Bastet January 5, 2015 Share January 5, 2015 Yes, I've cooked on one of them quite often, as that's what they have at my parents' house (and I'm there cat-sitting when they travel), so I'll be pre-versed in the tricks if that's what I go with. I would have enjoyed the episode more if they had stated that at the beginning and left it at that, but I guess the producers thought it would be great to hear them both whine and moan about small outdated spaces for a lot of money for 30 minutes. I didn't see that one, but agree on general principle that turning "Hawaii housing is expensive" into a storyline is pretty stupid. 1 Link to comment
aguabella January 6, 2015 Share January 6, 2015 (edited) Hawaii guy was such a snot. "I can't believe I'm even IN a townhouse." Typical entitled bleach blonde yf to go with it. Sure had a nice MBZ convertible from the trust fund, however, lol. Couldn't believe any builder would use carpet in any island home. Yeah, cheaper, but still - how about cheap laminate or stock tile? Perhaps the carpet didn't have to be imported to the island - don't know - just surprising to me. Kids didn't mention the carpet and the realtor's sold a home so she has no reason to say anything. Oh well, whatever - if they'd lived there for awhile, seems like they'd dislike carpeting, big time. Of course we don't know if the view fixer was actually available and toured by them when they did their actual house hunt. Am down with avoiding a fixer but hey, it's a view kids. And not a beneath me (according to snot husband) townhouse! Edited January 6, 2015 by aguabella 1 Link to comment
Kris223 January 6, 2015 Share January 6, 2015 Last night's Georgia family was so annoying. Mainly the wife with the house can't be older than my youngest child and everything must be new. And having the oldest daughter complaining about closet space was not nearly as cute as they thought it was. I can understand wanting a nice house after so many rentals, especially if it's going to be your forever home. But their attitudes just bugged the heck out of me. 1 Link to comment
buttersister January 6, 2015 Share January 6, 2015 Not just you. Did I hear the producers rubbing their hands together, saying "Mah-wahahahahaha" when the older daughter started bitching about room size, closet size and every other entitled "wish" of hers? Also, not fond of another budget-buster that turns out to not be a problem. Oh yeah, and according to Houzz or somesuch, brass fixtures are making a comeback. Oy. 3 Link to comment
Peanutbuttercup January 6, 2015 Share January 6, 2015 I watched the first two minutes of the latest Atlanta family and deleted their episode. My life is too short to spend any of it watching that level of entitlement, vanity, and superficiality. 1 Link to comment
laredhead January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 Is real estate is Atlanta rebounding or is the market still stagnant? That was an incredible deal the Atlanta couple got on a 4,000+ sf house. I think the price began at $308,000, but they ended up below $300,000 even after adding a few things. Bet it costs a lot to heat and cool that thing. Link to comment
chessiegal January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 Prices in the Atlanta area depend on where you are. Did they say where they were looking? I don't remember, but it looked like most suburban new housing there. Having lived in the 'burbs for 4 years, it doesn't cost that much to heat a house. AC costs probably more, but I don't remember it being that bad. I remember utilities being a lower cost than where I moved from in MD. Link to comment
jcbrown January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 They were looking in some suburb whose name combined "Atlanta" and "Decatur." They were heinous--her, especially. Link to comment
chessiegal January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 (edited) Oh, yeah - Dacula. We kept thinking they were saying Dracula - ha! That's in Gwinett County where I lived (Suwanee), so more upscale, but not as much as north of Atlanta or inside the perimeter like Buckhead or Virginia Highlands or Inman Park. Maybe real estate is recovering. Edited January 7, 2015 by chessiegal Link to comment
CocoaGoddess January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 The Atlanta couple was awful and each house they looked at was blander than the next. I was actually in a foul mood when I finished watching it, and I should have deleted the episode the moment they walked into that empty 4500 square foot monstrosity. Link to comment
