House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[CrazyInAlabama]

My issue with the 3 rentals house is unless I missed it, there wasn't an outside staircase for the attic apartment, and there is no way you can rent an apartment without a second egress.   My guess is to rent the attic apartment, or because they're rehabbing the place, there will have to be a steel outside staircase added to the house.    I bet they were never allowed to rent the attic, so it's only the first floor, second floor, and a basement unit (if there was a basement unit, I'm not sure).   I can't believe they passed on the nicely redone first one.    They could have moved into the smaller unit, rented the main floor, and paid their mortgage.     

Or maybe the true story is that they are going to stay where they are now, rehab the 3 flat, and rent the entire place out.   It wouldn't be the first time the backstory was totally different than they showed.     I bet the two of them are going into the rehab and rent market, and manage the units themselves.     I'm hoping they hired help, so the poor man didn't croak from his allergies.  

[msmarjoribanks]

Eastern Washington couple with two little kids, husband was former football player.

I liked the middle house least -- the other two had great location-based features you can't add (the lake for the first one, plus a nice yard with pool, amazing views for the third), but I knew they'd pick the boring bland middle one because it was the biggest a new build (in a development still being built, everything looked the same) and had the white kitchen the wife of course thought was her dream.

I'm so bored of the white kitchen obsession.  

Wife was bugging me since she seemed to be a stay at home but kept complaining that her husband's budget was too small, he needed to open his wallet.

Third place (while I liked it a lot) was really too similar in size to the house they were leaving and over budget, so I would have picked the first and just reno'd it some.  It didn't need to be completely gutted like the wife was insisting.  But oh well, they are happy, even if I would have made a difference choice.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

In the Washington episode, what I disliked the most was the husband who is paying for the house just wanted something where he didn't have to do stairs all of the time, and where he didn't hit the ceiling either.     So he ends up in a two story house that will be hell on his legs, and any issues that develop over time from his football career.    The couple could have rehabbed the first house, and had access to the waterfront, and it still would have been under budget, since I don't think they have a truthful budget on this show in it's entire history.  Plus, a new build requires window treatments, they had to spend many thousands on the back yard, and I'm sure the wife will have high dollar expectations about the basement finishing also.    I also think she'll be the one who whines about construction noise for years.  

Edited November 23, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[ByaNose]

Washington episode. The rancher with the killer views was awesome. It was over their budget and the same amount of bedrooms as their current house. I can why they passed but those views were amazing. The house they picked in their current neighborhood was nice. They did a nice job on the back yard. They looked like they were starting some type of fencing but I couldn’t tell what kind. They looked like metal Y shaped things. Anyone have any idea what the ending product would look like? I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before. All in all, the couple seems like a fun duo and like to needle each other. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I bet the extensions sticking up from the fence posts were channels that hold whatever materials they're putting up for the actual fence, and probably have something to do with the top rail too.   I've seen some fences that have solid panels that have channels on the sides like that.  

[ByaNose]

38 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I bet the extensions sticking up from the fence posts were channels that hold whatever materials they're putting up for the actual fence, and probably have something to do with the top rail too.   I've seen some fences that have solid panels that have channels on the sides like that.  

Thanks.

[msmarjoribanks]

Colorado, wanted house in the mountains, wife wanted to walk to town, had a baby daughter, dog, two bunnies.

I loved all the options and didn't (unusually) know which one they would pick, but I liked the choice since I also would prioritize walkability to town.  They were (as usual) convinced white appliances were unworkable, but then seem to have kept them, and overly worried about small bedrooms when the rest of the rooms were spacious (I'd prefer that tradeoff, and the supposedly tiny room for the baby seemed about the size of the room I grew up in).  No garage was a genuine issue in CO, IMO, but as a bonus there was an this extra cottage and room to build a garage, so options for space.

[msmarjoribanks]

On 11/11/2018 at 10:41 AM, sempervivum said:

I liked them too, but wondered why they were pushing the 'we want to be able to walk downtown' theme. As someone here noted, it is blazing hot in Palm Springs (unless they were only going to walk after dark?)

That seemed to be the deciding factor, though, and as someone in Chicago, that I am walking distance to the L and areas I like was important to where I decided to live.

I liked all the places they looked at but assumed the walking distance thing would be the decider. 

I have a double sink and want to replace it with a single sink, so sympathized with that guy.

[CruiseDiva]

I record the episodes on the DVR and watch them later. This morning I caught one of a couple moving from Florida to the Atlanta area. They were so reasonable and loving and their little boy was adorable. I enjoying the joking back and forth about needing a three car garage for his future sports car. The houses they saw all had two car garages and he seemed fine with that as long as he had a spot for a manly sized TV. I would like to have them as neighbors.

