House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[biakbiak]

34 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

did they travel or something for work? I came in after the introductions and then when I realized she was horrible, I just fast forwarded and watched the reveal)

Yes it was mentioned tgat they lived in various places for his job including Singapore.

[nanometer]

On 4/13/2018 at 8:55 PM, KLovestoShop said:

Fefe is a giant pain in the butt.  What was with her and the small vanity?  In the first house that vanity WAS very, very small.  Hell how much smaller did she want it to be?  What was with her wanting glitz and glam?  Sorry, you're not going to get glitz in a tiny house.   And didn't she know that in a vast majority of tiny houses that the sleeping area is a loft?  I really liked her friend, and I wished he would have kicked her in the butt. 

The HH voiceover called her a "self-proclaimed diva." Let's see how long tiny living lasts!

[laredhead]

Buffalo engaged couple wanting a ton of things on a shoestring budget, well at least the woman did.  The guy was pretty laid back, except for wanting a detached garage with a workshop for his projects.  I had to agree with the woman that a detached garage in Buffalo seemed odd.  I think he wanted to get away from her voice.  What's with these young women and their shrill, upspeak voices.  She worked with seals or porpoises or dolphins at the aquarium I think, so maybe that voice was an asset in her line of work.   I turned on closed captioning for the last house they toured.  

The house they chose was the best of the 3, IMO, and it had a high ceilinged basement which will make it less cave like when they get around to finishing it.  I can't remember which house had a bathroom where the toilet was in the front part of the room with a doorway dividing it from the tub and vanity portion.  That's totally reversed from what is usually done.  It may have been the house they chose, but no one mentioned that.  Reversed with a door installed, would make the bathroom usable for 2 people if one was taking a shower and the other person wanted to put on makeup or wash their hands.  At least there was no mention of needing 2 sinks, but they said they have never lived together in their several years of dating, so I guess they don't know yet that they can't possibly exist with only 1 sink in the bathroom.          

[ehall1052]

Re Missouri diva needing 2 kitchens: I had a Vietnamese friend who put a stove in her laundry room (she could’ve done that!). My friend said she did because so much of their food was fried or sautéed and made a big mess. So really she just needed the range top, not so much the oven.  But from what I could see, that little alcove only had an oven, not a range top. I don’t know about her, but I don’t make a big mess in my oven. No need for a “wet” kitchen for that!

[Kemper]

Fefe Fefe Fefe.  Maybe one of the most annoying house hunters in recent memory.  Agree with above poster...did she want a doll house vanity?  She may be very pleasant and was just putting on the diva act for the teevee.  But boy, I just wanted to slap her.

And where did they film the scenic river scenes?  As posted from someone above, it sure did look like Wilmingon.  Which is maybe 50 miles north of Shallotte...maybe a little less.  I hope FeFe enjoys her house...her friend was a keeper.  Wouldn't mind seeing her in an episode of Where Are They Now.  Or Look What They Have Done To Their House.  Or in Fefe's case, her She Shed.

[Janie430]

OK, did people see last nights one?  The three friends in Atlanta?  From the way the woman talked about the house, and the "starting our own life", I kinda got the feeling they were a polyamorous relationship.  Just me?

[Ohwell]

39 minutes ago, Janie430 said:

OK, did people see last nights one?  The three friends in Atlanta?  From the way the woman talked about the house, and the "starting our own life", I kinda got the feeling they were a polyamorous relationship.  Just me?

I saw that episode and, honestly, I didn't know what to make of them, although I concluded that the "starting our own life" comment was in reference just to her and the boyfriend who purchased the house.  What I thought was strange was that after she said that, he didn't have much of a reaction.   In any event, I hope he can afford the mortgage by himself, just in case the relationships go south. 

[Empress1]

55 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I saw that episode and, honestly, I didn't know what to make of them, although I concluded that the "starting our own life" comment was in reference just to her and the boyfriend who purchased the house.  What I thought was strange was that after she said that, he didn't have much of a reaction.   In any event, I hope he can afford the mortgage by himself, just in case the relationships go south. 

I liked that he was concerned about the budget and said that he was the one on the hook for it. I didn't think three-way relationship, particularly since the girlfriend made a joke about children and he didn't seem into it. I DID think the podcast discussion of which house to buy was kind of corny.

