House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[Pickles]

The Massachusetts couple tonight. I didn't like any of those homes. Maybe after the renovations, the one they chose will be nice. It looked so odd on the outside. And on a very superficial note, the wife bothered me because she looked so washed out. I think part of it was her hair? She looked worn out to me and much older than the husband, but likely they were the same age. Sorry if that was too snarky. Nice that they have a live in nanny.

[Kiddvideo]

On 7/9/2018 at 2:35 PM, msrachelj said:

 

Edited July 12, 2018 by Kiddvideo
My experience is my own and not anyone else’s.

[msrachelj]

16 hours ago, fib said:

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.  

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. 

that's what i meant about asbestos. i'm not up on how lead paint is a problem if it is just there and not chipping? i see the problem with the pipes/water. i'm disgusted and maddened about what is happening in flint. everyone should be. if you were referencing me, i was not being flippant btw.

[msmarjoribanks]

The MA couple got the best of the ones they saw.  I was sure they were going to get the middle one, so was pleasantly surprised (I like it when they pick the one I like).  Of course, that assumes they used adequate care in checking it; sounded like there were no major issues. The third was obviously "we need to find some place to show for another decoy"--it was cute but clearly wrong for them (wrong location, far too small, way under budget but without any realistic ability to use the savings to fix the issues), and the husband could not have seemed more bored when looking at it but for the joke with the ceiling.

I think it would be cool to live in an old schoolhouse that was redone, fun history, but the place was only okay overall.  I'd like to see it when done.  They did acknowledge that the prices in the area and their budget didn't mesh so well, and sounds like it might also just be that not that much is available.

[msmarjoribanks]

43 minutes ago, msrachelj said:

that's what i meant about asbestos. i'm not up on how lead paint is a problem if it is just there and not chipping? i see the problem with the pipes/water. i'm disgusted and maddened about what is happening in flint. everyone should be. if you were referencing me, i was not being flippant btw.

Information on lead paint and when it can be an issue: https://www.alleghenyfront.org/if-you-think-you-have-lead-paint-in-your-home-heres-what-to-do-about-it/

I was given the EPA handout when I bought my current house, I guess everyone buying a place built before 1978 must be given it: https://www.epa.gov/lead/real-estate-disclosure.

Lead paint in public housing has been an issue various places.

(Not disagreeing with anything, just some additional information.)

[fib]

2 hours ago, msrachelj said:

that's what i meant about asbestos. i'm not up on how lead paint is a problem if it is just there and not chipping? i see the problem with the pipes/water. i'm disgusted and maddened about what is happening in flint. everyone should be. if you were referencing me, i was not being flippant btw.

Lead paint is a problem because 1) kids put their mouths on things non-stop. 2) it degrades overtime, and becomes a part of the dust in your house that you breathe and ingest, and fuss with if you are changing paint colors (you're supposed to sand before you paint... then you're breathing lead containing particulates). and 3) it may start chipping, and I dont know anyone who carefully inspects their paint  condition on a regular basis. 

I apologize for insinuating that you were being flippant... I was in public health in texas, and I heard non stop: "We didnt even wear seatbelts when I was a kid, Kids today are so coddled," etc etc etc, and so I get frustrated when I hear anything that even smacks a little of that. Because 1) people dont remember how many people died or were maimed as a result of these events, and 2) the poor cant escape the problems of the past by building brand new mcmansions in the suburbs, and that's why we have laws regulating these things.  

Edited July 12, 2018 by fib

[msrachelj]

2 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

Information on lead paint and when it can be an issue: https://www.alleghenyfront.org/if-you-think-you-have-lead-paint-in-your-home-heres-what-to-do-about-it/

I was given the EPA handout when I bought my current house, I guess everyone buying a place built before 1978 must be given it: https://www.epa.gov/lead/real-estate-disclosure.

Lead paint in public housing has been an issue various places.

(Not disagreeing with anything, just some additional information.)

 thanks.

i bought my very old house 20 years ago and never got an epa handout. hmm. anyway, i hate the whole buying a house thing. there is not much disclosure and i always find many many many little to bigish issues that i feel should have been disclosed. when you are spending a hundred thousand to many hundred thousands on a home, i feel there should be more honesty from the seller and the agent. you don't find out everything from an inspection. for instance: spraying for bug infestations. invasive weeds and plants that may not be obvious when you buy. water issues, in rural areas this is a hundred times worse. etc etc. 

