House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[BearCat49]

Someone up thread said it takes 50 hours to tape an episode with the HHs...what the heck takes so long? Re-shoots of them walking up & down the stairs? Seems like an awfully long time. I can tour 100+ houses in less than that.

 

That was probably me, Ms. Tree.  When you think about it from the production company's perspective, they're not concerned with touring houses.  The participant has previously purchased the home and closed escrow.  Their job is to produce the best, most dramatic reality show, possible.  In fact, they say the production company gets a laugh each time a prospective HH participant calls their offices and asks if they'll help them purchase a home!

 

They technically wouldn't be considered "re-shoots" but my understanding is what takes up the time is they must shoot every scene from each and every angle.  They don't return at a later date for the final postscript scene (e.g. "two months later") or to shoot B-roll, correcting any previous errors, so they must capture enough footage for the post-production team of editors, producers, etc. to put each episode together.

 

The schedule is apparently 1 day per house, 1 day for the introduction and final scenes plus 1 additional day for the location scenes around town so 5 - 10 hour days.  Within that schedule and those procedures, my understanding is when they're shooting each scene from the different angles, the participants / "house hunters" must recite the same spiel, i.e. "lines" from each and every angle.  Could be difficult for many non-actors or anyone, for that matter, within a long day.  Interesting, IMHO, to consider how seamless each episode appears. 

 

When they complete the filming process, they're not close to completing an episode.  The editing and post-production process is an additional, extensive set of procedures.  Someone must review all those many hours of footage and meld together 22 minutes of cohesive television.  Don't know how many hours each episode requires during the post-production process but when I've checked, the filming dates and air dates typically differ by approximately 6 months. 

 

Always interesting, IMHO, to learn how the sausage comes together!

Edited November 30, 2014 by BearCat49

[BearCat49]

BearCat49, I suppose I should have seen it coming that they'd buy the high-cost maintenance house, just because the husband harped and harped on it so much. I didn't like the house all that much. Maybe it was the pool that sealed the deal. Nothing else stood out.  If it was a parent's house, that begins to explain some of the oddness of the episode.

 

I liked their original house best.

 

laredhead, I agree about prioritizing covered parking - actually, a garage would be mandatory for me in that area - over a tennis court etc.

 

And the husband had to harp on it how many times that made it to air plus many more during the filming process!  At least they had $$$ (from somewhere) to cover it.

 

Am very curious if they retained their original home.  Anyone around from that area???

Filming anything is a s-l-o-w process thanks to all the stops and starts (set up equipment, get the lighting right, shoot from different angles, do retakes when something gets messed up, etc. - and lather, rinse, repeat for each room they're touring). 

 

Definitely - even for the major motion pics, it always sounds as if the actors must spend at least 50% of their time waiting around.

Edited November 30, 2014 by BearCat49

[MsTree]

Thanks for explanation BearCat49...sounds exhausting to me, but probably fun for those who want to have a "15-minute" experience ;-)

[mcat]

I watched a few repeats this weekend, including the one in Venice Beach with the older husband/younger wife whose main issue was finding a house with a fridge that would allow them to hang their cheap souvenir magnets. WTH? And the wife kept whining that she wanted a pool even though she was 10 minutes from the beach and their budget was already $2.5 million and that was barely enough to get them a single-family house. These guys vaulted to the top of my least-favorite list.

[izabella]

I remember them!  She was from NC and met her sugar daddy on an airplane, and she wanted to recreate her childhood home in NC in Venice, hahaha.  "I want a Cape Cod with 3 acres, no 5 acres, and a pool!  Where's my sprawling lawn?"  Not in Santa Monica, and not in Venice!  Not for $2.5M because Cape Cods and sprawling lawns aren't a thing in SoCal.  Pay attention.

[mcat]

I think I paused the TV and screamed "Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, not Callifornia, you numbskull!" at least 5 times.

[carrps]

I actually liked the house they bought. But I was bummed because SHE ended up with her. She annoyed me so much I was commenting on her looks before the show was half over, like "save your money and buy a chin implant."

