House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[Ohwell]

I also bought my bedroom set in the late 90s and it looks nothing like that bedroom set.  I know people have their own, distinctive tastes but damn that bedroom set was fugly.   I bet the flies won't want to get anywhere near it.

[LittleIggy]

Add me to the “that bedroom set was hideous” list!

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Hawaii wife certainly was obsessed with flies, wasn't she?     Before it was over, I wanted to beat the snot out of her with a couple of heavy duty fly swatters.         Some bugs are attracted to certain colors.   March flies, or Love Bugs that occur in Spring and Fall here, love white, so a white car or a white blouse will get polluted with them but I never heard of flies being attracted to specific colors.    And they do make screens for all purposes, so maybe they could try that.  They could even screen in the front and back porches, and eliminate the fly issue.      

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight's two 'new' House Hunters episodes at 8 central time, are both recycled from Beach Front Bargain Hunt again, I recognize the Padre Island people, and the wife's irritating voice, and I bet the second episode in the San Juan Islands is recycled too.  

[LittleIggy]

Stockton, CA: Nice to see a HH who was relatable. She didn’t have a huge budget and wasn’t all “we’ll have to gut the kitchen and knock down that wall.” That was a half-bath in that third house! It was a quarter bath! Seriously, who but a child could use that?

[ehall1052]

On 11/13/2018 at 12:32 PM, juliet73 said:

I never heard of it either. I'm assuming she would have dark floors, dark walls, dark cabinets, dark everything as not to attract flies. Are window screens not a thing in Hawaii? 

Regardless how ridiculous this lady’s reasoning was about dark countertops, I absolutely hated the way the interior designer dismissed her preference for the countertops (once again “white on white will lighten it up!). I had a designer who talked me out of the countertops I wanted in my bathroom, I absolutely hate the ones I got.  She made me feel my taste wasn’t good, when in fact I’m entitled to what I like!

[Ohwell]

Stocton, CA:  I was glad once again to see someone with a modest budget and happy just to be able to buy a home.  I figured she'd go with the fixer-upper.  

I was shocked when the mom said she had five kids because she just looked so young.   The oldest son who accompanied her was a cutie and I had flashbacks of being 17 again and wishing he had been my prom date. : )    I was hoping we'd see the other kids at the end, but maybe she didn't want them on camera.   

[CrazyInAlabama]

I still wonder how the Stockton house with 1 1/2 baths worked out for five people living there, since I'm guessing the 17 year old will be out of the house soon.   It's too bad the third house had zero yard, but it was a really nice house.  I'm glad she didn't buy the second stucco outside house, since it would have needed a lot to make it nice, and I didn't like the stucco.   The stucco looked older, and that doesn't give me a good feeling, and every floor needed replacement.    

In the Hawaii episode, the second that designer ignored what I wanted, she would have been fired on the spot.   The designer is forgetting who the client is, and that's a bad idea.  

Edited November 14, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Stocton, CA:  I was glad once again to see someone with a modest budget and happy just to be able to buy a home.  I figured she'd go with the fixer-upper.  

I was shocked when the mom said she had five kids because she just looked so young.   The oldest son who accompanied her was a cutie and I had flashbacks of being 17 again and wishing he had been my prom date. : )    I was hoping we'd see the other kids at the end, but maybe she didn't want them on camera.   

The oldest son was very cute. Teenage me would definitely have had a crush on him.

I liked the mom a lot but when she said she loved the ketchup and mustard paint in the first house, I fell out. And then the boy liked the lime green! I thought she'd go with it both because she wanted a fixer and because it was in the neighborhood she wanted.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I suspected the first house was the winner, when she walked in and loved the paint.   

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

I liked the mom a lot but when she said she loved the ketchup and mustard paint in the first house, I fell out.

Yeah she definitely had strange taste in paint color.  Bless her heart.

[laredhead]

I'm tired of HH putting old episodes of beach hunting and vacation home hunting on under the original HH name, and not designating them as such. 

