House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[KLovestoShop]

Didn't like the Colorado wife one bit. She didn't seem to like anything.  First rooms were too small, then they were too big.  A beautiful kitchen needed a complete gut job.  I just don't get why people who are so freaking picky, and want to put "their touch" on a house, don't build and get everything they want, instead of wanting to gut a perfectly beautiful house. 

[Booklady1017]

On 1/12/2019 at 9:57 AM, laredhead said:

The Florida couple "downsizing" was a trip to how the top 1% live.  There certainly seem to be a lot of houses in that price range, and all in the same style in Cocoa, Florida or near by.  I laughed when the son was demonstrating the disappearing glass doors, and then said let's get back inside to the A/C.  I wonder just how many days of the year you can really open those doors to let in fresh air.  Florida gets hot, and the humidity is high as well.  A bit of bickering between the husband and wife, but they've been married 41 years, so I guess that works for them.  I liked the 3rd house best, but none of them really appealed to my style.  My style is how the other 99% live. 

I think that was a very temporary place for the chicken coop.  In addition to being too small to contain those chickens full time, what were those pink filled bags all around the coop?  It was also in a sunny spot, which isn't going to be good for the chickens in the hot Florida weather.  I hope that was just for that one scene and she wasn't planning to leave those chickens there. 

The Florida downsizing couple was a joke. Maybe the husband wanted to downsize (but I'm not entirely convinced he wanted to either, with some of his comments as well about the size of the rooms and all). They seem like people who are used to having the finer things in life and don't want to settle for less. The wife was a bit demanding and the husband probably just learned over the years to go with her decisions to keep the peace and all. 

[aguabella]

Reading back the thread, I noticed the pool safety discussion.  In AZ, the local area (Gilbert) probably has additional regulations.

In that particular episode, the kids frolicked in the pool during a closing scene, supervised their parents (IIRC) and the film crew.  HH standard contract doesn't usually allow the parties to move into the home before filming.  I assumed / hoped the family would upgrade the pool prior to occupying the property.

As an attractive nuisance, a pool significantly increases homeowners' liability insurance costs.  Yes, homeowners should comply with local regulations.  Typically, ho insurance policies require compliance.

I believe the insurance companies drive safety improvements and compliance.  For example, everybody notice that pools (in general) now lack diving boards?  

Concerned about a neighborhood pool?  Consider referring them a good insurance agent. 

[aguabella]

On 12/22/2018 at 11:58 AM, Pickles said:

I found the Durham “surgeon” online. She is a physician assistant who works in pain management. Gets good reviews, but definitely not a surgeon. 

 

On 12/26/2018 at 10:03 AM, LittleIggy said:

Wow, why did she misrepresent her professional qualifications like that? How egregious.

Norfolk, VA: I cringed when the wife said she wanted a “Gone With the Wind” staircase. 

I think that 70s monstrosity they bought will be a money pit. Good luck to them.

 

???  Confused.  RE:  Durham episode:

HH doesn't usually change / dramatize the participants' occupations.  Pulled up the PA - her age and general appearance matched up but her bio and photo didn't ring a bell.   

The Durham area has a large medical community, including another "Ashley", an md.  No photo but kinda' sounds like the Durham house hunter.

Did I miss something, Pickles?  No news article on my feed for verification. 

No big deal, just curious - if anyone remembers.  Didn't add anything to the drama -

Edited January 13, 2019 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 12/29/2018 at 3:01 PM, KLovestoShop said:

Are some of the agents looking more unusual?  The one on the HH Family had reddish hair and long gray bangs.  Not a good look.  On another ep, the agent was a plus size woman who wore dresses that were too short and tight. 

What 9 year old does most of the cooking for a family?  That’s what the Texas family claimed. She said she can cook the dessert and the main course at the same time because there were double ovens.  And why would a 9 year old be concerned about a kitchen being “tight”.   And of course, don’t we all go to our family gym and work out for 30 to 60 minutes a day for 6 days a week?  

