House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[CocoaGoddess]

The Lafayette couple was so weird, I ran to Twitter to see if anyone else noticed. I don't think I even looked at the homes, I just could not stop staring at the wife with her too dark hair and garish eyebrows.

 

Someone on Twitter said she was a body builder, which makes so much sense. She seemed joyless and annoyed to be on the show though. 

[Pickles]

Oh wow! A bodybuilder. That kind of makes sense. She really looked like a man in drag to me. I thought she had a smoker's voice too. I am sure she is a lovely person. Lol. Just my own observations!

[ByaNose]

The wife has a mans face. It's so odd looking. I don't think I even paid any attention to the house hunting. The husband looked like your average Joe (with big bucks) but still average looking. The teen daughters looked like normal teens, too. Anyway, did I mention that the wife looks like a guy?

[elainebenis]

Damn. I feel bad about this but I thought for sure she was trans. 'That's a MAN, baby!'

 

Bodybuilder? Yeah, I can see that possibility as well.

[Empress1]

Can we ban the phrase "wow factor?" The Lafayette doc said it way too much. It's overused, both in general and on this show.

Lafayette wife totally looks like a man. Her being a bodybuilder makes a ton of sense; wonder if she's used any performance enhancements, or if her testosterone levels are higher? I was annoyed with her when she said she didn't think the could find anything for $1.2M, and then further when she was so sour about everything.

[chessiegal]

Y'all made me go to the HGTV app to see the LA woman. They showed a brief wedding picture at the beginning, and boy howdy she did not age well. She seemed to have a smoker's voice. If so, smoking does no favor to women as they age.

[Ottis]

Can we ban the phrase "wow factor?"

 

 

Only if we can also ban "flows into the ______ space" and "perfect for entertaining." Who are all these people who "entertain" all the time?

[Tara1665]

I wonder why they didn't just build a custom home? If your doing that extensive of a renovation then just build one. I can understand if it was an historic house but that house wasn't that old!

[laredhead]

The wife reminded me of Stockard Channing.  Yes, after all of the hype about him wanting a large, deluxe back yard, they chose the house with the smallest back yard.  By the time they put in a small pool and all of his outdoor cooking and entertaining space, there probably won't be a blade of grass in sight.  He certainly had a nice set up at his old house.  I love Lafayette.  It has great food, music and shopping.  The people are very friendly.  

[Babalooie]

I'm in the club thinking that the Lafayette wife was trans until they showed the prom picture.  I can understand the typical Cajun nose, though.  See Troy Landry on "Swamp People".    Again, I would have been happy with any of the houses.. 

[Tara1665]

Did it seem to anyone else that she was trying to recreate the kitchen from the third house into the house they chose?

[DownTheShore]

Why were they moving in the first place? It seemed like they had everything they wanted in their old home.

Every time I looked at that woman I thought of her in dog-face makeup. Can't you just see her with her nose painted brown? They seemed like a nice couple, though. I liked that she wanted the homey curb appeal look.

I went on Zillow and there are more plantation/Cajun style homes seemingly available than the agent showed them. I realize this show was taped months ago but I'd imagine that the housing stock was proportional then.

[Bazinga]

Disliked at the end when the Lafayette woman said "she compromised on..."  No, you did not "compromise" at all if you are just changing to make the "compromise" exactly the way you wanted it.  Compromising would be actually living with something you didn't like or want.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Bazinga

[Mittengirl]

The Orlando house with the driveway to nowhere was very odd looking. I wouldn't trust people to stop far back enough not to hit the house. It seems like usually when they convert a garage to a living space the driveway usually ends a ways from the house, so landscaping can disguise the original layout. I would have at least put in some giant planters to visually end the driveway before the outside wall.

[Grneyedldy]

The wife reminded me of Stockard Channing.  Yes, after all of the hype about him wanting a large, deluxe back yard, they chose the house with the smallest back yard.  By the time they put in a small pool and all of his outdoor cooking and entertaining space, there probably won't be a blade of grass in sight.  He certainly had a nice set up at his old house.  I love Lafayette.  It has great food, music and shopping.  The people are very friendly.

That's exactly what I thought. Fillers, botox and bad plastic surgery. She should look at Stockard Channing today as a precautionary tale.

[txvoodoo]

Yeah that's weird.  Eventually some knucklehead's bound to drive into it.  

