House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[chessiegal]

4 minutes ago, jacksgirl said:

Watching the rich people house hunting in Simi Valley. Guy smirks as he states  he's a brat, he is. My dear dad would have called them vapid.  Yuck.

Thank you. I was half watching and thought that's what he said, and thought, oh no, I must have misheard - who would say that? That may be a HH first.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/8/2017 at 8:35 AM, laredhead said:

I liked the comment by the Indy husband that one of the houses had an exterior that looked like a cat. 

I didn't like that house one bit; I don't like peaked windows.  But I found myself thinking I would be very tempted to buy it and make it work for me because it would be so much fun to be able to say "the cat house" instead of "my house" all the time.  "Why don't you pick me up at the cat house?"  "Let's have dinner at the cat house."  "Ah, I just hung out at the cat house last night."

[Ottis]

10 hours ago, jacksgirl said:

Watching the rich people house hunting in Simi Valley.

So that explains the Rodney King police officer verdicts Ice Cube rapped about. Finally, I get it.

The odd thing about these two wasn't their choices or even the brat thing (he said it, and is, but whatever). It was their complete unawareness of how their desires and actions underscored their lack of exposure to anything beyond money and privilege. It was fascinating, in a perverse way.

At the same time, they kept calling all the foyers "grand," when in fact they were simply stairs that went up to an open space or open hallway. They didn't seem very grand to me. 

Also? This show was yet another reminder of why I'm glad we no longer live in California. We were trying to guess what those homes would cost in our nearby western state, and figured it might be 50-60 percent of those inflated CA prices.

[mojito]

Simi Valley

Really? A walk-in pantry means that much to you? I'm glad she didn't get that pool. Veggies are better than a pool that will be used for....what? Cooling off in after you've baked in the sun? I don't get grown people and their itty-bitty pools. 

Those dirty walls in that house that she claimed needed to be gutted. That "dirt" looked like mold to me, but they didn't mention it later when they showed that non-gutted-after-all-home. I'm growing tired of the requirement that the homeowners be critical. I'd rather more time being spent on giving us a glimpse of the neighborhood and a zoom out of the area than hearing silly comments about hating the color of a wall. 

For the love of....who the f....seriously, carpeted bathroom floors? Okay, I recall in the 60s, it was cool to state that your home had "wall-to-wall" carpeting....although I can't imagine that anyone would've thought that the spongy feeling of a damp carpet in the bathroom felt good....but when, in the last 30 years, has anyone thought that carpeting in the bathroom was a good idea? Who are these people who like this? Where are they? Do they live among us? 

[StatisticalOutlier]

10 hours ago, mojito said:

but when, in the last 30 years, has anyone thought that carpeting in the bathroom was a good idea?

My parents.

 

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Who are these people who like this? Where are they? Do they live among us? 

Not any more, but as far as I know, the carpeted bathrooms have nothing to do with that.

[mojito]

Few responses have given me such a good laugh. Thanks, SO. 

[Mittengirl]

My mom put carpeting in the bathroom about the same time StatisticalOutlier's parents did. The existing linoleum was ugly and she couldn't get my dad to replace it so she got a piece of carpeting that she was able to cut to fit and put that down.  And she proceeded to complain about it until the day he died.  Then she complained to me, so I ripped the carpeting out and (eventually) replaced it with sheet vinyl.  Which she complains about - she would have gotten a different color.  She should have gone shopping when she had the chance.

[Vivigirl10]

Simi Valley couple was fascinating.  I wanted to reach through the screen and slap the husband silly with his "brat" comment.  Yes, indeedy, sweetie.  He tinkers on dirt bikes and vehicles and she does marketing for the parents winery.  Therefore, I was able to correct every statement they made about "their buying" a house.  Uh-hum....."my parents" are buying this house.  They were totally bankrolled in every way by his parents.

Quote

At the same time, they kept calling all the foyers "grand," when in fact they were simply stairs that went up to an open space or open hallway. They didn't seem very grand to me. 

It was odd, after seeing his parents home, that they really weren't overly put-off by the underwhelming homes they looked at.  Puzzling.  

[laredhead]

Kiki620, I thought the space they were living in at his parents' house looked pretty nice.  Their closet was as large as a room, and there was a pool as well.  Why leave?  They both had a childhood of privilege, and it was difficult to be sympathetic to their whining about the things they didn't like.