NYGirl January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 I loved last night's couple. The bead makers!! He was so cute and personable. She insisted on a brick house but they ended up with a new build (of course)..however, they were smart enough not to take the model and it put the house right in their budget but wasn't brick. It was nice to see a compromise without the usual complaining and whining. Definitely a top 10 list of likable couple for me. 2 Link to comment
chessiegal January 8, 2015 Share January 8, 2015 Okay, showruners/producers. I am 5 minutes into the newest show. She wants one style, he wants another. He has one budget, she has another. Time to move on. Enough already. 5 Link to comment
QuinnM January 8, 2015 Share January 8, 2015 I'm watching tonight's Chicago episode. I've signed on to ask the the hell kind of hobby is calligraphy? You write scriptie letters to friends? I'm confused and anyone that wants to explain it to me you're welcome. Also did they say at some point that their closet consisted of adult garanimals? Or are they color blind? I can't decide. 2 Link to comment
NYGirl January 8, 2015 Share January 8, 2015 Omg. Calligraphy? Really? She was so nasty and annoying about a space for that and her damn Christmas tree. I was rooting for his beer making all the way. Besides I felt sorry for him and his non covered parking spot. Good luck with that this winter. They should have taken #2 1 Link to comment
laredhead January 8, 2015 Share January 8, 2015 By my count, houses now should have a room for gift wrapping, one for calligraphy, one for scrap booking, one for beer making and goodness knows what the next must have room will be. Bedroom for the turtle? Unless she has a calligraphy business on the side and must have loads of space to spread out all of the things she's working on all the time, seems to me that can be done at a small table somewhere when necessary. That wasn't a very large condo to have 3 bedrooms, so the rooms are small. No covered parking would have been the deal breaker for me. 2 Link to comment
CocoaGoddess January 8, 2015 Share January 8, 2015 Okay, showruners/producers. I am 5 minutes into the newest show. She wants one style, he wants another. He has one budget, she has another. Time to move on. Enough already. It's creepy and competitive, and I don't like seeing couples trying to constantly one-up each other and putting down the other's choices and tastes. Even though I know good and well it is staged, it is just uncomfortable to watch, and I don't know why HGTV has made this the standard script. I would love to watch vintage House Hunter episodes without the fake drama and attention seeking antics of the buyers. I get having hobbies, but I want someone to explain to me the gift wrapping deal--I gift wrap exactly once a year, at Christmas and all of our crap is laid out on the floor. Is this a side business for some people? I just don't understand how many people you have to know plus buy gifts for in order to justify a gift wrapping room. Seems like a really expensive hobby. 2 Link to comment
NYGirl January 8, 2015 Share January 8, 2015 Im with you Cocoa!! The only person I ever heard of having a "gift wrap room" was Maris (Nils' wife) on Frasier. I don't even understand scrapbooking either. I saw one couple the other night that made beads. That I could understand because I believe they sold them and I realize you do need one room just to store all the beads properly. And I also think they need to shake things up on HH...would it hurt to have couples on the same page with their likes/dislikes? Why does every show need drama? 2 Link to comment
QuinnM January 8, 2015 Share January 8, 2015 Candy Spelling had the first gift wrap room that I heard about. She had like two of them. But then she said she wrapped hundreds of presents a year. So that to me was weirder than have a gift wrap room. I can actually get on board with someone that scrapbooks. I get cute cards from them and then see some of the books they put together for their kids graduation etc. But I cannot, cannot understand calligraphy being a hobby. Link to comment
peggy06 January 9, 2015 Share January 9, 2015 I liked the Chicago couple, and I liked all three properties. The neighborhoods were great! I especially liked the look of the one where they bought. Other than the lack of covered parking, I think they made a good choice. Only sad note was that they painted that lovely woodwork white. I understand that's a popular trend (the folks on Apartment Therapy seem to go for it in a big way), and I know not all woodwork is nice, but in that building, in that unit, the wood finish seemed both attractive and appropriate. Link to comment
buttersister January 9, 2015 Share January 9, 2015 Good lord, the guy with the small budget started bitching about using a spare bedroom for his home office--he wanted more bedrooms and an office. I couldn't stick around to see what they went for--*sigh*--either he was a total dipshit or too easily manipulated by producers. Will try NOT to re-watch this one. Link to comment
