House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[AuntiePam]

Pickles, I wondered if they'd miss having grass too.  There didn't seem to be room for a swing set.  How long do kids want a swing set?  Four or five years, maybe?  Then it's bicycles.  Most of my neighbors have swing sets but I rarely see the kids using them.  

Too bad dad didn't get an office.  If he works from home 50% of the time, this is a case where he really needs something.  Maybe one of the bedrooms?  It sounded like they were done procreating, so maybe that'd work permanently. 

I liked the house, but if it's really going to be their "forever home", I think they'll wish the yard was bigger, for outdoor family gatherings if nothing else.  You can always go to a park and throw a ball around.

They were a nice couple.  I wonder if they get to keep the SUV. 

[Albino]

I would have liked Kansas couple better if it weren't for Ally's horrible uptalk in virtually every single sentence.  One in a while she threw in a little vocal fry, just for maximum obnoxiousness.  That and her demand for a "dedicated play space".  

Also - yeah, we get it, Ally.  You're home all day.  It must be horrible.  Especially when you're stuck there with your own kids!  Can't even imagine the pain you must go through every day.

Edited September 13, 2016 by Albino
Your and You're mean different things.

[JasmineFlower]

I didn't watch the entire episode of the couple looking in Overland Park, but from what I saw, I was annoyed the wife. Why is it she gets to act like her wants rule the day when he has NEEDS that involve paying for the over budget house? And in the after scenes, he's all, it's not looking good for me and she laughs and says no, it's not. How is that cute? Oh, he's got no private place dedicated to him getting work done that pays for our life, but I got my playroom for the kids who will outgrow it a lot sooner than Daddy's needs for an office. I will never get the thinking there, and when the wife and sometimes husband acts like it's perfectly okay to be dismissive of something pertaining to work, be that home office space or commute, I just don't see good things for the marriage. Don't get me wrong, this guy looks like he's totally in love with his wife, but you can't convince me this isn't the kind of thing that starts to grate when things aren't going so well.

[Empress1]

Allie did have severe brows. The boys were very cute - at the end when one of them dropped a bottle and said "Uh-oh," I chuckled. At first I was kind of with her on the renovation tip - she'd be dealing with it more than he would. But then I realized he worked from home half time so he'd be dealing with a renovation AND trying to get work done and if he could make that work, so could she.

I'd miss grass too. I didn't really like any of the houses. And I hope that one of the bedrooms in the house they chose is going to be his office, because he needs one - and given that he supports the family, I thought they (well, she) should have taken that a lot more seriously.

[juliet73]

Kansas city: the wife's uptalk was so annoying.  She seemed very selfish to me. Don't even get me started on the eyebrows! 

I don't understand why the husband couldn't use one of the bedrooms as his office?  Didn't the house have 4?  

I thought house 2 was perfect.  Big dedicated office, huge backyard, etc.  Yes,  it needed work,  but I think living through a reno for 4-6 weeks would be worth it. The backyard in the house they chose wasn't very kid friendly. Once, those kids get a bit bigger and start running, they aren't going to have room to do much of anything. No swing set, slip n'slide, can't throw a football, etc. The "dedicated play room" had a fireplace...I'm surprised she didn't board it up. I hate stoves in kitchen islands, especially with small children.  

[Ohwell]

I thought I was going to have nightmares about those eyebrows.

Also, I didn't like any of the houses.  Those kids were adorable though.

Edited September 13, 2016 by Ohwell

[JasmineFlower]

1 hour ago, juliet73 said:

I don't understand why the husband couldn't use one of the bedrooms as his office?  Didn't the house have 4?  

I thought house 2 was perfect.  Big dedicated office, huge backyard, etc.  Yes,  it needed work,  but I think living through a reno for 4-6 weeks would be worth it. The backyard in the house they chose wasn't very kid friendly. Once, those kids get a bit bigger and start running, they aren't going to have room to do much of anything. No swing set, slip n'slide, can't throw a football, etc. The "dedicated play room" had a fireplace...I'm surprised she didn't board it up. I hate stoves in kitchen islands, especially with small children.  