[chocolatine]

I got the feeling that Atlanta HH and his girlfriend were not on the same page. He sees moving her in as a way to help with his mortgage and she thinks it's a step towards marriage and children. The voiceover lady even said explicitly in the beginning that both the girlfriend and the buddy would be paying rent. There have been other episodes where a girlfriend/boyfriend would be moving in with the HH, but there was never any mention of rent. Like @Ohwell said, I hope he can manage the mortgage on his own, because I don't see that relationship lasting long.

Did the HH say what he did for a living aside from podcasting?

[AZ Curls]

Regarding Atlanta Trio, I saw zero chemistry between the couple. On a shallow note, not fat shaming, but her gut area looked awful in those jeans. She needed to wear a longer shirt. 

[aliya]

On 4/7/2018 at 11:02 AM, laredhead said:

Can basements be made to smell like the rest of the house - clean and fresh?  

I lived in Philly and the basement was just for the washer/dryer & the oil furnace. It was dark and clammy, with the bare foundation showing. My understanding is a lot of the older houses in Philly were like that. I lived in DC and we never had dampness or mustiness with a finished basement. I'm in the Midwest now, where you kinda need a basement because of the tornadoes. The 2 places I've lived in have had finished basements, no mustiness.  I guess it all depends on how the basement is finished and if there is good drainage around the foundation.

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, chocolatine said:

The voiceover lady even said explicitly in the beginning that both the girlfriend and the buddy would be paying rent.

One has to wonder if this was just play acting to get 15 minutes of fame and appear on TV.  They may have been little more than acquaintances.  Certainly appeared that way.

[laredhead]

Anaheim episode with the doctor and lawyer buying their first house after searching for the perfect east facing front door house for 3 years.  This couple has gone to the top of my most annoying HH's list.  The word pretentious came to mind all through the episode.  I think they needed to keep the floor to ceiling mirrors in both the living room and dining rooms because there wasn't enough reflective space in that house for each of them to admire themselves.  Her comment about the 4-year old daughter tripping on the stairs made me laugh.  Where do some of these HH's get the idea that children cannot climb stairs?

I knew that was the house they would choose since the front door faced directly east.  That long suffering real estate agent had to be a relative or really need the commission to have stuck with those 2 for 3 years.  In the end she was planning to take out perfectly good granite counter tops and replace them with another granite top, and either replace the cabinets or refinish them.  I'm sure they will be white, but I don't think she ever said what color, only that the present color was not to her liking.  The last scene showed her and the hubby pulling away a corner of the bathroom carpet and her asking what was under it.  Uh, it's the padding, lady.  I'm sure she's never seen what goes into a house, only the end result.  Yes, I would have removed the bathroom carpet too, but to pretend that these 2 would have had anything remotely to do with a home renovation project was laughable.      

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I got the feeling that Atlanta HH and his girlfriend were not on the same page. He sees moving her in as a way to help with his mortgage and she thinks it's a step towards marriage and children. The voiceover lady even said explicitly in the beginning that both the girlfriend and the buddy would be paying rent. There have been other episodes where a girlfriend/boyfriend would be moving in with the HH, but there was never any mention of rent. Like @Ohwell said, I hope he can manage the mortgage on his own, because I don't see that relationship lasting long.

Did the HH say what he did for a living aside from podcasting?

He was an engineer. And I thought the same thing about them not being on the same page, which is a thing you really should get straight before you move in with someone. She definitely saw it as a progression in their relationship and I don't think he did. I could see them having the "Where is this going?" conversation and ending up on different sides.

The Anaheim Hills husband had a speech impediment. The wife seemed like a lot. When she said there's no way she was cleaning a pool, I was like "No shit." There was nothing about her that said "skimming leaves." They'll outsource that like I'm sure they do most of their other household maintenance tasks - they probably have ample money and less time. You could tell their agent was sick of them.

