House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[chessiegal]

We have ceiling fans on a 20 foot ceiling and use extender poles to put the brushes on. We also use it to replace the recessed lighting bulbs.

[QuinnM]

Quote

We have ceiling fans on a 20 foot ceiling and use extender poles to put the brushes on. We also use it to replace the recessed lighting bulbs.

Me too.  Plus if you don't have the builder install it then later on they need to punch a hole in the ceiling to make sure it has the right kind of support.  If the builder does it then the cross braces are installed during the build.  So it seems like a lot but it saves in the long run.  High ceilings need a fan or you just end up heating the ceiling all winter.

[laredhead]

Thanks for the fan brush tip, Bastet.  I do have one of these, but I like to clean the blades with a damp cloth to keep the dust from flying everywhere.  I'm a little picky about certain things when it comes to cleaning.🙂

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, laredhead said:

Thanks for the fan brush tip, Bastet.  I do have one of these, but I like to clean the blades with a damp cloth to keep the dust from flying everywhere.  I'm a little picky about certain things when it comes to cleaning.🙂

I spray the brush, and pull slowly, so the dust sticks rather than flying.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Joshua Tree episode was strange.      I guess Palm Springs was too tame for them?      I can imagine scorpions, and snakes will drop in regularly, and who knows what other creatures.     

[rlc]

Watching a repeat from December 2018 (Situated in Scituate) and I’m so confused. Have we traveled to Rhode Island or to 1983?

[JTalia]

The Joshua Tree house couple turned the towers into rentals: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/24206108?guests=1&adults=1

You can also stay in a yurt on the property.

[biakbiak]

54 minutes ago, JTalia said:

The Joshua Tree house couple turned the towers into rentals: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/24206108?guests=1&adults=1

You can also stay in a yurt on the property.

$200 a night (rental/cleaning fee) and yet:

There is no running water in the units. Each unit comes with jug of fresh drinking water good to use for your daily needs and our coffee makers. The Castle House is GLAMPING at its finest!

Nope!

[LittleIggy]

I can’t remember the name of the town in this episode. The woman lived in SF but wanted a weekend cabin: Am I the only one who was surprised that the friend’s “partner” was a woman? 😆 The HH was rather annoying acting as if her friend was at her beck and call to do projects for her.

Prosper, TX: Wonder what the split up of the older kids’ parentage was? 

[Chippings]

I haven't even seen the end of Guerneville yet, but my question is, how did the house she gets fare in the recent flooding?  It was the worst Guerneville has seen in decades.  The first house had a creek below it, and the realtor said it rises like two feet in the winter.  Yeah, right.    Mm hmm - she chose one by the river.  Doesn't bode well.  

Edited March 15, 2019 by Chippings

[Kohola3]

And on the Joshua tree site:

Quote

The Castle House has a portable restroom facility at the end of the property and another at the right front corner of the property. There is an outdoor shower just behind the main house. Look for the wood bench. Nothing says Joshua Tree like showering in nature.

So you have to hike how far to use a portapotty?  And shower outdoors?  They won't even let guests into the main house?  I'm not sure this is falls in the "glamping" category!

[laredhead]

Just read the link for the Joshua Tree episode, and it looks like it might be on a Tiny House episode later maybe?  They keep referring to "tiny house".  There is one negative review which the hosts refute and offer their explanation of the criticisms.  This would not be something I would enjoy though.  I like my creature comforts too much.

[Kohola3]

11 minutes ago, laredhead said:

There is one negative review which the hosts refute and offer their explanation of the criticisms. 

I can definitely see her point.  Their site specifically says:  

Tiny house

4 guests

1 bedroom

1 bed

1 bath

To me, "one bath" means there is a bathroom!

[ForReal]

8 hours ago, Chippings said:

I haven't even seen the end of Guerneville yet, but my question is, how did the house she gets fare in the recent flooding?  It was the worst Guerneville has seen in decades.  The first house had a creek below it, and the realtor said it rises like two feet in the winter.  Yeah, right.    Mm hmm - she chose one by the river.  Doesn't bode well.  

