House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[juliet73]

FL:  This was the first time, I had to change the channel without finishing the episode.  The wife was beyond annoying and complained about the stupidest things.  She wanted her grown children who don't live with them to have their own rooms and then a separate guest room?  Her obsession with alligators was driving me mad.  Then when she asked "How are we expected to live in a construction zone?", I had to turn the show off.  

[ByaNose]

22 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

FL:  This was the first time, I had to change the channel without finishing the episode.  The wife was beyond annoying and complained about the stupidest things.  She wanted her grown children who don't live with them to have their own rooms and then a separate guest room?  Her obsession with alligators was driving me mad.  Then when she asked "How are we expected to live in a construction zone?", I had to turn the show off.  

I could sort of understand about living in a construction zone at this point in their life. Of course, if you're moving in an area with new built homes it's expected.

[topanga]

2 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I could sort of understand about living in a construction zone at this point in their life. Of course, if you're moving in an area with new built homes it's expected.

This is one of my pet peeves. If you want new construction, and you're not the very last house in the development to be built, guess what? Other houses still have to get built. So STFU! Or don't choose new construction! 

Corrction: complain all you want, but please understand how irrational you sound. 

[ByaNose]

38 minutes ago, topanga said:

This is one of my pet peeves. If you want new construction, and you're not the very last house in the development to be built, guess what? Other houses still have to get built. So STFU! Or don't choose new construction! 

Corrction: complain all you want, but please understand how irrational you sound. 

The last line.......too funny!!!!!!!

[mojito]

Plainfield, IL

Ho-hum episode. She: I want a ranch. He: I want colonial style.

What I liked is that one of their young son's toys was a kitchen with appliances and dishware. That's right. Train 'em young. 

[juliet73]

Plainfield ep: UGH about the wife!!  First of all, she talked so slowly or was it vocal fry or both?  She NEEDS a pantry, a WALK IN pantry, because she doesn't understand where she would put the food because only dishes are stored in the cabinets.  Seriously?!  Along with her pantry, she expects the house to be completely UPDATED and UPGRADED, 5 piece bathroom, a ranch, a fenced in yard, etc all under $250k!  According to her, one of the finished basements shouldn't have been considered finished because it needed baseboards and the carpet replaced.  

[topanga]

25 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

Plainfield ep: UGH about the wife!!  First of all, she talked so slowly or was it vocal fry or both?  She NEEDS a pantry, a WALK IN pantry, because she doesn't understand where she would put the food because only dishes are stored in the cabinets.  Seriously?!  Along with her pantry, she expects the house to be completely UPDATED and UPGRADED, 5 piece bathroom, a ranch, a fenced in yard, etc all under $250k!  According to her, one of the finished basements shouldn't have been considered finished because it needed baseboards and the carpet replaced.  

And the husband is the one who bugged me. They were both a little annoying when it came to looking at the houses, but here we have another husband who keeps taking subtle jabs at his wife for the sake of 'humor.' I can only think of the example at the end of the episode when the wife mentioned that they spent a weekend stripping paint. And he goes, 'We did?' I understand  him wanting the credit, and it would have been fine if he'd actually been having fun with it. But his tone sounded really mean. And even more telling was the wife's little giggle that followed. It said that she was really embarrassed and/or angry, but she was keeping it together because they were on TV. Trust me, I've laughed like that before in situations with my husband. She didn't find her husband cute or funny at that moment. 

Can this marriage be saved? for sure. I'd like to see where this couple is in 5 years

[truther]

On 4/12/2017 at 6:31 PM, mojito said:

I'm going from what might be a faulty memory of Texas trivia, but I think San Angelo's claim to fame is that it's the largest city in America with no interstate highway.

That's the kind of trivia that fascinates me so I looked it up.  Sadly, it isn't (any more?) true.  College Station is slightly bigger within Texas, and Fresno CA is five times as big.  (Also in California, Santa Rosa has almost twice the population.)

[Bastet]

11 hours ago, juliet73 said:

She NEEDS a pantry, a WALK IN pantry, because she doesn't understand where she would put the food because only dishes are stored in the cabinets.  Seriously?!