I wonder if he's really as handy as he says he is, or if he hired someone to redo the things that had been fixed in the reveal?    

[Ottis]

Grand View, Texas HH ... I think this was a new one? Those houses were an odd assortment. They seemed nice on the outside, and even specific aspects of the inside seemed nice (like a kitchen), and then the bathrooms would be not only "dated" (horrors!) but dirty or dinged up. In one house, the tile floor in the kitchen in the corner seemed to have deep scrapes or stains on it. And all of the houses were $300k to $400k ... I would not expect to find wear in houses priced like that. Maybe some dated aspects, given how the kitchen-bathroom industrial complex keeps changing up what we view as "in" and forcing everyone to spend money again, but not wear.

[AuntiePam]

Yes, Texas was a new one -- Grand Prairie and Arlington, I think.  The color on my TV might be off, but in one house the kitchen granite was a mustard-orange-yellow and the backsplash tiles looked black-gray.  They didn't match at all, yet the couple didn't comment on that.

[Ohwell]

Last night's Texas couple wasn't annoying, so I guess I should be glad about that.  I thought that black and white kitchen that they loved was hideous though.

[CherryAmes]

On 3/16/2017 at 2:32 AM, Pegasaurus said:

However, I was thinking, was I that opinionated and self-entitled when I was 28?   I remember being thrilled that our first house had a bathroom with two doors - one went into the master bedroom (how chic!) but then the other door went to the hallway. I still thought we had a master bathroom! I didn't even know the term "en suite".    And I loved my beautiful new Formica on the kitchen counters! Granite? What's that?

My daughter is looking for her first house now, they've been renting since they got married and now they want to buy.  Which is good.  But honestly the things she expects in a first house just kill me!  Like you when we bought our first house I was thrilled about the little things.  We had a detached house, no more sharing walls with neighbours!  We had the appliances included - who cared if they were old and  :gasp: white, we didn't have to buy them right away!  We had a built in china cabinet in the dining room!  Which was awesome - we didn't have any china but who cared?  LOL.  Anyway my daughter, I think, has watched one too many episodes of HH or similar because what she expects to get in her price range is spectacularly not going to happen!

[Kohola3]

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But honestly the things she expects in a first house just kill me!

I know it makes me sound like an old fogy but I was so thrilled and proud of my first house - all 900 square feet of it with (horrors) rooms with walls and one bathroom.  I'm sure the person who bought it 35 years later determined it was a gut job but I was perfectly content there.   And at age 66 years I am in my retirement home for which I worked and saved for all of that time.  I love it and the fact that I worked hard for it makes it more precious.   Nothing was ever handed to me so that makes it more special.

[juliet73]

4 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Last night's Texas couple wasn't annoying, so I guess I should be glad about that.  I thought that black and white kitchen that they loved was hideous though.

I totally agree about that kitchen!!!!  The only thing I liked about it was that HUGE stove! Everything else looked like a DIY gone bad.

[Jvhawaii]

On 3/14/2017 at 6:42 PM, stewedsquash said:

Just watched the San Diego episode, with the mother and son. I loved it just for being able to see the different courtyards and layouts of the condos and that they were all kind of different. I am burned out on the Chicago style of condos and apartments, the high rises and the warehouses that are turned into living spaces.  Those episodes are a snooze for me now because they all look the same.  I think in the second home, either the cabinet people or the owners made a terrible mistake and forgot to leave a space for the fridge in the actual kitchen area. I do see a solution by putting the fridge (one of those counter deep types) in front of that outlet they showed, then continuing the cabinets and counters to the other wall on the other side of the fridge. Put in a swag light (didn't it have a horrible ceiling fan in the dining area??) to move it over more (hang) to the other wall and towards the living room, almost centered with the wall that separated the kitchen and living room. Add a banquet type seating area along the other wall that went from living room to dining room, with a long slender table, a couple of equally slender chairs for the other side and voila! problem solved. 

Please tell me that they got rid of the bugs in the chosen condo! That particular bug is my only freak out type of thing. I would have never bought that home. If you see one, there are four hundred million more hiding behind the cupboards and appliances. I am barfing as I type this. Gah! I hate roaches. 