1 hour ago, fib said:

Lead paint is a problem because 1) kids put their mouths on things non-stop. 2) it degrades overtime, and becomes a part of the dust in your house that you breathe and ingest, and fuss with if you are changing paint colors (you're supposed to sand before you paint... then you're breathing lead containing particulates). and 3) it may start chipping, and I dont know anyone who carefully inspects their paint  condition on a regular basis. 

I apologize for insinuating that you were being flippant... I was in public health in texas, and I heard non stop: "We didnt even wear seatbelts when I was a kid, Kids today are so coddled," etc etc etc, and so I get frustrated when I hear anything that even smacks a little of that. Because 1) people dont remember how many people died or were maimed as a result of these events, and 2) the poor cant escape the problems of the past by building brand new mcmansions in the suburbs, and that's why we have laws regulating these things.  

no apology necessary. i agree with you. except  i think kids are too coddled today! not by wearing seatbelt and other safety regulations though! by their parents who spoil them no end.  :)

[twinks]

15 hours ago, Pickles said:

The Massachusetts couple tonight. I didn't like any of those homes. Maybe after the renovations, the one they chose will be nice. It looked so odd on the outside. And on a very superficial note, the wife bothered me because she looked so washed out. I think part of it was her hair? She looked worn out to me and much older than the husband, but likely they were the same age. Sorry if that was too snarky. Nice that they have a live in nanny.

Agree. Not sure what happened to that house over the years. Terrible add on I suppose. I have to say I was surprised they picked that one. The second house really suited their needs.

[msmarjoribanks]

On 7/11/2018 at 7:58 AM, laredhead said:

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. 

I think the house they bought will be nice once they fix it up (I'd steal another bedroom for the master/bathroom, since they would still have a guest room plus the guest house).  They also need to fix up the guest house, obviously. It could easily be more than $420K by the time they are finished, though, although the extra $9K is nice.

Sometimes I wonder if the HHers are kicking themselves that a particular option wasn't on the market when they made their decision, as that last house was great.  It did seem potentially really small in the living room and that dining room was super narrow, so that was the one drawback, but it was adorable, the kitchen was great, and the master/bath and guest house were perfect for them.

[laredhead]

The house that the Spring Hill, Tennessee couple bought was beyond way too dark for my taste.  Who paints an entire house, including the ceiling, that color?  The husband called it peanut butter and I thought of caramel.  maybe one room or two, but the entire house?  When these episodes are filmed, they use additional lighting, so if the house came across as dark on the show, I can only imagine how dark it is in real life.  Then, at the end, they said they were going to paint the ceilings to brighten it up.  Gonna take a LOT of white paint to brighten that place up.  The dark curtains she was hanging aren't going to help either.  Those were in the house when they first toured it, so they had already begun to "put their own stamp" on it.  A lot of landscaping had been done in the backyard by the previous owners, so that is going to be a nice cost saving for them.  They can easily add a door at the base of the stairs to the bonus room, so that is not an insurmountable problem.  The wife reminded me a little bit of Kristin Chenoweth.   

[msmarjoribanks]

Yeah, crazy dark.  It looked like those real estate photos when they are done badly and come out super dark, but clearly it would have been well-lit by the show.  But painting is lucky a relatively easy fix.  I assume the yard was a big part of what sold it.

She liked that the bonus rooms in a few of them were upstairs (near the guest bedrooms) while their room was on the first floor, but also wanted the extra bedrooms for when their family expanded -- seemed like that might create a problem in the future or need to be rethought.  I think the one they got was the one with the bonus room on the third floor, which made some sense, although one of the others had a master on both the first and second floors, so they could have switched which was the entertainment center and which the master in the future.

