________"

[QuinnM]

Not surprised too much. It was an interesting design and very convent placement in the complex. I like the garage and the pool convenience. It just takes two people that like that style to get the bidding up. It was the only one with that esthetic so if you wanted it no other unit will do. A friend in LA told me that the $1500 install on her tankless paid for itself the first year so besides more space you would get $100 a month cheaper living than the other units.

I'm from MN. I was born here. I am of the minority Irish. There are billions of Swedes, Finns, Norwegians and Dutch in this state. Seeing tall, blonde blue eyed people is not that unusual. It's funny talking with transplants because I forget how blonde it is here until someone points it out.

[DownTheShore]

With that small of a townhouse, odds are good that there won't be people making noise in the living room when someone is sleeping in the bedroom above it.

 

I was looking at the pictures of the completed homes here: http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hotprop-flipping-the-block-20140509-story.html and http://www.bidkw.com/auctions/view/274

 

It's really clear why the brothers' home wasn't a hot seller - their kitchen is really ugly.  Dishwasher right alongside the stove, no cabinets above the refrigerator, the washer/dryer in the kitchen next to the fridge is not enclosed in a closet/cabinet with doors.  The living room looks extremely bland.  Then the whole no-tub thing, too.

 

I think the sisters' home shows the best in the images.

 

The auction, as televised, didn't follow the address order, which was:

A = Sisters

B = Big Hair

C = Brothers

D = John & Whitney

[Wings]

Another reason the last unit would go for the highest is those who did not win the bid on a previous unit decided to just go for it because they just wanted one, badly.  It did not necessarily win because they loved it the most, if this is the case.   

 

Or hindsight tells me we should have known Big Hair's would win.  It stood out as being different and probably warmer, homey and unique.  There are a lot of people out there with this cornball taste.  Just cruise the Christmas Tree Shop.  They have cute little dumb signs and rustic, country stuff wall to wall.  There is nothing in that store that would not work in Big Hair's unit.   

 

I would LOVE to see a follow up.  Did the buyers move in, flip it or rent it?  

 

I loved seeing them all get along, it was refreshing.  Rowhouse Showdown was a disaster in this aspect and many others, as well.  

[auntjess]

Of course a real test would have been to put them up for sale in the normal way, with a realtor.  (The same one, so that one wouldn't do better because it had a better agent.)
But you'd have to let the final episode pend until the next season, and I can't see them doing that.

[hkit]

How does anyone know if they didn't put in a "ringer" to bid on the condos?  I can really see ugly big hair having a cousin or another relative to bid higher on the condo.  I absolutely cannot believe they won.  It was the worst condo of the four. 

 

I refuse to accept any scenario where this wasn't the case. HGTV has too much riding on their "aesthetic" and the knowledge of their stars. They were never going to leave this up to chance. I am surprised that this was the one that won, but it was for that reason I knew the brothers were never going to win.

 

Honestly, as far as the aesthetic, it makes me want to gag. But I'm always buying homes expecting to do some work to them. I would never be selected for a House Hunters show because I would only want to see ugly houses that I can fix rather than someone else's idea of good design. Personally, not being afraid of a little work, I think the unit had a couple of things going for it, like the location, and the tankless water heater install (that seems like a big project that I wouldn't want to tackle. As a DIYer, I would be much more likely to want to take on a ceiling drywalling project than try and fix an off center bathroom. 

Edited September 8, 2014 by hkit

[mojito]

Talk about an anticlimactic ending. Most of the show was a snoozer. I have to admit, that I found myself wanting to see John and Whitney lose. Losing to Curtis and Amanda is salt in the wound.

 

Curtis and Amanda took home $60K, didn't they, since they won that $10K award that they weren't allowed to spend on the home? Talking about laughing all the way to the bank.

 

Without knowing the orientation of all these units, offhand I'd say that I'd sure be feeling smug if I'd been the one to purchase the sisters' unit for so much less.

 

Sorry brothers and sisters; I was pulling for you. You wuz robbed!

 

Please, do not allow Nicole Curtis to be a judge again. I like her show, I even like her okay, but I don't like her as a judge.