Being someone selected to appear on HH, I'm sure she was insufferable, but I've never had a kitchen that didn't have a pantry and have thus never put food in the cabinets.  I don't need a walk-in pantry, and in fact I don't need anything resembling a large pantry as it's just me and I use my refrigerator and freezer far more than my pantry.  And if there was adequate cabinet space, I would adapt to the absence of a dedicated pantry with ease.  But I would, upon touring a kitchen without one, make note of the lack of a pantry as an oddity, since it is unusual to me.

[chocolatine]

I must have been doing it wrong all my life because I've always stored food in the kitchen cabinets. I'm not much of a cook and eat mostly fresh food, so my modest collection of spices, oils/vinegars, and dry pasta/rice only takes up two cabinet shelves. The one time I had a pantry, I used it as a spare closet.

[Ohwell]

Chicago couple with the $1 million budget:  I didn't like any of the houses, even if they were expensive.  I forgot the one they chose.  The wife reminded me of a Polish Princess, especially with the last outfit she had on with the short, puffy skirt.

[jcbrown]

I hated the wife in the Chicago episode. I was so glad the house with the gorgeous woodwork was a plant. Wanted to punch her when she walked into the kitchen with the gorgeous cherry cabinets and whined, "well, I guess we could paint them." Just no.

[juliet73]

I didn't care for Chicago wife either.  She seemed very selfish and high maintenance.  I did like the house they chose, but for almost $1 million, I would want a bigger yard and not be so on top of my neighbor.  

[mojito]

This was the first episode I'd ever seen where a couple sounded like they were arguing. They both had pretty strong feelings for what they wanted. I thought she came off a little nicer than he did. I don't blame her for not wanting a TV set in the living room when there was plenty of other space to use for that, so I rolled my eyes when they showed that 65-inch monstrosity. I was glad to see that the kitchen island was still waterfall-less in the after shot. They didn't seem to give a single thought to filling that house with kids, so that was nice and different.

[Empress1]

The first Chicago house was gorgeous. All that beautiful wood! When she said she wanted to paint the cabinets in that kitchen, I almost died. I hated the second one. I thought they'd go with the new construction. I agreed with him about how the first floor was just one big room - my views on open concept remain unchanged.

[Mittengirl]

Do you have to disclose if someone died in your home?  I can see if a murder took place, but just a natural passing?  Weird. 

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Do you have to disclose if someone died in your home?  I can see if a murder took place, but just a natural passing?  Weird. 

Depends on the jurisdiction (state, county). When I took my RE training in MD, we were told if the agent knew there was a death and a client asked, yes, you told the truth. Murders are dicier. A property where a murder or horrible crime occurred were considered tainted.

[Kohola3]

Well, then I learned never to mention something like that when selling a house!   My dad passed away in his home but I don't remember discussing it with the RE and she never asked.

[ByaNose]

Those two guys were soooooooooo annoying. I don't live far from their area. If I should run into them I will just smile and keep on walking. LOL!! The house they chose was nice for the price but it did look outdated. Hopefully, the can take down the fireplace so the one guy doesn't have a freak out everyday. Jeez! It's just a fireplace. Granted, it was ugly but still........

[FawnLeibowitz]

I liked the bald one (forget his name) but Nick was a giant pain in the ass. And then he turned down house #2 because it was too far from West Chester, but then really wanted the Coatesville house which is even farther away. He kept justifying everything in house #3 because it was new construction.

[mojito]

I was stunned when they chose the house they did. I thought #3 was going to be the winner.

Nick as a father. Not seein' it.

[StatisticalOutlier]

16 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Well, then I learned never to mention something like that when selling a house!   My dad passed away in his home but I don't remember discussing it with the RE and she never asked.

I'll bet the hospice industry would have a dim view of making that a required disclosure.

I don't believe in ghosts, so maybe that's why I wouldn't care if somebody had died in a house I was looking at.  Now, if it were a furnished rental and someone had died in the bed I was going to be sleeping in?  That might give me the creeps and I'd probably rather not know.  But now that I think about it, probably every hospital bed has had someone die in it at some point. 

