House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[doodlebug]

19 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Also, I was wondering, who's going to move that thing?  I don't see her driving it.  I missed the first part but at the end I thought I heard her mentioning something about going to upstate NY to visit her son.  

There was a shot of the woman who showed them the tiny houses directing her as she tried to position a pickup truck  to hitch up the tiny house to haul it. 

Her son said her car wasn’t going to be able to tow the weight of the house, so, in addition to buying the house, she needs to buy a truck?  Just stupid. I cannot even imagine how much gasoline it would take to pull that place hundreds of miles to upstate New York.

Anyone who buys a tiny house thinking they’re going to haul it around like an Airstream trailer needs either a sobriety test or a sanity test.  Maybe both.

[Ohwell]

Yeah, she's not going anywhere in that tiny house.  

[ForReal]

18 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

California has surprisingly low property taxes, due to Proposition 13.  It's an interesting system, where the tax is set upon transfer, and can go up only a certain percent every year.  One rationale was to keep people from being forced from their long-time homes because they can't keep up with taxes.

Yes, it's interesting how it plays out. On our street, we have original owners who paid less than $100,000 for their house about 40 years ago; we paid a little more than twice that about 20 years ago, and we have neighbors who bought within the last few years who have paid in the mid $600,000. Our property taxes vary widely. I had relatives who were saved by Prop 13, so I think it's a good thing, but I do feel for families buying homes today.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, ForReal said:

Yes, it's interesting how it plays out.

There is little debate that real estate is a good investment if you buy smart.  Obviously that period where things went upside down was a mess.  But my parents paid $12,500 for their house in 1950 and I sold it for $300,000 when they passed away. I paid $40,000 for mine and sold it for $130,000.  But location is key as well. There are neighborhoods in many cities where you can't give a home away.

[Pickles]

Melbourne, Florida couple wanting high ceilings so they can do couples acrobatics. I think we have seen it all now.

[twinks]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

Melbourne, Florida couple wanting high ceilings so they can do couples acrobatics. I think we have seen it all now.

I was about to say the same thing. There are no words. Where do they get these people?

[LittleIggy]

Melbourne, FL: The 13 year old didn’t seem thrilled by that horrid violet walled room. Love to know what she told her mother about it. ?

[Empress1]

We're in the middle of a brutal heatwave in the northeast (I went running at 6 AM and it was already 80 degrees and humid - I sweat through my shirt) so when Melbourne FL wife said she didn't want a pool I was like "ARE YOU CRAZY?" Her hippie tendencies were a little irritating.

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Melbourne, FL: The 13 year old didn’t seem thrilled by that horrid violet walled room. Love to know what she told her mother about it. ?

She did not. I wouldn't have liked it when I was 13 either (or now). And she's 13 - she should be allowed to pick out her own decorations, including paint color, IMO. 

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

Her hippie tendencies were a little irritating.

More than a little. It's like she subscribes to every single quack blog telling you that everything is "toxic" without any credible evidence to back it up. And don't get me started on not touching the kitchen faucet because of germs. *facepalm*

[jcbrown]

2 hours ago, chocolatine said:

More than a little. It's like she subscribes to every single quack blog telling you that everything is "toxic" without any credible evidence to back it up. And don't get me started on not touching the kitchen faucet because of germs. *facepalm*

Don't forget that oil-rubbed bronze is suspect and may also be trying to kill you. She was nuts and obsessed.

Edited to add that we think the furniture that was "left by the seller" was actually their own stuff, right?

Edited July 3, 2018 by jcbrown

[twinks]

She needs to custom build it. There are many products on the market now that aren't toxic, such as low VOC paints. Older homes could have lead and asbestos. 

[Kohola3]

1 minute ago, twinks said:

Older homes could have lead and asbestos. 

Isn't that something ordinarily found during the inspection?

[Mittengirl]

Heat can kill. So what the hell is she doing living in Florida?  Not to mention hurricanes, gators and Zika virus.   She should go live in an organic bubble somewhere.

