House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[KLovestoShop]

Give me a freaking break, Chicago man.  If you need to live within walking distance of your mommy and daddy, you should just give it up and move back in with them.  I’ve never seen such a thing that all the kids have to live so close to their parents.    I kept telling the woman to run as far away as she can from this guy because it’s going to be a nightmare.  At least they decided on the one that was the furthest from his parents.  

[Ohwell]

I wonder if the Chicago wife even thought about the fact that she'll have to spend Every.Friggin.Holiday with his parents.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/20/2019 at 11:47 AM, laredhead said:

The house the Austin couple bought is in a very small collection of mid century modern houses called Starlight Village.  It is located in Leander, Texas which is about 30 miles north of Austin. 

Thanks for posting that.  I wondered where it was. 

MCM is my favorite style, but I think living in a neighborhood of newly manufactured ones would give me the creeps, especially in Leander.  A little too purposeful for my taste (although "purposeful" is not the exact word I'm looking for).

.

12 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Or SHE could cut the grass.

I wondered why, if she was the one who wanted the pool, she wouldn't be the one responsible for its upkeep. 

I didn't like either one of them, and they looked particularly ridiculous next to that gigantic realtor. 

.

16 hours ago, WI GIRL56 said:

I was disappointed in the Chicago episode that there was no voice over.

Me, too.  I have to pay too much attention to get the location and price if there's no voiceover.

[cameron]

22 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I certainly hope that whole story was made up.  Who marries a guy who is so obsessed with copying mommy and daddy? He kept harping on a private place for him to watch his sports on TV which, I bet, will be he and his brothers sall over for the games while she is expected to make them all snacks in those double ovens like mom used to do.

Actually knew a couple in Chicago  who lived in the same bungalow their whole married life and their children bought a few blocks away from them.  It does happen, but not for me!!

[laredhead]

Just watched the episode about the couple moving back to Delaware.  I'm a bit behind on watching the most current shows.  They certainly didn't have the most dynamic of personalities.  I thought the 3rd house was the best bet as far as upkeep, layout, and a compromise on location, but they went with the Victorian which will cost a lot of money to keep up.  Painting that house will be a sticker shock to them in a few years.  I have to say, that yes, I also liked the hummingbird wallpaper in the foyer, but maybe not in so much coverage.  I even think the pheasant wallpaper would have been nice in a small bathroom, or a study.  It goes with the style of the house.    

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

Just watched the episode about the couple moving back to Delaware.  I'm a bit behind on watching the most current shows.  They certainly didn't have the most dynamic of personalities.  I thought the 3rd house was the best bet as far as upkeep, layout, and a compromise on location, but they went with the Victorian which will cost a lot of money to keep up.  Painting that house will be a sticker shock to them in a few years.  I have to say, that yes, I also liked the hummingbird wallpaper in the foyer, but maybe not in so much coverage.  I even think the pheasant wallpaper would have been nice in a small bathroom, or a study.  It goes with the style of the house.    

I found the wife really annoying, both because I didn't care for the sound of her voice and because she just seemed kind of dour. I liked the bird wallpaper too - I don't think I would have chosen it but it did go with the house.

I just saw one about a cancer survivor in Camden, NJ. She said she promised herself if she survived cancer she'd buy herself a motorcycle and a new house. She and her best friend went cruising on their bikes together. I loved their friendship. She had a modest budget and didn't want the world, which was lovely - she wanted a small yard for less upkeep and enough room for her 7 grandkids to visit. I liked her a lot - she seemed to have a lovely spirit.

Edited March 22, 2019 by Empress1

[Kohola3]

Wasn't she inspiring? Seem like a really nice person and had a really supportive family. No carrying on about stupid stuff. Happy to have a house of her own. Such a refreshing episode!

[Empress1]

2 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Wasn't she inspiring? Seem like a really nice person and had a really supportive family. No carrying on about stupid stuff. Happy to have a house of her own. Such a refreshing episode!

I love seeing long-standing friendships. My mother has friendships that span 50 years. My grandmothers did too. I have 20-year friendships (since my tweens/teens) and I hope they last forever. I just love seeing that kind of stuff. She said her friend had helped her through cancer and I know she did, you could just tell. Her friend was genuinely happy that her friend was still here and getting things she wanted. When they were cruising on their bikes and one cut off the other one, the other one yelled "You just cut me off!" and I cracked up. They seemed like such nice people. Also, the hunter said she wanted to be near her own mother because she was helping to care for her. That's a family that looks out for each other.

