House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[laredhead]

I am so tired of hearing the words "character" and "charm", and especially after last night's Detroit episode.  I liked the husband.  He exhibited some common sense about the type and size of house they needed with regard to their lifestyle and future plans.  All she wanted was character and charm, and evidently wood floors and no closet space or floor space equate to that.  If you are so offended by laminate floors, then rip them up and install wood floors which would seem to fix the character and charm problem instantly.  She gushed over the pedestal sink in that small bathroom.  Pedestal sinks are fine if you have enough counter space elsewhere in the bathroom, or storage for towels and products in a cabinet that seemed to be nonexistent.  I was thinking that if they bought that house, the wife was going to be over character and charm as soon as a child or two came along and they needed more space.  The basement in the second(?) house was so low it gave me claustrophobia and I'm only 5'4".  I can only imagine how he felt at 6'4".  He had to tilt his head and the wife thought that might be OK?  I really never thought they would buy the 2nd house, but I just hate it when they throw in such an obvious ringer to create false drama.

 

I thought it was interesting that they revealed the house they bought had several problems.  Plumbing is expensive and managing to get it for only $6,000 less than asking probably did not compensate for the money they have spent on repairs to the plumbing and the walls.  I am assuming they had the house inspected and these were hidden defects.  Problems like that with a house you are excited about buying can dampen your new home owner enthusiasm quickly.  Been there and done that.    

Edited February 18, 2016 by laredhead

[juliet73]

Detroit wife's voice drove me crazy!! He didn't bother me at all. I feel his pain with his height issues. I'm a 5'11 woman and have a basement with low ceilings. I have less than 5"to spare; I have to duck under the duct work.

[NYGirl]

Detroit wife annoyed me to no end.  The way she gushed at that second house I was so afraid they'd end up picking it.  I really felt sorry for the husband because it seemed like she didn't care about him at all.  Of course I fell asleep before the reveal.  I hope they picked the first house.  Did they?  I don't think I even saw the 3rd one.  LOL

[topanga]

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.

I'm a few days behind. Loved this episode and the couple. The husband (I think his name was Jake) was absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't stop staring at his beautiful skin and eyes. The wife definitely married up. (But she was cute, too). I wonder what ethnicity Jake is. He could simply be white with olive skin--Italian, Greek ancestry, etc. Or he could have been Middle Eastern, Latino, etc. Didn't matter. Dude was hot.

[laredhead]

NYGirl, the Detroit couple bought the first house, which had just about everything they wanted.  Double attached garage for her, space for him, and yard for the dogs and future children.  

 

Is anyone watching A Sale of Two Cities?  Latest episode compared house prices and amenities between Seattle and Nashville.  Both couples wanted the usual  impossible laundry list of walking to bars and restaurants, privacy from neighbors, quiet street, and lots of space in each city for $400,000.  I think the Nashville couple annoyed me most, and I wonder if the wife paid attention in school.  She said that not having double sinks in the bathroom of one house would start World War 3, and then seriously asked her husband if there had already been a World War 3.  He looked totally embarrassed.  I got the impression that she was big on shopping and looking nice.  I was shaking my head at both of them by the time the program was over.    

[camom]

I was surprised that the couple in Cleveland chose the house with one bathroom.  It was a three story house (counting the basement).  They already have two small children and want more.  I was raised in a one bathroom house, but it was in a small (900 sq. ft.) ranch style home.  I can't imagine they'll be happy for long with that one fairly small bathroom (especially during potty training time!).

[Kohola3]

For the love of all that is holy, can these house hunters please get a thesaurus and use some other words besides "a-MAAAAAA-zing" and "AWWWWWW-some"!  

 

You can make a drinking game and take a shot every time one of these is used but you'd be unconscious before the end of the program.

[proserpina65]

I was surprised that the couple in Cleveland chose the house with one bathroom.  It was a three story house (counting the basement).  They already have two small children and want more.  I was raised in a one bathroom house, but it was in a small (900 sq. ft.) ranch style home.  I can't imagine they'll be happy for long with that one fairly small bathroom (especially during potty training time!).

I'm surprised, but kinda glad, since multiple bathrooms were virtually unheard of when I was growing up.  We just learned to wait our turn.

[camom]

I know all about waiting your turn and wouldn't insist on more than one bathroom in a one story home.  But I would want at least a powder room on the first floor.  Maybe I just don't like going up and down stairs!