5 minutes ago, laredhead said:

Anaheim episode with the doctor and lawyer buying their first house after searching for the perfect east facing front door house for 3 years.  This couple has gone to the top of my most annoying HH's list.  The word pretentious came to mind all through the episode.  I think they needed to keep the floor to ceiling mirrors in both the living room and dining rooms because there wasn't enough reflective space in that house for each of them to admire themselves.  Her comment about the 4-year old daughter tripping on the stairs made me laugh.  Where do some of these HH's get the idea that children cannot climb stairs?

I knew that was the house they would choose since the front door faced directly east.  That long suffering real estate agent had to be a relative or really need the commission to have stuck with those 2 for 3 years.  In the end she was planning to take out perfectly good granite counter tops and replace them with another granite top, and either replace the cabinets or refinish them.  I'm sure they will be white, but I don't think she ever said what color, only that the present color was not to her liking.  The last scene showed her and the hubby pulling away a corner of the bathroom carpet and her asking what was under it.  Uh, it's the padding, lady.  I'm sure she's never seen what goes into a house, only the end result.  Yes, I would have removed the bathroom carpet too, but to pretend that these 2 would have had anything remotely to do with a home renovation project was laughable.      

Also, kids get older and more capable of climbing stairs as time goes on. Jesus. She's not going to be little for that much longer. (She was cute. "I can do surgery and shots!")

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

Where do some of these HH's get the idea that children cannot climb stairs?

With all the unnecessary and often untrue bragging people do about their children, why do so many in turn make their kids seem completely uncoordinated and unable to navigate the simplest terrain?  Geez....it seems they'd be shouting from the rooftop how their 4 year old can back handspring down an entire flight of stairs, instead of falling to their death off of a five inch step. 

I gave up on these two right around the second house.  They were sooooo impressed with themselves.  Glad they found each other.  I was also surprised with her Dr. Kardashian look that she chose to wear her scrubs for her big t.v. debut instead of a different evening gown for each scene.  But even the scrubs came across as pretentious, like a fake scammer who wears a stethoscope to the bar. 

[chocolatine]

I swear I've seen at least one other episode before where the HH wanted the house to face east, and I believe it was an Indian HH as well. I have to ask one of my Indian friends what that's about.

9 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

I was also surprised with her Dr. Kardashian look that she chose to wear her scrubs for her big t.v. debut instead of a different evening gown for each scene.  But even the scrubs came across as pretentious, like a fake scammer who wears a stethoscope to the bar. 

My thoughts exactly. "Dr. Kardashian" down to the over-the-top makeup and hair extensions. The voiceover lady called them a "power couple" several times. Blech.

9 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Also, kids get older and more capable of climbing stairs as time goes on. Jesus. She's not going to be little for that much longer.

My five-year-old nephew is all smug that he gets to go on the stairs and his one-year-old cousin doesn't. "Stairs are for big boys," according to him.

Edited April 19, 2018 by chocolatine

[mojito]

Fortunately, her mother wasn't so stupid about stairs. She's 7 (he's 57)....

Edited April 19, 2018 by mojito

[KLovestoShop]

I wonder what kind of doctor the Anaheim wife is?  One things for sure, I don’t think I’d want her to be my doctor, especially if she paints her face like that every day.  What is it with these parents and their concern over things that can happen?  Anaheim wife didn’t like steps or a pool.  There was a Mom the other day who said the pond, which was quite far from the house, was an accident waiting to happen.  Haven’t these people heard of fences?

Edited April 19, 2018 by KLovestoShop

[laredhead]

KLovestoShop, I believe that was the eastern Kansas couple who couldn't agree (big shock) on size of lot or house style.  He wanted 20 acres and a house that needed some work.  All she wanted was a place to do her artwork and get away from the husband and 2 boys.  As long as she got what she wanted, she was going to be happy.  Those 2 boys would have a blast growing up on 20 acres with a pond.  The dad wanted to show the boys how to fix things like his dad had done with him, and he loved home improvement project.  I was thinking the entire episode why I couldn't find a man like that because I love that type of thing too.  What a wonderful childhood those boys will have on the 20 acres, and their memories of helping their day will stay with them.  In the end the wife won on the no pond ultimatum, and she got her art studio area, but the husband got his 20 acres and a great workshop.   

