House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[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.  

[VanSensei]

The Minneapolis-St. Paul couple. Am a native, so my bias is showing. Three things:

• They could afford maybe twice as much house if she were still working as a nurse.
• The wife is absolutely right. 
• It's good they got out of the city. 

[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

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

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.

That's just crazy talk!  Don't you know if the appliance finish isn't your first choice, you must gut the whole kitchen?

[sheetmoss]

I thought Chicago women was annoying. Kept wondering too...could her friend close his mouth?

I kept looking at that stove tight by the window and wondered how that ever passed code - made even worse with blind down. 

  That was weird too, in one  shot it looked slatted then reed-ish 

Curious, does anybody know which huge cosmetics company she worked for that's so'west of the city?

[izabella]

39 minutes ago, sheetmoss said:

Curious, does anybody know which huge cosmetics company she worked for that's so'west of the city?

Ulta Beauty is headquartered in Bolingbrook, southwest of the city.

[doodlebug]

6 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

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.

 

She was just ridiculous.  Heated floors? In the whole apartment? With a low-end budget for Chicago?  Her expectations were completely unrealistic.  

The first place was great, but the price of the parking space and huge HOA on top, made the terrific view a lot less inviting.

Edited July 7, 2018 by doodlebug

[msmarjoribanks]

Such a pet peeve when "I want to change out the appliances to stainless steel" = gut job.  Among other things, changing out appliances isn't even a remodel and can easily be done whenever. In my last place, which had white appliances when I bought it, I switched out my oven when it needed to be replaced and then -- gasp -- had mismatched appliances for a white, as I then waited a couple of years before getting a new refrigerator and then finally replaced the dishwasher and microwave a few years after that.  It's shocking I even had people in my place with those mismatched appliances.

To be fair to Chicago woman (who was super annoying although at least she seemed to realize her expectations and budget didn't mesh), she wasn't just talking about changing appliances, but planned to redo the whole kitchen (she stained the cabinets and removed the knobs, which seemed like a poor choice IMO, but whatever), replaced the counters, changed the sink, and intended to add an island, as well as just switching out the appliances, and she also said she was redoing a whole bathroom and I think changing the doors on the closets. It's a "fixer-upper" in the sense that people buy fixer-uppers on Property Brothers or HH Renovations because they can't afford what they really want and it's a way to get it.

The whole financial thing on that episode was idiotic.  Clearly location was important, so why not be specific about what location ("Chicago" includes a huge variety of different areas with different price tags and options, after all.) She commuted to the southwest burbs, so how?  I was assuming by car, but that is relevant to what location she needs, as some will be way more convenient than others, same if by train.  West Loop is likely much more convenient than Streeterville for her commute (and there are some other cheaper neighborhoods that might have worked). Showing Streeterville was idiotic (yes, I know it's pretend), since it's expensive, period, and has no advantages for her locationally (based on what we were told) than some less expensive areas (but sure, it's the kind of neighborhood I can see her wanting to live in, and with lots of high rises).  Nevertheless, IMO, it would have made more sense to show a less expensive city neighborhood with some of the things she wanted.

Showing the suburban place and not identifying the suburb (I guess they were afraid of tipping off the identity of her employer) also seemed weird, since they could have found a better suburban option not near a busy street.  But obviously she didn't consider any 'burbs in reality, that was made up.  Also, they mentioned the assessments in the first place, but not the final ($345) -- I guess with it being under-budget it didn't matter so much, but when people have a strict budget and want places which will inherently have assessments, sometimes high, it would be nice if the show would mention what their expectations are, as assessments vary a lot and will affect what a reasonable purchase price would be.  (Given what she wanted -- doorman, new amenities, gym, elevator, $350 had to be expected, so maybe that's why it wasn't mentioned.)

Okay, now that I'm on a roll with the grumbling, I also find "I need a fireplace because Chicago is cold," especially when talking about a tiny highrise, odd.  Turn up the heat, it will be a lot faster. I like having a fireplace because I think it's charming, a nice center for a livingroom, so on, but I don't actually use it to keep warm, and that would be especially so with a place like the ones she was looking at where you aren't thinking about heating individual rooms with the fire.

