House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[doodlebug]

On ‎9‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 5:25 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?

They didn't mention having family near Boise, so it probably wasn't that.  The only thing I could think of was that perhaps they were Mormon.  Idaho has a big Mormon population while NC doesn't.  Maybe they wanted better access to temples and others of that faith?  The only other thing is that both of them worked in the medical field as technicians for ultrasound and MRI, I think.  That means both of them would have to work for a hospital system or a private facility.  Perhaps it was the job situation in North Carolina that they really disliked, though they certainly would've had other options to stay there but change jobs if that was the case.

[Ohwell]

13 hours ago, ByaNose said:

She painted the cabinets white & put in granite countertops.

That alone makes me hate her, lol.  I hate white cabinets.

[ByaNose]

13 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

That alone makes me hate her, lol.  I hate white cabinets.

Weird. I want white cabinets. I have (for 18 years) regular (possibly fake) oak builder grade cabinets in my townhouse. I think white cabinets would brighten up my kitchen. That said, I'm afraid to actually paint them myself. That's why they haven't changed in 18 years. LOL!!!

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

That alone makes me hate her, lol.  I hate white cabinets.

I like white cabinets but only if they're paired with darker counters. I like contrast. I also like the look of darker cabinets with a lighter countertop, but I know from the experience that those are harder to keep clean. I couldn't stand the all-white kitchen in the Boise episode.

[Thumper]

It is "interesting" that a few years back, everyone wanted  the dark or black cabinets.  Now it's white.  Keeps the industry in business!

[Neurochick]

On September 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?

Maybe they didn't like the husband peeing in the back yard.

I liked the Arizona woman better, at least she didn't talk about peeing in the back yard.  What a gross pig that husband was, even if he was kidding, or trying to be extra for TV.  The only thing wrong with the Phoenix woman was that she was obviously trying to be extra for TV, at least she wasn't gross.

Edited September 10, 2017 by Neurochick

[sistersledge]

On 9/5/2017 at 11:11 AM, doodlebug said:

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

See, YMMV because while I agree, I would include the HHs who say they love old 1970s kitchens....... No, you don't.

[laredhead]

Have been waiting for someone to discuss the couple moving from Las Vegas to Nashville. 

I was surprised that they chose the smallest house after describing all of the things he collects.  Maybe they will be on a future HH Where Are They Now episode and show us the addition to the house.  That house really was small considering everything they said they own, including lots of clothes.  The collection evidently also includes rings, because in one scene I think he had a ring on every finger.  

Last scene was different because it showed a lot of people who were obviously friends, and some food other than chopped veggies.

[AuntiePam]

42 minutes ago, laredhead said:

Last scene was different because it showed a lot of people who were obviously friends, and some food other than chopped veggies.

And I'm pretty sure this is the first time we hear them talking about having parties instead of the standard "entertaining".  To me, entertainment means putting on a show -- sometimes when people come over, we do end up with a show, but it's never on purpose.  (Pretty sure almost everyone has a drunk uncle.)

[useryikes]

20 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

And I'm pretty sure this is the first time we hear them talking about having parties instead of the standard "entertaining".  To me, entertainment means putting on a show -- sometimes when people come over, we do end up with a show, but it's never on purpose.  (Pretty sure almost everyone has a drunk uncle.)

Pet peeve is "plenty of room for entertaining" - who buys based on entertainment value?

Entertaining, open concept, stainless steel, outdated.........blah, blah, blah.

[chessiegal]

I know and have met people who truly do "entertain" a lot -like weekly, monthly, large groups of people. I've seen very few of those types on HH. Occasionally we see people looking for over million dollar homes. I know people who would buy a house based on entertainment space. In fact, I was at such a home today for a meeting, and the homeowner noted one of the features she liked about her house was that you could have 100 people there and not feel crowded.

