House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[topanga]

4 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

The Michigan couple were strange. The wife kept saying she wanted “beach bungalow” but all they were looking at were regular houses.  And really, what kind of house did she think she’d get for $100K?  And I really didn’t see any of their choices that screamed vacation cottage.  And do people really rent out those kinds of houses as vacation places?  I just don’t see that.  

I agree. I was surprised by what the wife kept expecting for her 100K. 

And I don't live in the Mid-West, so I'm not aware of South Haven being an uber popular destination spot that draws people from around the country, ala Branson, Missouri. 

Unless they're buying a house there so they can lie low while they launder money for a mobster. 

[sheetmoss]

4 hours ago, Pine said:

I found the Chicago episode confusing, when they went on the roof deck of the in town loft home.  It looked like Chicago was way off in the distance.  I have never been to Chicago, but, when someone says it's right in town, I would expect the tall buildings etc...are way closer than that view.  Please enlighten me.  🙂 🙂 🙂

For the most part you're thinking downtown proper--though high-rises also run up and down the lakefront.  The city itself (googling) is 230-ish sq miles

I suspect the loft was probably 3-4 miles west/nor'west  of  downtown

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

And I don't live in the Mid-West, so I'm not aware of South Haven being an uber popular destination spot that draws people from around the country, ala Branson, Missouri. 

It doesn't draw from around the country but it is very popular with Michiganders and Chicagoans (because it's on the west coast of Lake Michigan and therefore a reasonable drive) and is known for it's restaurants and shops along a boardwalk. There are state parks and lighthouses in the area that also draw tourists. 

No, it's not Branson. It's better.

[msmarjoribanks]

9 hours ago, WI GIRL56 said:

I was also disappointed in not knowing the Chicago neighborhoods.  I thought maybe the bungalow in the suburbs was either Berwyn or Cicero.  They have a lot and a little lower priced.

Hubby grew up in a Chicago bungalow that is grandfather built.  The living room was large but everything else was small.  After it was sold I think the people dormered up to gain space.

Berwyn's a good thought.  I thought maybe Oak Park (it wasn't that cheap given how tiny it was) or Park Ridge.

[msmarjoribanks]

9 hours ago, Pine said:

I found the Chicago episode confusing, when they went on the roof deck of the in town loft home.  It looked like Chicago was way off in the distance.  I have never been to Chicago, but, when someone says it's right in town, I would expect the tall buildings etc...are way closer than that view.  Please enlighten me.  🙂 🙂 🙂

The skyline buildings are in the Loop, and until recently there wasn't a lot of housing right in the Loop, although some is close, and some closer in areas (West Loop, for example) are currently very possible (and there are lots of well-known lofts in places like the West Loop and Printers Row).  Since they are talking city vs. burbs, however, "right in the city" could easily mean lots of areas that are that far away from right downtown, like Lakeview (home of Wrigley Field, among lots of other attractions), Bucktown, North Center, etc.  I feel like I should be able to place that building, but am annoyed that I cannot (not a huge loft buff, so will blame that).

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

It doesn't draw from around the country but it is very popular with Michiganders and Chicagoans (because it's on the west coast of Lake Michigan and therefore a reasonable drive) and is known for it's restaurants and shops along a boardwalk. There are state parks and lighthouses in the area that also draw tourists. 

No, it's not Branson. It's better.

Yup, as someone in Chicago I'm aware of South Haven as a fun place to go for a weekend getaway (not similar to Branson).

Edited April 25, 2019 by msmarjoribanks

[Empress1]

21 hours ago, Pine said:

I found the Chicago episode confusing, when they went on the roof deck of the in town loft home.  It looked like Chicago was way off in the distance.  I have never been to Chicago, but, when someone says it's right in town, I would expect the tall buildings etc...are way closer than that view.  Please enlighten me.  🙂 🙂 🙂

Like @KLovestoShop and @msmarjoribanks said, Chicago is big. I'm guessing the skyline buildings are in the heart of downtown but there's a whole city around them. Philly is the same way - the skyline is in Center City, which is literally the middle of the city, but you can see them from lots of neighborhoods around them that are still Philly proper. Same with NYC - hell, you can see the skyline from parts of Brooklyn.