[Pickles]

Greenville, SC episode tonight. I missed the beginning. What did this extra special couple do for a living? He wanted to be close to "the club". She didn't want granite, because "it has been overdone". She is very good at multitasking, so it would not be a problem for her to do some remodeling and watch the baby. She wanted 3 1/2 baths, so visitors would not have to use the baby's bathroom. Plus, she wanted a blue front  door. Very pretentious and very full of themselves. Interesting that the chose a house with no garage and that was $400k something. Well under their $600k supposed budget.  I was wondering if that was really even their budget or if it was inflated to impress people at "the club".

[KLovestoShop]

The Greenville husband is in the healthcare industry and the wife works for her mother's real estate agency.    Pickles, I agree with you that the couple was pretentious with their club talk and her need of three full bathrooms.  And I just didn't get her want of a blue door.  Hasn't she heard of paint?   She could paint the freaking door any shade of blue she wanted.  And finally, the wife has the Kartrashian vocal ca-ca.  

I did like the realtor mother.  She was getting really upset with her daughter and her wanting all the bedrooms on the same floor so she didn't have to go up and down stairs. It's obvious that they're a very young couple who have no understanding of why it's good to have a first floor master, especially when the kids get older and mommy and daddy might like privacy.  

Edited July 14, 2018 by KLovestoShop

[LittleIggy]

Spring Hill, TN: I kept saying to the TV “You aren’t going to get an Art Deco home in Springhill, TN! ?The husband annoyed me with all the talk about the neighbors. Yeah, dude, they all want to spy on you!

Edited July 14, 2018 by LittleIggy

[msmarjoribanks]

Greenville, SC -- husband said the budget was $500K, wife said it could be as high as $600K, he seemed unconvinced.  I was not surprised they went with the one place under $500K, although with the work they are doing it's really over.

My thought was that they must both have well-off parents.

Edited July 14, 2018 by msmarjoribanks

[LennieBriscoe]

I think they ALL have rather large budgets!

Just watched a young couple with a small child buy a million-dollar high-rise condo in Honolulu ("My Aloha Dream Home").

Now I'm watching a young couple spend $500K on a beach house on Hatteras Island,  N.C. ("Buying the Beach").

Then there are the half-million-dollar swimming-pool shows ("Pool Kings") ("Insane Pools"---minimum cost in FL is $300K; out of state,  add $50K)!

And moving to Lausanne, Switzerland ("HHI")? Yike$$$!

[laredhead]

My favorite line from the Greenville episode, was the real estate mom telling them that no one is going to want to come stay overnight with a couple who has a baby.  That was in response to their desire for 3 bathrooms, one being exclusively for overnight visitors.  I think the dad was ready to see them buy their own house too, from the look he gave at one point.  Yes, the mom was the one with common sense in that group, and she told the daughter that a Saturday afternoon and a can of paint could fix the color of a front door.  Also, did anyone notice that the child's name was Carson?  Reminded me of the old episode where the parents constantly said Jackson (their son's name) about 30 times during the show.

[doodlebug]

51 minutes ago, laredhead said:

My favorite line from the Greenville episode, was the real estate mom telling them that no one is going to want to come stay overnight with a couple who has a baby.  That was in response to their desire for 3 bathrooms, one being exclusively for overnight visitors.  I think the dad was ready to see them buy their own house too, from the look he gave at one point.  Yes, the mom was the one with common sense in that group, and she told the daughter that a Saturday afternoon and a can of paint could fix the color of a front door.  Also, did anyone notice that the child's name was Carson?  Reminded me of the old episode where the parents constantly said Jackson (their son's name) about 30 times during the show.

Well, she needed the third bathroom because it was too difficult to pick up the baby's bath toys when guests were visiting so they could use the tub, too.  The kid was about 8 months old, how many and what kind of bath toys could she possibly have?  She's never seen one of those mesh bags or bins with holes in the bottom to hold kids' bath stuff?  As it is, since they only have a half bath for guests, no one will be permitted to spend the night, she even said as much at the end. Of course, this was a woman who thought the only way to get a blue front door (and how pretentious was that?) was to buy a house that already had one.  She and her husband with his insistence on being near 'the club' were just too spoiled for words.