Edited September 11, 2017 by chessiegal

[laredhead]

I was watching an episode of HH International, and when it ended the first part of the Fort Myers episode featuring Lindsey who had cats and wanted to live near the beach.  This was the woman who removed part of a wall between the kitchen and living area and the last scene showed one of her cats sitting on top of it.  Anyone remember this episode?  Anyway, it made me wonder how she fared during Hurricane Irma since Fort Myers got hit pretty hard.

[chocolatine]

No woman should ever refer to herself as a "cool girl".

[Mittengirl]

I think I was about 12 the last time I worried about being a "cool girl".   And if your cool status is dependent on outside elements, i.e. a house, doesn't that mean that you are not actually cool?

Edited September 12, 2017 by Mittengirl

[Pine]

I admit, we bought our home to have parties.  We loved moving from a crowded 1200 Sq ft to 4000 Sq ft. And started having family and friends over.  Hosting parties.  It's been wonderful. 

 

On anot her note, I  like the British guy, Pat, in Atlanta.  I caught a Southern tinged English accent.  :) :) :)

[MarthaEllisanne]

I get kinda tired of hearing "it doesn't have any (name of country) charm or it doesn't feel like (name of country).  Step outside, folks. Get your "charm" by walking around the city.  You need a functional home, not a stone cottage with a dirt floor.  I wonder if realtors in the U.S. have people moving to the U.S. from overseas who expect log cabins for that "United States" feel.  

Oops! Meant to post this on IHH.

Edited September 12, 2017 by MarthaEllisanne
wrong board

[MortysCleaningLady]

15 hours ago, chocolatine said:

No woman should ever refer to herself as a "cool girl".

This was one of those relationships where I liked him immensely and wanted to throttle her.   And poor October!   Was Wednesday too Addams Family?  Or June to likely to make you think of Depends?  Poor little girl.  She can't even get a cute nickname out of that...

[AZ Curls]

Here's the downtown Phoenix house (the 3rd option) that the Phoenix lady didn't chose. 

https://www.redfin.com/AZ/Phoenix/1329-W-Latham-St-85007/home/27367410

At first I thought this was a flip, there are tons of flips with the farmhouse feel downtown here, but from the history it looks like the last owner had it for 4 years and fixed it up during that time.  I love this house so much but I guess her and her only child really needed 4,000 sq ft to live in instead.

[FawnLeibowitz]

16 hours ago, chocolatine said:

No woman should ever refer to herself as a "cool girl".

And any one who names her daughter October is more of a cruel parent than cool. She was way too obsessed with being looking cool.

[laredhead]

AZ Curls, thanks for finding the Phoenix listing.  I'm glad she didn't buy that house because she would have painted everything white in that kitchen.  Speaking of the kitchen in that house, the kitchen sink and dishwasher are in a separate adjoining room from the range and refrigerator.  Looks like they moved the sink to another room.  Why would someone do that?  The upstairs bath doesn't have a door and the bath tub is 100% visible from the top of the stairs.  Also the head space in that second floor bath and bedroom is questionable for anyone over 5' tall.  All in all though, it's a pretty house and looks very well taken care of.  It certainly was not the style that HH was looking for.  She needed a "statement" house. 

Edited September 12, 2017 by laredhead
Typo

[AZ Curls]

I really wanted to punch the AZ lady in the mouth. I cant figure out what area of town she ended up buying her giant house in. It definitely wasnt downtown and I think she overpaid. When her neice said the buyer could just paint the outside red brick white I knew that wasnt even an option, you cant paint the brick of historical houses like that. 

[javajeanelaine]

Wanting to be cool girl seems to think her needs are more important than her baby.   Loved her husband. 

[topanga]

7 hours ago, MortysCleaningLady said:

This was one of those relationships where I liked him immensely and wanted to throttle her.   And poor October!   Was Wednesday too Addams Family?  Or June to likely to make you think of Depends?  Poor little girl.  She can't even get a cute nickname out of that...