And of course, they didn’t pick any of the houses.  I thought you had to be under contract to be on HH?  

WRT the HH U.S. version:

It's a 30+ hour time commitment for the RE agents w/o compensation.  Over the years, many have been disappointed with the marketing results.

The casting agents consider applications when buyers are under contract but absolutely no filming occurs until escrow closes.  (Many escrows fail to close.)

ETA - not referring to HH Family, if they're not purchasing homes.

Edited January 13, 2019 by aguabella

[izabella]

17 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

Didn't like the Colorado wife one bit. She didn't seem to like anything.  First rooms were too small, then they were too big.  A beautiful kitchen needed a complete gut job.  I just don't get why people who are so freaking picky, and want to put "their touch" on a house, don't build and get everything they want, instead of wanting to gut a perfectly beautiful house. 

She annoyed the crap out of me.  She wanted to tear out walls and gut everything in every single house.  Nothing was good enough for her.  Finally, she was satisfied by a nearly 6000 foot house, though she complained about everything in it except the laundry room where she could put the dog bowls.  I guarantee, in 6 months, she'll have forced her husband to rip up the wood floors and make them tile, change the tile in the dog/laundry room that she "hated," change that island in the kitchen, rip out the short wall between the dining and living room, and who knows what else.

Edited January 13, 2019 by izabella

[aguabella]

On 12/21/2018 at 8:23 AM, juliet73 said:

Considering they closed on the house 6 weeks ago, I'm surprised they haven't had a pool fence installed yet.  I would be way more concerned about that then when the furniture was arriving.

Under the terms of the HH standard contract, they're not allowed to make improvements prior to filming b/c they're (supposedly, lol) recreating their actual house hunt.

[pep4]

Florence to Florence episode:  Haha, what a fun family!  I wish all HH episodes were this well done.

Seems odd that with a $500k budget and 7 children they were looking at a much cheaper 4-bedroom house. 

But then..."Let's go find our kids, I'd like to take at least 4 of them home."

[CrazyInAlabama]

They were hysterical!     I loved the wife didn't like the fancy kitchen, but wanted something more homey.   

 

 I think they had an iron fence on the three sides, on the Florence episode, so I'm betting that one was fenced.              

Edited January 16, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Pickles]

The Florence family seemed so nice and down to earth. Seven children! The little bit we saw of them, they seemed really well behaved. 

[laredhead]

If HH wants to do a HH Family show, the Florence to Florence family was the model for it.  The children made an appearance, and were immediately sent off to play.  The old saying "children should be seen and not heard" is good advice for this show.  Yes, they all seemed well behaved, but happy.  I liked the couple, and I think the house they chose was the best one for them.  What a great childhood these children will remember - acres of land in a rural area, a pool, and what seemed like down to earth parents.  No mention of needed 7 bedrooms & 7 bathrooms so the kids wouldn't have to share, no comments about having to gut existing areas because the wife didn't like the backsplash (slight exaggeration but close), etc.  I totally understood her wish for a large laundry room, and the need for two washing machines and dryers.  Probably would have been nice if they could have located a laundry area upstairs where most of the bedrooms were.  Overall, a nice episode with no drama.      

[Vivigirl10]

10 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I loved the wife didn't like the fancy kitchen, but wanted something more homey. 

Loved Florence to Florence as well!  How refreshing when she said that the kitchen was too fancy and they weren't fancy people.  I was confused by the exterior shots of the farmhouse versus the interior shots.  When they toured, they only showed two bedrooms!  Once they moved in, they did show a third.  But the house not only looked much larger from the outside, it also looked like maybe an original farmhouse was attached to the back of the newer house?  

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm wondering if the family had already started adding bedrooms in the upstairs or something, and that's why they didn't show everything.    Maybe they didn't think they'd be chosen, and started improvements first, or maybe additional bedrooms had been decorated, and it would have been a giveaway to the house they owned. 