[msmarjoribanks]

On 11/13/2018 at 7:35 AM, ByaNose said:

OMG! I thought I was the only one who thought this. At first, I was like this is a new HGTV buzzword. Then, I was like is she trying to mean something else? Although, congruent is a word but I think she was using it wrong. That said, the ocean view was amazing. I really want to see the finished product. In the scheme of things the $800,000 price tag was a steal, wasn't it? Was there still room for a pool though? The front looked small but i couldn't tell if a pool could be squeezed in or not?!

They said no pool, but it didn't matter because of the beach.  They mentioned a hot tub at the end.

I was glad they picked that place, because that ocean front was just amazing.  I'd love to see it at the end of the reno.

On 11/13/2018 at 11:33 AM, jcbrown said:

Hawaii wife was totally annoying. I don't think flies care what color your counters are. And we have redone a kitchen and two bathrooms in our house so far, deliberately each with their own design because we are not developing a tract home, we are making a space where we want to live. Shut up.

Forgot to mention that I thought their beloved master bedroom set was beyond fugly.

I thought maybe she was saying they would be visible on the white counter, but that's better (seeing them, and getting rid of them) than having dead flies lying around in the kitchen, ugh!

[topanga]

On 11/14/2018 at 2:54 PM, Ohwell said:

Stocton, CA:  I was glad once again to see someone with a modest budget and happy just to be able to buy a home.  I figured she'd go with the fixer-upper.  

I was shocked when the mom said she had five kids because she just looked so young.   The oldest son who accompanied her was a cutie and I had flashbacks of being 17 again and wishing he had been my prom date. : )    I was hoping we'd see the other kids at the end, but maybe she didn't want them on camera.   

Yes, I liked that family--well, we only saw the mom and the 19 year old son. I also thought she looked great for a mother of 5 kids, one of whom was a young adult. Even if she'd been a teenage mom, she had to be at least 35 now--and she certainly looked younger than that. When I saw the opening clip, I thought it was a woman and her (slightly) younger boyfriend or husband.

The house they chose was a bit of a dump, but it was in a location the mom wanted. And it sounds like this would be the family's first real home, so they were excited to have property to call their own, even if it required a lot of work. And yeah, the son was cute--to the point that I feel a little creepy for staring at his beautiful eyes so much. I have a feeling that women are going to be lined up to hang out in his garage bedroom.

 

On 11/10/2018 at 1:30 PM, doodlebug said:

I thought the same thing.  The amount of work it would take to keep even a small vegetable garden going in the desert would not be worth it and very wasteful of water in the desert, to boot.  Of course, she also seemed to think that the whole house could easily be renovated for $25 grand; so she doesn't seem to be grounded in reality.

Yes, that couple was unique. They weren't horrible people--they didn't make outrageous house demands, and they seemed to genuinely like one another. Pretentious is the word I'd use for them. And, yeah the garden thing was crazy. They're in the desert! Oh, and who names a dog "Decoupage?" And calls him Decoupage every single time? I could understand if they said they called him "De-ku" for short, or something like that. And, OF COURSE they're vegan. No offense to vegans, but most people on HH don't announce hat they're carnivores. Or even vegetarian or vegan--and I'm sure we've met several of each. But, yup, this couple just had to announce to the world that they're vegan. 

[topanga]

On 11/14/2018 at 2:54 PM, Ohwell said:

Stocton, CA:  I was glad once again to see someone with a modest budget and happy just to be able to buy a home.  I figured she'd go with the fixer-upper.  

I was shocked when the mom said she had five kids because she just looked so young.   The oldest son who accompanied her was a cutie and I had flashbacks of being 17 again and wishing he had been my prom date. : )    I was hoping we'd see the other kids at the end, but maybe she didn't want them on camera.   

Yes, I liked that family--well, we only saw the mom and the 19 year old son. I also thought she looked great for a mother of 5 kids, one of whom was a young adult. Even if she'd been a teenage mom, she had to be at least 35 now--and she certainly looked younger than that. When I saw the opening clip, I thought it was a woman and her (slightly) younger boyfriend or husband.

