House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[morgan]

Mojito, in my experience when we have gone to parties, or when we were first married and had a small kitchen, where kitchens are small spaces it's not that people get lonely.  It's that there is no room because guests end up in the kitchen anyway!  Doesn't matter if you try to politely shoo them away.  I'm on my 4th house since getting married and have the big open kitchen/greatroom with the big island and all that jazz and it really is nice when we have people over.  

[juliet73]

Maine ep:  I glad the husband mentioned that whatever house he chooses is not revolving around the pets.  Other than that, he seemed kind of creepy to me.  The wife seemed a little off too.  I don't think it was because she wanted a screened in porch for the cat.  She seemed lonely and maybe a bit socially awkward.   The conversations they have about what each other did during the day must be very one sided.  What was with the green bean taco?  Also, the bathroom sink in their current home was long.  I didn't understand why they were complaining that they couldn't stand next to each other and brush their teeth.  Then they move to a house with a small pedestal sink??  And I agree with another poster who mentioned that if she stays home all day, why couldn't she wait 5 more minutes and brush her teeth when he was done.

[laredhead]

I had trouble understanding the woman on the State College, PA episode and kept rewinding the recording to catch what she was saying.  She said something about never losing her Southern accent, but I couldn't detect a Southern accent and I'm from Louisiana.  

Locating the treadmill in the basement was probably a good decision on her part.  I had one in a second floor bedroom of a townhouse and when it was running, you could hear it on the first floor.  My neighbors never complained, so they must not have heard it.  The movers weren't too thrilled hauling it up the stairs.  In my next house, it was located on the ground floor which was on a concrete slab.

An HOA of $175 a month is pretty reasonable because the realtor said it took care of all of the outside maintenance including outside walls and deck and I would assume the roof as well.  I missed the square footage of the townhouse, and erased the recording already.  Does anyone recall how large it was? 

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

Locating the treadmill in the basement was probably a good decision on her part.  I had one in a second floor bedroom of a townhouse and when it was running, you could hear it on the first floor.  My neighbors never complained, so they must not have heard it.  The movers weren't too thrilled hauling it up the stairs.  In my next house, it was located on the ground floor which was on a concrete slab.

I had neighbors who had one on the second floor balcony of a townhouse, and it was so loud that I could hear it in my townhouse. It was a really bad idea to have it on the balcony, because it rains a lot here in Seattle. I told them they could get themselves electrocuted or start a fire, and they got all huffy saying it was their "right" to have it there. But after that I never heard them use it again.

[camom]

I may have missed it, but did they say what the Key West guy does for a living?  To be able to buy a $3 million vacation home kind of blew my mind.  I wanted to know more about the girlfriend, too.  How long had they been together?  She seemed to have as much say as he did.  I do think they bought the house that best fit their wish list.  

[ChelleGame]

1 hour ago, camom said:

I may have missed it, but did they say what the Key West guy does for a living?  To be able to buy a $3 million vacation home kind of blew my mind.  I wanted to know more about the girlfriend, too.  How long had they been together?  She seemed to have as much say as he did.  I do think they bought the house that best fit their wish list.  

They said he sold his business but they never specified what business he was in.  They also had a winter vacation house.  I wondered if the girlfriend helped with the cost of the house because they seemed to have equal say. He seemed like a nice man. Enthusiastic but nice to his family.

[Ottis]

I enjoyed the Bangor couple, and the inexplicable air quotes. Whether the porch for kitty was seriously a must or just a preferred idea didn't really matter... a screened in porch is nice have. No one ever mentioned kids, did they? Not even in the future. Maybe the pets are their kids, now and forever.

[wovenloaf]

I thought the house the Key West couple bought was gorgeous.  I loooved the Dade County pine in several of the rooms.  I didn't really get why they were so disgusted by the kitchen, but then they liked that smaller, much drabber kitchen in the second house...just because it was open and had stools at an island, I guess?  And then the enormous kitchen in the third house "wasn't functional" because the island didn't have stools, despite the huge table, outdoor patio, and living room right next to it?  Okay.  His opinions on kitchens made no sense. 

[suebee12]

I finally caught up on all of HH episodes I have been recording but had no time to watch. The show I want to comment on was an old one but I missed it when it ran before. It was an ex-military man and his wife and daughter who were moving to Pittsboro, NC. I had friends who lived there and they loved it! I really loved this family and the show was so enjoyable. Of course, they wanted a one story house and all the homes there were shown were at least two stories but the realtor said one stories  would be hard to find. I loved the house they chose and I think it was a great choice because they got all the "extras" since it had been a model home. I wouldn't have minded the stairs when I was their age(no stairs for me now!) but did they show where the laundry was? And I had to laugh with the man's choice of having the movers empty the boxes....that surely was a mess!!! Great house, great location...only 34 miles to Raleigh but it is a small town for living comfortably.

