House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[laredhead]

Anyone remember the episode about the man who had appeared on HH when he purchased a house in Colorado, then he was featured later buying a house in Key West with his girlfriend/fiance?  He had several children.  I was wondering if the Key West house survived the Hurricane Irma.  There have been several episodes from that area.

[magemaud]

On 1/19/2017 at 0:08 AM, magemaud said:

It seems that last night's episode was actually Kurt's SECOND Key West house hunt and third appearance on HH!!! The first time he was on was an episode called  "Buying a Piece of History in Old Town Key West" which aired April, 2012. That time he was with his wife "Dani": "Kurt and Dani split their time between a home in Indianapolis and a vacation bungalow in Key West. But that one bedroom bungalow doesn't offer much space for Kurt to work, so they're looking for a bigger place with a historic past. ...Will Kurt and Dani find history - and an extra bedroom or two - without breaking the bank?"

First Key West episode April, 2012   Kurt and Dani

Telluride episode December, 2014   Kurt and the kids

Second Key West episode January, 2017   Kurt and Kim 

oh, and he had something to do with racing cars in Indy. 

To answer your question about the Key West episodes, the guy, Kurt Fazekas, actually purchased two properties there. I did this sleuthing back in January when he made his third appearance on HH, this time with a new girlfriend, Kim. The address of the second house is 810 Eisenhower Drive, and here are NOAA maps of photos taken after the storm. My guess is that his house is okay: https://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/irma/index.html

Edited September 19, 2017 by magemaud

[juliet73]

Boston to Las Vegas:  her voice was the WORST!  I don't know if it was vocal fry, but it grated on me big time!  I've lived in LV most of my life and traveled around the city to various casinos for my job so I know that town like the back of my hand.  So when I watch shows based in LV, I get very nit picky (don't even get me started on Flip or Flop Las Vegas).  Anyway, the husband wants a condo on the strip. Never going to happen with a $165k budget!  I know exactly where they bought and it's a few blocks from the strip, but not on the strip as the buyers kept saying.  They have no jobs, so no income, but they want to be near all the "action" of the restaurants, shopping and shows?  With show tickets averaging at least $100+ per ticket and most of the shopping being high end stores and many of the hotel restaurants being expensive, I don't know how much "action" they are going to be involved in with zero money., How are they going to have a successful online Vegas tourist site without experiencing the "action"?  Just because they loved the city when they came out for vacation, it's completely different living there.  

I don't know why they kept saying they wanted a craftmans style condo or house. It was driving me crazy and obviously the realtor too since he mentioned them not getting that a couple of times.  They're in Vegas - stucco and Spanish tile roofs are 99.99% of the homes!!  Then they complained about house #2 not having grass in the backyard for their dogs.  It's the flippin' desert, grass is the exception, not the rule!  With all their complaining about the lack of green space for the dogs, they end up getting the place with a small balcony as the only outdoor area.  UGHHHH!!!!  

[laredhead]

Juliet73, you said everything I was going to.  Her voice was like someone cutting glass.  They said they sold their house and all of their possessions.  How much money can one make with an on-line travel company?  What is that anyway?  Obviously, I'm a techno dinosaur in what one can do on-line.  That was a super small condo and I felt very sorry for both of those big dogs.  They both sounded to me like they just wanted to continue to party like they were still in school or independently wealthy.  I didn't like any of the places they toured.

[juliet73]

On 9/16/2017 at 8:13 PM, laredhead said:

 

Also watched the 2 women who were moving from California to Colorado and looking for a unique house that would have everything on their wish list.  I knew they were going to choose the expensive 3rd house because it was the only one that fit the bill for the most part and it didn't have any furniture in it.  So easy to figure it out when 2 out of 3 houses are furnished.  Hope this one is on a future Where Are They Now or a future HH Renovation episode so we can see the changes.  Colorado has some beautiful scenery.  