[msmarjoribanks]

On 3/22/2019 at 6:02 AM, cameron said:

Actually knew a couple in Chicago  who lived in the same bungalow their whole married life and their children bought a few blocks away from them.  It does happen, but not for me!!

I own a house in Chicago built in 1910, and researched the history.  The first owners both died between 1930 (when their 3 children were still living with them) and 1940.  In 1940, their older daughter was living their with her husband and her younger sister, and their brother was living a couple of miles away.  The older daughter (then a widow) died in 1993 and left the house to her (then married) younger sister, who owned it until she (as a widow) died in 2004.  So the same family lived in the house for 94 years.  It seems that neither of the sisters had children and the brother moved to Florida. The neighborhood the original owners were living in before moving here was the same area the son lived in in 1940.

I think this kind of thing was more common in the past.

[doodlebug]

17 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

I own a house in Chicago built in 1910, and researched the history.  The first owners both died between 1930 (when their 3 children were still living with them) and 1940.  In 1940, their older daughter was living their with her husband and her younger sister, and their brother was living a couple of miles away.  The older daughter (then a widow) died in 1993 and left the house to her (then married) younger sister, who owned it until she (as a widow) died in 2004.  So the same family lived in the house for 94 years.  It seems that neither of the sisters had children and the brother moved to Florida. The neighborhood the original owners were living in before moving here was the same area the son lived in in 1940.

I think this kind of thing was more common in the past.

It definitely was.  I grew up in a city neighborhood in the Midwest in the late 60's-early 70's.  We lived in my grandfather's house, he'd lived within 10 blocks his entire 70+ years.  We attended the same church for decades.  I went to the same grade school my father had attended and many of my classmates were the children of people who had gone to school with my dad or his brothers and sisters.  Two sets of my first cousins were in the same school.  It used to happen a lot, particularly in neighborhoods that were ethnic enclaves for new immigrants.  My grandfather was the son of Polish immigrants who came here a couple years before he was born.  A lot my school friends were also second or third generation at most.

[Pickles]

I like the couple last night who were moving out of the Bronx into a larger home. They both seemed nice and normal. I was actually surprised they didn't choose the second house, since it was in their desired location but was a raised ranch which they didn't like. I was pretty astonished they had lived in that Bronx brownstone upstairs from the husband's mother for 17 years! I think they said it was 750 sq feet and they had two kids! Wow. 

[cameron]

44 minutes ago, Pickles said:

I like the couple last night who were moving out of the Bronx into a larger home. They both seemed nice and normal. I was actually surprised they didn't choose the second house, since it was in their desired location but was a raised ranch which they didn't like. I was pretty astonished they had lived in that Bronx brownstone upstairs from the husband's mother for 17 years! I think they said it was 750 sq feet and they had two kids! Wow. 

Actually thought that they were pretty picky considering how they have lived the past 17 years (didn't like the hardware in the closet, doors too close together, kitchen chinzy, kitchen too small, etc..  Really anything has to be a major improvement after living with Mommy all this time in the Bronx.

[laredhead]

With regard to the Bronx to the suburbs couple, how far away from NYC is the house they bought?  The wife said she wanted to live somewhere where she didn't have to worry about her husband getting home at 10:00 at night.  He said he was in the finance industry.  Wall Street?  Are commutes that long?  One would almost meet themselves coming and going if they don't get home until 10:00 at night.  I know a lot of people live that way for years, but that's not for me.  I am assuming that they lived rent free, and saved lots of $$ over the years by living in the upstairs apartment of the family owned building.  Maybe they saved on some child care too, if the mother helped out with baby sitting.  

I've already forgotten the house details, but did they choose the one with the 3 acre lot?

[AlleC17]

51 minutes ago, laredhead said:

With regard to the Bronx to the suburbs couple, how far away from NYC is the house they bought?  The wife said she wanted to live somewhere where she didn't have to worry about her husband getting home at 10:00 at night.  He said he was in the finance industry.  Wall Street?  Are commutes that long?  One would almost meet themselves coming and going if they don't get home until 10:00 at night.  I know a lot of people live that way for years, but that's not for me.  I am assuming that they lived rent free, and saved lots of $$ over the years by living in the upstairs apartment of the family owned building.  Maybe they saved on some child care too, if the mother helped out with baby sitting.  