[chessiegal]

We saw a repeat this afternoon where a woman didn't want to live in a house where someone had died. When I remarked about it, my husband said "What, she wants to be the first?" Hee.

[SmithW6079]

Personally I think this is very lazy on HGTV's part. We know that they tell everyone to say they want open concept but for crying out loud they have every single person on every single show say it. It was annoying me yesterday on LIOLI. I don't understand how stupid they think we are that for us to think everybody in the world wants it. Not only do they want it to watch the kids but again to entertain and not be left out.

I hate open concept and I hate to entertain. I guess I wouldn't make a good HHer.

[chessiegal]

I love open concept and I don't entertain - mileage varies.

[Mittengirl]

I don't think I could survive without separate living areas. I recently bought the house I grew up in and my 88-year-old mother came along with the purchase. (Either that or I bought Mom and got the house for free?) If the house did not have two living spaces this would never work. We don't watch the same TV shows (nor watch at the same volume) or keep the same hours. She is always I cold and I am always warm. She has a space heater on, I have a fan going. (Yay, hot flashes!)

Give me separate rooms with actual doors and walls. Plus, where do you shove all that crap you don't want company to see if it is all one open space?

Edited February 21, 2016 by Mittengirl

[Kohola3]

Give me separate rooms with actual doors and walls. Plus, where do you shove all that crap you don't want company to see if it is all one open space?

 

AND you can't leave a single dirty dish on the counter or a pan on the stove in the kitchen.  I am a messy cook and don't want my guests to see the mountains of bowls, utensils, and pots all over when sitting down to dinner.  

[Homily]

For me it was where the heck do you put your bookcases?  In the open concept model homes I looked at when we were househunting there never seemed to be any run of wall that would lend itself to that.  I guess this isn't an issue for everyone but I don't want to keep my books in boxes in a basement.

Edited February 21, 2016 by Homily

[topanga]

For me it was where the heck do you put your bookcases?  In the open concept model homes I looked at when we were househunting there never seemed to be any run of wall that would lend itself to that.  I guess this isn't an issue for everyone but I don't want to keep my books in boxes in a basement.

I know, right?. But most people on these shows don't have bookcases, unfortunately. Whenever I see a couple looking at a house, and one of them says, "Well, we'd have no use for a formal living room," I want to scream at the TV, "Use it as a library!" Some bookshelves, a few comfy couches--I'd never leave that room. 

Edited February 22, 2016 by topanga

[NYGirl]

With open concept I see they have a very small amount of furniture. I hate that there's not even enough wall space to hang pictures or art. Heck nobody seems to use bedroom sets anymore.

[Homily]

What I see now are beds so high most women I know (myself included) need a stepstool to even get onto the bed and then they are made in such a, I'll admit absolutely stunningly beautiful way, that it must take you ages to make the bed in the morning and take it apart again at night!  And where do people put all the gorgeous pillows they have arranged on the bed when they go to sleep?  On the floor?  That seems unlikely but at least for me it would be that or piled on top of the dresser.  There must be a way, obviously, but everytime I see a bed made up with about a dozen pillows I wonder!

Edited February 22, 2016 by Homily

[crazycatlady58]

For me it was where the heck do you put your bookcases? In the open concept model homes I looked at when we were househunting there never seemed to be any run of wall that would lend itself to that. I guess this isn't an issue for everyone but I don't want to keep my books in boxes in a basement.

Sadly a lot of people do not read.

[proserpina65]

I know all about waiting your turn and wouldn't insist on more than one bathroom in a one story home.  But I would want at least a powder room on the first floor.  Maybe I just don't like going up and down stairs!

Oh, I agree.  I wouldn't want less than 1&1/2 baths now.  I'd never be able to wait until someone else got out of the bathroom anymore.

[proserpina65]

Just saw the one with the woman in Beaver, PA who wanted historical charm.  I'm glad she chose the house she did, even if the daughter wanted her to get the newer townhouse.  Yeah, maybe the kitchen in the first house was dated (I kinda liked it myself) but the space was huge; the other two kitchens were very small, and the townhouse kitchen was tiny.  I liked the looks of the third house, but the bathrooms were small and desperately needed work.