aguabella January 10, 2015 Share January 10, 2015 (edited) Okay, showruners/producers. I am 5 minutes into the newest show. She wants one style, he wants another. He has one budget, she has another. Time to move on. Enough already. Great start, chessiegal. May I add a couple more? How about ... He wants to live in the city, she prefers the country or suburbs. He prefers to live close to work but she'd like to live somewhere close to the action, e.g. bars and restaurants. She doesn't mind a fixer but he must have move-in ready, usually including his man cave! They both want to live in a walkable neighborhood, again close to those happenin' bars and other places but their budget doesn't cover it so the killjoy realtor redirects them to the outer suburbs. Oh, vice versa for all of the above with the exception of the last item, lol! I'll bet everyone could add at least one more to this list - The showrunners and producers must have it in their heads that nobody will tune in w/o the drama. Wish they'd at least give it a try - just to mix things up. Would be so shocked if they did that HH could become must-see TV! Edited January 10, 2015 by aguabella 1 Link to comment
Tony January 10, 2015 Share January 10, 2015 You'd think after watching this show that every friggin' guy out there NEEDS a man cave in their house, and not just a small bedroom-sized one, but one big enough that you can run laps in. Just exactly how oppressive are these wives that they need a space to hole themselves in? Link to comment
CocoaGoddess January 11, 2015 Share January 11, 2015 This woman on the Washington episode has mentioned her "OCD" at least twenty times. I'm confused, if she really and truly has OCD, why in the hell would her husband insist on an older fixer if it's going to exacerbate her condition? I know the answer already, but while they're writing out their scripts, HGTV should think about things like this--OCD is a real condition and it can be crippling for some people, it isn't cute to watch people claiming to have it to justify wanting brand new everything because they like stuff "clean". It just made me dislike both of them intensely. I'm a Navy wife, and I don't know how these people can afford a 275k house with that many kids and those new cars. But whatever. 6 Link to comment
chessiegal January 11, 2015 Share January 11, 2015 Cocoa, I so agree with you about the casual throwing around of "OCD". I was listening to a woman on NPR who has OCD, can't remember which show it was, and she said it was insulting to her that people would say they had OCD because they did a certain something, whereas her condition prevented her from functioning with out some real intervention from professionals and work on her part. The example she gave was hearing a woman say she was so OCD because she HAD to go to the gym every day and work out. She said there is nothing about OCD that has positive results, like getting exercise every day. I agree - lose that line and stop insulting people who are truly OCD. 6 Link to comment
awaken January 12, 2015 Share January 12, 2015 uggg, just watched the one with the LA Palisades couple, the husband from Peru and the wife from Georgia. One of the worst I've seen. At first I thought she meant Georgia, near Russia, since her accent was strange- then she started talking about sweet tea and I realized she meant the South US! Oh the HORROR of fitting 5 kids into a 4 bedroom, 5700 sq ft, $3 million house, especially when one of them is in Peru for school, and the other two are only there part time! And fitting 9 "exotic" cars into a several garage home, with a tennis court and huge pool! The abject SUFFERING!!! They couldn't seem to stand each other, and they were horrified that the floors were being redone and the rooms renovated. "Why would they allow this house to be shown like this?! Only 2 huge living rooms?! Only a partial ocean view from the northeast corner?!" I hope they watch this and are embarrassed, and change their priorities in life. And, currently watching the Arizona couple who is upset that the houses in the desert have cacti and rock gardens, and not much grass. DUH! 2 Link to comment
Kris223 January 12, 2015 Share January 12, 2015 Oh yeah, AZ wife bugged. Also amused me that she was whining about HOA-approved colors for the houses. Because from what they showed of her paint choices, she probably would've painted that house bright turquoise. So many couples in the marathon yesterday irritated me. The Arlington, VA couple - is a DINK lifestyle really a thing? And she was another one that wanted to get rid of the toilets/showers/counters because someone else had used them. Link to comment