I've already forgotten the house details, but did they choose the one with the 3 acre lot?

I think its about 45 min-1 hour plus each way depending on traffic etc.  Some days could be longer I would suspect.  That would be a bit too far for me, but I liked the house.

[Pickles]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

With regard to the Bronx to the suburbs couple, how far away from NYC is the house they bought?  The wife said she wanted to live somewhere where she didn't have to worry about her husband getting home at 10:00 at night.  He said he was in the finance industry.  Wall Street?  Are commutes that long?  One would almost meet themselves coming and going if they don't get home until 10:00 at night.  I know a lot of people live that way for years, but that's not for me.  I am assuming that they lived rent free, and saved lots of $$ over the years by living in the upstairs apartment of the family owned building.  Maybe they saved on some child care too, if the mother helped out with baby sitting.  

I've already forgotten the house details, but did they choose the one with the 3 acre lot?

It was the 3 acre lot. They had already had someone come out to talk about adding landscaping, a big play area for the kids, building stairs from the deck and adding a second level to the deck, etc.  Big plans! And I suppose a pool at some point. 

[txvoodoo]

On 3/21/2019 at 5:36 PM, KLovestoShop said:

Give me a freaking break, Chicago man.  If you need to live within walking distance of your mommy and daddy, you should just give it up and move back in with them.  I’ve never seen such a thing that all the kids have to live so close to their parents.    I kept telling the woman to run as far away as she can from this guy because it’s going to be a nightmare.  At least they decided on the one that was the furthest from his parents.  

I knew a lot in Philadelphia and vicinity who still live in the same neighborhood as their parents. A lot of my HS friends still live in our hometown. I understand it, but it's not for me - I've lived all over the country since 1980!

[cameron]

On 3/26/2019 at 7:39 PM, AlleC17 said:

I think its about 45 min-1 hour plus each way depending on traffic etc.  Some days could be longer I would suspect.  That would be a bit too far for me, but I liked the house.

Also really good train service to Katonah NY which is where that house is located.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, cameron said:

Also really good train service to Katonah NY which is where that house is located.

I visited someone's parents in Katonah via train. Metro North. I think it was a 90-minute ride or so, but I could be misremembering. It was long ago.

[laredhead]

Still have trouble wrapping my head around the high prices for small spaces in NYC.  The couple with the toddler ended up with less than 1,000 sq ft and still no in unit laundry.  The wife was already grousing about that in the last scene, but said that was worth it to have such a nice place.  I thought it was interesting when the realtor told them they could have a dishwasher or an in unit washing machine, but not both.  I guess the plumbing in those old buildings could not handle everyone having both appliances.  It looked dark to me when they first toured it.  Wasn't it the one where you have to open the doors to another room to get light into adjoining rooms?  I guess living in NYC would not be something I would like since I like lots of square footage, natural light, greenery, etc.

When I saw the Philadelphia couple looking at row houses, my claustrophobic radar kicked in.   I have always found the row houses the least appealing, and usually they are very narrow with many levels, and have been quite dark inside in past episodes.  If they had to live in a row house, they chose the best one since it was an end unit, and the yard was the selling point.  That place looked like it had been through many renovations, some not so good.  I reran the part where they first looked at it, but never could tell what the square footage was.  Does anyone know?  It also does not have central A/C, but that can probably be added.  I agree with the husband on that matter.  Having grown up in the deep south w/o AC of any kind, then having window units, and finally central air, there is no question of wanting central air for the hot humid summer days.  I don't think Philadelphia has an many as we do here in Louisiana, but central air is much nicer for overall temperature control in a house.  I hope the wife gets a full size dishwasher at some point in the future.               

[Ohwell]

NYC couple:  In the intro, their toddler Jackson's big eyes mesmerized me.  He was adorable.  It's a good thing I'm not his grandparent because I'd spoil him rotten. 

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

I reran the part where they first looked at it, but never could tell what the square footage was.  Does anyone know?

I think it was small, less than 1500 square feet. The other houses they looked at were much bigger, IIRC - I was surprised they went for the first house because of that, but maybe they feel like having the outdoor space makes up for it. Or maybe they'll trade up when the kids are older. Lower Merion, where they looked at the single-family over-budget home, is a great school district.