Good question. I thought she picked the one that was like eight miles out of town, near Cazadero, but I could be wrong. I thought it was kind of misleading of the agent to say it was just a little ways out of town -- those are eight curvy, narrow road miles. I wouldn't have considered it. If you map Guerneville to Cazadero, it says about 13 miles but takes either 25 or 45 minutes to get there, depending on which route you take. Not that she could have reached it by any road while the area was flooded, without going way around.

[ByaNose]

In general, do we have The Kardashian’s to blame for vocal fry? It couldn’t have just started with them, right? The Colorado sisters voice was nails on 10 chalkboards. The parents were probably glad to be getting rid of them. LOL!!! I don’t care how cool the place would be I can’t get over living in a former church. It’s just to blizzar to me. Give me an old sugar or flower plant building but I draw the line with a church. And, this is coming from a catholic person.

[Kohola3]

1 minute ago, ByaNose said:

And, this is coming from a catholic person.

Maybe it's because it's coming from a Catholic person.  I was one and you couldn't pay me to go into a church anymore!

[StatisticalOutlier]

I know some of y'all avoid the tiny house episodes, but if so, you missed a new low.  Couple in Birmingham, Alabama, with two little kids.  Husband tours as a musician and doesn't want to sacrifice family time, so he'll bring them with him!

One of the choices was a fucking HOUSEBOAT, shown just as he mentioned needing to go to Austin for a gig.  I guess he consulted a map of waterways, because he asked, "What kind of truck will I need to pull that?"

Aah, the simple life that a tiny house affords.

[doodlebug]

18 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I know some of y'all avoid the tiny house episodes, but if so, you missed a new low.  Couple in Birmingham, Alabama, with two little kids.  Husband tours as a musician and doesn't want to sacrifice family time, so he'll bring them with him!

One of the choices was a fucking HOUSEBOAT, shown just as he mentioned needing to go to Austin for a gig.  I guess he consulted a map of waterways, because he asked, "What kind of truck will I need to pull that?"

Aah, the simple life that a tiny house affords.

I watched it and the houseboat was obviously not in the running from the get-go, but it was kinda neat for a weekend getaway place.  As soon as I saw the bus, I knew that was going to be the one, it was too 'Partridge Family' not to do.  I was kinda amazed at how nice it looked after they had it fixed up.  Clearly, they hired pros skilled in that sort of vehicle conversion, but it really was transformed and it looked like a nice space for a family of 4 to use on the road.

I found this episode far more palatable than the usual tiny house episodes because 1) they had an actual reason to want a home that could move.  Dad was a professional musician who spent a lot of time on the road.  2) they weren't looking at actual tiny houses, which are stupid, but at real places meant to be towed, boated or driven from location to location.

Edited March 17, 2019 by doodlebug
Actually, I use the word 'actual' too much

[StatisticalOutlier]

5 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I found this episode far more palatable than the usual tiny house episodes because 1) they had an actual reason to want a home that could move.  Dad was a professional musician who spent a lot of time on the road.  2) they weren't looking at actual tiny houses, which are stupid, but at real places meant to be towed, boated or driven from location to location.

I agree that they had an actual reason to want something that can move, and yes, boats are meant to be boated from location to location.  But a boat doesn't work for the reason they have for moving.  Not even in their wildest imagination.

I can somewhat tolerate the shenanigans the show engages in, but this one crossed the line into insulting me as a viewer.  If there aren't enough places on wheels in Birmingham to support an episode, then maybe there shouldn't be an episode.  Hell, they could have looked at a brand new fifth-wheel trailer and turned up their nose because it's not vintage or hip, but at least it would actually meet the very lowest level of suitability for its intended use.

And I can't remember--were they getting rid of wherever they were living in Birmingham to live in this thing fulltime, or were they just using it when he's on the road?