Edited April 25, 2019 by Empress1

[topanga]

Atlanta: I liked the new construction home that they chose, but...

What's the purpose of 2 huge islands in the middle of the kitchen/dining area? It takes away most of your free walking room. Sure there's additional seating, but you don't need a second huge island to gain 3 additional seats.

And she took away that beautiful fume hood so the microwave could be above the range? I agree that having a microwave sit low inside the island is not the best configuration, but there was no other place to put it?

I like the husband's frugality, BTW

[jcbrown]

5 hours ago, topanga said:

Atlanta: I liked the new construction home that they chose, but...

What's the purpose of 2 huge islands in the middle of the kitchen/dining area? It takes away most of your free walking room. Sure there's additional seating, but you don't need a second huge island to gain 3 additional seats.

And she took away that beautiful fume hood so the microwave could be above the range? I agree that having a microwave sit low inside the island is not the best configuration, but there was no other place to put it?

I like the husband's frugality, BTW

I agree that the second island was stupid and a waste of money. I was also appalled that she replaced the hood with a microwave (it may be a microwave hood but those have nowhere near the power of a proper hood). It was clear to me that she was not a cook.

As a couple, I found their non-stop bickering tiresome.

[chessiegal]

I know someone who has a huge kitchen with 2 large islands. You can get a lot of people prepping and working on food at the same time. She does a lot of entertaining and it works for her.

[chessiegal]

And HH is doing it again- relabeling a Beachfront Bargain Hunt as a new HH. Agent doesn't go into the house, narrator is back, with the added bonus of an annoying child making comments. HH - how stupid do you think we are? Evidently very.

[jcbrown]

32 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I know someone who has a huge kitchen with 2 large islands. You can get a lot of people prepping and working on food at the same time. She does a lot of entertaining and it works for her.

Ah, there it is. I am a serious cook and I like to have people over. But DO NOT try to participate in my kitchen. Nightmares. I have spreadsheets when I prepare meals for guests that allow me to do the whole thing myself. Drink, chat, terrific, but do not think you are going to cook when you come to my house.

[cameron]

8 hours ago, chessiegal said:

And HH is doing it again- relabeling a Beachfront Bargain Hunt as a new HH. Agent doesn't go into the house, narrator is back, with the added bonus of an annoying child making comments. HH - how stupid do you think we are? Evidently very.

And you gotta love his tall white socks!!

[topanga]

9 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I know someone who has a huge kitchen with 2 large islands. You can get a lot of people prepping and working on food at the same time. She does a lot of entertaining and it works for her.

It probably looks better in real life. On the screen, it looked like an unnecessary waste of space. 

[Ohwell]

11 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Ah, there it is. I am a serious cook and I like to have people over. But DO NOT try to participate in my kitchen. Nightmares. I have spreadsheets when I prepare meals for guests that allow me to do the whole thing myself. Drink, chat, terrific, but do not think you are going to cook when you come to my house.

I feel ya!  Plus, I don't want to have to clean up other people's messes.  Call me picky but there's a certain way I clean up.   

[LittleIggy]

13 hours ago, chessiegal said:

And HH is doing it again- relabeling a Beachfront Bargain Hunt as a new HH. Agent doesn't go into the house, narrator is back, with the added bonus of an annoying child making comments. HH - how stupid do you think we are? Evidently very.

I thought the annoying child was their granddaughter at first.

[CrazyInAlabama]

They not only recycle Beachfront Bargain Hunt from regular house hunter episodes, but reverse that.   Then some of the Mexico episodes are HH Internationals, and the Caribbean, and Bahamas, are the same deal.     