[meep.meep]

On 2/22/2017 at 6:34 AM, Newberry said:

Newport Beach/Costa Mesa - loved the house they picked, I would have done the same. But, his hangup about the garage not being attached to the house? You're in California, man-it's not like you're going to be going in and out in freezing temps and snow! The laundry out there was odd, but not impossible. 

I didn't see the show, but I've owned two houses in California, and both had detached garages with the laundry in the garage.  It's not strange at all.

[sistersledge]

On 2/21/2017 at 0:10 PM, ByaNose said:

 

On 2/21/2017 at 11:18 AM, jcbrown said:

The exaggerated facial expressions on the State College PA woman fascinated me, for some reason. She kept bugging out her eyes and making her mouth crooked. It was weird. That was the most interesting thing about the episode since she ended up buying the generic townhome and the other two homes she toured were clearly plants.

I'm all about PSU and/or State College, Pa but I had to fast forward her. Wow! She was so annoying and her friend wasn't any better. Yikes!!

 

I was so looking forward to this episode - we are moving to State College this weekend! Highly disappointed in the house choices. The townhouse was the only one actually in SC.

[Totale]

The thing about the Bangor couple to me was that there was all this noise about their (presumed) small budget for the hot seller's market there, but everything they looked at had a ton of land attached.  There have to be houses on a quarter acre which are less.  I'm also lost on why they need a 4 bedroom house when there was no talk of even imagined kids and it was just the two of them,  But I guess it was all to match the houses they were "looking at" with the one they already owned.

[Bastet]

On 2/22/2017 at 1:22 PM, morgan said:

But it's so socially unacceptable for a spouse not to work unless they have kids, it's like they have to come up with an excuse.  I thought it was a funny one.

I didn't see the episode, but assuming she was joking, I love it.  I have a friend who was out of work for several years, and she always said, "Thank heavens I have a child; I can spout some 'I decided to take some time with my kid' spiel and not be seen as a loser."  And friends who also lived through extended unemployment and lamented the fact they couldn't claim to be staying home with their pets and garner the same respect. 

[Empress1]

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

I didn't see the episode, but assuming she was joking, I love it.  I have a friend who was out of work for several years, and she always said, "Thank heavens I have a child; I can spout some 'I decided to take some time with my kid' spiel and not be seen as a loser."  And friends who also lived through extended unemployment and lamented the fact they couldn't claim to be staying home with their pets and garner the same respect. 

I think extended unemployment when you're trying to get back to work is seen differently than people who don't work and have no children. Like, wanting to work but not being able to is seen differently than not needing to work and not wanting to. I went through unemployment after a layoff and I just said I'd been laid off, and people got it - post-recession, everyone I know has either been laid off or dealt with it (SO getting laid off, layoffs at their work but they were spared, etc.)

I just started a Northampton ep and the one guy's expressions when the other guy is talking at length about his fear of basements are cracking me up. He's looking like "Boy, what?"

[laredhead]

I thought the guys in the Northampton episode were going to buy the 3rd house from the way they were going on and on about how great it was.  then they ended up with the first one.  Good choice because it had about 400 sf more and a huge yard.  There were some odd decorating choices in that house, but mostly cosmetic fixes.  When they finish renovating the basement, that will be a wonderful house for parties and large gatherings.   

[Vivigirl10]

I thought all three homes in the Northampton episode were lackluster and blah.  I was happy to see they had already made some changes to the bathroom in the house they chose and the basement will be incredible when it's finished!  That looked really nice.  

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Quote

I thought all three homes in the Northampton episode were lackluster and blah.

I knew they wouldn't get the ranch since it was furnished.  That house could be AMAZING though, if you took almost everything out and redid it.

I love it (not!) when the buyers complain about paint colors and bad paint jobs.  I'm sure agents love that as well.  I know painting isn't necessarily easy, and having it done professionally is not cheap, but it is still one of the easiest house projects there is and can make such a difference.

[Thumper]

I thought that couple was strange.  The one guy who was afraid of an unfinished basement?  He seemed very childish and kind of petulant about anything he didn't like.  The other guy was much more reasonable.  They almost seemed like parent and child.