[Babalooie]

14 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

 One things for sure, I don’t think I’d want her to be my doctor,

I am serious that it took only three words out of her mouth to turn me off.  They were both pretty plastic.  I'm guessing that she is in the cosmetic surgery medical field.  Or...since it was in Anaheim, perhaps they were really Disney audio animatronic people.

[Empress1]

Did the woman in Naples, FL seem ditzy to anyone else?

[topanga]

9 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Did the woman in Naples, FL seem ditzy to anyone else?

Yes. I still have to finish it, but in 5 minutes I watched, she annoyed me. 

[doodlebug]

43 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Did the woman in Naples, FL seem ditzy to anyone else?

Yes, she seemed to think there was something really cute about acting like an idiot.  No way she had the money, the time or the expertise to completely renovate the first home and she knew it, IMO.  But, yet, she had to run through the place declaring she was gonna knock out walls and rebuild it from the studs out. She's one of those folks who thinks it's adorable to be quirky! and perky!  No.  It's not.

Also, if your plan for homeownership involves renting out bedrooms in your house to strangers in order to pay the mortgage, you really need another plan.  It's one thing to buy a duplex or a place with a separate apartment for rental income; letting strangers share your living space is not cool once you're out of college.

[ehall1052]

Well, I have to defend Cricket in the Naples episode. I actually know her. She’s the girlfriend of a very close friend. I told my husband last night that the forum is going to think she flaky. But in reality she is not! She’s a successful business owner and very nice. Now I’m convinced there’s bad editing and fed lines to make people look that way! Knowing that, I would NEVER go on that show. I’d hate to read what everyone would say about me.

[meep.meep]

On 4/17/2018 at 6:43 PM, Empress1 said:

I liked that he was concerned about the budget and said that he was the one on the hook for it. I didn't think three-way relationship, particularly since the girlfriend made a joke about children and he didn't seem into it. I DID think the podcast discussion of which house to buy was kind of corny.

The Atlanta 3 - I thought they were fine folks.  It was a relief to see people who can compromise.  I was thinking that they were going to pull out the other guy's girlfriend at the last minute to justify getting the biggest place.  More roommates make things more affordable.

I'd kill to buy a 4 bedroom house for $200K.  There's a burned out home in San Jose that is apparently receiving multiple cash offers around $1M.

[AuntiePam]

The couple in Oklahoma with five kids -- what nice people!  Respectful of each other's wants and needs, and nothing felt like manufactured for drama.  One weird thing was that the wife mentioned a master bedroom where the bathroom had no door, but there was a door on the bathroom.  Might have been a disconnect between the film editor and the narration. 

Whatever, nice couple, nice kids, good choice for the house.

[mojito]

Quote

One weird thing was that the wife mentioned a master bedroom where the bathroom had no door, but there was a door on the bathroom. 

I may know the scene you're talking about because I did a double take on one of the bathrooms. The door was an interior door inside the bathroom, I think. Maybe to the water closet. 

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

One weird thing was that the wife mentioned a master bedroom where the bathroom had no door, but there was a door on the bathroom. 

I thought I spotted the latch for a pocket door as well.  I agree, it was a stress free watch all around.  I enjoy those so much more than the stupid sniping that seems to be so prevalent.

[doodlebug]

45 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

I thought I spotted the latch for a pocket door as well.  I agree, it was a stress free watch all around.  I enjoy those so much more than the stupid sniping that seems to be so prevalent.

They were very realistic and nice. And, heaven forbid, actually thought it was a great idea for their kids to share bedrooms.  All of the houses had a lot to offer, too, and at very reasonable prices.

[Babalooie]

The OK couple was great.  FINALLY!  My thoughts were that they should have made a lower offer and gotten the third house and that with five kids she didn't REALLY want white kitchen cabinets.  I can't keep mine clean with two people in the house.

[Empress1]

The OK couple was indeed nice. The wife reminded me of Melissa McCarthy. I was happy for the daughter getting her own room.

56 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

The OK couple was great.  FINALLY!  My thoughts were that they should have made a lower offer and gotten the third house and that with five kids she didn't REALLY want white kitchen cabinets.  I can't keep mine clean with two people in the house.

I had the same thought about white cabinets. White cabinets in a home with seven people will stay dirty. Maybe she didn't mind.