They were an interesting couple. But the wife is one of those people I could only take in small doses. I know most of the marital bickering is producer-driven , but she is quite annoying. And not to minimize their romantic love, but I wonder if they got married because she was pregnant--or if it hastened something they'd been considering for some time in the future. The wife said they've only been married for 7 months, and October was at least a few months old. 

Edited September 13, 2017 by topanga

[NYGirl]

Hated Chicago girl last night.  She said she always gets her way..I saw apartment #1 which he hated and she loved....dozed off ..woke up at the very end where they were standing on the balcony of the apartment downtown that she wanted.  Said...grrrrrr and clicked the remote.

I want a job when I can go back to 29 years old and afford an $800,000.00 house

[MooCat Pretzel]

Atlanta.  The first rule of being cool is: you do NOT talk about being cool.

Edited September 13, 2017 by MooCat Pretzel

[msrachelj]

On 9/10/2017 at 9:21 PM, laredhead said:

Have been waiting for someone to discuss the couple moving from Las Vegas to Nashville. 

I was surprised that they chose the smallest house after describing all of the things he collects.  Maybe they will be on a future HH Where Are They Now episode and show us the addition to the house.  That house really was small considering everything they said they own, including lots of clothes.  The collection evidently also includes rings, because in one scene I think he had a ring on every finger.  

Last scene was different because it showed a lot of people who were obviously friends, and some food other than chopped veggies.

and sgt . pepper jackets. yuk. what the hell. didn't he say he did something in tech? wannabe rockstar though? and she had a similar one one later on.

On 9/12/2017 at 0:47 AM, Mittengirl said:

I think I was about 12 the last time I worried about being a "cool girl".   And if your cool status is dependent on outside elements, i.e. a house, doesn't that mean that you are not actually cool?

and she was not all that cool. that horrible loft that looked like it used to be an arizona iced tea factory was disgusting. in my opinion. where was the poor dog going to poop? it was surprising she liked it and wasn't worried about the baby cracking it's skull on the cement floor. ( i watched 2 in a row and i don't know if i'm getting my couples mixed up, sorry)

[msrachelj]

On 9/11/2017 at 6:12 PM, useryikes said:

Pet peeve is "plenty of room for entertaining" - who buys based on entertainment value?

Entertaining, open concept, stainless steel, outdated.........blah, blah, blah.

thank you, and the other thing i hate is when one of the important things they have to have is so much room and comfort for guests. that's exactly what i don't want. stay in a hotel! 

[Mittengirl]

I would think the last thing you would want when you have two very young children is a cement floor.  The screaming and crying (and barking) bouncing off of all of those hard surfaces.... YIKES!  I get a headache just thinking about it.

[topanga]

9 hours ago, NYGirl said:

Hated Chicago girl last night.  She said she always gets her way..I saw apartment #1 which he hated and she loved....dozed off ..woke up at the very end where they were standing on the balcony of the apartment downtown that she wanted.  Said...grrrrrr and clicked the remote.

I want a job when I can go back to 29 years old and afford an $800,000.00 house

She was really nasty and tried to cover it up with a smile. She used to be her husband's boss? It seems that power dynamic has never changed. 

She didn't care about a yard for the dogs or the husband needing a large bathtub. She didnt really care about there being enough room for the kids. She didn't care about him wanting a man cave, although I agree with her on that one. 

Her priorities: living in the city, vintage look, large kitchen, and having large closets. I wanted to punch her in the face when they looked at House #3--the master bedroom had two customized, walk-in closets, and she told the husband her closet wasn't wasn't big enough for her, so she might take over his. Uh...how about using a closet in another room. Doesn't the husband have work clothes, too? Doesn't he need to hang up his clothes? That power dynamic again.

I did like the condo they picked. Though I wonder how long it'll take for them to outgrow it. 

 

$800,000 budget? Do medical salespeople really make that much?

Edited September 14, 2017 by topanga

[chessiegal]

3 minutes ago, topanga said:

She was really nasty and tried to cover it up with a smile. She used to be her husband's boss? It seems that power dynamic has never changed. 

