House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[Babalooie]

10 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

The Boston brat was too much for me.

They met on an online dating site.  Can't you just imagine the description on her page?  Something like this:   "Picky princess looking for nerdy M.D.  Must have at least six-figure income."   I will say that I agree with the house that was "chosen".

[chocolatine]

I didn't think Boston wife was that pretty either, especially compared to the realtor, who I thought was stunning. The wife is the epitome of what kids these days call a "basic bitch."

4 hours ago, laredhead said:

I haven't seen the Boston episode yet, but was intrigued by the husband's profession, and the fact that he reads MRI's from other medical facilities.  Last summer I met a radiologist, who lives in the states, who was explaining to a group of friends how he reads MRI's and radiological data from hospitals in Australia!  I guess I had no idea this type of work was international.  I need to get up to speed on technology.

My understanding, from working part-time as a medical transcriber at a hospital radiology department many years ago, is that radiologists don't see patients, they just diagnose what's on an image and send a report back to the treating physician. So as long as they can access the images and have a large-enough screen with a high-enough resolution, they can work from anywhere.

[chessiegal]

I was receiving "diagnostic mammograms" because of an "area of concern". That meant I couldn't leave until a radiologist reviewed the images. When he decided the area of concern was in need of a biopsy, he called me into his office and reviewed the films with me, and explained in his experience it was most likely now cancer, and made arrangements for me to have a biopsy. So some radiologists see patients.

[laredhead]

Oh dear, the Boston radiologist is going to look up one day from his computer in his home office and find that the wife has left him, for someone with a bigger wallet.  I know they say opposites attract, but this looked like such a mismatch of personalities that it was pitiful.  I found myself fast forwarding through a lot of the dialogue because I felt so sorry for him, and I just couldn't listen to her negativity.  Even the realtor told her to uncross her arms when they were about to look at the Victorian because she was giving off some really bad vibes.  I was almost yelling at her when she said she didn't want to have to rip up carpet, like she was actually going to be the person ripping up the carpet.  With that price of the house, they could have painted the interior, including the kitchen cabinets, and replaced the carpet before they moved in, but it looked like they had done nothing.  Auntie Pam, I agree with your husband about the prediction on the length of the marriage.        

[CruiseDiva]

6 hours ago, Babalooie said:

They met on an online dating site.  Can't you just imagine the description on her page?  Something like this:   "Picky princess looking for nerdy M.D.  Must have at least six-figure income."   I will say that I agree with the house that was "chosen".

She is a major bitch. I wonder how long they 'dated' before she told him she had a 4-year old.

Poor guy--I felt so sorry for him. I can see a divorce in the near future and her wanting the house with him keeping up the payments.

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I was receiving "diagnostic mammograms" because of an "area of concern". That meant I couldn't leave until a radiologist reviewed the images. When he decided the area of concern was in need of a biopsy, he called me into his office and reviewed the films with me, and explained in his experience it was most likely now cancer, and made arrangements for me to have a biopsy. So some radiologists see patients.

I'm sure some do, depending on specialization. I hope you're OK!

46 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

Poor guy--I felt so sorry for him.

I do and I don't. On the one hand, he seems like a nice guy. On the other, he's not an idiot and wasn't born yesterday, so he should have been able to see what everyone else sees. The person I really feel sorry for is the four-year-old, who has a revolving door of step daddies in his future.

[NYGirl]

I came here to complain but after reading all your posts I got nothing.  I just hated the way she said she didn't like things (which was mostly everything).  There's a way to say you don't like something.  I didn't like her at all.

[ByaNose]

I totally felt bad for that guy. Maybe, I'm totally wrong but her affirmation t-shirt would probably say Gold Digger on it. It’s like a red siren?was going off over her head and he missed it. Run!

[rhofmovalley]

Do these men actually not know they're being married for their money? Or are they so stoked to have a young, "hot" wife that they think it's worth being used and worth the expensive,  embarrassing divorce later on?

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

Do these men actually not know they're being married for their money? Or are they so stoked to have a young, "hot" wife that they think it's worth being used and worth the expensive,  embarrassing divorce later on?

You know what they say, ‘love is blind’.  I think these guys aren’t very different than anybody else; they’re hungry to make a connection, to love and be loved, and they overlook the obvious.  I think we’ve all been in that position; we see someone we love in a relationship and we can see all the ways it is doomed, even though our loved one doesn’t.