[Empress1]

They also stuck two HH episodes together to create something called "What Will Your Money Get You?" My TiVo recorded it. Two hunters with the same budget in different locations. Different narrator (they piped in someone with a Brooklyn accent), but it's totally HH. This time there were hunters in Denver (couple, no kids) and SoCal (single guy), each with $750K to spend.

[msmarjoribanks]

2/18 rerun from Rapid City, South Dakota.  I actually liked all three houses, but they got the one I expected due to the great outdoor area.

[Pickles]

19 hours ago, Empress1 said:

They also stuck two HH episodes together to create something called "What Will Your Money Get You?" My TiVo recorded it. Two hunters with the same budget in different locations. Different narrator (they piped in someone with a Brooklyn accent), but it's totally HH. This time there were hunters in Denver (couple, no kids) and SoCal (single guy), each with $750K to spend.

I saw part of this and changed the channel. Not interested in these odd versions. 

What happened to the renovations show? There haven't been any episodes in quite a while.

[msmarjoribanks]

On 4/25/2019 at 2:14 PM, jcbrown said:

I agree that the second island was stupid and a waste of money. I was also appalled that she replaced the hood with a microwave (it may be a microwave hood but those have nowhere near the power of a proper hood). It was clear to me that she was not a cook.

As a couple, I found their non-stop bickering tiresome.

Totally agree with this.  I almost never use my microwave, so the slightly annoying location would have worked better for me than getting rid of the hood.

Bloomington -- I liked the second one due to the location, but it was seriously over budget and I don't think renting out the carriage house would be that pleasant given the location and hassle.  I predicted they'd do the remodel -- the third one just seemed too far out, among other things. I'd like to see the reno.

[LittleIggy]

Atlanta vicinity: Was that an episode of something repackaged as HH? The agent didn’t go in with the couple plus the house they picked was furnished (the closet was full of clothes too).

[juliet73]

23 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Atlanta vicinity: Was that an episode of something repackaged as HH? The agent didn’t go in with the couple plus the house they picked was furnished (the closet was full of clothes too).

I thought the agent not walking through the house with the buyers was strange too. At house #3 the realtor was already getting into her car to leave as the buyers were finishing up their tour of the house. Super weird!

The wife was super annoying. I'm assuming the husband didn't have a say in which house she chose and he bought. And what was up with her "high end boutique" in the house? It didn't look very high end. She told the "customer" everything was 80% off. I don't know if that's a good thing or not as a business owner.

Edited May 1, 2019 by juliet73

[laredhead]

The Atlanta woman with her obsession with columns and antebellum houses was irritating to end.  She just wanted a grand house to make an impression.  The production was like a mish mash of HH beach house and HH, with the realtor not going through house with them, and letting the HH's do the commentary.  If a house is occupied, realtor's don't usually let people just walk through on their own.  It was obvious the 3rd house was theirs, and the reveal shots didn't even try to disguise that because the decor and furnishings were the same.  I laughed when they walked through one house and they kept dubbing rooms as living room #1, #2, #3, etc.  It's your house, you can make the rooms whatever you want to make them.   

[cameron]

Bloomington couple.  Thought it really interesting that the house that they were living in had a much better kitchen than any of the ones that they were looking to purchase.

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

The Atlanta woman with her obsession with columns and antebellum houses was irritating to end.  She just wanted a grand house to make an impression.  The production was like a mish mash of HH beach house and HH, with the realtor not going through house with them, and letting the HH's do the commentary.  If a house is occupied, realtor's don't usually let people just walk through on their own.  It was obvious the 3rd house was theirs, and the reveal shots didn't even try to disguise that because the decor and furnishings were the same.  I laughed when they walked through one house and they kept dubbing rooms as living room #1, #2, #3, etc.  It's your house, you can make the rooms whatever you want to make them.   

I was coming here to ask if this was a re-purposed episode of something else because I noticed the production was different.

[meep.meep]

I don't watch very often these days, and when I do, it always seems to be someone like this family.  There were 3 people living in about 4000 sq. ft.  Talk about conspicuous over consumption.

