House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[laredhead]

Yes, Kate Gosselin.  I was racking my brain trying to figure out who she reminded me of.  I like the house they chose and it made the most sense for them, IMO.  I liked the ranch, but did anyone notice how narrow the hall was?  The husband's shoulders were almost touching each side wall when he walked down the hall.

There was an episode from Appleton, Wisconsin that my DVR recorded and I don't know if it's a new one or not.  It was OK, but it really got to me when the wife declared that parquet floors are not hardwood floors.  Really?  They are oak and oak is considered hardwood.  She wanted to rip out perfectly good parquet flooring and install "real hardwood".  I'm sure she meant wood strip flooring, but that's not what she said.  Since the house with the parquet was built in the 50's (I think) that would have been very thick parquet (as opposed to what is being made today) and could have been refinished.  Many houses in my neighborhood have parquet and the owners have refinished the floors which look beautiful when redone.  She also thought the kitchen in the house they chose was dated and she really wanted - wait for it - white cabinets.  The kitchen cabinets looked fine to me, but maybe up close they weren't so great, but the kitchen did not look dated.  Appleton sounds like a nice place to live, but the winters look a bit long and cold for this southern girl's taste.  Glad the house they chose has a garage connected to the house.  That would be a deal breaker for me.

[mojito]

Quote

My new hate phrase is "What is this supposed to be?".

I always think, "If you have kids, they'll figure that out in no time."

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

I turned away from the South Hadley episode after about five minutes because the wife's eyebrows and severe haircut scared me off.  Seriously.  I'm glad they turned out to be a nice couple though.

They were really nice people and also very realistic.  No whining about the lack of granite countertops and white cabinets.  She was actually very pleased with kitchens that had older, dark (horrors!) cabinets and commented on how she liked the retro look and warmth of them.  They also didn't whine about easy fixes like paint colors, etc.  She was a realtor, so maybe that's why she was more accepting of non-up-to-date stuff; but other realtors on the show have been less than thrilled with it.  Loved what he did with the gutted half bath on the first flor.  Hot and handy hubby!  You go, girl!

[chessiegal]

Am I the only one who watches this show or others of like ilk who is constantly talking to the TV correcting the grammar of the participants?

[Kohola3]

3 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Am I the only one who watches this show or others of like ilk who is constantly talking to the TV correcting the grammar of the participants?

Certainly not!  Drives me nuts sometimes. Plus I keep yelling at them to get a thesaurus and find something to substitute for "amazing".  

[laredhead]

HH Renovation was different last night with the guy buying a house in San Diego.  His "renovation" consisted of painting the kitchen cabinets and painting the ceilings and exterior of the house.  He does have big plans for a 2 story addition to the house so he can see the ocean, so maybe we will see him on a future HH Renovation Where Are They Now episode.  I liked his friend a lot.  Unlike other friends who have tried to be helpful, he had some good comments and advice to offer.  The 3rd house was totally the buyer's style, but I think the realtor was correct with his advice about the 2nd house (which he bought) and improving it so that he would see a better return on his investment.    

[Ohwell]

14 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Certainly not!  Drives me nuts sometimes. Plus I keep yelling at them to get a thesaurus and find something to substitute for "amazing".  

I don't think that some of these people even know what a thesaurus is.

San Diego episode:  I liked the two guys, but I hated that the owner painted those kitchen cabinets bright white.  

[Empress1]

46 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

San Diego episode:  I liked the two guys, but I hated that the owner painted those kitchen cabinets bright white.  

He was very into black and white and I thought it all looked so sterile (though I did like the paint job he had done on the exterior of the house). The kitchen in the last house he looked at, the one he loved? I haaaaaated it. And I vastly preferred the kitchen cabinets in the house he bought before he had them painted; I thought they made the kitchen look warmer and homier.

[ByaNose]

I actually like the 3rd house which was the modern one in San Diego. Oddly enough, I hate modern house like this inside & outside were really cool. I was shocked that he didn't buy it. I saw the house address and tried finding the house online but I couldn't. I'm so nosy. LOL!!!!!