Using a bedroom as an office makes perfect sense, but even if this was a 4 bedroom house (I think it was), she seemed to be dismissing using one of them as one since the after said he didn't have one at the moment, that they were still working on that and it wasn't looking good. Definitely don't get that.

FYI, it is a 4 bedroom. Here's a link to the one they chose. And looking at the location on the map, they won't miss the backyard since they have some on the front and there's a park within close walking distance of their home.

Edited September 13, 2016 by JasmineFlower

[KLovestoShop]

I have the feeling the Kansas wife had her brows tattooed on.  It's a big thing now to tat your brows in.  That's why they looked so fake.

I knew they'd take the first house, but I don't think it was the best for them.  No office for him, no grass for the kids.  And all that concrete in the yard might not bode well for a resale unless you find one of the ever increasing lazy males who want houses with no lawn whatsoever.  

[Babalooie]

All I could think was, how long will that turn key house remain that way with twin boys?

[juliet73]

4 hours ago, JasmineFlower said:

Using a bedroom as an office makes perfect sense, but even if this was a 4 bedroom house (I think it was), she seemed to be dismissing using one of them as one since the after said he didn't have one at the moment, that they were still working on that and it wasn't looking good. Definitely don't get that.

FYI, it is a 4 bedroom. Here's a link to the one they chose. And looking at the location on the map, they won't miss the backyard since they have some on the front and there's a park within close walking distance of their home.

Thanks for the link. That house is huge! I didn't realize it while watching the show. In one of the pics, there is a room set up into an office. You would think they could do the same.  The house sits on 0.25 acres. For such a big house, that's not very much land and most of it is front yard and driveway. 

Edited September 13, 2016 by juliet73

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, KLovestoShop said:

I have the feeling the Kansas wife had her brows tattooed on.  It's a big thing now to tat your brows in.  That's why they looked so fake.

That's what I thought too.  They matched her hair color, but they were just so wide!

[dga28]

3 hours ago, juliet73 said:

Thanks for the link. That house is huge! I didn't realize it while watching the show. In one of the pics, there is a room set up into an office. You would think they could do the same.  The house sits on 0.25 acres. For such a big house, that's not very much land and most of it is front yard and driveway. 

the placement of the fridge in the wall in the basement seems like an odd location.

[JasmineFlower]

2 hours ago, juliet73 said:

Thanks for the link. That house is huge! I didn't realize it while watching the show. In one of the pics, there is a room set up into an office. You would think they could do the same.  The house sits on 0.25 acres. For such a big house, that's not very much land and most of it is front yard and driveway. 

It's a large house, but somehow looks like it could use it's space better at the same time to me. I think open concept is pushed a bit much these days, but this house could definitely deal with better flow in some ways, taking down walls in some places and adding them in others. Like the master bedroom seems too large, like it's ultra spacious and a good deal is just likely to never be used even with a sitting area added. The basement appears to be very spacious as well, but doesn't section off a separate room for a bedroom or office from what I can tell, but hopefully that's not the case and it was shown differently during the house tour, I didn't see that part of the show when the full tour was given. This house definitely has enough space for an office, but doesn't seem like selfish wife wants to give up room in her dream house to account for it for reasons unknown. I expected the after to be say something like him saying, I don't have the setup I was hoping for, but I have a makeshift office that works really well. That they didn't say that was just odd, so I'm taking it as the truth at that time. Hopefully since then he's taken over some dedicated space.

Some of the choppiness I perceive in the layout, along with the lot size, makes me wonder about spending this much on the home. They got it down considerably from asking, but very interesting to see other 4 bedroom homes for sale nearby and in the same school district that look pretty darn good priced at over $125k less than what they bought their home for. Definitely feels like the second home shown (or something similar if that specific one wasn't truly in the running) may have been the much better buy.

[awaken]

Ha ha.  I came here JUST to comment on Allie's eyebrows!  I couldn't stop staring as soon as the show started, wondering what the deal was with such huge, perfectly comma-shaped and either tattooed or penciled in brows which stretched across her entire forehead.  

[Albino]

10 hours ago, JasmineFlower said:

Here's a link to the one they chose. And looking at the location on the map, they won't miss the backyard since they have some on the front and there's a park within close walking distance of their home.

Wow.  So much gray.  For some reason I hate this house.  It just screams "Look at how rich we are!  (Kind of!)".

