House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[Pickles]

I also thought the Asheville couple had kind of a mean sense of humor towards each other. When he slapped her on the forehead--supposedly to get a bug off? Nope. They were semi snarky to each other. 

[edie3]

Love the town of Asheville!!  Such good food!

[tvrox]

Hated the Detroit realtor and her tiny dog (and I'm a dog-lover). Its bad enough when buyers bring their dog, but agents definitely shouldn't. I agreed with the buyer's friend though about the condo. If the buyer didn't want to shovel (and in Detroit she was going to be shoveling a lot) then a condo makes more sense than a house. The outside of the house she chose was cute though! And i liked the dark cabinets in the kitchen.

[Ohwell]

I got the feeling that the Detroit woman's father was going to be doing work around the house, including shoveling snow.

[tvrox]

Anyone else see the episode in Kansas today? I think it was a rerun. I missed the beginning-did they say what towns they were looking in?

[Ottis]

On 1/27/2019 at 11:11 AM, edie3 said:

Now a show about real apartments in NYC and how you cope with less space would interest me.

I skip every NYC ep. It’s a unique place with unique needs that have no relevance to me. It would be like watching a show on living in the desert in urts.

The Asheville dude seemed kind of ignorant about houses. Why would the master be on the first floor? Duh. And entititled and way too caught up in looking “impressive.” Also, I assume he went to UNC, where they made fake classes for 20 years so their athletes could play. So don’t think I want him to be my doc. 

Edited January 30, 2019 by Ottis

[buttersister]

“Detroit”realtor, I’m sure they meant to say. No way that daddy’s daughter buys in the city—better to play dumb about your unrealistic expectations/small budget ratio. I’m sure dad won’t mind shoveling. After he finishes remodeling. 

Haven’ decided yet what was most annoying about the realtor—that voice or her pathetic need for everyone to see/know she owns a Berkin bag? 

[msmarjoribanks]

23 hours ago, laredhead said:

My TV schedule shows the Detroit episode as new.  That realtor has been on HH before.  I didn't like any of the houses, and I also thought the buyer was not being realistic in her wants versus needs.  I think a garage would be a must for me in a winter climate like Detroit.  It looked like she had painted almost every surface in that house a shade of gray in the reveal.  Not my taste, but it's her house.  

Just watched the Asheville episode where the buyers are a doctor and a woman who is a fitness expert and small business owner.  I know some people who live in Asheville and it has become the "hot" place for younger buyers with money.  I think this couple probably represents that demographic.  Beautiful scenery, but I guess I would be living in a one bedroom hovel if those are the prices of houses in Asheville now days.  I don't like the one giant room open concept style of living.  Wonder if they are going to run a vacation rental out of that extra space in the house they bought.   

Yeah, Detroit and Asheville showed as new for me.

I love the town of Asheville, didn't know it was so expensive.  I didn't mind the couple, was kind of surprised they went with the one they did, as I thought the third one because of the yard.  None of the houses were great, but I suppose that's the market.  I'm against the idea of starter house as often it's not worth buying if you plan to sell within 5 years (if you judge the market right, great).  I do think the vacation rental was probably a big plus for them and it makes sense -- in the area it works, and they can do that until she knows if the fitness studio pays off, he makes more as a dr, and they have kids.

Detroit, yes, the realtor was obnoxious and had a shtick for TV, but the buyer was completely unrealistic. The realtor was basically telling her that what she wanted was not available in her price range.  Also, she didn't want to do yardwork and got a good-sized yard, and doesn't want to deal with snow and lives in MI.  A condo is a good idea.  The condo she looked at wasn't great, but there may be good ones in her price range.  (I don't know, however, as I don't know what kind of condos are in the Detroit burbs. I may be biased by the condo market in Chicago -- the place they looked at would have been called a townhouse here.)  

[Empress1]

Providence and Louisville last night. I really liked the third place the Providence couple (who looked like brother and sister) looked at. The realtor called out one of my pet peeves: when people who say they want small houses complain about small rooms. She was like "Well, yeah. It's a small house."

I was kind of surprised when the Louisville husband said he'd never done renovations before but he was sure he could do it - and then he did a good job with the bathroom!