Maybe the addition on the back only had the outside, and stairs, but hadn't finished the inside, so it's a work in progress?   

Edited January 17, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Mrs. Hanson]

Anyone catch the couple in Minneapolis last night?  They were moving from Chicago to Mpls and she was obsessed with a white kitchen - I found them unpleasant, especially her.  You have $600,000 to drop on a house?  Custom build one with some land!  

[CrazyInAlabama]

I totally disliked the Minneapolis couple, and I think building their own house far away from anyone else would have been a great idea.   I'm sure no neighborhood is good enough for the princess, and I bet the neighbors are hoping she's going to sell and leave soon.  

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

But the house not only looked much larger from the outside, it also looked like maybe an original farmhouse was attached to the back of the newer house?  

I wondered the same thing.  I was mentally trying to figure out what was what when they did the inside tour. I can see the "original" farmhouse (I was thinking the front one) having only two bedrooms upstairs but the addition seemed to be large enough to contain a lot more rooms.

Nice, drama-free episode.  So much more enjoyable than the manufactured crappy snide remarks that HH producers think we want.   News flash - we don't.

[Mrs. Hanson]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I totally disliked the Minneapolis couple, and I think building their own house far away from anyone else would have been a great idea.   I'm sure no neighborhood is good enough for the princess, and I bet the neighbors are hoping she's going to sell and leave soon.  

Her and the WHITE kitchen!!  My hubby watched it with me and we both thought:  "She is gonna GUT that third beautiful kitchen."  Plus they were really on fire for a baby and a puppy, neither that they had yet!  Yes puppy finally showed up at the end.  She was too over the top and her sister was worse.

One thing I have to say for HH:  They said Mpls and all the homes were IN Mpls - it is peeve when they say Mpls and are in Forest Lake or White Bear Lake or Bloomington.    Just say "Twin Cities" if it is an issue!

[edie3]

Florence to Florence, what a refreshing family!

[Booklady1017]

21 hours ago, pep4 said:

Florence to Florence episode:  Haha, what a fun family!  I wish all HH episodes were this well done.

Seems odd that with a $500k budget and 7 children they were looking at a much cheaper 4-bedroom house. 

But then..."Let's go find our kids, I'd like to take at least 4 of them home."

I agree. What a fun family! Also, what a refreshing change from some of the couples/families that have been on lately.

21 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

They were hysterical!     I loved the wife didn't like the fancy kitchen, but wanted something more homey.   

 

My guess is they had a fence company there for installation the second filming was over, if their pool didn't have one.    I think they had an iron fence on the three sides, on the Florence episode, so I'm betting that one was fenced.              

I found it funny too that it was the husband who wanted the fancy kitchen, not the wife.

[Booklady1017]

7 hours ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

Anyone catch the couple in Minneapolis last night?  They were moving from Chicago to Mpls and she was obsessed with a white kitchen - I found them unpleasant, especially her.  You have $600,000 to drop on a house?  Custom build one with some land!  

She was annoying. She was spoiled too! That was silly to expect to add a non important kitchen renovation for a house already over budget. And I thought it was silly for the husband to want the house where he had to worry about hitting his head because it was cheaper.

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I totally disliked the Minneapolis couple, and I think building their own house far away from anyone else would have been a great idea.   I'm sure no neighborhood is good enough for the princess, and I bet the neighbors are hoping she's going to sell and leave soon.  

I’m sure they’d dislike her and think she’s a total princess too.

[Empress1]

I hated the interior of the third house the St. Louis couple looked at. Those cheap gray laminate floors were awful. Everything was gray. The first house was my favorite; with some work it would be gorgeous (though small - 1600 square feet with five bedrooms) and the street was beautiful.

[Ohwell]

I liked the St. Louis couple, thought they were pretty cool even if they were hipster, lol.  I figured they'd take the second house that already had the bed and another piece of furniture that I can't remember what it was.  That third gray all over house was awful.

