House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[chocolatine]

Maybe it's because I used to live in the Pacific Northwest, but the Salem HH didn't bother me. She's a bit quirky, but not self-important about it. She just seemed happy to be able to afford a place on her own, and readily accepted that "charming" older homes in her price range don't have ensuite bathrooms and large closets.

I also happen to share her preference for a small office. I want my office to just be my office and not a "spare room" that house guests will want to invade.

[Empress1]

Clarksville TN wife was doing too much, although I did laugh when she saw the double ovens and said "I can burn all kinds of things!" Physically she reminded me of Kaitlin Olson.

[toodles]

On 10/18/2017 at 9:24 AM, MsProudSooner said:

I'm not sure if this is the place to post this but it made me laugh until tears came, especially the comments about Fixer Upper.  

 

http://www.scarymommy.com/hgtv-is-killing-me/?utm_source=crh&utm_campaign=GLP&utm_medium=partner

I loved this.  I posted to my FB.

[Pine]

Washington State, Twisp and Winthrop HH.  I was really looking forward to it, and was disappointed.  There aren't really any suburbs in the Methow Valley.  It's about a 4+ hour drive from Seattle, over the Cascade Mountain range.  I use to have family there, and in the surrounding farm towns.

The Methow river does flood, and by the looks of that house on the river, it would get flooded, if it hasn't already.  Also a lot of terrible fires the last few summers, and most of the valley has been evacuated. 

Beautiful area.

[mojito]

Florida to Chattanooga

Nice enough couple who had no problem disagreeing with each other, but in the end, they both wanted the same house (didn't see that coming...). I thought it was funny that the woman stated her surprise that the house that cost $125K over her budget was really appealing. Who'd've thunk?

Edited November 14, 2017 by mojito

[doodlebug]

56 minutes ago, mojito said:

Floirida to Chattanooga

Nice enough couple who had no problem disagreeing with each other, but in the end, they both wanted the same house (didn't see that coming...). I thought it was funny that the woman stated her surprise that the house that cost $125K over her budget was really appealing. Who'd've thunk?

It is pretty surreal when a buyer expresses amazement when a house costing 50% more than every other house they've seen is nicer than those other houses.  Duh!

[mojito]

Cold Country (Minnesota? Michigan?) to Tampa

Show of hands. Who thought the wife was slapworthy, at least for a little while?

She wanted a fixer upper 6-bedroom home for her future litter. Plus the one child the couple had needed a room for his toys. And a pool. Of course, she wanted her white kitchen but didn't seem averse to carpet. Liked to see where they were going with the staircase. 

Nice to see a story of a couple who started very young, divorced, then came back together. They got everything she wanted in the end, and a few things hubby wanted, too. Nice, big house, though; if I could swing it, I might've chosen that one, too. 

[Pickles]

Pittsburg couple tonight. Was his name Chaeden? The wife said his name a hundred times, but I still couldn't figure out what it was. I loved how they showed her going out to the car ready to drive to work in her white doctor's coat with her stethoscope around her neck. Don't all doctors drive to work that way? She kind of annoyed me. I wanted to cut some of her hair off.

[Angeltoes]

Chaten, who was a cutie.  I loved the charm of the first house, but he was right that it would be expensive to heat.  I guessed they picked the Tudor because the wife was walking around with familiarity as if she was showing off their purchase.

It was a no-brainer about which house was the Tampa couple's.  The totally empty house which still had several tvs on the walls. 

Edited November 16, 2017 by Angeltoes

[aguabella]

On ‎11‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 7:34 AM, Empress1 said:

Clarksville TN wife was doing too much, although I did laugh when she saw the double ovens and said "I can burn all kinds of things!" Physically she reminded me of Kaitlin Olson.

Yes, she wanted her star turn in front of the cameras.  One word to describe her appearance:  overacting!

[aguabella]

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 8:29 AM, mojito said:

Florida to Chattanooga

Nice enough couple who had no problem disagreeing with each other, but in the end, they both wanted the same house (didn't see that coming...). I thought it was funny that the woman stated her surprise that the house that cost $125K over her budget was really appealing. Who'd've thunk?

 

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 9:27 AM, doodlebug said:

It is pretty surreal when a buyer expresses amazement when a house costing 50% more than every other house they've seen is nicer than those other houses.  Duh!

 

I always think to myself when they use those particular lines, "Whew, good thing they want the same house b/c escrow previously closed!".

 

Sounded like the realtor had difficulty finding decoy homes in their price range so the producer / story editor selected the budget plot.