 

Wouldn't someone be more likely to try and drive through a fake garage door than a wall? *scratches head*

 

I've seen a lot of garage conversions around the country, (PA, FL, TX) usually in the same age and type of home - small suburban ranch homes from the 50s and 60s. The garages are usually too small for today's SUVs anyway, and the houses benefit from an extra 200 sq feet of space. It's more common in areas without harsh winters. The hub & I realized in our neighborhood, almost no one uses their garage for their cars. We're part of that - our garage is the hub's woodshop. 

[Mu Shu]

I'm actually house hunting in South Florida right now, and I had never noticed before but apparently this is actually a thing. I've seen four separate single-family homes with driveways leading to fake garage doors, with a little studio-type thing in the enclosed room behind. From inside the house it's just more of the first floor, noticeable merely because the floor is usually a foot or two lower than the rest of the house.

Careful with that. Those additions are illegal or grandfathered in. If it's illegal and you have to pull permits for any other work, you may have trouble. Also, flooding is an issue here. A foot or two higher can make a lot of difference.

[NYGirl]

The Philadelphia couple last night.  The wife was such a big mouth and I couldn't stand her.  Sometimes it just annoys me when they make either the husband or the wife do all the talking.  Last night was one of those episodes.  Everything she said annoyed me.  I thought she actually wanted a fireplace and it turns out she didn't so of course every house had one.  The Colonial was their best bet but my goodness the town house was BEAUTIFUL!!!  I live in a tiny town house so I was drooling!!

[Vivigirl10]

 

The Philadelphia couple last night.  The wife was such a big mouth and I couldn't stand her.

She was really grating and I'd like to know what she did in HR with a personality like that.  I'll plead ignorance that I don't really know what being a "grocery store manager" means....maybe it's an amazing, high paying job.  But I kept envisioning that she wanted a "yes" man and a sperm donor, and he wanted someone to pay his way out of his basement apartment.  It was a win/win situation for each of them!  

[laredhead]

Last night's episode from Bend, Oregon made me want to list my house and move there.  I liked all of the houses, even the smallest one.  They were refreshingly different from most of the newer houses that we have seen.  I especially liked that there was some color on the walls of one house, and the kitchen cabinets were kind of a mid-range stain - not dark and not light.  Would love to know what type of wood they used on the cabinets in the first house.  No mention was made of the counter material in that house, but it did not look like granite and may have been quartz.  The couple wasn't overly critical of the materials used and really didn't have any dramatic meltdowns over not having 2 sinks, stainless steel appliances, etc.  I understand them wanting wood floors and not carpet since they have dogs.  I have cats, so non-carpeted floors are nice.  The house with the two "front" entrances was interesting.  I loved the landscaping on that house.  Now, I'm going to go read a little more about Bend. 

[Mrs. P.]

I loved this episode. The couple was so charming and were very respectful of each other. And the houses were wonderful! They were so different from what we usually see on HH, and each one had it own distinct advantages. I agree that Bend, Oregon looks like a great place to live.

[zivadanielle]

I liked them too but missed the beginning--any reason why they were only looking at new homes?  I was also wondering what they both did for a living since I'm nosy...the price point was not too high or anything.  Just my normal nosiness and what kind of work she did at her standing desk.  The doggies were cute too. 

 

However!  They were spouting off the "...flows into blah blah space" -isms and talked about entertaining a lot! 

[Empress1]

I don't know why they were looking at new homes but he was a special ed teacher and she was a software developer.

[WildPlum]

Bend episode - just about fell off my chair when the couple repeated the Chamber of Commerce lie that Bend has "300 days of sun" - ah ha ha, not even close, it's actually around 200. It is high desert and winters are cold, cloudy and occasionally snowy from about mid Nov to about May. Sure there are sun breaks in the winter, but there is no way you can say Bend has "300 days of sun" - you have to go several hundred miles south for that. The growing season is about 55 days because of late and early freezes (not frosts).

[NYGirl]

Texas to Phoenix couple = BIG WHINERS.  OMG shut the heck up.  So what if you have to take a bath in the "guest bathroom" it's not in another country..it's right down the hall.  Again with the white cabinets.  Again with the neighbors too close.   

[Pickles]

Did not like the Texas to Phoenix couple. I like how he said he was matter of fact, but his wife was emotional. Idiot. He seemed kind of like an old man to me. He was just off. They apparently wanted to live right on top of their families. Twenty minutes was too far away!

The episode on right now--Topeka family moving to Amsterdam, I just googled them and they were dismissed from their university positions a few years ago because of possible fraud and misrepresentation. I guess I should have put this in the other thread!

[NYGirl]

Pickles. Tell us more in the HHI thread. I found the wife to be annoying.