Also, I thought the mother was absolutely appropriately dressed in each outfit and looked super beautiful in all of them. I have read the @Jvhawaii posts, and to give you a shout out, You go with your rocking the shorts self! It was nice to see a woman who embraced her "sexy" without looking ridiculous or showing the boobs. I loved the little romper type outfit, loved that you wore appropriate shoes, had a little bit of a detail in the top. I thought you looked great. 

@stewedsquash thank you for the compliment. Truth be told that was the first time I had set foot in the unit, so my reactions were all genuine. My son and our realtor toured the condo originally. He had decided that was the one he wanted. Then, it took 3 or so months before escrow closed and the unit sat empty that entire time in the summer heat. It was not until we filmed that we noticed what I call the pest problem.  I was horrified to say the least! Needless to say the complex was fumigated because of it which delayed him moving in. He has not seen one since either. 

[Empress1]

On 3/17/2017 at 3:37 PM, Ohwell said:

Last night's Texas couple wasn't annoying, so I guess I should be glad about that.  I thought that black and white kitchen that they loved was hideous though.

They were a nice couple and I was with the husband re: picking a house that has the right stuff that you can't change and changing the stuff you can, but yikes, that was an ugly-ass kitchen. The floor? [shudders]

[mojito]

Chicago Bachelor

He had a $350K budget. Interestingly, all the places he was shown were well under that price. I had to chuckle when he claimed that the granite of one counter top was old, like granite 1.0. And when he pointed to one granite counter top and asked if it was quartz. Hmm... He also didn't recognize "real" wood floors. Otherwise, he was okay and not overly critical, I didn't think.

His friend's comments about his being single and having no social life were humorous.

[laredhead]

I totally agreed with him about that tiny counter space in one of the kitchens where he wedged himself between the refrig and the counter.  That could have been configured better, IMO.  I liked the friend too. 

[Vivigirl10]

Successful, 20-something, single, men in Chicago can be a particularly special kind of awful, so I was pleasantly surprised that these two were so likeable.  The buyer wasn't overly critical and he and his friend could laugh at his lonesome self enjoying time on his balcony.  Fun episode!  

[Empress1]

6 hours ago, laredhead said:

I totally agreed with him about that tiny counter space in one of the kitchens where he wedged himself between the refrig and the counter.  That could have been configured better, IMO.  I liked the friend too. 

I agreed with him too. it's wasted counter space in a kitchen that didn't have it to spare.

I laughed when his tall friend said he couldn't be coming over every day to give little Davey a boost re: that high hook. That was a good line.

[juliet73]

I liked the Chicago guys too. When the buyer asked about sharing the balcony with his neighbors, he mentioned it would be weird if the neighbors are throwing a party outside while he's sitting there all alone. And his friend quipped "you'll be sitting there crying because you weren't invited." lol! 

[KLovestoShop]

I liked the Chicago guy.  He had his head on straight and didn't have unreasonable expectations.  

I'm on the fence with Oklahoma couple. I think they had too much on their wish list for their tiny budget.  His wanting a big yard outweighed getting a bigger house.  Someone needs to tell their realtor that when you can see your belly button through a dress that the dress is too tight.  

[Ottis]

20 hours ago, mojito said:

He had a $350K budget. Interestingly, all the places he was shown were well under that price.

We noticed that as well. I wonder why? Don't recall this ever happening before. I mean, one was about $85k under that. 

16 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

Successful, 20-something, single, men in Chicago can be a particularly special kind of awful, so I was pleasantly surprised that these two were so likeable.

Yep. They should get an award. And as Mrs. Ottis said, given they were both so likeable, "I don't know why (the buyer) doesn't have a girlfriend."

What in the world was going on with the place with the 3/4 size wall that curved out into the living room? That's the place he bought, isn't it? It looked like the curved bedroom should spin, Austin Powers-style. I think you can have curved real walls, or squared off pretend walls, but not curved, pretend walls. 

[Lady Iris]

Did anybody catch the Norman, OK couple last night? I missed the end and didn't get to catch which house they ended up taking. That man loved his trees. I've never seen anybody so concerned about trees with a house before. It makes sense though, gets hot there and who doesn't love a shady spaces.

I don't know of anywhere where I live that you could buy a house for $150k. It's astounding the variances of what you can buy in different states for that money.

