House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[peggy06]

Tonight's episode was newlyweds in Denver.  We turned it off after 3 minutes, once we learned that he wants a giant house for all their kids but she wants a small fixer upper because they don't actually have any kids yet.  Next.

I caught most of that episode - he was looking for their "forever" house, and she was looking for a 2 to 5 year house (which is much more practical with your first house IMO). I didn't really like any of the houses, but feel like the one they bought was best. One of the decoys was waaaaay too big (6 bedrooms) and kind of an odd layout I thought. The other decoy was only 1600 square feet, and the rooms seemed cramped. The one they picked needed some redecoration (big red and blue ceramic tile counters in the bathrooms, to give one example of the decor). But it kind of won by default as far as I was concerned. They faked me out, though, because two houses were empty, and the couple really acted enthused about the big one. :)

Edited October 21, 2014 by peggy06

[Reishe]

I caught most of that episode - he was looking for their "forever" house, and she was looking for a 2 to 5 year house (which is much more practical with your first house IMO).

Kinda depends on the market (and your means, of course). Around where I live, the housing market stagnated for a long time after the 2008 crash, and nothing in the entry-tier housing market was selling. Also, if you can afford your long-term house right out of the gate, you can save the costs of carrying house no. 1 during transition, realtor fees, inspection fees, moving costs and closing costs related to an upgrade later on.

[joanofarch4]

Remember when people bought houses to live in for more than two years?  (wistful sigh)  You can never be sure that you can sell it, that you can get what you want for it, or that you can find - and afford - something bigger that suits you later.  However, you CAN always live in just part of a house and ignore the other rooms until you need them.  And, to me, there's nothing sadder than choosing your first house based on "resale potential."  As for the big blue and red tiles, I passed up a place with those in the kitchen and would've loved the quirk!  Nothing "needs" changing that is simply it's a matter of taste, although the big-box home improvement stores hope word never gets out...

[sugarbaker design]

I was watching HH with my 70ish parents.  Their big question:  "What's a starter house?"  People bought forever houses back in the day.

[FozzyBear]

I was watching HH with my 70ish parents. Their big question: "What's a starter house?" People bought forever houses back in the day.

I feel like that concept was invented by realtors during the boom. Along with needing seperate bedrooms for even young children. I guess we had a starter house growing up. We lived there for 12 years. I shared a bedroom with my older brother when we were toddlers and then with my younger sister when we were older. My parents bought the house they live in now over 20 years ago. So in 45 years of marriage they have owned 2 homes. That sounds about right if you never relocate for work or something. If my parents followed HH logic they would have needed another house with each of their 4 babies and then another when we became teenagers and then another once they were empty nesters and possibly one more when we started having kids and they became grandparents. Oh and another to build a man cave and a craft room.

[BearCat49]

Also, no mention as to who was going to keep up that rental property for them -- everything from clearing snow and ice in winter to home repairs to changing out the sheets and towels, assuming it rents fully furnished -- with them ten hours away in Arkansas!  Unless it's part of an already-established vacation program with onsite management (no doubt like their high-rise condo at the beach), that's gonna require a lot of 20-hour round trips!  Seems strange she'd want it for what sounded like impromptu weekend getaways when it will take an entire weekend just to get there and back?  At any rate, not suprising that HH wouldn't delve into the practical considerations given that they have never featured so much as one home inspection and very rarely even venture into the basement during tours of properties...

 

If you review their vacation home listing above, you'll see they note there's a "maintenance crew on call".  In these vacation areas, it's common for the realtors to have side businesses, providing management and maintenance services to the homeowners, to facilitate sales.  They typically charge for maintenance by the call/visit plus expenses and management on a % basis.  The tenants pay a cleaning charge.

 

HH, during their 22 minutes on air, doesn't have the time to tour 3 properties fully and delve into either inspection issues or the details of maintaining a specialized property, e.g. a vacation home or income property.  My First Place (HGTV) often addressed inspections but the situations were highly contrived and set-up.  Well, it's all reality television!

[BearCat49]

Oh, right...  Or so the woman can squeal about "ghosts"...  Maybe I meant crawlspaces...

 

Also, I wondered if this episode might be a pilot for a new HGTV show, "Smoky Mountain Bargain Hunters"?  Everyone I know drives to Gatlinburg every year (mostly just to shop), so it grabbed my investment-seeking attention!