 

It is HOT here in Michigan, too.  After mowing the lawn last night, at 8:30 p.m., because it was relatively cool at 85 and 60ish percent humidity, I would have killed to have had access to a pool.   

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, twinks said:

She needs to custom build it. There are many products on the market now that aren't toxic, such as low VOC paints. Older homes could have lead and asbestos. 

She also said she didn't want a brand-new build due to "toxins that need time to off-gas" or some such nonsense. 

[Kohola3]

23 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

It is HOT here in Michigan, too.

My lawn will be knee high by the time I mow it. I hate the weather we are having in MI right now.  Damned climate shift!

Florida would not be my first (well it ranks dead last) for a place to live. So if heat bothers you, check the Weather Channel before deciding to move.

[Mittengirl]

I only mowed the front yard.  The back is still to be done.  My 90-year-old mother is lawn obsessed and it was easier to sweat for 30 minutes than listen to her complain until the weather “cools off” next week.

 

 Note to weathercasters everywhere:  the temps going from 91 degrees to 87 is not “cooling down” it just isn’t quite so horrible.  Same with a drop in humidity from 75% to 70%.

[Empress1]

5 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

I only mowed the front yard.  The back is still to be done.  My 90-year-old mother is lawn obsessed and it was easier to sweat for 30 minutes than listen to her complain until the weather “cools off” next week.

 

 Note to weathercasters everywhere:  the temps going from 91 degrees to 87 is not “cooling down” it just isn’t quite so horrible.  Same with a drop in humidity from 75% to 70%.

Ha - I actually got excited when I saw that it was going "down" to 89 tomorrow and I get cranky when it's over 85 so you know it's been bad. It's been literally, 98, 99, 100 degrees the past few days, WITH humidity. Streets buckling, all that. Doesn't get below 90 until the sun goes down. HATE.

The couples acrobatics was weird. They're in Florida - couldn't they do it outside, unencumbered by walls or ceilings? They said he was doing it in a park in DC when they met, I think.

[Mittengirl]

Yes! You are in Florida, go acrobat outside.  Seems like that pool area would be ideal.  Or even in the pool, so when he drops you, you go splash in the pool instead of crashing on a hard surface.

Edited July 3, 2018 by Mittengirl

[Kemper]

I am old...have never heard of couple acrobatics.  I only saw the couple looking at the last house, and then the end where they showed them living in the house they bought.  Who was the blond young woman?  Was she the 13-year-old mentioned above?  Was she their child or the product of one of the idiot's first marriages (if there was a first one).  The woman was mugging to the cameras with regard to her germ-a-phobia.  Could not stand her.  The husband was off-putting in a weird way.  Honestly, where do they find these people?  

[Empress1]

4 minutes ago, Kemper said:

I am old...have never heard of couple acrobatics.  I only saw the couple looking at the last house, and then the end where they showed them living in the house they bought.  Who was the blond young woman?  Was she the 13-year-old mentioned above?  Was she their child or the product of one of the idiot's first marriages (if there was a first one).  The woman was mugging to the cameras with regard to her germ-a-phobia.  Could not stand her.  The husband was off-putting in a weird way.  Honestly, where do they find these people?  

The 13-year-old was the husband's daughter; the 1-year-old was their child together.

[KLovestoShop]

She doesn't want to touch a faucet, but she has no problem balancing on her husband's dirty shoes or feet. 

[LittleIggy]

St. Louis: I thought it sad that a house from 1901 had vinyl siding slapped on it and was made to look like any other new house. I liked the house they picked. Loved the stained glass windows.

[laredhead]

I liked the St. Louis couple, and the house they chose.  I realized after the tours, that 2 of those houses were staged with furniture.  I usually predict which house will be bought by looking to see if there is furniture in any of the 3.  Usually furnished ones are not for sale in real life, and are the decoys.  I think the 2nd house last night was staged with what looked like cast off furnishings or things that had been accumulated at garage/estate sales for the purpose of staging a house.  Some staging companies do a better job than others. 