Ohwell January 12, 2015 Share January 12, 2015 So many couples in the marathon yesterday irritated me. The Arlington, VA couple - is a DINK lifestyle really a thing? And she was another one that wanted to get rid of the toilets/showers/counters because someone else had used them. Perhaps the DINK storyline was producer-driven, but the couple annoyed me nonetheless with it. Also, she seemed hellbent on showing off her legs in the shorts, and the final shot of her lounging in the chair, again with the legs. They weren't that great, and it made me just roll my eyes. 1 Link to comment
CocoaGoddess January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 This Pacific Palisades couple is top ten worst buyers ever featured on this show. Does HH really think that we want to see rich people complaining about "compromising"? I couldn't even finish, I didn't care which house they got because anything other than a rodent infested shack is too good for these idiots. "Why would they show this house in this condition? Isn't that what poor people do?" Okay so they didn't say that (exactly), but their attitudes were such a turn off. Yes, how DARE your realtor have the AUDACITY to allow you to walk through sawdust and paint chips in your Hermes loafers. The humanity. 1 Link to comment
mojito January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 The showrunners and producers must have it in their heads that nobody will tune in w/o the drama. Well, they see how many people do tune in with the drama..... 2 Link to comment
Empress1 January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 I thought the DINK husband was really good-looking. Link to comment
Bellalisa January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 Oh, yeah - Dacula. We kept thinking they were saying Dracula - ha! That's in Gwinett County where I lived (Suwanee), so more upscale, but not as much as north of Atlanta or inside the perimeter like Buckhead or Virginia Highlands or Inman Park. Maybe real estate is recovering. Dacula is not upscale at all. It is much further out than Suwanee. Much less upscale than Suwanee (which isnt upscale but ok) and the real estate is much cheaper than Suwanee in Dacula. You can get a bargain there because it is in the boonies. They were really annoying. I cant stand when something from 2007 is called outdated. Link to comment
Bellalisa January 14, 2015 Share January 14, 2015 I hated the Chicago couple. When they came out with their wishlist: Lincoln Park, 2 -3bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms, outdoor space, but not the kind where you walk thru a bedroom to get out there, and room for the beer keg, and an extra room for crafts, and updated kitchen and room for guests, and this and not that I thought okay I guess their budget is $750 or well over $500. Of course it was $350- I dont live in chicago but even I know that is not going to get you squat in Lincoln Park. The 800 sq foot condo with a walk thru the bedroom to the balcony was all they get- super small. 2 Link to comment
laredhead January 14, 2015 Share January 14, 2015 800 sq feet is going to get very small very fast, especially when if decide to have a child. Link to comment
Peanutbuttercup January 15, 2015 Share January 15, 2015 Chicago couple had another wishlist item that made me delete them immediately: room for home brewing. I know this is completely irrational but home brewing just ticks me off. Go buy a case of Budweiser and STFU about how special you and your highly elevated beer tastes are. Okay, okay, again this is completely unfair and irrational and my brain recognizes that - but as soon as a HH starts talking about home brewing, I delete them. Other things that lead to immediate deletion before watching -- space needed for an extensive shoe collection, desire for a man cave, and any talk about needing things to have "bling," be "glam," or any hint that their primary purpose in getting a house is to show off their success to other people. Oh and I delete almost all episodes involving vacation homes, condos, and cookie-cutter suburban tract homes. So yeah, I end up watching about 1 of every 5 episodes of House Hunters. 4 Link to comment
laredhead January 15, 2015 Share January 15, 2015 (edited) I liked the Kansas City episode about the single mother. She stuck to her budget and ended up with a house that she liked. Her statement at the end was emotional as she described growing up with very little and being able to buy a nice house meant a lot to her and her daughter. She had a wish list, but it didn't include granite, stainless or hardwood floors which was refreshing. Edited January 15, 2015 by laredhead 2 Link to comment