Edited February 23, 2016 by proserpina65

[Zanzibar]

If I never hear "booty bumping" again, it will be too soon.  Really didn't care for those two last night and their complaints about space in the kitchens.

[CoolMom]

I don't think I could survive without separate living areas. I recently bought the house I grew up in and my 88-year-old mother came along with the purchase. (Either that or I bought Mom and got the house for free?) If the house did not have two living spaces this would never work. We don't watch the same TV shows (nor watch at the same volume) or keep the same hours. She is always I cold and I am always warm. She has a space heater on, I have a fan going. (Yay, hot flashes!)

Give me separate rooms with actual doors and walls. Plus, where do you shove all that crap you don't want company to see if it is all one open space?

 

Thanks for the laugh this morning.  I needed it.

 

[Vivigirl10]

I liked the Nashville couple last night who were musicians.  A complete opposite of the traditional House Hunters entitled young couple, I kept wanting these two to ask for MORE than what they were seeing!  The first two houses were pretty bare-bones (some spots even a little gross) and yet they were thrilled with and excited about what they saw.  The first home was my least favorite but they made it look absolutely adorable with their decorating.

[KLovestoShop]

Could not stand the St Louis wife. Another typical entitled Millennial who wanted what she wanted, husband be damned. Every time she said "I want a farmhouse kitchen" I yelled, "Then buy a freaking farm!!!!!" I couldn't believe she hated the beautiful, renovated kitchen in the second house because it wasn't farmhouse. The husband was like able, except when he said the granite looked like vomit.

[Pickles]

I also disliked the St. Louis wife. The husband was okay, but they seemed snarky with each other. He is beaten down and they have been married less than a year.

[NYGirl]

She was very bitchy to him. I didn't like her at all. She kept saying stylistic or something like that. She was ridiculous. I really liked that first house best but it wasn't stylistic enough for her.

[biakbiak]

I hated the layout of the third house. I can deal with a master bedroom right off the kitchen in an older home but just don't understand why you would do that in a new build. I imagine it somehow was cheaper to build it that way but I didn't like it.

[Kohola3]

Don't these people discuss anything of substance before they get married?  There is no way this marriage will last without one of them (the husband for the time being) gives into the other on everything. Love MIss Entitled AllAboutMe snatching up all of the good space (this is my office/yoga spot, you can have an office in the basement) as they walked through the houses.

 

l'd love to have a revisit in 3 years to see if any of the couples who have wildly disparate tastes are still married let alone in the same home.

[laredhead]

The St. Louis wife was a piece of work.  Yes, she grew up in a 300 year old house, but she wasn't footing the maintenance and utility bills.  She did strike me as one of those young people who want it all and want it now and do not understand the concept of trading up to the forever house.  Of course, with a budget of $450,000 you can pretty much get your forever house in certain parts of the country.  Old houses do have charm, but they come with problems that newer builds do not have.  I agree that the husband seems to have decided it's no use to have an opinion.  I did not care for the floor plan of the 3rd house either, but the back yard met her requirements for gardening and chicken raising.  There was absolutely no need to tear out the kitchens in any of those houses, nor the bathrooms that she didn't like.  I'm surprised she wasn't whining about the bathrooms not having a claw foot tub.

[biakbiak]

Well to be fair to the wife she actually worked full-time at home so it would make sense that she would get first choice of office, he said he would just like to occasionally work at ho,e but couldn't do that in their old space. He also got an office/tv room upstairs.

[proserpina65]

Old houses do have charm, but they come with problems that newer builds do not have.

 

Depending on the builder.  Where I live, there's a particular builder whom smart homebuyers avoid like the plague because his company's houses cost a fortune but are built like crap.  Whereas many 100+ year old houses in the area will survive both a nuclear winter and the next ice age.  It's all in how the house was built.  But yeah, there are big differences (closets, en suites, etc.) especially if the houses weren't well built to begin with or were badly renovated.

[Empress1]

I liked the Nashville couple last night who were musicians.  A complete opposite of the traditional House Hunters entitled young couple, I kept wanting these two to ask for MORE than what they were seeing!  The first two houses were pretty bare-bones (some spots even a little gross) and yet they were thrilled with and excited about what they saw.  The first home was my least favorite but they made it look absolutely adorable with their decorating.