Edited November 16, 2017 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On ‎11‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 7:06 AM, mojito said:

It occurred  to me while watching one of these episodes recently, that one reason that HH might create dueling desires for home styles is that it's easier to find decoy homes if they pretend that they're appealing to two different tastes. I wish they would just use house hunters who don't have strong preferences and they just look at different homes to see what they like.

Good thoughts, mojito but the realtors, in general, use only the location and price range to locate decoys.  (If they narrowed it down to specific preferences, they'd have fewer homes to choose from.)**

Subsequently, reviewing the 3 homes, the producer/director assigns / semi-scripts the preferences.  Sure, they might use the h/o's actual preferences but only if they coincide with the selected plot.  (I was told that's rare, lol!)

Hunters w/o strong preferences?  Good idea but we don't know their real life preferences.  (They're acting.)

We do know, however, that if they had conflict with their spouse or partner, it was resolved b/c they previously purchased / selected a home.

And, we also know that the dueling desires create drama.  Can't have drama w/o conflicts!  For example, consider a soap opera actor who's married and extremely happy.  That actor may need to find another gig b/c if a character's conflict-free, they're off the show!  Erika Kane, anybody?  (Never saw AMC so assuming she had a few conflicts in her 4-5 soap marriages, lol!)

 

**ETA, perhaps it's the chicken before the egg, i.e. the other way around, lol!  Technically, they're searching for homes for the show - not its participants!  The participants can and will adjust their demands, as instructed by the prod/director, to the homes / the episode's plot.

Edited November 16, 2017 by aguabella

[biakbiak]

That first house in Pittsburgh was glorious. I would gut the kitchen and keep the gorgeous stove. 

[my3sons]

I wish someone would tell the announcer it's pronounced Chatt A nooga not Chattnooga.

[Empress1]

16 hours ago, biakbiak said:

That first house in Pittsburgh was glorious. I would gut the kitchen and keep the gorgeous stove. 

Gorgeous! I would gut the kitchen too - it was too small and didn't have enough storage. I have a lot of dishes; storage in the kitchen is really important to me. The third house was nice too and needed less work. I knew they'd end up in that one. I loved that she wanted a library - woman after my own heart.

Their realtor had very aggressive brows.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Empress1

[CruiseDiva]

On 11/14/2017 at 11:29 AM, mojito said:

Florida to Chattanooga

Nice enough couple who had no problem disagreeing with each other, but in the end, they both wanted the same house (didn't see that coming...). I thought it was funny that the woman stated her surprise that the house that cost $125K over her budget was really appealing. Who'd've thunk?

I nearly died laughing when the couple was arguing and the realtor said they needed to have a "come to Jesus" moment. Apparently the husband did have his "moment" when he finally agreed that it was ridiculous for him to expect a flat back yard in the mountains.

The two times we relocated for DH's job we didn't think to tell the realtors we wanted a particular style home. We simply noted the predominate styles for the area (single story Acadian in Louisiana and two story Federal in Georgia) and went with what we liked best that was on the market. For us the location was key and we have enjoyed our homes.

[Pickles]

The young couple last night moving from Houston to Richmond. I thought they were both a little annoying. They saw a house under budget and the wife was so cavalier and clueless--we can gut the kitchen, all of the bathrooms, move some walls, turn the garage space back into a garage. Yes, you might be under budget, but doing all of that work would take a TON of money. They ended up choosing the large $450k house, in part, because the husband grew up in a house like that and all of his friends had houses like that growing up. So, you are entitled to that too and can't think outside of the box? They both just seemed a bit too smug.  I hope they enjoy all of the upkeep of that large home as first time homeowners. I had to laugh when it showed him mowing the lawn and saying he had not mowed since high school. Now he will be mowing every week, lol. And she had painted a lot of the rooms and said it was a lot more work than she thought. 

[Ohwell]

Houston to Richmond:  I did think the wife was a bit clueless about renovations.  However, I gave her a pass because it was refreshing to hear a nice, pleasant-sounding voice instead of that whiny, high-pitched voice that we so often hear from the women.   I didn't mind the husband wanting a house like he grew up in, that made sense to me, as long as the wife didn't mind.

[wovenloaf]

2 hours ago, Pickles said:

They ended up choosing the large $450k house, in part, because the husband grew up in a house like that and all of his friends had houses like that growing up. So, you are entitled to that too and can't think outside of the box?

I don't really see it as entitlement or failure to think outside the box.  I think when people grow up in a certain kind of house, that style of house often has a homier, more comfortable feeling to it even once you're older.  So if it's between a house that style and one in a different style, I don't find a natural gravitation towards the type you grew up in to be odd. 

(Within reason, of course... I recall an older episode where some people from the east coast were moving to some desert-like area in California, and were saying they wanted a brick colonial.  Ha, good luck with that!)