 I loved that house - it had so much potential! I hope they are on a future Where Are They Now episode.

 

I'm not a fan of the name October, but I'm thankful the parents didn't spell it Oktober or Octoburr...hopefully they didn't. 

Edited September 20, 2017 by juliet73

[biakbiak]

I am not sure if I will ever stop laughing at Westport being called NYC light.

[BensBritches]

And I don't think I'll ever stop laughing at the LV husband, who, while trying to start a "web-based tourist company" (what the heck is that?) asked his wife... "What's another word for tasty? I don't know how to describe the food at that restaurant." Yea, that company is gonna go far...

Could not agree more about how horrid the wife's voice was, that may have been one of the all-time worst voices on HH.

And, yes, "let's find a craftsman or colonial in Vegas. One with lots of grass. And right on the strip." 

Some people!

[RemoteControlFreak]

7 hours ago, BensBritches said:

And I don't think I'll ever stop laughing at the LV husband, who, while trying to start a "web-based tourist company" (what the heck is that?) asked his wife... "What's another word for tasty? I don't know how to describe the food at that restaurant." Yea, that company is gonna go far...

The narrator actually said, "start a tourism website," which probably translates into "cashed out of their share of the family business so they can party in Vegas and post pictures of it to Instagram."

Edited September 21, 2017 by RemoteControlFreak

[Peanutbuttercup]

Y'all are more generous than I am, my suspicion was that the couple moving to Las Vegas were setting up an online "escort" directory or "Uber for hookers and johns" or something like that. But I actually deleted the episode without watching much of it, since the people looked annoying and entitled and the houses looked boring.

[Kohola3]

3 hours ago, Peanutbuttercup said:

But I actually deleted the episode without watching much of it, since the people looked annoying and entitled and the houses looked boring.

Correct on both counts.

[javajeanelaine]

I want an older home with open concept. Boggle. 

[juliet73]

GA ep: I thought for sure they were going to take house 2 since the wife acted like she needed a cigarette after touring it. The house they chose had so much potential. They should have done one room at a time because I have a feeling they are going to go way over their initial budget or run out of money with renovating the entire house all at once. I hope they are on a future HH WATN episode.

[Ohwell]

Not to mention, with a house that old the roof might need to be replaced.

[twinks]

Ga ep would have been a good one for Renovation show.

[MortysCleaningLady]

21 hours ago, javajeanelaine said:

I want an older home with open concept. Boggle. 

Thank you for reading my mind!   Between that and (not necessarily the Georgia couple) historic homes with master suites with closets and double vanities, I could scream.   What these folks want are new homes and they can decorate with abandon from Restoration Hardware and Anthropologie.

[CaughtOnTape]

Just so we're clear.

Popcorn ceilings are not a big deal to take down nor are they expensive.  When we renovated my dad's house, my brother did it.  Squirt some water, shave it off, sweep it up, done.  Then get someone in there to retexture.  It was the least work of all the shit we did to that house and it made the most impact.  It is messy, but if you do it before you have any furniture in and lay down some plastic it's not that hard.  Stop making it seem like it will cost half the price of the house to get rid of it.

And whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy do people with access to an ocean insist on having a pool?  You have one.  A huge one.  

Edited September 22, 2017 by CaughtOnTape

[chessiegal]

3 hours ago, CaughtOnTape said:

Just so we're clear.

Popcorn ceilings are not a big deal to take down nor are they expensive.  When we renovated my dad's house, my brother did it.  Squirt some water, shave it off, sweep it up, done.  Then get someone in there to retexture.  It was the least work of all the shit we did to that house and it made the most impact.  It is messy, but if you do it before you have any furniture in and lay down some plastic it's not that hard.  Stop making it seem like it will cost half the price of the house to get rid of it.

And whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy do people with access to an ocean insist on having a pool?  You have one.  A huge one.  

I dunno. Swimming in the ocean/gulf is very different than a pool. When we stay at a beachfront hotel/condo, I spend most of my time at the pool. Not a fan of sand.

