House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[laredhead]

Truther, she was a trauma or ER doctor as I recall.  She walked very fast and just blew threw the house tours leaving her realtor and her friend behind as she practically ran from room to room in each house.  She loved to cook for and entertain her family.  I believe she was in a follow up episode that showed some of the things she had done with the Victorian house she purchased.

[camom]

I remember her, too.  As I recall, she found a "secret" staircase behind a wall in that old house.  It was a cool house, and I liked what she did with it.

[truther]

Found it -- "Finally, we return to Fargo, North Dakota, where emergency room doctor Mary Aaland, armed with a $700,000 budget, transformed a historic mansion into an entertainer's dream!"

[Peanutbuttercup]

More entitled assholes last night in the Overland Park episode. I call them the "wheresmy" people. Where's my fireplace? Where's my kitchenette? Where's my media room? Where's my yoga room? And with a bonus of this closet space is not exactly what I had in mind while sneering at a master closet slightly smaller than my living room.

[Pickles]

Those Overland Park people were obnoxious. They had so many demands--a yoga room, a media room, a fireplace in the bedroom, a fenced yard, a second kitchen in the finished basement, etc. They wanted all of that for $500k or less. Of course, every house fell short. When the agent suggested they could add a fence to the yard or add a second kitchen, oh no, they weren't going to pay extra for any of that! I am hoping the producers told the buyers to behave like jerks. I hate to think they are really that overbearing and entitled.

[Empress1]

I wanted to like this couple because my mom's side of the family has been in Brooklyn for nearly a hundred years (the wife was from Brooklyn) and I also have family in Barbados, where the husband was from. But between all the demands and the fact that the houses were all very bland (I had a hard time telling them apart), I found the episode dull. I had no idea that the COL in Overland Park, KS was high though.

 

Shallow note: the wife needed to step up her wig game.

[laredhead]

Just watched the Overland Park episode and I have a message for those HH's.  You're not in Georgia anymore.  Get over it.  $500,000 isn't going to buy in Kansas what it would in Georgia.  Peanutbuttercup, I love your "wheresmy" designation for that type of buyer.  Makes me wish they had been transferred to San Francisco or San Diego where they would have been looking at 1500 sf, 2 bedroom houses.  Now that would have been a great episode for some of us. 

Edited August 18, 2015 by laredhead

[KLovestoShop]

I also wanted to like this Kansas couple, but they got more obnoxious by the minute. Like others, I hated the "where's my" mantra. And, did they mention their daughter very much? On other episodes where kids are involved, you always hear a lot of comments like "this is perfect for Bonzo" or "our daughter will absolutely love this room and yard". But no, not with these two selfish people. It was only about them and what they wanted.

I'll be honest, the first house was wayyyyyy overpriced for what you get. A lot of it was outdated with cheap looking countertops (I couldn't believe the agent said they're just like granite-----bull), old looking cabinets, and gold/brass fixtures. No way that house was worth $515,000, especially when compared to the house they bought.

Edited August 18, 2015 by KLovestoShop

[Empress1]

Just watched the Overland Park episode and I have a message for those HH's.  You're not in Georgia anymore.  Get over it.  $500,000 isn't going to buy in Kansas what it would in Georgia.  Peanutbuttercup, I love your "wheresmy" designation for that type of buyer.  Makes me wish they had been transferred to San Francisco or San Diego where they would have been looking at 1500 sf, 2 bedroom houses.  Not that would have been a great episode for some of us. 

In fairness, I absolutely would assume that your money in Kansas would go as far as it would in Georgia, that you can get a comparable house in a comparable suburb (since Overland Park is apparently Kansas City suburb, I'll liken it to Marietta, outside Atlanta) for a comparable price. I would also assume that both areas have low COLs (well, I know the Atlanta area does as I have friends who are from there, and live there). I'd do some research before moving since I know nothing about Kansas, but when the research turned up those prices, it would have (and did) surprised me. I don't think it's unreasonable that the couple would assume that, and it also wasn't like they were looking for a type of house that simply doesn't exist in Kansas (like when buyers are looking for colonial style homes in Arizona).

[camom]

It was the "We've worked hard and deserve to have everything we want" attitude that bugged me.  Yeah, I work hard too and feel that gives me the right to indulge myself as my budget allows, but it doesn't mean I should always have exactly what I want exactly when I want it for exactly the price I want to pay.

[DownTheShore]

Can someone explain to me why someone needs a whole room to do yoga? Aren't you basically using just a few square feet? Why can't it be done in any room that has a little open space such as the middle of the living room, or even outdoors? Isn't one of the points of it is to tune out distractions? So it really shouldn't matter where you do the exercises if you're tuned into your own body, right?