The stove island is weird to me.  There's very little room to pull pots and pans off the fire and all the other stuff I need around my burners...salt, pepper, stirrers, spatulas, hot pot holders, etc. etc.  I hate when things are designed to look cool but have no functionality.

[AuntiePam]

Tonight in Atlanta/Alpharetta -- the preview made the wife sound like a nitpicky complainer, but she turned out to be fairly easy to please.  Surprising to see someone who doesn't want a kitchen island -- "it's in the way" -- but she said "nice" to almost every feature of all three houses.  I chuckled at her wanting a window over the kitchen sink.  In my 71 years, I've only seen one house that didn't have the kitchen sink under a window.  She didn't like fiberglass tubs and dark hardwood, but other than that, she was easy peasy.

Quite a talker though.  Her husband barely got a word in edgewise. 

[juliet73]

7 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

Tonight in Atlanta/Alpharetta -- the preview made the wife sound like a nitpicky complainer, but she turned out to be fairly easy to please.  Surprising to see someone who doesn't want a kitchen island -- "it's in the way" -- but she said "nice" to almost every feature of all three houses.  I chuckled at her wanting a window over the kitchen sink.  In my 71 years, I've only seen one house that didn't have the kitchen sink under a window.  She didn't like fiberglass tubs and dark hardwood, but other than that, she was easy peasy.

Quite a talker though.  Her husband barely got a word in edgewise. 

I was coming to say the exact opposite! She complained about everything! She doesn't like dark cabinets, she doesn't like white cabinets. She wants hardwood in every room,  yet when that happens, she doesn't like color. The stuff she did like, she "back handed" complimented it.  "It's a nice closet, for someone else." or "this is a nice master bathroom, but way too small!" or "yay, double sinks,  but they are too low. Husband is going to get water all over the floor." I agree about the  husband not being able to get a word in. Ha!  Poor guy.  All he wanted was covered patio. I'm glad he got it. 

[JasmineFlower]

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Tonight in Atlanta/Alpharetta -- the preview made the wife sound like a nitpicky complainer, but she turned out to be fairly easy to please.  Surprising to see someone who doesn't want a kitchen island -- "it's in the way" -- but she said "nice" to almost every feature of all three houses.  I chuckled at her wanting a window over the kitchen sink.  In my 71 years, I've only seen one house that didn't have the kitchen sink under a window.  She didn't like fiberglass tubs and dark hardwood, but other than that, she was easy peasy.

Quite a talker though.  Her husband barely got a word in edgewise. 

I agree, the intro made it seem as if she would be complaining about every single thing, but she was actually extremely complimentary to most features and was open to every home, wasn't trashing the homes that weren't in her preferred style just because like we see so many do. There were a few things she didn't like, but nothing major in my mind. I wouldn't buy a house without gas cooking or at least a hookup, for instance, so I understand, that's something that's non-negotiable. And that master bath was tight, they could barely fit the 3 of them in a single frame, so her saying that was small was just accurate. She didn't annoy me much at all and based on the opening promo, I was expecting her to. I liked her husband. I was surprised that they chose the house they did just because of the location, 25 miles is far out in almost any big city but certainly in traffic prone Atlanta, but it sounds like she works from home some of the time, and hopefully he can as well. I enjoyed this episode much more than I thought I would.

Also, I must say, I like that they didn't blow out their budget for two reasons even though I think they could actually afford it for once. One, they aren't young newlyweds, so planning as if retirement isn't sooner than later isn't always the best financial decision, and I wonder if that came into play. Two, I'm always a bit shocked in areas like Atlanta in particular when people aren't more cognizant about overspending given the market. The Atlanta market fell big time and though a recession that big isn't likely to happen again soon, that doesn't mean there won't be a dip and there have been a few bumps since. I remember previous episodes from the late 2000s in Alpharetta when homes that looked exactly like the final home they saw was priced in the mid $400s, which tells me some areas in Atlanta have yet to recover to their pre-bust points, even desirable areas like closer in Alpharetta. And for this couple, who has been married two years and looking for one year, it made me wonder if one or both sold their old places and it took a while to do so and that delayed their search for a new home, making them even more committed to not going far over the lower end of their budget.