[msrachelj]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

I don't think that some of these people even know what a thesaurus is.

San Diego episode:  I liked the two guys, but I hated that the owner painted those kitchen cabinets bright white.  

i thought the cabinets looked great and i am almost always opposed to painting wood (if it was solid wood, we don't know). that said, they painted the wood ceiling in the living room and it looks like shit. cheap, ugly. it was probably original and a good quality wood, unlike the dated ugly cabinets. horrid. they should be ashamed.

[LizBug]

Who decided that "House Hunters Family" was a good idea?  Watched several episodes today back-to-back and most of the kids were overacting and/or totally obnoxious.  The worst bunch was the crew in Denver, especially the kid who wanted to trash everything.  

And, who decided that after the families decide on the home that they'd like to buy, that the whole family has to go running through the house even before the original owners moved out?

[SanDiegoInExile]

On 9/1/2017 at 8:03 PM, AnnaRose said:

Did anybody watch tonight's episode?  (I think it was new.)  It featured an awesome family house-shopping in South Hadley, MA.  -- No vocal fry or uptalk.   No griping over stupid stuff.  No snide comments toward each other. --   The attractive husband and wife have been married 18 years and have three nice kids, and they all seem to be such a great, loving family.  They had such a nice, easy way with each other.  (I also noticed that they seemed very natural on camera. Oftentimes it's so obvious that the HHs are acting and it's painful to watch.)

Their former house was a very small home with only one bathroom, so the home they chose was a very nice upgrade for them.  They seemed so nice and appreciative, and were a joy to watch.

I really liked that fabulous kitchen in the ranch house they toured but didn't buy... but the colonial they did get seems like a great choice for them.

And no chopping vegetables at the end.  They had cake instead. :D

I wonder if this was supposed to be one of the House Hunters Family Edition episodes?  I normally avoid those like the plague.  I think those usually tend to be particularly awful.   I didn't mind the kids in this one at all.  They weren't all present for all the house touring though, so maybe it was just the regular variety.  I don't think my TVGuide specified.

So, thanks House Hunters.  More participants like this... and less of the entitled, obnoxious, whining, vocal fry, uptalk varieties, please!

Ugh, I could not disagree more.

I don't think children should have any say in how their parents are spending nearly a half million dollars, where they should live, or whether they have a backyard pool.  

Thankfully, the snotty brats kept mostly quiet.

I think what I hated most was Kate Gosselin over-acting as the mom/realtor.  I hate hate hate hate this sudden trend of one half of the couple being the realtor.  This was the second time this week (and the reason I came to post).   

The only  thing that kept my attention was the Hot Dad.

[Neurochick]

On September 1, 2017 at 9:39 AM, msrachelj said:

so..my husband requested i ask this and truthfully i am wondering myself: does everyone else watching  hate most of these buyers for one reason or another? the major ones being they are either too rich ( what with my family working hard and struggling to keep up, hoping to survive when retirement comes, not buy a beachfront condo and go on long cruises and european vacations as the media would have you believe is what happens. aarp magazine, i'm looking at you too) or way too entitled or stupid re: huge mortgage and believing nothing will ever happen to your job? idiots.

I don't know if it's hate, to me it's about what isn't said.  I think a lot of these folks either have direct help from their parents, or might have family money that goes back generations; I'm not talking about billions of dollars, just money to make things easier.  Like if someone's parents paid for college and they don't have student loans to worry about.  

Oh, and I had to turn off that episode with the Kate Gosseilin look alike, because I sensed that she probably got that haircut especially for TV.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Neurochick

[chocolatine]

5 hours ago, Neurochick said:

I don't know if it's hate, to me it's about what isn't said.  I think a lot of these folks either have direct help from their parents, or might have family money that goes back generations; I'm not talking about billions of dollars, just money to make things easier.