And a murder?  That could be an indicator of a bad neighborhood, but I'm not sure I'd feel much better about it if one member of the family living there killed another, and that wouldn't have much (if anything) to do with the neighborhood.  Or ghosts.  We people are complicated creatures.

And on bedrooms for grown children?  There were five kids in my family and when my parents celebrated the last one's adulthood by building a new house, there was one extra bedroom.  If there were more than two of us "guests," they'd get us a hotel room.  Seemed sensible, but of course, it could be that maybe they just didn't like us.  Which would also be pretty sensible.

[Kohola3]

21 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

We people are complicated creatures.

Aren't we though?  I am always gobsmacked by people who don't want to live near a cemetery.  I would love it - nice green spaces, no noisy parties after dark, usually a gate that is locked after dark, and a haven for wildlife.

[Nysha]

I felt the same way when I lived downtown in my little town. Just about everything closed at 5, nothing opened until 10 on the weekends, and the police patrolled the area regularly, so it was a quiet and safe place to live. People were always amazed that I was happy where I lived, because their impression of downtown was mid-day during the week, not evenings & weekends when I was actually home.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Nysha

[StatisticalOutlier]

I know a couple who spend the summer in a small Maine town (population about 1000).  They lived in an old two-storey bank building in the middle of downtown, on the point of a block shaped like a triangle.  Charming and historic.  The local diner was across a very small street, which they thought was a good thing.  Until they realized the Sysco truck would pull up very very early in the morning with the beep beep beep when in reverse, and the general racket from unloading a refrigerated truck.  So that didn't last long.  They sold the bank building and it's now a museum, and they're living in a house not in the middle of downtown.

[juliet73]

The PA ep with the nurses:  UGH!  The taller one with hair was such a whiner!  I can't imagine working or living with him everyday!! He complained about almost everything in house #1 and #2.  I was surprised they didn't go with house #3 - I think that was a first that the HHs didn't go with new construction.  I thought #1 was nice and the updates were very modern.  They didn't like the look of the fireplace - why didn't they just have it refaced to something they did like?  Putting that horsey cabinet with the ginormous TV in front of it looked so HORRIBLE!!!  

[Ottis]

On 4/19/2017 at 5:42 AM, ByaNose said:

I was surprised that the Florida couple being sort of young and having old furnishings. Everything looked so old looking. The bedroom and family room looked like they were from the 80's or 90's. I liked the house and the awesome pool. The wife was a little annoying about the gators but we all have our hangups.

Not only was it old, but it was odd pieces. I loved the part at the end where she said the house had "plenty of room for the family to be together," and the camera panned over a shot of their kitchen and adjacent family/TV room and that room had all of two chairs (recliners), an end table between them and a TV on what looked like a drop table of some sort. So as long as only two people are there, they have plenty of room to sit. I guess the grown kids are banished to their bedrooms. Ohhhhhhh - THAT'S why they need their own rooms!

The alligator thing I totally get. Like the real estate agent said, any pond in S. Florida might contain an alligator. I don't blame her for being concerned. What bugged was that she bought a house next to a big pond anyway, so what was the point of making it an issue?

[Pickles]

I liked the Houston couple tonight. They seemed very normal. Darling baby. Nice to have a $1 million budget and $500k for renovations. I hope they follow up with this couple and we can see what they did with the house. He reminded me of Blake Shelton (looks wise).

[laredhead]

Yes, I couldn't put my finger on who he reminded me of in looks, but I thought his voice sounded like Nathan Fillion at times.  Yes, they seemed nice and knowledgeable about what renovations would entail as far as cost and inconvenience.  I hope they are on a future HH Where Are They Now episode.   

[juliet73]

15 hours ago, Pickles said:

I liked the Houston couple tonight. They seemed very normal. Darling baby. Nice to have a $1 million budget and $500k for renovations. I hope they follow up with this couple and we can see what they did with the house. He reminded me of Blake Shelton (looks wise).

She reminded me of Carnie Wilson...her looks and her voice. 

[Suck It Trebek]

Houston couple - who are they and what's wrong with them? Seemed totally nice, no outrageous demands, no bickering. I liked them! I'm not used to that ever happening on this show. I even liked, in the beginning, when they were looking at each other while answering questions. What a cute family! Well done! And, I want to see their place when it's all done. 