[Albino]

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Tonight in Atlanta/Alpharetta -- the preview made the wife sound like a nitpicky complainer, but she turned out to be fairly easy to please.  Surprising to see someone who doesn't want a kitchen island -- "it's in the way" -- but she said "nice" to almost every feature of all three houses. 

I agree.  She didn't like kitchen islands, dark hardwood floors, dark or white kitchen cabinets, etc. etc.  And whenever her husband expressed the opposite opinion she didn't roll her eyes or talk smack.  They seemed very comfortable with each other.

My only quibble with her is this:  if I knew I was going on a nationally televised show, I would have my roots touched up.  Call me vain, but...

[JasmineFlower]

6 hours ago, Albino said:

My only quibble with her is this:  if I knew I was going on a nationally televised show, I would have my roots touched up.  Call me vain, but...

I was trying to be good, trying to be nice. But, I was thinking that EXACT thing while watching. No excuse for not getting her roots and color touched up for the airing...

[AuntiePam]

3 hours ago, JasmineFlower said:

I was trying to be good, trying to be nice. But, I was thinking that EXACT thing while watching. No excuse for not getting her roots and color touched up for the airing...

I'm old and out of touch, and I just don't understand why someone would choose an unnatural hair color.  Nature does a good job giving us hair color that enhances our skin tone, so unless someone is in show business, I don't get why African-American women go blonde, Asians go red, and Caucasians go burgundy. 

[Empress1]

3 hours ago, JasmineFlower said:

I was trying to be good, trying to be nice. But, I was thinking that EXACT thing while watching. No excuse for not getting her roots and color touched up for the airing...

Me too, and I hated the almost-orange blonde on her anyway.

6 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

I'm old and out of touch, and I just don't understand why someone would choose an unnatural hair color.  Nature does a good job giving us hair color that enhances our skin tone, so unless someone is in show business, I don't get why African-American women go blonde, Asians go red, and Caucasians go burgundy. 

Sometimes nature gets it wrong. Katy Perry and Emma Stone are both natural blondes and I think their chosen colors are much better on them. And I actually like playful hair (although my own is completely natural in both color and texture, so I guess I only like it on other people!), especially shades of red. I think red hair is so cool. But you can choose color in the family you want that will flatter your skin tone (warm undertones vs. cool, etc.). The Alpharetta wife did not.

[twinks]

I live in the Alpharetta area and cannot imagine why they would even consider a home in Grayson when there are hundreds on the market in the towns surrounding and closer to Alpharetta. And Sugar Hill? That was also so random. I suppose if I weren't familiar with the area it wouldn't have bothered me. There are plenty of nice houses within their budget near Alpharetta.

[Pickles]

The couple tonight in Arizona. The woman's baby like voice would drive me insane!

[AuntiePam]

47 minutes ago, Pickles said:

The couple tonight in Arizona. The woman's baby like voice would drive me insane!

She was quite proud of her "quirks".   Did her boyfriend even smile at her once?  Maybe he's just laid back, or maybe I'm projecting, but he didn't seem all that interested in her -- or anything, he was kind of a bore.  I was surprised to hear "eight months later" at the end.  I didn't hear anything about a wedding though. 

How does that work, buying a house together when you're not married?  Is there extra paperwork to set out what happens if/when there's a breakup? 

Maybe she was paying for most of it, because she sure didn't care about what he wanted.  She was so dismissive, it was like she didn't even hear him.  If he considered the table and hutch to be heirlooms, then find a place for them.   A hutch can go in a bedroom and the table can go into the office space.  Or maybe it was just drama for the sake of drama.

[juliet73]

Phoenix ep: They were quite a mismatched couple. He didn't seem into her and she just seemed beyond odd. He was kinda good looking (except for the chin patch). She was, ahem, different. Considering they are in  a "whirlwind romance", they didn't seem in love...at all. If I didn't know better, I would think they just met 5 minutes before taping the show. Weird.  I thought maybe he was gay. He did propose at the end.  She seemed excited as a wet noodle about the engagement.  I was surprised about the 8 months too, but he mentioned that he was  diagnosed with lymphoma since buying the house so maybe that's why the follow up was delayed. 