I do wonder with some of the outlandish budgets. There was a rerun yesterday where a boyfriend and girlfriend with five children between them (hers were grown) were looking for a house with acreage in the Boston area, and their budget was $3M. He's a contractor and she's a veterinary nurse, so there's no way they were able to save or qualify for that much if their jobs are their only source of income. There must have been a trust fund, inheritance, super-successful investment, lottery win, life insurance payout, divorce settlement, or law suit settlement involved. It drove me crazy that they never mentioned where all that money was coming from.

ETA: San Diego episode - I would have taken the modern house closest to the beach in a heartbeat. It had such a great layout and beautiful finishes, and even though it was expensive, the value is only going to increase due to its prime location. The yard didn't look that small to me - perfect size for barbecues with family and friends, and you don't have to spend a lot of time maintaining it. If the HH wanted more room to exercise his dogs, he could always walk them down to the beach.

The changes the HH made to the cheaper house made it look even worse than before. He should hire a professional interior designer with all the money he's saved.

Edited September 4, 2017 by chocolatine

[SanDiegoInExile]

26 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I do wonder with some of the outlandish budgets. There was a rerun yesterday where a boyfriend and girlfriend with five children between them (hers were grown) were looking for a house with acreage in the Boston area, and their budget was $3M. He's a contractor and she's a veterinary nurse, so there's no way they were able to save or qualify for that much if their jobs are their only source of income........

While there are undoubtedly plenty of HH with secret financial "help", I think the more likely factor is in how they describe their professions.  I know contractors who make 7 figures (and some that eek out far far less). For all we know, he could own his own firm, with dozens of employees. I doubt they intentionally lie, but they are sometimes purposely vague.

I recall that Boston couple and I was under the impression that they were merging their households, meaning that each had owned a house. That would give them a decent amount of cash to start with.

Edited September 4, 2017 by SanDiegoInExile

[doodlebug]

15 minutes ago, SanDiegoInExile said:

While there are undoubtedly plenty of HH with secret financial "help", I think the more likely factor is in how they describe their professions.  I know contractors who make 7 figures (and some that eek out far far less). For all we know, he could own his own firm, with dozens of employees. I doubt they intentionally lie, but they are sometimes purposely vague.

I recall that Boston couple and I was under the impression that they were merging their households, meaning that each had owned a house. That would give them a decent amount of cash to start with.

I think a lot depends on whether they've owned previously and where and how big that house was.  Folks who already own a place in LA or SF or NYC should be able to rustle up a substantial down payment when they sell.

The couple with the 3 million budget were buying in the countryside outside the city.  If they'd both owned family homes in the city or more affluent suburbs for a while, they could've had substantial equity and appreciation of the homes they'd owned and could use that for a don payment. 

They were both at least mid 40's, if they'd bought 20 years ago, there would be a nice sum available to them. I live in the Midwest where real estate is considerable cheaper and property appreciates much more slowly, but the house I bought 25 years ago (and paid off) is now worth at least double what I paid for it, probably more.

Edited September 4, 2017 by doodlebug

[Neurochick]

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

I do wonder with some of the outlandish budgets. There was a rerun yesterday where a boyfriend and girlfriend with five children between them (hers were grown) were looking for a house with acreage in the Boston area, and their budget was $3M. He's a contractor and she's a veterinary nurse, so there's no way they were able to save or qualify for that much if their jobs are their only source of income. There must have been a trust fund, inheritance, super-successful investment, lottery win, life insurance payout, divorce settlement, or law suit settlement involved. It drove me crazy that they never mentioned where all that money was coming from.

Like I said before, it's about what they don't say and I always assume that either they're not being 100% truthful about their professions, or there is family money somewhere.  It doesn't drive me crazy because I guess they feel it's none of our business, and HGTV figures most people probably watch this show just to look at the homes.  

Quote

I think a lot depends on whether they've owned previously and where and how big that house was.  Folks who already own a place in LA or SF or NYC should be able to rustle up a substantial down payment when they sell.