[Never more]

The professional snowboarder was definitely a man child who kept whining that he must be "off the grid." The wife almost had to beg him to take the more reasonable property. And just who would want to rent a house in the wilderness. None of their plans seemed feasible.

[laredhead]

Then there are is couple tonight who are living on a live volcano in the most hazardous lava zone.  I wish they had shown a little bit more about the construction of their house, but I guess there really wasn't that much to show since it was totally open concept, so to speak.  What happens when it rains?  Does their furniture and stuff get wet?  Maybe that is a drier area of Hawaii.  **(I just rewatched and saw that they have some fold down windows or shutters on all sides)**  They talked about their raw food seminars(?) and access to the properties.  Do they conduct classes at their house?  So many questions.  Having that many varieties of fruit trees in your yard would be nice.  I liked the realtor's explanation of spaghetti lots.  In Louisiana the land along the river used to be divided much like that with the acreage being narrow and deep so that many landowners could have river frontage for crop transport.  I'd like to know the reason for it in Hawaii.  I had to laugh when the woman was saying 100 feet of counter top was a bit excessive, but none of it was granite.  I did spy what looked like a stainless steel range in the background though.       

Edited August 20, 2015 by laredhead

[slasherboy]

Can someone explain to me why someone needs a whole room to do yoga? 

 

Because she's an entitled twit.  I manage to do my yoga on the floor of my very small living room and there's always a cat licking my face and a dog sniffing my butt ... but I wouldn't have it any other way.  Of course, I DO have an entire room dedicated to gift wrapping. (kidding!)

[Peanutbuttercup]

Sign me up for the vacation where I stay THE HELL AWAY from an off the grid (sweltering) house in a live lava flow zone where I eat raw brown glop prepared by sickly-looking self-righteous hippies.

[sheetmoss]

For those that remember...

 

This Chicago condo bldg  was featured on HH a few yrs back and the couple ended up buying a unit in the bldg.. What was unique about the bldg is that the whole back area was multiple raised tennis courts you could access from your unit.

 

Looks like it's being torn done.

 

http://cribchatter.com/?p=22453

Edited August 23, 2015 by sheetmoss

[truther]

For those that remember...

 

This Chicago condo bldg  was featured on HH a few yrs back and the couple ended up buying a unit in the bldg.. What was unique about the bldg is that the whole back area was multiple raised tennis courts you could access from your unit.

 

Looks like it's being torn done.

 

http://cribchatter.com/?p=22453

That building is memorable, I'll give it that.  The el goes right by it, so practically everyone who's lived on the north side of Chicago since the 1970s knows it.  I've probably traveled by the place a couple hundred times in my life and I think once, once, I saw people playing tennis.  It's been a few years now since I've been on the train there but I seem to remember the nets going down one winter and then never returning.  People just store their stuff on the courts now.   

[Peanutbuttercup]

Oh my gosh, Carol from Salisbury NC last night is a professional baker and apparently no one has told her that it's impossible to successfully prepare food using white appliances. How embarrassing for her! Surely her career will be ruined when her colleagues see her kitchen is lacking stainless steel appliances but she's acting as though she is happy and loves her kitchen.

[Empress1]

"102K is over our budget!" I'm so sick of that. You can knock off two grand easily in negotiation, and even if you can't, two grand over 20 or 30 years is like five bucks a month. Come on.

 

That realtor was a hoot. I was with Carol on the gas stove, as I've said here before, and I would be pissed if the realtor kept showing me houses with electric. I liked the older house best. I hated the ranch they ended up in; I did find it lacking in charm.

[Mondrianyone]

I didn't think the stoves were much of an issue, since the agent was showing them houses with gas feeds already in place, so it was a simple matter to switch over from electric.  The husband was the one I found most irritating, even though a lot of his whining was undoubtedly producer-driven.  Like not being able to have an office anyplace near where laundry might sometimes be done.  Because when you pay the princely sum of $100K for a house, you don't expect to make any compromises.

[Angeltoes]

And on a shallow note, the husband certainly married up.

[Mondrianyone]

Ain't that the truth. It kind of amazed me that he was so seemingly unwilling to let her have anything she wanted.  Because she could've done way better than him.  And she still can.  I bet the shallow end is crowded with people thinking the same thing.

[Tony]

Seriously, they're that picky for a $100k property? For that price here, you're lucky if can get a shack with a roof.

[KLovestoShop]

I'm definitely in the same shallow pool. I've said this before, and I know this show is scripted, but it drives me nuts that those with the smallest budgets want 7 figure mansion.