 

I never got that impression but that's JMHO.

[peggy06]

Regarding starter houses, when we bought our first house we bought what we could afford, and it was small. Later, when we could afford (and needed) more room, we bought a larger house. I don't really see anything wrong with that, although not having to move an extra time can certainly be a plus. But  wouldn't want to have to heat or clean empty rooms. Now that I've downsized, I shudder at the thought of four bedrooms and three baths to keep up.

[DownTheShore]

When that Denver guy was talking about all his children as if they were a done deal, I was sort of cringing to myself thinking, "don't jinx yourself - there's no given that you guys can even have children, much less a horde of them".  Imagine what a daily mockery all those bedrooms would be if it turned out they couldn't have children (and didn't adopt)?

 

@ joanofarch4 - I think that you should get creative credit if "Smoky Mountain Bargain Hunters" ever turns up on HGTV!

 

@NYGirl:

 

And then he wanted that stupid log cabin cluttered house way out in the boondocks to leave his wife and baby alone in while he traveled extensively.  I wanted to reach through the TV and punch him in the head.

ROTFLMAO!  I thought the same thing.  NY or NJ, we have the same thought - a punch in the head would straighten him out.  ~laughing~

 

 

[Honey]

After we got married, we saved up for 10 years to buy our first house.  It was a foreclosure offered by a sealed bid.  3 bed/3 bath/2600 sf. and only 4 years old on an acre of land.  We bid $84,000 and won it.  We paid half down and ended up selling it 3 years later to build our log home.  We sold it for $130,000 without making any improvements.  We're very lucky to live in a part of the country where houses are incredibly cheap.  We're now in our dream/forever home.  So, 2 houses for us total.

 

You know what I always find amusing?  When the house hunters take off their coats when they enter a house to tour.  It just seems so odd to me.  How long are they spending there anyways?  Maybe 20 minutes?  Am I the weird one? Or, does anyone else think this is odd too?

[Bastet]

I guess it would depend on the climate; if they're someplace where it's cold outside and they're bundled up for that, it would make sense to remove those coats upon entering a heated house.  Add in the heat of the lights the production crew is using, and probably just about everyone wearing a jacket wants to get out of it.

[AnnieGirl]

Good for the Lake Villa IL couple for moving across state line from Wisconsin to Illinois to a state the recognizes their marriage. IL deserves their tax dollars.

[buttercupia]

I was so excited to see the Pittsburgh house hunter.  The first house she looked at was the best one.  That neighborhood (regent square)  is very close to a huge city park. She would have been able to get her money back and then some without even making improvements.  Houses there go for $175K and up. The neighborhood is not at all dangerous and there are tons of cool shops and restaurants very close. It's a tough neighborhood to find a good house in and that one was a bargain.

Brookline is not a great neighborhood, and Dormont is so-so.  Of the two Dormont is better.  I do hope they have a future HHR episode with her.  She seemed to have her head on straight and at 22, buying a house is quite an accomplishment.

[QuinnM]

So remember the original Property Virgins with Sandra Rinomato?  Well Discovery - Fit&Health is going to start showing her next series called Buy Herself that focuses on single women buying their first place.  I've never watched that channel of the Discovery group but Tivo apparently knew I liked Sandra.

[Bellalisa]

I loved the Lake Villa couple. Finally some nice people. They didn't want the washer and dryer in the kitchen and that was their deal breaker.  But they have that in their rental and hate. It's one thing to hate some random thing like bathtubs and quite another to be living with something and hate it and for that reason not to want it in the new home.

 

I noticed they redid the kitchen countertops with...GASP...LAMINATE!! The redone kitchen looked lovely! They did a great job. The only thing is that dining room china cabinet is too big for the room and blocking the kitchen door. They may need to move that down the basement.

 

It was refreshing to find people who did not whine for no reason. Of course the producers told them to mention they did not like the chalet style when they knew they chose a chalet style.

[BearCat49]

 

You know what I always find amusing?  When the house hunters take off their coats when they enter a house to tour.  It just seems so odd to me.  How long are they spending there anyways?  Maybe 20 minutes?  Am I the weird one? Or, does anyone else think this is odd too?