[KLovestoShop]

Did not like the whiny Park City wife.  I just don't understand these people who need their homes to be symmetrical.  This wife couldn't handle a fireplace that's in the corner?   Seriously?  And when she was looking at the first house with the cherry cabinets and she said " more cherry?   What are you doing to ME?"  Give me a break.  No one is doing anything to you. 

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

No one is doing anything to you.

You're missing the point. It's the All About Me generation.  Everyone should be working hard on making things just the way she wanted them in every aspect of her life.  The Realtor was probably seen as torturing her by showing something so egregious as cherry.  Shocking.

[mortonsalt]

11 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

Did not like the whiny Park City wife.  I just don't understand these people who need their homes to be symmetrical.  This wife couldn't handle a fireplace that's in the corner?   Seriously?  And when she was looking at the first house with the cherry cabinets and she said " more cherry?   What are you doing to ME?"  Give me a break.  No one is doing anything to you. 

All three houses were nice, but I really loved the ones that they didn't end up going with. I knew they'd end up going with the one that the realtor "picked" out for her though since it was the cheapest, and it was in the most family friendly location. 

I could see why that steep driveway would have been a big negative for house number 3 plus it costing so much, but those views and the inside was awesome. I also loved house number 1 especially all that cherry. I couldn't believe how negative she was towards it. 

[Newberry]

Something about the Houston wife didn't sit right with me - wanting to spend so much time on renovations with a very young child. I got the impression that the husband liked the daughter a lot more than his wife did.

[Pickles]

Park City is really expensive. The house they bought was so orange on the outside. Maybe they will paint. They were going to do a lot of updates inside. She was going to paint the kitchen cabinets. White? She said earlier that cherry cabinets were too hard to keep clean! All cabinets get dirty, but wouldn't a lighter color show even more dirt? I agree about the steep driveway being a deal breaker on the third house. The views were gorgeous, though.

 

I liked the Houston wife. She obviously likes to take on projects. I thought they were a sweet family.

[laredhead]

I agreed with the Park City wife about the odd layout of the kitchen in the house they purchased.  There was a small sink in the corner close to the refrig and range, but the main sink and dishwasher were all the way across the kitchen from the cooking area.  I don't know how adding the large flat topped island she plans is going to help that unless they will be moving the dishwasher closer to the cooking area.  Kitchen planners advise a reasonable size working triangle, but that triangle was a bit lopsided.

I also did not like the master bedroom with the bathtub in the bedroom, and there were no doors to separate the bedroom from the other parts of the bath.  There was just a curtain hanging over the doorway. 

The backyard was nice, but I'm not sure I would want to live adjacent to a park.  Sure it's convenient when you want to take the kids to the park to play, but there will be constant noise from people in the park 7 days a week.

Usually it's a dead giveaway as to which house will be chosen if 2 are furnished and one is empty, but last night all three were furnished and I really couldn't tell which house they would choose.

[aguabella]

Busy and away from the forums but reviewed comments about the various episodes so will try to add a few new thoughts.  (Hi, guys!  How's everybody?)

About the Pittsburgh episode ...

I'm not from PA but have worked there, like many cities.  Anyone else notice that the neighborhoods are probably at least 30-40 min away from each other?  In a circle, including both sides of the river?

Most buyers, in my experience - by the time they're at the point of purchase and typically before - know approximately where they want to live.  They have it down to a neighborhood or possibly an adjacent one or specific suburb.  These folks had rented for awhile and most likely knew approximately where they wanted to live.  (Yes, we all know the purchase was completed prior to filming.)

I've noticed the same difference in many episodes b/c of my general knowledge of various locations.  For the sake of the drama, why doesn't HGTV / HH film homes in the same general area?  Well, here's my answer or suspicion:

You know how we discuss producer-driven drama?  Perhaps it s/b called realtor-drama.  The realtors, from what I understand (have spoken with or corresponded with many participants) drive the drama.  As the HH years and episode numbers have gone up, they're having more difficulty finding decoy homes.  With the 6 month editing period, there's no sales advantage from offering up a listed home.  They're not compensated and must vacate the premises for an entire day, at least 12 hours.  And possibly a few more on another day for retakes.