I felt bad that all he wanted was a place for his dining table and hutch and didn't get it.  Or the darker cabinets.  Or a normal girlfriend.  He got some grass though. And an average looking table with ugly retro chairs. 

Her daughters are 10 & 11 and live with them part time.  Why couldn't they share a room?  She needed an office, but wanted them to have their own space?  So her office is in the closet??!!  Say what?! She has to push her clothes out of the way to sit down! Weird! Totally weird!

[Albino]

1 hour ago, AuntiePam said:

She was quite proud of her "quirks".   Did her boyfriend even smile at her once?  Maybe he's just laid back, or maybe I'm projecting, but he didn't seem all that interested in her -- or anything, he was kind of a bore.  I was surprised to hear "eight months later" at the end.  I didn't hear anything about a wedding though. 

Maybe she was paying for most of it, because she sure didn't care about what he wanted.  She was so dismissive, it was like she didn't even hear him.  If he considered the table and hutch to be heirlooms, then find a place for them.   A hutch can go in a bedroom and the table can go into the office space.  Or maybe it was just drama for the sake of drama.

If you have to constantly remind people that you're 'quirky", chances are you're not.  There was nothing remotely quirky about her... shiny polyester/rayon tops, a mum hairdo, not even a tattoo! (Although I assume she has one somewhere...a tattoo is the price of entry into quirkydom).  Her one attempt at quirky  decorating was the wood-like K-Mart table and the kooky mismatched chairs which looked like crap.   And that voice.  Don't even get me started.

I don't know if she was paying for most of it, since her 'job' was social media something-or-other and she worked from home.  Anytime someone says they're a freelance social media maven I automatically think 'unemployed'.  Personally I think she'll spend most of her time at home snacking and congratulating herself over the fact that she finally got rid of that lovely dining table and hutch. 

Edited September 15, 2016 by Albino

[Ohwell]

Phoenix ep:  I wondered if the guy was gay.  He really didn't seem into her at all.  I mean, at. all. 

I laughed at that crappy table and chairs shown at the end. 

[Kohola3]

Quirky = annoying with very bad taste.  Always.

[NYGirl]

I absolutely hated the woman.  Her voice, her demeanor..ugh.  And him?  He didn't even smile once.  She totally ignored his wants so I felt sorry for him.  He should have just run away before they bought the house.

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

Anytime someone says they're a freelance social media maven I automatically think 'unemployed'. 

Well, she did take a picture of her very average looking drink for her "blog".....snerk....

Quote

If he considered the table and hutch to be heirlooms, then find a place for them. 

Exactly !  It wasn't my taste either but it also wasn't some freak item of furniture.  If the items had meaning and value to him, you could certainly put up with them for a person you love.  

Somebody please tell me they remember the Sex & The City episode when Carrie's friend was dating someone who he was embarrassed to be seen in public with?  She worked at a cheese counter and wanted to open a specialty cheese shop.  Geesh, this woman was her clone....right down to the annoying baby voice.

I think he fancied himself kind of a stud so I was so puzzled by why he was with her.  Very mismatched odd couple.  

[Empress1]

I would not buy property with a man I'd only been with for 8 months. Wouldn't consider it. And I have a hutch that belonged to my grandmother that is precious to me, and I would not take well to someone telling me to let it go. And she was so flippant about it! What an asshole.

I couldn't stand her. Her baby voice, her insistence that she was retro and quirky, the way she kind of smirked at everything ... I disliked her so much that I deleted the ep after the first house.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Back to Georgia:

Quote

In my 71 years, I've only seen one house that didn't have the kitchen sink under a window. 

I think in new construction you now sometimes have the main sink in the island, which I do not like.  I'm with her ... I want the main sink under the window, and I'm glad she appreciated it in each house.

I also agree with her that sometimes it is actually better NOT to have an island (gasp!), especially in a smaller kitchen.  There are always tradeoffs.  Do you value the cabinet storage and extra counter area, or would you rather have better clearance area and flow?

[Empress1]

26 minutes ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

Back to Georgia:

I think in new construction you now sometimes have the main sink in the island, which I do not like.  I'm with her ... I want the main sink under the window, and I'm glad she appreciated it in each house.