 

They spend 1 entire day at each house.  It's apparently a long, 10 hour day b/c they must film each scene multiple times, from every camera angle.  That said, they're attempting to recreate an actual house hunt.  So, the producers would have them do what they think is normal.  I haven't noticed it that much but then I do my best to ignore the participants - just interested in the various homes!

[BearCat49]

Came across this Apartment Therapy article, looking at something else.  The article itself is very general but if you cursor down and read the comments, you'll  find many postings from people who claim friends or relatives have appeared on HGTV, especially HH, and they discuss their experiences.

 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/home-improvement-shows-how-real-is-reality-tv-191063

[BearCat49]

OMG - last night on the IL episode - more people talking about the needs of "future" children!  Is this the latest HH thang, lol??  Sure seems like it -

 

I strongly suspect that someone doing HH casting visited an adoption blog - that's for sure.

 

Well, haven't watched the episode yet so we'll see if they confirm that an adoption's truly imminent.  Good luck to them.

Edited October 22, 2014 by BearCat49

[Honey]

If the show is fake anyways, why worry about if the participants have recently purchased a house?  Why not use 3 fake houses and the "buyers" pick a fake house at the end that they have no connection to. 

[NYGirl]

OMG - last night on the IL episode - more people talking about the needs of "future" children!  Is this the latest HH thang, lol??  Sure seems like it -

 

I strongly suspect that someone doing HH casting visited an adoption blog - that's for sure.

 

Well, haven't watched the episode yet so we'll see if they confirm that an adoption's truly imminent.  Good luck to them.

 

This episode was eerily similar to the other gay couple buying in Woodstock NY and wanted a house for prom pictures for their soon to be adopted children.

 

I definitely understand that they didn't want the washer/dryer in the kitchen and that realtor was a little bit nasty saying that they should overlook it.

[slasherboy]

Well, haven't watched the episode yet so we'll see if they confirm that an adoption's truly imminent.  Good luck to them.

 

After the reveal, the guys said the adoption process was underway so they were just waiting.  Seemed legit to me.

 

I would absolutely take my coat off when entering a home to look around.

[Honey]

After the reveal, the guys said the adoption process was underway so they were just waiting.  Seemed legit to me.

 

I would absolutely take my coat off when entering a home to look around.

Really?  Isn't that funny.  I would never take my coat off.  Of course, I can understand it in this case since they are filming for hours.

[KLovestoShop]

For a lot of people, home buying is a life long process. When you're young, you buy what you can afford. Then the kids come, and you, hopefully, move up to something larger. If you have more than the usual 2.4 kids, you might have to move up again. Finally, the empty nesters then scale down into retirement. Add to all that, if one spouse has a job requiring transfers, you might move multiple times. That was our situation. But now, we're in our downsized forever house.

[izabella]

If the show is fake anyways, why worry about if the participants have recently purchased a house?  Why not use 3 fake houses and the "buyers" pick a fake house at the end that they have no connection to. 

 

If they do that, then I demand better scripts for the actors!

[Bellalisa]

I demand the phrase "forever home" be stricken from the language. Tyvm

Edited October 24, 2014 by Bellalisa

[joanofarch4]

So remember the original Property Virgins with Sandra Rinomato?  Well Discovery - Fit&Health is going to start showing her next series called Buy Herself that focuses on single women buying their first place.  I've never watched that channel of the Discovery group but Tivo apparently knew I liked Sandra.

Loved Sandra, although Egypt eventually grew on me, too.  Looking forward to this one!

Edited October 24, 2014 by joanofarch4

[KLovestoShop]

Don't you just love some of the reasons why people purchase a certain house?  Like the Alabama couple where the husband toted a football to make sure he had a yard large enough to throw it around?  Oy. Unless you live in a condo or townhouse, most houses have some kind of yard where you can toss a football.  You don't need Cowboy's Stadium or a Rose Bowl-size yard to toss a football. 

[BearCat49]

Don't you just love some of the reasons why people purchase a certain house?  Like the Alabama couple where the husband toted a football to make sure he had a yard large enough to throw it around?  Oy. Unless you live in a condo or townhouse, most houses have some kind of yard where you can toss a football.  You don't need Cowboy's Stadium or a Rose Bowl-size yard to toss a football. 

 

Here's my question:  if you're so into your weekend sport, why do you need to actually throw the ball (for the camera, lol) to determine that the yard's sufficient for you and your kids?  BTW, the Santiago, Chile episode was even better.  They arrived at a home and the sellers, courteously, left a soccer ball and net on the grass for the hh to utilize.  Great sellers, right?