[Pickles]

I was a bit skeptical of the St. Louis couple saying they traveled all over the country doing wedding photography. There are so many people who do that kind of photography now. Plus, they did look hipster and not exactly what an in demand professional wedding photographer would look like in my mind. But, what do I know.

[Ohwell]

To me, they looked like the type of wedding photographers that millennials would want.

[laredhead]

I was prepared to roll my eyes and not like the St. Louis couple, but they were cool, and their dogs were great.  They didn't have any unreasonable demands, and didn't act like the entitled princes and princesses we have seen lately.  What's up with HH?  First the Florence to Florence couple with the 7 children, and now these people.  Keep 'em coming.

As for the house they chose, while I'm not a fan of that patterned tile, I liked it in the front porch/sunroom area.   

[BTBAM310]

On 1/15/2019 at 10:36 AM, Mrs. Hanson said:

Anyone catch the couple in Minneapolis last night?  They were moving from Chicago to Mpls and she was obsessed with a white kitchen - I found them unpleasant, especially her.  You have $600,000 to drop on a house?  Custom build one with some land!  

When the episode is titled "Minneapolis White Out" and they're standing in the brownish colored room in the first house with the test area of white paint on the wall, it was way too obvious which house they were going to pick.

[Mrs. Hanson]

1 minute ago, BTBAM310 said:

When the episode is titled "Minneapolis White Out" and they're standing in the brownish colored room in the first house with the test area of white paint on the wall, it was way too obvious which house they were going to pick.

Ha!  I thought it was in reference to the snow we get, lol!!!  At least this couple did not complain endlessly about the snow and the cold, coming from Chicago and all.  Yes, Minnesota is cold - we know this, we live here.

Edited January 17, 2019 by Mrs. Hanson

[Booklady1017]

Was the Indianapolis one new or not? I was wondering because no one mentioned it.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love the wife in the Glendora, CA episode, and her sister the realtor.   However, the husband wanting Colonial in that area is nuts.  

What a surprise, they couldn't find a Colonial.  

Edited January 18, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[msmarjoribanks]

Chicago rerun from 2017 -- I liked this one because it wasn't all the same neighborhoods.  2/2 in Roscoe Village with great roof deck (over budget and they didn't give the assessments, but their budget was conservative), 3/2 house in Albany Park at the top of the budget, and 4/3 (I think, should double check) new-construction in Bridgeport.  I called Roscoe Village based on neighborhood (they were a very Roscoe Village couple), but of course that was never discussed.  (Among other things, RV has some of the better elementary schools, although with a 2/2 that might not have mattered, but it also suited them in general, Albany Park is gentrifying but has crime issues and is a bit farther away, and no way Bridgeport was anywhere near where they wanted to be.)

Personally, I wouldn't want to live that close to the L, but it might not be so bad on the ground, so I might have gone for AP.  AP in general has investment potential, but by the L is a problem for that.

[Booklady1017]

9 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I love the wife in the Glendora, CA episode, and her sister the realtor.   However, the husband wanting Colonial in that area is nuts.  

What a surprise, they couldn't find a Colonial.  

California-I liked all the family  too and knew they wouldn’t find a Colonial in that area. I’m glad they showed that they got a fence for the pool. Why do people put carpet in the bathroom though?

No comments on Indy?

[Empress1]

11 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

However, the husband wanting Colonial in that area is nuts.  

That's a pet peeve of mine, when people want styles that aren't in the areas in which they're looking. I side-eyed him for that.

[CrazyInAlabama]

People put carpet in bathrooms, kitchens (older mobile homes have carpets in both sometimes), so they don't get cold feet walking around barefoot.    I think both places carpeted are disgusting.   However, I still see carpeted baths in some older homes too. 