[Taylorh2]

You know the "Triangle", cosists of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. I live in Raleigh, and to be honest Durham is a little dicey. Downtown is being rejuvenated but there is a lot of gang activiy there. Local government is nutty too, always seems to have someone in trouble. The wife was annoying on the episode too, I could barely stand to listen to her childish voice, their daughter  was adorable though. The house they picked was OK, nothing special. This is the second HH featuring a local academic, are they recruiting at the schools?  By the way, it's 94degrees today, and there's a 100% chance of rain, she'll be loving those fans soon enough. 

I was just watching this episode but I turned it off because of her childish voice. She said that she was "older" then her husband. Maybe it's why does does that put-on voice.

[Mondrianyone]

Just watched the single guy and his female best friend looking for a vacation house in Lake Tahoe.  What a pleasure!  No whining, no vocal fry, no holy trinity, no "Jackson won't like this"--just two grown-ups with a good sense of humor and a realistic idea of what would work.  I'll give him the undivided-sink fetish--some silly obsession always seems to get pushed on these people.  And a guy could be a mass murderer, but if he loves his old dogs, he gets a pass from me.  And if he has a girl for a best friend, especially one he's known since they were both ten years old. I can't remember the last time I thoroughly liked a pair of HHs.

 

That Suzy was a tall woman, wasn't she?!  Jeff said he was 6'4", and she looked pretty much the same height whenever they stood next to each other.  Apropos of nothing.

[Angeltoes]

I wondered how many women were going to write to him. Nice single guy with enough budget to casually buy a second home in Tahoe. I'm sure several women burned up Google this morning trying to get more details.

[laredhead]

I enjoyed the conversation of those two more than looking at the houses, which doesn't happen very often.  I liked his comment about it looking easier on TV as he was attempting to remove the glass doors on the tub. 

[meep.meep]

At least they showed proper prices for the Tahoe homes.  There was an episode of Vacation Homes for Free where they bought in the same area (Tahoma) and claimed they bought a 4BR home for $390K.  My jaw dropped and I pulled out Zillow and couldn't find anything for less than $550K.  Negotiation only gets you so far.

 

I figure the production company tells them to have a "thing" and he decided on divided sinks.  So you can wash in one half and rinse in the other.

[laredhead]

Last night's episode about the Nashville couple had me thinking it was that woman (I cannot remember her name) and her husband who have been on HH several times, beginning when she was single in California.  Then the show began and it was another aspiring singer and her husband who moved from Oklahoma so she can follow her dream of being a country singer.  Small budget of $120,000, small house, but glad they chose the one they did because it had a nice yard for their big dog and about 1200 sf ft.  They were not hung up on granite or stainless, but did want hardwood floors which they did not get in the house they bought.        

[karasmom]

I loved the Nashville couple.  They didn't need granite, stainless and it was a breath of fresh air.  I thought her singing voice was very nice.

[hoosier80]

I haven't been watching as much as I used to, probably got burned out of all the entitled people, but I did see two recent shows.  One I stopped to watch because it was a couple in my general area (Westerville OH).  They weren't too bad; I think they chose a place north of Westerville - maybe a Galena area.   They kept saying about the longer commute to work at 30 minutes.  Anywhere around Columbus it seems to take around 30 minutes, so yeah, not a big deal.

 

The one episode that had me wanting to reach through the tv and smack someone was the NC couple moving to CA.  They had some huge home in NC, and the wife wanted some place where they could have some farm animals (goats mainly).  Husband had to have a 3 car garage.  Of course, they were just shocked by the CA home prices.   They were not happy with how they couldn't get the same yard, square footage, etc, like back home.  They ended up with some place really out in the sticks, where it was a much longer commute.  At least hubby got his 3 car garage for his "toys". 

[topanga]

 

The one episode that had me wanting to reach through the tv and smack someone was the NC couple moving to CA.  They had some huge home in NC, and the wife wanted some place where they could have some farm animals (goats mainly).  Husband had to have a 3 car garage.  Of course, they were just shocked by the CA home prices.   They were not happy with how they couldn't get the same yard, square footage, etc, like back home.  They ended up with some place really out in the sticks, where it was a much longer commute.  At least hubby got his 3 car garage for his "toys".

Yes, that's one of my pet peeves. "We're moving to California/Phoenix/Chicago and we want a house exactly like the one we left behind. Oh, and we don't want to pay market value for the home. The prices should be comparable to the small town we just left.

 

I hope the kids are okay growing up so far away from other children. In this day and age, even in urban and suburban areas, Children don't socialize much anymore with other kids in neighborhoods. So it must be even harder for kids who live basically isolated.

[Kathcart]

Just saw an episode last night (a rerun?) in which the young wife "playfully" called her young husband "Princess" throughout. Wh-a-a-a-a-at???? Can This Marriage Be Saved? (Answer: No.)

[ChelseaNH]

Just tuned into the marathon and got to hear the Maryland wife dismiss her husband's opinions.  Not a good omen for their marriage.