[DownTheShore]

http://www.hgtv.com/shows/20-signs-you-should-host-an-hgtv-show

20-signs-you-should-host-an-hgtv-show

Appropriate for this crowd. I've got some of the signs - lol.

Edited February 14, 2016 by DownTheShore

[Vivigirl10]

Regarding the episode in Denver last night....I can't even snark about the young woman who was so emaciated she looked like a little 12 year old boy.  Paired with her gym obsession and then repeated comments about pancakes (girlfriend hadn't been within sniffing distance of one for at least 15 years, I'm quite certain), there appeared to be an issue there.  Plus, she was so darned snippy, condescending and miserable.  The whole thing seemed so sad!

 

Then at the end, there was a montage of this formerly awkward couple, laughing, smiling and appearing to have a great time with each other!  Color me confused!  Why couldn't they have shown them in that light during the house hunt??? 

[NYGirl]

I thought the Denver girl was Kimmy Gibbler from Full House.  

[laredhead]

The couple in the Denver episode made me uncomfortable.  It was almost like neither one of them wanted to be on the show, but were forced to interact with each other.  She was very rude to him at least twice.  She corrected his pronunciation of a word and then shut him down totally and quickly when he suggested that they could share a bathroom sink.  He looked very uptight during the entire show.  Even though I replayed it 3 times, I could not make out what he said he did for a living.  Ironic that she works for a national food company because she could have used a sandwich or two. The place they chose was the best fit for all of their wishes, but was the "gym" inside their house?  There were at least 4 pieces of equipment in that room.  Although they revealed that they are now engaged, this episode did not leave me with the warm fuzzies.  That is not the purpose of the show, but it's always nice to at least enjoy the participants as well as looking at the houses.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Even though I replayed it 3 times, I could not make out what he said he did for a living.  Ironic that she works for a national food company because she could have used a sandwich or two. The place they chose was the best fit for all of their wishes, but was the "gym" inside their house?  There were at least 4 pieces of equipment in that room. 

 

The Denver guy worked for a "national apartment developer."

 

And yep, that gym was inside their house.  I saw an exercise bicycle, whatever machine it was that she was on (one of those Tony Little gazelle things?), another machine of some sort, and a weight bench.  Because they love the many outdoor recreational opportunities Denver provides. 

 

I laughed when the guy said all the white in one of the apartments made it seem "septic."  I guess she didn't hear him and was therefore unable to correct him.  I'm a pedant, but I would have let his "volumous" slide because at least you know what he meant.

 

And I know they have to make up shit to talk about, but all that counter talk got on my nerves.  She wanted dark ones so they wouldn't show dirt, and complained about the white ones because she'd be cleaning them all the time.  So she wouldn't clean the dark ones?  But finds even brand new carpet "disgusting"?  Plus she's obviously young if she think that was shag carpeting.  With the shag carpeting we had in the 70s, you almost couldn't see your feet.  And solid color?  Definitely for amateurs.

[laredhead]

Thank you, StatisticalOutlier.  I agree with you about her comments on cleaning the counters and I wondered the same thing as to whether she would never clean the dark counters.  I have a multi color granite on my kitchen island, and even though I think I keep it clean, sometimes when I look at it from a chair across the room, I can see crumbs or something that I have missed in wiping it.  I would have no problem with a white or light colored counter and it would be an incentive to keep it very clean.  Love your snark about them enjoying the "many outdoor recreational opportunities Denver provides."  I wonder about the location of the house they chose.  It looked a bit isolated from downtown and maybe it's in a developing area or one that was industrial and is becoming a more hip place to live.  They did  not say what the $100 a month association fee covered.     

[juliet73]

Denver woman drove me mad! She obviously needs to eat a sandwich! She was so condescending and basically a b!tch. They were the most detached couple I've ever seen on this show. And I don't understand how messy two adults can be that they would constantly be cleaning the countertops! I did like the place they chose and at such a huge reduction!

And speaking of b!tches...Connecticut husband that was on the other night..,holy smokes!! He would not stop complaining about EVERYTHING! Even the realtor snarked at him a few times about it. I can't believe someone would marry him! He was awful. He and starving Denver girl would make a great couple!

[StatisticalOutlier]

 I wonder about the location of the house they chose.  It looked a bit isolated from downtown and maybe it's in a developing area or one that was industrial and is becoming a more hip place to live.  They did  not say what the $100 a month association fee covered.     

 

There didn't look to be any landscaping whatsoever, and probably no common amenities from the looks of it.  Maybe just taxes on the common areas. 