[Kenzie]

1 hour ago, stewedsquash said:

Shallow alert: I kept being distracted from their story, the houses, the final choice because the lady in the Colorado episode had such greasy, flat, separated hair. Like it hadn't been washed in weeks. So I had to rewind a lot to get through the segments. I like the the house they picked. And they didn't do any of the annoying must haves, can't because kids, schtick. Yet with the kid thing, I am not overly cautious but even I did a little intake of breath when the little toddler was pushing on that picture window at the end! I think they picked a great house with a great view over the town. Hopefully they will return for Where Are They Now with updates. 

I wanted to like the Tampa couple but they annoyed me.

Does anyone remember a recent episode, within the last three to four months, where in the opening storyline in a restaurant part the wife kept telling the husband to tell her she was pretty? That was weird as hell to me. She was adamant that he say on camera You are pretty...Huh? what the hell is your problem woman? 

She really bothered me. Every time she opened her mouth - which was often - it was a shrewish complaint or another dissing of her husbands wish list. And she wanted to replace the travertine floors with tile?

I hope she gets her private toilet and he locks her in.

[msmarjoribanks]

39 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

I record the episodes on the DVR and watch them later. This morning I caught one of a couple moving from Florida to the Atlanta area. They were so reasonable and loving and their little boy was adorable. I enjoying the joking back and forth about needing a three car garage for his future sports car. The houses they saw all had two car garages and he seemed fine with that as long as he had a spot for a manly sized TV. I would like to have them as neighbors.

That was a fun episode and I liked all the houses, although I liked the third the best and they took the first.

[jcbrown]

3 minutes ago, msmarjoribanks said:

That was a fun episode and I liked all the houses, although I liked the third the best and they took the first.

Totally agree. If they had had an option (which we know they didn't, since they had to already be in escrow on the other one), it would have been nuts not to take the third house.

[Empress1]

3 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Totally agree. If they had had an option (which we know they didn't, since they had to already be in escrow on the other one), it would have been nuts not to take the third house.

I thought the exterior of the third house was beautiful. My best friend grew up in Marietta, GA so I was happy to see it on TV. I liked the couple too (the husband was cute).

[Pickles]

Minneapolis young couple with a $1.6 million budget. Must be nice! They must come from money or have flipped properties and made a lot of money. Sounded like they had moved frequently and remodeled each home. The wife did something in the beauty business and the husband helped people with disabilities and addictions? It was obvious which house they chose, since it was already being renovated. They seemed nice and their kids were cute. 

[ByaNose]

Minneapolis couple with the hot husband seem way wealthy. Must be nice. I’m sure the remodel of the home will beautiful. Personally, I liked the new build. It was so shiny & new. Of course, with the new house they can put their own stamp on it. Has that phrase ever been used? <sarcasm>

[LittleIggy]

Minneapolis: Yeah, where did the money come from that they had such a large budget (plus the reno budget!). His job sounded non-profit, and she worked in “beauty” industry (I think that’s what she said.) I liked the first house and loved the third.

[doodlebug]

6 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Minneapolis: Yeah, where did the money come from that they had such a large budget (plus the reno budget!). His job sounded non-profit, and she worked in “beauty” industry (I think that’s what she said.) I liked the first house and loved the third.

She worked from home in the 'beauty industry'.  I'm thinking Mary Kay.  Even if they had flipped several houses prior to this one and had a fair amount of equity, it seems to me that they must have another source of income.  Most likely a substantial trust fund/inheritance.  No way either one of them earned enough income to be able to afford that place otherwise.  In the brief shot we saw, it looked like the house in St Paul that they'd sold was a large stately place, too.

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, Pickles said:

They must come from money or have flipped properties and made a lot of money. Sounded like they had moved frequently and remodeled each home. The wife did something in the beauty business and the husband helped people with disabilities and addictions?

I assumed the money didn't come from their jobs; odds are great his job doesn't pay well. He said his mother cared for his brother, who has a brain injury so I'm guessing his brother is the inspiration behind his career choice, which I think is lovely.

[pally]

The Minneapolis house would be a perfect one for a Renovations episode.  I would love to see how the house turned out.  

[DownTheShore]

Hello again to everyone! I haven't been on this forum for a while - been hanging out in the Shopping Channel forums, though I still watch all the house hunting shows. Hope everyone is doing well. 😊

Taos NM:  Apparently single mother who makes her living as a shaman (non-Native American or any apparent flavor of ethnic, so that turned on my BS meter) from VA where she owns a (40+? acre) farm, comes into an inheritance and plans to spend 1.25 million or so on a second home & retreat in Taos NM.