[txvoodoo]

I agree that spackling for the nailed on frames isn't much different than spackling if they were hung by a nail or two - assuming two things - (1) they didn't used a bunch of nails to attach the frames (2 would be enough, but people go crazy with brad/nail guns) and (2) the paint was completely cured when they nailed on the frames. 

 

I doubt that they had enough time for the paint to dry enough, which means that when someone takes off the frames they will take off some paint and, therefore, some of the wall texture with it.  I recently took down a shelf and big chunks of the plaster came off with it, because the paint had basically glued the shelf to the wall.  I know I had waited at least a few days after painting to put up the shelf, and it still stuck like that.  They probably painted that morning and nailed on the frames that afternoon and that would be a mess to repair. 

 

A professional painting contractor recently told me that it takes at least 3 weeks for paint to fully cure. 

 

 

Going from memory, but I'm pretty sure they SCREWED those frames into the wall. 

[Wings]

Talk about an anticlimactic ending. Most of the show was a snoozer. I have to admit, that I found myself wanting to see John and Whitney lose. Losing to Curtis and Amanda is salt in the wound.

 

Curtis and Amanda took home $60K, didn't they, since they won that $10K award that they weren't allowed to spend on the home? Talking about laughing all the way to the bank.

 

Without knowing the orientation of all these units, offhand I'd say that I'd sure be feeling smug if I'd been the one to purchase the sisters' unit for so much less.

 

Sorry brothers and sisters; I was pulling for you. You wuz robbed!

 

Please, do not allow Nicole Curtis to be a judge again. I like her show, I even like her okay, but I don't like her as a judge.

 

 

The sisters and Big Hair were next door to each other (attached) in the front units by the street. 

 

They paid a lot of money for some reclaimed wood nailed up willy nilly all over the damn place. 

[Wings]

Going from memory, but I'm pretty sure they SCREWED those frames into the wall. 

 

 

They were brads from a gun; that was mentioned.  

 

That is not a big consideration.  Pull the frames off and spackle the holes.  Not a big deal, at all. 

Edited September 8, 2014 by wings707

[Wings]

Joss & Main got a lot of constant, free advertising on that show, much more than the cost of the furniture and accessories probably cost them to supply - wonder if they coughed up some cash for the purchase price?  Don't forget that HGTV sold advertising minutes for the show so they made back the cost, especially if they are planning on having a second season of the show.

 

 

Joss and Main paid them, not free at all.  Sponsors pay for time on TV shows, even product placement which is the best.  I am not sure what you mean. 

[txvoodoo]

Hmmm....wonder what the 17k difference was between what the bids were for each condo and what was reported on the Redfin website. I can't believe the Big Hairs won.

 

I'm looking at Zillow (which doesn't show as much info if you're not logged in, but I'm a real estate addict who logs in).

 

According to that, John & Whitney's sold for 352,000 on 06/30/14 (http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1119-Sonora-Ave-APT-D-Glendale-CA-91201/20824247_zpid/ )

 

Unit B (Big Hair & Curtis) is here http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1119-Sonora-Ave-APT-B-Glendale-CA-91201/2107503015_zpid/ - but no sold price shown 

 

The sisters: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1119-Sonora-Ave-APT-A-Glendale-CA-91201/2107503016_zpid/ - again, no sale price shown.

 

The brothers' isn't shown on redfin or zillow.

 

I am so seriously unimpressed with the results of this show. I honestly call BS on it. We need to find someone who has access to actual real estate data to tell us what the other units sold for.

I agree the bidding order affected the prices, with going first being a disadvantage, and last having an advantage. Did they say how the order was determined?

 

I would think that too, except that it seems that usually, things go *down* in price as it goes on.  I mean, why would you pay more for something that you've seen go for less 3 times before? There's no sense in that. (especially for that janky place.)

[needschocolate]

Joss and Main probably got their furniture back too  - wasn't it just used for staging and not included in the sale?

[Wings]

Joss and Main probably got their furniture back too  - wasn't it just used for staging and not included in the sale?

 

 

Yes, I am sure they did.