Edited January 20, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Booklady1017]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

People put carpet in bathrooms, kitchens (older mobile homes have carpets in both sometimes), so they don't get cold feet walking around barefoot.    I think both places carpeted are disgusting.   Howver, I still see carpeted baths in some older homes too. 

I figured that's what a bath rug is for, wonder why those people don't just use that. I just seeing the carpet in there getting mildewy and smelly very quickly.

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

People put carpet in bathrooms, kitchens (older mobile homes have carpets in both sometimes), so they don't get cold feet walking around barefoot.    I think both places carpeted are disgusting.   Howver, I still see carpeted baths in some older homes too. 

Thanks for posting, though.

[Empress1]

43 minutes ago, Booklady1017 said:

I figured that's what a bath rug is for, wonder why those people don't just use that. I just seeing the carpet in there getting mildewy and smelly very quickly.

Yes, that's why I use a bath mat (which I hang to dry and wash regularly because mildew is still an issue). But with carpet, it seems like a much bigger headache to keep clean. And in the kitchen, forget it. Way too risky for spills and splatters.

If I ever have the money for it, I want heated bathroom floors.

[Booklady1017]

26 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Yes, that's why I use a bath mat (which I hang to dry and wash regularly because mildew is still an issue). But with carpet, it seems like a much bigger headache to keep clean. And in the kitchen, forget it. Way too risky for spills and splatters.

If I ever have the money for it, I want heated bathroom floors.

OMG, my parents have heated bathroom floors. They are amazing!

[Empress1]

8 minutes ago, Booklady1017 said:

OMG, my parents have heated bathroom floors. They are amazing!

I think I first saw it on (don't laugh) an episode of MTV's Cribs and I've filed it away in my "if I ever have the money for it" bank.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think a lot of the bathroom carpet people are older, don't think they'll get water on it, and are worried about tripping on the edge of the rug.      I always thought it was awful too, because a glued down bath rug will always get moisture from steam, or water splashes, so they are the nastiest thing to take up I can imagine.     Rug removal is often bad,  but I'm sure because most of the ones in kitchens and baths are glued down, it must be difficult, and really nasty too.   I'm sure the mold content in a bathroom rug must be huge.   

Edited January 20, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Bastet]

My bathroom had carpet in it when I was a kid, and it was surprisingly non-gross when we ripped it up.  I don't know why the previous owners had opted for carpet in there to begin with, or why my parents waited to ditch it until they no longer liked the style/color of the carpet rather than getting rid of it immediately because carpet in a bathroom is weird, but it wasn't the nasty mess you'd expect.

[alegtostandon]

We had under floor heating when I was a kid and we lived in the Bay Area, I think it was called Radiant Heat.  It was wonderful!

There was a show on after HH last night (1/17) about a guy moving from Jersey to Florida and was looking for a room to rent, had his mom in tow to help.  I didn't catch the name of the show, did anyone else see it?

[Booklady1017]

4 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I think I first saw it on (don't laugh) an episode of MTV's Cribs and I've filed it away in my "if I ever have the money for it" bank.

I enjoy it so much when I stay there.

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I think a lot of the bathroom carpet people are older, don't think they'll get water on it, and are worried about tripping on the edge of the rug.      I always thought it was awful too, because a glued down bath rug will always get moisture from steam, or water splashes, so they are the nastiest thing to take up I can imagine.     Rug removal is often bad, and nasty, but I'm sure because most of the ones in kitchens and baths are glued down, it must be difficult, and really nasty too.   I'm sure the mold content in a bathroom rug must be huge.   

Ugh, I am grossed out just thinking about all that mold. 

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

My bathroom had carpet in it when I was a kid, and it was surprisingly non-gross when we ripped it up.  I don't know why the previous owners had opted for carpet in there to begin with, or why my parents waited to ditch it until they no longer liked the style/color of the carpet rather than getting rid of it immediately because carpet in a bathroom is weird, but it wasn't the nasty mess you'd expect.

Oh wow, I’m surprised about that.