She claims that Taos is directly on the other side of the world from Nepal, and that the priests from Nepal make a yearly visit to Taos.

Right off the bat, she is lying. Taos is not antipodal to Nepal. It's antipodal point is in the Indian Ocean. So no mystical hoo-doo about a Nepalese connection.

She also didn't break any sweat about spending all that money on a second home.

She also played up that the eagle was her spirit animal (of course it would be the eagle, that fit her narrative better). My understanding of Native American shamanism is that a spirit animal is a basically private thing, that one doesn't go around naming it to others, out of respect for the honor of being chosen.

Edited November 27, 2018 by DownTheShore
ETA title: Season 149, Episode 4 Firewalking in New Mexico

[Kenzie]

46 minutes ago, DownTheShore said:

Hello again to everyone! I haven't been on this forum for a while - been hanging out in the Shopping Channel forums, though I still watch all the house hunting shows. Hope everyone is doing well. 😊

Taos NM:  Apparently single mother who makes her living as a shaman (non-Native American or any apparent flavor of ethnic, so that turned on my BS meter) from VA where she owns a (40+? acre) farm, comes into an inheritance and plans to spend 1.25 million or so on a second home & retreat in Taos NM.

She claims that Taos is directly on the other side of the world from Nepal, and that the priests from Nepal make a yearly visit to Taos.

Right off the bat, she is lying. Taos is not antipodal to Nepal. It's antipodal point is in the Indian Ocean. So no mystical hoo-doo about a Nepalese connection.

She also didn't break any sweat about spending all that money on a second home.

She also played up that the eagle was her spirit animal (of course it would be the eagle, that fit her narrative better). My understanding of Native American shamanism is that a spirit animal is a basically private thing, that one doesn't go around naming it to others, out of respect for the honor of being chosen.

This makes me think of those people who while working on their genealogy seem to always find a famous king or queen from a thousand years ago that they're related to. It's never a poor milkmaid or fish monger.

[Kohola3]

9 minutes ago, Kenzie said:

This makes me think of those people who while working on their genealogy seem to always find a famous king or queen from a thousand years ago that they're related to. It's never a poor milkmaid or fish monger.

Same with those who claim to be reincarnated.  Not a serf or galley slave among them.

That woman was just nuts.  I couldn't even finish watching that one.

[Empress1]

4 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Same with those who claim to be reincarnated.  Not a serf or galley slave among them.

That woman was just nuts.  I couldn't even finish watching that one.

I turned it off the second she said "shaman."

[CruiseDiva]

10 hours ago, pally said:

The Minneapolis house would be a perfect one for a Renovations episode.  I would love to see how the house turned out.  

It would be and HGTV probably already has it ready to air.

I felt kind of bad for the wife because that newbuild house was perfect for her until they talked about wanting to rent out a carriage house when family wasn't staying there. Can you say Air B&B? I found that to be something of a turn-off.

[msmarjoribanks]

16 hours ago, doodlebug said:

She worked from home in the 'beauty industry'.  I'm thinking Mary Kay.  Even if they had flipped several houses prior to this one and had a fair amount of equity, it seems to me that they must have another source of income.  Most likely a substantial trust fund/inheritance.  No way either one of them earned enough income to be able to afford that place otherwise.  In the brief shot we saw, it looked like the house in St Paul that they'd sold was a large stately place, too.

Yeah, likely, that seems to be common enough on HHers.  If they timed it right and made a bunch on the old place it could be from that, though.

I loved the place they got, want to see how it turns out.  Tons of work, but potential too.

[LittleIggy]

Podunk, Georgia: They named that poor girl “Bliss”? Wonder how many times she has been called “Blister” by other kids. I liked the new build house. Hope the boys enjoyed having to go downstairs to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

[edie3]

Issaquah, WA. show.  Was there anything sweeter than the daughter crying over the new puppy?  

[Kohola3]

Georgia mayor - finally someone who likes defined rooms as I do.  Lots of work to be done on that place, though.

[msmarjoribanks]

17 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Georgia mayor - finally someone who likes defined rooms as I do.  Lots of work to be done on that place, though.

Yeah, I loved that they wanted all the defined rooms, and I think the place was charming, although lots of work.  I initially thought they should go with the second, as it seemed much more practical, but it seemed like they really loved the first and were willing to do the work over time.  I enjoyed them.