[buttersister]

Thanks for the Joshua Tree update—now it all makes sense. In a dollars and sense way. Congratulations to the guys for having customers who’ll rough it like that. There isn’t a thread count high enough to make up for no running water or toilet. For me. But as they replied to the unhappy camper, the website provides full disclosure as to what you get for the rent.

[Kohola3]

18 minutes ago, buttersister said:

But as they replied to the unhappy camper, the website provides full disclosure as to what you get for the rent.

But it doesn't.  Here is the posting from the Airbnb site:

Tiny house

4 guests

1 bedroom

1 bed

1 bath

It clearly says 1 bath. You have to open the description and it never actually says there is no bathroom in the tower.  It says:

The Castle House has a portable restroom facility at the end of the property and another at the right front corner of the property. There is an outdoor shower just behind the main house. Look for the wood bench. Nothing says Joshua Tree like showering in nature.

There is no mention of the fact that this is the only "restroom" facility. 

And, on a personal note, I personally don't consider a portapotty a restroom.  Not by a long shot.  To me a restroom includes running water and sink!

I wonder if they enjoy watching their guests shower since it's out in the open and behind their house.

[buttersister]

Yeah, when I read the fine print my take was that it was Porta-Potty-City. And there were two—within hiking distance. No way.

Maybe they should do a crossover ep with Tiny House Nation—Zak will put a throne in that castle!

[kirklandia]

I soent a week in this awesome vintage Spartanette at The Shady Dell in Bisbee AZ.  After just one brief encounter with its teeny-tiny bathroom, I was grateful for the nearby shower room/toilet facility!

[Ottis]

On 3/14/2019 at 9:31 PM, JTalia said:

You can also stay in a yurt on the property.

I knew a yurt would show up eventually.

[edie3]

The couple from Brooklyn to Charlotte.  Good gravy, there are buses in Charlotte and light rail.  And getting to that airport is NOT a walk in the park. Charlotte is not the boonies they made it out to be. You want a bigger city move back to NYC.

[LittleIggy]

Waukegan: I really liked the house they picked.

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, edie3 said:

The couple from Brooklyn to Charlotte.  Good gravy, there are buses in Charlotte and light rail.  And getting to that airport is NOT a walk in the park. Charlotte is not the boonies they made it out to be. You want a bigger city move back to NYC.

I got the impression the move wasn't entirely voluntary. One of them said he was transferred, so probably a good career move but if they could have stayed put, they would have. My best friend and her husband moved from NYC to Charlotte (they didn't stay long, they didn't like it). You have a number of NYC transplants there because there's finance there. My best friend and her husband rented for the time they were there and her boss told her that was fairly unusual - the market is such that buying makes more sense.

I'd love to see the house when they finish with it. They wanted a library, which was music to my ears. I knew they'd take the one closest to the city. I hated the third house. The only thing I liked was the view.

[doodlebug]

11 hours ago, edie3 said:

The couple from Brooklyn to Charlotte.  Good gravy, there are buses in Charlotte and light rail.  And getting to that airport is NOT a walk in the park. Charlotte is not the boonies they made it out to be. You want a bigger city move back to NYC.

It really is tiresome seeing people on TV (and in real life) pretending that NYC is the be-all, end-all of civilization and that moving anywhere else is simply impossible due to the lack of amenities in the hinterlands.  In fact, virtually everything available in NYC is available in the rest of the country with much less hassle and at a much lower price.  I've had friends who lived in NYC brag about how they couldn't live anywhere else because they wouldn't have access to all the choices they had in Manhattan; when, in fact, these folks went to the theater far less often than Midwestern me,  visited museums far less often than myself and my friends and, when going out to eat, stuck to the same 3 or 4 neighborhood favorites anyway.  The pretentiousness knows no bounds, so I found those guys to be a bit much.  Charlotte is a lovely city which actually can offer a far broader variety of experiences than NYC at a fraction of the cost, so, Suck It Up, Buttercup.

[magemaud]

For the recent Birmingham episode, my TV guide said something about a couple searching for “a tiny house on wheels.” Um, isn’t that a trailer? 

