House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[LizBug]

The Destin couple:  You could tell that the wife was pretty savvy about managing money, the household and her husband.  She wasn't afraid to tackle renovations (with the help of her father).  She was willing to give up the ocean-front property for one that better suited their lifestyle and long term plans.  I did like the one that they chose because it had that separate cottage with lots of rental potential and was large enough for the extended family.  Landscaping a backyard isn't a big deal.

[chocolatine]

Russian mail-order bride had both parents in tow. In the end sequence she was telling her father how bad she felt to make him do all the landscaping work (but she didn't sound like she felt bad at all). She did seem savvy - probably made it a condition of the marriage that hubby get green cards for her parents as well as her. Usually in such cases it's just the bride who gets the paperwork and the rest of the family has to stay behind.

[Neurochick]

10 hours ago, DallasGypsy said:

The Destin couple:  You could tell that the wife was pretty savvy about managing money, the household and her husband.  She wasn't afraid to tackle renovations (with the help of her father).  She was willing to give up the ocean-front property for one that better suited their lifestyle and long term plans.  I did like the one that they chose because it had that separate cottage with lots of rental potential and was large enough for the extended family.  Landscaping a backyard isn't a big deal.

She may have been young when she met her husband, but she wasn't stupid.  In fact, I think she was smarter than her husband.  

Maybe I'm silly but I don't get all this issue about ages; as long as everybody is an adult, it's fine.  I mean today, it seems like people freak out if someone is 8-10 years older or younger than their spouse.  I don't get the upset.

[KLovestoShop]

Why did the Destin wife want "beachy" when they have that huge house right on the water in Nicaragua?   Did you see that house?  While located in a  poor country, that house wasn't cheap.  

I don't get the whole rental thing either. If renting is a primary factor, wouldn't you think they'd buy something right on the water?  If I'm going to vacation in an area known for beaches/waterfront, I'm sure not going to rent an inland place.  

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, Neurochick said:

Maybe I'm silly but I don't get all this issue about ages; as long as everybody is an adult, it's fine.  I mean today, it seems like people freak out if someone is 8-10 years older or younger than their spouse.  I don't get the upset.

I think it's less the age difference and more the obviously transactional nature of the relationship that has people talking. ;)

[Pickles]

I wasn't bothered by the age difference. Initially, I thought the wife LOOKED so much younger than the husband and then the whole Russia blind date thing was quite interesting. 

[ByaNose]

I think Destin husband was hoodwinked by his Russian bride & mother. He looked creepy & she was this cute little blonde. That said, they've been together a long time. Maybe, they know what they're doing. As for, the house they chose I wasn't a fan. It didn't seem very updated for the money they paid but their big budget was even enough for that, too. Even the rich have problems finding the perfect house. LOL!!!

[Empress1]

15 hours ago, Pickles said:

I wasn't bothered by the age difference. Initially, I thought the wife LOOKED so much younger than the husband and then the whole Russia blind date thing was quite interesting. 

I wouldn't have batted an eye at them if he hadn't dropped that they met on a blind date in Russia. That was what gave me pause, not the age difference.

[Beaner]

On 9/23/2017 at 1:24 PM, laredhead said:

  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.       

We bought our Cape Cod about 12 years ago because it was in our desired neighborhood and a good deal. It was built in 1950. I get what you're saying, I was never a fan either. The closets are tiny and the kitchen was a disaster (we redid it a few years ago when we could afford it, not before we moved in, lol.) I do think the bedrooms are charming as opposed to awkward, we don't have an attic but there's crawl space galore and my fave--a laundry chute.  My elderly parents have stairs everywhere in their house and it's become a real struggle and a real issue. With our house being on the flat side of the street and the master bedroom/bath on the first floor, we've pretty much decided we're here to stay. :)

[Mrs. DuRona]

Watching Midcentury vs. Victorian on hulu right now.  Gainesville, FL - wife wants Victorian, husband wants midcentury/modern.  Is it just me, or is the first house (Victorian) they looked at a B&B?  The decor, the kitchen, everything gave off a B&B vibe.  It had a front desk for Pete's sake!

[Sun-Bun]

On 9/29/2017 at 5:43 PM, TVForever said:

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!

I begrudgingly liked this couple too, despite them so desperately flying their dual freak flags.  They seemed oddly sweet, even though they obviously worked very, very hard to perfect their "oh so creative" look and "we're so quirky" style together indeed! 

I think mustache dude was way more into the idea of renovating that house out in the burbs than she was---she seemed somewhat resigned to simply following his lead on that decision. Lord knows I also wouldn't be thrilled to have to spend all the time/efforts necessary to get that old creepy former store looking homey and modern. 