[tvrox]

8 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I think it was small, less than 1500 square feet. The other houses they looked at were much bigger, IIRC - I was surprised they went for the first house because of that, but maybe they feel like having the outdoor space makes up for it. Or maybe they'll trade up when the kids are older. Lower Merion, where they looked at the single-family over-budget home, is a great school district.a

Yeah I thought they would go for Lower Merion because of the school district too. Also the front of that house was adorable. They were right that the back kinda sucked but they could have fixed it up.

[doodlebug]

Buying in LA episode:  When $900g cannot even get you real wood floors in your tiny 2 bedroom cottage (because that was NOT a house); it's perhaps time to think about moving to where the sane people live.  All of the places this pair looked at were substandard, IMO, and I cannot fathom anyone paying that kind of money to live like a sardine in a can.

[juliet73]

13 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Buying in LA episode:  When $900g cannot even get you real wood floors in your tiny 2 bedroom cottage (because that was NOT a house); it's perhaps time to think about moving to where the sane people live.  All of the places this pair looked at were substandard, IMO, and I cannot fathom anyone paying that kind of money to live like a sardine in a can.

Did you see the Manhattan episode from the other night?

San Antonio: Her new "friend" was previously on HH. Was he the one with the realtor wife who complained about everything and didn't want a yard, etc because her husband would be busy taking care of it instead of paying attention to her? Or am I thinking of someone else?

NC: I loved the MCM house! I can't believe they bought those 2 houses! I hope they'll be on a WATN episode.

[msmarjoribanks]

Watching some reruns.  Clemson, SC, Sacramento, and Tampa.  Prices are much more reasonable.

[msmarjoribanks]

Now Houston -- some really nice houses, but expensive.

[CrazyInAlabama]

After the flooding after Hurricane Harvey, I bet the inventory is reduced, and a home that wasn't flooded, or threatened is even more expensive.   Houston wasn't cheap, but I bet the prices shot up after the flooding. 

Edited March 30, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[msmarjoribanks]

On 3/26/2019 at 5:46 PM, laredhead said:

With regard to the Bronx to the suburbs couple, how far away from NYC is the house they bought?  The wife said she wanted to live somewhere where she didn't have to worry about her husband getting home at 10:00 at night.  He said he was in the finance industry.  Wall Street?  Are commutes that long?  One would almost meet themselves coming and going if they don't get home until 10:00 at night.  I know a lot of people live that way for years, but that's not for me.  I am assuming that they lived rent free, and saved lots of $$ over the years by living in the upstairs apartment of the family owned building.  Maybe they saved on some child care too, if the mother helped out with baby sitting.  

I've already forgotten the house details, but did they choose the one with the 3 acre lot?

I just watched this, and was shocked about the one they chose. Google maps said that the one that wasn't great but was where the wife grew up was 30-45 min from Manhattan, the first one with the pool (which is what I expected them to take) was about an hour, and the one they did take was like 1.5 hours.  Terrible, and the difference in the houses would not be worth that for me (I liked the first house better, personally).

Hope there's some kind of good public transportation.

Watched the NYC one too -- crazy (although not unexpected) how much places were.  I found it very interesting and for once liked the diversity of areas being shown (Midtown, Brooklyn, and Harlem).

[debbie311]

I enjoyed the Manhattan episode.  I wish they would show more like that.  The terrace on the one they chose - wow.  Imagine being able to go up to your terrace and be able to look out to the Empire State Building.

There was a program from a few years ago where they showed what a price could get you in different locations, i.e., what $500K would get you in difference cities.  I wish they would bring that back.

[Ottis]

On 3/28/2019 at 9:11 AM, laredhead said:

Still have trouble wrapping my head around the high prices for small spaces in NYC.

This is why I long ago stopped watching any NYC ep of HH. It's a unique world I hope to never inhabit.

Since then, I have also dropped most CA eps (too expensive), and most big city eps (too much $$$ for what you get, including LA and Chicago) and any ep where the budget is $1 million or more. We  qualify for that, but I would never spend that much on a house. Here in Denver it is expensive, but not insane.

We miss out on some wackiness, but have more time to be outside!