The house they chose was a bit of a dump, but it was in a location the mom wanted. And it sounds like this would be the family's first real home, so they were excited to have property to call their own, even if it required a lot of work. And yeah, the son was cute--to the point that I feel a little creepy for staring at his beautiful eyes so much. I have a feeling that women are going to be lined up to hang out in his garage bedroom.

 

On 11/10/2018 at 1:30 PM, doodlebug said:

I thought the same thing.  The amount of work it would take to keep even a small vegetable garden going in the desert would not be worth it and very wasteful of water in the desert, to boot.  Of course, she also seemed to think that the whole house could easily be renovated for $25 grand; so she doesn't seem to be grounded in reality.

Yes, that couple was unique. They weren't horrible people--they didn't make outrageous house demands, and they seemed to genuinely like one another. Pretentious is the word I'd use for them. And, yeah the garden thing was crazy. They're in the desert! Oh, and who names a dog "Decoupage?" And calls him Decoupage every single time? I could understand if they said they called him "De-ku" for short, or something like that. And, OF COURSE they're vegan. No offense to vegans, but most people on HH don't announce hat they're carnivores. Or even vegetarian or vegan--and I'm sure we've met several of each. But, yup, this couple just had to announce to the world that they're vegan. 

[jcbrown]

I didn't understand the couple in last night's episode in (I think) Atlanta. He wanted contemporary, she wanted Victorian, they ended up with a place with a seriously ugly exterior but a decent interior. They were terrible to each other. I don't get why you would go on TV to trash-talk your spouse. Or why you would trash-talk your spouse in general. Respect is a pretty important part of a relationship to me and they were just over-the-top rude to and about each other.

[Ohwell]

3 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I didn't understand the couple in last night's episode in (I think) Atlanta. He wanted contemporary, she wanted Victorian, they ended up with a place with a seriously ugly exterior but a decent interior. They were terrible to each other. I don't get why you would go on TV to trash-talk your spouse. Or why you would trash-talk your spouse in general. Respect is a pretty important part of a relationship to me and they were just over-the-top rude to and about each other.

I got sick of that couple after about 10 minutes and then changed the channel.

I don't know if they were "play bickering" with each other but it was not a good look.

[juliet73]

3 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I didn't understand the couple in last night's episode in (I think) Atlanta. They were terrible to each other. I don't get why you would go on TV to trash-talk your spouse. Or why you would trash-talk your spouse in general. Respect is a pretty important part of a relationship to me and they were just over-the-top rude to and about each other.

Totally agree!!  They were awful to each other.  I think her more than him.  She treated him like a child and it was obvious he resented her big time!  The husband was not allowed to make a joke because "buying a house is serious!"  I don't think that man is allowed to breathe without asking her permission.  She really thought she was all that and she wasn't.  Not. At. All.  Every room was too small for her and not grand enough.  

[Mrs. Hanson]

Young couple in St Paul:  Okay, I have to say first: her type BUGS me.  "City city city....the suburbs are HELL."  Shut. It.  And what was with her mentioning her parents all the time to babysit?  I knew the second choice was out with their family and needs but man I was rooting for him to get his large yard (she is afraid of worms?) with the third house.  But alas......she got her city address in ST PAUL because Roseville, Arden Hills, Mounds Park, St Paul Park, Cottage Grove, Woodbury, Inver Grove Heights, Little Canada are just hellholes.

(Full disclosure:  I am a Twin Cities native and I LOVE the suburbs, snotty city folks annoy me.)

There, I feel better now. I love Mpls and St Paul proper, I do, but there are plenty of great places to eat and drink outside of those two cities, not including the Mall of America - ugh.)

Edited November 16, 2018 by Mrs. Hanson

[Pickles]

The St.Paul couple seemed awkward on camera and awkward with each other! 

[msmarjoribanks]

14 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I didn't understand the couple in last night's episode in (I think) Atlanta. He wanted contemporary, she wanted Victorian, they ended up with a place with a seriously ugly exterior but a decent interior. They were terrible to each other. I don't get why you would go on TV to trash-talk your spouse. Or why you would trash-talk your spouse in general. Respect is a pretty important part of a relationship to me and they were just over-the-top rude to and about each other.