[msmarjoribanks]

I should add that the location of the place she got was fabulous -- convenient to the Metra, which she may well use for commuting or have as an option, not bad access to the highway she'd want, very close to a couple of L lines to get to other parts of the city, as well as in a hot area of the city with some great restaurants and so on. She only talked about the last bit, but the rest had to be important in reality (but I suppose is too boring for HH).

Edited July 7, 2018 by msmarjoribanks

[MarthaEllisanne]

On 7/4/2018 at 9:11 PM, chessiegal said:

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

ETA: And the real estate agent too!.

Her voice made my own throat hurt.  Why do young woman do this?  I finally muted and read the closed captions.  Beautiful dogs, though. 

[Kohola3]

2 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

It's shocking I even had people in my place with those mismatched appliances.

I bet your guests were appalled.  And, of course, you cannot possibly turn out an edible meal that way.

[fib]

On 7/5/2018 at 10:03 PM, 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.

If you have a mortgage you have to have flood insurance.  that said, these guys are idiots. 

I did some sleuthing on the house location and found it - they are not just “in the flood zone” they are right at the border of the floodway and the 100 yr floodplain.  In otherwords, they are right at the edge of the part of the area designed to catch run off.  And they are on the one watershed that didnt see masses of rain during the last hurricane.  Flooding in Houston happens where the rain falls.  Flooding can be very localized.  I wouldnt be caught within 6 blocks of that house.   (In the pic below you see 3 colors of floodplain - i might be tempted to do the green level, never blue and NEVER dark blue). 

obviously there are places that have bigger flood issues - like the places built inside the dam and the places that flooded 3 times in 4 years.  But no way am I investing where they did.  

Edited July 7, 2018 by fib
typing all the letters in a word helps

[KLovestoShop]

Couldn’t stand the Chicago friend and found him to be a total pain in the butt.  He’s preaching about her getting a fixer upper, but that he won’t help her one bit except for moral support.  The woman was also unlikeable.  She’s terrified of a kitchen?  Lady, in Chicago, you’re not getting stainless steel and heated floors for your budget.  And what she got wasn’t a fixer upper in the real sense.  She was changing things to reflect her taste. 

What really drives me nuts is the talk of budget, and that goes for most house hunters.   I know it’s producer driven, but damnit, if you say your budget is $300,000 or whatever, why do you go all ape shit bozo when they show you a house for $299,900?   If you don’t want to pay near your supposed budget, then lower your freaking dollar amount. 

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, KLovestoShop said:

Couldn’t stand the Chicago friend and found him to be a total pain in the butt.  He’s preaching about her getting a fixer upper, but that he won’t help her one bit except for moral support.  The woman was also unlikeable.  She’s terrified of a kitchen?  Lady, in Chicago, you’re not getting stainless steel and heated floors for your budget.  And what she got wasn’t a fixer upper in the real sense.  She was changing things to reflect her taste. 

What really drives me nuts is the talk of budget, and that goes for most house hunters.   I know it’s producer driven, but damnit, if you say your budget is $300,000 or whatever, why do you go all ape shit bozo when they show you a house for $299,900?   If you don’t want to pay near your supposed budget, then lower your freaking dollar amount. 

Thank you! I saw an episode the other day where one house was $15,000 below the top of their budget and the husband was aghast that the price was near the top of the budget. He said he really didn’t want to pay that much. I was like “WTF, dude”?

[msmarjoribanks]

Just watched two reruns with houses that were sad for the amounts charged: a SF with a couple with 2 toddlers with a $1 m budget, and then the DC math teacher that was discussed some here in April. And the stress of everything going for over asking, so having to prepare for that, would drive me crazy.  (When I bought I had mentally decided that if a place I made an offer on ended up in a bidding war, I was out and would move on to a different place, but here it's not the usual thing at all.)

The DC teacher's places could have been okay if he fixed it up (and assuming the neighborhoods were gentrifying or nicer than looked), but the planned living situation (with 3 separate roommates, including the whole basement and 2 upstairs rooms) seemed awful (and so was his closet). He did say the rent was paying most of his mortgage (assuming he saved up for a 20% downpayment, which arguably fit the personality, that could be true), so I mentally made it make more sense by assuming it's something of a shorter term situation.  If he planned to do this for a few years before ready to marry based on the fear that housing prices would go up/he'd get priced out of what he wanted, so is going in now with a couple years of rental-like lifestyle (that he didn't mind since he apparently likes living with lots of new people), and then, say, the girlfriend sells her place (which has to be a condo or out of the city unless she has an inheritance or something) and they consolidate and make it into more of a family house.  