 

But I was a little surprised. Parts of Venice are still pretty sketchy. They didn't seem the type for that neighborhood...even THEY admitted it.

 

My sister was yelling at her to go find a house in the Valley. That would get her something closer to her NC dream. But what would get her even closer??? Move back to freakin' NC if it's what you really want!

[laredhead]

I've been watching Hawaii Life and the HH's on that show don't exhibit the drama that  is shown on HH and HHI.  Real estate in Hawaii isn't cheap.  The buyers don't get upset when a house doesn't have an updated kitchen or bathroom complete with granite & stainless steel appliances.  A few of them have expressed a desire for A/C, but I haven't seen anyone jump up and down and pout when A/C isn't apparent.  They do mention being able to open the windows and let the ocean breezes blow through the house.  Maybe they are all so happy to be living in Hawaii that they overlook a lot of what mainland buyers would be screaming about.  

[BearCat49]

I've been watching Hawaii Life and the HH's on that show don't exhibit the drama that  is shown on HH and HHI.  Real estate in Hawaii isn't cheap.  The buyers don't get upset when a house doesn't have an updated kitchen or bathroom complete with granite & stainless steel appliances.  A few of them have expressed a desire for A/C, but I haven't seen anyone jump up and down and pout when A/C isn't apparent.  They do mention being able to open the windows and let the ocean breezes blow through the house.  Maybe they are all so happy to be living in Hawaii that they overlook a lot of what mainland buyers would be screaming about.  

 

Saw a couple of those, IIRC, laredhead, and it came off as much more produced and promotional than HH.  Got the sense that they stick to the script.  Made me wonder if it's actually controlled by a particular travel/vacation group.  Wondered if they'd even been required to purchase the home.  What do you think, laredhead? 

 

Hard to be faker and phonier than HH/HHI but I thought they pulled it off!

Edited December 2, 2014 by BearCat49

[BearCat49]

Thanks for explanation BearCat49...sounds exhausting to me, but probably fun for those who want to have a "15-minute" experience ;-)

 

Anytime, MsTree, I enjoy learning about the backstory and scoping out the tricks used to produce marketable drama.  Agree, appearing on HH definitely wouldn't be worth it to me, giving up that much of my personal time in exchange for a measly stipend and those 15 minutes. 

 

I'm sure we all know hams and others who crave the spotlight and may have illusions of grandeur WRT the entertainment business.

Edited December 2, 2014 by BearCat49

[BearCat49]

You know those matching 14 foot drapes and furniture cost like private plane money back in the day. So if it was her parents home that girl comes from money.

WTH? Just clearing out the tivo and there is a pop'd HH? I've not seen this before but it is very irritating. Does anyone know if this is a repeat that's been pop'd (like pop up videos in the olden days when MTV played music)?

We had stripper pole, house like I grew up in, virtually every HH cliche.

 

What's a "pop'd HH", QuinnM?  Did my dvr miss something, lol?

 

BTW, you're correct about the cost of those furnishings.

[BearCat49]

I'll be honest with you -- I could have watched her all day.  And not to sound like a pervy old man or anything, but from the angles and closeups they used I'm pretty sure that the camera operator and the director were on the same page as me.  I'll agree that when they first showed her and she had all that jewelry I thought she looked like she was trying too hard, just as you said.  But she went a little more basic in the latter two outfits. 

 

I've watched enough morons on this show that I feel like I've earned an episode of eye candy. 

 

Late comment (sorry).  I didn't notice her but I to ignore the participants as much as possible!  I have occasionally noticed the camera lingering too much on certain things or people, hahaha ...

 

WRT the jewelry, tptb probably told her to remove it for filming.  It doesn't show up well on camera and can be distracting to the viewer.

 

I do remember thinking on one episode recently that someone didn't look like a RE agent so perhaps it was this one, lol.