If you listen to the HH buyer's intro, the comments they make pertain to the homes they'll view.  (Will offer up a few examples of this, later.)  The producers know the particulars of the scheduled homes and tailor the buyer comments accordingly.

So, in short, I believe that's why the locations are so disparate.  Too bad b/c it's a big fail if their goal is to recreate an actual house hunt.   

[aguabella]

On ‎4‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 7:22 AM, laredhead said:

HGTV please stop with the craftsman style references!  Last night the wife in San Angelo wanted a craftsman style house and when she saw a house that had two wooden supports on the front porch, she proclaimed that it had a little bit of craftsman style.  No, it didn't.  It was a ranch house with 2 wooden porch supports.  I wish the production company would find another style to harp on for a while, or educate themselves on the elements of architectural styles and what is required for a house to be proclaimed that style.  Rant over on house styles.

The dog door in one of those houses was in a bedroom which was an odd location, especially since that room had carpet.  I can just imagine a dirty dog tracking mud and grass inside and across the carpet.  Was it in the house they purchased?  All of the houses were less than memorable, but the couple was nice and each one got some of their respective wish list in the house they purchased.  The husband didn't whine about having to cut grass, and seemed quite handy with his woodworking skills from the reveal scene featuring the dining room table he was making.

Now I'm off to read a bit about San Angelo.   HH has improved my knowledge about many locations over the years.    

Yep, it's become so, so tiresome.  Someone told HGTV that "craftsman" is cool or sexy or something.  Enough!

Watching the San Angelo episode and that particular home, was thinking the wife needs to learn the meaning of the word "portico" - and possibly the realtor, too!

Thinking of it, the Pittsburgh wife was trying far too hard to comply with the instructions of craftsman for her, colonial (IIRC) for him.  I started wondering if she was playing a drinking game! 

That Pitt home they purchased - uh, no, lady, it doesn't have a "craftsman interior".  Crown in basically every room does not have a craftsman interior make!

About the dog door room, laredhead - the carpeting in that home appeared new, to me, on screen.  Many sellers use cheap, new carpeting to hide a multitude of sins.  Have a feeling you'd find seriously scratched / damaged hardwoods underneath.  Just a hunch ...

[aguabella]

On ‎4‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 0:06 PM, jcbrown said:

I think that was the one they purchased. Our house was robbed last year and there is ZERO chance I would have a dog door in my home big enough for a human to get through.

Definitely agree, jcbrown.  In fact, I was extremely surprised that HGTV had the guy demonstrate that.  It's a huge security risk.

[aguabella]

Noticed a few postings about the Rochester episode and the commercial building ...

When buyers purchase a comm'l building, they normally take it "subject to".  Meaning, they're subject to all the outstanding leases and contracts relating to that property.  So, the tenants' lease isn't terminated.  Typically, they just receive a letter disclosing the new owner and are given a revised address for the rent, either the owner's address and/or the new property mgr. 

Any security deposits, technically, transfer to the new owner, usually via credit at escrow.  And, if the tenant's in default, e.g. behind on their rent, the new owner has the right to evict them, in accordance with the terms of the lease.  It always pays, IMO, for tenants to employ counsel to review leases prior to signing on the dotted line.

Hope that makes sense.

[aguabella]

On ‎4‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 8:24 PM, pep4 said:

We only tuned in for a minute but busted up laughing. 

Assumed the taxidermy thing was just a producer encouraged euphemism ("He's really into mounting and stuffing...")

 

Speaking of producer driven phoniness, in tonight's San Angelo episode one of her wish list talking points sure seemed totally legit:

"He's in the military and so we move every 2 years.  We don't have any children but I want 4 bedrooms now because someday we will...."

I have a feeling the taxidermy bit was a joke - yeah, a bit!  That's one way to get the casting team to select your HH application, right?

I have a feeling - none of his facebook or other social media pages featured his outstanding taxidermy, right?  And no shots of it in their previous home, correct?  Wouldn't you proudly display your artwork, if that was your hobby?