I also agree with her that sometimes it is actually better NOT to have an island (gasp!), especially in a smaller kitchen.  There are always tradeoffs.  Do you value the cabinet storage and extra counter area, or would you rather have better clearance area and flow?

Agreed. Sometimes kitchens are too small for islands.

[Kohola3]

I join in the "no island" parade.  They are just one more thing to navigate around in a small area. 

[speac]

13 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

She was quite proud of her "quirks".   Did her boyfriend even smile at her once?  Maybe he's just laid back, or maybe I'm projecting, but he didn't seem all that interested in her -- or anything, he was kind of a bore.  I was surprised to hear "eight months later" at the end.  I didn't hear anything about a wedding though. 

How does that work, buying a house together when you're not married?  Is there extra paperwork to set out what happens if/when there's a breakup? 

Maybe she was paying for most of it, because she sure didn't care about what he wanted.  She was so dismissive, it was like she didn't even hear him.  If he considered the table and hutch to be heirlooms, then find a place for them.   A hutch can go in a bedroom and the table can go into the office space.  Or maybe it was just drama for the sake of drama.

Perhaps his low energy was because he was just starting to feel ill from Lymphoma. They had become engaged by time the follow up was filmed.

I got to say I loved the quirky house with the purple kitchen and green fireplace but I would never ever buy it because it looked practically impossible to live in.  It's kind of like Frank Lloyd Wright houses--they are way cool to see but many are livable today.

[KLovestoShop]

2 hours ago, speac said:

Perhaps his low energy was because he was just starting to feel ill from Lymphoma. They had become engaged by time the follow up was filmed.

I got to say I loved the quirky house with the purple kitchen and green fireplace but I would never ever buy it because it looked practically impossible to live in.  It's kind of like Frank Lloyd Wright houses--they are way cool to see but many are livable today.

I owned a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house a few years ago, and it was very livable.  They're not quirky, but are more interesting angles and certain types of building products.  The interior was just like any other house with some FLW touches like fireplaces that are angled in a certain way and some interior decor.  There's a neighborhood in Milwaukee that has a street of FLW houses and they're all small and very livable.   I know places like Falling Water and Taliesin West look very unusual, but the ordinary FLW houses are really nice.   

[laredhead]

I have to agree with everyone about the voice of the woman on the Phoenix episode.  That babyish shrill tone could cut glass.  I wonder if she realizes how she sounds?  As for the house, the one they chose isn't very large for 4 people, but the girls aren't there all the time so I guess it must work for them.  I liked #3 best.  

I also echo a previous poster's statement that they would never buy a house with someone they had known for only 8 months, and certainly not someone they were not engaged to or discussing the possibility of making a permanent commitment to each other.  Whirlwind romances can go south very quickly.  The last scene 8 months later meant they had been together a total of almost a year and a half so I guess it's working for them.  Maybe the initial reason for buying the house was that neither one could afford a house like that on one salary, and it was economics driving the purchase at first. 

[AuntiePam]

Tonight's Des Moines couple were un-obnoxious (I thought).  Judging from her parents' house -- let's go inside that one! -- I expected more of a spoiled-little-rich-girl vibe, but she was fine, and the house they chose was unpretentious. 

What ruined the episode was that two of the three houses were very lived-in, so there was no tension about their choice.  Also, it's really difficult (for me anyway) to appreciate a house when it's full of furniture. 

I like that they're making do with the outdated kitchen, at least for now, and who knows -- when they get busy making more babies, they might leave it like that. 

It's true about Des Moines being Silicon Prairie.  It's not just the low cost of living, but all of our wind farms make for abundant low-cost electricity, especially compared to California.  Google, Facebook, and Amazon have offices in DM, and it's also known for insurance and banking. 

[speac]

7 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I owned a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house a few years ago, and it was very livable.  They're not quirky, but are more interesting angles and certain types of building products.  The interior was just like any other house with some FLW touches like fireplaces that are angled in a certain way and some interior decor.  There's a neighborhood in Milwaukee that has a street of FLW houses and they're all small and very livable.   I know places like Falling Water and Taliesin West look very unusual, but the ordinary FLW houses are really nice.   