 

At least the Alabama kids were at the correct age.  The Chilean guy was getting ready to play weekend soccer with his son, even though his baby wasn't even crawling!  In a temporary, rental home!  You go, dude ...

[BearCat49]

Loved Sandra, although Egypt eventually grew on me, too.  Looking forward to this one!

 

Sandra, IMHO, may be a better actress than the majority of the other hosts.  The PV participants reported that her crew was nice and hung out with them after filming but MIss Sandra stayed in her (star, lol) trailer inbetween camera shots and never spoke to them or interacted with them off-camera.  Oh, to be a reality show diva!

 

Yes, PV has/had similar fakery when compared to HH/HHI.  I'd check out her new series but not sure we get that channel -

[aliya]

So remember the original Property Virgins with Sandra Rinomato?  Well Discovery - Fit&Health is going to start showing her next series called Buy Herself that focuses on single women buying their first place.  I've never watched that channel of the Discovery group but Tivo apparently knew I liked Sandra.

It's about time. The boards have been talking about her 'new' show for a couple of years now. Are these repeats of something that showed in Canada or are they actually new?  btw-I bought my first place on my own a couple of years ago. I'm not a 30-something anymore, so maybe I'm out of the show's demographic, but if a woman alone can swing her own place at any age, I'm happy to watch it - as long as the women are really buying on on their own and aren't using $30,000 of daddy's money.

[laredhead]

Just watched the Tampa episode.  I wasn't really surprised at their choice, but what really got me was if I know I'm going to be on national TV and viewed by millions of people, I'm not going to wear torn and faded jeans like the woman did for the first tour.  Don't know if she was advised to up the wardrobe style, but for the other two showings, she was dressed more appropriately.  Maybe torn, faded jeans are fashionable, but they don't come across like that on TV.  Also, I highly doubt there are many colonial style houses in Tampa which is what she wanted.  I guess getting a pool made up for the fact that the house wasn't a colonial style.  I loved the backyard of the 2nd house, but that was probably a lot of upkeep.    

[mbutterfly]

Came across this Apartment Therapy article, looking at something else.  The article itself is very general but if you cursor down and read the comments, you'll  find many postings from people who claim friends or relatives have appeared on HGTV, especially HH, and they discuss their experiences.

 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/home-improvement-shows-how-real-is-reality-tv-191063

Thanks, I enjoyed this. One person said, "Am I the only one who misses 'Trading Spaces'?" It reminded me that I miss it too. 

[Bellalisa]

Just watched the Tampa episode.  I wasn't really surprised at their choice, but what really got me was if I know I'm going to be on national TV and viewed by millions of people, I'm not going to wear torn and faded jeans like the woman did for the first tour.  Don't know if she was advised to up the wardrobe style, but for the other two showings, she was dressed more appropriately.  Maybe torn, faded jeans are fashionable, but they don't come across like that on TV.  Also, I highly doubt there are many colonial style houses in Tampa which is what she wanted.  I guess getting a pool made up for the fact that the house wasn't a colonial style.  I loved the backyard of the 2nd house, but that was probably a lot of upkeep.    

The whole "I have to have this style house "colonial, mediterranian, plantation style" etc seems to be a new producer development. For most people on a limited budget the style of the house is of little importance- when there are other things that are deal breakers like number of bedrooms, neighborhood, budget, your taste etc. If a house has every thing on your wish list but is not a "spanish style" it is a "contemporary style" are you not going to buy it? But they really seem to be playing this up way more this past year. And its always stupid because they will be pining for a home style that doesn't exist in that part of the country, like the guy who preferred a wooden A-Frame and he was in Mississippi.  Or the guy who wanted a Tudor in Florida. Everyone has a preference but except for something like -Craftsmen- where you want that old character style and live in a place that has them- it's really on the bottom of the list of must-haves. That is why at the end they say something like "I didn't get my Modern Industrial Split-Level Ski Chalet but I'm okay with it because at this point I just need a roof over my head with 4 walls and all I can afford is $89,000 in Los Angeles"

[BearCat49]

It's about time. The boards have been talking about her 'new' show for a couple of years now. Are these repeats of something that showed in Canada or are they actually new?  btw-I bought my first place on my own a couple of years ago. I'm not a 30-something anymore, so maybe I'm out of the show's demographic, but if a woman alone can swing her own place at any age, I'm happy to watch it - as long as the women are really buying on on their own and aren't using $30,000 of daddy's money.