This is true, because if someone owned and sold an apartment in NYC, that alone could get a substantial down payment.  I had a relative who bought a townhouse in DC for not so much money because it wasn't in a good area, by the time she sold it, the area had been gentrified and she got a pretty penny for that property.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Neurochick

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Neurochick said:

This is true, because if someone owned and sold an apartment in NYC, that alone could get a substantial down payment.  I had a relative who bought a townhouse in DC for not so much money because it wasn't in a good area, by the time she sold it, the area had been gentrified and she got a pretty penny for that property.

There was a couple on here who was looking for a $500K house in suburban Philly and they had pretty modest-income-sounding jobs (I think she was a grocery store manager?) but they had sold her South Philly bachelorette pad in two or three days. She'd had it for a while and South Philly is a rapidly gentrifying area, so I'd guess the profit they turned on that house was what enabled them to spend $500K on the next one. An acquaintance of mine owns two houses in South Philly, one he lives in and one he rents. He's owned them for 10+ years since before it was an in-demand area. I think the rent he charges on one covers the mortgages on BOTH properties.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Empress1

[Ohwell]

I grew up in DC, we moved around a lot, rented but never owned.  I looked up the old addresses on Zillow and I am shocked to see how much these gentrified houses are selling for now.  I point to the computer screen and say "I used to live there!  No way is it worth $$$$$!"  LOL  

[Pickles]

Episode on now in Sanibel Island. Thinking about Irma maybe heading that way. Yikes.

[CaughtOnTape]

I'm shocked no one made a comment about the Zombie Apocalypse idiot.  I get that it was supposed to make them stand out from the other morons on this show but he just sounded like a dumbass whining about having to wait for the elevator to get out of the building.

The South Hadley couple seemed nice and realistic.  The second house's kitchen was sooooooooooo cozy.  OMG I loved it.  But I would've changed the counter tops.  I hate tile counter tops.  Why do people do that?

[doodlebug]

17 minutes ago, CaughtOnTape said:

I'm shocked no one made a comment about the Zombie Apocalypse idiot.  I get that it was supposed to make them stand out from the other morons on this show but he just sounded like a dumbass whining about having to wait for the elevator to get out of the building.

The South Hadley couple seemed nice and realistic.  The second house's kitchen was sooooooooooo cozy.  OMG I loved it.  But I would've changed the counter tops.  I hate tile counter tops.  Why do people do that?

I hate it when people on reality shows try to be 'quirky' for the cameras.  So annoying.  Shut up and find a house, dammit!

[laredhead]

Oh yes, the zombie guy was totally annoying.  I kept thinking "you're a 30 something year old man, grow up".   Those guys are probably about to be in the path of Hurricane Irma is it goes up the west coast of Florida.

Tile counter tops were very popular for years.  I finally got rid of mine last year when I remodeled the kitchen.  The previous owner had put what was supposed to be 12 X 12 floor tile on the counters and up the wall as a back splash.  It was an ugly light brown color with a slight texture to it.  Ugh!  The worst ones, IMO, are the small hexagon shaped tiles from the 30's and 40's with tons of grout seams.  There is no way you can keep those clean and sanitary.

I liked the man on the Sanibel episode last night.  I did not realize that the price of housing there is so expensive.  They seem to have found the perfect house for them.   I loved his comment to his fiance that she could buy a sound machine to duplicate waves when she kept talking about living right on the beach so she could hear the sound of the waves.    

[Kohola3]

16 minutes ago, laredhead said:

The worst ones, IMO, are the small hexagon shaped tiles from the 30's and 40's with tons of grout seams.  There is no way you can keep those clean and sanitary.

I grew up in a house built in 1950 when that was popular.  No HGTV to brainwash home owners back then so it must have been in a lot of magazines. I remember my mom literally pouring bleach on the grout and scrubbing it with a toothbrush.  It was horrible to keep clean.  Every time I see someone using subway tiles as a back splash or in a shower I just roll my eyes.  They know not what they do.

[Mittengirl]

I was under the impression that the purpose of a backsplash, especially behind a sink or oven, is to provide a non porous surface that will be easy to clean.  So why do so many use the tiny tiles with tons of grout lines?  I guess for those that only microwave, or chop peppers, it is fine.