On 3/28/2019 at 9:11 AM, laredhead said:

When I saw the Philadelphia couple looking at row houses, my claustrophobic radar kicked in.  

Especially when they don't come with parking. Every time you drove anywhere, you  would have no idea where you might have to park when you come back.  What if you have groceries?  Or a baby in a car seat? And then don't get me going on the weather ...

Some of these recent shows have dropped some key info. Like how important location, vis-a-vis where the couple works.  And specific neighborhood names or even cities.

[doodlebug]

20 minutes ago, Ottis said:

Some of these recent shows have dropped some key info. Like how important location, vis-a-vis where the couple works.  And specific neighborhood names or even cities.

That's the thing, this show has always pretended that people look for houses based on style or décor; when everyone already knows that the number 1 deciding factor is location, location, location!  How much of a commute to work?  What is the school system like?  Close to family and friends?  Certainly, when I bought my house, it was all about how much I had to spend, how much space I needed; but, in the end, it was the 8 minute commute to work that sold it for me.

[juliet73]

Phoenix ep: this was a quick watch. The parents were obnoxious and even though it wasn't labeled as a "family edition" episode, the younger daughters tagged along. Ugh! I fast forwarded through most of it. The buyers were even more annoying at the end.

[chessiegal]

I think last night's "new" episode was indeed a family edition they pulled out of the vault. First, kids giving their opinions as they tagged along, and second, it was narrated. They've done away with the narrator in the really new shows.

[laredhead]

I hated the Phoenix episode, and if HH thinks they are fooling us by sneaking in HH Family episodes they are wrong.  I muted it, watched closed captioned, and FF through the parts I wasn't interested in.  I don't want to hear the opinion of a child about houses.  I especially snicker when the college age kids, who aren't living at home full time, declare that they should have a say so as to which room they get.  Also, lady, get over the "where are MY white Shaker cabinets" comments.  

[Kohola3]

As soon as I saw the kids I turned it off.  Not interested in hearing the opinions of a bunch of bratty girls.  Maybe they were OK but I didn't stick around to find out.

[Empress1]

The couple moving from NYC to South Jersey did their first house hunt in Philly on the show. I wondered how successful the home furnishing business was going to be since the husband said the other husband didn't get up and was always late for work.

[pep4]

"Hooray, I'm for the other team!"  (old Schoolhouse Rock reference)

I actually enjoyed the Phoenix episode.  Unlike a lot of the HH Family brats episodes, these kids were well behaved and made me smile, seems like a nice family.  Daughter - "I like this backyard because we could have 300 dogs and it would still be big enough."

Of course there were a few annoying producer driven bits like the constant "White cabinets!" "No renovations!" "I need a room for the 2 months I'm home from college and out all day and night with my friends!"  But that's House Hunters.

His quip at the end as he takes a sledgehammer to the old office shelves: "This is what living with 6 women turns me into!"

(I did cringe seeing multiple pit bulls when they had 5 dogs.  Pack mentality risk.)

Edited April 4, 2019 by pep4

[KLovestoShop]

The other producer driven bit was the Phoenix dad who wanted a big 5 bedroom house on one level. Did he really not know how much land it would take to have 5 BR’s, an office and all that other stuff on one level?  With Phoenix’s high density housing, you’d never find all that on their budget. 

[chessiegal]

So last night they pulled out a HH Family and touted it as a new HH, and tonight they're showing what is obviously a Beach Front Bargain Hunt (after marathoning that show all afternoon and evening) and passing it off as a new HH. Have they run out of shows?

[CrazyInAlabama]

They recycle like that all of the time.    I guess it's a big savings for the producers.  

[biakbiak]

When they talked about the rent on the tiny house lot in Palm Springs I immediately thought of John Oliver about the horrible aspects of not owning the land that your mobile home or in this case tiny home can be financially catastrophic.

[Dewey Decimate]

10 hours ago, biakbiak said:

When they talked about the rent on the tiny house lot in Palm Springs I immediately thought of John Oliver about the horrible aspects of not owning the land that your mobile home or in this case tiny home can be financially catastrophic.

Indeed - what unfortunate timing! I cringed at the thought of the inevitable rate hikes.

What the hell was up with Kansas City guy's facial hair? Dude, with a face like that, you might wanna go for the clean shave instead of the distractingly sparse and patchy albino-looking stubble. When you make Brian Posehn look like a stone cold fox, you might want to rethink your grooming habits.