[Empress1]

Kansas City, MO suburbs couple. Three very young girls, including a set of twins, and plans to foster and have chickens. I loved the Victorian they looked at and I liked the Craftsman they chose, although only 1.5 bathrooms for a family of five with plans for more kids might be tight. Really nice couple though.

[Pickles]

I like doing the KC couple too. Their girls were darling. I missed the beginning. The husband said he worked nights. What was his job?

[Empress1]

6 minutes ago, Pickles said:

I like doing the KC couple too. Their girls were darling. I missed the beginning. The husband said he worked nights. What was his job?

Project manager for a motorcycle company. The working nights surprised me.

[Ohwell]

The KC couple was nice but I said to myself about the wife "if she mentions chickens one more time...."

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Kansas City, MO suburbs couple. Three very young girls, including a set of twins, and plans to foster and have chickens. I loved the Victorian they looked at and I liked the Craftsman they chose, although only 1.5 bathrooms for a family of five with plans for more kids might be tight. Really nice couple though.

They were a refreshing change of pace; down to earth, realistic and not so worried about white kitchens and hardwood floors

[juliet73]

9 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

Do these men actually not know they're being married for their money? Or are they so stoked to have a young, "hot" wife that they think it's worth being used and worth the expensive,  embarrassing divorce later on?

I don't think she looked all that young. Actually, I figured they were around the same age. I wouldn't consider her "hot" either. Her bitchy personality overpowered any good looks she had. 

She seemed like the type of person who would be on the show so everyone could see how well SHE'S doing. I hope the husband has a very good lawyer and an excellent prenup.

[Kohola3]

On ‎3‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 12:52 PM, laredhead said:

I guess I had no idea this type of work was international. 

 

While not international, my cousin is a radiologist and lives in Hawaii.  He reads all  non-emergent X-rays during his work day which is 6 hours different from Easter time (while stateside hospitals are done for the day) and the reports are then ready to be read when the attending physician comes into his office.  Timing is great all the way around.

[topanga]

5 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Project manager for a motorcycle company. The working nights surprised me.

What exactly is that job? And why is it at night?

I actually liked the space inside the 3rd house, but all of that light brown trim would've driven me crazy. It was cheap-looking (although I'm sure it was not cheap to install). 

 

On 3/27/2018 at 9:43 PM, Ohwell said:

It looked to me like the South Dakota wife was trying to be extra cheerful for the cameras and I said good for her.  I guess being a military wife she can make friends with other military wives, but that area sure looked lonely.  And yes, all the houses were butt-ugly.   

Yes, they were a pretty nice couple

One scene that made me laugh: in the fixer-upper house they ultimately chose, there was a built-in bookshelf in the living room that looked like it had been converted from a closet or something. I'm a book look lover, but that shelf was butt-ugly. Anyway, the wife goes, "What do we put on the shelves? Plates, maybe?" How about BOOKS???

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

What exactly is that job? And why is it at night?

I actually liked the space inside the 3rd house, but all of that light brown trim would've driven me crazy. It was cheap-looking (although I'm sure it was not cheap to install). 

 

Yes, they were a pretty nice couple

One scene that made me laugh: in the fixer-upper house they ultimately chose, there was a built-in bookshelf in the living room that looked like it had been converted from a closet or something. I'm a book look lover, but that shelf was butt-ugly. Anyway, the wife goes, "What do we put on the shelves? Plates, maybe?" How about BOOKS???

My sister is a Project Manager (yes, it is an actual job and there are required courses as well as a certifying exam).  A project manager could do any number of things for a motorcycle company and even manage several different projects at a time.  He could be working to coordinate IT and other tech upgrades and functions, he could be coordinating a project to do mass marketing or develop a new product line or supervise product recalls or repairs and the like.  Virtually any complex, multidivisional type goal set by a company is handled by a project manager.  Since he works at night, he might be involved in IT or the like where all the upgrades and repairs happen outside of regular business hours.  Or, maybe, he's working with an international division of the company and works at night due to the time difference.