[ByaNose]

I would like HGTV to decorate my house for Christmas. All the houses (3 episodes) last night looked like they were from a Hallmark movie. They guys with the twins. I kept cracking up when the one guy kept on crying about his kids while the other one just looked at him like, "Hold it together, dude!". LOL!!!!

[CrazyInAlabama]

There are also very expensive home beauty industry businesses, Rodan & Fields for one, and I think there are some that make Mary Kay look inexpensive. 

I'm still amazed at the budgets some of these couples have, and wonder how many of these super expensive homes have huge utility bills, and maintenance that the homeowners can't afford.    

My guess is that any time there is a mother-in-law suite, that it's for rental, or Airbnb.      And I'm cynical enough about the beach front, and resort buyers that keep harping on amenities, and number of people that can sleep there, that the place is for weekly rental.     I'm sure any condo or house that can't be rented a week at a time, or has other rental restrictions gets passed over.    

Edited November 29, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kohola3]

11 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm still amazed at the budgets some of these couples have, and wonder how many of these super expensive homes have huge utility bills, and maintenance that the homeowners can't afford.    

 

And taxes.  That's a huge black hole that is never mentioned.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Many also have HOA fees too.  

[Pickles]

New Mexico episode. What did the husband do for a living that required them to move so frequently? I was not crazy about any of the homes. The one they chose was not appealing to me at all. The wife seemed pretty snarky. And she needed a bra with more support. 

[LittleIggy]

Albuquerque: I lived there a long time ago and love the adobe houses. I’m glad they picked the one they did. The only thing I didn’t like about it was the carpet in the dining area when the rest of the space had tiled floors.

[Ohwell]

I got the feeling that the wife wasn't too thrilled moving to Albuquerque, but she could have put on a happier face for the cameras.  I saw enough of that area watching Breaking Bad episodes, so I know I wouldn't be thrilled looking at desert either.  I'd be scared to death of snakes.   

[LennieBriscoe]

Albuquerque: Living in a desert. Yeah, no. Do not find scrubland hills a "beautiful view."  Meow: Both spouses looked to have had "work done" to have the defined jawlines of their younger years.

[Booklady1017]

I was trying to figure out how old the Albuquerque wife was to have grandchildren and all.  She did make herself look young. I thought the view was nice but if you prefer water, that's not the place for you. 

Yes the wife was a little too snarky. 

In the Georgia home, I thought the house they picked was a money pit. It was charming yes, but I could see a lot of issues with the floors, foundation, roof etc that would be difficult to deal with, plus the kitchen and bathrooms that needed updating.

The Olympian in Issaquah, WA annoyed me because why did he want all that outdoor space? Was he building a farm or something? I liked the house they picked though .

[Empress1]

3 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I got the feeling that the wife wasn't too thrilled moving to Albuquerque, but she could have put on a happier face for the cameras.  I saw enough of that area watching Breaking Bad episodes, so I know I wouldn't be thrilled looking at desert either.  I'd be scared to death of snakes.   

I hate the desert and am afraid of snakes, so I don't even think I COULD do this show if I had to move to the desert because I'd be so mad. Y'all would be talking about me. "Why doesn't she smile?"

1 hour ago, Booklady1017 said:

I was trying to figure out how old the Albuquerque wife was to have grandchildren and all.  She did make herself look young. I thought the view was nice but if you prefer water, that's not the place for you. 

Yes the wife was a little too snarky. 

In the Georgia home, I thought the house they picked was a money pit. It was charming yes, but I could see a lot of issues with the floors, foundation, roof etc that would be difficult to deal with, plus the kitchen and bathrooms that needed updating.

The Olympian in Issaquah, WA annoyed me because why did he want all that outdoor space? Was he building a farm or something? I liked the house they picked though .

I think they said they'd been married 31 years so I figured she was in her mid-50s. If she had a kid in her mid-20s and then so did that kid, they'd be grandparents. My pediatrician when I was growing up was a grandmother at 50-ish - she married and had kids young and one of her kids followed suit (the other waited a bit longer).

[Booklady1017]

Thanks Empress. That makes sense. 

[Empress1]

8 minutes ago, Booklady1017 said:

Thanks Empress. That makes sense. 

Sure. Actually now that I think about it, my own grandmothers were grandmothers at around 50. My parents had me (oldest) at 30 but my grandmothers had their first kids (my parents) at 19 and 20. 

[jcbrown]

16 hours ago, Pickles said:

New Mexico episode. What did the husband do for a living that required them to move so frequently? I was not crazy about any of the homes. The one they chose was not appealing to me at all. The wife seemed pretty snarky. And she needed a bra with more support. 