[juliet73]

Northampton: the house they chose was nice and just needed easy, inexpensive updating. I loved the backyard! The DJ guy was odd. I want to know what the realtor's workout routine was - she had arms of steel! 

[Mu Shu]

On 2/21/2017 at 0:10 PM, ByaNose said:

I'm all about PSU and/or State College, Pa but I had to fast forward her. Wow! She was so annoying and her friend wasn't any better. Yikes!!

I thought she looked like a batty Mary Ellen Walton.  Thanks TV land.

im sorry, but the friend looked like Fred Flinststone.  The hair poof added to the effect.   But it was nice to see them being such close friends, and the townhome was nice.

[chocolatine]

The Northampton couple was hilarious. "Who has a purple bedroom?" - "Prince probably did."

[txvoodoo]

On 2/21/2017 at 11:10 AM, ByaNose said:

I'm all about PSU and/or State College, Pa but I had to fast forward her. Wow! She was so annoying and her friend wasn't any better. Yikes!!

 

On 2/21/2017 at 0:11 PM, mojito said:

The more homes in an HOA, the less you'll usually pay in HOA fees. I believe her fees were $175 per month. 

I'm surprised that people viewed the State College lady negatively. I thought she was just fine. I also appreciated that you have two fitness nuts who aren't a size 2. Or a size 12, for that matter. 

I wanted to restyle all the ladies. I'm not skinny or anything but they all wore stuff that highlighted their less awesome bits. 

Also, who has never seen a washer/dryer in a bathroom? I understand that the concept of them being in the kitchen is weird to Americans, but bathrooms? 

Another person who has no idea what Craftsman is. Also, the townhouse she picked is just so boring.

I went to Penn State over 30 years ago, so I had fun pausing it and looking to see if I could recognize any of the shops or restaurants. 

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, txvoodoo said:

I wanted to restyle all the ladies. I'm not skinny or anything but they all wore stuff that highlighted their less awesome bits. 

Also, who has never seen a washer/dryer in a bathroom? I understand that the concept of them being in the kitchen is weird to Americans, but bathrooms? 

The friend's hairstyle was bugging me. She had a very round face and I thought the half-up poof added to it.

I'd actually be more likely to put a washer and dryer in the kitchen vs. a bathroom because the kitchen likely would be on a lower floor of the house. (If they were both on the same floor, I'd put them in the bathroom.) I think washing machines should go on the lowest floor in case of leaks.* Minimizes damage that way. Mine have always been in the basement, from childhood through now (and there was indeed a leak a couple of years ago).

*If you live in an apartment building and have a washer and dryer in the unit, that's different. 

[roseslg]

On 2/26/2017 at 1:19 AM, txvoodoo said:

 

I wanted to restyle all the ladies. I'm not skinny or anything but they all wore stuff that highlighted their less awesome bits. 

Also, who has never seen a washer/dryer in a bathroom? I understand that the concept of them being in the kitchen is weird to Americans, but bathrooms? 

Another person who has no idea what Craftsman is. Also, the townhouse she picked is just so boring.

I went to Penn State over 30 years ago, so I had fun pausing it and looking to see if I could recognize any of the shops or restaurants. 

My IL's live in SC, so we visit often enough, my husband, who hates House Hunters with a burning passion actually watched this episode with me.  Only the townhouse was actually in SC.   He was hoping for more of the town, but nothing, they just kept replaying the fields and the cows.  It's not that rural!  It's funny how they never mentioned PSU, oh, she just worked for a local uni (wink, wink).  

 

Her voice was killing us both. It was difficult to make it through. 

[topanga]

On 2/23/2017 at 11:56 AM, camom said:

I may have missed it, but did they say what the Key West guy does for a living?  To be able to buy a $3 million vacation home kind of blew my mind.  I wanted to know more about the girlfriend, too.  How long had they been together?  She seemed to have as much say as he did.  I do think they bought the house that best fit their wish list.  

They said he recently sold his business. I don't remember them ever saying what the business was.  Whatever it was, it sold for enough that they could by buy a second vacation home. The husband was funny ("this looks like a 'Miami Vice' kitchen") but didn't seem like too much of a douche. 

And maybe I'm just jealous, but most middle-aged women's boobs don't sit up like the girlfriend's did. Especially after having kids. Unless she has some really, really good bras, I'm assuming she's had work done. If so, why'd she have to get such big ones? 

