House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[Dewey Decimate]

Hell no - seeing HH Family makes the week an easy no-dvr. Thankfully I have a couple eps from last week to tide me over.

Chico, CA ep: Why was the realtor wearing a gingerbread cookie as a necklace as they went through the second house? The couple's story about a horrible first date and accidental swallowing of an artichoke leaf totally cracked me up, and was all too reminiscent of a personal experience. Living in NYC about 15 years ago, I went to a party at which sushi was being served. There was a bowl of green things on the table, so I popped one in my mouth whole and proceeded to chew the shit out of what I thought was the dagnastiest pea pod I'd ever encountered. Swallowed the whole thing for fear of spitting something up at a semi-swanky party, when I'm assuming everyone else was wondering who is this chick eating an edamame pod?

[Bastet]

54 minutes ago, Dewey Decimate said:

Living in NYC about 15 years ago, I went to a party at which sushi was being served. There was a bowl of green things on the table, so I popped one in my mouth whole and proceeded to chew the shit out of what I thought was the dagnastiest pea pod I'd ever encountered. Swallowed the whole thing for fear of spitting something up at a semi-swanky party, when I'm assuming everyone else was wondering who is this chick eating an edamame pod?

That's not quite as bad as the time in childhood my best friend decided she was going to be all sophisticated at the Japanese restaurant her parents had taken us to and ask if I want to eat some of the tuna roll with her -- but she wasn't sure what that red stuff in the middle was. 

Topic?  I wish I'd seen the Chico episode.  I've visited a couple of people back in the day who went to the state college there (its reputation as a party school seems well earned), but never anyone who lived there as an adult -- I'd have liked to see some of the rest of the area.

[SanDiegoInExile]

6 hours ago, JasmineFlower said:

They've brought back this ridiculous House Hunters Family where they feature the kids constantly throughout the home search. ALL WEEK LONG. Clearly HGTV doesn't want me watching the channel

Ditto.  I saw this on the schedule and realized that my week now had a couple more free hours to watch something else.  Brand extension gone too far.  

[SanDiegoInExile]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Topic?  I wish I'd seen the Chico episode.  I've visited a couple of people back in the day who went to the state college there (its reputation as a party school seems well earned), but never anyone who lived there as an adult -- I'd have liked to see some of the rest of the area.

You aren't missing too much (ha). I've been stranded in the area for much of the past decade. The town is tolerable right now, even in the middle of two weeks of 100+ degree days.  When the university shuts down for the summer, it's wonderful.  No lines.  Anywhere.  You can fly through the grocery store and the minimal traffic is even less so.  Lots of older houses, many ramshackle as overpriced college student rentals.  Development crashed and died around 2007, but there is finally some new housing being built.   

I have seen one of the Chico episodes (a few months ago), so not quite sure what episode everyone is talking about.  I wasn't aware they filmed multiples in town, but that is the usual plan.  I skipped some of last week's shows because they were ID'd as reruns, so not quite sure if HGTV re-showed the original Chico episode or it was something new.  And the wacky season numbering and 3rd grade website design don't really help to find info.

[roseslg]

Oh my god, those kids last night were obnoxious.  Ugh.   Why did I stay up past my bedtime for this?  It seemed from the start that the oldest was the forgotten child since the mom was like, we had this house and no kids, I was like, er, you had a step kid, you know the one right there giving you the stink eye.  

 

Why were all the houses furnished?   

[laredhead]

I set my DVR for HH Family w/o realizing it was like the one I saw a few months ago and hated.  I am erasing the scheduled ones and if anyone from HGTV is reading these posts, please scrap this version of HH's.  The last thing I want to watch at night (or anytime) is this. 

[Thumper]

Is that a real thing?  House Hunters Family?   I watched that episode, with irritation, not realizing they actually wanted it that way.   Ugh.  The boys writing "Smash Room" on the whiteboard??  Grrr!  I guess they were already living there, though?  

Kids don't decide.  Parents do.

[MarthaEllisanne]

Noooo!  Not kids!  Leave the rowdy little darlings with a sitter. The young women with vocal fry on these shows are hard enough to listen to. What is up with the young women and vocal fry ? I hear it across the board on HGTV, even a few hosts have the affectation.  Sometimes I have to put the set on mute and watch the subtitles.  Fortunately, VF seems to go away as the women mature.  The young women on House Hunters seem to be the worst offenders, but I watch HH the most.

[ByaNose]

I had also forgotten that I didn't like HH Family. I watched it before but had forgotten that I didn't like the premise or stupid kids. Do parents even talk house prices and budgets to their kids when they are looking for a house? Yup! I'll be taking the season pass off for the family version. Smash room?!?! WTF??