And her voice could etch paint!

[msmarjoribanks]

I liked the Raleigh couple, and figured they'd go with the second place. I liked the location and style of the third one, but it did seem too small for them, close to the top of their budget, and without remodeling to do that would add to the value (although I liked that the husband thought about the value of the location).  The second was a good compromise with style and location and it seemed like the things like didn't like were easy fixes, especially as the husband knew what he was doing.

[msmarjoribanks]

14 hours ago, laredhead said:

The Atlanta woman with her obsession with columns and antebellum houses was irritating to end.  She just wanted a grand house to make an impression.  The production was like a mish mash of HH beach house and HH, with the realtor not going through house with them, and letting the HH's do the commentary.  If a house is occupied, realtor's don't usually let people just walk through on their own.  It was obvious the 3rd house was theirs, and the reveal shots didn't even try to disguise that because the decor and furnishings were the same.  I laughed when they walked through one house and they kept dubbing rooms as living room #1, #2, #3, etc.  It's your house, you can make the rooms whatever you want to make them.   

Yes, all of this.  I wonder what the deal was with the realtor not seeing house #3 with them, and the focus on the brochure there. Wife and her obsessions were annoying (ooh, columns in the bedroom!), and (without knowing anything about the locations), I did not like the 3rd.  I liked the first the best, although (despite liking older places) "antebellum" (which none of them were) would never be my thing, and nor are 4000+ sq ft houses.

[Lady J]

37 minutes ago, msmarjoribanks said:

I liked the Raleigh couple, and figured they'd go with the second place. I liked the location and style of the third one, but it did seem too small for them, close to the top of their budget, and without remodeling to do that would add to the value (although I liked that the husband thought about the value of the location).  The second was a good compromise with style and location and it seemed like the things like didn't like were easy fixes, especially as the husband knew what he was doing.

But good lord that woman was loud !

[doodlebug]

48 minutes ago, Lady J said:

But good lord that woman was loud !

I wondered if she had a hearing problem.  Every word out of her mouth was shouted and markedly louder than her husband and the realtor.  By the end, I muted it and read the captions, she was giving me a headache with the yelling.

[cameron]

On 5/1/2019 at 9:55 AM, Empress1 said:

I was coming here to ask if this was a re-purposed episode of something else because I noticed the production was different.

Why do people even look at historic properties and then can't understand why homes weren't built with modern layouts like today's new homes.

[Empress1]

NJ couple that wanted an in-law suite: their realtor was FINE. Call me, realtor!

[juliet73]

4 hours ago, Empress1 said:

NJ couple that wanted an in-law suite: their realtor was FINE. Call me, realtor!

Yes and he had the patience of a saint too because both the husband and wife were total jerks!  I'm putting them in my top 10 of horrible HH people.  The constant bitching about not having an island or double vanities, or the tiny kitchens or the lack of carpeting instead of the beautiful hardwood floors.  The realtor was trying to give them helpful suggestions/solutions and they immediately shut him down...rudely.  I had to roll my eyes when they complained about it being impossible to get ready together since there was only one sink in the bathroom.  Seriously?!  The husband would need the sink for 2 minutes to brush his teeth and he'd be ready!  I wonder if the mom said their $600k budget was too much because she was paying for it or most of it? On a non relevant note, I was so annoyed that she was cutting all that fruit with a flippin' steak knife!  Plus, she talked so slow...ugh!!

Edited May 3, 2019 by juliet73

[juliet73]

On 5/1/2019 at 9:42 PM, doodlebug said:

I wondered if she had a hearing problem.  Every word out of her mouth was shouted and markedly louder than her husband and the realtor.  By the end, I muted it and read the captions, she was giving me a headache with the yelling.