On a more random note, those colorful hipster bars that he owns/runs downtown look hella fun and worth a visit.

[chessiegal]

Buffalo couple tonight - the wife complained in the first house that the ceiling in the first house got "shorter". No - it gets lower. This is the second time I've heard this on HH and now I'm wondering if it's a producer prompted comment. Note to producers - if you're prompting comments, use correct grammar and English.

[doodlebug]

I'm also kinda sick of buyers going on about 'curb appeal' and complaining about garages that are 'front loading'.  Where I live, nearly all garages face the street, it wouldn't even occur to me to think it was esthetically displeasing.

[AuntiePam]

I agree about curb appeal.  To me, it's important when you're selling -- to get someone interested enough to want to see what's inside.  But we don't live outside and look at our homes -- we're inside.  If the property is clean and well-maintained, that's what's important. 

That said, there are houses in my town painted a garish bright yellow and one that's purple, and I wonder what the owners were thinking. 

[TheGreenWave]

12 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I'm also kinda sick of buyers going on about 'curb appeal' and complaining about garages that are 'front loading'.  Where I live, nearly all garages face the street, it wouldn't even occur to me to think it was esthetically displeasing.

Exactly.  I had never heard of "front loading" garages as a negative until I watched HH.  Considering that is so much more common than a "side loader" or whatever, that criterion on a wish list would practically never occur (at least, in the places I've lived)

[Kohola3]

And if they aren't complaining that the garage is in the front, then they are complaining that it is not attached to the house.  Unless you have a huge wide lot for a side entrance or an alley for a rear entrance, the options are pretty limited.

[AnnaRose]

21 minutes ago, TheGreenWave said:

Exactly.  I had never heard of "front loading" garages as a negative until I watched HH.  Considering that is so much more common than a "side loader" or whatever, that criterion on a wish list would practically never occur (at least, in the places I've lived)

I don't recall noticing it being mentioned on House Hunters, but I believe it's been considered a negative (by some) for a very long time - particularly by people who are more into charming streetscapes and enhanced walkability.  For this segment of the market, neighborhoods where the front of houses are all or mostly garages are not nearly as appealing as those that tuck the garage in the back of the home, or at least on the side, so that it doesn't dominate the front facade.

New Urbanism in particular focuses on both walkability and having an inviting front facade, (with garages in the back, usually with alley way access.)  This enhances the visual appeal of walking through the neighborhood.  New Urbanism is inspired by the way neighborhoods were designed before cars existed or became a major focus of life.  Homes in charming, historical neighborhoods were usually built with no garages or garages that were detached and set way back, putting the visual focus on the exterior facade of the house.

When I walk in my own neighborhood, I regularly notice how much of the front facade is taken up by the garage(s) and the overall balance and proportion of the elements of the homes.  The home in which I grew up is quite beautiful on the inside, but terrible 'curb appeal' with basically only three garages visible from the street.  Fortunately, most of the other homes on the street have very pretty and classic facades like well balanced and aesthetically pleasing colonials which have stood the test of time.  (Curb appeal may not be as big of a problem in home selling these days though, since people can see photos of an appealing interior and decide if they're interested, regardless of curb appeal.)

And while I agree that the inside, where you spend the majority of your time, is the most important aspect... I think builders and architects can and should do a much better job making homes appealing on the outside too.

There is a lot of ugly to horrendously ugly architecture in the US, much of it built in the last thirty years. I remember borrowing this book from the library a few years back, and it made me both laugh and cringe at some of the front exterior home facades they featured.

[Kohola3]

15 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

New Urbanism in particular focuses on both walkability and having an inviting front facade, (with garages in the back, usually with alley way access.)  This enhances the visual appeal of walking through the neighborhood. 

But unless it's a brand new subdivision with alleys built into the plan (for the newest generation of McMansions), that's not practical or even existent.  Virtually none of the suburbs in the Detroit area have alleys although there are many in the downtown area but in very iffy neighborhoods.  A know of a few in Royal Oak but that's about it. 

It's not like you can bulldoze an alley through everyone's backyard for rear access.  And people hate detached garages because the snowflakes are exposed to the horrible elements to get to and from the car.

[AnnaRose]

I was referring to New Urbanism developments (not infill) which are new and designed like that from the start.  I don't recall these types of neighborhoods ever being featured on House Hunters.  I miss a lot of episodes though, so maybe they have had participants looking in those types of neighborhoods.  It's such a small portion of neighborhoods that are designed like that, so I suppose it wouldn't be that surprising if they've never featured any.