 

They said it was north of downtown, and actually said "outside downtown."  There's an area up there where they're putting up lots of buildings that look like theirs, and you're right--it's industrial.  Because of the interstates and railroads and the river, that area has always looked kind of isolated to me.  And the agent said they can see Union Station from there; they didn't show it, but if that's the case, then they're probably looking over an expanse of railroad tracks and low-rise industrial area.

[Babalooie]

I am truly a compassionate person and not shallow, but I was so distracted by Denver girl's nose that I didn't even notice how emaciated she is until you guys pointed it out..  Maybe a "beard" for the guy?    IMO they may be thankful for the carpet in the Winter (my Floridian opinion).

[lizzy07]

 

The wife reminded me of Stockard Channing.

 

More like Stockard Channing's brother in drag.

[Mittengirl]

I did laugh at one thing in the Denver episode. The wife complained about shower doors that were dated and unacceptable. Husband replied that the shower still functioned as a shower and therefore was not a big deal. I laughed because I hate when people term a bath "nonfunctional" when they are just being overdramatic about their dislike. If the toilet flushes and the sink and shower work and nothing overflows, it is functional. It may be ugly or dated or worn, but it serves it's purpose.

[izabella]

The Denver couple said they've been friends since 4th grade, so at least they know what they're getting into.  I hope they were just nervous in front of the cameras, but she should curb her critical side if that's how she really is.

 

I can see why they chose the place they chose, but I didn't particularly like any of the options.  The high rise balcony looked to be too windy to want to spend much time out there, and the color of that carpeting was a dealbreaker for me.  I would not want to live with that poop color every day, nope.  That could be changed, but high rise has never appealed to me anyway.   The loft was nice, but the lack of walls is also a deal breaker for me.

 

Their place was spacious and new, but wow, the exterior was a whole bunch a concrete surrounded by neighbors right on top of you.  That outdoor space was big, but it's going to need a lot of container plants to make it feel at all inviting.  One of the most beautiful things about Colorado, and the thing I think of, is the huge expanse of often sunny sky.  There was no sky to be seen from that place, and I think it would depress me to live in Denver and come home to my concrete outdoor space with barely a view of the sky.

[scootypuffjr]

Even if it was my heart's fondest, most secret desire to never, ever have to wipe down my kitchen counters again in this lifetime, I would take care to avoid mentioning that as my reason for wanting dark countertops. Particularly if I knew I would be on national TV while saying it. If that Denver woman was an acquaintance of mine, I believe I'd think twice before eating at her place.

[jcbrown]

 

I am truly a compassionate person and not shallow, but I was so distracted by Denver girl's nose that I didn't even notice how emaciated she is until you guys pointed it out.

Thank goodness it wasn't just me. Those two will have... unique looking children if they reproduce. I did notice she was generally tiny when we saw her next to the real estate agent but until pointed out here, I did not see that there was zero meat on her bones. The schnozz was completely distracting.

[slasherboy]

I wouldn't even want to visit the Denver couple because of their lack of house hygiene.  We've already discussed her wanting dark counters because they won't show dirt, but the husband said if they had shag carpet they'd never have to clean it.  After those two comments, I'll just stay home.

 

I also had to give her the side-eye every time she mentioned pancakes.  

[izabella]

Maybe she means kale pancakes or something?  She does not look like a pancakes and syrup girl.

 

I once had a stove with one of those griddle burners and loved it.  I had talked my landlord into replacing the old, tiny stove in my apartment, and he picked it out on his own, so it was a nice surprise.  I even invited my friends over for a mimosa brunch just so I could make pancakes for them on the griddle.  I would love to have one of those stoves again.

Edited February 17, 2016 by izabella

[swissair100]

I am truly a compassionate person and not shallow, but I was so distracted by Denver girl's nose...

 

I did notice she was generally tiny...

While I didn't necessarily mind the Denver couple, her nose/nostrils & little body/small shoulders that resembled a 12 year old were a little distracting.  They've also been friends since 4th grade, so I think the slight awkwardness may just be the TV shoot.

 

Actually, I was more blown away by a couple at their age who had a $725,000 budget!  While I'm sure they both have decent paying jobs in the Denver market, especially with Ivy league education, that size budget for 29/30 year olds just boggles the mind for many.  With both having attended private schools for college (Harvard & Hamilton) & MBAs from UPenn & Columbia, how does one afford that size budget after all the costs spent on their education?  They may very well have had a full scholarship, but MBAs don't come cheap either, so I highly suspect trust fund or family help? 