[Mrs. Hanson]

On 8/1/2017 at 1:05 PM, MarthaEllisanne said:

Noooo!  Not kids!  Leave the rowdy little darlings with a sitter. The young women with vocal fry on these shows are hard enough to listen to. What is up with the young women and vocal fry ? I hear it across the board on HGTV, even a few hosts have the affectation.  Sometimes I have to put the set on mute and watch the subtitles.  Fortunately, VF seems to go away as the women mature.  The young women on House Hunters seem to be the worst offenders, but I watch HH the most.

(Bolding mine)  Tune to TLC and watch "Four Weddings" or "Say Yes to the Dress"  It will have you lunging for the mute.  Why does a young woman, clearly educated and from Iowa, need to sound like she is from Long Island and talk through her nose?

HH Family is on tonight.  I may "hate watch" just for fun.  Then again, I may chew tinfoil and drink bleach.

[javajeanelaine]

I've never watched HH family. Guess I should count myself lucky.

[CalicoKitty]

I just watched my first episode of House Hunters Family, and it will absolutely be my last!!  Totally obnoxious.

[Thumper]

Yep.  Saw it was Family HH and switched to something else.  Came back for HHI.

[Totale]

Memo to all HHF and all other Scripps channels and shows - children are to be seen and not heard.  Not seen is OK, too, for that matter.

[Mrs. Hanson]

I tuned into a little bit last night, saw a family of five:  Mom Dad 16yr old girl, 14 yer old girl and 10 year old boy.  Ten yr old boy wanted to cook so he (not Mom and Dad) wanted an updated kitchen and his own bathroom because "I hate sharing a bathroom with my sisters."  Really?  A ten year old, who I am assuming has no income (insert sarcastic tone here) gets to decide he gets his own bathroom AND the ever famous updated kitchen in which to make his frozen pizzas and macaroni and cheese?

I turned the channel ASAP.

[AuntiePam]

I've watched three episodes -- or rather fast-forwarded to the "time to choose" segment -- and am wondering why all the houses in these three episodes were furnished.  Would it have to do with accommodating kids' schedules? 

Anyway, even the final few minutes of this version are annoying, so they can dump this any time.  The kids add nothing and the choose-meeting is even more rehearsed than usual.

[Grneyedldy]

Add me to the list of HH Family haters. Just NO!!!

[Kohola3]

40 minutes ago, Grneyedldy said:

Add me to the list of HH Family haters. Just NO!!!

The title alone gave me the "skip it" vibe. No way would I watch something like that.

[Empress1]

The Kansas City couple were only 22 and 24 but they looked a lot older to me, especially the girlfriend. If she's looking at medical school and a possible/probable relocation within, say, two years, I wouldn't buy at all. Maybe her time frame is longer than that. Given that, they were right to pick the older home that they could start building equity in. I like gray but I'd have changed the paint color in a few rooms - I think every room I saw was the same shade of gray.

[msrachelj]

On 8/1/2017 at 2:05 PM, MarthaEllisanne said:

Noooo!  Not kids!  Leave the rowdy little darlings with a sitter. The young women with vocal fry on these shows are hard enough to listen to. What is up with the young women and vocal fry ? I hear it across the board on HGTV, even a few hosts have the affectation.  Sometimes I have to put the set on mute and watch the subtitles.  Fortunately, VF seems to go away as the women mature.  The young women on House Hunters seem to be the worst offenders, but I watch HH the most.

can't stand to watch obnoxious, spoiled children. will be skipping this.

the worst voice on tv:   take a gander at " hair goddess" on tlc i believe. you won't be able to listen for more than a few minutes before your ears start to bleed. 

[NYGirl]

I only half watched one episode...the little pretentious boy with  the hat on!  I then went to bed and will never ever watch Family HHs again.

[Mrs. Hanson]

3 hours ago, msrachelj said:

the worst voice on tv:   take a gander at " hair goddess" on tlc i believe. you won't be able to listen for more than a few minutes before your ears start to bleed. 

When those promos run I lunge for the mute  Her voice is the worst!!  No one from TLC suggested voice lessons?

[juliet73]

Kansas City ep: She had the personality of a wet noodle. He complained because according to him "You would expect to find granite in the bathroom and high end finishes in a $280k house!" Hate to break it to you Foster, but No, you wouldn't!