As someone else said, I think they were play bickering for the show, but it didn't come across well.

Those houses went right out of my head, except I think I wanted them to take the one the husband seemed to like best.  They went with the one with the two-story ceiling and then at the end showed him trying to figure out how to wash the top windows, which was funny.  I had a condo for years that had the front room in that style -- the second floor was basically just a family room and it looked down on the front room over a railing, so was similar.  It looked nice and I really liked it when I bought it, but practically it was a pain, as you couldn't reach the windows or the ceiling fan and there was a light in the ceiling fan that eventually burned out and there was no easy way to change it.  Before I sold I replaced the fan with light for one without.  But anyway, probably for that reason I am always underwhelmed by that particular 2-floor style now.  And it is likely more expensive to heat, especially in a big house rather than a condo (I was on the top floor and so of course had neighbors below, which would have mitigated that).

The wife supposedly loved Victorians, but then said something about where are all the big impressive rooms Victorians are supposed to have.  Victorians have lots of small closed off rooms, that was the style.  And folk Victorians, the kinds build by non rich people all over the US, of course have smaller rooms than the fancy super expensive ones.  And yes, they also tend to have smaller closets than people today want and often no master bath (unless you reno to add it).  I love Victorians too, but those things are all true.

[msmarjoribanks]

7 hours ago, Pickles said:

The St.Paul couple seemed awkward on camera and awkward with each other! 

I thought they were kind of cute.  I do think they were a little awkward on camera, but I don't mind that.

I didn't perceive the wife as being snotty about the 'burbs, but just preferring to live in the city due to proximity to their friends and what they were used to doing and their parents, and if they have a sweet deal with grandparents wanting to babysit, I don't blame them.  Maybe because I'm in a city lot with a 30x125 lot, I don't see anything wrong with the size of the first yard, especially if they don't want to do lots of yardwork.  The worm thing was, of course, dumb, and probably quirk of the day for HHers (as was the bickering over the bikes). 

The first place (which I figured immediately they'd take, something about the weird tiles) was supposed to be the biggest, but they didn't really show that -- maybe I missed it, but they called it a 3 bed, and I thought they only showed 2 beds (about the same size).  Anyway, it seemed like it was in the neighborhood they wanted, and I think it could be fixed up reasonably easily and probably (depending on what kind of fixes they want to do) pay off eventually if they choose to sell later.  I liked the exteriors of the other houses much more, though.  If the suburban one had been more turnkey (it wasn't any different work-wise than the place they bought) or bigger, I might have thought it was possible they changed their minds about location, but it wasn't (and yet not much cheaper).

On 11/14/2018 at 3:26 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I still wonder how the Stockton house with 1 1/2 baths worked out for five people living there, since I'm guessing the 17 year old will be out of the house soon.   It's too bad the third house had zero yard, but it was a really nice house.  I'm glad she didn't buy the second stucco outside house, since it would have needed a lot to make it nice, and I didn't like the stucco.   The stucco looked older, and that doesn't give me a good feeling, and every floor needed replacement. 

Agree with all this.  I really liked the third, but it was a problem to have no yard.  I figured she'd pick the first -- as others said, she loved the paint colors -- and I think it's really cool that she was so enthusiastic about a little fixer.  I actually do relate to her wanting to put her stamp on it, and it was clearly in the neighborhood she had her heart set on.  Much more the type of buyer I enjoy than the people who can't be happy with 5000 sq ft brand new monstrosities because they lack a second laundry room! 

[LittleIggy]

Elkton, IL: I loved that atrium too. I would be singing “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from that master bedroom sliding door/pseudo-balcony over the living room all the time! ?

[msmarjoribanks]

Yeah, I wanted that atrium and liked that place (and thought the husband was being silly about the yard, which he admitted at the end).  I thought the first house was the obvious choice.