[Mittengirl]

Having worked in the recruitment/hiring field in a past life, I can say that doodlebug speaks the truth.  The only people on par with those from NYC are those from SoCal, in terms of obnoxious “In NYC we have...” behavior.  We actually do have a myriad of restaurants, museums, parks, shops, etc., in places that are not NYC.  Shocking, I know.

[dbell1]

She wants a story book house, he needs a room to show off his action figure collection. Their budget is $850k in CA. I'm in the wrong line of business. And he looks like my ex bf, so I hated these whimsical people from the start. 😕

[kirklandia]

Waukesha (WI) is definitely not Waukegan (IL)!

Edited March 20, 2019 by kirklandia

[KLovestoShop]

19 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Waukegan: I really liked the house they picked.

I agree with you that they picked the nicest house.  But they were in Waukesha, Wisconsin——-I know that because I grew up there.  I laughed when the husband said he wanted 10 acres, but they only had a $250,000 budget.  Anything in an area that has more than 2 acres of land will run you at least $400,000 on up. And when they looked at the house in Palmyra on 1 1/2 acres, the husband said they were so isolated he couldn’t even see another house, but right there in the background was a house behind a couple of trees.  And believe me, Palmyra is not in the sticks, like the wife had you believe.  There’s shopping nearby, and a good school system (I have a friend who’s a teacher there).  The neighborhood where their house is located is quite nice. 

Edited March 20, 2019 by KLovestoShop

[StatisticalOutlier]

5 hours ago, magemaud said:

For the recent Birmingham episode, my TV guide said something about a couple searching for “a tiny house on wheels.” Um, isn’t that a trailer? 

It is unless it's a boat.  For traveling the high seas from Birmingham to Austin.

.

11 hours ago, doodlebug said:

It really is tiresome seeing people on TV (and in real life) pretending that NYC is the be-all, end-all of civilization and that moving anywhere else is simply impossible due to the lack of amenities in the hinterlands.  In fact, virtually everything available in NYC is available in the rest of the country with much less hassle and at a much lower price.  I've had friends who lived in NYC brag about how they couldn't live anywhere else because they wouldn't have access to all the choices they had in Manhattan; when, in fact, these folks went to the theater far less often than Midwestern me,  visited museums far less often than myself and my friends and, when going out to eat, stuck to the same 3 or 4 neighborhood favorites anyway.  The pretentiousness knows no bounds, so I found those guys to be a bit much.  Charlotte is a lovely city which actually can offer a far broader variety of experiences than NYC at a fraction of the cost, so, Suck It Up, Buttercup.

I unapologetically love NYC, but I could never afford to live there.  Or, well, I actually love it less now that everybody smokes on the street instead of inside, which ruins my favorite activity, which is roaming around everywhere on foot.

But the roaming on foot is one of the really great things about the place, and very hard to duplicate elsewhere, due to the density on NYC.  One example:  I was meeting someone one day on the Upper East Side, where I don't spend much time.  I realized I wanted a little something to eat, and found myself standing in front of a Mexican place, where I got one carne asada taco, just tortilla and meat, and it hit the spot perfectly.  I'd never seen the place before, and I couldn't find it now on a bet--it was just there where I happened to be, and was exactly what I wanted.

It's like that all over NYC, which is what makes it unique and appealing to me. 

And maybe it depends on the type of experiences one wants.  For example, I'm getting the Metropolitan Opera only in NYC, and there are several prestigious dance companies that are based there, with occasional tours to major cities.  I've seen Parsons Dance Company three times:  In New York City at the Joyce, which has less than 500 seats; at Central Park's Summerstage (also a small venue) for free; and in Austin at Bass Concert Hall, a giant place with almost 3,000 seats.  I much preferred the ones in NYC.

For Broadway shows, you'll get the touring company in places other than NYC.  It may be fine, and those shows are always popular, but it's not the same as what you get in New York.  Never mind scads of little bitty theaters with all kinds of fare, while other cities will have a smattering, at most.