[suebee12]

20 hours ago, Pickles said:

Episode on now in Sanibel Island. Thinking about Irma maybe heading that way. Yikes.

That was my first thought! It is a small island, so there is really no getting away from the water even if you don't live right on it! It is a great place for shelling but I lived in FL for 46 years and never wanted to live on the keys! You are not that far from the beach no matter where you live and not having the water to threaten you every time you have a storm crop up is something I wanted! Sarasota had 18 inches of rain last week and there was lots of flooding and there was no tropical storm involved! Visit Sanibel, yes...live there...NO thank you.

[Ohwell]

The Sanibel Island woman said that her recently deceased mom used to take her there for vacations, which is why she (the buyer) wanted to live there.  She might not realize that it's one thing to vacation there, but to live there is another story.  Also, I missed the first few minutes but the fiancee had a British accent so I don't know how long he's lived in the U.S. so I'm wondering if he knows about hurricanes in Florida and such. 

[SanDiegoInExile]

I guess the latest spinoff is "Realtor House Hunters".

<gag>

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, Ohwell said:

The Sanibel Island woman said that her recently deceased mom used to take her there for vacations, which is why she (the buyer) wanted to live there.  She might not realize that it's one thing to vacation there, but to live there is another story.  Also, I missed the first few minutes but the fiancee had a British accent so I don't know how long he's lived in the U.S. so I'm wondering if he knows about hurricanes in Florida and such. 

He met her when she helped him find a house in Orlando and they'd been together a few years, so he had to have known.  For that matter, major storms like Katrina and now Harvey are covered by the British media.  I have friends in England and they're certainly aware.  I did like him and his sense of humor; his imitation of the surf whispering millions of dollars to them was pretty funny.

[ByaNose]

9 hours ago, doodlebug said:

He met her when she helped him find a house in Orlando and they'd been together a few years, so he had to have known.  For that matter, major storms like Katrina and now Harvey are covered by the British media.  I have friends in England and they're certainly aware.  I did like him and his sense of humor; his imitation of the surf whispering millions of dollars to them was pretty funny.

I liked the house they picked. I thought the backyard and dock were beautiful. It must be cool to ride a boat to a resturant. That said, I hope they & there home make it through Irma. Also, the husband seemed like the nicest guy.

[laredhead]

The woman on the Long Island episode last night needs to smile.  She looked unhappy about everything.  Finally saw her smiling during a card game with her family at the end of the show.  I cannot believe they bought the 3rd house because it was very small.  I think the stats showed it was about 1300 square feet.  I can't remember if it had a basement, so that would have added some square footage that isn't figured into the stated living area - right?  If it had a basement then the total square footage would be more.  It also had no covered parking or outside storage that could be seen, and it shared a driveway with the next house.  That would be a deal breaker for me because what if the neighbors decided to be driveway hogs?  

I will say that it was refreshing to hear that both of them wanted 2 bathrooms because they work the same schedule and want to get ready at the same time, so each one would use a different bathroom.  What a concept!  We have seen couple after couple griping about not having a double sink in the master bath, and I'm sure several of us have yelled at the TV telling them to walk down the hall and use another bathroom.  This couple seemed to have grasped that concept.

Hope she smiles at her wedding.       

[Ohwell]

 She really had a hangdog face.  I liked the plumber fiancee though.  The shared driveway would have been a deal breaker for me.  She was complaining about the second house being a 15 minute more commute to work for her but I said to myself "big deal." Where I live, traffic is so bad now during rush hour, a 45 minute commute is considered pretty good.

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

The woman on the Long Island episode last night needs to smile.  She looked unhappy about everything.     

She was extremely picky considering how small their budget was for their area. They were never going to get everything on their wish list for that money.