I liked them too. I liked that they had a practical, considerate reason for not wanting to be too close to the neighbors - they didn't want to disturb them with their music! The carpet in the second house was awful. I think I actually said "Ew, that carpet is terrible" out loud. And the floors in the master bedroom were really gross, but her glee at being able to have a whole room as a closet was cute. And they made references to "eventually" doing this or that renovation, not wanting to do it all at once. 

 

I disliked the St. Louis wife right away. There was something about the way she said they met online that bugged me, as though it was so cute and unusual. I know at least six couples that met online. I met the last two men I dated online. She just had an air of "Aren't I so charming?" that I found really annoying. And when she was like "Our loft is awesome but the walls don't go all the way to the ceiling," I was thinking "Did you not know what a loft was before you got there?"

[DownTheShore]

I don't think I could survive without separate living areas. I recently bought the house I grew up in and my 88-year-old mother came along with the purchase. (Either that or I bought Mom and got the house for free?)

Thank you SO VERY MUCH for that laugh! I just came home after 11 days in the hospital, and all of my "roommates" were women in their mid-to-late 80's. I totally understand the need for separation - lol.

[Mittengirl]

Thank you SO VERY MUCH for that laugh! I just came home after 11 days in the hospital, and all of my "roommates" were women in their mid-to-late 80's. I totally understand the need for separation - lol.

I hope you had good i.v. drugs.

[DownTheShore]

Unfortunately, no, no mood altering IV drips. But they did slip me some earplugs when I had the roomie with a degree of dementia. Luckily, I can sleep through a lot of noise and light.

[NYGirl]

Hope you're feeling better DownTheShore!

[DownTheShore]

Thanks. I was rushed to the hospital because it turned out that I have blood clots in both lungs. The blood thinners and bed rest have helped the breathing aspect but I managed to catch a cold when I came home, so now I'm coughing up a storm and just praying that I don't knock anything loose. No history of blood clots in the family so the diagnosis was a shocker.

[AnnaRose]

I don't think I could survive without separate living areas. I recently bought the house I grew up in and my 88-year-old mother came along with the purchase. (Either that or I bought Mom and got the house for free?)

 

Haha, MITTENGIRL!   That made me laugh out loud too. 

 

I hope you feel better soon, DownTheShore!

 

I never know when these new episodes are, so I mostly just end up watching repeats and rarely seem to catch the associated discussion.   I do like reading everybody's thoughts though.

[Sun-Bun]

The single gal in Rosewell(sp?), CA seemed very nice and realistic about her options, and I liked her guyfriend, but wow, she's going to get so sick of climbing all those stairs all day long; and she honestly didn't look like the fittest sort, so she's probably going to be *over* that constant climbing in a year or so.

Not to mention being right beside a huge two store commercial construction site?? If the constant stair-climbing wouldn't kill her, all that noise in the meantime certainly would---I really hope for her and her quaint city's sake that it's not a friggin' Wal-Mart.

Great looking house for a great deal, but I dunno if I could handle those two factors alone.

Also, this was the first time I watched one of these shows and thought, "Huh...that gal 'showing' them the homes is so NOT a realtor..." She seemed like one of their friends and didn't appear to have much of the realtor speak/confidence of a true professional.

[NYGirl]

I saw the 8:00 HH last night and it was a couple in Hartford, Ct.  Most of the HHs are coming up as New on my DVR even though I full well know that some of them aren't.

 

Anyway the wife annoyed the crap out of me.  She insisted on having a pool and was pretty critical of all the houses. She was a loudmouth too.  As soon as the husband saw house #3 he said it was a "dump" and then I knew it was the one they were going to pick.

[laredhead]

NYGirl, my DVR seems to be having problems recording new shows because the guide says the episode is not new when it is, and then it's recording some reruns that are listed as "new".  Sometimes when I read the comments on this forum about an episode, I am a bit lost because everyone seems to have seen a different episode that what my DVR recorded.  

[NYGirl]

I think each cable company programs their DVRs differently.  My DVR did pick up the 8 and 10 pm ones but I happen to watch the 8:00 one live because Superstore is on hiatus and I had nothing to watch.

 

I do notice that my DVR is picking up all of the HHs though only not picking up the marathon ones.

[DownTheShore]

I liked that single woman from California, too. I would have picked house 3, the remodeled cottage, though. That enclosed yard looked like an oasis of quietude, and she'd probably get less exercise mowing that grass than she's going to get constantly climbing those stairs.

