House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[cameron]

On 5/17/2019 at 6:24 PM, Ohwell said:

I watched the Long Island episode for about 10 minutes before I bailed.  I couldn't stand that bitch.  The husband must have been mesmerized by her eyes, because that's the only good thing I saw about her.

I have to go back and watch again.  Thought her eye makeup was overtop to meet her personality.

[ECM1231]

Oh shoot de doot...I missed the Long Island episode. She sounds downright awful. Raised on Long Island since age 5 but lived in the city borough of Queens for first 14 years of my marriage. Was so happy to move back to Long Island and overjoyed to buy a 2 story home with a 1st floor bath. Had spent 40 years living with only an upstairs bath and a 1/2 bath in the basement. Jumped for joy to find a huge eat--in kitchen. And this Italian mama cooks and bakes and happily does it in her spacious kitchen without white cabinetry,  an island, or quartz or granite countertops. We are not all pretentious or entitled here.

Was it South Shore or North Shore? Wondering whether it was Long Beach. There was a Long Beach episode not long ago.

[ECM1231]

I'm watching the NJ newlyweds right now. She is standing firm on the "30 minutes or less" commute. The 2nd house was really nice and even had the IGP she wanted. But nope, a 36 minute commute. Smh

[Pickles]

I watched an episode a couple of nights ago where the couple seemed pretty normal. I think it was in Ohio. She was a makeup artist. He was a policeman. He wanted a craftsman. She wanted a victorian. They ended up with a farmhouse looking house. Funny at the end, because it was on a busy road and they showed the wife trying to back out of the driveway and she said it takes forever to get out. Omg. Not good.

[Pickles]

The Florida episode last night. How much of a B was that wife?? Could she go on anymore about how her husband never could make a decision? It was a second marriage and I was wondering how much longer it would last. Blended family of three kids. The wife wanted a three bedroom, because the husband's son was going to be leaving for college so why would he ever need a place to sleep in their house.  Seriously?  I guess she never wanted him to come back! She didn't seem to grasp the concept that kids come home from college and need a room. She was such a harsh, unpleasant person. The agent was a little over the top--very exuberant.

[laredhead]

Pickles, when I saw the Ohio episode and the HH trying to back out onto the busy street, I was asking myself why they didn't put in a small parking pad/turn around down the driveway so that when they came home they could just turn the car around so that you could drive out frontwards when you leave the house.  Maybe they'll figure that out, but it did look like a very busy street.

As for the Florida episode, I believe the couple said they had been "together" for many years, and married only 3 or 4 if I remember correctly.  Maybe he had trouble making up his mind about getting married too which is why it took several years to commit to that.

[Babalooie]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

Funny at the end, because it was on a busy road and they showed the wife trying to back out of the driveway and she said it takes forever to get out. Omg. Not good.

Am I the only person who just backs up into the yard and drives out forward rather than backing onto the street?  I don't get bent out of shape by tire tracks.

[CruiseDiva]

2 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

Am I the only person who just backs up into the yard and drives out forward rather than backing onto the street?  I don't get bent out of shape by tire tracks.

I back out of the garage and drive forward out of the driveway. Reverse is not my best gear.

[ECM1231]

I back into the driveway only when I need to unload groceries as I find it difficult. I have seen driveways in the shape of an upside down "U." One can drive in and drive out very easily that way. But zoning restrictions may not allow 2 curb cutouts and 2 aprons.

I missed that the college-bound child was the husband's son. Yikes! It makes it seem even worse that the wife did not care about a 4th bedroom for when he came back from school. Did not care for her emasculating comments, either.

[doodlebug]

29 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

I back into the driveway only when I need to unload groceries as I find it difficult. I have seen driveways in the shape of an upside down "U." One can drive in and drive out very easily that way. But zoning restrictions may not allow 2 curb cutouts and 2 aprons.

I missed that the college-bound child was the husband's son. Yikes! It makes it seem even worse that the wife did not care about a 4th bedroom for when he came back from school. Did not care for her emasculating comments, either.