[BTBAM310]

On 4/5/2018 at 8:11 PM, AuntiePam said:

The haircut and mustache were both from the 1890's.  They were a nice couple though.  Seems that their only disagreement was about basements -- which was weird, because most Midwest houses will have a basement, so it's a feature he should be accustomed to.

I liked the ranch house best -- it had the space he needed for working on their vehicles -- but it did need a bit of kitchen and bathroom renovation.  The setting was pretty too.  The house they chose needed some trees. 

I like seeing upper Midwest houses.  I think there was a Rapid City hunt last week, so maybe there'll be more in the area. 

Just watched this one last night. The husband seemed like he was trying way too hard with the mustache. When you saw the pictures of them when they were younger, he looked pretty average and then present day he was this wannabe hipster.

[Ottis]

I wasn’t as enamored of the OK couple as others. What was with their weird preoccupation with the entry way? You stand in it for two seconds. Walk through or look at a nice painting or mirror on the facing wall. 

Also, they wanted a lot for 250k, even in OK. Given the size of their family, it’s understandable they needed more bedrooms and bathrooms. Behind that, not sure you can be very picky. Narrow yard, lightness and darkness of each room, etc. 

Also, what in the world made them move so much? The show never explained. He didn’t look military. I’m guessing it’s tied to their religion? 

[BlossomCulp]

Just watched the one with the guys buying a "Captain's House" in Orlando.  I know they have to get creative sometime to find a bone of contention with the couple but this one was just dumb.  The one guy who didn't want to live in a more remote house because he watches too much true crime TV. Seriously?  And then when they did buy the house by the lake that they claimed was not near neighbours but then showed them in the front yard of what was obviously a suburban street with driveways all up and down the road?  Sheesh!

[Pickles]

I am obviously cranky tonight, because I am complaining about all of these episodes. The DC teacher looking for a rowhouse. I know DC is not for me. I found all three houses really unappealing. This guy was moving out of a house shared with three other guys. He was now buying a house, but then again was going to rent rooms to three random guys. I get that he had to do that to make his mortgage payment (I guess), but it would not be the way I would want to live in my thirties. He said he came from a big family and obviously enjoyed living with others. Different strokes for different folks.

[laredhead]

After watching the Washington, D.C. episode tonight, I know I could never live in D.C. because I don't want to have to share my house with 2 or 3 other people not related to me.  I cannot believe what people pay in rent for such small rooms.  I know they never show all of each house, but the basement in the house the buyer chose did not look like it had a window that would be large enough to allow a person to exit in case of fire.  The only window they showed was a small one high up on the wall.  The square footage upstairs was only about 1,050 sf and there was going to have to be bathroom sharing.  Also, I'm not a fan of row houses.  Have said before that they make me claustrophobic.  I wasn't impressed with any of the houses.

I'm guessing that the relationship with the girlfriend isn't progressing to marriage or live-in status anytime soon, especially since he has now rented all of the other bedrooms to guys. 

Pickles, as I was typing my review of the D.C. episode, yours popped up.  We are on the same wavelength with the D.C. episode.

Edited April 24, 2018 by laredhead
Add content

[Thumper]

Agree on the D.C. episode.  None of those places appealed to me.  The "big deck" on one of the places did not look big to me, but it did look rickety!  I did like the kitchen in the place he chose.

[KLovestoShop]

I was really wondering about the supposed girlfriend of the D.C. man.  She already owns a house, so if they were serious, why didn't he just move in with her?  And I just didn't get his excuse that he was the oldest child in his family, so that's why he doesn't like to live alone.  And who would want to rent that horribly tiny bedroom?   It would drive me crazy?  

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

And who would want to rent that horribly tiny bedroom?

I am guessing that because 1) everything in DC and the surrounding area is hideously expensive and 2) a lot of young folks, especially in government jobs, are transients that they put up with a small room just to have affordable digs for a while.  It's an awful city with bad traffic in and out so commuting from the outskirts isn't easy.  Couldn't pay me to live there.

[Empress1]

When I saw the description ("DC Mathematician seeks a row house in the pricey DC market") I wondered if it was my high school classmate, who is a statistician in DC. I believe he works for the Feds. I would be shocked to see him on TV though, and y'all would be talking about him because he's a little odd (I think he's on the spectrum and he has always been a legit math genius - college math classes starting in 7th grade, etc.). It wasn't him though! 