[juliet73]

9 hours ago, laredhead said:

The woman on the Long Island episode last night needs to smile.  She looked unhappy about everything.  Finally saw her smiling during a card game with her family at the end of the show.  I cannot believe they bought the 3rd house because it was very small.  I think the stats showed it was about 1300 square feet.  I can't remember if it had a basement, so that would have added some square footage that isn't figured into the stated living area - right?  If it had a basement then the total square footage would be more.  It also had no covered parking or outside storage that could be seen, and it shared a driveway with the next house.  That would be a deal breaker for me because what if the neighbors decided to be driveway hogs?  

 

Hope she smiles at her wedding.       

Long Island ep:  the realtor was a saint for putting up with the wife to be. She claimed she was a "perfectionist".  I think the phrase she was looking for was "hard to please".  She complained about EVERYTHING!!!  Ironically though, Negative Nancy liked the peel and stick linoleum floors in the kitchen. UGH!!  Every room was too small for entertaining or having people stay over, etc.  As for the shared driveway, that's not going to work when people come over.  I guess they can't park in the street?!  Their budget was $320K on Long Island.  Of course their list of wants was a mile long with no projects. Cristal taste on a Boone's Farm budget!  

At the end when they are carrying the boxes in the house, they sigh because it's more boxes of clothes.  Seriously?  They didn't write on the box what the contents were?  I'm sure it was producer driven, but they looked like complete idiots, IMO.  

It depends on your state if the basement is counted in the sq footage and whether it's completely "below grade" .  My house is 896 sq ft - little I know.  The basement is finished, but not reflected in the overall sq ft because it's below ground. So my house has almost 1700 sq ft of usable living space, but only 896 according to the county assessor.  

Edited September 7, 2017 by juliet73

[jcbrown]

The woman in last night's episode in Arizona needs to STFU. First off, looking for an East coast farmhouse style home in Phoenix is idiotic. Her first response to  nearly everything she saw was an immediate, "I'd have to rip this out." She was totally manic and shrill. I get why she is a single mom--who could tolerate her?

Edited September 8, 2017 by jcbrown

[laredhead]

The Phoenix woman was really shrill and demanding.  Her niece kept trying to calm her down and insisting that everything in every house did not need to be torn out.  Another thing, her daughter is 9.  She won't be playing with neighborhood kids much longer.  Her gym time will probably take up most of her time if she intends on being a serious gymnast, so the excuse of wanting to move so that they could be in a neighborhood with kids rang false. 

Cannot believe she bought that 4,000 sf house and I agree with her niece that it is a big house for only 2 people.  Think of the cost of cooling that thing in the summer time, and she's planning to add a pool.  A 20 year retirement from the military must be worth a lot or she got a nice divorce settlement because she was spending money like it was water. 

[Ohwell]

I couldn't stand to watch the Phoenix woman so I changed the channel after about 10 minutes, because I didn't want to see the "after" shot of her gutting a perfectly fine house.  She acted insane and I can understand why she's single.  

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, jcbrown said:

The woman in last night's episode in Arizona needs to STFU. First off, looking for an East coast farmhouse style home in Phoenix is idiotic. Her first response to  nearly everything she saw was an immediate, "I'd have to rip this out." She was totally manic and shrill. I get why she is a single mom--who could tolerate her?

She was a lot to take, I got the impression she was performing for the cameras a bit; but wouldn't be surprised to hear she is always 'on'.  

People on this show are constantly looking for types of homes that are uncommon in the area where they are living, I don't get it.  Just because someone grew up in a colonial in New England doesn't mean they need to find one in New Mexico! If she really wanted a farmhouse, then move to rural Iowa, already!  

It was also irritating when she repeatedly insisted that she needed to rip stuff out of any home that she bought to make it her own, even if it was move-in ready.  If you have the down payment and the mortgage is in your name, it IS your own.  The insistence that the buyer cannot possibly even move into the home until everything is renovated to their preferences also grates.  I liked what she did to the fireplace (I agreed it wasn't particularly attractive prior to that); but there is no reason it had to be done before she moved in.  She lives in Phoenix for God's sake!  She isn't risking hypothermia if she cannot light a fire.  When I bought my house, sure, I made some changes like painting and getting carpet (original carpet was worn through to the padding in places), but I did it after moving in because it wasn't a deal breaker.  For stuff like a major kitchen and bath remodel, I waited a couple years and saved so I could pay in cash and, lo and behold, I did not die from having to look at outdated kitchen cabinets or pink bathroom tiles.