Certain movies play only in NYC and Los Angeles, and maybe San Francisco or Chicago.  The next step down is a big one (e.g., Denver, Dallas, Salt Lake City), where you'll pretty much have to take what you can get. 

Plus it's common for people who live somewhere not to constantly take advantage of everything the city has to offer because they're busy living and working, plus they can get complacent.  I lived in Austin for decades but never went to the LBJ library until I was back there visiting, even though I parked in their parking lot several times a week for a couple of years.  I just didn't bother until it wasn't in my back yard any more, and my experience is that that sort of omission is not uncommon.

I did live in NYC for three months once, and damn near ran myself into the ground going to plays and movies and museums and ball games and events in the park and book readings and backstage tours and every other thing I couldn't get in Austin.  But I didn't have a job and could therefore be in tourist mode whenever I wanted, instead of mainly on weekends, when someone with a job might want to decompress a little, or need to take care of chores he couldn't get to during the week, instead of spending the day in a museum.

Suffice to say that I don't agree that Charlotte offers a far broader variety of experiences than New York City, and certainly not with the frequency that they happen in NYC.  Not counting the Dale Trail, of course; no way I was getting a photo of me standing next to a Dale Earnhardt statue in NYC.

I spent a week in Charlotte catting around and enjoyed it and have nothing bad to say about the place, but it's not in a league with New York City.

[CruiseDiva]

23 hours ago, edie3 said:

The couple from Brooklyn to Charlotte.  Good gravy, there are buses in Charlotte and light rail.  And getting to that airport is NOT a walk in the park. Charlotte is not the boonies they made it out to be. You want a bigger city move back to NYC.

The white guy in that couple was obnoxious and needs to get over himself. I'm so glad his partner got the home he loved.

I'm not crazy about Charlotte (DS used to live there), but it's a really nice cosmopolitan Southern city and the airport is very easy to get around. As a hub for US Air, now American, it has a LOT of flights to many destinations domestic and abroad.

Edited March 20, 2019 by CruiseDiva
Spelling matters. Duh.

[edie3]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Not counting the Dale Trail, of course; no way I was getting a photo of me standing next to a Dale Earnhardt statue in NYC.

well, if you are a Dale Sr. fan,  I will forgive you 😁

[KLovestoShop]

The picky Austin husband was obnoxious, lazy and pompous.  He doesn’t want to cut a tiny piece of grass or maintain a pool.  Well, hire a kid to cut the grass and a pool company to maintain the pool.  And his comment that he won’t compromise just made me want to slap him.  How does that woman stay with him?  Has he looked in the mirror?  He ain’t no trip to Hollywood. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, edie3 said:

well, if you are a Dale Sr. fan,  I will forgive you 😁

I'd have to say that it was more of a "When in Rome" situation.  But it does show that I try to appreciate what various places offer.

.

2 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

I'm not crazy about Charlotte (DS used to live there), but it's a really nice cosmopolitan Southern city and the airport is very easy to get around. As a hub for US Air, now American, it has a LOT of flights to many destinations domestic and abroad.

When one of the main attractions is how easy it is to get to somewhere else...

[LittleIggy]

4 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I agree with you that they picked the nicest house.  But they were in Waukesha, Wisconsin——-I know that because I grew up there.  I laughed when the husband said he wanted 10 acres, but they only had a $250,000 budget.  Anything in an area that has more than 2 acres of land will run you at least $400,000 on up. And when they looked at the house in Palmyra on 1 1/2 acres, the husband said they were so isolated he couldn’t even see another house, but right there in the background was a house behind a couple of trees.  And believe me, Palmyra is not in the sticks, like the wife had you believe.  There’s shopping nearby, and a good school system (I have a friend who’s a teacher there).  The neighborhood where their house is located is quite nice. 

Sorry! Autocorrect offered “Waukegan,” and I didn’t notice the mistake! 😆

[KLovestoShop]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Sorry! Autocorrect offered “Waukegan,” and I didn’t notice the mistake! 😆

Hey, no problem.  You have no idea how often this happens, lol.  