Oh yeah, the house was nice. Plenty of "character". (Admittedly, I could see using that oft-maligned word myself, as I do love pocket doors, small rooms, glass doorknobs, damask wallpaper, and funky cubbyholes from which otherworldly creatures might emerge.)

[Mittengirl]

That second house in KC - the blue one - was ugly, ugly, ugly.  I was sure that was what they bought.

It was refreshing to finally hear someone talk about the downside to living near bars.  Drunks getting tazered in your front yard - probably peeing there, too.

[twinks]

10 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

That second house in KC - the blue one - was ugly, ugly, ugly.  I was sure that was what they bought.

It was refreshing to finally hear someone talk about the downside to living near bars.  Drunks getting tazered in your front yard - probably peeing there, too.

Agree, Did they say that blue house was new construction? Who would build something that ugly? I thought she was pleasant but in an odd way.

[doodlebug]

33 minutes ago, twinks said:

Agree, Did they say that blue house was new construction? Who would build something that ugly? I thought she was pleasant but in an odd way.

Yes, they said the blue house was urban in-fill, which means it was a new house built to replace a vacant lot or abandoned house or whatever.  It looked like it was pre-fab which might've been necessary due to the very narrow lot which would've made fitting construction equipment difficult or impossible.  

I grew up in a Midwestern rust-belt city.  We had neighbors who bought a vacant lot and put a pre-fab house on it, but it looked a lot more like a regular house than the one we saw on the show which really was not very attractive although the inside was fine, if bland.  The reason our neighbors went pre-fab was both due to cost as well as to construction issues encountered with putting a new building in a small space in a densely populated area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infill

[jcbrown]

I adored the house the Kansas City couple bought. And I was amazed that the show finally actually featured a Craftsman home, instead of the crappy new builds they usually claim are Craftsman.

[laredhead]

I also liked the Kansas City couple.  I thought it was refreshing to hear some of the reality of living next to bars and restaurants.  The house they bought is perfect for her especially, but I think they will both enjoy the neighborhood.  It will be a lifetime of tweaks and fixes, but a good long term investment.  Yes, finally, a real Craftsman house. 

Re the Palm Springs episode, has that woman been on HH before?  She looks familiar.  She had some very good comments about each house, regarding style and some practical aspects of each.  The one out in the middle of the desert was unique to say the least.  I got the feeling that is might be a vacation rental because that outdoor bath would be something that people on vacation might think is nice for a few days.  I wouldn't want to deal with that on a daily basis.  If the HH paid cash for the house he bought, then $650/mo is less than a mortgage.  The rent increase might be capped at a certain percentage each year.  He ended up with a nice lot for his gardening. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by laredhead
Additional comment

[cameron]

Think they hit a new low with the couple featured in the Denver show.  He with his marble and her toilet/shower hangup.  Really having a place just like Grandma's.  She really reminded me of a bigger version of Rebecca on This Is Us.  Having a decorator friend  in to tell her how she should position her desk says it all.

Edited April 12, 2019 by cameron

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 4/11/2019 at 7:39 AM, laredhead said:

I also liked the Kansas City couple.  I thought it was refreshing to hear some of the reality of living next to bars and restaurants.  The house they bought is perfect for her especially, but I think they will both enjoy the neighborhood. 

I have friends who bought and moved in to a former bank building in a very small town on the coast of Maine.  Super cool idea.  Next time I was up there, they'd moved out.  Turns out they hadn't anticipated that the restaurant across the narrow street would have a Sysco truck idling outside at dawn while unloading, in addition to beep beep beep when it backs up.  All this rumbling and banging and beeping right under their bedroom window.

I think this show is about to lose me by not having a narrator.  One of the things I particularly liked was her descriptions of where the houses were located.  There have been times I've actually looked up on a map where a certain neighborhood is in a city I don't know super well, and in the cities I do know well, it gives the episode an extra dose of realness.  Without it, it's just kind of a parade of houses that could be anywhere.

[chessiegal]

My apologies to those who share the Denver woman's aversion to toilets. At one point I think she described them as dirty and disgusting. Really? You don't keep yours clean? No appreciation for the wonders of modern plumbing and sanitation. People who think toilets are full of cooties that are going to jump out and give them The Plague are crazy.