[MortysCleaningLady]

I don't live too far from Tega Cay and watched the family episode set there in earnest.   The last house shown, with the flat yard -- that was on the same lake as Tega Cay, but either in nearby Rock Hill or Lake Wylie.   Tega Cay has some of the best school in the state of South Carolina; the other two towns do not.   As soon as I saw that beautiful lot, I knew the parents would never in a million years move their precious children out of the prestigious school district.  I am not sure if house number 1 was in Tega Cay or someplace else.   Based solely on architecture, I knew #2 was in Tega Cay and on the lake.   That and the 77 steps would be the winner.   

 

And I can't agree more about the previous posters thinking the hat wearing 10 year old son demanding a chef's kitchen was too much.   If he gets an apartment in college, he might become too traumatized to make Kraft Cheese and Mac ever again!!!

[juliet73]

NJ ep:   According to the husband, he hasn't won an argument yet, so right off, I knew they (she) would pick the townhouse.  In the beginning, the wife mentioned that the husband always "keeps her on her toes with his endless one liners" so I was expecting to be entertained for the 12 minutes of the show that I actually watch. Instead, all he did was whine about not having a dining room with 3 walls.  "It's a dining SPACE, not a dining ROOM' and "this is more of a dining hallway".  UGH!!  The realtor needed to remove at least 80% of her makeup. At one point, she looked liked she had two black eyes that she was trying to hide.  

[roseslg]

Maybe it was my screen, but did the NJ wife just seemed a bit overly orange?  I couldn't stop staring at her coloring.  It was like a spray tan gone wrong.  THe realtor also had some spray tan, but not as bad (or as orange).

[topanga]

9 hours ago, juliet73 said:

NJ ep:   According to the husband, he hasn't won an argument yet, so right off, I knew they (she) would pick the townhouse.  In the beginning, the wife mentioned that the husband always "keeps her on her toes with his endless one liners" so I was expecting to be entertained for the 12 minutes of the show that I actually watch. Instead, all he did was whine about not having a dining room with 3 walls.  "It's a dining SPACE, not a dining ROOM' and "this is more of a dining hallway".  UGH!!  The realtor needed to remove at least 80% of her makeup. At one point, she looked liked she had two black eyes that she was trying to hide.  

Ha. The only line that made me laugh was when the wife said, "One might not think New Jersey has scenery, but it does."

I liked seeing a relatively local episode (just over the bridge), but the HH hit all of the tropes I hate:  

• "This (functional, clean) kitchen doesn't have the cabinets or back splash I want, and I know we can update it eventually. But... TOTAL GUT JOB!"
• "This (medium-sized walk in closet) won't even fit HALF of my clothes! This will never do." 
•  "Husband, you don't like this feature in the house? Too bad. I'm the boss of you!"
• "Wife, this feature is not your ideal look. But it will do for now." "Absolutely not! Deal breaker!"
• "She's the boss. She always gets her way." 

--I did laugh when the wife said she didn't like the white built-in dresser in one of the homes, and the husband told her that she didn't have to like it, she can go and have her green dressing room downstairs. Then he gave this little chuckle as if he wanted to say more.  I WANTED to hear him say more.  

--Oh, and I rolled my eyes when the wife said she doesn't like basements because they're antiquated and not really her taste. WTF does that even mean? Basements are basements. They're rarely featured on the cover of House Beautiful. 

 

On 8/6/2017 at 10:10 AM, Empress1 said:

The Kansas City couple were only 22 and 24 but they looked a lot older to me, especially the girlfriend. If she's looking at medical school and a possible/probable relocation within, say, two years, I wouldn't buy at all. Maybe her time frame is longer than that. Given that, they were right to pick the older home that they could start building equity in. I like gray but I'd have changed the paint color in a few rooms - I think every room I saw was the same shade of gray.

Yes their interior design was very gray. And I only started liking them at the end of the episode when they named their new dog Maverick to go along with their dog Goose. I was a huge Top Gun fan back in the day. 

Small kitchen: 'I don't know if I would even consider this a kitchen." Huh? What is wrong with people? Doesn't it have a sink, cabinets, and counter tops?  And of course that's the house they chose.  I will admit, I did like the way they renovated the kitchen. And Ashlyn got her farmhouse sink. "That's right"  --Is it wrong to want to punch HH in the face? 

[topanga]

On 7/28/2017 at 0:02 AM, pep4 said:

Houston episode:  Lulz at the realtor being the host of the Chevy commercials.

Is she? And thanks for teaching me a new word. 'Lulz' is now part of my vocabulary. 

I liked the Houston couple. The husband looked like Blake Sheldon's less cute brother. 