[27bored]

Just tuned into the marathon and got to hear the Maryland wife dismiss her husband's opinions.  Not a good omen for their marriage.

 

I came to post about them. First of all, that chick wasn't cute enough to be as annoying as she was. Her mom was like, "I try to listen to what James wants, but sometimes I want to hit him upside the head because I want her to have what she wants". He should've left her ugly ass and her mother where they were. He seemed like a sweet guy, but a total pushover. Why do people think that's cute? Having a princess with a slick mouth for a wife isn't attractive and it's why a lot of guys don't want to marry.

[Pickles]

The Maryland woman was awful. They had only been married two years and she acted like she could not tolerate the husband. I know I should not comment on someone's appearance, but she was so unattractive. And then her personality made her that much more unattractive. I missed the beginning. Did they say what they did for a living?

[27bored]

The Maryland woman was awful. They had only been married two years and she acted like she could not tolerate the husband. I know I should not comment on someone's appearance, but she was so unattractive. And then her personality made her that much more unattractive. I missed the beginning. Did they say what they did for a living?

Yeah. He was like a marine engineer or something and she's a high school guidance counselor. So I'm guessing he's the only reason they got approved for so much.

[swissair100]

Oh Chante of Alpharetta GA, what else does one say ??? .....

Edited September 15, 2015 by swissair100

[AnnieGirl]

I thought sure she was going to go with the new build and all the fancy upgrades she HAD to have. All talk. She ended up with the economical choice.

[Empress1]

I thought so too. I was pleasantly surprised that she ended up with the first place; I was sure she was going to go with the new build.

[KLovestoShop]

I thought for sure the Georgia woman was going to go with the new build, but with so many of these shows, it's all about the budget rather than the "Where's my" mantra.  I don't know if the other woman was her sister or a friend, but her voice drove me nuts.  I couldn't tell if she was on helium or auditioning for a redo of Wizard of Oz as a Munchkin.  

[Babalooie]

The other woman was the Georgia woman's sister.  The little girl had the same voice.

[laredhead]

In spite of all of the must haves that Chante talked about, at least she was realistic about how her daughter was going to want her own space in a few years and she wasn't like some of the other HH's we have seen where they just must have the kids in the room next to theirs and don't seem to be able to see a couple of years down the road.  The townhouse that she chose did have a nice view.   

[Empress1]

There was another woman recently, a judge somewhere in Florida, who was moving from the suburbs to the city after her divorce and one of her requirements was that she and her daughter, who was a tween, have separate living spaces. She stressed that that would be particularly important as the daughter got older. I thought that was smart.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Empress1

[NYGirl]

Is it possible for a guy to have a resting bitchface?  Well Cliff in Kentucky definitely had one.  He looked like he was smelling farts throughout the episode.  He hated everything and anything about every single house...even the new build that he HAD to have.  Yet..he took the big closets..and the garage while his happy go lucky, easy going partner got nothing.  I'm actually shocked Cliff was able to move into the house they chose.  What an unpleasant person.

[lizzy07]

 

Is it possible for a guy to have a resting bitchface?  Well Cliff in Kentucky definitely had one.  He looked like he was smelling farts throughout the episode.  He hated everything and anything about every single house...even the new build that he HAD to have.  Yet..he took the big closets..and the garage while his happy go lucky, easy going partner got nothing.  I'm actually shocked Cliff was able to move into the house they chose.  What an unpleasant person.

 

OMG, I HATED the way he sloooowly sauntered into the kitchen in the last house wearing that fart-smelling face! Oh, the drama. Just say you don't like the kitchen.

 

I thought they did really nice work on the house they bought. It looked really cute!

[KLovestoShop]

I'm gonna say this again, but why say you have a budget and then bitch when the property shown is either right on that budget or a couple thousand below?  I've never understood this crap of saying you have a budget and then say "I'd like to be $100K under that".  If that's the case, make that smaller number your budget!!!!!!!   The couple in Kentucky did this same stuff.  Don't set your budget at $250K when you don't want to pay anywhere near that number.  If you only want to pay $175K, make that number your budget.  And, we all know that you rarely pay the asking price, but they never mention that on the show.  Unless there are multiple offers, you can bet you'll get at least a few thousand dollars off the asking.  

[sugarbaker design]

I'm gonna say this again, but why say you have a budget and then bitch when the property shown is either right on that budget or a couple thousand below?

 

 

There was an episode with a slightly snarky realtor who replied "Yes, it's also well within your budget that you submitted."  several times.  Snap!

Edited September 17, 2015 by sugarbaker design

[bubbls]

 

And a guy could be a mass murderer, but if he loves his old dogs, he gets a pass from me.

 

 

My personal litmus test for dividing people into good and bad humans.