She didn't care about a yard for the dogs or the husband needing a large bathtub. She didnt really care about there being enough room for the kids. She didn't care about him wanting a man cave, although I agree with her on that one. 

Her priorities: living in the city, vintage look, large kitchen, and having large closets. I wanted to punch her in the face when they looked at House #3--the master bedroom had two customized, walk-in closets, and she told the husband her closet wasn't wasn't big enough for her, so she might take over his. Uh...how about using a closet in another room. Doesn't the husband have work clothes, too? Doesn't he need to hang up his clothes? That power dynamic again.

I did like the condo they picked. Though I wonder how long it'll take for them to outgrow it. 

 

$800,000 budget? Do medical salespeople really make that much?

Yes.

[topanga]

1 minute ago, chessiegal said:

Yes.

Wow. I guess I went into the wrong field. 

[Empress1]

I absolutely loathe the name October. I guess she could go by Toby? And I hated miss Cool Girl, and the loft she liked was ugly. Concrete floors with an infant who will soon be a prone-to-falling toddler strike me as a terrible idea.

[AnnieBeez]

4 hours ago, topanga said:

She was really nasty and tried to cover it up with a smile. She used to be her husband's boss? It seems that power dynamic has never changed. 

She didn't care about a yard for the dogs or the husband needing a large bathtub. She didnt really care about there being enough room for the kids. She didn't care about him wanting a man cave, although I agree with her on that one. 

Her priorities: living in the city, vintage look, large kitchen, and having large closets. I wanted to punch her in the face when they looked at House #3--the master bedroom had two customized, walk-in closets, and she told the husband her closet wasn't wasn't big enough for her, so she might take over his. Uh...how about using a closet in another room. Doesn't the husband have work clothes, too? Doesn't he need to hang up his clothes? That power dynamic again.

I did like the condo they picked. Though I wonder how long it'll take them to outgrow it. 

$800,000 budget? Do medical salespeople really make that much?

I'm thinking pretty much as soon as the 2nd baby's born. There's nowhere to hide! Baby and a toddler are going to quickly taking over that living area. I can't even imagine how cold I'd get hiding out on that rooftop deck in the winter. 

Edited September 14, 2017 by PuhLeeze

[SanDiegoInExile]

7 hours ago, topanga said:

$800,000 budget? Do medical salespeople really make that much?

Probably. Recall that the wife was his boss, so she was in management before they even started dating.  And he seemed to have the perfect personality for sales....not too smarmy and very likeable.

[MortysCleaningLady]

Did anyone watch the Rochester chiropractor and realtor wife last night?   He was trying a bit too hard to be zany, but I did actually like the house they bought.   Over time, they'll upgrade as necessary.   It was a pretty special location; not one that would come on the market with any great frequency (though I don't know Rochester) and it met their needs.   Twice her budget though -- Egads!!!

 

I also caught the Springfield, MA couple that wanted to get a big house so they could foster children.   They seemed like genuinely good people.  They also bought a house with good bones that they can update over time.

[CaughtOnTape]

1 hour ago, MortysCleaningLady said:

Did anyone watch the Rochester chiropractor and realtor wife last night?   He was trying a bit too hard to be zany, but I did actually like the house they bought.   Over time, they'll upgrade as necessary.   It was a pretty special location; not one that would come on the market with any great frequency (though I don't know Rochester) and it met their needs.   Twice her budget though -- Egads!!!

I didn't mind these two, they seemed fun....and then he said that his wife picked right up where his mom left off.

That's not funny.  Or cute.  Don't admit that in public dude.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Quote

I absolutely loathe the name October. I guess she could go by Toby?

I don't hate it, but October may hate it when she gets a little older.  How cute was she!?!  I love episodes with babies and cute kids.  I guess the rationale to the name might be, "There are people named April, May/Mae, and June, and January Jones, so why not October?"