 

Congratulations on buying your first place, aliya!  That's terrific!

 

You piqued my interest about the Buy Herself series so I did a little sleuthing.  JMHO but I don't see how tptb could guarantee that the participants hadn't received assistance.  Was thinking it's probably just a line item (e.g. check the box, yes or! no) on their casting application.  Couldn't find their application, probably b/c it appears that BH was cancelled after only 1 season!  Saw the episode descriptions somewhere and only 14 episodes were made.  They aired in Canada, starting in April 2012, IIRC. 

 

Only a hunch but I believe those episodes may have been filmed as early as 2010.  Meanwhile, Egypt hosted  6 seasons of PV, including Season 16 that begins airing on HGTV in a couple of weeks.  Sandra's new series was announced before Egypt started, BTW.  I believe it's been more than a few years.  NBD - I was just curious.

 

BH, from what I've read, sounds exactly like PV, except for that twist.  They're showing the reruns on DIY so we're out of luck.  No DIY for us.

 

Anyone else wonder if Sandra's kicking herself for giving up the lucrative, ongoing PV gig?

[lzim61]

Nice representation for Lake Villa- my home town!   

 

It was refreshing to find people who did not whine for no reason. Of course the producers told them to mention they did not like the chalet style when they knew they chose a chalet style.

I found the original listing - you can see how much work was actually done when the buyers "first" toured the house.  The homeowners have done some nice updates!!

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Lake-Villa/36455-N-Helen-Ct-60046/home/17739414?_escaped_fragment_=

[QuinnM]

Anyone else wonder if Sandra's kicking herself for giving up the lucrative, ongoing PV gig?

She had a couple of things and then this was filmed in 2012. She is also on a 2013 series called Makeover Mansion.

[BearCat49]

She had a couple of things and then this was filmed in 2012. She is also on a 2013 series called Makeover Mansion.

 

I believe you're referring to Makeover Manor.  That wasn't a series - it was a 2 minute Funny or Die video, primarily starring the Scott brothers.  Sandra had a cameo.  You-tube so I doubt if that's a paying gig. 

 

I'd link to it but wasn't able to check it out, in advance.  The sound doesn't work - at least for me!

Edited October 28, 2014 by BearCat49

[NYGirl]

Here's the video.  It's really funny:

 

[BearCat49]

^^^Ha, love your ending sentence. It does seem to be the throw them off the scent theme this season. 

 

(content removed)

 

 She didn't want an open concept home! Maybe that trend is going the way of granite...

 

Producer-driven, IMHO, so am not seeing any differences WRT the participants' home selection.  Tptb are just making the buyers sound ridiculous when they (fake) demand a colonial in Florida or a ranch in PA - or whatever! 

 

I believe open concept, in general, is becoming slightly less popular as people have (finally!) realized that some tasks require privacy.  Although quartz has gained in popularity, granite remains popular but the colors and finish details have changed, somewhat.

[Kris223]

There was a Chicago episode on over the weekend where the couple did not want an en suite bathroom (but wound up with one anyway of course). That's got to be a first. Next thing you know, couples will be fine with sharing one sink.

[Bellalisa]

That's only because they had one in their rental and she was a noisy teeth brusher. 

[awaken]

Just watched the Grand Rapids episode.  Man, did that guy embarrass himself sniping about everything and being so negative.  He was so rude to the realtor!  I really hope he was putting on a character for the show!  The constant arguing back and forth about how they would/wouldn't have kids one day, or have a dog, and hating everything in the houses (except, paradoxically, the original bright pink bathroom in the house they ultimately chose!) and saying "is this the best you can do?" to the realtor.  Super unattractive.  

[KLovestoShop]

Did not like the Virginia wife at all. And all her complaining about not wanting to take care of a large property rang so untrue. Yeah, like she's going to cut lawn. I hated to tell her that the first house in the planned community was really not all that great. Black appliances in the kitchen, and a hotel-looking master bath with the one piece sink/countertop combo, did not say high end. I'm glad the husband got the farm house. It's a beautiful property.