The wife’s insistence that her husband’s CHILD, age 18, didn’t need to have a place of his own in their home was downright mean.  Is he  not coming  home over the holidays? Does he not have a summer break?  I noticed she didn’t suggest her precious little girl could share a room with her stepsister in her quest to scale back.  She said the it was because she did all the cleaning, but, if her husband and three teens weren’t pitching in and doing their share, why not? 

One of my big pet peeves is adults who wear stupidly juvenile hairstyles.  I wanted to slick down whatever it was that was sticking straight up on the top of the husband’s head.  He looked like Alfalfa.

[LittleIggy]

Utah: The wife’s numerous moles distracted me. Hope she’s had them checked for melanoma.

[Kohola3]

On 5/22/2019 at 11:02 AM, laredhead said:

I was asking myself why they didn't put in a small parking pad/turn around down the driveway so that when they came home they could just turn the car around so that you could drive out frontwards when you leave the house.  Maybe they'll figure that out, but it did look like a very busy street.

I live on a busy state highway and everybody backs in so they can pull out. I've become quite an expert at backing up out of necessity and the fact that there is no place to put any kind of turnaround.

[ByaNose]

On 5/16/2019 at 7:15 PM, Ottis said:

If I had to live in Astoria, I would be depressed every day. That much money for those houses, to live in that location with traffic and crappy weather? No. Way. For that money you could buy a nice house in Georgia AND a beach condo in the Caymans. I count myself lucky that I’m not from there and have no reason to move there. That was one of the saddest HH episodes ever for us. 

Word. I’ve heard of crazy money & crazy real estate but not for dumps. No f’ing way!

[El maestro]

I like the show, but some of the budgets that the couples have are really mind blowing specially when you consider their jobs.

[AuntiePam]

Enjoyed the Chicago episode Tuesday night.  Nice couple, they didn't bicker or try to control each other.  And they chose the right house.  I hope they show up on Reno, and that they don't wreck that old house, because it had some really nice features.

The realtor though -- the arched eyebrows.  Could those be natural?  Or just the result of too many facelifts?

[Pickles]

It took the Chicago homeowners six months to choose a new dishwasher for their current house. I cannot imagine that their reno on the new house will ever be completely finished. I can see it getting to the halfway mark and then nothing. 

[Ohwell]

57 minutes ago, Pickles said:

It took the Chicago homeowners six months to choose a new dishwasher for their current house. I cannot imagine that their reno on the new house will ever be completely finished. I can see it getting to the halfway mark and then nothing. 

Yeah, the husband didn't strike me as knowing much at all about renovations, or how much they cost.  That house just looked like a money pit.

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

The realtor though -- the arched eyebrows.  Could those be natural?  Or just the result of too many facelifts?

My guess was too many facelifts.  She looked scary with those eyebrows.

[Empress1]

The Chicago wife and realtor both had horrible harsh brassy hair.

[ECM1231]

Re the Chicago couple last night: I guess that mantra of location, location, location is very true. I'd have chosen the Victorian that was way under budget and didn't need any work.  As Ohwell said above, the husband did not seem to be the 'handyman' type and I can see this renovation dragging on for years. I thought their renovation guestimate of $150,000 was laughable but who knows? I'm amazed at how cheaply these flippers seem to be able to renovate the homes on other HGTV shows, freebies notwithstanding.

[Amethyst]

I actually LOL'd when the Chicago couple spent all that time on the Queen Anne house only to end up with the first nightmare of a house.  

IA with the consensus; those renovations are going to take years to finish, assuming they even do them all.  They'll probably reno the office/attic, kitchen, and "wait and see" on the rest.  Tbh, I felt bad for the husband.  He said they'd already done two renovations, so who can blame him for wanting something move-in ready?  Plus their indecisiveness when it came to making decisions about their home.  The new place was basically a gut job, everything needed to be redone. 

The seller may have lowered the price tag, but that's because there's even more problems than they anticipated, possibly structural issues.  Forget that.

[Pickles]

The Florida couple tonight. Wow, they did not appear to even like each other. She was particularly snarky and condescending. They said they met in high school. It may be time to part ways, unless they just enjoy being miserable. 

[athousandclowns]

I’m watching the 2 girlfriends in DC looking mostly at townhouses. They’re giggly and so so critical of perfectly fine cabinets calling everything outdated or too much granite. 

i have  not watched in a couple of years but purposely put it on DVR because I  gotta stop watching so much crap reality.  