 

If they had family to help them out with their purchase, I don't begrudge them of that.  Sometimes though, it would be nice to know that part (just like one college girl in HHI that disclosed her source for the purchase as inheritance).

Edited February 17, 2016 by swissair100

[Ottis]

As a Denver resident, the Denver couple's preferences puzzled me. There are many places with unique charm downtown, but yeah, you might need to clean them once in a while. And given the woman mentioned not wanting to clean one thing or another at least four times, an older, charming place sounds like a recipe for disaster for them.

 

Also, at one point she complained about a busy street outside. Well, you're downtown. Not sure what you expected. One of those places (the first one, I believe) was just across from the Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets and Av's play. Ii was also near Elitch Gardens, the downtown amusement park.

 

I agree with others on the budget, I have no idea where these young couples get their money. Or do they just live with far more debt? We live in a  nearby suburb in a 5BR, 3.5 BA house and it is nowhere near $700K. I would not be comfortable with a mortgage on a place like those they looked at.

 

While the woman was very tiny, I was struck more by how robotic the man came across. He did have a dry sense of humor (and was he the guy with the fan fetish? I watched several eps in a row). But one thing I've learned over the years is that couples who have known each other since X grade and who now are getting married are sometimes doing so because they cannot handle interacting with anyone else. They felt a little like that, as if they had their own way of looking at the world together.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Ottis

[Empress1]

Actually, I was more blown away by a couple at their age who had a $725,000 budget!  While I'm sure they both have decent paying jobs in the Denver market, especially with Ivy league education, that size budget for 29/30 year olds just boggles the mind for many.  With both having attended private schools for college (Harvard & Hamilton) & MBAs from UPenn & Columbia, how does one afford that size budget after all the costs spent on their education?  They may very well have had a full scholarship, but MBAs don't come cheap either, so I highly suspect trust fund or family help? 

 

If they had family to help them out with their purchase, I don't begrudge them of that.  Sometimes though, it would be nice to know that part (just like one college girl in HHI that disclosed her source for the purchase as inheritance).

My guess is they're not paying back student loans if they can spend that much on housing; maybe their parents paid for their educations. My best friend and her husband live in Denver, are attorneys, and spend two grand a month paying back their loans from undergrad (Ivies, both) and law school. They bought a house in Denver less than a year ago and they paid far less than these two. My friend and her husband also have two kids and this couple didn't; a DINK couple with good jobs and no debt could spend a lot on a mortgage.

 

The one condo they looked at was painted a horrible yellow-green. That would have had to go before I stepped foot in there. I like a roof deck, but the one they ended up with looked really uninviting - it was one concrete slab. It's going to take a lot of furniture and planters to make it seem comfortable up there.

 

I want a stove with a griddle!

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Just started to watch the Connecticut episode where they wanted a larger house with an in-law suite.  The 1st house had an awesome in-law suite, but the wife didn't like the bar in the family room.  I thought the bar was cool!  It would be a fun area for the kids to do crafts and play games.  Husband was totally obnoxious.

[topanga]

She was really grating and I'd like to know what she did in HR with a personality like that.  I'll plead ignorance that I don't really know what being a "grocery store manager" means....maybe it's an amazing, high paying job.  But I kept envisioning that she wanted a "yes" man and a sperm donor, and he wanted someone to pay his way out of his basement apartment.  It was a win/win situation for each of them!  

 

 

The Colonial was their best bet but my goodness the town house was BEAUTIFUL!!!  I live in a tiny town house so I was drooling!!

I actually found them somewhat entertaining, even if they were a little annoying. I don't know--even with their quirkiness (no fireplace! No hard wood floors!), they didn't seem as entitled as some of our house hunters. E.g. they didn't complain that the guest room was too small for guests. And they mentioned that they wanted to do some upgrades but didn't have an aneurysm about their perfectly nice, though slightly outdated, kitchen. 

 

And yes, wasn't that townhouse gorgeous?

[KLovestoShop]

Cannot stand when a house hunter brings their dogs with them to the houses. It's totally rude to bring pets into a home you don't own, like the woman in tonight's Detroit episode.

[Homily]

I used to think that this was a giveaway as to which house they get because I noticed a few episodes where they didn't bring the dog into every house.  Then I started noticing episodes where they did bring their dog to every house so so much for that theory!  Absolutely agree on the rudeness.  Can you imagine a real estate agent in an actual real life situation allowing someone to bring a pet through an open house or letting clients  bring their pet to every appointment they've made?  I really doubt that would happen!