[laredhead]

I didn't get the curved wall that didn't go all the way to the ceiling in the place the Chicago buyer purchased.  Usually in lofts, or loft style places, the wall is not finished to the ceiling because the room doesn't have a window or for ventilation.  That bedroom area had a window, so light wasn't a problem, and you could see the open heat/air vent running along the ceiling so that could have been modified to furnish ventilation to the bedroom.  it just looked weird and almost like someone's DIY weekend project.  

I doubt that the Oklahoma couple ever had any intention of buying a larger house, and had planned to buy rental property from the beginning.  That house has only 1000 sf and 3 bedrooms, so the rooms must be really small.  The refrigerator was blocking one of the kitchen windows.  As soon as they have a baby, it's probably going on the rental market.  The wife might want to read up on some of the features of a MCM house, one of which is high windows in some houses.  I did like the cat trying to play ping pong.          

[mojito]

The OK City couple clearly watches a lot of HGTV. They wanted it all. I was surprised that in the end they chose the smallest home with the largest yard. I would definitely have gone with the last home, which was within budget and had more interior space. I thought it was nicer-looking, too. The home they picked had a single bathroom with a pedestal sink and a single garage (they wanted a double). Shook my head on that choice.

Enough with the "mid century modern"  and "craftsman" already! You're in OK. With that budget, you're probably going to get a ranch. 

Remember when they were in the first house, and the wife wondered why the windows were so high when they should be letting so much light in the room (answer: so you can place a sofa there) but in the end, they were shoving a refrigerator in front of a window?

Edited March 22, 2017 by mojito

[MsProudSooner]

The couple that bought the house in Norman, OK were definitely thinking investment property for the future, even though they didn't say so from the beginning.  That house is in a perfect location to rent to students.  

[MsProudSooner]

38 minutes ago, Lady Iris said:

Did anybody catch the Norman, OK couple last night? I missed the end and didn't get to catch which house they ended up taking. That man loved his trees. I've never seen anybody so concerned about trees with a house before. It makes sense though, gets hot there and who doesn't love a shady spaces.

I don't know of anywhere where I live that you could buy a house for $150k. It's astounding the variances of what you can buy in different states for that money.

 

They chose the 1,000 square foot house close to the OU campus - perfect to use for rental income in the future.  Not all of Oklahoma is blessed with a lot of trees and the summers can be brutally hot.  At one time, Norman had the highest price per square foot in Oklahoma.  I don't know if that's still the case or not.  

[Newberry]

15 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I agreed with him too. it's wasted counter space in a kitchen that didn't have it to spare.

I laughed when his tall friend said he couldn't be coming over every day to give little Davey a boost re: that high hook. That was a good line.

I kept thinking with the open floor space, he could always put in an island to compensate for the missing counter space. I would have used that worthless corner counter for my small appliances-toaster, coffee maker, etc.

[Newberry]

Maybe it was just me, but I didn't think the yard with House #3 in Norman, was that small? Does the TV camera distort the size? It was fenced and perfect for a dog. A clean slate they could "make their own."

[juliet73]

3 hours ago, Newberry said:

Maybe it was just me, but I didn't think the yard with House #3 in Norman, was that small? Does the TV camera distort the size? It was fenced and perfect for a dog. A clean slate they could "make their own."

I totally agree. It looked like an average backyard for the area. I thought house 3 was perfect. It was everything they wanted except acres of backyard. Neither one of them seemed to bright so I'm not surprised they chose the house that is smaller than the guest house they were living in before. 

[MsProudSooner]

3 hours ago, Newberry said:

Maybe it was just me, but I didn't think the yard with House #3 in Norman, was that small? Does the TV camera distort the size? It was fenced and perfect for a dog. A clean slate they could "make their own."

 

It was probably a little bit smaller than normal for that part of town, but not a lot smaller.

[camom]

Saw the couple in Las Vegas last night who wanted a "farm" property.  I knew they would pick the first property because of the land, but the house itself was horrible.  They're doing a lot of work that is costing way more than what they said they were willing to spend.

[Empress1]

On 3/25/2017 at 6:45 AM, stewedsquash said:

Caught the two nice guys from Chicago episode. What is an architectural head hunter? I think that is what he said.