[ehall1052]

Re the Chicago chick who wanted the downtown loft. Really? You find a house, under budget, 5 mins. from work and you insist on living downtown so you can go to the bars? Isn’t it time to grow up? Does she go to the bars every night? Seems like you could buy the closer house for the daily commute and drive into the city on Saturday night for the night life.

[LittleIggy]

9 hours ago, ehall1052 said:

Re the Chicago chick who wanted the downtown loft. Really? You find a house, under budget, 5 mins. from work and you insist on living downtown so you can go to the bars? Isn’t it time to grow up? Does she go to the bars every night? Seems like you could buy the closer house for the daily commute and drive into the city on Saturday night for the night life.

No kidding. I hate long commutes so I would pick some place close to work. Couldn’t she sleep on the friend’s couch on the bar hopping weekends ? ?

[biakbiak]

15 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

No kidding. I hate long commutes so I would pick some place close to work. Couldn’t she sleep on the friend’s couch on the bar hopping weekends ? ?

Everyone’s different. I would rather sleep on a friends coach a day or two during the week if I needed that for a work week rather than not be in my house and close to what I wanted to do on my off time.

[izabella]

I didn't get the impression it was just the bars.  It's also the lifestyle she wants as a single young woman.  I think suburbs can feel isolating because your neighbors are generally married with kids, and in a different life stage.  The house in the suburbs had neighbors with a swing set; she probably wouldn't have a lot of single people around her there.  Plus, she wanted things like a gym in the building, and other amenities that are nearby.

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I hate long commutes so I would pick some place close to work.

Ditto.  Horrible drives just about did me in during my working years.  Since that's 5 of the 7 days of the week I know I would go with closer to work. Plus Chicago traffic during the week is horrendous as opposed to weekend travel. 

My niece lives in the Lincoln Square area and she wants out - while there is public transit, slogging through snow to the train to get to work every day is growing wearisome.

[msmarjoribanks]

5 hours ago, izabella said:

I didn't get the impression it was just the bars.  It's also the lifestyle she wants as a single young woman.  I think suburbs can feel isolating because your neighbors are generally married with kids, and in a different life stage.  The house in the suburbs had neighbors with a swing set; she probably wouldn't have a lot of single people around her there.  Plus, she wanted things like a gym in the building, and other amenities that are nearby.

Agreed.  I know some people who did the reverse commute, and understood why -- it's tough to have to commute back into the city after work for things like plays or concerts or dinners or bars (and I don't recall her making a big point of bars, but certainly far better not to have to drive if you are planning to drink at all).  And some (including me), just enjoy living in a city neighborhood.  If so, I am sure the commute could be worth it.  They didn't identify the 'burb, but it's also true that some are more of a real town with walkability and lots of things to do and some aren't, and certainly some are largely subdivisions where you only interact with the neighbors if you have kids that participate in the local schools and activities (some friends of mine moved to a particular western 'burb (without kids and without planning to have any) and found this, whereas other friends live in Oak Park and have different experiences).

Also, who knows if she wants to stay at that job forever, so I wouldn't buy in a really specific neighborhood because of it if you didn't otherwise want to be there. The location she got is good for commuting more broadly and for getting all over Chicago.

ETA: another thought is that if she does or can take the train and has regular hours, that's a fast and easy commute during rush hour.  At off-times it's more challenging since it runs less frequently and not express. 

Edited July 9, 2018 by msmarjoribanks

[msrachelj]

On 7/5/2018 at 12:35 PM, LittleIggy said:

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

neither do a lot of people unfortunately. city, county, and federal gov't jobs included if you are not high up on the ladder.  we certainly could not afford to buy a few houses and use them as income later on. i'd be ecstatic if that were possible.

On 7/5/2018 at 8:49 AM, Phoebe70 said:

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?

and you sure can make a mint fleecing people with your magical powers! she looked ridiculous and i was shocked when they said what her budget was. holy eagles! it pays to be a nut job. 