Edited December 2, 2014 by BearCat49

[caci]

I recently saw the stripper pole episode.  Honestly I wouldn't have cared if they were they most obnoxious couple on the show (they weren't), because I LOVED the fact the caterer wife wanted a closed off kitchen.  I just wanted to reach in the tv and hug her!

[NYGirl]

I recently saw the stripper pole episode.  Honestly I wouldn't have cared if they were they most obnoxious couple on the show (they weren't), because I LOVED the fact the caterer wife wanted a closed off kitchen.  I just wanted to reach in the tv and hug her!

They jumped right to the top of my favorite HHs, along with the asian guy who worked as a coroner.  If they make me laugh I love them.

 

I just saw a HH that actually did entertain!!!  I'm still in shock.  The single mom in Fayetteville.  How cute was her and her son sliding down the steps together?  I definitely knew that no matter what she was taking the new build. I was right.

[DownTheShore]

I started viewing that Pop'd HH episode and found it to be unwatchable.

 

The announcer informs us that the wife is a caterer, and then a little box popped up saying "She bakes".

 

~head smack~

 

Apologies to anyone who liked it, but I couldn't even pay attention to what was happening with the family because of those pop-ups.  It was basically "House Hunters For People Learning English", IMO.

Edited December 3, 2014 by DownTheShore

[zivadanielle]

I happened upon the end of an episode last night where a young couple with two little boys was buying a home in Florida.  There were a couple of interesting things with this one:

 

• The house they chose was in foreclosure and going to auction with a starting bid at $94 K or something.  They basically did a "buy it now" option and bought the home for more than that, and there was an additional fee tacked on...I've never seen a situation like that on HH but from watching Flip or Flop's staged auctions I guess that atmosphere could be odd for regular buyers (i.e. non-flippers).
• There was an active bat house installed on the home!  The buyers were understandably a little freaked out, and I was a little surprised when they could somehow access it from inside and we got to see the little critters.  The realtor tried to emphasize that they will be great at controlling the mosquito population but the buyers seemed skeeved.  Fast-forward to after they'd been in the house for a few weeks and the kids are calling the bats their pets and they stand outside every night to watch them all emerge from the bat house to make their rounds.  I had a bat issue in an apt years ago and a wildlife rehab company was sent out to collect/relocate them and it took several days.... they're a little scary to have in a house but I do like seeing them fly around at night.

[laredhead]

I just read the following from an HGTV listing.  It describes 2 new versions of HH's.  The Tiny House episodes are listed beginning December 15 on my DVR schedule.

 

NEW YORK — HGTV expands its House Hunters franchise by adding a dash of humor in the new series House Hunters Pop’d, premiering Friday, November 28, at 11p.m. ET/PT. In the new series, irreverent tidbits, real estate trivia and witticisms about the home buyers, locations and the real estate market pop up onscreen during each episode. A second series, Tiny House Hunters, premiering December 15-19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, follows home buyers as they navigate the big world of small space living.
“With House Hunters Pop’d and Tiny House Hunters we’re giving our most popular franchise a fun spin,” said Allison Page, general manager, HGTV and DI 

[caci]

I actually didn't mind the silly pop-ups.  It was entertaining.  What I didn't like was the annoying "ding"  for each pop-up. Too loud and too many.

[Bastet]

In the new series, irreverent tidbits, real estate trivia and witticisms about the home buyers, locations and the real estate market pop up onscreen during each episode.

 

Ha!  I don't remember if it was here or back on TWoP, but wherever we first floated the idea for a pop-up video version of HH, we deserve a piece of this new show.

 

I still want stuff like a HH complaining a house is too small being followed by a pop-up explaining it’s X square feet over average for houses in that area and price range.  Or a HH declaring an appliance will have to be replaced because it’s not stainless steel followed by a pop-up letting us know the appliance is only three years old and of high quality.  And I’d really like to see a HH who complains “You can hear all the street noise” in the downtown condo they just had to have be treated to a pop-up that simply states, “Duh.”