[chessiegal]

I grew up in a house built in 1891 that didn't originally have indoor plumbing. The house kept getting additions, with the last one having the kitchen with plumbing on the 1st floor and the 1 bathroom above on the 2nd floor. The bathroom had the original claw foot tub - no shower. The kitchen had few cabinets, and they were white metal. Couldn't wait to buy a modern house with more than 1 toilet and a shower!

[izabella]

Richmond wife bugged me with her comments.  Turnkey house?  Oh, but I can't put my own stamp on it.  Um, sure you can.  It was under budget so you can repaint the whole damned place if you want.  You can fill it with furniture and rugs and curtains and art and all your stuff to make it yours.  Second house, oh, but we don't need a formal living room the kids won't be allowed to go into (kids they don't have yet).  Really?  Then turn it into a jungle gym if you want.  There is no law you have to use it as a formal living room nor that your kids wouldn't be allowed in it.  Third house, oh, lots of projects I can do to make it my own!  Yeah, because ripping up all the bathrooms, kitchen, floors, paint, and remaking the loft into another master bedroom are just "projects" and not a major reno. 

The other thing that just killed me was, in that huge house and huge family room, they stuck the foosball table awkwardly in the corner.  Hey, lady, stick it in your formal living room.  Oh, and "painting is such a huge, overwhelming project!"  I thought you wanted to gut everything in the third house because you needed little projects?  Now painting is too much?  I'm shocked she is able to even cook in her "not my dream kitchen" but, you know, "she was able to make it work" somehow in that brand new kitchen.

Edited November 17, 2017 by izabella

[izabella]

2 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

@izabella  I hate when people cattycorner things! And I hate (don't get) foosball so I was all kinds of full body shivering, trying to shake it off.

 

She did that in the master bedroom, too!  She stuck that little loveseat at an angle in the corner near the bed.  I'm screaming, ugh, it doesn't go there like that!  That room was huge but she had everything all squished together.  I guess putting things awkwardly in corners is how she "put her own stamp on it."

Edited November 17, 2017 by izabella

[LegalParrot81]

Two phrases I've come to loathe, put our own stamp on it and make it our own.  What these folks seem to miss is every time they either either stamp the envelope or press send to that mortgage company, they're making it their own.   

The last phrase in my top hits list.........Great for entertaining. 

Moving up this list.......white kitchen.

The producers need to come up with some new catch phrases that don't make me want to throw something at the television.

I didn't completely mind the Richmond couple as a whole.  They were obviously young, but they didn't make me yell at my television for 24 minutes.    

[AuntiePam]

45 minutes ago, LegalParrot81 said:

I didn't completely mind the Richmond couple as a whole.  They were obviously young, but they didn't make me yell at my television for 24 minutes.    

Same here.  I was all set not to like them -- maybe from jealousy, that they were so young yet they were able to purchase a "dream home".  But I ended up liking them, mostly because they seemed to be genuinely appreciative that they were able to have such a nice home.

Loved that park-like back yard, with the little bridge and the koi pond. 

[juliet73]

Tonight's ep with the husband who was becoming a realtor and his b!tch wife who currently is a realtor and a "team leader".   He was so easy going and she was just nasty!  The husband liked the 2nd home because of the quiet neighborhood, a backyard with grass, etc.  The wife however was not having it. None. Of. It.  She had the audacity to say she didn't want her husband spending time working on the yard because he needed to spend all his time with her!  UGH!!!!   Considering she had been a realtor for years, she came across as unprofessional and close minded.  She had nothing nice to say about the house he really liked.  She griped about the paint color, the removable stair chair lift, the lack of granite counters.  Her complaints were all cosmetic issues that could easily and inexpensively be replaced.  Of course they pick house #3 because it had everything SHE wanted and NOTHING he wanted.  All he got was a tiny front porch on top of his neighbors...and being the nice guy that he is, he was cool with it. 

[Ohwell]

Was this the Fort Worth one?  If so, I read the description of the wife as being a "self-described diva" and I knew I didn't want to watch.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

Was this the Fort Worth one?  If so, I read the description of the wife as being a "self-described diva" and I knew I didn't want to watch.

Yep, that was the one.  They'd been married 31 years, so I guess he was used to it.  This particular episode had widely disparate homes, it was pretty obvious which were the decoys; the one they chose was essentially in the middle.  It also seemed really unlikely that the 'preferences' expressed for the house hunt were real.  The husband, who did seem like a really nice guy, claimed to want at least 4 bedrooms and a big yard, even though their kids were gone while she wanted a really modern 2 bedroom condo.  There wasn't really any reason he couldn't be ok with fewer bedrooms or she with a small yard; so all the conflict seemed manufactured.  He also said he wanted a house with 'curb appeal' which is why it needed to be so large.  The thing is, they'd sold their big house and had been living in an apartment for 8 years, so it was hard to buy that curb appeal was all that important to him.