On 7/5/2018 at 10:50 AM, Phoebe70 said:

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.

the table looked ridiculous. too big for the area. i was wondering why they would want that ugly thing. yeah, she was weird too, not as bad as the scam-am, i mean shaman.

[msrachelj]

On 7/5/2018 at 6:08 PM, 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.  

agree. if you can afford to buy up homes for future income, you must be doing ok. i'm not able to do it!

[msrachelj]

On 7/5/2018 at 7:11 PM, Kohola3 said:

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.

 

On 7/5/2018 at 11:16 PM, 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.

that's playing russian roulette with your home and your life. i know people who did. did not have flood insurance ( at the time it wasn't mandatory , in  a flood zone)  and are now paupers. 

On 7/5/2018 at 1:21 PM, Phoebe70 said:

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.

 guess they are doing ok! not many people can afford to do that. i do think some of the people in the military doth protest too much about money. the ones i know are doing quite alright financially and will be getting benefits, tax exemptions , etc. 

[msrachelj]

On 7/3/2018 at 1:48 PM, Kohola3 said:

Isn't that something ordinarily found during the inspection?

funny how many of us , and our parents, grandparents before that, lived in homes like this and well,....lived. long. asbestos anyway, i don't know much about lead and how it could leak from the pipes into the water.

On 7/3/2018 at 4:05 PM, chocolatine said:

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

i have to agree a tiny bit on this one. give me an older home with solid wood and old time quality materials over a new one built with pressed board and other cheap materials. not all are this way but i bet the majority are,

[msrachelj]

On 6/27/2018 at 10:11 PM, LittleIggy said:

Shaman my a**! Talk about cultural appropriation. I don’t like people taking some other culture’s spiritual heritage and using it to make money. I’m sure that neighbor wouldn’t have liked having a business run out of the house next door.

That first house was drop dead gorgeous.

agree! i'm all for finding different kinds of peace and spirituality but this woman just had an air of phony &  poser. and i was thinking that too: i hope that house is zoned for a business. i'd be pissed if i saw idiots "firewalking", whooping and a hollering, and all kinds of weird sh** outside my window. 

[msrachelj]

On 6/28/2018 at 9:26 AM, doodlebug said:

All you need is an empty Coca Cola bottle to call the spirits!  Who knew the ancient Shamans were so advanced they knew about blowing across the top of a bottle to make sounds for their ceremonies?

This gal was an embarrassment to anyone who is truly spiritual and I'm kinda chagrined to find out that she caters to women in her 'practice'.  There's a sucker born every minute, I guess.

They did say that she was at least partially paying for her new place with an inheritance, although her place back east sounded pretty fabulous, too.

at first i thought you were referencing "the gods must be crazy"! i am getting mighty tired of all these entitled people and their crazy budgets. can they please start a this ol shack house hunters? because after seeing what these people are buying i feel like a loser. either they are all in i.t. or dr.s or up to their eyeballs in debt. 

On 6/26/2018 at 12:09 PM, Empress1 said:

She said that one of the things she liked best about living in Jersey is that you could look over and see NYC, so yeah, north Jersey - that wouldn't be true in south Jersey (it's the Philly skyline you can see there!). And the closer you get to NYC the pricier things get, so yeah, I wouldn't expect them to have something totally new.

I kept thinking "Bruh, you're a professional dancer. You move for a living. You can walk up the stairs!"

he did not look like he was in that great of shape for a professional dancer so i wasn't surprised he was too lazy to do stairs. 

On 6/27/2018 at 10:47 PM, LittleIggy said:

Maybe I should try my hand at it! My cats could be mystical spirit guides! ?

cats ARE mystical spirit guides! 

[msrachelj]

On 6/21/2018 at 9:10 AM, Pickles said:

The Hawaii episode last night. Omg, the prices! I knew they would be outrageous, but I was still pretty shocked to see the house they chose and the condition it was in and the price. And it was right by the freeway! And it was pretty tiny--was it 1100 square feet? Over $800k. I was wondering how they could afford it. He was a musician. She was a hotel manager of some kind (I may have that wrong). They were doing so much work on the house and then talking about building up in the future. $$$$

what a crapper! why does anyone who has a choice want to live there if you have to live in a house like that. paying $70,000 is one thing but that is insane. i wonder how many of these singles or couples can afford these houses! 