AnnieGirl January 15, 2015 Share January 15, 2015 I agree about the Kansas City single mom. I got choked up there when she got choked up at the end of the episode. Her friend that came with her was hilarious and both of them are beautiful. Link to comment
magicdog January 17, 2015 Share January 17, 2015 (edited) And she was another one that wanted to get rid of the toilets/showers/counters because someone else had used them. Well, some of that I can understand. My mom used to tell me whenever you move to a new home, always replace the toilet seat(s). The tubs/showers can be cleaned with bleach and Pine Sol . I just caught an ep with the gay couple looking for a house in Upstate NY (near Woodstock). I was really getting annoyed with their insistence on finding a staircase for the non-existent child to make a grand entrance for a [prom] which may never occur! Yes, I realize this is fake but this is getting stupid! Do the actors/narrator laugh after they've read these lines? Also was annoyed with the "traffic" outside the home they ultimately chose (which was very nice BTW). I grew up nearby and two cars passing on a two lane highway in opposite directions does NOT a traffic jam make! Okay, showrunners/producers. I am 5 minutes into the newest show. She wants one style, he wants another. He has one budget, she has another. Time to move on. Enough already. May I add: Enough with imaginary problems such as traffic when there is only one or two cars passing by. Enough with prima donnas who want a house for supercilious reasons (like imaginary children who might need a staircase for a glamorous debut or the wife's fantasies of being a fairy tale princess) Enough with the insistence for one thing at the beginning of the search only to buy the house that doesn't have what you claimed you wanted. Enough of the poor little rich people who have to suffer by taking a 4,000 sq ft house instead of the 10,000 square foot property and call it compromise. Edited January 17, 2015 by magicdog 2 Link to comment
Tony January 18, 2015 Share January 18, 2015 Enough with imaginary problems such as traffic when there is only one or two cars passing by. I remember an episode of HHI where the couple kept bitching about heavy traffic and noise, and then the producers cut to a shot of the street with a kid going by on his bicycle and no cars whatsoever. I burst out laughing. It's moments like that when you know even the producers are on board with poking at the house hunter's stupidity. Link to comment
cathy7304 January 20, 2015 Share January 20, 2015 OK, I just saw the episode with the young couple with a toddler looking for a house in a historic part of Pennsylvania. The husband wants an old farmhouse that he can fix up to save money and the wife wants "turn key". The narrator said the average home is around $500,000. OF COURSE, this couple only have $300k and they still want the moon and the stars. Right off the bat, the wife shows us what she is all about. As they are walking up to the front door of the first house to meet their realtor, he is saying this is a craftsman. The wife says "what?". He repeats "it's a craftsman". She says "I'm sorry, I can't hear you because of all the street noise" as the camera pans to the street where ONE FREAKING CAR GOES SLOWLY BY! What the .....? 2 Link to comment
Ohwell January 20, 2015 Share January 20, 2015 Yes, Pennsylvania wife was annoying. I missed the first five minutes or so, but didn't the husband work on a farm? I don't remember if she worked. Link to comment
NYGirl January 21, 2015 Share January 21, 2015 They didn't mention if she worked or not. I agree she was annoying. I was happy he got his house with the land. They lived on the horse farm he worked on. I saw another one today (rolling my eyes) I believe it was Chicago. The laziest HH ever. She didn't like stairs!! Not just ANY STAIRS.....BASEMENT STAIRS!! I told you no stairs!! The bewildered realtor was like..you can't have a basement without stairs. Her husband? All he cared about was his stupid projector wall and if he could fry his turkey. Those 2 were definitely 2 fries short of a happy meal. 2 Link to comment
aguabella January 21, 2015 Share January 21, 2015 (edited) I remember an episode of HHI where the couple kept bitching about heavy traffic and noise, and then the producers cut to a shot of the street with a kid going by on his bicycle and no cars whatsoever. I burst out laughing. It's moments like that when you know even the producers are on board with poking at the house hunter's stupidity. IMHO, it's the other way around. That's the producers foisting another one of their standard plots on us! The house hunters know better but aren't in control of their episode. Anybody ever wonder (like us) if the producers simply repeat that same shot with the 1-2 cars so they don't have to set it up again in the boonies, lol? Edited January 21, 2015 by aguabella Link to comment