I did like the house that they chose, but didn't necessarily love the Union Jack painted on the door.

[Empress1]

I met a girl (we were in high school) named January and she hated it - went by Jan. We were at an inter-school thing with name tags and she heavily crossed out January and wrote in "JAN" in all caps. I also know an August who goes by Gus (he's little, his parents decided that), and a few males with the middle name Augustus. I love the month of October but I don't like it as a name at all. I just felt like Cool Girl was way too extra.

[sheetmoss]

I really disliked the curb appeal of the bldg Chicago couple  bought - looked like it would contain ins/med  offices.

14 hours ago, PuhLeeze said:

I'm thinking pretty much as soon as the 2nd baby's born. There's nowhere to hide! Baby and a toddler are going to quickly taking over that living area. I can't even imagine how cold I'd get hiding out on that rooftop deck in the winter. 

LOL - When I was growing up in the 60's.  people had  larger families and lived  in even much smaller spaces.

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

I really disliked the curb appeal of the bldg Chicago couple  bought - looked like it would contain ins/med  offices.

LOL - When I was growing up in the 60's.  people had  larger families and lived  in even much smaller spaces.

However, most of those folks didn't have the massive budget the Chicago couple had.  I grew up in a 3 bedroom inner city house with one bath, along with four sibs, my parents and grandfather.  It was pretty crowded but we didn't have a choice; these people did.  Instead of choosing a place with good spaces for their kids to play, they opted for an extra large bathtub, a huge kitchen island and a rooftop deck that is going to be cold and windy for much of the year, and snow covered for a good bit of the time, too.  In the same amount of space, they could've gotten indoor and outdoor space that was far more suitable for little kids.

Cool girl was annoying (and absolutely mistaken about her coolness), but at least she chose a home with decent space for a baby/toddler/ preschooler.

ETA: I am an OB/GYN and have heard virtually every baby name out there.  I worked in an office where one of the nurses kept a notebook so she could remember the good ones (Squirrel, anyone?).  As residents, we used to joke that, anyone whose parents gave them a stupid name should be able to kill said parents on their 18th birthday and it would be justifiable homicide.  And, yes, I think October would qualify.

Edited September 14, 2017 by doodlebug

[AnnieBeez]

3 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

I really disliked the curb appeal of the bldg Chicago couple  bought - looked like it would contain ins/med  offices.

LOL - When I was growing up in the 60's.  people had  larger families and lived  in even much smaller spaces.

So did I (I'm 55), but we always had a den. And "open concept" wasn't a thing. Also, I'm pretty darn sure that kids didn't take over "spaces" back then like they do now. Our toys and paraphernalia stayed in our rooms, or at least when back in. 

[Neurochick]

On 9/12/2017 at 3:43 PM, FawnLeibowitz said:

And any one who names her daughter October is more of a cruel parent than cool. She was way too obsessed with being looking cool.

There was something nasty about the wife.  Maybe she resented having to change her life because she had a baby.

I don't get folks issues with names.  What's wrong with the name, October?  See, I went to a college where half the girls were named Mary Beth, Mary Catherine, Mary Ellen....well you get the idea.

[AuntiePam]

10 minutes ago, PuhLeeze said:

So did I (I'm 55), but we always had a den. And "open concept" wasn't a thing. Also, I'm pretty darn sure that kids didn't take over "spaces" back then like they do now. Our toys and paraphernalia stayed in our rooms, or at least when back in. 

Same here (I'm 72).  Plus, kids didn't have nearly as much crap as kids have now. 

Isn't "open concept" something the builders dreamed up?  Fewer walls = cheaper to build.  ??  Open concept is also good for accommodating furniture -- some sectionals are huge! 

[topanga]

8 hours ago, CaughtOnTape said:

I didn't mind these two, they seemed fun....and then he said that his wife picked right up where his mom left off.

That's not funny.  Or cute.  Don't admit that in public dude.