[laredhead]

I can't find any comments about the St. Paul/Minneapolis episode with the woman who is into improv comedy and the man who collects and resells vintage clothing.  They had a $200,000 budget, and none of the houses looked great to me.  The one they bought looked the worst from the outside, and the inside was very quirky as well as small.  It did have a garage which would be important to me in that climate, and I believe he said that as well about one that did not have a garage.  They didn't have a lot of unrealistic expectations about a first house, so that was a nice change from the previously mentioned Detroit house hunter.  I think they have years of home improvement projects ahead of them.  

[Pickles]

The Chicago episode tonight. The tag along sister in law apparently does not realize that there are hotels in Chicago. She can stay there when she visits.

How convenient for the condo seller (builder) to leave two televisions in the new condo. Yeah, right. I know Chicago is expensive, but that space seemed small for almost $780k. Basically one big room and kitchen and two bedrooms. A big outdoor deck. 

[msmarjoribanks]

On 1/22/2019 at 11:17 PM, LittleIggy said:

Ann Arbor: I actually liked the house they picked. There was a lot of cosmetic stuff that needed to be done, but I thought it was cool. Especially liked the patio and pond with the waterfall.

I thought it had potential.  I had assumed based on how they presented it that the second was by far a more convenient neighborhood, but no, not necessarily, this one was reasonably close to downtown, as well as some nature areas.  I think some of the prior remodel was questionable, but if they are willing to address it over time it's not hard to fix.

[Kohola3]

The place he bought had that ginormous bathroom,  What a waste of space - that thing was as big as the small bedroom!  What do people do in those huge bathrooms anyway?  Hold square dances or something?  How much of the day is spent in there vs. in the living or bedrooms? That's just a stupid loss of square footage.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

The Chicago episode tonight. The tag along sister in law apparently does not realize that there are hotels in Chicago. She can stay there when she visits.

How convenient for the condo seller (builder) to leave two televisions in the new condo. Yeah, right. I know Chicago is expensive, but that space seemed small for almost $780k. Basically one big room and kitchen and two bedrooms. A big outdoor deck. 

How old was that guy (didn’t see the beginning because I was rewinding and rewatching the preview for the sixth season of Vikings.)? He seemed a bit long in the tooth to be looking for a “big boy” house/condo.

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

The place he bought had that ginormous bathroom,  What a waste of space - that thing was as big as the small bedroom!  What do people do in those huge bathrooms anyway?  Hold square dances or something?  How much of the day is spent in there vs. in the living or bedrooms? That's just a stupid loss of square footage.

The showers that can hold half a dozen people always baffle me! Why? 🙄

[buttersister]

Chicago guy: I love Lincoln Park!

SIL: When  we take cheap trips to Chicago, I want to sleep in a big bed downtown.

CG: I want a nicer place for me in Lincoln Park.

SIL: I want access to a high-rise luxury place downtown, screw your comfort zone.

Realtor: Here are two Lincoln Park places and a high rise by Soldier Field. Screw your cheap ass SIL.

[msmarjoribanks]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

How old was that guy (didn’t see the beginning because I was rewinding and rewatching the preview for the sixth season of Vikings.)? He seemed a bit long in the tooth to be looking for a “big boy” house/condo.

The showers that can hold half a dozen people always baffle me! Why? 🙄

He said he'd lived there 18 years, so I assumed 39 at minimum.

[msmarjoribanks]

9 hours ago, Pickles said:

The Chicago episode tonight. The tag along sister in law apparently does not realize that there are hotels in Chicago. She can stay there when she visits.

How convenient for the condo seller (builder) to leave two televisions in the new condo. Yeah, right. I know Chicago is expensive, but that space seemed small for almost $780k. Basically one big room and kitchen and two bedrooms. A big outdoor deck. 

Yeah, agreed.  I live in Chicago and the market isn't that crazy, it's all about what and where you buy. Lincoln Park is expensive, but even more than that, new construction with the latest finishes and the fancy oven and an upgraded roof deck is rarer, so has a big premium.  (I have zero interest in a place like that, so makes it easier for me.)  You could also get a 3/2 (as opposed to a 2/2) in Lincoln Park for significantly less than he spent.

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, Pickles said:

The Chicago episode tonight. The tag along sister in law apparently does not realize that there are hotels in Chicago. She can stay there when she visits.

I couldn't stand her. I kept thinking "Why are you here? This isn't your house!"

1 hour ago, msmarjoribanks said:

He said he'd lived there 18 years, so I assumed 39 at minimum.