[chocolatine]

I can see both sides of the front-loading garage debate. They're not pretty to look at, but most people need to park their cars somewhere. If a side- or rear-loading garage isn't architecturally feasible, I'd take a house with front-loading garage over not having a garage at all.

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

And people hate detached garages because the snowflakes are exposed to the horrible elements to get to and from the car.

LOL! When I lived in Seattle, on days when it rained nonstop I was able to completely avoid going outside because my house had an attached garage, as did my office building and most of the places I frequented. It only takes a few drops of rain to ruin a blowout, so I really appreciated being able to go wherever I needed without worrying about my hair. 

[twinks]

While visiting relatives in Benicia CA, I was surprised to see so many front load garages. They were so prominent many overpowered the house. IMO, not good for curb appeal.

[AnnieBeez]

3 hours ago, twinks said:

While visiting relatives in Benicia CA, I was surprised to see so many front load garages. They were so prominent many overpowered the house. IMO, not good for curb appeal.

That's precisely my problem with them. I think it's ugly. A single car garage is fine. These multi-story homes with 2+ car garages that overpower the front of the house are awful. I like a house that makes me smile when I drive up to it. So I guess I DO have a deal breaker! 

My only other thing that I'd say "that's hideous" about would be tile counters. I'd just replace those, though. 

[juliet73]

On 9/29/2017 at 1:16 PM, 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. 

YES! I totally assumed she was a mail order bride!  When he said they met on a blind date, that just confirmed it in my mind.  

[juliet73]

What bothers me about front loading garages is when they basically take up the entire front of the house.  Since everyone wants open concept, newer builds usually have all the rooms toward the back of the house so the front exterior is all garage.  It's definitely worse on a 2 story home as you can see below.  

[chessiegal]

4 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

What bothers me about front loading garages is when they basically take up the entire front of the house.  Since everyone wants open concept, newer builds usually have all the rooms toward the back of the house so the front exterior is all garage.  It's definitely worse on a 2 story home as you can see below.  

I have a front loading 2 car garage that looks nothing like these pictures. I'll take a picture tomorrow when the light is right and take it to small talk. We bought our house based on location and inside features. If others are offended by the curb appeal, that's their problem, not ours.

[Mittengirl]

I do not care for the look of homes dominated by a garage, however...    My built in the ‘50’s house has a garage behind the house so the drive is about 70 feet long, which is about 50 feet longer than I would like to shovel snow.    And since part of the driveway is directly alongside my house and then another 15 feet is next to my neighbor’s privacy fence, aiming a snowblower is tough.  So while I don’t like the appearance of a prominent driveway/garage, having an easy 25 x 25 square to clear by blowing snow into my front yard is very appealing every winter.

[laredhead]

I'm not a fan of a front loading garage for two reasons.  One, I don't think it enhances curb appeal, and two, in my area, most people seem to park their cars on the driveway and use the garage as a storage unit.  There is so much stuff stored in them, cars cannot be parked inside of the garage, so when you look down the streets, it looks like a used car lot.  In many subdivisions a very high end used car lot.  There are million dollar houses around here in s/divisions all with front loading garages and all I see when I look at the house is a huge concrete parking area in front of the house.

On another note, I haven't seen any comments about the Chicago couple on a recent episode and the mother of the future bride was the real estate agent.  I loved her marital advice to them - having two bathrooms was the key to a good marriage.  The bride to be wanted to make sure all of her hair and makeup products would fit in her bathroom, or on her side of the two sink bathrooms they looked at.  The man actually called her a diva at one point.  Then ended up buying a house where they have to share a bathroom, but her cabinet looked stuffed full of products.    

[Ohwell]

58 minutes ago, laredhead said:

On another note, I haven't seen any comments about the Chicago couple on a recent episode and the mother of the future bride was the real estate agent.  I loved her marital advice to them - having two bathrooms was the key to a good marriage. 

I said "amen!" when the mother said that, because that's what I think, too.  

[chocolatine]

Am I the only person that doesn't like to keep many beauty products in the bathroom? I only keep skincare products there; hair styling products and makeup are in the top drawer of my bedroom dresser. I have a mirror on top of the dresser and do my hair and makeup in front of it.

[QuinnM]

Quote

Am I the only person that doesn't like to keep many beauty products in the bathroom? I only keep skincare products there; hair styling products and makeup are in the top drawer of my bedroom dresser. I have a mirror on top of the dresser and do my hair and makeup in front of it.

I am the same way.  Always have been.  I came from a large family and we didn't have 6 bathrooms.  I have a nice dressing table and I do my hair and make up there.  I don't see the up side to standing over a sink, leaning into a mirror to get my mascara on my eyelashes and not my face.