[Neurochick]

21 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Brooklyn to Conneticut: It was weird because the fitness wife seemed to go back and forth between being 19 years old and late thirties. One minute I thought the Autism wife was a cradle robber, next minute I thought they were the same age. I could not get a feel for how old fitness wife was for some reason. She looked old young, or young old. It extended to her expressions and how she talked, also. I probably sound weird describing it. Fitness wife was more appealing to me. For some reason, Autism wife seemed weird and fake, a little desperate under the surface.

I'm watching the episode now and I know what you mean.  In some angles, fitness wife, Aja looks like a teenager; while Autism wife, Molly looks late thirties.  They're right about Brooklyn being expensive (it's almost more expensive than Manhattan now), a lot of people from Brooklyn move to Beacon NY, in the Hudson valley.  

Also, older homes don't have open concept, en suite bathrooms or walk in closets because when those houses were built, people didn't feel the need for all that stuff.

Edited September 23, 2017 by Neurochick

[suebee12]

I just watched the Portland episode and I could not get over the granite floor in the kitchen! Don't drop anything or have a wet spot...it is an accident looking to happen! I understand why they chose the house they did, and I know that they had already bought it, but that third house was so great! Sounds as though finding a house in Portland must be awful!

[laredhead]

Suebee12, I thought the same thing about the kitchen floor in the house they bought.  Slip and fall waiting to happen.  That stuff is very dangerous when wet.  Glad there is room to add on, because no matter how much of a minimalist you want to be, once you have children, 700 or 800 square feet will become very small.  I noticed in the last scene they had either removed the paneled wall in the living room or painted it and it looked much better.  The vintage bathroom tile was lovely, IMO.  I always think if something isn't broken work with it using a color scheme that compliments the fixtures and tile already there.  Spend $$ where it's really needed - like adding on another bedroom and bathroom. 

Just watched the Brooklyn to Connecticut episode, and I wish people would stop making up adjectives.  The older woman stated that a bathroom looked "New Englandy".  No, it didn't.  It looked like the owners had gone to Home Depot and bought one of the off the shelf vanity cabinets and put a builder's grade light over it.  Then she evidently thought that every home in Connecticut would have a huge kitchen, and stated as much.  I'm probably going to offend some people with this declaration, but I just don't get the appeal of a Cape Code style house.  The 2nd floor bedrooms have low and awkward roof lines, and the bathrooms always look as if they were shoehorned in as an after thought.  I know they were built pre-war and right after the war to help the housing shortage, and gave people the advantage of having 2 average sized (for those times) bedrooms on the first floor, and the potential for expanding into the attic space later.   However, the second floor layouts in most of the Cape Cod houses I see on HH make me a bit claustrophobic.  I guess their charm is wasted on me.       

Edited September 24, 2017 by laredhead
Added comment

[KLovestoShop]

The Lancaster, Pa couple were nice, but the wife and her grass allergies was a bit much.  Unless you live in Arizona and have Xeriscape, there's going to be grass. Maybe she hasn't heard of allergy medicines?  I'm allergic to so many things, including grass, but I have a nice yard with a lawn, trees and lots of flowers. My Zyrtec or Claritin does the trick.  

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, KLovestoShop said:

The Lancaster, Pa couple were nice, but the wife and her grass allergies was a bit much.  Unless you live in Arizona and have Xeriscape, there's going to be grass. Maybe she hasn't heard of allergy medicines?  I'm allergic to so many things, including grass, but I have a nice yard with a lawn, trees and lots of flowers. My Zyrtec or Claritin does the trick.  

Yep.  I was expecting one of the potential houses to be in the city, surrounded by concrete. 

They both overdid it with "definitely". 

I liked her office -- so many books!  What does she do?  I always fast-forward the intro.