Did the couple say how old they were? Mid-30s maybe? They said they want to have more kids, but they've been married for 9 years already.

[Kohola3]

6 minutes ago, topanga said:

Oh, and I rolled my eyes when the wife said she doesn't like basements because they're antiquated and not really her taste. WTF does that even mean?

Good question.  They are pretty handy and not every basement has to be finished as an additional living space. I can't have a garage so that's where I store stuff.  Not antiquated, practical.  And then there's the tornado shelter angle....

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

Oh, and I rolled my eyes when the wife said she doesn't like basements because they're antiquated and not really her taste.

What a stupid complaint (shocking on HH, I know).  If she was concerned with the potential problems inherent to something below ground level, that would be a reasonable issue to raise, certainly.  But they're "antiquated" and not her taste?  So don't go down there.  Guests don't go down there, so they won't think her tacky, or whatever she's concerned about, for having a basic, functional basement if she wants to ignore it and leave it at that. 

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Good question.  They are pretty handy and not every basement has to be finished as an additional living space. I can't have a garage so that's where I store stuff.  Not antiquated, practical.  And then there's the tornado shelter angle....

I have a basement that's a walkout, too. I finally got it finished after 18 years. It looks really nice. Now for the WTF part. I'm single, never use the basement & only go down there to do laundry. LOL!! Hopefully, someone will like a finished basement when I sell in a few years. I can hear them now, "It's a total gut job....Why did he paint it this color......What do you call this room?.....There isn't a bedroom or bathroom in this basement".

[laredhead]

Having grown up in south Louisiana, I had never seen a house with a basement before I visited my in-laws in NW Pennsylvania in 1970.  I found it to be a wonderful, cool place in the summer (they did not have nor need A/C most of the time), and it was a great place to store things from canned goods to tools.  It was unfinished, but they kept it clean and neat and it was well lighted, so no fears of creepy crawlers.  I'll take a basement like that over a storage space in a hot, humid southern garage any day.   I also thought the NJ wife's comment about basement was silly.  I guess that was part of her princess personality sneaking out there. 

[CaughtOnTape]

Is it a rule that every woman on this show needs to bitch about not having a white kitchen?

I have a white kitchen.  It's not that great.  Constantly dirty because the cabinets show EVERYTHING.

They make it seem like if the kitchen isn't white it's unlivable.

[BTBAM310]

On 8/8/2017 at 9:49 AM, roseslg said:

Maybe it was my screen, but did the NJ wife just seemed a bit overly orange?  I couldn't stop staring at her coloring.  It was like a spray tan gone wrong.  THe realtor also had some spray tan, but not as bad (or as orange).

Wasn't just you - I paused it at one point and she seriously looked like an Oompa Loompa.

On 8/8/2017 at 8:33 AM, juliet73 said:

NJ ep:   According to the husband, he hasn't won an argument yet, so right off, I knew they (she) would pick the townhouse.  In the beginning, the wife mentioned that the husband always "keeps her on her toes with his endless one liners" so I was expecting to be entertained for the 12 minutes of the show that I actually watch. Instead, all he did was whine about not having a dining room with 3 walls.  "It's a dining SPACE, not a dining ROOM' and "this is more of a dining hallway".  UGH!!  The realtor needed to remove at least 80% of her makeup. At one point, she looked liked she had two black eyes that she was trying to hide.  

He was so boring and whiny. With his nerdy outfit featuring a striped sweater, I said he looked like a cross between Freddy Krueger and a Peanuts character.

[Jeanne222]

Ok finally I found a group that watches HH.  I've watched it for years but this last week or two I have kind of come to the conclusion that these couples are really actors???  I mean it's the same old plot over and over again.  He wants, she wants.  Different of course.  Eliminate one and come to a conclusion on the last two and they are devinely happy...forever.

C'mon.  This can't be real.  It has to be actors and pretend.  Don't you think?

[roseslg]

53 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

Ok finally I found a group that watches HH.  I've watched it for years but this last week or two I have kind of come to the conclusion that these couples are really actors???  I mean it's the same old plot over and over again.  He wants, she wants.  Different of course.  Eliminate one and come to a conclusion on the last two and they are devinely happy...forever.

C'mon.  This can't be real.  It has to be actors and pretend.  Don't you think?

They are real buyers, but they have already closed on a house by the time they are on the show!  The producers also has them play up certain things and use certain buzz words, but some of the folks just seem to be naturally awful.   