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, QuinnM said:

I am the same way.  Always have been.  I came from a large family and we didn't have 6 bathrooms.  I have a nice dressing table and I do my hair and make up there.  I don't see the up side to standing over a sink, leaning into a mirror to get my mascara on my eyelashes and not my face.

I grew up in a large family and did my hair and makeup in the bedroom back then.  However, I am messy with makeup and now that I've got my own house, I prefer doing it in the bathroom where I can clean up afterwards and wash my hands as needed.

[chessiegal]

Haven't worn makeup for 20 years. Problem solved.

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I said "amen!" when the mother said that, because that's what I think, too.  

One of my friends just bought a new house and she and her husband have separate bathrooms for the first time in the 10 years they've been a couple, and she was like "WE WILL NEVER GO BACK."

[jcbrown]

53 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Haven't worn makeup for 20 years. Problem solved.

Come sit by me, @chessiegal. I don't like the way makeup feels or looks on me, my husband doesn't like it, my eyes are too sensitive for eye makeup. I worked for more than 20 years in biotech where you could not go into the plant with crap on your face. People feel differently about this, I know, but if you don't like my normal non-painted face, sorry not sorry.

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

Come sit by me, @chessiegal. I don't like the way makeup feels or looks on me, my husband doesn't like it, my eyes are too sensitive for eye makeup. I worked for more than 20 years in biotech where you could not go into the plant with crap on your face. People feel differently about this, I know, but if you don't like my normal non-painted face, sorry not sorry.

My wonderful husband says I don't need it. He's a keeper. I do confess to putting on some powder and lipstick before attending the Captain's cocktail party on our 2 crossings on the Queen Mary 2 the last 2 years. Guilty as charged - I like the pictures taken. 

[Pickles]

The Florida couple tonight. Why did they bug me? Both former cruise line workers and they seemed to have those personalities. He was totally hung up on having the toilet in its own room. He got his wish and they showed the toilet with his magazines and he told how he spent so much time in there. Ick. I don't need to know any of this. Was his hair highlighted? To me, he seemed like a grown up kid. I don't know. They both annoyed me. Lol.

[Beaner]

Yeah, I thought they were pretty nice, and I was fine with them until the end where they showed the magazines stacked on the toilet and his comment about getting all his reading done in there. Ugh.

[MarthaEllisanne]

On 10/2/2017 at 10:56 PM, doodlebug said:

I'm also kinda sick of buyers going on about 'curb appeal' and complaining about garages that are 'front loading'.  Where I live, nearly all garages face the street, it wouldn't even occur to me to think it was esthetically displeasing.

I first heard of this when I bought my house with a front garage years ago.  I live on the "cheap" side of my street where the houses have front garages.  The houses across the street are the more expensive homes with rear garages.  I live in a large metroplex area and I actually know several people who have been mugged at their rear garages, with neighboring fences providing privacy for thieves and the alley a quick get-a-way.  I think this is less likely to happen with a garage that faces the street and neighbor's windows, so I am happy to give up a little curb appeal.

[mojito]

Most homes built here have garages in the back. This is where almost all of the burglaries take place, in these homes with alleys. People sneak in the back gate, break through the back door, load up the car in the driveway in the back, unnoticed, and take off. Our new builds now have front entrance garages. They were the norm where I grew up, so I don't find them aesthetically unpleasing. 

While a home whose front is totally dominated by the garage might not be my first choice, I would reserve all opinions until I saw the inside. This is where I would spend all my time.

I wonder what percentage of people shop for homes demanding a particular architectural style? On HH, it's 100%.

Philadelphia Flight Attendants:

Initially, when I read the description of flight attendants, I thought of the stewardesses circa 1965, smart blue uniforms, caps sitting atop their little flips. Two career gals pooling their money to make ends meet before they met Misters Right. And then I came back to 2017 and thought, "They'll be a couple of guys". One of the guys looked exactly like he acted. I just wanted to slap the shit out of his snarky ass. The place they picked had this tiny dirt yard, which one commented would take so much time to fix up, what with all the broken glass, etc. (it would take two guys with two rakes maybe an hour to clean it up). I liked the home they purchased, and I liked that they were fine with the two of them eating at the island as there wasn't much room for a dining room table.

[Ottis]

On 10/3/2017 at 2:07 PM, chocolatine said:

I can see both sides of the front-loading garage debate. They're not pretty to look at, but most people need to park their cars somewhere. If a side- or rear-loading garage isn't architecturally feasible, I'd take a house with front-loading garage over not having a garage at all.