[topanga]

North Carolina: loved the HH and her daughter. The best friend was great, too.

I liked the house she chose, but an underground invisible fence for the dog? Those seem so cruel—the dog gets a shock if she ventures near the border. 

[KLovestoShop]

For someone with such a small budget, I'm surprised the NC woman got an electric dog fence.  Those are not cheap, plus you have to have someone come in to train the dog.  Personally, I don't like those dog fences. 

And here again we have a person with a budget who didn't want to spend to that freaking budget. 

[CruiseDiva]

My next-door neighbor has an "invisible" fence to keep her cats in the yard. The cats wear collars with some sort of sensor on them. Not totally sure how it works, but it keeps the cats in the yard (there is also a six-foot privacy fence surrounding her yard/pool). The invisible fence isn't cruel. Cruel would be letting pets run all over the neighborhood and possibly be hit by a car. Several of our neighbors have lost pets in the street.

[Kohola3]

3 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

Not totally sure how it works, but it keeps the cats in the yard

It gives them an electronic shock when they get near the perimeter.  The best way to keep cats from getting hit by cars is to keep them indoors.  It also keeps them healthier.  

Giving any living creature an electronic shock is cruel. I have felt it and it's not the least bit gentle.

[msmarjoribanks]

I missed the thing with the fence at the end, thought she'd just decided to wait on a fence.  I do recall her saying that the issue with spending at the top of her budget is that she'd need a place with nearly no renos/nothing to do, and adding a standard fence can be really expensive (surprisingly so, or it was to me when my old condo building was talking about replacing our fence). 

Fence aside, I also really liked the HH, the friend, and the bits I saw of the daughter in that one.  Seemed to have a realistic understanding of the budget constraints and a fun attitude. The friend reminded me of someone I know too, so I'm sure that's part of why I liked them. The bath was funny, and I swear that's the same bath they had in a tiny house episode recently

Old episode I caught was the couple with a baby looking for a historic house to renovate in Houston for $1 m with $500K for renos.  Also likable, and it seemed some of that money was likely from doing a prior reno and then selling the place (after years, not a flip). I enjoyed the houses and they got the one (with lots of renos, though, as it was being converted back from being a two flat) that I would have been tempted by.  The show made it seem like they had no idea what it would be like working with the historic house regulations and getting approval and so on before buying, which seems fake -- I'm sure they had plans and talked to people to find out if they were workable and what the issues would be (for example, here you have a lot more freedom in back but need to maintain the front).  They didn't seem like idiots, so I'm sure they did all the prep work before picking the place, but of course that doesn't fit into a HH narrative where you look at three places and the asking price and pick with no other knowledge.  (Also in this one the house they got was for $120K less than asking, and so likely they were thinking they'd take it if they could get it for a specific price and NOT going to buy it if they had to pay asking -- but again not something that can be discussed on HH.)

Anyway, I'd love to see that one when finished.

[AlleC17]

7 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

It gives them an electronic shock when they get near the perimeter.  The best way to keep cats from getting hit by cars is to keep them indoors.  It also keeps them healthier.  

Giving any living creature an electronic shock is cruel. I have felt it and it's not the least bit gentle.

One shock and they learn to stay away.  I guess I am cruel because my horse pasture is hot wire.  My horse totally respects it and leaves it alone and stays in the pasture.  The underground ones are expensive, plus they do not keep stray animals out, so a dog or cat being stuck out there could be in trouble unless there is an escape route into a safe area that the stray animal could not access it.  For cats, better to use the cat fencing or keep in a catio with access to indoors.  I have found fencing of any sort to be expensive though, but I live on Oahu...everything is expensive, yikes!  I did like this HH though.

[doodlebug]

22 minutes ago, AlleC17 said:

One shock and they learn to stay away.  I guess I am cruel because my horse pasture is hot wire.  My horse totally respects it and leaves it alone and stays in the pasture.  The underground ones are expensive, plus they do not keep stray animals out, so a dog or cat being stuck out there could be in trouble unless there is an escape route into a safe area that the stray animal could not access it.  For cats, better to use the cat fencing or keep in a catio with access to indoors.  I have found fencing of any sort to be expensive though, but I live on Oahu...everything is expensive, yikes!  I did like this HH though.