Agreed. Plus he had a pretty senior-level job, and he looked like an early 40something to me. I didn't have an issue with him "just now" trading up - some people never trade up and it was just him, so it may indeed have taken him a long time to outgrow a one-bedroom. (I didn't like the place he picked, though.)

[laredhead]

Littleleggy, when I see those huge showers and bathrooms, all I can think of is more space to clean and mop.  If you don't keep the glass on those showers squeeged and cleaned daily, mineral deposits from water will build up, and then a major cleaning is needed.   I'm too practical to be able to enjoy living in such "luxury" without the assistance of a full time housekeeper to daily clean the bathroom.

If someone likes an area where they are living, and just want a little more space, there's nothing wrong with staying in that area.  It obviously works for them and their lifestyle.  I didn't get trying to push him out of his comfort zone.  

[Ohwell]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

How old was that guy (didn’t see the beginning because I was rewinding and rewatching the preview for the sixth season of Vikings.)? He seemed a bit long in the tooth to be looking for a “big boy” house/condo.

I think the voiceover said he was 44. 

[Mrs. Hanson]

2 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I couldn't stand her. I kept thinking "Why are you here? This isn't your house!"

Agreed. Plus he had a pretty senior-level job, and he looked like an early 40something to me. I didn't have an issue with him "just now" trading up - some people never trade up and it was just him, so it may indeed have taken him a long time to outgrow a one-bedroom. (I didn't like the place he picked, though.)

She was really pesky wasn't she?  I yelled at the tv:  "Hey lady - there is a place down the street called a Holiday Inn.  Try it!"  If he likes bar stools and not a DR table, that is his business.  Go buy your own place.,  It baffles me when people tag a long and then demand a house that suits THEM.  Shut it.

[Ohwell]

Chicago guy is a grown-ass man - it's not like he's a twenty something buying his first place - so I didn't understand why he needed the SIL (or anyone else for that matter) to tag along. 

[chessiegal]

The HH script apparently requires a tag along antagonist if a single is looking for a house.

[Mrs. Hanson]

5 hours ago, chessiegal said:

The HH script apparently requires a tag along antagonist if a single is looking for a house.

It must require this!!  How many singles have we seen with a know it all mom/brother/sister tagging along and offering up all sorts of "advice?"

[laredhead]

I have purchased 4 houses without the help of anyone tagging along to offer their opinion.  I paid professional realtors and inspectors for their services and opinions.  I guess that would make me anti-social in the eyes of the HH producers.

[chessiegal]

The current HH script schtick is there must be conflict! I find it annoying and contrived, but that's the way they are producing the shows these days.

[Empress1]

Sometimes I like the friends-of. I remember one who was looking in DC and she took her friend along. She ended up renovating the house (I think they showed her on "Where are they now?") and she claimed it was just a small renovation, and her friend was like "Small? You don't have any walls!" They just seemed like really genuine, nice good friends who were playful with each other, and if I recall correctly the friend wasn't like "But what about me?" when she was looking at places. 

I found the Chicago pair strange because why would the SIL come along and not the brother? ("Because she wanted to be on TV." Yeah, I know.) 

[msmarjoribanks]

8 hours ago, chessiegal said:

The HH script apparently requires a tag along antagonist if a single is looking for a house.

I think I read somewhere that they require two people.

Edited February 1, 2019 by msmarjoribanks

[msmarjoribanks]

12 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I couldn't stand her. I kept thinking "Why are you here? This isn't your house!"

Agreed. Plus he had a pretty senior-level job, and he looked like an early 40something to me. I didn't have an issue with him "just now" trading up - some people never trade up and it was just him, so it may indeed have taken him a long time to outgrow a one-bedroom. (I didn't like the place he picked, though.)

Yeah, agreed.  Often people buy/rent a small place assuming they will sell when they marry, so wait.  He probably decided he just needed to go forward on his own, wanted to stay in the area (it's a nice area), and just get what he wanted, which meant a place with a big bedroom (workable with a spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend if that happens, or if gf/bf is just tv adverse), an office, a cool roof deck, and the kind of open entertaining space and new fixtures that I can see appealing to a single guy.  It's not what I'd buy, but if he wants it, good for him.  I'm glad he didn't get extra bedrooms for the SIL. That place (barring an economic turndown) should hold its value for 10 years before he has to update seriously, so if he marries and has kids he should be fine.