 

On 2/23/2017 at 8:32 PM, Totale said:

The thing about the Bangor couple to me was that there was all this noise about their (presumed) small budget for the hot seller's market there, but everything they looked at had a ton of land attached.  There have to be houses on a quarter acre which are less.  I'm also lost on why they need a 4 bedroom house when there was no talk of even imagined kids and it was just the two of them,  But I guess it was all to match the houses they were "looking at" with the one they already owned.

The cats need their own room. And there must be a craft room. And an office. And some kind of man cave. 

I know I bring this up every few months. But once, just once, I'd like to see someone turn a room into a library. 

[mojito]

Tulsa, OK. Newly-minted dentist and lawyer.

I was surprised that they picked the house with only one bedroom. They were viewing their home as an investment with an eye toward selling the home. I guess with his profession, they probably can be assured of higher earnings in the future. Still, I wouldn't purchase a home that does not meet my minimal bathroom "requirement" because I feel the location will make the home easy to sell in the future. The mid-century modern, which really looked like the real thing to my uneducated real estate mind, was my favorite home. 

I like seeing nice homes in the under-$200K range.

I wonder if, for many if not more people, that whole "starter home" track is not practical, that the price of homes nowadays combined with (what seems to me to be) shrinking career prospects and outrageous student loan debt while the quest for material things keeps growing, just doesn't make the climb up the property ladder as achievable or practical as it once was. I'm a little startled to hear people speak of the home that they're purchasing now as good for now. I think I'd be looking at a home purchase in 2017 as perhaps my last home purchase. I think the tiny home people are on a wiser track, though I'd opt for a small home instead. 

Just something I've been mulling over lately.

Edited March 1, 2017 by mojito
grammatical error

[laredhead]

Mojito, they said in the closing scene that they are thinking about expanding the size of the bedrooms and maybe adding another bath, but that is down the road.  The back yard looked large enough for an addition to the house, and if it's in a very desirable neighborhood, it might be a good investment and turn into a long term house for them.  It might have been a lower priced house in a nice neighborhood which is usually a very good real estate decision because there's room for improvement without pricing it too high in comparison to other houses in the area.

If they add on to the house, they could also move the washer & dryer out of the kitchen and into the new area.  I liked the couple, because they compromised on things that other buyers we have seen would have freaked out and said they were deal breakers.  I thought they were going to buy the MCM house.   

[ByaNose]

I think 1 bathroom is a deal breaker for a couple in a new house. I can understand if they were starting out in a small condo with 1 bathroom but if you are buying your first home you got to have 2 bathrooms. At least, that's what we had done.

[MsProudSooner]

Brookside is probably the trendiest area of Tulsa.  It's beautiful with huge trees in the neighborhoods.  The only problem with it is it's Tulsa Public Schools.  In general, the suburban schools (Jenks, Union, Owasso and Bixby) are better.  It's quite common to drive through the area and see several houses on a block in the middle of being remodeled.

[KLovestoShop]

I just didn't understand the single woman in the LA area.  Didn't she realize that real estate in California is insanely expensive?   She complained about nearly everything. And her brother didn't help at all.  Every room was too small, the bathrooms weren't enough, the ceilings were too low, blah, blah, blah.  And since when are dark appliances considered Gothic?   

[mortonsalt]

3 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I just didn't understand the single woman in the LA area.  Didn't she realize that real estate in California is insanely expensive?   She complained about nearly everything. And her brother didn't help at all.  Every room was too small, the bathrooms weren't enough, the ceilings were too low, blah, blah, blah.  And since when are dark appliances considered Gothic?   

Yes, I found her really annoying. Besides the pricing thing, I also don't understand why she wanted an older home so badly, but then complained about features that older homes have like the rooms and closets being too small. 

I think that even her real estate agent seemed annoyed by her. 

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

I just didn't understand the single woman in the LA area.  Didn't she realize that real estate in California is insanely expensive?   She complained about nearly everything. And her brother didn't help at all.  Every room was too small, the bathrooms weren't enough, the ceilings were too low, blah, blah, blah.  And since when are dark appliances considered Gothic?   

It's not like she was moving from a 4 bedroom house in the Midwest and was experiencing sticker shock.  Lady should have known what to expect!  Plus, it was just her.  Those homes were all a fine size for one person without even any pets!  The brother was just as bad.  The Gothic comment had me rolling.  The other curiosity was how baffled and offended they were by the picture window in the one home because it didn't open.  They've never seen that before? 

Quote

I think that even her real estate agent seemed annoyed by her. 