Oh how exciting the Palm Springs gay nurse is looking in Running Springs / Big Bear where I got married.  He wants mid century modern up in cabin and A frame territory. Both these two shows I’ve watched  the budget  is $250. I had check the year because I didn’t think any place in southern  California area would be that amount. . 

Hope there won’t be too many snots  demanding granite stainless and white cupboards. 

[LittleIggy]

59 minutes ago, Pickles said:

The Florida couple tonight. Wow, they did not appear to even like each other. She was particularly snarky and condescending. They said they met in high school. It may be time to part ways, unless they just enjoy being miserable. 

I kept calling her “Lilith Crane” during the episode. Glad the guy got his pool.

[msmarjoribanks]

On 5/29/2019 at 6:18 PM, ECM1231 said:

Re the Chicago couple last night: I guess that mantra of location, location, location is very true. I'd have chosen the Victorian that was way under budget and didn't need any work.  As Ohwell said above, the husband did not seem to be the 'handyman' type and I can see this renovation dragging on for years. I thought their renovation guestimate of $150,000 was laughable but who knows? I'm amazed at how cheaply these flippers seem to be able to renovate the homes on other HGTV shows, freebies notwithstanding.

Absolutely.  When they start out saying they want a specific neighborhood, especially if it's certain neighborhoods of which North Center is one, and show 3 houses, only one of which is in the target neighborhood or near it, then I know which one they will pick.  Also, flat out (and as the realtor said) there's no modern single family with a backyard in North Center for under $800K.  A modern SFH in NC is going to be rare and over a million.

$600,000 for a house with a larger than standard lot in North Center is quite cheap, it made me wonder specifically where it was, but I haven't found it yet.  I looked a little in North Center before I bought last year (I sold a condo in Southport, which is a similar area and not far), and the lowest priced I saw were these:

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1821-W-Byron-St-60613/home/13388358 (sold for $580K, but listed way above, needed work and more importantly too close to the L and metra).

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1924-W-Grace-St-60613/home/13387310 ($680K, 3/1.5 like the place the couple bought, but less charming on the outside, although likely less work needed).

The deal with North Center is that it's a hot area for families with children, lots of single family, nice area although not all that close to downtown (not bad by L, though, depending on where you are), and most of all, some of the best elementary school districts in the city (although that only gets you through 8th grade).  

The Old Irving Park place (which I loved) might have seemed like a possibility except they showed them going to an open house, so it seemed obviously not the pick.  When looking, I looked at a couple of places in Old Irving (without really wanting to live there).  It has pluses, including the actual time to downtown by the Blue Line and accessibility to the highway, but doesn't have the amenities of some other areas, depending on what you want.  But it's a nice and pretty area and has lots of great houses, many on extra large lots as the one shown, and is great for families.  The elementary schools aren't as respected, however, and in miles it's farther from the Loop, the Lake, and other popular areas like Lakeview. But the prices are much better.

Here's the listing: https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/4302-N-Tripp-Ave-60641/home/13481384

Some of the recent Chicago ones have not specified the neighborhoods, so I was glad that this one did.

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, athousandclowns said:

Oh how exciting the Palm Springs gay nurse is looking in Running Springs / Big Bear where I got married.  He wants mid century modern up in cabin and A frame territory.

I liked both him and his friend.  She was pretty funny with some her comments and it was clear that she was throwing in objections just for the script.  That view on the one he chose was incredible but they never did address the parking problem.

[CruiseDiva]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

I liked both him and his friend.  She was pretty funny with some her comments and it was clear that she was throwing in objections just for the script.  That view on the one he chose was incredible but they never did address the parking problem.

I doubt that there was a parking problem. The househunter and his annoying (Big Bear!) friend parked the car they arrived in, as did the realtor.

The house he bought was exactly what he wanted. The others were meh. While the last one was a cabin, it was hardly a true A-frame.