9 hours ago, Pickles said:

I am obviously cranky tonight, because I am complaining about all of these episodes. The DC teacher looking for a rowhouse. I know DC is not for me. I found all three houses really unappealing. This guy was moving out of a house shared with three other guys. He was now buying a house, but then again was going to rent rooms to three random guys. I get that he had to do that to make his mortgage payment (I guess), but it would not be the way I would want to live in my thirties. He said he came from a big family and obviously enjoyed living with others. Different strokes for different folks.

I wouldn't want to live with strangers in my 30s either. I haven't lived with a stranger since college - my roommates in my 20s were friends of friends who became friends (we're still friends). Was the girlfriend moving in?

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

I am guessing that because 1) everything in DC and the surrounding area is hideously expensive and 2) a lot of young folks, especially in government jobs, are transients that they put up with a small room just to have affordable digs for a while.  It's an awful city with bad traffic in and out so commuting from the outskirts isn't easy.  Couldn't pay me to live there.

I'm sure he can rent that room out, TBH - in fact, he said he had. A summer intern used to sleeping in dorm twin beds would be fine in there. In my 20s in NYC I knew more than one person who rented a closet or half of a living room; I'm sure his spare bedrooms will stay full. Again, not how I'd want to live (I'd at LEAST want to rent to people I knew), but hey, not my house.

[chessiegal]

I noted that never once did they mention what area in DC he was looking. They have mostly done that in the past. Certainly didn't look like an appealing area. DC has some nice areas with beautiful single homes. He sure wasn't living in one of them.

[Pickles]

I think they said his girlfriend already owned a home. I wonder how many people she was renting rooms to? Lol.

[Ohwell]

DC episode:  I grew up there, and it looked like he was living in either S.E. or N.E. where it's still being gentrified.  Nobody sits on their porch drinking anything, or stands on their "balcony" because there's still a lot of crime in some areas and you just might hear gunshots.   I also wondered where the girlfriend lived because if she owns a home I doubt it's in DC because, unless she has a very high-paying job, she couldn't afford to live in a decent area alone.   Maybe it's a condo apartment but, even so, it's very expensive.        

[Pickles]

The girlfriend was also a special ed teacher. I was surprised that he was approved for a $500k mortgage on a teacher salary.

[KLovestoShop]

I was surprised by the salary schedule for DC teachers.  At the highest level, you can earn more than $100,000 plus a yearly bonus of $25,000.  Being a former teacher, that's a pretty good salary.  They said the guy was some kind of Math leader, which might mean that he's part of curriculum and instruction, which pays more.  I'm just guessing, but I bet he's a 12 month employee, and if he has a Master's his salary, plus years of service, he could go as high as $ 124,000 plus bonuses.  DC's former superintendent fought to raise teacher pay in order to keep good teachers.  But attrition is very high in DC as it's a very difficult district.

I highly doubt he's in the Georgetown area.  That's the bastion of government officials.   

[Ohwell]

13 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

I highly doubt he's in the Georgetown area.  That's the bastion of government officials.   

No friggin' way is he in Georgetown, lol.  

[aguabella]

Atlanta friends seemed like roommates, to me.  Could be fwb for the homeowner.  Hopefully the young woman understands and doesn't gets hurt.  She did mention needing her own space.  And, the home had 4 ensuites (basically) so perhaps she gets it.

Although the home's feng shui felt off, it was a terrific roommate house, assuming the location's as good as indicated.  If the h/o completes the minor repairs and limits his kitchen budget, good chance to move up in a few years, depending on the market ...

Lenders don't typically include roommate revenue so he (most likely) qualified on his own.

 

(Sorry to be behind ...)

Edited April 25, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 4/20/2018 at 1:25 PM, ehall1052 said:

Well, I have to defend Cricket in the Naples episode. I actually know her. She’s the girlfriend of a very close friend. I told my husband last night that the forum is going to think she flaky. But in reality she is not! She’s a successful business owner and very nice. Now I’m convinced there’s bad editing and fed lines to make people look that way! Knowing that, I would NEVER go on that show. I’d hate to read what everyone would say about me.