 

My sister works for a contractor who does projects in the cable TV industry.  Essentially, they're hired by cable companies who are launching a new product line (going digital is au courant) and her company handles all of the planning and coordinates all the different parts of the company involved in getting the new system launched.   My sister has people in customer service, repairs, marketing, etc all reporting to her and then she reports to her bosses, both at her company and the cable company on how they're doing meeting the goal and adhering to the timeline that has been set.  She gets lots of phone calls from people at the cable company who forgot about some special client or circumstance and its up to her to figure out how to address the issue and put a plan in place.

Edited March 29, 2018 by doodlebug

[Mittengirl]

I had to turn off the radiologist buying the million dollar house because all I could see was the $358 check I had to send to a radiologist after slipping on ice in December.  

[chessiegal]

Barely through the Naples, FL couple with 1.7 million budget, and miss who's had lots of work done but necks don't lie declares she can't make a salad in the 1st house because the cabinets are dark. WTF? My husband's summary - these people are assholes.

[AuntiePam]

I had to laugh at the husband talking about having friends over -- the way these two bickered, who would want to be around them?

Question for Floridians with pools:  You really need a cage around the pool -- to protect from mosquitoes?  Is there a screen that can keep skeeters out?  Really?

[KLovestoShop]

13 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

I had to laugh at the husband talking about having friends over -- the way these two bickered, who would want to be around them?

Question for Floridians with pools:  You really need a cage around the pool -- to protect from mosquitoes?  Is there a screen that can keep skeeters out?  Really?

Oh, Florida is much more than mosquitoes.  You have those huge palmetto bugs, geckos and skink lizards, and if you live near any body of water you have the gators.  I have a friend who lives in Naples and has a screen around her pool not only for the bugs, but for the gators who slink over from the water hazards on the golf course.  

I swear my ear drums were broken by the awful voice of the Naples realtor.  She sounds like she huffs helium.  

Obviously, this couple doesn't  realize that Mediterranean homes are what you find in Florida.  

[Carmen Sandiego]

On 3/3/2018 at 1:07 PM, chocolatine said:

I'm sure that's hyperbole and the show doesn't actually film 300 episodes every weekday. :)

Last night's Phoenix, AZ, episode: I wanted to throw things at the wife. They bought a lovely, newly updated Spanish style home in a suburb, well under their budget. But the wife was adamant that she couldn't live with the dark cabinets and beige/brown granite countertops in the kitchen and those would have to be refinished/replaced. Both the cabinets and countertops were brand new and looked to be good quality, plus that color scheme worked much better in a Spanish style house than a white kitchen would, and the bathrooms had the "earthy" color scheme as well.

I just hate when people want to rip out brand new fixtures just because they don't love the colors. So wasteful.

When I hear about people like that, I think they are very unhappy with themselves. Also she is probably a privileged spoiled wife, they are worse types that we see quite a lot on the show. 

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Barely through the Naples, FL couple with 1.7 million budget, and miss who's had lots of work done but necks don't lie declares she can't make a salad in the 1st house because the cabinets are dark. WTF? My husband's summary - these people are assholes.

Her head and neck looked completely different. Her foundation was too light, and she has clearly had some face work.

I could not STAND the realtor's voice. Oh my GOD. I know she can't help it but it was really grating.

"I'm a little worried about the stairs." Your kid is six, he can walk down stairs. And he's only going to get older and more capable of walking down stairs. And I wanted to clock the salad-making wife when she wanted to rip out a brand new kitchen because it was the wrong color. I deleted it after the first house. Couldn't stand them, particularly the wife. Your husband was right.

[Pickles]

The Naples wife was so snobby. She was trying to make some kind of analogy at one point and said something like--when you move to New York you live in Manhattan, not Brooklyn. And there was some other comment about how one of the houses was not up to their standard of living. She was beyond obnoxious. I actually couldn't believe they had a child, muchless a six year old. 

[Babalooie]

12 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Question for Floridians with pools:  You really need a cage around the pool -- to protect from mosquitoes?  Is there a screen that can keep skeeters out?  Really?

Everything KLovestoShop  said, plus LEAVES.  The skimming is a breeze with a screened enclosure.  Despicable couple.  Blech.  I think that the producers usually go out of the way to find these people and then throw in an episode with a nice couple on occasion.