[Pickles]

Tiny house people tonight bought a boat for a tiny living experience. It was old and looked disgusting inside. No thanks. Seems like it would be a money pit and then hard to unload eventually. Not a good choice. JMO. 

[chessiegal]

Bailed on the tiny house episode, but as a boat owner wish I had stayed. I have a friend who is living on a 53 foot boat meant for ocean sailing, and is heading for the Bahamas next year.

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, Pickles said:

Tiny house people tonight bought a boat for a tiny living experience. It was old and looked disgusting inside. No thanks. Seems like it would be a money pit and then hard to unload eventually. Not a good choice. JMO. 

Yeah, that boat was 🤢. None of the choices were great. My grad school in VT had a big yurt on campus which could have held a bathroom and kitchen. I saw a show on DIY called Love Yurts which had some awesome, liveable yurts. The HHs budget was too low for a decent yurt plus land.

[izabella]

Those $900 per month marina fees will add up pretty quickly. 

[msmarjoribanks]

On 1/24/2019 at 9:59 PM, juliet73 said:

Lexington:  2001 is considered an "old home", but the wife complains when the new builds lacks "old home character."  She wants a white kitchen, but the brand new white kitchen in the 2nd house is not the white kitchen she was imagining.  I'm glad the 3rd house had a pantry in the kitchen because there were barely any cabinets.  They both wanted a pool, yet they picked the house where a pool isn't allowed.  

I rolled my eyes at this one.  I actually thought the first one (the RE agent suggested it was aged at 2001 which is idiotic) with the pool was perfect for them (it had minor projects they could have done before moving in, paint the cabinet, install the pot filler thing, the island was fine), but it was farther out than they wanted (I wonder if they were kicking themselves when looking, since we know they were already under contract).  I also loved the charming Lexington 1880s place that had the best location, although it was much less practical.  I thought the one they got had no character and was going to be really close in to their neighbors.  I'm close in to my neighbors, but I'm in a city where my 30x125 lot is bigger than the standard. If I were in a basically suburban new construction area, that would be a deal killer.

[chessiegal]

8 hours ago, izabella said:

Those $900 per month marina fees will add up pretty quickly. 

$900 a month? Where were they? We keep our boat at a resort marina with an Olympic size pool, tennis courts, gym, restaurant, laundromat, lovely landscaped grounds, fuel dock for $375/month.

[izabella]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

$900 a month? Where were they? We keep our boat at a resort marina with an Olympic size pool, tennis courts, gym, restaurant, laundromat, lovely landscaped grounds, fuel dock for $375/month.

The episode said Redondo Beach, California, so it makes sense that everything is expensive.  But they wont' be getting a return on that $900 and I doubt they'll get as much as they paid for that boat when they sell it.  All in all, not a good investment nor even an opportunity to save up money for a house.

[Empress1]

16 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

Often people buy/rent a small place assuming they will sell when they marry, so wait.  He probably decided he just needed to go forward on his own, wanted to stay in the area (it's a nice area), and just get what he wanted, which meant a place with a big bedroom (workable with a spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend if that happens, or if gf/bf is just tv adverse), an office, a cool roof deck, and the kind of open entertaining space and new fixtures that I can see appealing to a single guy.  It's not what I'd buy, but if he wants it, good for him. I'm glad he didn't get extra bedrooms for the SIL. That place (barring an economic turndown) should hold its value for 10 years before he has to update seriously, so if he marries and has kids he should be fine.

That's what I was thinking and trying to say but you expressed it better than I did. It was just him for a long time and maybe he thought he'd couple up (he still might if that's what he wants, who knows!) and trade up when he did, and then he didn't and just thought, fuck it. If he owned his previous place, he probably had some decent equity.

I know nothing about Chicago real estate but in NYC you can rent out anything, so I'd assume if he did want to hold onto that place if he needed a more "family-friendly" spot he could rent that out without much trouble (assuming the condo rules allowed him to). Like, owning property in NYC is basically never a bad idea. I'd assume that would be true where he was (it did look like a nice area. I like Chicago).

[chessiegal]

36 minutes ago, izabella said:

The episode said Redondo Beach, California, so it makes sense that everything is expensive.  But they wont' be getting a return on that $900 and I doubt they'll get as much as they paid for that boat when they sell it.  All in all, not a good investment nor even an opportunity to save up money for a house.