[CruiseDiva]

11 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

The picky Austin husband was obnoxious, lazy and pompous.  He doesn’t want to cut a tiny piece of grass or maintain a pool.  Well, hire a kid to cut the grass and a pool company to maintain the pool.  And his comment that he won’t compromise just made me want to slap him.  How does that woman stay with him?  Has he looked in the mirror?  He ain’t no trip to Hollywood. 

I wonder which one of them will get the house in the divorce settlement. Mr Picky's wife looked totally over him  with his uncompromising obsessions.

[Pickles]

22 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

I wonder which one of them will get the house in the divorce settlement. Mr Picky's wife looked totally over him  with his uncompromising obsessions.

Were they married? I remember them saying they met online and it was now 5 years later. Maybe they were married and I zoned out. Lol.

[CruiseDiva]

42 minutes ago, Pickles said:

Were they married? I remember them saying they met online and it was now 5 years later. Maybe they were married and I zoned out. Lol.

Maybe they aren't married. I just assumed they were since I can't imagine why she'd put up with him otherwise.

[laredhead]

The house the Austin couple bought is in a very small collection of mid century modern houses called Starlight Village.  It is located in Leander, Texas which is about 30 miles north of Austin.  Here's a link to the website of the development.  The website says that one of their houses was to be featured on HGTV House Hunters.   https://starlightvillagehomes.com/  

The husband/boyfriend was beyond annoying with his perfectionism.  I don't understand why they didn't just buy a lot and build something custom.  Of course, if they had done that, he probably would have driven any contractor nuts.  The wife/girlfriend at one point said he was being worse than usual and might have been having a bad day.  Maybe he has some type of disorder that causes him to be overly picky.  I liked the changes they made to the house, but I also liked the original house.  MCM is my favorite style, and I would love to live in a house like that. 

[Mrs. Hanson]

Per the Austin couple:  I read in the description that "Picky buyers look for a house in Austin" and I knew one of them would give me a headache - sounds like I made the right decision to skip it.

[Pickles]

The Chicago couple tonight. That girl needs to run. Her guy was so hung up on wanting to live as close as possible to his parents. Even 15 minutes away was far for him. It seemed he wanted to recreate his parents' home. He wanted double ovens, he wanted a bungalow just like he had grown up on, they could bump up the roof just like his parents had done. Something was really off with that guy. She was settling for sure. 

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, Pickles said:

The Chicago couple tonight. That girl needs to run. Her guy was so hung up on wanting to live as close as possible to his parents. Even 15 minutes away was far for him. It seemed he wanted to recreate his parents' home. He wanted double ovens, he wanted a bungalow just like he had grown up on, they could bump up the roof just like his parents had done. Something was really off with that guy. She was settling for sure. 

You got that right! I thought they were already married so the ending surprised me.

[doodlebug]

8 hours ago, Pickles said:

The Chicago couple tonight. That girl needs to run. Her guy was so hung up on wanting to live as close as possible to his parents. Even 15 minutes away was far for him. It seemed he wanted to recreate his parents' home. He wanted double ovens, he wanted a bungalow just like he had grown up on, they could bump up the roof just like his parents had done. Something was really off with that guy. She was settling for sure. 

Amen!  She needs to run very far and very fast.  A guy who wants to live within walking distance of Mom and Dad in a house just like theirs is not going to mellow with age.    His insistence on double ovens, etc was just weird.  I never heard him say that he was the cook in the relationship, why did he care?  Because his parents had one, apparently.

[cameron]

The couples that they are using for this show are getting more and more unbelievable.  Maybe a better word choice is obnoxious.  Also who in their right mind lets their agent pick out prospective properties to see.

[Kohola3]

I certainly hope that whole story was made up.  Who marries a guy who is so obsessed with copying mommy and daddy? He kept harping on a private place for him to watch his sports on TV which, I bet, will be he and his brothers all over for the games while she is expected to make them all snacks in those double ovens like mom used to do.