[suebee12]

Have TPTB fallen to a new level? Not liking a bathtub? They had to be stone or tiled to be to his liking? I imagine he felt kinda' silly saying that! Why can't people just look at a house without some phobia. I can see not wanting a filthy tube but just a normal, clean tub? Heck at the end when she turned the jets on, I think he almost said it was great and then remembered!

[Kohola3]

Atrium was cool.  Wanting a ball field?  What the heck was that all about?  They don't have any kids and we didn't see a 18 people coming to visit at the end so with whom is he planning on playing?  Maybe he thinks it's like Field of Dreams and dead ball players will appear?

[Empress1]

I was glad the Elkton guy let his beard grow in at the end because his teenage boy mustache was not the look.

[Dewey Decimate]

Elgin, IL: I wasn't paying attention during the intro, but did that guy say his job involved working in a magic shop with his dad? Please say yes.  I enjoyed how he was grossed out by other people's floating body odor but others shouldn't be worried about his mouth cooties behind their ears from his rabbit baby sponge, er, trick? #magicfail

[Pickles]

18 minutes ago, Dewey Decimate said:

Elgin, IL: I wasn't paying attention during the intro, but did that guy say his job involved working in a magic shop with his dad? Please say yes.  I enjoyed how he was grossed out by other people's floating body odor but others shouldn't be worried about his mouth cooties behind their ears from his rabbit baby sponge, er, trick? #magicfail

Yes, he and his dad have some kind of magic business. 

[topanga]

4 hours ago, Pickles said:

Yes, he and his dad have some kind of magic business. 

That would annoy me to no end—having someone constantly doing magic around me. Or maybe that was just for the show. 

But I liked that couple. Their playful banter actually made me laugh and didn’t seem mean-spirited.

[juliet73]

Elgin IL: I loved that atrium! I didn't like the kitchen either. I like my stove against the wall too - I like an island just to be for food prep and eating.

I LOVED the 3rd house. I hate split levels, but for that one, I would have compromised.

Two things annoyed me about this couple and their  backyard wishlists. 1. Him and his need for a baseball field sized one. Seriously? 2. Her basing on the backyard on how it would work for their wedding. I can't believe she was choosing a house and it's yard on how it's going to be used for ONE day! Ugh!!!

[msmarjoribanks]

I thought the third one was great too, but from what they said the location was bad for her commute compared to the other two.

Watched an old (2016) one with a 26-year-old couple looking for a Philadelphia row house for around $400K which was fun because the places were right up my alley.  Couple seemed nice, and had reasonable, although somewhat unrealistic desires -- they realized they couldn't get everything they wanted in the area they wanted and were happy with the place they got (and the wife said she loved all the places they saw, which I liked!)

[kirklandia]

North Padre Island - so surprised she didn't choose house #2 with the "very spacy" kitchen!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Elgin, I would have picked the second one, with the huge yard.   Going into a house with the plan to eventually rip out and redo the entire kitchen, including the gas lines isn't a smart thing to do.   What if they don't save the huge amount for the reno?    Or don't want to live without a kitchen for weeks while everything is redone?      

[msmarjoribanks]

Watched a rerun from Edwardsville, IL (near St Louis) -- couple ended up buying a house next-door to her parents.  It was the obvious choice and obvious that they picked it (pretty sure if there's a house next-door to parents that's usually the one they've already purchased, since it would be too coincidental to find a decoy there).  I liked the couple, but their one issue with the house they selected (supposedly, to create suspense) was that it needed all sorts of expensive work, all cosmetic, basically just painting, painting cabinets, dealing with some wall paper, and redoing all the floors.  Only the latter is actually expensive (the house was big), but had there been a real issue with cost it seems to me it would have made sense to buy the place and redo over time.  I was remembering the house we moved into when I was 8 (and my parents lived in until they retired) -- when we moved in the basics of the house were what my parents wanted, but a lot of the decor was pretty questionable.  The family room had ugly carpet and weird fake tile below the fireplace (I don't exactly remember), the basement was finished but not cozy, the floor was cement but for one little office, the kids bedrooms had super weird ugly carpet (one was a blue and green I loved as a kid, but it was kind of hideous, the other was red and green -- I was oldest so got the blue room), so on.  There were other things buyers today would hate, of course.  The idea that it would have to all be fixed right away or not be worth living in never even crossed my parents' minds, and the stuff was fixed over time. 