I'd assume that means he's a headhunter (recruiter) for an architecture firm.

[sheetmoss]

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I'd assume that means he's a headhunter (recruiter) for an architecture firm.

Not necessarily even for an architectural firm but could be a job/employment placement company   - meaning  he could work  for a company that recruits architects in the US --or worldwide, for architectural firms. It's like a clearing hse.

My friend's husband who is a biggie in civil construction gets calls from recruiters soliciting  him to switch . The recruiters hear about him.

 

 

On 3/25/2017 at 5:45 AM, stewedsquash said:

 

One question about Chicago apartment/ condo buildings: Why is it so hard to logically get a good layout? Everything always seems so, slightly wrong. I guess it is that way elsewhere, but I notice it a lot in these types of buildings, even in new places.

In older buildings that  are converted, it could be just having to work around what's already existing--running water/gaslines that can't be moved or too $$ to do so.

Edited March 26, 2017 by sheetmoss
sp

[juliet73]

Michigan episode:  UGHHHHHHH!!!  Warning...I have some issues with the wife. SHE was driving me mad!!! She complained about EVERYTHING!!  EVERYTHING!!  And everything she was complaining about was cosmetic.  She said they couldn't move into the last house until the wallpaper in the ONE room was removed!  Say what?!  She didn't like the full bathroom in the basement because she would feel bad that her guests would have to sleep and shower in the basement!  Are you effen kidding me?! It's not like their guests are going to be sleeping on the floor with a newspaper blanket and will have to use a garden hose to clean themselves!! She would be embarrassed to entertain her guests in one of the other basements because it's "dark and dreary".  Obviously, the former homeowners thought it was good enough since there was a fireplace and bar down there.  She complained because there was no crown molding on the COVED ceilings! That's the character of it!  It's coved! Her constant griping about none of the homes being craftsman.  The first house had the kitchen from the 1960's that obviously had never been updated and she asked where were her quartz countertops?  Of the course the one she did the most bitchin' about, they bought.  I liked the husband.  He was not your normal HH.  He mentioned everything didn't need to be changed at once,  all the houses could be lived in and they could remodel bit by bit, he questioned his wife why they needed a long dining table since it was just the two of them, happy there were two bathrooms and didn't care that they were outdated.  He actually had valid complaints - low basement ceilings, odd layout.  Things that couldn't be changed or very costly to do.  All he wanted was a big yard...and they picked the house with the small(est) yard.  

[mortonsalt]

Yes, I totally agree about the wife last night. She was another one of those House Hunters that has unreal expectations especially considering their budget was only $230,000. I didn't get the impression that it was producer driven either. 

I agree about the husband too. I liked that he was realistic and knew that things didn't have to be done at one time, but bit by bit. I wish he would have gotten his big backyard, and I would have picked the second one since it looked the most updated with the biggest yard; although, I think that was the one with the very low basement ceiling. (I'm short though, so low ceilings don't usually bother me.) 

[Pathetica]

Couple in LA. Real problem with an island because the sink doesn't face the living room. Are they unaware that their heads kinda swivel and they can turn and look into living room? It seems there are some things that even the smallest smidgen of self-respect would have one telling the director:  No. I cannot do that. I do not want to appear an idiot on TV. 

[AlleC17]

Michigan:  I was not in the greatest of moods, so that might have influenced my viewing, but I did not like any of the Michigan houses...some of the back yards were great though.  lol  The husband was pretty practical about the whole thing, the wife was pretty annoying at times.  The basement of the house the chose had the most horrible flooring.  lol  So funny that she couldn't possibly live with the wallpaper:  I could not have stood that flooring. 

[laredhead]

I kind of liked the retro vibe of the basement in the house the Michigan couple bought.  They could buy a large carpet remnant, have it bound and put it down over that very 50's vinyl tile.  I agree that the wife was a real whiner and complainer.  I also wish the hubby could have gotten his large yard.  Her mother sounded like she was ready for them to move out of her house, and if she had to listen to the daughter complain all the time it was probably not an untrue statement.