Edited July 14, 2018 by doodlebug

[Empress1]

6 hours ago, laredhead said:

My favorite line from the Greenville episode, was the real estate mom telling them that no one is going to want to come stay overnight with a couple who has a baby.  That was in response to their desire for 3 bathrooms, one being exclusively for overnight visitors.  I think the dad was ready to see them buy their own house too, from the look he gave at one point.  Yes, the mom was the one with common sense in that group, and she told the daughter that a Saturday afternoon and a can of paint could fix the color of a front door.  Also, did anyone notice that the child's name was Carson?  Reminded me of the old episode where the parents constantly said Jackson (their son's name) about 30 times during the show.

The mother was too through, and I thought it was hilarious (although then I remembered that her daughter works for her, which has got to be tough). The door thing was ridiculous - paint exists and you can replace a door. I think the father rolled his eyes or raised his eyebrows at that too. She also pointed out that the baby was sleeping through the night and had been for months (and she's right - no one except grandparents would stay over in a home with a baby that did NOT sleep through the night), so the concern about not wanting to go upstairs at night was silly.

I rolled my eyes at the Spring Hill TN wife wanting an art deco house. I was surprised they went with the peanut butter cup house - it really did look very dark and heavy in there.

[LittleIggy]

Greenville: I did have to agree with the husband about hating the TV over the fireplace thing. Why would anyone want to strain their necks looking up at the TV like that?

[Mu Shu]

I saw a very smug couple buying in Coconut Creek.  Brats who lived with their parents rent free.  I don’t know why that bothers me.  And Coconut creek has boring housing stock and high property crime.  And yes I rolled my eyes at her insisting on a ballet barre.  She looked like she’d never done anything remotely athletic. Ever. 

[Bethanne]

The weirdest thing to me about the Greenville episode was how detached the Grandma seemed to be from the granddaughter. She kept saying “the baby” and “a kid” like she wasn’t related to her at all. She seemed like an ice queen. I think the door bit started from the woman saying she just felt like the “blue door on the Craftsman was meant to be,” not that she doesn’t understand that a door can be painted. Seemed like the dumb thing that he HH producers latch onto and then have the couple reference over and over again so the viewers can think they’re stupid or needlessly rigid. 

[msmarjoribanks]

Yeah, the blue door was that it was lucky or a good omen that it had a blue door, because their prior place in Atlanta had one.

Sometimes I think the episodes make more sense if you keep in mind that they already bought one place and to some extent might be giving reasons.  To me that's how the blue door read (I thought of her telling others: "it was the perfect house, it even had a blue door like my old place") not really that she needed to have a blue door in any house chosen and didn't know she could paint it.

But with the editing since they needed some quirky want it became that she needed a place with a blue door.

Rerun: Sticker Shock in Chicago -- location, location, location.  They wanted something in the neighborhood they were comfortable with and, especially, near whatever school the boys were in.  Makes sense not to change schools (question is if it was public or not, as public they might have been unable to move far at all).  Yet, what that means, is that they'll get whatever you can get for under $650K in what seemed to be Lincoln Park (likely a specific location therein) or Lakeview (very close to it), I'm assuming that place they got was basically on Diversey, although I couldn't find it on Redfin to confirm.  And what that means is they aren't getting a house.

Interestingly, if they were at all near the L in Lincoln Park, and if the issue was not staying in the same public school district, the problem with the places shown is they were the Blue Line, which is not convenient to Lincoln Park (although Logan Square is an easy bus ride).  There are other less expensive neighborhoods where they could have gotten a lot more for $650K (including even a house, especially at the time the house in question would have been purchased, a year or more ago), that are on the Brown and Red Lines, and so more convenient to Lincoln Park.  But I suspect they were thinking of driving times.  Anyway, nothing wrong with the place they got and they seemed happy with it.

This is my local geek-out moment for the day!

[ByaNose]

On 7/13/2018 at 9:50 AM, laredhead said:

The house that the Spring Hill, Tennessee couple bought was beyond way too dark for my taste.  Who paints an entire house, including the ceiling, that color?  The husband called it peanut butter and I thought of caramel.  maybe one room or two, but the entire house?  When these episodes are filmed, they use additional lighting, so if the house came across as dark on the show, I can only imagine how dark it is in real life.  Then, at the end, they said they were going to paint the ceilings to brighten it up.  Gonna take a LOT of white paint to brighten that place up.  The dark curtains she was hanging aren't going to help either.  Those were in the house when they first toured it, so they had already begun to "put their own stamp" on it.  A lot of landscaping had been done in the backyard by the previous owners, so that is going to be a nice cost saving for them.  They can easily add a door at the base of the stairs to the bonus room, so that is not an insurmountable problem.  The wife reminded me a little bit of Kristin Chenoweth.   