[ByaNose]

21 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Haha, I had managed to block out memories of the bedroom cattycornering! 

It was kind of cute watching the guy pushing the mower, viewed from above, and see his swirly lines in the grass. He reminded me of the guy who was going to get a tractor and they showed him with his new small riding lawnmower, which he still called a tractor. 

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who didn’t miss the swirly lines. I’m guessing he can’t see what he’s doing from the ground but on the deck you see everything. LOL!!!

[jcbrown]

21 hours ago, juliet73 said:

Tonight's ep with the husband who was becoming a realtor and his b!tch wife who currently is a realtor and a "team leader".   He was so easy going and she was just nasty!  The husband liked the 2nd home because of the quiet neighborhood, a backyard with grass, etc.  The wife however was not having it. None. Of. It.  She had the audacity to say she didn't want her husband spending time working on the yard because he needed to spend all his time with her!  UGH!!!!   Considering she had been a realtor for years, she came across as unprofessional and close minded.  She had nothing nice to say about the house he really liked.  She griped about the paint color, the removable stair chair lift, the lack of granite counters.  Her complaints were all cosmetic issues that could easily and inexpensively be replaced.  Of course they pick house #3 because it had everything SHE wanted and NOTHING he wanted.  All he got was a tiny front porch on top of his neighbors...and being the nice guy that he is, he was cool with it. 

Good grief, she was horrid. If that was producer-driven, why would anyone accede to being made to look like a shallow selfish narcissist on TV? My favorite (!) comment of hers, when arriving at the second house: "it's noisy. I hear a dog." A dog that barked like one time. These couples presented on HH with his and hers budgets just get on my last nerve, too ("it's not above MY budget!").

[chessiegal]

I'm so over the HH formula of he wants/she wants or whatever manufactured drama they do for every effing show now. HH - STOP IT! I watch to look at houses, see what kind of budget gets you in what location. 

[mojito]

Fort Worth Diva

Incredible how proud some people are to display how shallow and self-centered they are.

She didn't want the two of them to spend more time together, she wanted him to spend all this time with HER. She probably thinks they're both the same thing.

There just aren't enough self-promoting blowhards anymore....

[Mrs. Hanson]

Minneapolis Youth Pastor and wife and their FOUR kids and she is pregnant?  First, birth control.  Those were some little kids pretty close together.   Knew they were going to pick Mounds View as it was the best house for them and you will get a lot of house for your money compared to other suburbs.   They did seem like a very nice couple who were not bitchy about no updated kitchen and such.

[wait.what]

Chica, CA

First of all, what are these women wearing? 

[Kohola3]

Seems like the Chico chicks were only on this episode to trot out of their vintage clothing pieces. Eight nine wardrobe changes apiece?  Please.

Edited November 21, 2017 by Kohola3
Posted too soon.

[chessiegal]

Chico episode - buyer, a real estate agent, walks into one home and declares the kitchen was a 90s renovation when it was clearly 50s or 60s. 

[Pickles]

31 minutes ago, wait.what said:

Chica, CA

First of all, what are these women wearing? 

This made me laugh! But, I totally agree. Their dresses were a bit bizarre. Were they supposed to be vintage? They looked like something they whipped up together on their sewing machines.

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

This made me laugh! But, I totally agree. Their dresses were a bit bizarre. Were they supposed to be vintage? They looked like something they whipped up together on their sewing machines.

Indeed.  The pattern/style of some of the dresses was period appropriate, but the fabric choices were bizarre.  

The buyer's voice was very nasal.  Adenoids? 

I like that she was happy with her house and was able to indulge her decorating style, but I'm glad I don't have to live there.

[KLovestoShop]

I have to nominate the Chico woman as the worst vocal fry of anyone on this show.  And what's with the friend's obsession with a pool.   Get your own damn pool, woman.  

This episode would be good for a drinking game----every time she said "absolute" or "absolutely" you take a drink.  By the end of the show, you'd be very inebriated.  

[mojito]

It's funny, as I watched this episode, I thought about how people seem to hear a nasally voice and call it a vocal fry.

Oh my goodness. All the times she said "absolutely". And in the beginning, she kept saying "actually". I chuckled when she said that the kitchen was "potentially" a nineties remodel. Stick to the small words, lady. 

It was hard not to notice the clothing changes. Weren't they always in dresses, too? Odd. 