 

About the San Angelo wife - wasn't her weak excuse for needing 4 bedrooms some realtor-driven drama b/c they were filming 4 b/r homes?  We need 4 b/r for future kids that will arrive in 2 yrs but we're not adopting.

My favorite item on her wish list, however, was the walk-in closet for every room.  How many homes have that?  (BTW, haha, mine do but we added them so it's an exception to the rule!)  Then, lo and behold, that last home they filmed in had 4 b/r (IIRC) with a walk-in for each!  Ding, ding, ding !!!

So, that's what I'm talking about with realtor-driven drama.  Those were the decoys that the realtor was able to sign up.

P.S.  I looked up the S/A realtor but don't think he was their realtor.  Also, they left out the fact that the husband had been stationed down there a few years, previously.  So they were familiar with the area and neighborhoods.  Guess they had tried to amp up the drama there.

[Ottis]

Omg. Park City husband is a dead ringer for Doug on Trading Spaces. 

[laredhead]

Another "fake out" last night on which house they would choose if you were going by what was furnished and what was empty.  I figured they would go for House #1 which was an empty ranch, but they chose the townhouse which someone was living in when they toured it.  It was more spacious than the other two, but that was a high HOA fee if all they got was a pool and a playground.  I'm sure more was included in that $200/mo - probably grass cutting and garbage pickup.  Having lived in 3 different townhouses, having an end unit makes it almost feel as though you are in a stand alone house. 

[ByaNose]

3 hours ago, laredhead said:

Another "fake out" last night on which house they would choose if you were going by what was furnished and what was empty.  I figured they would go for House #1 which was an empty ranch, but they chose the townhouse which someone was living in when they toured it.  It was more spacious than the other two, but that was a high HOA fee if all they got was a pool and a playground.  I'm sure more was included in that $200/mo - probably grass cutting and garbage pickup.  Having lived in 3 different townhouses, having an end unit makes it almost feel as though you are in a stand alone house. 

I knew they were going to pick the townhouse since they were young and didn't have kids. It's just easier when you are young single/new married and living in a townhouse/condo. There is less pressure and easy maintenance. The place was pretty nice but it didn't look new-new in the kitchen. It didn't look like it was a new build which I thought it was at first glance.

[camom]

Quote

that was a high HOA fee if all they got was a pool and a playground.  I'm sure more was included in that $200/mo - probably grass cutting and garbage pickup. 

I live in a townhome and pay $220/mo dues (in California).  That covers the landscaping, pool, outside maintenance (fencing, exterior painting, new roof, etc.), water & trash, termite control, and insurance, including earthquake insurance.  (I still have my own insurance policy for the interior and contents, but it's much cheaper than having to insure the building.)  I feel like I'm getting a great deal for my money.

I think the townhome they picked was a good choice for them.  Once they start having kids they'll want to move most likely, but for now it's a good fit.

[laredhead]

Camom, that is a great price for an HOA that covers all of the things you listed.  As I said, I'm sure the $200+ fee the realtor quoted covered more, but all she said was it covered the pool and a playground.  Instead of rehashing the viewings at the beginning of every segment, I wish they would elaborate a little bit more about the house, location, HOA fee coverage (if applicable), etc.   

[chocolatine]

10 hours ago, laredhead said:

Another "fake out" last night on which house they would choose if you were going by what was furnished and what was empty.

The wife/fiancee said they rented the townhouse back to the previous owners for five months until they finished building their new house; the previous owners must have still be living there during filming.

[mojito]

Quote

It was more spacious than the other two, but that was a high HOA fee if all they got was a pool and a playground.  I'm sure more was included in that $200/mo - probably grass cutting and garbage pickup.  

It could be that the development was a small one, which would mean fewer people to pay for amenities, and higher fees.

Quote

The wife/fiancee said they rented the townhouse back to the previous owners for five months until they finished building their new house; the previous owners must have still be living there during filming.

Yup. 

[Babalooie]

West Virginia house:  I guess the current rule of thumb is that  when the couple protests too much, that's the house that will be chosen.  I must say that the mudroom and kids' bathroom turned out beautifully.