I've got Invisible Fence for my dogs.  Currently, it isn't even turned on and they aren't wearing their collars anyway. I don't remember the last time I turned it on, its been years.  What I found was that my slippery shepherd mix, who used to dash past anyone who opened the gate into the back yard but squeezing her way past them; learned not to approach the gate after being shocked once or twice.  That was 13 years ago; she still stays back from the gate so that anyone can come into and out of the yard without her trying to evade them and escape.  It may seem cruel, but allowing the dog to get loose and get injured is much worse, IMO.

BTW, we tried a couple of different trainers and obedience classes without much effect.  She'd listen to the trainers, but, as soon as the trainer was gone, she was back to trying to get out the gate.  The fence cured her and I am so glad it did.

[Jordan Schmitt]

Does anybody know of any house hunters episodes that have large budgets? I love watching the show, but I really just want to watch them shop for really expensive and really luxurious homes! 

[Kohola3]

3 hours ago, Jordan Schmitt said:

Does anybody know of any house hunters episodes that have large budgets? I love watching the show, but I really just want to watch them shop for really expensive and really luxurious homes! 

The lottery version.

[laredhead]

I thought for sure that the Phoenix guys would buy the 3rd house with the nice guest house.  That house was $20,000 over the budget set by one of them, but the guest house looked nice, and the main house was move in ready.  The 3rd house had desert landscaping in the back yard which would have been a water saver.  Instead they went with the 2nd house with the really funky master bath and tiny shower, small master bedroom, and that small "guest house" that looked more like a nice storage shed to me.  The back yard was nice, with lots of grass to keep watered.

They said they got $10,000 off the sales price plus $9,000 in closing costs, so they had few up front expenses to move in.   If the budget was $400,000 that leaves them about $30,000 to spend fixing up the guest house and doing something with the master bathroom.  That money will go fast on projects like that.  I did think the curb appeal on the house they bought was very nice. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 7/9/2018 at 1:43 PM, msrachelj said:

funny how many of us , and our parents, grandparents before that, lived in homes like this and well,....lived. long. asbestos anyway, i don't know much about lead and how it could leak from the pipes into the water.

The people in Flint, Michigan, do.  It is absolutely horrifying what even small amounts of lead can do to babies and children.  I don't know if it will affect their longevity, but every day of their lives will be affected by the impairments caused by the lead. 

Part of the problem is corrosion in pipes, and that takes time.  So the pipes may have been fine when your grandparents were using them, but years later, not so much.

[msrachelj]

On 7/10/2018 at 8:14 AM, Kohola3 said:

It gives them an electronic shock when they get near the perimeter.  The best way to keep cats from getting hit by cars is to keep them indoors.  It also keeps them healthier.  

Giving any living creature an electronic shock is cruel. I have felt it and it's not the least bit gentle.

! i never heard of this for cats! yikes. i hate the idea of these fences also and i hope it is specifically for cats at least or one day they are going to get electrocuted.

cats should be indoors.

[AuntiePam]

Also Island Hunters.

Most regular HH shows will have hunters with large budgets if they're hunting in the Bay Area (San Francisco) or Manhattan, and maybe Hawaii.

ETA: I'm the opposite.  I'm not at all interested in the expensive, ultra-modern homes.  The Midwest episodes work best for me.

Edited July 11, 2018 by AuntiePam

[msmarjoribanks]

I usually like the ones where they have enough money to look at houses I find interesting in their area, but not so much that they don't have to make any tradeoffs or compromises or are just going for luxury everything.

Also what a big budget is will vary based on city.  I saw one with $900K in Seattle where they were looking at pretty modest houses, for example, vs one with luxurious houses in  St Louis one where the budget was much less (maybe $500K? -- oh, I checked, $800K).