Agree!! She was so loud and so annoying! The constant commenting about a place for her wine glass while folding laundry wore thin the first time she said it!  I appreciated that he was a carpenter and paid attention to the details (or lack there of) without being obnoxious about it.  He also tried to explain to her why the doors and cabinetry could be better and she just totally disregarded him.  Plus, she didn't know what a hollow core door was?  He told her and she still didn't get it when she asked if the kitchen cabinets were hollow core at the next house.  UGH!  

[msmarjoribanks]

That he actually knew and cared about the craftsmanship made up for her focus on more "in style" things for me.

Anyone see Grand Rapids?  I know the area a bit, which always makes it more interesting to me, although I didn't know the location of the houses.  The Christmas lights thing was one of the sillier quirks but they didn't play it up as much as I expected.  I would have liked the middle one with some reno'ing, but I expected they'd take the last with his lack of knowledge or interest in reno'ing and her also wanting new build, and realizing they could wait until they had more money to make the improvements and increase the number of beds/baths was sensible enough.

Her "''92! that's old, that's when I was born" was slightly annoying (although she didn't bother me in general, and I relate to her not wanting cabinets to the ceiling as a 5' person -- I'm 5'3).  However, even if I weren't (relatively) old, I'd think considering a 1992 house old was odd, mine was built in 1910 and I love it, and for me the backyard of the second place was a plus and I would not want to live in a brand new subdivision with the backyard of the place they got.  But I did think it seemed a good fit for them.

Except -- and this is a normal except -- paying what they did for a house in Grand Rapids at their age, when employed as a teacher and youth minister, is puzzling to me, but of course that's one of the things everyone says about the show.  (I live in Chicago, so it's not like western MI is some high cost market I can't relate to, as I always think when they do some other places.)

Edited May 4, 2019 by msmarjoribanks

[laredhead]

To the New Jersey couple, you have TWO bathrooms, you both don't have to use the same bathroom to get ready at the same time.  Your child is young, and won't be primping her hair in the other bathroom while you are getting ready to go to work.  Geeeze, people, use some common sense.  The realtor was a saint.  He should have gotten extra commission for that sale.  The house they bought was the best of the 3, but none of them really appealed to me.

[Kohola3]

25 minutes ago, laredhead said:

You both don't have to use the same bathroom to get ready at the same time.

This whole Special Snowflake "getting ready" thing makes me stabby.

I grew up in a house where we had one bathroom (with one sink, the horror) and we all managed to get ready and get going on time.  You work around your time in the bathroom and don't linger.  Dad got it first because he had to go to work, then the kids got ready for school and then mom. 

We all lived into adulthood without any PTSD from the horrendous situation of having only one bathroom.

[CruiseDiva]

2 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

We all lived into adulthood without any PTSD from the horrendous situation of having only one bathroom.

This! Our family of six (mom, dad, four children) rarely lived in a house with more than one bathroom.

DH and I (no children) have two bathrooms and each vanity has two sinks. I use the master bathroom and he uses the "guest" bathroom down the hall. We just like our privacy and when we have overnight company he moves his toothbrush into "my" bathroom. 

[doodlebug]

On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 9:40 AM, Kohola3 said:

This whole Special Snowflake "getting ready" thing makes me stabby.

I grew up in a house where we had one bathroom (with one sink, the horror) and we all managed to get ready and get going on time.  You work around your time in the bathroom and don't linger.  Dad got it first because he had to go to work, then the kids got ready for school and then mom. 

We all lived into adulthood without any PTSD from the horrendous situation of having only one bathroom.

Me too!  5 kids, parents and my grandfather who was working full time, too, and, yet we all managed to maintain appropriate personal hygiene with only one bathroom.  Sure, it would've been more convenient to have had a second, or third, bathroom, but we managed.  Kids took baths at night, my mom worked second shift and did her thing while we were at school.  My dad got ready early in the morning before waking us for school. The logistics were tricky at times, but it was hardly the end of the world.  Now, we've got people who think they cannot share a bathroom with just one other person, their spouse, no less and who apparently have such a convoluted and extensive bathroom routine that they must occupy the space simultaneously.  Crazy talk!  I live alone, and, despite being the only person using my very nice bathroom, I manage to do everything I need to do in there, from bathing to hair, to makeup; in under 20 minutes.  What exactly do these people do in there?