[laredhead]

While I enjoyed seeing vacation houses in the California mountains, two of those places would not be what I would want.  I agreed with the buyer in wanting some privacy, and a view.  Who wants to step outside and be surrounded by houses on all sizes on postage stamp size lots.  Might as well buy a condo that has the amenities you want.  I liked the house he chose, and hope he can upgrade it to his style.  It does have a nice view, if you ignore the road just below it.

The wife of the St. Petersburg couple certainly was Debbie Downer/Nancy Negative.  Someone said she reminded them of Lilith from Frasier.  Yes!!!  That's exactly who I was trying to figure out she reminded me of every time she opened her mouth.  I think by the end of the episode the husband might have really been asking himself why he married her.  I bet if he had said he loved the sky being blue, she would have had a negative comment about it.  I think the house they bought met all of their needs, well, his anyway.  I didn't care whether she got anything she wanted by that point.  The first house they looked at was totally boring, IMO, and I like contemporary style.  Too gray and cold for my taste.  Yeah, that would have appealed to her.       

[Ohwell]

10 hours ago, Pickles said:

The Florida couple tonight. Wow, they did not appear to even like each other. She was particularly snarky and condescending. They said they met in high school. It may be time to part ways, unless they just enjoy being miserable. 

That woman was a sourpuss.  Plus, she had a flat, nasally voice that I wouldn't want to listen to.

[hoosier80]

Watched a Denver episode late last night, daughter was moving out of parents home, stayed there a few years (?) to save up for a condo.  She had a budget of around $450k.

Stressed how she didn't want a lot of upkeep as she was busy with her career.  She does however, say it with me, wants something with charm and character.

She takes along her sister to view the properties.  One is new loft condo in an old church.  Two is a stand alone home that the sister is loves.  House was built in the 1940's, so has c & c, but there's a yard, plus the rooms are really kind of choppy.  Third is a modern condo in a high rise in downtown Denver.  All brand new, so not a lot of c&c.  

The vocal fry, especially with the sister, drove me insane.  I watched to the end only to see which one she picked.  I knew she wouldn't go for the house, which was what the sister wanted.  They showed her in the newly gutted loft (former church building).  She'd kept everything that had charm and character, but was redoing everything.  The place was under budget by at least 100k, so  guess she had money to do all of that and was ok with living with her parents a bit longer (guess they were ok with it, too).  

I would think with the snow they get in Denver, a garage or covered parking would be a priority, but it wasn't mentioned at all.  I know my attached garage is a very good thing, just with cold, snow, rain, hail, whatever, and I'm just in OH (not the snowbelt).

[athousandclowns]

5 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I liked both him and his friend.  She was pretty funny with some her comments and it was clear that she was throwing in objections just for the script.  That view on the one he chose was incredible but they never did address the parking problem.

I really liked them too! I was married at a friends house in Lake  Arrowhead which was on a narrow road with no parking. Their house was a tad lower than the road and cars under the influence would miss turns go down into yard stopping at the house. It’s so beautiful up there. I went and checked prices and amazed that the friends house was worth 239 000 after owning it for 40 years. Lots of movie stars have always had places up there since it’s a relatively short trip.   Full time residents stock up with supplies because they can be snowed in for days. 

[CruiseDiva]

There was an episode on last night with a couple buying a house at the beach in Texas. It was interesting to see that they could purchase nice houses so close to the water for a relatively low budget.

Snark alert!! That wife's purple and orange ombre hair dye job and her tattooed arms were so ugly it was difficult to even look at her. During the intro I thought she was her husband's wacky mother.

[Kohola3]

2 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

That wife's purple and orange ombre hair dye job and her tattooed arms were so ugly it was difficult to even look at her.

She's one of those "we're so unconventional" people that has to keep reminding you how quirky she is.   Their poor kid looked mortified as some of their antics.

I am thinking that some of those places are cheaper by virtue of the fact that they are prone to hurricane damage because of their location.  I can't imagine they would survive a direct hit by a Cat 5 hurricane and the storms are increasing in intensity every year.  Yeah, they are on stilts for the storm surge but I would be worried about the structures being sound enough to withstand really strong winds.

[javajeanelaine]

I forced myself to finish watching the St Pete couple since my sister has a house there and I went househunting with her.  It was tough though.  That woman was so so unpleasant.  I fail to see why he married her.