[topanga]

I'm a few episodes behind, so my most recent episode is the South Carolina episode.

 

I like the couple because they had interesting back stories. The husband was the first person in his family to buy a home, and the wife's father was a brick mason who promised to build her a brick home before developing ALS. And the husband: he sometimes used "boyz in the hood" street slang, but he wore a shirt and tie to work and made jewelry. The wife's hobby was gift-wrapping. How is this a thing? Does she wrap more presents than the average person? Do they attend more birthday parties and housewarmings than other couples, just so she can wrap and give more presents?

 

I wasn't excited about any of their 3 choices but assumed that the new construction home would be the one they chose. In fact, I can't recall a time when a family toured a new construction home and didn't ultimately choose it.

[SpiritSong]

What is with people who HAVE to HAVE an enormous master bedroom? I really don't get it. Are they throwing parties in there? I can see not wanting to be cramped, with room to move around the furniture, but what the heck are you doing in your bedroom that requires it to be 1000 square feet? Ballroom dancing?

My 960 square foot house has a really big master bedroom. My king size bed, and 3(!) dressers only take up half the space. The other half of the room basically becomes storage. I have no garage, attic or basement, so extra things inevitably end up cluttering the bedroom. I'd much rather have a smaller master and an extra bathroom or small other bedroom. I use my bedroom for it's intended purpose-I sleep in there.

Can someone explain this weird phenomenon to me?

[NYGirl]

If it's producer driven there's no explanation other than somebody on staff thought it would be a good comment.  I swear the more I watch this show the more I'm convinced that not one HH has a thought in their head as to what they really want.  The producers are running out of arguments for the husband and wife to have.

[amarante]

What is with people who HAVE to HAVE an enormous master bedroom? I really don't get it. Are they throwing parties in there? I can see not wanting to be cramped, with room to move around the furniture, but what the heck are you doing in your bedroom that requires it to be 1000 square feet? Ballroom dancing?

 

 

It's driven by what people see around them in media and design magazines and assume is normal - the "master" bedroom as a retreat/sitting room. Of course with an open floor plan, it does make sense that people need a place with a door to get away from the rest of the family.

 

I don't have issues with anything people want so long as it isn't out of line with their budget. My mind boggles when someone is looking for a home on a relatively modest budget and complain about the size of the rooms.

 

My other WTF is seeing how square footage is divided disproportionately. In a relatively modest home, there will be a disproportionately huge master bath with other very cramped rooms to make up for it.

 

ETA - I think media causes people to have a disconnect with their budgets. I was watching a drama series last night and one of the roles was a manicurist who was making $11 per hour - per her statement in terms of how hard it was to provide good food for her son. And yet, she was living in an apartment with stainless steel appliances and very sleek kitchen cabinets - and I thought I don't know any $11 per hour worker who is living in those kinds of digs in a major metropolis. 

Edited October 30, 2014 by amarante

[aguabella]

Builders, including the large, conglomerates, have been building homes with oversized masters for many years.  The larger ones conduct market research so they know what sells homes.  I believe buyers expect it and demand it because it's become the norm for new homes.

[laredhead]

Give me larger closets and storage areas over a large master bedroom any time.  I've lived in several houses and some had large master bedrooms, but lacked storage and closet space.  I prefer smaller bedrooms to more storage.  

 

Saw the Las Cruces, New Mexico episode last night and I agree with the wife about the lack of doors between the master bedroom and bathroom.  Even if the toilet area has a door and is in a small separate room within the bathroom, I want a door to block out the noise of showering and the bright lights when one person is still in bed trying to sleep and the other one is on a different schedule and up early.  Speaking of buyers wanting a large master bedroom, it was a wish of the husband in this episode, but they had only about $220,000 to spend and the house they chose was 1700 sq feet which isn't that large when you want a gianormous bedroom.  The square footage for that bedroom has to be taken from somewhere else in the house.  I think I might have gone for one of the other houses that had the beautiful views across the desert to the mountains.    

[aguabella]

Typically the oversized masters include large walk-in closets, too so storage isn't an issue.  The NM episode demonstrated that.  All 3 of those homes were relatively new. 

 

I believe the builders are just cheaping out, however, by eliminating the bathroom door.  I believe most people want a bathroom door, even in the master.  The overall open concept or great room trend, however, may have been part buyer demand and part builder marketing.