Edited December 4, 2014 by Bastet

[mojito]

HH Denver:

 

The husband was quirky and had a cute sense of humor. He wanted a single sink in the master bath because he liked brushing his teeth with his wife and joking around at the same time. When the wife commented on the neighbor being so close, he could see her in the bathroom, he replied with something like, "Don't judge the neighbor." I don't recall hearing demands beyond the style and space. More people like this, HH!

[DownTheShore]

I started viewing that Pop'd HH episode and found it to be unwatchable.

 

The announcer informs us that the wife is a caterer, and then a little box popped up saying "She bakes".

 

~head smack~

 

Apologies to anyone who liked it, but I couldn't even pay attention to what was happening with the family because of those pop-ups.  It was basically "House Hunters For People Learning English", IMO.

 

I think that I'm going to have to reverse my stance on this show. 

 

I watched another episode by accident tonight - the 25-year olds who wanted to buy a place in 1000 Oaks CA for something around $260K or in that region.  They were both claustrophobic and had the usual pie-in-the-sky wishlist of first-time buyers who have no conception of what their money will actually buy.  This time I caught the sly humor of the person who was writing the captions and was amused by them.

[Ohwell]

HH Denver:

 

The husband was quirky and had a cute sense of humor. He wanted a single sink in the master bath because he liked brushing his teeth with his wife and joking around at the same time. When the wife commented on the neighbor being so close, he could see her in the bathroom, he replied with something like, "Don't judge the neighbor." I don't recall hearing demands beyond the style and space. More people like this, HH!

At first, I thought the husband was cute, funny and refreshing.  Then when he mentioned the tooth-brushing for the third time, I began to think he was I love with himself.  I got the impression he thinks he's the life of the party.  Ugh. 

[TVForever]

HH Denver:

 

The husband was quirky and had a cute sense of humor. He wanted a single sink in the master bath because he liked brushing his teeth with his wife and joking around at the same time. When the wife commented on the neighbor being so close, he could see her in the bathroom, he replied with something like, "Don't judge the neighbor." I don't recall hearing demands beyond the style and space. More people like this, HH!

 

I liked this couple too. Yeah, maybe the husband was turning it on for the cameras a little, but they just seemed like a good-natured pair. Refreshing change of pace.

[auntjess]

The thing is, the 25-year-olds weren't married, so I sure hope his mother, who contributed to the downpayment, made sure that the house was in his name, and not that awful valley girl.

[mojito]

I am looking forward to Tiny House Hunters. The house hunters' demands should be a nice change. Or maybe not. Maybe some will still demand a soaking tub, double ovens, a three-car garage, his and her sinks, a guest bedroom. I'm thinking I'd want separate crawl spaces for alone time, a pet door (the more outside time Fido gets, the better), restaurants nearby (other than heating up a couple Hungry Man dinners, I don't think I'd want to cook), a shed (when the crawl spaces just aren't enough).

[laredhead]

Can't wait until the first HH on Tiny House Hunters says "It's a little tight" or something equally as dumb. 

[auntjess]

When is this coming up? 
I watched Tiny House Nation, but those were all built-to-order.
 

[laredhead]

Auntjess, my DVR has it scheduled for the week of December 15 at 9:00 (central time) - every night that week.  I have not seen Tiny House Nation, and the listing doesn't elaborate on the content.  You may be able to find it on the HGTV website, but I haven't looked for it.

Edited December 8, 2014 by laredhead

[auntjess]

Thanks, I'll check.
Tiny House Nation was on FYI! (formerly Biography), I think.
It has a forum here, and they maybe repeating the episodes.
The houses are totable, and some are built on a bed of a truck, but some were built in place.

Because  they're mainly not permanent, they get away with flaunting code, with things like stairs without rails, and I haven't seen any fire extinguishers.

[mojito]

Has anyone seen a two-story tiny home? I've never seen one on THN, but I've only watched a few times.

 

In wonder if tiny house hunters will be like many who purchased netbooks a few years back. Before you knew it, people were asking if they could attach a hard drive to it, load Office and Photoshop, and edit movies.