He was a program manager for a defense contractor.

[Ottis]

19 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Many also have HOA fees too. 

I'm amazed at how nonchalant buyers seem to be over HOA fees. Because unlike your set house payment, HOA fees keep going up. If you sign up for $500 a month in HOA fees, in 5 years it will be $600.  Or more. And often you rarely use the amenities those high HOA fees cover. A club house? A fitness center? I don't want to be paying indefinitely for those things.

My current favorite HH silliness is the 25-30yo new homeowner who calls the home they broke the budget for "our forever home." YOU ARE 30! All sorts of things will change in your life, including most likely where you live!

[CrazyInAlabama]

A big issue with HOA fees happens when there are a number of homeowners who stop paying HOA fees, either because they're going to foreclosure, or they just don't think anyone will catch up to them.    When the number of paying HOA members drops significantly, the HOA fees will go up, and also many times the reserve funds for the HOA go down to.    

I lived in New Mexico for 10 years, and never saw a snake, but I did live in the middle of town.    However, I'm sure if you live out in the new areas, and have a property that was desert, you might have a good chance of running into snakes, or other former residents. 

Snakes, and other pests are a reason I prefer to rent before buying unless I'm very familiar with the area.      

[ByaNose]

Albuquerque - The wife couldn’t even hide her disdain for the house (and, husband for that matter) for the cameras. Can you imagine what she’s like in real life?! Yikes! I’ve decided I don’t like the adobe style house. Everything from the carpets to the floors to the tile to the walls to the ceiling was tan. So ugly. I wanted them to pick the modern house and I don’t even really that style of house. They’ve been married forever so I’m sure they’ll survive. The husband was good looking but just laughed and rolled his eyes to everything. I think that’s how he’s coped all of these years. LOL!!!!!

[Kenzie]

29 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

Albuquerque - The wife couldn’t even hide her disdain for the house (and, husband for that matter) for the cameras. Can you imagine what she’s like in real life?! Yikes! I’ve decided I don’t like the adobe style house. Everything from the carpets to the floors to the tile to the walls to the ceiling was tan. So ugly. I wanted them to pick the modern house and I don’t even really that style of house. They’ve been married forever so I’m sure they’ll survive. The husband was good looking but just laughed and rolled his eyes to everything. I think that’s how he’s coped all of these years. LOL!!!!!

That was exactly the impression I got.

[Johnny Dollar]

She was at least 50. So 25 for her first kid and 25 for her first kid’s first kid would make her a grandmother at 50. 

[msmarjoribanks]

Wichita -- I definitely had the sense that most of their "things I hate, things I must have" were made up for attention.  There was a part where I thought they were having fun with it and playing off each other and trying to be the most extreme.  I'm not questioning that they are into the acrobatic thing, though.  Interesting that for once they didn't seem to care at all about parking or garages.  I'd get that in some places, but surprising for Wichita.

Second house seemed like the right and obvious choice for them.  I didn't like the stars on the third one, but I thought it was charming and would personally have picked it and fixed it up (it did need work), but I didn't think it fit their needs/desires (such as they were) as well.

I find it so bizarre when a couple with no kids and even a totally separate guest area with bathroom compare about no master (when there's a bathroom immediately nearby) or the master being too small for both of them to get ready at the same time, when there's another bathroom (bigger and nice) immediately nearby.  Here the premise was that one guy wanted to eat in the bathtub (color me skeptical) and the other wanted a shower, no bath, because he's a germ-phobe.  So using separate baths to get ready seemed perfect (and seems to be what they did, but again I don't believe the bathtub thing).

[Irritable]

They just aired a Kansas City couple from this year that I had not seen before.  The wife resembled Kelly Clarkson, but her voice ... OMG HER VOICE. This is not even an exaggeration, I needed to take a Xanax because not only did she have the combo of valley girl vocal fry uptalk? she complained about EVERYTHING.  “OMG this yard is disgusting! This carpet is horrible! These paint colors are awful! Ew, what is this room supposed to be?” 

I wish I had muted it, just to keep my anxiety at a manageable level. How her husband can listen to her every day I’ll never know, but god bless him.

[Empress1]

7 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

Second house seemed like the right and obvious choice for them.  I didn't like the stars on the third one, but I thought it was charming and would personally have picked it and fixed it up (it did need work), but I didn't think it fit their needs/desires (such as they were) as well.

I said out loud "Get the second one." It was the obvious choice. It needed work but nothing too crazy. I hope the "I must have my breakfast in the bathtub" thing was put on.

Was their realtor wearing the same dress in different colors?