[MsTree]

3 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

The Lancaster, Pa couple were nice, but the wife and her grass allergies was a bit much.  Unless you live in Arizona and have Xeriscape, there's going to be grass. Maybe she hasn't heard of allergy medicines?  I'm allergic to so many things, including grass, but I have a nice yard with a lawn, trees and lots of flowers. My Zyrtec or Claritin does the trick.  

And there's always synthetic for those much smaller yards. These days it's almost hard to tell the difference IF you buy the good stuff.

[Ohwell]

10 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Yep.  I was expecting one of the potential houses to be in the city, surrounded by concrete. 

They both overdid it with "definitely". 

I liked her office -- so many books!  What does she do?  I always fast-forward the intro.

She mentioned something about working in communications, I think at a university.  I forgot what the husband did because it sounded vague and he said it so quickly, but I got the impression that they met at a university. 

Edited September 24, 2017 by Ohwell

[Empress1]

19 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

She mentioned something about working in communications, I think at a university.  I forgot what the husband did because it sounded vague and he said it so quickly, but I got the impression that they met at a university. 

She's a communications prof at a university. Her husband works in student services (which is vague but important) at a university as well. They didn't say whether or not they worked at the same place.

[Ohwell]

20 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

She's a communications prof at a university. Her husband works in student services (which is vague but important) at a university as well. They didn't say whether or not they worked at the same place.

I didn't mean to imply that it was unimportant what the husband did, just that it was vague.

[Mittengirl]

If you have a grass allergy, would it really matter how much grass your backyard has, if you are surrounded by other people's grass lawns?   

[Kohola3]

13 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

If you have a grass allergy, would it really matter how much grass your backyard has, if you are surrounded by other people's grass lawns?

Plus the rest of the world.  Does she live in a bomb shelter or something and never venture outside?  That whole thing was just silly.

[Pine]

Anyone notice house numbers are being blacked out?

[topanga]

23 hours ago, Empress1 said:

She's a communications prof at a university. Her husband works in student services (which is vague but important) at a university as well. They didn't say whether or not they worked at the same place.

Did they mention their ages? It's often hard to guess ages with women, especially women of color. I know they have two young boys--whiny brats, IMHO. But some the wife looked like she was in her 30s-40s, and other times she looked like she was in her 50s. The husband looked like he was in his mid-late 40s. 

Other than the grass issue, they were an okay couple. Not too unrealistic, and they seemed to like each other well enough. 

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Quote

But some the wife looked like she was in her 30s-40s, and other times she looked like she was in her 50s.

She definitely looked a little older, for sure.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  The 2 sons are so precious (I didn't think they were brats).  I thought they were a very sweet couple.

[CaughtOnTape]

Ok, I admit that I don't have kids so I don't know of their propensity for hurting themselves, but what is with this show and it's participants constantly making some mention about the children being hurt by running through a room or stairs or a balcony?  Why is it these people are so concerned with these kids and what seems to be normal laying out of a house?  Is it impossible to tell your children to be careful? 

This lady and her grass allergies were ridiculous.  I have allergies to everything, I'm surrounded by grass and trees and flowers and I do just fine.  Does she expect to live in a vacuum sealed container forever?

[topanga]

2 hours ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

She definitely looked a little older, for sure.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  The 2 sons are so precious (I didn't think they were brats).  I thought they were a very sweet couple.

Absolutely not. I just wanted to know because I'm curious, and I don't remember the couple giving their ages. 

And I remember the kids crying a lot. It doesn't really mean they're brats, of course. But it's possible...

[wovenloaf]

2 hours ago, CaughtOnTape said:

Ok, I admit that I don't have kids so I don't know of their propensity for hurting themselves, but what is with this show and it's participants constantly making some mention about the children being hurt by running through a room or stairs or a balcony?  Why is it these people are so concerned with these kids and what seems to be normal laying out of a house?  Is it impossible to tell your children to be careful? 