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, Jeanne222 said:

Ok finally I found a group that watches HH.  I've watched it for years but this last week or two I have kind of come to the conclusion that these couples are really actors???  I mean it's the same old plot over and over again.  He wants, she wants.  Different of course.  Eliminate one and come to a conclusion on the last two and they are devinely happy...forever.

C'mon.  This can't be real.  It has to be actors and pretend.  Don't you think?

Go to HGTV's web page and you can see the requirements to be on the show. Yes, they are real people who have bought a house. And the producers have a formula for how they want things to go.

[ByaNose]

58 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Go to HGTV's web page and you can see the requirements to be on the show. Yes, they are real people who have bought a house. And the producers have a formula for how they want things to go.

And,  still understand why someone would do HH. I appreciate it but I dont get it. You already own the house and you go on television and basically lie that you don't and are searching for a house you already have. I think it comes to down to wanting to be on tv and money. That's the only thing I don't know. How much money do they get for doing HH? $5,000....$10,000.....$25,000?

[chessiegal]

Last I heard they get $500 for 4 days of filming.

[msrachelj]

15 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Last I heard they get $500 for 4 days of filming.

totally not worth it for being picked apart for your looks, personality, taste, etc. not that i don't find that entertaining and it is warranted in most cases. :)

 i would never in a million years do it for $500! some of these people are going to be relentlessly harassed forever by friends and relatives. no thanks.

[Pickles]

Florida couple last night. I did not like either one of them. Her voice! Awful. She said "fer" instead of for. He kept saying he was not impressed. At the end, they had been living in the house three weeks. Very little furniture and what they had looked like it should go to the dump. Everything looked like a mess. If I was going to be featured on tv, I would at least make an effort in three weeks to have my house looking presentable. Maybe they are just slobs. 

[juliet73]

Tampa ep:  UGH!!!!  Her voice!!  And Roberto, the husband, was a complete dick!  He was a good looking guy, but his personality was very ugly.  Every time he opened his mouth, he would say something negative or rude.  They looked like they were both in their early/mid 20's.  He owned a restaurant delivery service and she was basically a Mary Kay rep.  Their budget $500k - $600k?!  I didn't care for any of the houses they looked at and the one they bought, I thought was overpriced.  I wanted to punch him in the throat when he complained that he didn't like the color of the cabinets in the second house so "it's a gut job!"  UGHHHHH!!!!  He did not get one thing on his wish list, but at the end he said he did?  Huh?  I guess they didn't have any furniture in their apartment because there was no furniture in the house except for a couch and a 2 top table.  It looked like they were sleeping on air mattresses in a frat house!  They were total slobs!

[Thumper]

I did not care for that couple either.  I would not call them slobs, but they sure wanted a lotta house for being so young.   I screamed at the TV when he wanted to gut that kitchen too.   Some of these couples speak so rudely to their realtors, too.  There is a way to say you don't care for something without being rude.

[Ohwell]

I watched the Tampa episode for about 10 minutes but I just couldn't take her voice anymore, so I changed channels.

[ByaNose]

I thought the Tampa wife would have had that new house completely furnished & decorated. Boy was I wrong. The dinning table was a high bistro table & the bedroom was a mess with a mattress on the floor. The house was okay but the facade was kind of gray & flat. I think it needed shutters or flower boxes. Over all, she had an annoying voice & he was kind of an a**. They seem very happy though. 

[pep4]

Philly episode:  All the silent catty looks from realtor Penelope Witherspoon were perfect.

[AuntiePam]

57 minutes ago, pep4 said:

Philly episode:  All the silent catty looks from realtor Penelope Witherspoon were perfect.

Especially for the wife -- the husband wasn't too bad.  I had to laugh at the wife's comment about the wainscoting in a dining room -- she could fall and hit her head on it! 

I really liked that cathedral bath/shower.  So unusual.

[sistersledge]

The wife was hilarious. I was surprised they picked that house, it may have been one of the times I truly couldn't figure out which house they picked.

[Empress1]

On 8/10/2017 at 11:30 PM, AuntiePam said:

Especially for the wife -- the husband wasn't too bad.  I had to laugh at the wife's comment about the wainscoting in a dining room -- she could fall and hit her head on it! 

I really liked that cathedral bath/shower.  So unusual.

The husband wasn't bad but the wife was awful. She actually started to look worse to me (like her physical appearance) as the show went on because she was such a brat. Dresher is a hike if they work in the city. I liked that house but I'd never live out there. 

[Jeanne222]

Ok you all have convinced me it's real people and not actors but...$500...no way.  It has to be way more.  These are doctors and attorneys.  Most of them have really good jobs and businesses.  It has to be something more to lure then into this HH