[NYGirl]

I agree DownTheShore.  I loved that property.  I'm pretty sure she could get someone to mow that lawn for her.

 

I think around 95% of the time when HHs look at a new build they always choose it.  Shiny things.

[topanga]

The single gal in Rosewell(sp?), CA seemed very nice and realistic about her options, and I liked her guyfriend, but wow, she's going to get so sick of climbing all those stairs all day long; and she honestly didn't look like the fittest sort, so she's probably going to be *over* that constant climbing in a year or so.

Not to mention being right beside a huge two store commercial construction site?? If the constant stair-climbing wouldn't kill her, all that noise in the meantime certainly would---I really hope for her and her quaint city's sake that it's not a friggin' Wal-Mart.

Great looking house for a great deal, but I dunno if I could handle those two factors alone.

Also, this was the first time I watched one of these shows and thought, "Huh...that gal 'showing' them the homes is so NOT a realtor..." She seemed like one of their friends and didn't appear to have much of the realtor speak/confidence of a true professional.

We're on the same page. Although I was thinking that those stairs might be good for her--they just might be the only exercise she gets on a regular basis. And I'm really not trying to fat shame. The lady wasn't huge. She just looks like she's about 20-30 pounds heavier than what would be a healthy weight for her.

 

I liked her, but it bugged me when she kept complaining about things that might bug you if you lived in a house with several people. So the en suite bathroom doesn't have a bathtub, and she'll have to use the guest bathroom to take a bath. Does she bathe every day? And will that short walk really kill her? (Again, I think the exercise would be good for her).  And the master bedroom is next to the kitchen. So the hell what? You're worried about noise? Who's going to be making noise in the kitchen if it isn't you??? Or ghosts?? I loved it when her friend said she might wake up one day to someone cooking eggs and bacon for her.

[biakbiak]

Having a bedroom right off the kitchen would annoy me because I am sensitive to smells when I am trying to sleep and cook with a lot of spices sp my living room can smell for a few hours.

I also think it's a stupid design choice in a new build so it makes me what other decisions they made behind the walls.

[NYGirl]

Dear dear Octavius in Atlanta you are a diva in the true sense of the word.  How could you not like that mid century modern?  Because there's no gas stove??? Really? You said you couldn't tell the difference until somebody said there was one.   I'm sure you can have gas put in some time in the future at that nice price.  Don't forget your jetted tub Octavius!  OMG no room for the pool table.. :(

 

All excited about your craftsman?  All excited that it had gas?  Then you complain about looking at your neighbor in the yard.  It's so small that the realtor made the decision for them that they could move when they start a family.  Nice of her when they were kind of looking for a forever house.

 

Beautiful townhouse but the diva doesn't like seeing his neighbors from the front porch.  But wait, it has a gas stove.  No yard?  HOA? that isn't good.  Besides it's not the style either of them wanted.  His boyfriend keeps complaining about the money.

 

Which one do they choose?  Just what I said above..show them a new build and that's what they take.  Townhouse..it is even though it has too many steps for boyfriend's older parents and he got no garden.  Diva was into the shallow stuff.

[KLovestoShop]

I also liked the California woman but I didn't agree with her choice.  If they do put a lot of commercial buildings right across the street from her house, the ability to sell her place in the future will go right down the toilet.  No one will buy a house across from a commercial development, not to mention the increased traffic and non-stop noise.  The cottage would have been the better choice for the future.

 

I get so peeved with these people who want to raise chickens by their homes.  If I had a neighbor that had chickens, I'd be pissed beyond belief.  The noise the smell and all that aren't meant for the city.  Now, if you had lots of land and put the chickens far away from anyone else's house, that's a different story.  But city lots do not allow for raising chickens. 

[izabella]

I am irrationally peeved by urban chicken owners, too.  My parents had chickens for a while - way out in the country on 5 acres of land surrounded by farmland.  They are a LOT of work, they are dirty and smelly and, roosters.  You also can't get "chicken sitters" when you want to go on vacation to let them in and out of their coops, much less anything else. 

 

And if you are keeping them trapped in the coop with auto-feeding and water systems, then why do it?  Chickens aren't very bright and won't complain, but that doesn't make you any better than the dairies, so just buy your fucking organic free range eggs at Whole Foods and spare your neighbors the barnyard experience they didn't sign up for.

 

/chicken rant