2 hours ago, alegtostandon said:

We had under floor heating when I was a kid and we lived in the Bay Area, I think it was called Radiant Heat.  It was wonderful!

There was a show on after HH last night (1/17) about a guy moving from Jersey to Florida and was looking for a room to rent, had his mom in tow to help.  I didn't catch the name of the show, did anyone else see it?

Yes radiant heat, yes I remember now that’s what it’s called. I think my parents have it on their kitchen floor by the sink too.

That Roommate hunters? It looked like it was going to be stupid so I skipped it.

[ByaNose]

It looks,like people still can’t afford the houses they win on HGTV. If I won I would stay there a week or two and hopefully sell the sucker. It has a beautiful view. I stopped entering years ago. I can’t recall if they had a special host or a big special but I would definitely make it a point to watch the show and the male & female designer buy everything and decorate the house. Maybe, I got bored because I never won. LOL!!!!!

https://people.com/home/former-hgtv-dream-home-for-sale-photos/

[Ohwell]

Yeah, that's too much house for me.  I'd find a good real estate agent and sell that sucker ASAP.  

I just read the article and you can sell it back to the developer, so that's what I'd do.   Then find a nice, smaller, cheaper house.

Edited January 21, 2019 by Ohwell

[Kohola3]

5 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I just read the article and you can sell it back to the developer, so that's what I'd do.   Then find a nice, smaller, cheaper house.

And probably pay a ton of taxes on the gain.

[Ohwell]

5 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

And probably pay a ton of taxes on the gain.

Yeah, but I'd have some money left over from the sale of the expensive house to pay the taxes, right?

[Kohola3]

19 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Yeah, but I'd have some money left over from the sale of the expensive house to pay the taxes, right?

Theoretically, yes.  Of course it all depends on the price you'd get, what you are buying with the sale money, and your tax bracket.  It's all in the numbers!

I don't have any idea where those homes are and whether they are in a good area to buy and if they are too fancy in relation to the surrounding homes.  You can build a castle in a typical suburban neighborhood but you wouldn't be able to sell it for as much because of the location.

[biakbiak]

59 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Theoretically, yes.  Of course it all depends on the price you'd get, what you are buying with the sale money, and your tax bracket.  It's all in the numbers!

Per the article you can take a cash payout instead of the house. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

One man who won a house in the early give away years, was given the house keys, and the second the camera was off, he sold to a local entrepreneur.    He's about the only recipient of the Dream Home who actually had a dream realized.     My understanding is one family accepted the money, and the agreement they had was the second they were running out of money on utilities, and everything, then they would sell and go back to real life, and that's what they did.       I think just like the St. Jude houses, there is a cash value instead of taking the house, it's less than the value of the house, but it's available money, and you can pay the taxes instead of getting a mortgage to do that.     

The one they built at the old Denver airport (Stapleton?) was very modern, and had a very flat roof.    I don't understand how anyone could live with that one in heavy snow country, and that one was also very short on closet and storage space.  

[ehall1052]

4 hours ago, ByaNose said:

It looks,like people still can’t afford the houses they win on HGTV. If I won I would stay there a week or two and hopefully sell the sucker. It has a beautiful view. I stopped entering years ago. I can’t recall if they had a special host or a big special but I would definitely make it a point to watch the show and the male & female designer buy everything and decorate the house. Maybe, I got bored because I never won. LOL!!!!!

https://people.com/home/former-hgtv-dream-home-for-sale-photos/

I’ve tried to research if the Dream House in Mexico Beach, FL  (early 2000s) survived Hurricane Michael. That’s the house my husband and I filled out the entry form every day and wanted to win. We loved the area. Does anyone know the condition of the house now?

[Ottis]

Norfolk (catching up)... so the very young guy thinks he will need a chairlift soon, because he played football “up to college,” and yet he does rock wall climbing? I think maybe he’s just lazy. 

And yeah, the wife was pretty bad.