Ones I recall recently where the house was luxurious was the shaman one (Firewalking in New Mexico), the guys looking for an architecturally-significant place in Palm Springs (Name that Architect), that one in St Louis I mentioned (although the budget was relatively modest by comparison) (Belle of the Ball in St Louis), the recent Memphis one (again, modest budget by comparison, but I think expensive for the city, and fancy houses) (I can't recall or find the name of this one, it's the one where the house hunter posted here), maybe Historic Hunt in Houston.  Oh, a really fun one with a single woman wanting a house in Chicago (maybe $2 m, it was near downtown, she was cool and wanted the place for fundraisers and huge parties and visiting family, friend wanted her to get a highrise).  There have been a number of high priced ones in Southern Cal with luxury houses as an object.

But of course the specialty shows would be better for that overall.

I often don't watch if I think it will be a huge budget for the market, so am not as good at this as some would be.

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

The lottery version.

I hate that show because in most cases they aren’t actually big budgets.

[LittleIggy]

Phoenix: The Pueblo house with the lovely guest house was my fave. I was ready to slap the guy always mentioning seeing the sink. Get over it! 

[Kohola3]

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

 I'm not at all interested in the expensive, ultra-modern homes.  The Midwest episodes work best for me.

Ditto. I won't ever be able to afford a palace so I'm happy with comparing houses that I might actually want to buy.

[Kohola3]

4 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

It is absolutely horrifying what even small amounts of lead can do to babies and children.  I don't know if it will affect their longevity, but every day of their lives will be affected by the impairments caused by the lead. 

Part of the problem is corrosion in pipes, and that takes time.  So the pipes may have been fine when your grandparents were using them, but years later, not so much.

I live north of Flint and not on their water system but it has been a horrific thing for them.  And now the officials are trying to weasel out of responsibility using the "clean water is not a constitutional right" argument!

Old lead pipes need to be replaced.  Lead leaches out for a number of reasons including age, the chemicals in the water, or improper anti-corrosion treatment in the water, Even small amounts of lead can have long lasting health problems.  In infants and young children it can result deficits in general intellectual functioning, ability to sustain attention on tasks, organization of thinking and behavior, speech articulation, language comprehension and production, learning and memory efficiency, fine motor skills, high activity level, reduced problem solving flexibility, and poor behavioral self-control.  In adults it can cause anemia,  kidney and brain damage, miscarriages, and a whole host of other problems.

Believe me, in this area we are all becoming experts.  Sorry for the long answer but even in homes built before 1980 that have copper pipes, the joints are often done with lead solder.  If you have any concerns you should have your water tested.  Lead is some nasty stuff!

[fib]

On 7/9/2018 at 1:43 PM, msrachelj said:

funny how many of us , and our parents, grandparents before that, lived in homes like this and well,....lived. long. asbestos anyway, i don't know much about lead and how it could leak from the pipes into the water.

i have to agree a tiny bit on this one. give me an older home with solid wood and old time quality materials over a new one built with pressed board and other cheap materials. not all are this way but i bet the majority are,

Well, asbestos is only hazardous if you're disturbing it.  So it's primarily a problem during renovations. So yeah, if you weren't constantly renovating your home, it probably was just fine.  And, fwiw, many people when they had problematic asbetos (think damaged floor tiles), just covered it with linoleum.  So then it's REALLY only a problme when you pull p the old linoleum.  

5 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

The people in Flint, Michigan, do.  It is absolutely horrifying what even small amounts of lead can do to babies and children.  I don't know if it will affect their longevity, but every day of their lives will be affected by the impairments caused by the lead. 

Part of the problem is corrosion in pipes, and that takes time.  So the pipes may have been fine when your grandparents were using them, but years later, not so much.

Actually, Most problems with Lead in homes are associated with paint.  And yeah, lots of people have BIG FORKING problems as a result.  It causes low IQ and reduced impulse control and has been shown to be a causative factor for increasing the chance you will go to jail as an adult. And you can't just 'paint over it' - it has to be removed completely, becuase otherwise it will chip and kids east the chips.  Slummy landlords in in old rust belt cities just arent doing that. 

That said, the problem with the pipes in Flint is enormous, but its actually that the pipes had a protective mineral buildup on them, then the water source was changed to save $, the new water corroded the mineral buildup and the lead.  But yeah - lead pipes are bad, especially if your local government is being run by people looking only at dollars and cents, not at public health impacts of changes.  

PS.  Kids died a lot when we were younger and our parents were.  Childhood mortality is much lower today and thats a really good thing we shouldnt be flippant about.