Anyway, the Edwardsville couple got help from family and fixed their place up right away for cheap, so that works too, if it's available.

[ForReal]

I watched an episode with a couple in Northern Virginia, I think it was. They were currently living in a condo about 900 sq. ft. After viewing the first house (2100 sq. ft.) and seeing that it needed some updates, there was a clip in which she said she couldn't see moving there and then having to upgrade to something bigger in a few years. I was like, "Really? Really?" Later, they looked at a townhouse, and it was after that viewing that she made the comment in real time, which then made more sense to me. I guess. Because they chose the townhouse after all.

[debbie311]

I just caught the episode of the couple from Michigan moving to Melbourne, FL.  She has moved to the top of the most irritating house hunters EVER for me.  So, they are not married, have been dating for a year and three months.  There was absolutely no affection between them - did they ever touch or hold hands at all?  The way she demeaned him, it seemed like she couldn't stand the sight of him.  And whatever he wanted, big tv, whatever, sorry no.  She wasn't having it.  And the Kardashian closet.  Please.

I don't know if this was just shstick or whatever, but I found it extremely irritating the way they talked to each other, like some old couple who had been together for too long and had forgotten what they ever liked about each other.  It baffles me why he would let her talk to him in such a dismissive way.  He wasn't much better.  Why would you buy a house with someone that you don't even seem to like?

[CrazyInAlabama]

The funny part to me on the Melbourne episode is the adorable little dog refused to have anything to do with the woman.   

I'm hoping she's gone, and cute guy moved on to someone the dog liked, and who treated him like a human being.    The gf obviously wasn't paying any of the bills, with her 'business', and was really demanding for someone who is leach.       I had to laugh when people speculated her business was fitness related, since she was not what I would call fit, and had a huge caboose too.   

[Kenzie]

19 hours ago, debbie311 said:

I just caught the episode of the couple from Michigan moving to Melbourne, FL.  She has moved to the top of the most irritating house hunters EVER for me.  So, they are not married, have been dating for a year and three months.  There was absolutely no affection between them - did they ever touch or hold hands at all?  The way she demeaned him, it seemed like she couldn't stand the sight of him.  And whatever he wanted, big tv, whatever, sorry no.  She wasn't having it.  And the Kardashian closet.  Please.

I don't know if this was just shstick or whatever, but I found it extremely irritating the way they talked to each other, like some old couple who had been together for too long and had forgotten what they ever liked about each other.  It baffles me why he would let her talk to him in such a dismissive way.  He wasn't much better.  Why would you buy a house with someone that you don't even seem to like?

Oh, that's a perfect description.

[juliet73]

I loved the view the San Diego (from Utah) couple got with that condo.  It was definitely worth sharing a yard and a wall with your neighbors.  I had to laugh though at the realtor who said something like "it is possible to find affordable housing by the beach."  $850k for most people is not affordable.  I know they were in S Cal, but still...

[chessiegal]

6 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

I loved the view the San Diego (from Utah) couple got with that condo.  It was definitely worth sharing a yard and a wall with your neighbors.  I had to laugh though at the realtor who said something like "it is possible to find affordable housing by the beach."  $850k for most people is not affordable.  I know they were in S Cal, but still...

Not just SoCal,. but San Diego. Super expensive.

[msmarjoribanks]

47 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

I loved the view the San Diego (from Utah) couple got with that condo.  It was definitely worth sharing a yard and a wall with your neighbors.  I had to laugh though at the realtor who said something like "it is possible to find affordable housing by the beach."  $850k for most people is not affordable.  I know they were in S Cal, but still...

All true, but I really wanted the third place.  Close walk to the beach and so much else.

I liked that couple.