Just watched the episode and you are way right. It was dark, dark & more dark. The kitchen cabinets and the fireplace were dark brown. Where is all that natural light that we know and love on HH? LOL!!! I thought when they were sampling white paint on the walls it would be for, well.........the walls but she said it was for the ceiling(s). Hopefully, they rethought that plan. I think once it’s lightened up....a lot it will look nice.  

[ByaNose]

On 7/13/2018 at 10:46 PM, Pickles said:

Greenville, SC episode tonight. I missed the beginning. What did this extra special couple do for a living? He wanted to be close to "the club". She didn't want granite, because "it has been overdone". She is very good at multitasking, so it would not be a problem for her to do some remodeling and watch the baby. She wanted 3 1/2 baths, so visitors would not have to use the baby's bathroom. Plus, she wanted a blue front  door. Very pretentious and very full of themselves. Interesting that the chose a house with no garage and that was $400k something. Well under their $600k supposed budget.  I was wondering if that was really even their budget or if it was inflated to impress people at "the club".

Well, the mother (realtor) just opened her own office and her husband is in politics. The kids were quite wealthy-ish. They seem a little too perfect for me. LOL!!!!!!

https://towncarolina.com/article/augustaroad-com-realty-office-grand-opening/

 

and,

 

https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/greenville-lawyer-william-herlong-launches-gop-campaign-for-south-carolina/article_edaa8474-f48b-11e7-ad1b-8b5469493a2b.html

Edited July 16, 2018 by ByaNose

[Phoebe70]

Last night I watched the episode with the family who was moving from Florida to Tennessee.  They had 3 young children and they both worked from home.  Her budget was $250K and his was $350K.  I can't believe they didn't choose the third house for $305K.  It was huge, gorgeous and had pretty much all the updates they wanted.  Instead they went with the $240K house that they ended up paying $246K for due to a bidding war.  The master bedroom was on the main floor and the kids' rooms were in the basement!  Their children were all pretty young, so I'm surprised they even considered that house.  Actually, it seems that 75% of the houses these people choose shock me anymore.

[illini1959]

I can ask on another thread but can't remember - was it Beachfront Bargain Hunt (?) this past weekend where the couple looked and at the end decided to keep looking?

That shouldn't even make the cut. I watch to see which place is chosen - reach a decision, not to see that they've decided to "keep looking" and not to feel that's 30 minutes wasted.

[scootypuffjr]

^^ I also don't like when they choose to build their own house rather than pick a house we've seen. I don't know why, but it irritates me; I feel I've been cheated somehow.

[Kohola3]

How do they get away with that anyway.  Aren't they supposed to have already purchased a place just to get on the show?  Or at least be in escrow?

[ByaNose]

I was thinking of applying for HH. Unfortunately, I don't have an annoying spouse or friend. Am I still eligible? I'm asking for a friend.

[Kohola3]

13 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

Am I still eligible?

I am sure you will be supplied with a list of approved snarky arguments to use with anyone you can hire off the street to play your spouse/friend.  Um, pass this on to your friend.

[ByaNose]

8 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

I am sure you will be supplied with a list of approved snarky arguments to use with anyone you can hire off the street to play your spouse/friend.  Um, pass this on to your friend.

Thanks for letting me, um, my friend know.

[Pickles]

14 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Well, the mother (realtor) just opened her own office and her husband is in politics. The kids were quite wealthy-ish. They seem a little too perfect for me. LOL!!!!!!

https://towncarolina.com/article/augustaroad-com-realty-office-grand-opening/

 

and,

 

https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/greenville-lawyer-william-herlong-launches-gop-campaign-for-south-carolina/article_edaa8474-f48b-11e7-ad1b-8b5469493a2b.html

The parents must have boatloads of money. The husband was going to put $500k of his own money into his election. He and two other lawyers collected $1.8 million from a law case. That's just one case.