[ECM1231]

6 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

She's one of those "we're so unconventional" people that has to keep reminding you how quirky she is.   Their poor kid looked mortified as some of their antics.

I am thinking that some of those places are cheaper by virtue of the fact that they are prone to hurricane damage because of their location.  I can't imagine they would survive a direct hit by a Cat 5 hurricane and the storms are increasing in intensity every year.  Yeah, they are on stilts for the storm surge but I would be worried about the structures being sound enough to withstand really strong winds.

At one point the husband endearingly leaned over to his wife and called her "Snookums", I kid you not. The look of horror on their son's face was priceless. I got a big chuckle out of that. I tuned in later but did not realize they were somewhere in Texas and I fell asleep before they chose their final choice.  They were an odd couple, imo. 

[msmarjoribanks]

13 hours ago, hoosier80 said:

Watched a Denver episode late last night, daughter was moving out of parents home, stayed there a few years (?) to save up for a condo.  She had a budget of around $450k.

Stressed how she didn't want a lot of upkeep as she was busy with her career.  She does however, say it with me, wants something with charm and character.

She takes along her sister to view the properties.  One is new loft condo in an old church.  Two is a stand alone home that the sister is loves.  House was built in the 1940's, so has c & c, but there's a yard, plus the rooms are really kind of choppy.  Third is a modern condo in a high rise in downtown Denver.  All brand new, so not a lot of c&c.  

The vocal fry, especially with the sister, drove me insane.  I watched to the end only to see which one she picked.  I knew she wouldn't go for the house, which was what the sister wanted.  They showed her in the newly gutted loft (former church building).  She'd kept everything that had charm and character, but was redoing everything.  The place was under budget by at least 100k, so  guess she had money to do all of that and was ok with living with her parents a bit longer (guess they were ok with it, too).  

I would think with the snow they get in Denver, a garage or covered parking would be a priority, but it wasn't mentioned at all.  I know my attached garage is a very good thing, just with cold, snow, rain, hail, whatever, and I'm just in OH (not the snowbelt).

The things they don't mention are so odd.  Parking should have been.

I thought the 3rd place was good for her, I would have picked the house, so of course she went with the 1st.  Higher assessments than a high rise (the high rise was shockingly reasonable) is odd, but the amount of reno she's doing is impressive, I'd love to see the results on an update show as the bedroom was why I thought that place was a no, so I'd love to see how she manages it in that space (with the larger bathroom and closet and apparently no loft)..

[Empress1]

22 hours ago, Ohwell said:

That woman was a sourpuss.  Plus, she had a flat, nasally voice that I wouldn't want to listen to.

I didn't like her at all. Very flat affect and a mean personality. And why was she dipping her feet in the pool when she still had sandals on?

[Kohola3]

14 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

And why was she dipping her feet in the pool when she still had sandals on?

For the same reason the moron walk into the shower or climb into the tub with their shoes on. Just stupid.

[StatisticalOutlier]

18 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

There was an episode on last night with a couple buying a house at the beach in Texas. It was interesting to see that they could purchase nice houses so close to the water for a relatively low budget.

Did you happen to notice the color of the water in a closeup they had of some waves?  Brown.

I've always thought that part of the Texas coast is ugly.  Or, well, all of the Texas coast, actually, except for maybe South Padre Island, way down at the tip, where the water is kind of almost blue.  Or maybe more accurately rising only to the level of not-brown.  

It just goes to show that not all coasts are created equal.

[ByaNose]

St. Pete couple. Yikes! He married her?! I’m sure he regrets that decision. The only thing that bother me about him were his teeth. I’m weird that way. The cottage house was cute. It was expensive at $442,000 though. It had a cool pool & tiki bar which sold me. Wait! He's really married to her? 

[msmarjoribanks]

Washington DC, two masters, another where I liked the two they did not pick and not the one they did.  Likely location (which was not discussed) would cast light.

[ECM1231]

Austin episode tonight. Anyone familiar with the areas chosen? 2nd condo was definitely very close to downtown but with their 2 large dogs, I am so glad they chose the home with a large yard.