The house they chose did have a small kitchen,  and I laughed at the guy's island - and so did he.  It also had white appliances - oh, the horror.  Not a peep out of them about how they could not possibly function in a kitchen w/o SS appliances.  I thought those were very nice looking with the white cabinetry, and they will be easy to keep clean of fingerprints and smudges.  I've had both, and wish I still had my white dw/fridge/range.  

The realtor's description of the covered parking at one place as a "carage" is what we call a carport here where I live.

Was the Richmond episode immediately following a new one?  My DVR did not record it, and I have it set to record all new HH episodes.  Usually HHI follows, but it did not last night.

Edited July 4, 2018 by laredhead
Adding content

[msmarjoribanks]

The furniture thing may be area-specific.  Where I am it's more unusual to see an empty house, as either someone is still living there or else it's staged.  (That's a big change I noticed in the 15 years between places, as when I looked in 2003 staging wasn't so much a thing where I am, and now it's super common.)

On the other hand, I just watched the Melbourne, FL one, and when they went in the first place and started talking about the owner "leaving" the furniture and then swiftly changed that to it also would be available for a cost, I wondered -- that seemed odd.  And they did take that one. There was also a floor already torn up, supposedly so the new owner could choose the floor. (I also dislike it when they see the houses separately and then supposedly make a decision based on that as it doesn't seem at all realistic even though I know it's not actually real -- yes, that's silly of me.)

None of the houses stood out to me there (I was watching it with half attention), but just the couple's "quirks," made-up or no.  The odd focus on couples acrobatics, which didn't even make a difference, the wife not wanting a new place (but that's all they seemed to look at -- you think 2004 is different from brand new in a meaningful way if the concern is "toxic materials"?), the weird no touch faucet thing and germophobia (I see a distinction between being an all natural anti waste hippie type and being a germophobe, so being both is an issue -- replacing brand new faucets = wasteful).  I get not wanting to pay extra for a pool you don't really want, but I'd want a pool if I was in Florida, and those were nice pools.

The guy didn't mention his quirks as much, but hating the idea of a second floor was one of them.  Place they got had a second floor room.

Edited July 4, 2018 by msmarjoribanks
added something I forgot

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

I think the 2nd house last night was staged with what looked like cast off furnishings or things that had been accumulated at garage/estate sales for the purpose of staging a house.  Some staging companies do a better job than others. 

 

The second house looked like someone was living there with mismatched furniture accumulated over the years, not like it was staged by any kind of professional. The furniture took away from the "new house feel", IMO; the house would have looked better empty.

Edited July 4, 2018 by chocolatine

[laredhead]

Chocolatine, I thought someone was living there too, but when they showed the closet(s) in the master bedroom, it was empty which led me to believe the house was vacant.  I may be wrong.  those places sort of run together sometimes.

[scootypuffjr]

^^ Yes, clothes in the closet (or lack thereof) are always the dead giveaway for me. That, and dishes in the cupboards, and too many knickknacks, gadgets and knives on the kitchen counter

[Dewey Decimate]

In St. Louis, the new wooden utensils wrapped in a freakin' ribbon on the kitchen counter of the third house were the nail in the coffin. No way. I always have fun trying to see if there's a lockbox on the front door handle (my favorite giveaway).

Amateur acrobat woman had to be a joke. Did she say that before becoming a full-time mom that she was an "environmental conservationist"? WTF does that mean? I compost all my food scraps and yard waste and use a rain barrel.... can I please collect a paycheck now? I loved how she wants touchless faucets, yet didn't hesitate to run her fingers over the oil-rubbed bronze. And when she said that she'd have to do some research about eco-friendly flooring options to replace carpeting, I thought "you're a self-proclaimed environmentalist shopping for a new home and haven't already researched flooring?" A hundred bucks says she's someone who has actually bought those bullshit items from Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop.