 

Looks like the son is also in the real estate business with the mom. He is pictured in the red plaid shirt. He looks so long waisted! Must not have very long legs for as tall as he is. 

[illini1959]

3 hours ago, scootypuffjr said:

^^ I also don't like when they choose to build their own house rather than pick a house we've seen. I don't know why, but it irritates me; I feel I've been cheated somehow.

Cheated! That's exactly how I felt, thanks!

 

2 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

How do they get away with that anyway.  Aren't they supposed to have already purchased a place just to get on the show?  Or at least be in escrow?

Good point. Would love to know the answer to that and I hope there are no more of these episodes :/ 

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

How do they get away with that anyway.  Aren't they supposed to have already purchased a place just to get on the show?  Or at least be in escrow?

I believe other shows have different rules particularly BBH because several people on that don’t go with any of the places.

[LittleIggy]

OMG! I would love to stand on my bedroom balcony and watch the dolphins frolic! ? 

[msmarjoribanks]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

OMG! I would love to stand on my bedroom balcony and watch the dolphins frolic! ? 

Yeah, that would be amazing.

Re Longboat Key, I usually don't watch the vacation house ones, but glad I did.  I thought the first place was ridiculously large, but if money is no object I'd so love that outdoor space.  The one they picked seemed very practical for them, and the beach was nice too.  (Won't get into the furniture thing.)

[scootypuffjr]

With a $4,000,000 budget, they were going to get a nice place, no matter what. I wasn't mad at their choice - they were ALL fabulous - though I might have taken #3. I knew #1 was not an option when I saw the full closets. It was gorgeous but I thought rather large for their needs. I would die for that outdoor space; I don't know if I've ever seen anything more inviting. Being as it's a vacation home, a condo probably does make the most sense - those HOA fees seemed ridiculously high - something like $2700 a month, if I remember right - but the place was under budget and they can afford it, so good on them.

[LittleIggy]

4 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

Yeah, that would be amazing.

Re Longboat Key, I usually don't watch the vacation house ones, but glad I did.  I thought the first place was ridiculously large, but if money is no object I'd so love that outdoor space.  The one they picked seemed very practical for them, and the beach was nice too.  (Won't get into the furniture thing.)

Didn’t the furniture include big, puffy leather chairs and sofa (I sometimes conflate all the HH episodes I watch!?). That would be awful for a tropical place. Plus being ugly.

[juliet73]

I enjoyed the Florida couple.  I liked that they were an older couple who went from rags to riches by EARNING their money.  I loved how they were so excited about seeing the dolphins!  Even with a $4 mil budget, they still seemed impressed with the all of the homes. I thought it was great when the wife said there was an elevator in the condo building, but they would always use the stairs. They didn't have crazy demands like these pretentious twenty-somethings who have a $150k budget and complain about walking up to a second level.   I loved house #3 and thought it was perfect for them.  It was "smaller", in a a gated community and all the outside maintenance was taking care of for them, etc.  The condo was nice, but the $2700 a month for the HOA would have been a deal breaker for me!  

Edited July 17, 2018 by juliet73

[suebee12]

I just watched the Longboat Key episode and since I lived in Sarasota for over 40 years, it was interesting! When I first moved to Sarasota in 1970, anyone could go to Longboat Key and go to the beach.....not anymore! There are small hidden beach accesses but you really have to look for them plus find somewhere to park! This might sound mean, but the people who own on the key, think that no one else should enjoy their beach areas. You had better "look the part" when you are on the key also. The police will stop anyone they think looks "suspicious". One of the paper delivery people use to come into our store...she was a very nice, neat, clean black lady and even though she delivered papers there every night, she was still stopped and checked fairly regularly! I know I sound jealous, but that isn't the problem. I remember when LK was a friendly fun place to go...now it a rich person's island. It is beautiful BUT a big problem is that there is only one bridge at each end of the key(one on the Sarasota end and one on the Manatee end) so if there is a bridge problem or a storm, exiting is really difficult. The key is about 15 miles in length so if you have to drive to the other end to get home, it is quite the trek! In recent years, there have been tries to get a mid-Key bridge but it is always voted down because they like their privacy!