I rarely find myself doing any research after watching the show. But when I heard the friend talk about how hot Chico got, I looked it up because I couldn't imagine it being so hot so far north in CA. And I saw that there were two months where the average highs were in the low 90s. Shut up, lady. And (wo)man up. 

What was interesting about this episode was that all the homes were of the woman's choosing, and that they were screened to fit her budget. So we only had to hear about her whining about modern fixtures and not cost and style of house.

[Ohwell]

11 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

The buyer's voice was very nasal.  Adenoids? 

That's what I thought.  I tried watching for about 10 minutes but her voice got to me and I had to bail.  

[CruiseDiva]

The two Chico chicks were a hot mess. Vintage! Vintage! Vintage! Who do they think they are kidding with the ugly dresses?

There's very little "vintage" to remove in a 1960s ranch house unless it happens to have harvest gold, avocado green, or coppertone brown appliances and shag carpeting in similar colors.

Edited November 21, 2017 by CruiseDiva

[chocolatine]

I know the wardrobes and vocal tics in the Chico episode drew most of the attention, but did you guys notice all the hipster facial hair? The client the HH was showing a house to in the beginning, both of the HH's sons, the "designer" who brought in all the garish wallpaper. Is everyone in Chico a hipster?

[Ohwell]

That first client with the long beard that the Chico agent was showing a house to looked scary.

Edited November 21, 2017 by Ohwell

[mojito]

Quote

I know the wardrobes and vocal tics in the Chico episode drew most of the attention, but did you guys notice all the hipster facial hair?

I noticed him and was glad to learn that the show wasn't about his house hunt.

[wait.what]

And second of all: the sons mustache AND nose ring. 

Porn Stache meet 90’s grunge. Have you met? Oh yeah that’s right you Both live in Chico, CA with your MOMMMMM. 

[aguabella]

No big deal but everyone recognize Designer Christian?  He appeared, with his husband / partner and Sarah, in the previous Chico installment.

My guess on the vintage costumes:  creating a memorable, brand identity for Sarah's independent realty agency.  Does this mean she wasted her 40 hours filming time (X about 4 episodes), i.e. didn't generate sufficient commissions to justify the time?

Not a fashion expert but doesn't the facial hair represent current styles and not necessarily the hipster attitude and lifestyle, wannabe or otherwise, lol?

Calling the HGTV Gods ... please, we've seen enough of Sarah and Co.  Chico does support more than 1 or 2 realtors, lol!

[aguabella]

Fort Worth:

Anyone else think those Texas Train Depot (can't remember the official title) Condos looked a little sad?  

It's one thing to preserve the 30's architecture but another if/when someone forgets to perform minimal upkeep on the property.  (Anybody remember that ballroom they walked in?)

They probably sponsored the episode.  Perhaps realtor wife reps them and that's why she played to the camera.  Just a thought ...

Edited November 22, 2017 by aguabella

[juliet73]

Chico ep:  That lady was a kook!  I fast forwarded through the beginning so I was questioning their wardrobe choices.  Was the friend a designer and this was free advertising?  Weird!

I think she has been the only home buyer on this show that complained about a 1960's house being updated.  She was bitching about the kitchen and light fixtures not staying "true to the time"?  Uh, yeah, because no one wants to buy a home in 2017 with a 1960's kitchen!! In the end, she keeps the kitchen the same except she going to add...wait for it...a white subway tile backsplash!!  UGH!!!  She replaced the dining room light with an ugly flush brass fixture and added even uglier wallpaper to the living room.  

I'm over these episodes that feature real estate agents!  Once they become "the buyer", every ounce of real estate knowledge and common sense has left their brain!  

[chocolatine]

Jacksonville Beach, FL: Both HHs used "non-negotiable" incorrectly - I hope that doesn't become a thing. She said she wanted a Victorian with an open floor plan. It was obvious which house they were picking because theirs was mid-renovation.

[Aimless]

Quote

 In the end, she keeps the kitchen the same except she going to add...wait for it...a white subway tile backsplash!!

Oh, *that's* what she changed!  I kept rewinding, to the annoyance of my family, to see how her "before" and "after" were in any way different.  My daughter was like "I think she put some magnets on her refrigerator . . . ?"

The other changes she made - the hideous blue tile on the living room floor, that crazy wild bird wallpaper - were so awful we screamed like we were watching a horror movie.

I would swear I saw that buyer on another HH episode as a realtor.  I remember one realtor with long brown hair, a long muu muu type dress and a necklace with a wooden house on it like she wore on this episode.  There can't be TWO people with that same necklace!  Anyone else remember her?