[Ohwell]

If Phoenix woman was so hell-bent on ripping out and gutting stuff, I couldn't understand why she didn't take her $500,000 have a smaller house built to her taste.  I agree, the 4,000 sq. ft. house was a lot of space for just two people.   

[msrachelj]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

The Phoenix woman was really shrill and demanding.  Her niece kept trying to calm her down and insisting that everything in every house did not need to be torn out.  Another thing, her daughter is 9.  She won't be playing with neighborhood kids much longer.  Her gym time will probably take up most of her time if she intends on being a serious gymnast, so the excuse of wanting to move so that they could be in a neighborhood with kids rang false. 

Cannot believe she bought that 4,000 sf house and I agree with her niece that it is a big house for only 2 people.  Think of the cost of cooling that thing in the summer time, and she's planning to add a pool.  A 20 year retirement from the military must be worth a lot or she got a nice divorce settlement because she was spending money like it was water. 

i'm here to rant again about these people who are not brilliant and noted brain surgeons who can afford these grand homes. does!? a military pension pay out that much? why? i am getting so sick of watching this. i am still working for crap pay, my poor husband has broken his ass working  many many years, we live a shit fixed upper still and we will be lucky to be able to pay all the bills at retirement. does she have a millionaire ex husband? that woman was insufferable. not surprising she is divorced. what at BITCH. is there some magic formula for luck? for having a beautiful home. this is just getting way to depressing for my real life. yes, life is unfair but i don't know if i can stand to have it thrown in my face. i really just like to look at the older, undestroyed, homes. the buyers are usually fucking entitled, ignorant to how good they have it,  brats, young and old. 

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

I couldn't stand to watch the Phoenix woman so I changed the channel after about 10 minutes, because I didn't want to see the "after" shot of her gutting a perfectly fine house.  She acted insane and I can understand why she's single.  

she did seem crazy. and a spoiled bitch.

[Neurochick]

2 hours ago, msrachelj said:

i'm here to rant again about these people who are not brilliant and noted brain surgeons who can afford these grand homes. does!? a military pension pay out that much? why? i am getting so sick of watching this. i am still working for crap pay, my poor husband has broken his ass working  many many years, we live a shit fixed upper still and we will be lucky to be able to pay all the bills at retirement. does she have a millionaire ex husband? that woman was insufferable. not surprising she is divorced. what at BITCH. is there some magic formula for luck? for having a beautiful home. this is just getting way to depressing for my real life. yes, life is unfair but i don't know if i can stand to have it thrown in my face. i really just like to look at the older, undestroyed, homes. the buyers are usually fucking entitled, ignorant to how good they have it,  brats, young and old. 

I hear you.  But, these folks don't have to provide a financial statement to be on the show.  

First, that woman was totally acting for the camera; probably wants her own reality show.  

Second, some of these people probably have income property, maybe they flip houses, or had parents, grandparents or other relatives who might have left them money.  That can make all the difference in the world.  

[javajeanelaine]

 I loved the Tudor and it's quirkiness. I'm glad that Phoenix woman did not pick it because she would've ruined it 

[juliet73]

Phoenix woman needs to switch to decaf! She was non stop shrilling and bitching! Maybe the USMC paid her a lot of money just to get rid of her and that's why she can afford such a huge house. However, I have a feeling she got a big payout in a divorce and buying that ginormous house was a big F U to her ex.

[laredhead]

Boise, Idaho couple made it pretty plain they did not like living in North Carolina for a couple of years, eh?  The Chamber of Commerce of Boise should hire them as cheerleaders.  I wonder where they lived in North Carolina and why they didn't like it?  Heat, schools, people?