There's front loading, and then there is FRONT LOADING. My wife differentiates those two by how prominent the front door is vs. the garage. If the garage is front and center and the front door is an afterthought, far back from the garage doors, she hates it. If the two are relatively even, or the front door stands out more, she's fine.

We thought the guy who ran a bar and lived in the circus house was actually gay, and his younger female partner was his beard of convenience. Our teen son walked by, saw the guy (and his wardrobe), heard him speak, saw their old house, and said, "How is that guy NOT gay?" and walked on.  None of us cared about that, we were just wondering about the relationship and how honest they were being. It was odd how they were fine with going from crazy carnival color to pretty much traditional in one fell swoop. Now that i think about it, I'm not sure what was real about anything they said/showed.

[chessiegal]

Taking the front loading garages to small talk.

[Preppy6917]

On 10/4/2017 at 6:43 PM, Empress1 said:

One of my friends just bought a new house and she and her husband have separate bathrooms for the first time in the 10 years they've been a couple, and she was like "WE WILL NEVER GO BACK."

A lot of homes in the neighborhood where I grew up (developed in the late 70s and early 80s) had “split” master bathrooms, where each spouse had their own entrance and sink/vanity area, and it met in the middle for the shower/tub, toilet, and closet.

[Preppy6917]

4 hours ago, Ottis said:

There's front loading, and then there is FRONT LOADING. My wife differentiates those two by how prominent the front door is vs. the garage. If the garage is front and center and the front door is an afterthought, far back from the garage doors, she hates it. If the two are relatively even, or the front door stands out more, she's fine.

I’m with your wife. Also, I realize some people are okay with having a giant slab of concrete for a front yard, but many of us (myself included) are not.

[Empress1]

Philly flight attendants: if you have clients that want to be near downtown, you don't show them something in Northeast Philly. I know the show is fake, but still. They really sounded like they were delivering lines when they were discussing the houses. I knew they'd end up with #3. Rittenhouse Square is very expensive so at least they knew they weren't going to be able to buy there with a $250K budget.

[juliet73]

On 10/4/2017 at 9:36 PM, Pickles said:

The Florida couple tonight. Why did they bug me? Both former cruise line workers and they seemed to have those personalities. He was totally hung up on having the toilet in its own room. He got his wish and they showed the toilet with his magazines and he told how he spent so much time in there. Ick. I don't need to know any of this. Was his hair highlighted? To me, he seemed like a grown up kid. I don't know. They both annoyed me. Lol.

I think because he was totally gay?  I can't be the only one that thought so.

[Empress1]

The Chicago agent has been on the show before, both as a buyer and an agent. The couple grated on me. The woman said "vintage charm I was looking for" about 10 times. I'd have gone with the third one too. 

[laredhead]

The Palm Springs couple was back last night for the 2nd time.  They explained that they had been on the show 5 years ago (doesn't seem that long ago), and I remember them.  Said the telecommuting didn't work out, but now they have sold their LA house and moved to Palm Springs permanently.  I love looking at those beautiful MCM and modern houses.  We don't have anything like that on a large scale where I live.  I liked the first 2 houses better than the one they chose, but the 3rd one was downtown where they wanted to be. 

[ByaNose]

Philly flight attendants: I’m about 20 minutes from where they live (in the suburbs) and, I wouldn’t have bought that place. The yard was so dumpy looking. Of course, if you rake the yard, lay down some sod or pavers, add some lights & deck furniture it will probably look like a million bucks. Both of the guys were annoying (especially the taller one) that I think I would book another flight if they were my flight attendant. LOL!!!! That said, the house wasn’t overly expensive ($210,000....I think) and, the kitchen was nice. Small but nice.

[ByaNose]

40 minutes ago, laredhead said:

The Palm Springs couple was back last night for the 2nd time.  They explained that they had been on the show 5 years ago (doesn't seem that long ago), and I remember them.  Said the telecommuting didn't work out, but now they have sold their LA house and moved to Palm Springs permanently.  I love looking at those beautiful MCM and modern houses.  We don't have anything like that on a large scale where I live.  I liked the first 2 houses better than the one they chose, but the 3rd one was downtown where they wanted to be. 

I really liked these guys. They seem like so much fun. Palm Springs looks beautiful and HOT. I’m not a mid century lover but their house was pretty & had an awesome pool area. It looked like a hotel. I would eat lasagna at that house anytime. I wonder if I can swing an invite. I’m sure there’re on Facebook. LOL!!!

[mojito]

Loveland, CO.

My guide stated that it was a new episode. Anyway, the wife said something I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone say before on this show. Or at least, not in years. Something like, "There's a lot of counter top space, and the  laminate  is in good shape."

Where'd they find her?