Good to hear.  Thanks for posting.  I noticed her business.

Yes, it's semi-scripted and given the hours filmed (40+ for a 22 minute episode), they can edit the characters / participants / actors to suit any desired plot.  Hopefully Cricket read her talent contract carefully and understood that going in.

I try to give the participants the benefit of the doubt but hey, in exchange for their 15 minutes, they're fair game.  Might be best for Cricket to avoid the HH / HGTV social media for awhile, lol.

P.S.  Looks like she's doing a great job with that place!  I'm sure everyone would love to see her b&a photos when she completes the work.  Good luck to her! 

[aguabella]

On 4/18/2018 at 7:15 AM, laredhead said:

Anaheim episode with the doctor and lawyer buying their first house after searching for the perfect east facing front door house for 3 years.  This couple has gone to the top of my most annoying HH's list.  The word pretentious came to mind all through the episode.  I think they needed to keep the floor to ceiling mirrors in both the living room and dining rooms because there wasn't enough reflective space in that house for each of them to admire themselves.  Her comment about the 4-year old daughter tripping on the stairs made me laugh.  Where do some of these HH's get the idea that children cannot climb stairs?

I knew that was the house they would choose since the front door faced directly east.  That long suffering real estate agent had to be a relative or really need the commission to have stuck with those 2 for 3 years.  In the end she was planning to take out perfectly good granite counter tops and replace them with another granite top, and either replace the cabinets or refinish them.  I'm sure they will be white, but I don't think she ever said what color, only that the present color was not to her liking.  The last scene showed her and the hubby pulling away a corner of the bathroom carpet and her asking what was under it.  Uh, it's the padding, lady.  I'm sure she's never seen what goes into a house, only the end result.  Yes, I would have removed the bathroom carpet too, but to pretend that these 2 would have had anything remotely to do with a home renovation project was laughable.      

Honestly, given the frequency that these hh's complain about stairs, they got the idea from HGTV / PieTown (production company!  Whenever something's repeated ad nauseam on HH, it's a standard, semi-scripted plot. 

Guessing someone on an early episode compared 3 homes, pre-filming, including two-story homes v. a ranch-style plus kids and the idea stuck, unfortunately.  Or, someone on set had a childhood freak accident and resulting stair phobia, lol.

Yep, tragedy:  Anaheim Hills doctor planned to rip out upgraded granite.  My guess:  she replaces it with white quartz and/or marble.  She did, however, plan to retain the cabinets and had mentioned the typical white kitchen.

Then we had the scrubs plus excessive makeup.  And, they purchased the hilltop, doctor house.  She definitely reminded us, constantly, of her status. 

Everybody notice they hadn't moved in, wearing the same clothes in every closing scene?  No way she ever skims a leaf let alone cleans the pool or rips out carpet.  Yeah, it's the padding, lady!

Didn't notice the realtor but initially he seemed like a family member.  The realtors understand that some clients require many hours and might not purchase a home, in the end.  At worst, they hope for a few family and/or business acquaintance referrals.

Oh, the home facing east ... it's good luck to face the rising sun in the morning.  Either Grandma forgot or Mrs. MD ignored the proverb's second half.  The main back door should face west, for sundown.  Their infill lot tract home featured a sideways exit to the pool.  Oops! 

Edited April 25, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 4/20/2018 at 8:24 PM, AuntiePam said:

The couple in Oklahoma with five kids -- what nice people!  Respectful of each other's wants and needs, and nothing felt like manufactured for drama.  One weird thing was that the wife mentioned a master bedroom where the bathroom had no door, but there was a door on the bathroom.  Might have been a disconnect between the film editor and the narration. 

Whatever, nice couple, nice kids, good choice for the house.

You're correct, AuntiePam, that particular house had the 80's style open vanity, closed WC.  IIRC, however, during the episode's wish-list scenes, she expressed her desire for a closed bathroom.  To demonstrate, they had her kids accost her as she attempted to get ready, standing at the mirror in their rental home's open vanity. 

Given that, I believe she wanted the entire bathroom closed. longing for a minute or two to herself in the morning!  Nice family but too many 80's homes in that town!