I knew they were going to buy the first house because it was so on spot as to what they wanted, I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't had it custom built.  I mean, who finds perfect houses like that?  I did like a couple of the lines the husband zinged about being blinded by the white on white on white kitchens the wife wanted, and the fact that the bathrooms must have had a different decorator because the cabinets were dark.  The realtor made a very good point that up until a couple of years ago, white kitchens weren't as popular as ones with dark cabinets.

I think we got a little TMI with his desire to have a private backyard large enough for him to pee outside - yuck.  Maybe that's the secret to his award winning giant pumpkins.

[Ohwell]

Yeah Boise dad was funny but he took it a little too far with the pee thing.  I knew they were going to buy the first house too.

[MsProudSooner]

6 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Yeah Boise dad was funny but he took it a little too far with the pee thing.  I knew they were going to buy the first house too.

My ex and I lived in the country for many years.  Every husband I knew of who lived in the country thought that was one of the greatest benefits of living in the country.  smh

[chocolatine]

8 hours ago, laredhead said:

I knew they were going to buy the first house because it was so on spot as to what they wanted, I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't had it custom built.  I mean, who finds perfect houses like that?

The room with the three desks already built in was a dead giveaway. That's not something you usually find in "blank slate" new construction homes.

[ByaNose]

4 hours ago, chocolatine said:

The room with the three desks already built in was a dead giveaway. That's not something you usually find in "blank slate" new construction homes.

I was thinking "Wow! An office area with the 3 desk and outlets for computers. What are the odds?". LOL!!! Yup! It was a dead giveaway. I did like the kitchen although it did look whiter then other white kitchen I've seen. Maybe, because the backsplash was a dull white. The husband did a great job with reclaimed wood wall in the kitchen. Too bad I live in a townhouse development because now I want to grow a big pumpkin.

Edited September 10, 2017 by ByaNose

[ByaNose]

On 9/8/2017 at 3:05 PM, Ohwell said:

I couldn't stand to watch the Phoenix woman so I changed the channel after about 10 minutes, because I didn't want to see the "after" shot of her gutting a perfectly fine house.  She acted insane and I can understand why she's single.  

That said, the "after" were pretty nice. She painted the cabinets white & put in granite countertops. She could have ripped them out so I give her a little credit. LOL!! She redid the fireplace and added stone which look really nice. She added wainscoting in the dinning room. She hopes to put in a pool later with an outdoor kitchen. I did have to cover my ears in the shots when her nieces showed up. She started screaming. Yikes! I do agree she was either paid & saved well with her job or had a great divorce settlement. 

[Empress1]

On 9/9/2017 at 8:25 AM, laredhead said:

Boise, Idaho couple made it pretty plain they did not like living in North Carolina for a couple of years, eh?  The Chamber of Commerce of Boise should hire them as cheerleaders.  I wonder where they lived in North Carolina and why they didn't like it?  Heat, schools, people?

I knew they were going to buy the first house because it was so on spot as to what they wanted, I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't had it custom built.  I mean, who finds perfect houses like that?  I did like a couple of the lines the husband zinged about being blinded by the white on white on white kitchens the wife wanted, and the fact that the bathrooms must have had a different decorator because the cabinets were dark.  The realtor made a very good point that up until a couple of years ago, white kitchens weren't as popular as ones with dark cabinets.

I think we got a little TMI with his desire to have a private backyard large enough for him to pee outside - yuck.  Maybe that's the secret to his award winning giant pumpkins.

My best friend and her husband lived in the Charlotte area for two years (pretty much exactly two years, because they would have had to pay back the relocation money her company shelled out if they left sooner), and they didn't like it. They said they had a hard time making friends. They have a daughter who was in preschool at the time and they hoped to make friends with her friends' parents, but it didn't really happen. I visited them there a few times and Charlotte is a nice city, but it never clicked for them. 

I knew they'd bought the first house when I saw the homework station, or whatever they were calling it. I didn't like the white on white kitchen, but she was thrilled.