[auntjess]

Thanks for that, Mojito, because I'm trying to understand the difference between a netbook, a notebook, and a laptop.
In the ones we saw on THN, they had lofts, but probably couldn't have been moved on a truck if they were two stories tall.
Also remember, the poor people had to toss their belongings, so maybe they didn't have anything to fill a house.

[DownTheShore]

Has anyone seen a two-story tiny home? I've never seen one on THN, but I've only watched a few times.

 

In wonder if tiny house hunters will be like many who purchased netbooks a few years back. Before you knew it, people were asking if they could attach a hard drive to it, load Office and Photoshop, and edit movies.

 

They'll probably attach other tiny houses to their original one and form a tiny village...

[BearCat49]

They'll probably attach other tiny houses to their original one and form a tiny village...

 

Hahaha, I like that one, DownTheShore - reminds me of those Christmas villages offered by various retailers to suck people into buying not only the tiny houses but the train depot, trains, track, library,  ...

 

Incidentally, it was fun when HGTV had their Design Star contestants renovate tiny houses.

Edited December 11, 2014 by BearCat49

[laredhead]

HH Where Are They Now tonight featured the Wisconsin couple there has been a lot of discussion about previously.  He wanted 10 acres in the middle of no where and no neighbors and she wanted to be close to their jobs in town.  He won and over the past year several posts have mentioned the episode and how odd it seemed at the time.  Tonight they showed all of the improvements they have made and she seemed to be very happy living out in the country on their 10 acres of land.  The follow up episode had a totally different vibe than the first one.  Another couple featured was the Bentonville, Arkansas husband & wife who generated a lot of discussion when their initial episode was aired.  Guess what?   He was wearing red shorts in part of the follow up episode.  During the original show, he wore red pants.  They both admitted they had no idea what they were getting into when they decided to buy the fixer.        

[Ohwell]

I saw that Where Are They Now episode and was surprised that the Wisconsin wife seemed to be happy and content living on the property.  Good for her I guess but I wonder who the kids will play with.  I also saw the couple in France who bought the fixer upper in the country,  They gave an update six years later.  Talk about a money pit.  The renovations were OK but I just wasn't impressed with the property.

[chessiegal]

I posted awhile back that our daughter lives across the street from a house set in New Orleans. We are here now visiting. I asked her about the filming. She said there was one camera man. They spent about 10 minutes filming outside, and then went in the house, and were there for about 5 hours. She also said if you could freeze frame the shot showing their house, you would see 4 little noses of our granddaughters pressed against their living room window.

[KLovestoShop]

Just watched the HH Popped with the Augusta couple with a $100,000 budget. The uppity wife was a total pain in the butt. She acted like she had, and deserved, a $500K budget. A total spoiled brat. Felt bad for her husband. She also needed to see that this is a starter house, and once hubby becomes a dentist, she can get her dream home----that is, if they're still married.

[DownTheShore]

I saw that WATN episode with the Wisconsin couple, and color me surprised that she's still with him and that he seemed "normal" compared to how fixated he was in the original episode.

 

I don't know what she's been doing all this time, but to me it seemed clear that decorating was not her forte.  That was one bland house.  Am I mistaken or did they use the same shade of blue as either the color or accent wall in almost every room?  I thought her "spa" bathroom was ugly.

 

Interesting how the two kids looked so totally different.  That's like me and my siblings, and yet some families have such a strong resemblance between the children that you know automatically whose family they belong to.

[laredhead]

DownTheShore, I agree that her idea of a spa bath and my idea of one (and yours too) don't match.  The blue was not a very pretty color, IMO, but perhaps it looks better in person.  The color scheme and decor left me cold, and would probably seem colder in the winter when the place is surrounded by snow.  I guess she's been busy having babies and with child care since they now have a second child.  Did not say if she was still working.

[Apprentice Ilisidi]

I would like to formally register my opposition to accent walls. Of any color.