She was completely annoyed and rightly so!  The buyer was being so unreasonable with her expectations.  I thought her sister was a good voice of reason too.  

[Ottis]

Young Tampa couple, who each had their own jobs, and also ran a coffee business out of their home, and also were into fitness, and the guy also built and races RC cars all over the country ... whew. Don't know if this one was new or a repeat (don't see any comments here, so maybe only new to us?), but they were possibly the most reasonable, normal couple we have watched on HH. In fact, when the episode ended, Mrs. Ottis said, "I don't have anything to nitpick." 

Our nitpick was the real estate agent's voice, which was that of a long-time smoker and/or someone who was ill. It was difficult to hear, almost sounded like our sound was cutting out. 

And what was up with the carpet in one home that seemed to blur on our TV screen? We have a pretty new and decent TV, and that carpet looked like it was soaked with water or something in every shot but one. Very weird.

Our only other thought was that the homes seemed to be about $30-50k overpriced based on what we could see (we live in the Denver area), but maybe that's typical for Tampa, given it's a desirable place to live.

Edited March 1, 2017 by Ottis

[topanga]

1 hour ago, Ottis said:

Young Tampa couple, who each had their own jobs, and also ran a coffee business out of their home, and also were into fitness, and the guy also built and races RC cars all over the country ... whew. Don't know if this one was new or a repeat (don't see any comments here, so maybe only new to us?), but they were possibly the most reasonable, normal couple we have watched on HH. In fact, when the episode ended, Mrs. Ottis said, "I don't have anything to nitpick." 

Our nitpick was the real estate agent's voice, which was that of a long-time smoker and/or someone who was ill. It was difficult to hear, almost sounded like our sound was cutting out. 

And what was up with the carpet in one home that seemed to blur on our TV screen? We have a pretty new and decent TV, and that carpet looked like it was soaked with water or something in every shot but one. Very weird.

Our only other thought was that the homes seemed to be about $30-50k overpriced based on what we could see (we live in the Denver area), but maybe that's typical for Tampa, given it's a desirable place to live.

 I didn't mind the Tampa couple either. 

And I thought it was just me who noticed the agent's voice. There were times she could barely speak. I hope she's okay. She seemed too young to having oxygen-dependent emphysema. But if that was a smoker's voice, she's well on her way if she doesn't leave the cigarettes alone. 

Didn't notice the carpet, though. 

Edited March 1, 2017 by topanga

[mojito]

The home the LA lady picked....I live in a city with extremely low crime and I would still not feel comfortable entering my home from behind a 6-foot privacy fence. Hopefully, it's a safe area. I'd love to see what kind of place her brother lives in. From what I think was the back of the home, it looked incredibly bland.

The Tampa couple. I was impressed at how busy they were. Good for them.

[Kohola3]

I'm not sure "goth" is a decorating style much less one supported by black appliances.

[Ottis]

I didn't realize that any place in the U.S. was as cheap to live in as Tulsa. The amount of house you can get there for <$200k is stunning to me, and I even lived in a Midwestern state for a few years.  Those two buyers were definitely newbies, based on their comments and lack of parameters. I remember when I was that way once, back before HH ...

[MsProudSooner]

We don't even make the lowest 25 in the list in the link below - maybe because our wages are low, too.

http://247wallst.com/special-report/2017/01/11/americas-25-most-affordable-housing-markets/

[MaKaM]

It wasn't House Hunters but something called "Half-Price Paradise" but exactly the same aside from the title. The family was moving from Minnesota and were looking Nassau, TX (where NASA is so talk about a tongue twister!) and what you could get for $300k was just amazing. Waterfront or at least canal front. If it were on House Hunters, it would be a classic: a house that had French Provincial furniture for the kitchen, hot tub at the top of the stairs--open to the master bedroom, gilt pillars everywhere with statuary on all the ones that weren't "supporting" the ceiling. The hunters were very kind about not trashing the house where crazy (or at least super-eccentric) lives.

[Pickles]

Saratoga Springs episode airing as I type this. The first house is on one and a third acre. Big spaces between homes in the neighborhood. Yet, the bozo husband says the houses are too close. He can see the houses! He can see in their windows (maybe if he uses binoculars)!  What is wrong with people? 

[NYGirl]

The Saratoga wife is annoying me as the minutes tick by.  I want to reach through the screen and pull her hair.  She's picky and annoying about being picky.