They chose the 3rd home which was my favorite. My son lives in Austin, within the city limits, a 15 min drive from downtown. 1st time there I was shocked to find he had a sizeable 80' x 100' yard. That is unheard of in the NYC boroughs. I am just wondering if the house they chose was actually in Austin proper.

[Pickles]

The episode last night in Greenville, SC with the husband/wife architects. She really annoyed me. So much talking. She was clearly in command and her husband seemed just like a potted plant. Of course, immediately you knew they would go with the house that was stripped down to the studs. It was ridiculous when they toured other houses and the wife was talking about changing the roof line, moving the front door, etc. Good lord. Just build a new custom home! On a superficial note, that couple and the agent---what a toothy bunch.

[laredhead]

Pickles, I totally agree with everything you said.  The wife wasn't going to shut up about anything that wasn't her "style", and clearly if she didn't design it, it wasn't going to be her style.  Everything from the front door to the cabinet hardware was subject to criticism.  The husband must have the patience of Job to listen to her all day.  I'm sure she's 100% in charge of that renovation, because is something gets moved 1" w/o her approval it's not going to be her style.  Maybe we'll get to see the house on a future episode of HHWATN.  Time for HGTV to film a few of those because it's been a couple of years since we've seen any.  

[Kohola3]

24 minutes ago, laredhead said:

The wife wasn't going to shut up about anything that wasn't her "style", and clearly if she didn't design it, it wasn't going to be her style.

Which begs the question - why buy and existing home?  Why not just design and build one that is to your taste?

[laredhead]

Kohola3, in my town, people are buying $500,000+ houses, tearing them down and building custom houses to get into a desired location.  Very few vacant lots are available, and when they are, the prices are almost as much as those with houses on them.  Perhaps there were no available houses w/in their price range in their desired location that could be torn down and a new one constructed for what they were willing to spend. 

[kirklandia]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

Kohola3, in my town, people are buying $500,000+ houses, tearing them down and building custom houses to get into a desired location.  Very few vacant lots are available, and when they are, the prices are almost as much as those with houses on them.  Perhaps there were no available houses w/in their price range in their desired location that could be torn down and a new one constructed for what they were willing to spend. 

I live in the Seattle area.  I walk weekly on a trail behind this house.  It was sold for $740K a year ago, was mostly demolished, and I have watched from the back side as it deteriorates, exposed to weather and vandalism.  I guess they ran out of money.

A similar-era house near me was purchased for $900K and totally demolished.  The new construction, a huge boxy house, is filling the entire lot.

A huge investment - I wonder how much profit they expect?

[LittleIggy]

New Haven, CT: I liked that couple. They were down to earth and funny. As cheap as they got the first house, they could do a good bit of reno. Would like to see how it turned out.

[topanga]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

New Haven, CT: I liked that couple. They were down to earth and funny. As cheap as they got the first house, they could do a good bit of reno. Would like to see how it turned out.

I like that they were very humble and weren't making crazy demands like going into historic homes and expecting open concept/granite counter-tops/huge walk-in closets.

But the house they purchased was a dump. I hope they're able to renovate it for their family. I'd love to see them on a "Where Are They Now?" episode. 

[Ohwell]

I missed part of the intro but I thought both of the New Haven couple were photographers?  And I thought the guy mentioned something about them being homeless at some point?  I didn't get if they were really homeless or if it was just a figure of speech.  Anyway, I got the impression that their budget compelled them to buy the cheapest place, and they'd just have to live with the dump (and it certainly was a dump) until they were able to make repairs/renovations. 

All I can say is, good luck to them and I'd like to see them on a WATN episode, and how much they spent on renovations. 

Edited June 6, 2019 by Ohwell

[LittleIggy]

18 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I missed part of the intro but I thought both of the New Haven couple were photographers?  And I thought the guy mentioned something about them being homeless at some point?  I didn't get if they were really homeless or if it was just a figure of speech.  Anyway, I got the impression that their budget compelled them to buy the cheapest place, and they'd just have to live with the dump (and it certainly was a dump) until they were able to make repairs/renovations. 

All I can say is, good luck to them and I'd like to see them on a WATN episode, and how much they spent on renovations. 

The husband now has a job at Yale. They are staying with his mother.