I do not understand that either.  The house I grew up in had a balcony over the stairs, and I lived to tell about it.  My best friend had a long walkway-balcony type deal that was open on both sides, connecting the 2 sections of the upstairs.  She and her 5 siblings all successfully made it to adulthood.  As for the parents worried about falling down stairs... millions of other parents have successfully prevented such a catastrophe by purchasing a baby gate.  

[Ohwell]

9 hours ago, topanga said:

But some the wife looked like she was in her 30s-40s, and other times she looked like she was in her 50s. The husband looked like he was in his mid-late 40s. 

It was strange.  Sometimes she did look 30s-40s, then other times she looked "settled" as the old folks used to say.  But then I figured she was probably late 30s because those kids were pretty young.

[laredhead]

Screech - the voice of the HH woman from Grand Rapids last night was almost impossible to listen to.  Dead giveaway as to which house they would choose since houses 2 & 3 had furniture in them and were obviously occupied.  I wish they would find a few vacant places to toss in a red herring once in a while.   

[SPLAIN]

On 9/22/2017 at 3:31 PM, chessiegal said:

I dunno. Swimming in the ocean/gulf is very different than a pool. When we stay at a beachfront hotel/condo, I spend most of my time at the pool. Not a fan of sand.

I have the Pacific Ocean in my backyard. I agree, very different. When I travel to Hawaii, the Caribbean or some other exotic nice beach locale, I will go into the ocean, never the swimming pool. I can do that anywhere such as when traveling to other states. The Pacific Ocean can be pretty cold which is good when the weather is hot.

I couldn't stand the Las Vegas couple. I just recently had a chance to go through some episodes on my DVR and that particular episode was the worst. Clearly those idiots have no clue about Las Vegas other than the nightlife. I nearly choked on my water when it was mentioned by the wife she wanted a home with grass.

[laredhead]

If the quirky Seattle couple from last night's episode aren't shown on a follow up Where Are They Now or Renovation episode, I'm going to be so disappointed.  I knew they were not going to choose house #1, but it was sort of a toss up between 2 and 3 so there was at least some suspense there.  The yard and commute, though not much less, was evidently the key to their choice of house #2.  Unless both of them have had a huge change in their collecting gene, there is no way they can both go minimalist overnight.  I'm wondering how they are going to sell their house, unless it's to another artist or collector type of person.  If not, there is going to be gallons of Kilz involved to cover the bright colors all over that house.  They used the word "overwhelming" and I totally agree.   

[TVForever]

I'm with you, Laredhead. This should have been a HH Renovation episode from the start. I would really love to see what they do with the place. I liked all three choices, but I have to admit that when I saw #3's setting on the river, I was smitten. 

Please HH, a followup episode for this couple!

[Ohwell]

I thought the Seattle houses were depressing as hell.

[chocolatine]

6 hours ago, laredhead said:

I'm wondering how they are going to sell their house 

In Seattle's current real estate market, most likely within a week of listing and for $50k over asking price. ;)

21 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I thought the Seattle houses were depressing as hell.

I wasn't crazy about any of the three homes, but they're not representative of Seattle's housing market (two of three weren't even zoned residential). There are many gorgeous craftsman homes in the older neighborhoods like Madison Park and Upper Queen Anne, and some cool midcentury modern ones further north in Lake Forest Park. The new developments are ultra-modern like the first place that was shown in the episode, but those are mostly zoned residential so a lot more homey (with yards/patios, fireplaces, etc.) than the one that was shown.

[Neurochick]

On September 25, 2017 at 8:29 PM, Ohwell said:

It was strange.  Sometimes she did look 30s-40s, then other times she looked "settled" as the old folks used to say.  But then I figured she was probably late 30s because those kids were pretty young.

It was the hair; her hairstyle made her look like a little old lady.  

Edited September 29, 2017 by Neurochick

[jcbrown]

No comments on the entitled couple in Destin, Florida? I missed what he did for a living, other than make tons of money, obviously. They were picky about every. single. thing. "Oh, is this the only dining table? It's so smaaaaaaalll."