CA pricing (well, in the most popular areas) is so insane.

[answerphone]

The Illinois baseball-loving magician and picky cosmetics saleswoman... Does anyone think they'll stay married? What a pair of opposites they are!

[msmarjoribanks]

On 9/5/2018 at 11:51 PM, LittleIggy said:

NJ: Why didn’t they just buy a smaller, less expensive place instead of having to have a place with multiple tenants to help pay the mortgage? Guess she will be doing the repairs to the rental units!

Just watched this one -- I don't know the market, but my impression was they couldn't afford anything in the area (or easy commute to NYC) that didn't have renters.  With 3 rentals (based on the mortgage info they showed), they should be able to cover the mortgage with just 2 rented (although I bet that assumes 20% down and they aren't putting 20% down).  

The wife apparently grew up in a family that flipped houses, so she might be capable of doing the repairs.

[CrazyInAlabama]

My issue with the 3 rentals house is unless I missed it, there wasn't an outside staircase for the attic apartment, and there is no way you can rent an apartment without a second egress.   My guess is to rent the attic apartment, or because they're rehabbing the place, there will have to be a steel outside staircase added to the house.    I bet they were never allowed to rent the attic, so it's only the first floor, second floor, and a basement unit (if there was a basement unit, I'm not sure).   I can't believe they passed on the nicely redone first one.    They could have moved into the smaller unit, rented the main floor, and paid their mortgage.     

Or maybe the true story is that they are going to stay where they are now, rehab the 3 flat, and rent the entire place out.   It wouldn't be the first time the backstory was totally different than they showed.     I bet the two of them are going into the rehab and rent market, and manage the units themselves.     I'm hoping they hired help, so the poor man didn't croak from his allergies.  

[msmarjoribanks]

Eastern Washington couple with two little kids, husband was former football player.

I liked the middle house least -- the other two had great location-based features you can't add (the lake for the first one, plus a nice yard with pool, amazing views for the third), but I knew they'd pick the boring bland middle one because it was the biggest a new build (in a development still being built, everything looked the same) and had the white kitchen the wife of course thought was her dream.

I'm so bored of the white kitchen obsession.  

Wife was bugging me since she seemed to be a stay at home but kept complaining that her husband's budget was too small, he needed to open his wallet.

Third place (while I liked it a lot) was really too similar in size to the house they were leaving and over budget, so I would have picked the first and just reno'd it some.  It didn't need to be completely gutted like the wife was insisting.  But oh well, they are happy, even if I would have made a difference choice.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

In the Washington episode, what I disliked the most was the husband who is paying for the house just wanted something where he didn't have to do stairs all of the time, and where he didn't hit the ceiling either.     So he ends up in a two story house that will be hell on his legs, and any issues that develop over time from his football career.    The couple could have rehabbed the first house, and had access to the waterfront, and it still would have been under budget, since I don't think they have a truthful budget on this show in it's entire history.  Plus, a new build requires window treatments, they had to spend many thousands on the back yard, and I'm sure the wife will have high dollar expectations about the basement finishing also.    I also think she'll be the one who whines about construction noise for years.  

Edited November 23, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[ByaNose]

Washington episode. The rancher with the killer views was awesome. It was over their budget and the same amount of bedrooms as their current house. I can why they passed but those views were amazing. The house they picked in their current neighborhood was nice. They did a nice job on the back yard. They looked like they were starting some type of fencing but I couldn’t tell what kind. They looked like metal Y shaped things. Anyone have any idea what the ending product would look like? I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before. All in all, the couple seems like a fun duo and like to needle each other. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I bet the extensions sticking up from the fence posts were channels that hold whatever materials they're putting up for the actual fence, and probably have something to do with the top rail too.   I've seen some fences that have solid panels that have channels on the sides like that.  

[ByaNose]

38 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I bet the extensions sticking up from the fence posts were channels that hold whatever materials they're putting up for the actual fence, and probably have something to do with the top rail too.   I've seen some fences that have solid panels that have channels on the sides like that.  

Thanks.