[chessiegal]

Oh my - woman in Honolulu tonight. Worst. Vocal. Fry. Ever

ETA: And the real estate agent too!.

Edited July 5, 2018 by chessiegal

[ByaNose]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Oh my - woman in Honolulu tonight. Worst. Vocal. Fry. Ever

ETA: And the real estate agent too!.

OMG! It was twofer. Both the hunter and realtor had vocal fry. The townshouse wasn’t spectacular but I guess it’s a easy home to have and know you’ll be leaving in a few years. They could make a few changes in the kitchen and such for some sweat equity. Obviously, it’s Hawaii and you know you don’t get much for your money. Usually, the houses are dumpy in Hawaii for less then $250,000. I’m glad they had a budget to work with. I want a 2/2 condo on the beach of Hawaii. I just want something small and be able to drop and go when needed. Is that too much to ask for? LOL!!!!!

[LittleIggy]

Hawaii: The vocal fry was killing me too. Those poor huskies! Hope her next posting is Alaska for their sake.

Why buy when they knew they would be moving in a few years?

[msmarjoribanks]

Enjoyed the St Louis episode.  The couple seemed to have reasonable wants and no made-for-TV quirks.  I loved the house they picked (there might be a way to redo the kitchen to expand it longterm and it was cool the husband decided that it was workable).  I thought they were going to pick the third one, so was pleasantly surprised (I always like it when they pick the one I would have!).  Again wish they'd said a bit more about the different neighborhoods, but can't have everything.

[Phoebe70]

On 6/29/2018 at 10:18 PM, ByaNose said:

First off, I didn’t know what a Shaman was. Now, I do and it sounds like a scam. Secondly, I think the husband was a smart man getting away from that nut job. Thirdly, me thinks the husband has full custody of said nut jobs daughter, I couldn’t handle watching the whole show to see which house she picked. Usually, I like a HH big budget but not this time. 

She was definitely a nut job.  She ended up choosing the one that didn't have the "deal breaker" shaman tub or firewalking area.  But hey, they house was supposedly shaped like an eagle, which is her spirit animal, so she just had to buy it.  I deleted the episode, but after she moved in, it showed her smudging (blessing) the house with sage.  I swear it looked like someone was in bed asleep (you could just see their hair) and she was hovered over her with her smoking sage.  If I was that person in the bed I would have freaked the F out waking up to that weirdo above me with a burning stick.  Did anyone else notice that?

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Why buy when they knew they would be moving in a few years?

Many career military buy places in one or two of their postings if they can afford it, especially in popular areas like Hawaii.  Then they rent or sell to other military folks when they change assignments.

I agree, that fry was the worst.  

[Phoebe70]

The acrobatic couple that was moving to Melbourne, Florida....what a joke.  She classified herself as a "lipstick hippie."  And of course he had to lift her up in the air at the houses they were looking at to make sure they could do their acrobatics...um, couldn't you do that outside as well?  She was so smug and irritating.  I wonder what his daughter from a previous marriage thought of her.  The daughter looked less than thrilled at the red quilt her new mom bought her.  It didn't even coordinate with the wall color of her bedroom.

[irisheyes]

21 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Many career military buy places in one or two of their postings if they can afford it, especially in popular areas like Hawaii.  Then they rent or sell to other military folks when they change assignments.

I agree, that fry was the worst.  

I was thinking the same thing. Buy now, rent it out (AirBnB) when you have to move, and you’ve got a vacation place in Hawaii whenever you want a vacation. 

[Kohola3]

5 minutes ago, irisheyes said:

I was thinking the same thing. Buy now, rent it out (AirBnB) when you have to move, and you’ve got a vacation place in Hawaii whenever you want a vacation. 

My cousin is a career Marine and he has several houses near large bases.  It will be his retirement income.  Sadly, you don't make a lot of money serving your country.