[KLovestoShop]

The Saratoga couple were a pain.  They reminded me of hoity-toidy country club people.  The husband and his worry about neighbors seemed too producer induced.  Unless you live way out in the country, you're going to have neighbors.  And, there were a lot of trees blocking the houses on either side, so there's no way he's going to see in Windows, unless of course, he's Superman with x-ray vision.  Poor hubby, they got the house with neighbors.  Better warn them that their new neighbor will be peering through their windows. 

[morgan]

I think my tolerance for the saratoga couple must have been colored by my love for saratoga.  We moved from there 10 years ago, oddly enough to where this couple moved from.  We only lived there for a few years but it was a fabulous place for young families and I miss so much about it.  

I think they seemed fine and just figure a lot of his schtick was producer driven.

[NYGirl]

I watched another HH after HHI last night and it was a doctor and his wife in Virginia.  He wanted Victorian and she wanted Colonial.  Talk about a stick up the butt.  She definitely had it!  

He was nice and soft-spoken.  She was a SAHM who was pregnant.  

I loved the house he picked..it was so vintage but with giant rooms and needed a little updating.  She had no idea what a vintage home was all about.  Update this..update this..gut this.   Grrrrr

[Newberry]

15 hours ago, Pickles said:

Saratoga Springs episode airing as I type this. The first house is on one and a third acre. Big spaces between homes in the neighborhood. Yet, the bozo husband says the houses are too close. He can see the houses! He can see in their windows (maybe if he uses binoculars)!  What is wrong with people? 

OMG, right? I have lived in towns all my life, in a half double, close to neighbors. Never once did I find myself looking into my neighbors' windows, despite the proximity. I could barely see the houses he was talking about  let alone the windows!

[chocolatine]

21 hours ago, Pickles said:

Saratoga Springs episode airing as I type this. The first house is on one and a third acre. Big spaces between homes in the neighborhood. Yet, the bozo husband says the houses are too close. He can see the houses! He can see in their windows (maybe if he uses binoculars)!  What is wrong with people? 

That was such a blatant example of producer-driven nitpicking, since they ended up choosing that very house and he seemed just as enthusiastic about it in the end as she was.

[Ohwell]

5 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

That was such a blatant example of producer-driven nitpicking, since they ended up choosing that very house and he seemed just as enthusiastic about it in the end as she was.

Also, wasn't that the house with the pool that the wife didn't want because of their small kids?

[chocolatine]

4 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Also, wasn't that the house with the pool that the wife didn't want because of their small kids?

No, the second house had the pool. Come to think of it, the second house was bigger than the first, sat on a bigger lot, had the pool, and was adjacent to a nature preserve, but was listed $56k below the first one. It looked like the better investment, unless the first house was in a much better school district.

[Empress1]

19 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

The Saratoga couple were a pain.  They reminded me of hoity-toidy country club people.  The husband and his worry about neighbors seemed too producer induced.  Unless you live way out in the country, you're going to have neighbors.  And, there were a lot of trees blocking the houses on either side, so there's no way he's going to see in Windows, unless of course, he's Superman with x-ray vision.  Poor hubby, they got the house with neighbors.  Better warn them that their new neighbor will be peering through their windows. 

When did we start hating neighbors? I've lived in major cities my whole life so I've always had neighbors (I can't imagine living in the country where you have to go a mile down the road to see another person - sounds scary to me). I loved my neighborhood as a kid - there were lots of other kids around and we were always in and out of other peoples' houses. The parents knew each other. We had block parties. Trick or treating was great. It was fun! I don't think I've ever wondered if my neighbors can see me - if my blinds are open, I know they can see me. If I care about that, I close them. If I don't, or if I care more about letting the light in, I leave them open. I don't assume my neighbors are wasting time peering in my windows because I'm not looking in theirs.

When the husband in the Saratoga Springs episode was like "These neighbors are too close" when they were standing on a 1.3 acre lot, I rolled my eyes. You can't see in their windows, my dude. I did enjoy seeing the town though. I was there for a wedding some years ago so it was fun to see it again. The couple was very preppy.

6 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Also, wasn't that the house with the pool that the wife didn't want because of their small kids?

I think the house with the pool was #2. They chose house #1.

[Ohwell]

4 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

No, the second house had the pool. Come to think of it, the second house was bigger than the first, sat on a bigger lot, had the pool, and was adjacent to a nature preserve, but was listed $56k below the first one. It looked like the better investment, unless the first house was in a much better school district.

Ok, thanks.  The second house was almost too good to be true compared to the other two houses, so there must have been some negative.  As you indicated, perhaps the school district wasn't as desirable.