Some of his homes were livable--am I right that you owned perhaps either a  Usonian or an American System built? I grew up near a Usonian and it was the nexus of my love for FLW.   Others unfortunately have become white elephants for their owners--it costs a fortune to add things like AC which makes life a lot easier but they have to do it sympathetically and under the watchful eyes of preservation societies 

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Tonight's Des Moines couple were un-obnoxious (I thought).  Judging from her parents' house -- let's go inside that one! -- I expected more of a spoiled-little-rich-girl vibe, but she was fine, and the house they chose was unpretentious. 

What ruined the episode was that two of the three houses were very lived-in, so there was no tension about their choice.  Also, it's really difficult (for me anyway) to appreciate a house when it's full of furniture. 

I like that they're making do with the outdated kitchen, at least for now, and who knows -- when they get busy making more babies, they might leave it like that. 

It's true about Des Moines being Silicon Prairie.  It's not just the low cost of living, but all of our wind farms make for abundant low-cost electricity, especially compared to California.  Google, Facebook, and Amazon have offices in DM, and it's also known for insurance and banking. 

She had a very moneyed air about her - didn't cook, was unconcerned about the budget, TONS of clothes and shoes, only wanted to live on five streets in the town. Not to mention her parents' enormous home. But I liked her more than I thought I would. Painting the cabinets in the kitchen did make a difference. I liked that they were making that work for the moment. 

[KLovestoShop]

My house was based on the American System model.  It's a weird house to explain, but if you can imagine, 1/3 of the house looked like it was suspended in mid-air, with that portion being held up by three huge steel beams.  Under the overhang, whIch was the family room, was a patio with a rock waterfall.  

I had changing feelings about the Des Moines couple.  The husband seems like he bends to every single whim of the wife.  She just HAD to live on only five streets?   Seriously?   Just seems to me that she's concerned with the status of her home location and not the house itself.  I've never heard of anyone limiting their home search to five streets----sure, you pick a neighborhood, but never so narrow a choice as just 5 streets.  I give them a few years before they're out looking again for a much more expensive house on one of those 5 streets. 

BTW, there's a house in that South of Grand area that's on the market for $2.2 million. 

[izabella]

Lol, when I looked to buy my place, I narrowed down location to pretty much a 5 block radius around a certain street corner.  I even remember joking about that specifically with my friends.  But, I bought a condo and live in a big city so that 5 block radius covered a lot of options!

[juliet73]

9 hours ago, Empress1 said:

She had a very moneyed air about her - didn't cook, was unconcerned about the budget, TONS of clothes and shoes, only wanted to live on five streets in the town. Not to mention her parents' enormous home. But I liked her more than I thought I would. 

I didn't care for her. She wasn't annoying or anything,  but as soon as she mentioned that she was the "executive assistant to the CEO", she rubbed me the wrong way. 

[AuntiePam]

13 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

I didn't care for her. She wasn't annoying or anything,  but as soon as she mentioned that she was the "executive assistant to the CEO", she rubbed me the wrong way. 

We used to call those people "secretaries". 

I worked with an executive assistant to the CEO.  All she did all day was make travel arrangements for the big doofus.  The only piece of office equipment she knew how to use was the telephone.

[JasmineFlower]

I had a different experience watching the Des Moines episode. I thought the wife was super obnoxious and having went to school with plenty of Iowans, I was shocked by how stuck up and elitist she came off. Iowa doesn't get a lot of play on HH, and to have this chick being born and bred was not a selling point at all. I thought the husband was fine and even liked him, but I pray for his wallet and his dignity, I feel like both are in danger of depletion with this chick.

The 5 blocks thing was highly ridiculous. What's that equal to in that area? 35 homes? Five of which might be up for sale in a year if this is as desirable an area as she says? Sheesh, she was an snobby trip.

Executive Assistant to the CEO has a lot more weight if she had actually mentioned a known company or made it descriptive (Fortune 500, for example). For all we know, she's her dad's assistant at their 5-person family company, or she's the EA to the CEO of a small business no one's heard of, which is the case for many successful small businesses. Neither of which is a bad thing in the least. But for me, it was a weak brag and I'm unsure why she felt the need to be haughty about it. I didn't mind her at all saying she was an Executive Assistant as opposed to secretary, I rarely here that title anymore. Just adding in the CEO felt like an attempt to brag and yet no company mentioned, so not sure why it was said.