[MooCat Pretzel]

Just got done watching the Michigan episode and I am going to hear the wife's voice in my sleep tonight.  Vocal fry and non-stop.  I asked my husband right before the final recap if we heard the husband speak at all because I didn't remember him saying more than 10 words.  It was all her and all complaints/whining.  What got us was she wanted to be near downtown AND a lake.  We don't know Rochester, MI to know if that is possible, but she annoyed us so we automatically sensed it was an stupid "want".

[biakbiak]

6 minutes ago, MooCat Pretzel said:

if we heard the husband speak at all because I didn't remember him saying more than 10 words.  

I heard him bitch plenty about how a dining room was absurd and needING a huge yard for their one dog. 

[Kohola3]

9 hours ago, MooCat Pretzel said:

What got us was she wanted to be near downtown AND a lake.

While you are never more than 6 miles from a lake anywhere in Michigan, there isn't one close to downtown Rochester, MI.  The best they could do would be on Paint Creek which is not that impressive. Great (albeit expensive) downtown.  They do a great light show at Christmas.

There, you've had your geography lesson for today!  (I was from that area.)

[AuntiePam]

13 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I heard him bitch plenty about how a dining room was absurd and needING a huge yard for their one dog. 

I hope the dining room complaints were producer-driven.  Do they never have anyone over for dinner?  Even if it's just their parents, that's four chairs.

I chuckled when he talked about wanting "a few acres".  Does he know how big an acre is?  I felt for the guy though -- wife did 99% of the talking.

The New York couple -- now that's when comments about "natural light" are appropriate -- when you're in a canyon of concrete and the sunlight is blocked unless you're high up.  I live in an area where $100K (and less) will get you a nice house with a big yard, so those prices make my head spin.  And $2,000 a month for maintenance?  Lordy.  They chose the right place. 

[mortonsalt]

25 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

I hope the dining room complaints were producer-driven.  Do they never have anyone over for dinner?  Even if it's just their parents, that's four chairs.

I chuckled when he talked about wanting "a few acres".  Does he know how big an acre is?  I felt for the guy though -- wife did 99% of the talking.

The New York couple -- now that's when comments about "natural light" are appropriate -- when you're in a canyon of concrete and the sunlight is blocked unless you're high up.  I live in an area where $100K (and less) will get you a nice house with a big yard, so those prices make my head spin.  And $2,000 a month for maintenance?  Lordy.  They chose the right place. 

Yes, I hope the husband in the NY couple's comments about wanting to live near the ground floor were producer driven. As long as the building had an elevator, I don't think it would matter that much, imo, if he had to wait a few minutes when taking the dog for a walk. On the other hand, besides the natural light issue which would be really important there, I imagine that since the property was also going to be an investment property for them that the higher up they were, the better off it would be for resale.

I agree that they chose the right place too. The middle place was cheap, and if they would have had the money and time to put into it, it could have been a nice investment property down the line. It wasn't the right place for them to live right now though. The last property was really nice and already done, but not only was it over budget but those monthly fees were just too much when they didn't even get anything except a doorman I believe whereas the first property had the utilities included too. 

[biakbiak]

1 minute ago, mortonsalt said:

The middle place was cheap, and if they would have had the money and time to put into it, it could have been a nice investment property down the line.

The middle place was 120k more than the place they bought and even though it had a "bonus" room it was lot smaller and on the ground floor. Yes, it had a much lower maintenance fee but the other place had a doorman and utilities included it would still be awhile to make up the difference and I can't imagine them staying in the place more than 2 years after the baby was born.

40 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

I live in an area where $100K (and less) will get you a nice house with a big yard, so those prices make my head spin.  And $2,000 a month for maintenance?  Lordy.  They chose the right place. 

It is all a matter of perspective isn't it! As someone who has lived in NYC and currently live in SF I was surprised by how "affordable" the places were.

[mojito]

Yikes. How many of us would balk at a mortgage payment of $1600 a month, let alone a maintenance fee of $1600 a month? That's just a few hundred dollars less than my annual property taxes.

[laredhead]

The second NYC apartment gave me claustrophobia and it looked dark even though I know the camera person is using a bright light to video the action.  I agree that if they are planning to have a baby, they will not be living in the apartment they chose for more than a couple of years.

[irisheyes]

Watched a HH marathon today, and if I hear the word "cottage-y" one more time, I'm going to get violent.  Every wife wanted a house with that "cottage feel."  Is that the new stainless appliances and granite countertops?