I really liked the third house but if you want to go to the beach, living on the gulf side is almost a must because of access to the beach. I did enjoy seeing Sarasota and the views but even if I had 4 million dollars, LBK, would not be my choice. (and you can see dolphins from Lido Key, Siesta Key and Casey Key with no hassle from the residents!)

[LittleIggy]

Palacio, TX: Wow, that guy really came off as rude throwing all that shade at his partner’s family. I would have taken that downstairs suite as the master suite. Wonder if they did.

[SpiritSong]

15 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

Yeah, that would be amazing.

Re Longboat Key, I usually don't watch the vacation house ones, but glad I did.  I thought the first place was ridiculously large, but if money is no object I'd so love that outdoor space.  The one they picked seemed very practical for them, and the beach was nice too.  (Won't get into the furniture thing.)

I don't mind that it was a vacation home, but when I heard $4 million dollar budget, I lost interest. Can't relate on any level. I despise McMansions, and that first house especially. Just no. 

[twinks]

9 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

I don't mind that it was a vacation home, but when I heard $4 million dollar budget, I lost interest. Can't relate on any level. I despise McMansions, and that first house especially. Just no. 

That first house WAS a mansion. Beautiful, but not my style even if I had that budget!

[ByaNose]

2 hours ago, twinks said:

That first house WAS a mansion. Beautiful, but not my style even if I had that budget!

I'd much prefer a $4 million condo than a $4 mansion. I like the place they choose. Of course, I couldn't afford either of them but I'm more of a condo person then a McMansion person. Too many steps and probably too much cleaning. Rich people problems. LOL!!!!

[doodlebug]

13 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Palacio, TX: Wow, that guy really came off as rude throwing all that shade at his partner’s family. I would have taken that downstairs suite as the master suite. Wonder if they did.

I was really shocked at how many times he dissed his partner's parents, considering they are going to be owning a vacation home in the same town.  I'd expect that the whole family watched this episode, I hope they had a sense of humor about  'in law' jokes.

I wasn't really all that impressed with any of the houses they saw, nothing special about any of them, IMO.  I don't need to see mansions on this show, but I like to see interesting features in the homes.  Boat docks don't do it for me.

[Mittengirl]

One joke is funny and could be taken as jesting.  A dozen nasty remarks isn’t funny and is probably closer to his true feelings.

[OFDgal]

On ‎7‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 1:23 PM, biakbiak said:

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

I feel exactly the same way.  The title sucks you in.  You expect large, expensive houses. Mostly, as you said, the winners buy market-priced homes.  I think they are buying a house and saving the rest of the money for the future.  I'd rather watch HH where I don't expect homes that are implied to be out of the average buyers' budget.

[jcbrown]

4 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

One joke is funny and could be taken as jesting.  A dozen nasty remarks isn’t funny and is probably closer to his true feelings.

I thought the episode was uncomfortable to watch because he made so many negative remarks about his in-laws with no affect to indicate he thought he was funny. Just an odd couple.

Edited July 19, 2018 by jcbrown

[msmarjoribanks]

There seems to be a recent glut of the beachfront shows getting played as regular HHers.  

I watched a rerun with a lesbian couple in Waterloo, IA, budget of $150K.  Neither of them bugged me, both seemed likable, but one of the had out of control lipstick that I felt bad about noticing.  The other looked like a friend of mine, so I gave her a break on her silly ghost fear, which seemed like it was created for quirkiness (I wonder if producers suggest that they play up any ghost stuff, as it seems to be weirdly common on HHers).  One wanted a charming old house in town, the other wanted a modern ranch in the country.  I really couldn't tell which they would pick, as they all had major issues -- the show seemed to be trying to make us suspect they'd go with this tiny place that was modern and one-story but still cute and in a perfect location for the one who wanted to be in town, but they went with a super cheap (they got it for $85.5K) big old house in the country that needed lots of work.  That's the one I personally thought had the most potential depending on the extent of the rehab needed (probably not just cosmetic), but I didn't expect it.  Once again I really want to see the transformation.