laredhead January 21, 2015 Share January 21, 2015 NYGirl, the Pennsylvania woman said "I work in sales", but did not say anything more specific. She said at the end she had killed some plants in the greenhouse. What I saw were cacti. Hard to kill those, so maybe that's what they decided to grow. Hope they are more successful with the outside garden. 1 Link to comment
NYGirl January 21, 2015 Share January 21, 2015 Just watched the couple in Lincoln Nebraska with a budget of around $170,000. God help me but I cannot stand her voice. Sometimes one HH will talk and talk and talk throughout the episode..enough for me to yell at the TV "SHUTUP ALREADY"!!! They kept making me giggle when he said..."at this price I would expect a better yard" or anything beginning with "at this price". Really? 1 Link to comment
CocoaGoddess January 22, 2015 Share January 22, 2015 Working my way through DVR episodes, and just saw the Silicon Valley couple--the husband is an engineer at Google, the wife a real estate agent. I was prepared to hate them after hearing their 2.5 million dollar budget, but they were surprisingly one of the more pleasant House Hunters in recent years. So interesting that they are obviously two very successful people with this huge amount of money to spend on a house, yet all they wanted was a decent size yard to plant a garden with their kids, and being close enough to Google Headquarters for the husband to bike to work. Gee, no complaining about stainless steel this and granite countertops that, oh no my neighbors will be able to SEE ME type of drama we normally get. I was rooting hard for them, and I think they made a fine choice with their home. But GEEZ, the real estate market in Silicon Valley! And I live in San Diego and we're moving to DC in a few months, so I'm no stranger to exorbitant costs of living, but I just don't see how that will be sustainable for the next decade or two. That Chicago couple just squeezed themselves onto my most hated list, god they set my teeth on edge! Who demands a TRI LEVEL HOUSE WITH NO STAIRS? "Just one or two per level." In. Chicago.Gosh, what a shrew she was, what she complained about wasn't even logical--which makes me think that HGTV didn't put her up to this, it was all her and all her weirdness. Also cringed when her husband kept going on about screen projectors and frying turkey on the deck. At least it wasn't fried chicken? I guess. They were awful. 4 Link to comment
caci January 22, 2015 Share January 22, 2015 I didn't see the Chicago episode, but I am not getting it. How can you have a tri level house with only a few stairs? Did they want one of those obnoxious high ceilings? What a waste of space! Link to comment
Quof January 22, 2015 Share January 22, 2015 How can you have a tri level house with only a few stairs? Climbing ropes and fireman poles? 3 Link to comment
ChelseaNH January 22, 2015 Share January 22, 2015 I suspect she was thinking of a split level, with just a half flight of stair between each level. We had a house like that in Georgia: the living room and kitchen were in the middle; the bedrooms were a half flight up and the family room and garage were a half-flight down. I don't know how common that floor plan would be in their area of Chicago, though. And "basement" without stairs just does not compute at all. Link to comment
caci January 23, 2015 Share January 23, 2015 I suspect she was thinking of a split level, with just a half flight of stair between each level. We had a house like that in Georgia: the living room and kitchen were in the middle; the bedrooms were a half flight up and the family room and garage were a half-flight down. I don't know how common that floor plan would be in their area of Chicago, though. And "basement" without stairs just does not compute at all. That makes sense. Although I think the climbing rope and fireman pole sound much more fun! 3 Link to comment
Tunia January 23, 2015 Share January 23, 2015 I suspect she was thinking of a split level, with just a half flight of stair between each level. We had a house like that in Georgia: the living room and kitchen were in the middle; the bedrooms were a half flight up and the family room and garage were a half-flight down. I don't know how common that floor plan would be in their area of Chicago, though. And "basement" without stairs just does not compute at all. This exactly describes the house we had in a Chicago suburb, Libertyville, in the 70s! Link to comment
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