[Pickles]

The Destin husband said he was an investor. When they first came on the screen, I thought the wife was his daughter. He was 43. She was 30. Two kids and the mother in law also lives with them. I was wondering if the wife was a mail order bride type of wife. He said they met in Russia on a blind date. 

[laredhead]

Any comments on the Washington, D. C.  "my ancestors came over on the Mayflower" buyer?  I knew she wasn't going to buy the second house even though it was only 4 miles from the D.C. center.  It was very small and could not accommodate that dining room table for 12 that she wanted.  I was expecting to see it being put to use in the reveal final scene, but it showed only her and her friend sitting on the front porch.

The 3rd house with the nice back yard was the best fit.  I agree that I would spend some $$ to try to make an inside access to the basement if at all possible.    

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

Any comments on the Washington, D. C.  "my ancestors came over on the Mayflower" buyer?  I knew she wasn't going to buy the second house even though it was only 4 miles from the D.C. center.  It was very small and could not accommodate that dining room table for 12 that she wanted.  I was expecting to see it being put to use in the reveal final scene, but it showed only her and her friend sitting on the front porch.

The 3rd house with the nice back yard was the best fit.  I agree that I would spend some $$ to try to make an inside access to the basement if at all possible.    

I saw that one.  She wound up in Herndon, VA which is a nice suburb.   I don't know where in DC she works but her travel time will be at least 45 minutes with the traffic we've got now.  She got on my nerves with the ancestral stuff and the talk about needing the dining room table for 12, especially since she travels so much, like her friend pointed out.  However, I thought that the house she chose was the best choice.

[TVForever]

2 hours ago, Pickles said:

The Destin husband said he was an investor. When they first came on the screen, I thought the wife was his daughter. He was 43. She was 30. Two kids and the mother in law also lives with them. I was wondering if the wife was a mail order bride type of wife. He said they met in Russia on a blind date. 

Heaven help me, I thought the same thing. Every time I watched them interact, all I could think was Mail Order Child Bride. 

[TVForever]

11 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

I fast forwarded the Destin/mail order bride episode as soon as I heard he had a million plus budget, and wanted vacation rental from it. I lose interest when people are renting out their homes. Plus, he was weird. Was the mother in law hers or his? Was she there to keep the bride from getting free? Odd episode, the little I saw.

I made barfing sounds when I went to watch the Seattle couple y'all mentioned. Could the cameraman have focused any closer to the hideous nose ring on that woman? And the guy had a stupid mustache. I just fast forwarded it also, to keep from barfing. They were a big disappointment from the earlier couple from around the same area I think, that got the cute little house with the marble floor. Nose ring couple were try hards, marble floor couple were just refreshingly "we don't have to announce we are different, we just kind of are" in a very subtle way,  in their episode. Plus! I loved how she said "Lean in to the wallpaper!" They did a great job of just freshening up the house and made it look great without nary a "gut job" thrown out. 

I did smile though, when they admitted that they wanted a different vibe from their current house, which was a little too colorful and full of stuff. And they had probably spent years perfecting that "oh so creative " look, hee hee!

[Empress1]

3 hours ago, TVForever said:

Heaven help me, I thought the same thing. Every time I watched them interact, all I could think was Mail Order Child Bride. 

Slide over and I'll join you. Their age difference didn't bother me (I've dated older men before) but the meeting in Russia on a blind date, the fact that he was apparently quite wealthy, AND that they'd met when she was young (she was 30 and they had an 8-year-old so she's been with him since she was at least 22) set my spidey senses tingling. I ended up not watching past the first house. 

[Preppy6917]

Quote

On 9/28/2017 at 0:11 PM, chocolatine said:

In Seattle's current real estate market, most likely within a week of listing and for $50k over asking price. ;)

Can confirm. Just closed for $50k over asking in a not so sought after part of town.