You never get what you paid for a boat when you sell, they're like cars, unless you're in the upper millions luxury yacht range.

[Gini]

With the Tiny Hoise Couple I kept thinking... yes u r both “adventurous” .. but some time in the future one will grow weary and want to plant some roots.... and the other one won’t... it’s all fun and adventurous games until it’s not.

[blueray]

I was confused by the couple wanting a "tiny house". They really didn't seem like the type. They seemed like they needed space.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I loved it in the Redondo Beach tiny house episode when the voiceover says, "With the average price of a home a million dollars," followed shortly by, "Our budget is 30 to 35 thousand dollars."

And you know how people say that some renovations can be done over time?  I swear I heard the guy say that could be done with the yurt--to add a kitchen and a bathroom. 

And I become irrationally enraged when people talk about how quirky and adventurous they are.  Shut up.

[hoosier80]

I just Googled the tiny house winery couple (who had a toddler and a baby).  Found an article detailing what the deal was.  Yes, that is their permanent house for now.

They had been living in the husband's parents home (or a home the parents owned) in WV with the toddler.  She works as a consultant in Bethesda, while he is an attorney in Fairfax, in addition to running the winery.  They said the commutes were killer.  Why? Just why would you do that?  Yes, I know homes are more expensive in the MD/Northern VA area, but damn.  

They did park the tiny house next to the tasting room, hooking it up to the existing utilities there.  So much for moving it around the vineyard.   How much more would it be to have built a regular house, seeing that they own the land there?  I'm not talking a monster sized house, just like maybe 1500 square feet?  They spent 95k on the tiny house.

The winery has been open two years, and did have decent reviews on a couple of sites.

I would love something on how people live in small apartments in large cities like NYC.  Tiny houses seem to be a fad to me.  Just jazzier trailers.  

[Diane M]

On 1/31/2019 at 7:53 PM, Pickles said:

Tiny house people tonight bought a boat for a tiny living experience. It was old and looked disgusting inside. No thanks. Seems like it would be a money pit and then hard to unload eventually. Not a good choice. JMO. 

I thought it was the best choice of the three they were shown.  Can't imagine living in that yurt where they'd have to go outside for the kitchen and bathroom.  Southern California isn't always tropically warm in the winter, and it does rain.  The tiny house was more like a closet....way too tiny.  

[Pickles]

17 minutes ago, Diane M said:

I thought it was the best choice of the three they were shown.  Can't imagine living in that yurt where they'd have to go outside for the kitchen and bathroom.  Southern California isn't always tropically warm in the winter, and it does rain.  The tiny house was more like a closet....way too tiny.  

I just thought the boat was gross, though. It looked nasty to me. Was it going to be permanently docked or were they going to be floating around in it too? I don't know what they should have done. They were currently living with friends. Wouldn't that be fun? No. I wonder why they just didn't get a tiny apartment and try to sock more money away or relocate to a more affordable area? I would be worried that a lot of very expensive issues could surface with boat ownership. And if it is not really seaworthy, then how do they ever resell it? I don't know how many people want to just live on a boat.

[chessiegal]

1 minute ago, Pickles said:

I don't know how many people want to just live on a boat.

You'd be surprised. I have a friend who lives on a boat and know of many more.

[Pickles]

13 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

You'd be surprised. I have a friend who lives on a boat and know of many more.

Does it matter if they can't be taken out in the ocean and are just permanently docked? I obviously know zero about boats. 

[chessiegal]

9 minutes ago, Pickles said:

Does it matter if they can't be taken out in the ocean and are just permanently docked? I obviously know zero about boats. 

Depends on the type of boat. I found the episode on-line. That was a fairly large trawler. Looked seaworthy to me.

 

[Diane M]

They were going to go out in the ocean with it, so it must be in pretty good condition.  As to less expensive, everything is expensive in Southern California, especially around LA and south.  

[buttersister]

So the people who bought the boat wanted to be on TV! What a challenge for the producers. Having to find two options worse than the shabby-not-chic ship. That’s all I could imagine seeing the closet and the hilarious yurt—made even more entertaining by the HH commenting about putting Ina kitchen “later.” Bet he didn’t feel any pressure to yammer at that point. LOL.

[chessiegal]

At the beginning the husband said he lived on a sailboat for 4 years, so I'm assuming he knows boats. That trawler had way more space than a sailboat of similar length..