Edited May 5, 2019 by doodlebug

[cameron]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Me too!  5 kids, parents and my grandfather who was working full time, too, and, yet we all managed to maintain appropriate personal hygiene with only one bathroom.  Sure, it would've been more convenient who have a second, or third, bathroom, but we managed.  Kids took baths at night, my mom worked second shift and did her thing while we were at school.  My dad got ready early in the morning before waking us for school. The logistics were tricky at times, but it was hardly the end of the world.  Now, we've got people who think they cannot share a bathroom with just one other person, their spouse, no less and who apparently have such a convoluted and extensive bathroom routine that they must occupy the space simultaneously.  Crazy talk!  I live alone, and, despite being the only person using my very nice bathroom, I manage to do everything I need to do in there, from bathing to hair, to makeup; in under 20 minutes.  What exactly do these people do in there?

Got tired of his spouting off that he manages high end/luxury apartments.  When he thinks that having a town house is the end all in ownership and he starts to dress better, maybe then I will believe him.

[WI GIRL56]

We were also a family of 6 growing up.  We had 1 bathroom, no shower just a tub.  Small sink.  We also had a tiny 1/2 bath on the 1st floor.   We also managed to get ready for school and out the door.  I think in high school I did my hair and make-up in the bedroom I shared with my sister.

We took baths at night.

[laredhead]

I agree that the Raleigh woman seemed to be yelling throughout the entire episode.  I was impressed that they were able to buy such a large house for $435,000(?).  Wonder where it is located?  I think they said it was closer to downtown which kind of goes against the rule that closer to downtown means more expensive.  Anyone familiar with Raleigh and real estate prices?  The husband seemed to be the quiet, steady one of the pair.  His comments about new construction as opposed to older houses were good.  

[WI GIRL56]

St. Louis woman was interesting.  I did not think she would take the attached house.  I thought the 2nd so she could fix it the way she wanted.  

[Writing Wrongs]

I only occasionally watch HH, I usually watch HHI. Did this show used to have narration? It seems weird without it.

[chessiegal]

20 minutes ago, Writing Wrongs said:

I only occasionally watch HH, I usually watch HHI. Did this show used to have narration? It seems weird without it.

Yep - they dropped the narrator. I seem to be sitting at a table of one as liking it better without the narrator, especially since they dropped the "he wants, she wants" manufactured drama nonsense.

[laredhead]

Chessiegal, I'm with you, so make that a table for two.

[msmarjoribanks]

11 hours ago, WI GIRL56 said:

St. Louis woman was interesting.  I did not think she would take the attached house.  I thought the 2nd so she could fix it the way she wanted.  

I thought it was a good decision, though -- the price made sense, and the second would have taken a lot of work since one of the issues was the low ceilings.  I think it having some of the original details despite not needing much work was probably a factor (although who knows, location which was not mentioned much could have been a major unidentified factor).

[txvoodoo]

I'm watching an episode in Florence Alabama - 7 kids. They're practical, though she wants like 50 acres. But my gawd, if I hear "boom boom room" ever again, it'll be too soon. 

[juliet73]

SF Bay Area: OMG with that mother/realtor!! I would have taken the first house just for the fact that it was a 50 min drive away from her! I can't see that marriage lasting very long. The wife seemed kind of meh towards the husband and then add Marie Barone to the mix and I see them moving to Splitsville in the future.

St Louis: The buyer was kind of annoying. I couldn't tell if she was flirting with her friend or just trying too hard...maybe both? I didn't understand why she needed such a huge house. Or why she needed a "grand staircase to make an entrance." She was single and living alone!

[LittleIggy]

Fremont, CA: OMG, the husband’s mom was depicted as such a stereotype. I cringed watching the episode.