[Empress1]

Just now, Pickles said:

The Naples wife was so snobby. She was trying to make some kind of analogy at one point and said something like--when you move to New York you live in Manhattan, not Brooklyn. And there was some other comment about how one of the houses was not up to their standard of living. She was beyond obnoxious. I actually couldn't believe they had a child, muchless a six year old. 

She clearly knows nothing about Brooklyn in 2018 if she made that comment.

[skippy]

Why do so many buyers declare a budget, for example, "$2,000 - $2,500", and then when they are shown a house for $2,500 they act horrified and say, "Oh, we can't do this! It's at the top of the budget!"   Don't they understand what budget means?  It's driving me insane.  I want to reach through the TV and smack someone.

[laredhead]

Wonder if the Naples couple will be a future HH WATN episode.  If they are, I hope the designer isn't on the show.  Her voice was like glass shattering to my ears.  I did agree with the husband that the wife worried too much when she said she was concerned about the stairs and their 6 year old son falling down them.  Children are a lot more agile than adults.   

[juliet73]

3 hours ago, laredhead said:

Wonder if the Naples couple will be a future HH WATN episode.  If they are, I hope the designer isn't on the show.  Her voice was like glass shattering to my ears.  I did agree with the husband that the wife worried too much when she said she was concerned about the stairs and their 6 year old son falling down them.  Children are a lot more agile than adults.   

The realtor had been on before...Maybe like 6 months ago or so. Her clients were similar to this couple...higher budget, total reno and the realtor was there at the end talking demo and design just like on this episode. Here it is: https://youtu.be/BH6IjHJKJyo

Edited March 31, 2018 by juliet73

[topanga]

On 3/29/2018 at 10:24 PM, chessiegal said:

Barely through the Naples, FL couple with 1.7 million budget, and miss who's had lots of work done but necks don't lie declares she can't make a salad in the 1st house because the cabinets are dark. WTF? My husband's summary - these people are assholes.

I laughed when they looked at the first house, and both of them said the master bedroom closet was too small. The huge walk-in closet with shelves and clothing racks on both sides. And a chair. A friggin chair. 

And the husband said the house wasn’t Mediterranean or Spanish style, but didn’t it have a Spanish-tile roof?

I did like the fixer-upper they ultimately chose. 

[Babalooie]

8 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Stupid name for the kid, Eamon.

It's Irish.  Traditional Irish names are pretty popular.

Edited March 31, 2018 by Babalooie

[Pickles]

The Austin woman last night. I thought she made the right choice with the new build. The other two homes were depressing to me, plus her poor dad could not forever be traveling from CT to do projects for her. 

[Empress1]

Suburban Salt Lake couple. The third house was the clear choice - under budget, nice size, cosmetic projects could be done over time, and it was close to family. The master bathroom wasn’t that bad but she kept saying it was a gut job. Even her husband was like “harsh, honey.” They were nice. She’s a reporter and I got the sense that she was using her on-camera voice for the show, but I didn’t mind.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/28/2018 at 3:44 PM, chessiegal said:

So some radiologists see patients.

And some radiologists do procedures, like uterine fibroid embolizations. 

[ehall1052]

Re: Naples couple (ugh!). I know, in Naples particularly, people are famous for buying the older, monied, homes and just bulldozering it down and building anew. It really doesn’t matter what the original house looked like. I would be surprised if the buyers even toured it. I know one story where a man lived in his original, modest, decades-old, but nice home on the beach in Naples and two very famous people (one a retired athlete) bought and rebuilt zillion dollar mansions on either side of him and they were very annoyed that he wouldn’t sell his home so someone could build a home of equal opulence. The original homeowner thought it was hilarious.

[ByaNose]

On 3/30/2018 at 12:13 AM, KLovestoShop said:

Oh, Florida is much more than mosquitoes.  You have those huge palmetto bugs, geckos and skink lizards, and if you live near any body of water you have the gators.  I have a friend who lives in Naples and has a screen around her pool not only for the bugs, but for the gators who slink over from the water hazards on the golf course.  

I swear my ear drums were broken by the awful voice of the Naples realtor.  She sounds like she huffs helium.  

Obviously, this couple doesn't  realize that Mediterranean homes are what you find in Florida.  

OMG! The realtors voice. I would have had to let her go with that voice. No way could I go house hunting with that voice yapping in my ears. Also, that couple deserve each other. That said, I do want to see the house after the remodel. 