They were quirky and a little loud, but they did seem to like each other. Which is rare on this show. 

And their wants and needs for thei first home were more modest than the typical HHs'-- Nice to see

I find it funny that they made the 'cave room' their master. 

[Ohwell]

I loved the cave room master bedroom.  I liked both of them, they seemed fun and pleasant and I thought his comment about his wife picking up where his mom left off was cute.  The wife didn't seem to mind.

[izabella]

1 hour ago, AuntiePam said:

Isn't "open concept" something the builders dreamed up?  Fewer walls = cheaper to build.  ??  Open concept is also good for accommodating furniture -- some sectionals are huge! 

It's not a studio apartment, it's open concept!  Lol.  I think builders started taking down walls in order to make small rooms feel bigger.  It does allow for more usable space because there are fewer walls and hallways.  Instead of three small rooms (living, kitchen, dining), you get one giant one, but it's not without drawbacks.

[CruiseDiva]

My mother-in-law took me to visit one of her friend's homes back in the late 1970s and before we got there she told me it was an unusual house with a "great room" instead of separate living room, dining room, and kitchen. Thinking back...it was open concept! 

When I was single in the early 1970s I had a studio apartment and the kitchen was open to the main room with a bar, but the kitchen had an actual doorway right next to the entry door. Back then I didn't cook often so didn't have to worry about company seeing dirty dishes. There was no dishwasher in my tiny kitchen. Even the first apartment DH and I lived in had a similar kitchen that was open to the living/dining area. I guess open concept has been around for a long time. LOL! I couldn't wait to move so we'd have a kitchen you couldn't see when entering our apartment.

[laredhead]

I'm catching up on this past week's episodes and saw the Rochester couple who bought a house that had a room that looked like a cave.  Talk about a true "man cave"!  I loved his comment about not noticing the orange carpet in the cave room at first.  I was so surprised that they made that the master bedroom, but the wife seems to have a great sense of humor and I liked the couple a lot.  That house has a lot of potential and the amount of land is great for a family.

Also watched the 2 women who were moving from California to Colorado and looking for a unique house that would have everything on their wish list.  I knew they were going to choose the expensive 3rd house because it was the only one that fit the bill for the most part and it didn't have any furniture in it.  So easy to figure it out when 2 out of 3 houses are furnished.  Hope this one is on a future Where Are They Now or a future HH Renovation episode so we can see the changes.  Colorado has some beautiful scenery.  

[laredhead]

Anyone remember the episode about the man who had appeared on HH when he purchased a house in Colorado, then he was featured later buying a house in Key West with his girlfriend/fiance?  He had several children.  I was wondering if the Key West house survived the Hurricane Irma.  There have been several episodes from that area.

[magemaud]

On 1/19/2017 at 0:08 AM, magemaud said:

It seems that last night's episode was actually Kurt's SECOND Key West house hunt and third appearance on HH!!! The first time he was on was an episode called  "Buying a Piece of History in Old Town Key West" which aired April, 2012. That time he was with his wife "Dani": "Kurt and Dani split their time between a home in Indianapolis and a vacation bungalow in Key West. But that one bedroom bungalow doesn't offer much space for Kurt to work, so they're looking for a bigger place with a historic past. ...Will Kurt and Dani find history - and an extra bedroom or two - without breaking the bank?"

First Key West episode April, 2012   Kurt and Dani

Telluride episode December, 2014   Kurt and the kids

Second Key West episode January, 2017   Kurt and Kim 

oh, and he had something to do with racing cars in Indy. 

To answer your question about the Key West episodes, the guy, Kurt Fazekas, actually purchased two properties there. I did this sleuthing back in January when he made his third appearance on HH, this time with a new girlfriend, Kim. The address of the second house is 810 Eisenhower Drive, and here are NOAA maps of photos taken after the storm. My guess is that his house is okay: https://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/irma/index.html

Edited September 19, 2017 by magemaud