[Phoebe70]

23 hours ago, laredhead said:

The house they chose did have a small kitchen,  and I laughed at the guy's island - and so did he.  It also had white appliances - oh, the horror.  Not a peep out of them about how they could not possibly function in a kitchen w/o SS appliances.  I thought those were very nice looking with the white cabinetry, and they will be easy to keep clean of fingerprints and smudges.  I've had both, and wish I still had my white dw/fridge/range.  

I was surprised that he agreed to such a small kitchen.  He's a rather large fellow, and he looked cramped in that kitchen.  The "kitchen island" that he purchased was on wheels and it didn't give him much extra space.  A small kitchen would be a deal-breaker for me, as I too love to cook.  I could deal with an outdated kitchen because you could always renovate it, but you can't do much with a small kitchen unless you start knocking out walls.

[laredhead]

St. Louis house - if the kitchen is at the back of the house, and it probably was, there is real possibility of expansion later, and that may be in their plans since they said they plan for it to be their forever house.  The kitchen is small, but it's very nice and updated, so they can probably make it work for a few years until they can afford to expand.  That would be my plan.

Phoebe70, I also saw a person in one of the scenes and I thought the shaman woman was performing a ritual/session with a client. 

Edited July 5, 2018 by laredhead
Add content

[Phoebe70]

On 7/4/2018 at 9:41 AM, msmarjoribanks said:

On the other hand, I just watched the Melbourne, FL one, and when they went in the first place and started talking about the owner "leaving" the furniture and then swiftly changed that to it also would be available for a cost, I wondered -- that seemed odd.  And they did take that one. There was also a floor already torn up, supposedly so the new owner could choose the floor. (I also dislike it when they see the houses separately and then supposedly make a decision based on that as it doesn't seem at all realistic even though I know it's not actually real -- yes, that's silly of me.)

None of the houses stood out to me there (I was watching it with half attention), but just the couple's "quirks," made-up or no.  The odd focus on couples acrobatics, which didn't even make a difference, the wife not wanting a new place (but that's all they seemed to look at -- you think 2004 is different from brand new in a meaningful way if the concern is "toxic materials"?), the weird no touch faucet thing and germophobia (I see a distinction between being an all natural anti waste hippie type and being a germophobe, so being both is an issue -- replacing brand new faucets = wasteful).  I get not wanting to pay extra for a pool you don't really want, but I'd want a pool if I was in Florida, and those were nice pools.

The guy didn't mention his quirks as much, but hating the idea of a second floor was one of them.  Place they got had a second floor room.

That was strange when they asked if the table was included in the price.  It looked like just a regular dinner table and not something you would place randomly in the foyer.

I really liked the 2nd house with the high ceilings (the one that the wife wasn't able to go see with him).  I was a little surprised by the house they ultimately chose.  The wife was concerned about toxic paint, but the houses they were looking at were all built in the 2000s.  It's not like they had lead paint.  She was an odd one.

[Phoebe70]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

Phoebe70, I also saw a person in one of the scenes and I thought the shaman woman was performing a ritual/session with a client. 

Ok, that makes more sense!  LOL.  At first I thought it was her daughter sleeping, then I thought maybe it was client who was asleep.  Either way, not sure I would feel comfortable with her anywhere near me with fire.

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

My cousin is a career Marine and he has several houses near large bases.  It will be his retirement income.  Sadly, you don't make a lot of money serving your country.

Neither do those who teach the future generation of our nation.

[Phoebe70]

39 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Neither do those who teach the future generation of our nation.

My friend's daughter is in the Marines and she is married to a Marine.  They have 4 children.  They make REALLY good money and are in their mid-30s.  They do have to move around every few years but each time they end up purchasing a house rather than renting, which doesn't make sense to me.

[Ohwell]

8 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

My cousin is a career Marine and he has several houses near large bases.  It will be his retirement income.  Sadly, you don't make a lot of money serving your country.

Someone who can afford several houses isn't "broke," and the marine and her husband in Hawaii must have been doing pretty well if they could afford a townhouse with a $700/month HOA.  