Edited April 1, 2018 by ByaNose

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

And some radiologists do procedures, like uterine fibroid embolizations. 

Those would be subspecialists who would also do things like drain abscesses or perform biopsies using the CT or ultrasound for guidance.  They also use embolization to stop bleeding in trauma patients or treat leaking brain aneurysms.  Of course, none of this can be done remotely.

[StatisticalOutlier]

14 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Those would be subspecialists who would also do things like drain abscesses or perform biopsies using the CT or ultrasound for guidance.  They also use embolization to stop bleeding in trauma patients or treat leaking brain aneurysms.  Of course, none of this can be done remotely.

Give it a couple of years.

[Ottis]

On 3/29/2018 at 8:24 PM, chessiegal said:

Barely through the Naples, FL couple with 1.7 million budget, and miss who's had lots of work done but necks don't lie declares she can't make a salad in the 1st house because the cabinets are dark. WTF? My husband's summary - these people are assholes.

This was one of the few episodes that we turned off, in the midst of the first house. Their intro triggered a bunch of red flags, but we hung in there until they started commenting on the house and confirmed the red flags. Maybe they are fine people, I don't know. I just think I wouldn't like spending time with them. You know, we can afford a $1 million house, we elect not to do so and instead save the money because we don't care how we look to others as long as we have enough for an enjoyable retirement. Priorities, I guess.

The funny thing is, we know a bunch of people with retirement homes or vacation condos in Naples. And they are ALL like these people. Naples isn't on our retirement destination list!

Edited April 3, 2018 by Ottis

[chocolatine]

On 3/30/2018 at 12:51 PM, Pickles said:

The Naples wife was so snobby. She was trying to make some kind of analogy at one point and said something like--when you move to New York you live in Manhattan, not Brooklyn. And there was some other comment about how one of the houses was not up to their standard of living.

 

On 3/30/2018 at 12:52 PM, Empress1 said:

She clearly knows nothing about Brooklyn in 2018 if she made that comment.

Right? I'd love to see her try and find a place that's up to her exacting standards for her $1.7M budget in either Manhattan or Brooklyn. She'll get a two-bedroom with small closets and a tiny galley kitchen where no salads will ever be made.

[sheetmoss]

RE  Western IL couple, sounds crazy to me to purposely buy a house that's 1.5 hrs each way by car from work for him.

  Can't imagine how long it will be in bad weather

Edited April 3, 2018 by sheetmoss

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, sheetmoss said:

RE  Western IL couple, sounds crazy to me to purposely buy a house that's 1.5 hrs each way by car from work for him.

  Can't imagine how long it will be in bad weather

There had to be more to the story than what we were given.  There is no reason they couldn't have found what they were looking for closer to St Louis if that was their goal.  I wish they wouldn't play around with the backstories so much.  Obviously, a couple who want a house with a lot of land for their many, many rescue animals is not interested in a 3 hour daily commute.

[Pine]

Chicago couple, I winced seeing their Springer Spaniel wearing those godawful booties.  The condo they chose was my least favourite.  But the booties were just too much on a dry sidewalk.

[LBS]

Chicago couple lived in my neighborhood!!  Super cool to see the South Loop represented even though they picked Pilsen.   The South Loop has a lot of new construction going up and the construction by the place they looked at  will be another high rise.  As soon as I saw that I knew they weren’t picking it.  Fine for renting but not for buying.  She just messaged on a South Loop neighborhood private Facebook group that she liked the episode.

[AuntiePam]

4 hours ago, Pine said:

Chicago couple, I winced seeing their Springer Spaniel wearing those godawful booties.  The condo they chose was my least favourite.  But the booties were just too much on a dry sidewalk.

Concrete can be hard on doggie paws.  (No pun intended.)  Depends on how long they'd be walking. 

I didn't watch though, so maybe the dog wore the booties just because the owners thought they looked cute. 

[mojito]

Sacramento, Mid-Century Modern

Yikes. Paying over $100K over asking. I must make a note of getting that much more for my home someday. Nice choices. I'm seeing the appeal of this style of home. 

[Ohwell]

I liked all three of the Sacramento homes.

[jcbrown]

I liked the homes. I also thought that the woman house hunter needed to calibrate her makeup for being seen in HD (and also probably in real life). She was looking a bit Bozo-esque there in some of the closeups.