 

The episode in Reading, PA with the lowish budget. I was dying as they were extolling the virtues of Reading in the intro and how great it is, and then they look at homes in only Wyomissing and Sinking Spring. I don't mind them opening up with Reading, it is the Reading area, but acting like the suburbs and Reading just go hand in hand is a joke of massive proportion and I didn't notice much mention of "area" merely Reading on it's own. No, just no. And anyone living in Wyomissing or Sinking Spring would tell you they don't live in Reading. They wanted quite a bit for their budget. Unsure why he was even talking about modern homes, which barely exist in the region and definitely not in that budget, and unsure of why she was under the impression their budget equated to move-in ready anything. Especially in Wyomissing, which has a wide range of prices, but can reach, much, much higher prices. 

[Babalooie]

Regarding the Arizona couple, I agree with those of you who thought that they were mismatched.  I, too got a gay vibe from the guy.  Maybe they are good friends and they are moving in together so that she can help him through his illness.  It's always hard for me to comprehend the prices of houses out West compared to N. Florida.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, JasmineFlower said:

I had a different experience watching the Des Moines episode. I thought the wife was super obnoxious and having went to school with plenty of Iowans, I was shocked by how stuck up and elitist she came off. Iowa doesn't get a lot of play on HH, and to have this chick being born and bred was not a selling point at all. I thought the husband was fine and even liked him, but I pray for his wallet and his dignity, I feel like both are in danger of depletion with this chick.

The 5 blocks thing was highly ridiculous. What's that equal to in that area? 35 homes? Five of which might be up for sale in a year if this is as desirable an area as she says? Sheesh, she was an snobby trip.

Executive Assistant to the CEO has a lot more weight if she had actually mentioned a known company or made it descriptive (Fortune 500, for example). For all we know, she's her dad's assistant at their 5-person family company, or she's the EA to the CEO of a small business no one's heard of, which is the case for many successful small businesses. Neither of which is a bad thing in the least. But for me, it was a weak brag and I'm unsure why she felt the need to be haughty about it. I didn't mind her at all saying she was an Executive Assistant as opposed to secretary, I rarely here that title anymore. Just adding in the CEO felt like an attempt to brag and yet no company mentioned, so not sure why it was said.

 

The episode in Reading, PA with the lowish budget. I was dying as they were extolling the virtues of Reading in the intro and how great it is, and then they look at homes in only Wyomissing and Sinking Spring. I don't mind them opening up with Reading, it is the Reading area, but acting like the suburbs and Reading just go hand in hand is a joke of massive proportion and I didn't notice much mention of "area" merely Reading on it's own. No, just no. And anyone living in Wyomissing or Sinking Spring would tell you they don't live in Reading. They wanted quite a bit for their budget. Unsure why he was even talking about modern homes, which barely exist in the region and definitely not in that budget, and unsure of why she was under the impression their budget equated to move-in ready anything. Especially in Wyomissing, which has a wide range of prices, but can reach, much, much higher prices. 

No one says secretary anymore, it's true (although I did briefly date a man who referred to his executive assistant as his secretary, because SHE referred to herself that way - she was a career administrative professional in her sixties, so of the era when such people were called secretaries). The commonly used term is assistant. I thought her saying "executive assistant to the CEO" was redundant because you can only be an executive assistant to ... executives. You aren't an executive assistant to a manager or director; you're an assistant.

ANYWAY. There was a horrible murder-suicide in Sinking Spring PA recently - father killed his wife, their three young children, and their dog before killing himself. Unfortunately that's what popped into mind when this couple looked at a house there. Their wish list struck me as producer manufactured, for the reasons you state - and they'd been in the area since high school, so they had to know what kind of homes were in the area.

[Ohwell]

Murders-suicide--how horrific.   

[Empress1]

9 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Murders-suicide--how horrific.   

It was.

The house they picked looked much better with the hardwood floors instead of the carpet and the painting they did. They used the phrase "forever home" so I'm guessing they plan to fix it up over time. I liked the husband's idea to eventually turn the alcove space into the wife's studio.

This was another wife who was afraid of basements. It's just a basement!