Edited July 5, 2018 by Ohwell

[Kohola3]

58 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Someone who can afford several houses isn't "broke," and the marine and her husband in Hawaii must have been doing pretty well if they could afford a townhouse with a $700/month HOA.  

Not saying they are broke. They do get breaks with buying things at the PX and utilizing on-base housing.   But the starting salary for a private is less than $2000 a month.  Granted it goes up with increases in rank but think of what they are giving up - the family disruption and being in harm's way.

As someone active in military support groups, let me tell you, money isn't everything.

[Pickles]

The Houston couple specifically said they didn't want a house in the flood plain and then they bought a house in the flood plain. Apparently, it didn't flood during the terrible hurricane flooding, so maybe it wasn't so risky? I figured that was the house they bought, since it had a random sofa in one of the rooms as the only piece of furniture.

[doodlebug]

43 minutes ago, Pickles said:

The Houston couple specifically said they didn't want a house in the flood plain and then they bought a house in the flood plain. Apparently, it didn't flood during the terrible hurricane flooding, so maybe it wasn't so risky? I figured that was the house they bought, since it had a random sofa in one of the rooms as the only piece of furniture.

I figured it was the one they bought because it was the only one in their desired area.  On this show, if only one of the houses is in the neighborhood they want, it's the one they picked.  Location! Location! Location!

Even if the house they picked didn't flood in the hurricane, it is in the flood plain and I hope they buy flood insurance, you never know.  I have a cousin in New Orleans who cursed every time he wrote the check for flood insurance over the years-right up until Katrina hit.   They couldn't have rebuilt without it.

[msmarjoribanks]

8 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I figured it was the one they bought because it was the only one in their desired area.  On this show, if only one of the houses is in the neighborhood they want, it's the one they picked.  Location! Location! Location!

Even if the house they picked didn't flood in the hurricane, it is in the flood plain and I hope they buy flood insurance, you never know.  I have a cousin in New Orleans who cursed every time he wrote the check for flood insurance over the years-right up until Katrina hit.   They couldn't have rebuilt without it.

That was my thought too.  Unless the story was how they came to decide to move to the 'burbs, but normally it's not.  I wondered about the flood zone issue, but don't know enough about it -- presumably they'd do some analysis of the location, insurance cost, beyond what was shown.  That issue aside, the first house seemed a good fit.

Saw Hawaii too, not as bothered by the voices as some here, I suppose, as that didn't stand out. I don't know how the locations differed, but choosing the $700/month HOA and claiming that they have all this extra money to rehab since the place was cheaper made no sense.  I ran the numbers in a Hawaii mortgage + tax + insurance calculator (assuming $100K downpayment, which may not have been accurate, of course) and as expected the third place would have been cheaper once HOAs were added in (depending on what they paid for, granted, and if you were willing to do that stuff). Certainly the first place wouldn't have been way cheaper, as they seemed to suggest. Anyway, didn't pay as much attention to the houses but none of them really appealed -- I know costs are high for what you can get in Hawaii.  I was a bit distracted by wondering how they got the budget, seemed high given their ages and jobs.

[laredhead]

I want to know what you get for $700 HOA fee.  In my mind that would include all outside maintenance including roof & paint, private street upkeep, pool, lawn, pest control, and maybe water/sewer/recycling fees.  I have lived in several townhouse communities and none of the fees were higher than $150/month.  Only one included outside maintenance, but all included basic cable and water/sewer/recycling fees.  Special assessments, with costs divided by the number of units, covered things like street maintenance and carport metal roofs.  Usually streets and drives in developments like that are not covered by the city for maintenance, or at least they are not where I live.  $700 is steep, but everything is more expensive in Hawaii.  They could have cut out a sentence of two on those idiotic recaps to explain why the HOA was so expensive.  

[LittleIggy]

Chicago: To me, it’s not a “fixer-upper” if you want to change out perfectly usable appliances because they aren’t  ::crosses self and genuflects:: stainless steel.

Edited July 7, 2018 by LittleIggy