[BearCat49]

I posted awhile back that our daughter lives across the street from a house set in New Orleans. We are here now visiting. I asked her about the filming. She said there was one camera man. They spent about 10 minutes filming outside, and then went in the house, and were there for about 5 hours. She also said if you could freeze frame the shot showing their house, you would see 4 little noses of our granddaughters pressed against their living room window.

 

IIRC from your previous postings, that was the home they'd previously purchased and were working on?  Did they have 2 filming sessions on separate days to do the before and after scenes?  Sounds like they kinda', sorta' film in order. 

 

The session length sounds about right.  Have heard they reserve the home for the entire day, i.e. a full 12 hours, to allow some flexibility.

[KLovestoShop]

I know to each his own, but I just don't get this tiny house stuff. Tonight's couple didn't really live in a big place to begin with, at just over 700 sqft for their condo, but I just can't get the reasoning behind actually wanting to live in something that's 350 sqft or less. Obviously, cost is a factor, but I just can't comprehend living in something that's smaller than our master bedroom.

[auntjess]

 

but I just can't get the reasoning behind actually wanting to live in something that's 350 sqft or less.

I haven't seen this yet, but have them records.   (There seem to several on tonight, with different names.)

I wonder if these are people who go out a LOT, and don't spend as much time at home as many of us do.

And I saw the Augusta couple in the pop up episode.  Like the other one I saw, they made the wife sound like an entitled bitch, but in the end, she was the one who compromised.

 

[mcat]

I know to each his own, but I just don't get this tiny house stuff. Tonight's couple didn't really live in a big place to begin with, at just over 700 sqft for their condo, but I just can't get the reasoning behind actually wanting to live in something that's 350 sqft or less. Obviously, cost is a factor, but I just can't comprehend living in something that's smaller than our master bedroom.

 

Totally agree. I can understand why people don't want to live in big houses, but this seems ridiculous. Do they ever plan on having kids? Even having a dog in that kind of space would be tough. And when it was all said and done, it wasn't really that cheap.

 

And the couple last night didn't seem to be on the same page. I told my husband if he ever said he wanted composting toilets, I would divorce him.

Edited December 16, 2014 by mcat

[mojito]

Tiny HH:

 

I liked when the wife said, during a discussion about a compost toilet, "...we have two cats. We don't have to become cats."

 

I can related to wanting to be able to live in a tiny home, to pare down your belongings to a minimal. But I'd rather scale down in such a way that the 700-foot condo felt large.

 

 

...but I just can't comprehend living in something that's smaller than our master bedroom.

I can't imagine a master bedroom that's more than 350 square feet!

[camom]

I was surprised at how much the tiny houses cost.  I know they were on acres of land, but even the build-it-yourself model was pretty pricy even without the land.  And I agree that 700 sq. ft. should be small enough.  To each his own.

Edited December 16, 2014 by camom

[truther]

Tiny HH:

 

I liked when the wife said, during a discussion about a compost toilet, "...we have two cats. We don't have to become cats."

 

I definitely thought they had a good sense of humor.  There were a couple other good jokes in there.  They were a fun couple to watch. 

[laredhead]

A composting toilet isn't for everyone.  On one of the Alaskan house hunting shows, a realtor once told some prospective buyers that there are odors associated with a composting toilet and that good ventilation is necessary where one is located, especially if it is indoors.  Yep, similar to a litter box.  

[truther]

A composting toilet isn't for everyone.  On one of the Alaskan house hunting shows, a realtor once told some prospective buyers that there are odors associated with a composting toilet and that good ventilation is necessary where one is located, especially if it is indoors.  Yep, similar to a litter box.  

Yeah, I remember an HHI in Central America (I think?) where the couple took one look at a place with a composting toilet and said it was a huge no-no because they'd had awful experiences with one in the past.

[TheWereCow]

Is anyone else watching the sound healer from LA? I just don't understand her insistence on having the bathroom and kitchen outside. I know it's LA, but there're gonna be times you don't want to flash your bits to the local llamas.

 

Also, you want a tiny house, you're gonna have to sacrifice closet space. C'mon now.