House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[DownTheShore]

Glad I'm not the only one whose gaydar went off regarding that guy! 

 

I think that 45 minute commute in traffic is going to get really old, really fast.  I couldn't understand the husband's hatred of that master bath - after all, it had that all-important double sink!  The thing seemed to be huge, and just needed a different paint color or some wallpaper, and some accessories to distract from the dark tile/marble/whatever.

 

I always wondered why Studio City was called that, though HH said that it was built on land that was once silent film studios, while Wiki says that the area around the Mack Sennett Studio was named Studio City.  Just for curiousity's sake, here's the evolution of the actual ownership of the studio land:

 

Mack Sennett Studio > Mascot Pictures > Republic Pictures > CBS Studio Center (current)

[momrn]

I really disliked the wife that wanted a tea room in North Carolina. Something about her realy grated on my nerves. It started when they were describing what kind of homes they wanted and her husband said "rustic." She felt the need to call him out on national tv because he never mentioned that before, and it really didn't matter what he wanted because they were looking at what she wanted. I just couldn't watch it and had to turn it off.

[Vivigirl10]

 

Something about her realy grated on my nerves. It started when they were describing what kind of homes they wanted and her husband said "rustic." She felt the need to call him out on national tv because he never mentioned that before, and it really didn't matter what he wanted because they were looking at what she wanted.

I felt mortified for him at that point.  He trailed around after her like a beaten down little puppy.  Grow a pair, buddy!  Maybe at least smash some of her tea-cups?  Gah....she was awful.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Kiki620

[laredhead]

The North Carolina wife wanted a house just like the one her parent have.  Um, didn't quite get that did they?  A tea room?  In what universe do these first time buyers live?  They had $180,000 to spend and they wanted a $500,000 house.  The husband is going to be lead around for the rest of that marriage by the ring in his nose.  He's probably embarrassed today after that exchange about him wanting a more "rusticky" type of house.  How does one spell rusticky?  I agreed with him about the deck with no stairs from it to the yard.  I guess that's a future project for them, because the wife said she just couldn't picture them ever moving.  She won't be happy there in 2 years.

Edited June 5, 2014 by laredhead

[Mrs. P.]

She really was awful - I felt so bad for her husband. I knew after 5 minutes into the show that she would call the shots on which house they picked, and sure enough, she got her 'tea room' house.

I wonder how he felt when he watched the show and saw how henpecked he appeared.

[Taylorh2]

What year does she think she's living in ?

 

"A Tea Room" ? She is actually going to hold "tea parties" ?  And what the hell was up with him and 'floor vents' ?

[QuinnM]

 

I think that 45 minute commute in traffic is going to get really old, really fast.  I couldn't understand the husband's hatred of that master bath - after all, it had that all-important double sink!  The thing seemed to be huge, and just needed a different paint color or some wallpaper, and some accessories to distract from the dark tile/marble/whatev

The oddest part of that bathroom discussion is that that is what modern looks like.  That is sleek and modern.  What's your problem?  And that tile work looked first rate.

[peggy06]

Agree on the N. Carolina couple. Did you catch the exchange about the storage area off the kitchen? She wanted a pantry; he wanted a storage room. She says "We'll talk about that" in a tone of voice that made it 100% clear who was going to do the talking. And the tea room stuff was just silly. Just say you want a spot where you can display your collection of tea things, for Pete's sake! In a starter home, you really expect a dedicated room for serving tea? (Not that they got one.) The house they chose was the best choice in terms of space - bigger rooms and better layout - but the storyline for the show was ridiculous. And storyline or no, something about her attitude just screamed "My way or the highway."

[izabella]

I was sad for their adorable dog who didn't get a fenced in yard.  Oh, well, says NC lady, I got my tea room! 

And the tea room stuff was just silly. Just say you want a spot where you can display your collection of tea things, for Pete's sake!

 

Exactly - just put up some shelves in the dining room, and you've got a "tea room" where you can actually sit and have tea.

[Amethyst]

The oddest part of that bathroom discussion is that that is what modern looks like.  That is sleek and modern.  What's your problem?  And that tile work looked first rate.

 

ITA.  That may not have been his exact taste, but he requested modern and that was definitely modern.  No realtor would turn their nose up at that bathroom.  The hubby made it sound like it was a gut job in the making.  I think he was just being nitpicky or the producers needed some drama.  

 

I would have gone with the first house in Sherman Oaks.  They could have renovated it they way they wanted, it was way under their budget, and it was close to the wife's job.  Long commutes definitely wear on you after a while, especially in a place like LA.

[chessiegal]

I wanted to like Phoenix tattoo woman VA employee by day, stand-up comedian by night because she had a kitty who liked to sleep in the bathroom sink. I'm a sucker for cats and their quirks, but that woman was beyond annoying. "I like that it has stainless steel appliances instead of white". Well, that's just a disaster. How am I going to live the lifestyle in a master bedroom without a bath tub when there were other bathrooms with a tub. She's living alone and she couldn't walk her lazy ass to one of those?

And she obviously doesn't understand what "unique" means - it does not get an adjective. And the last straw - tearing up travertine floors. I like hardwood too, but really?

[ChelseaNH]

I understand the "woo hoo, look how much my money buys!" feeling, but what on earth does a single person want with a 5 bedroom house?  She didn't need roommates to help with the mortgage.

[DownTheShore]

That's one of the things that gets me - it seems to be a make-or-break issue if there isn't a tub in the master bath, yet there are one or two other bathrooms in the house that have a tub.  What, she can't walk that extra few feet down the hallway?  Is she going to get cooties from using another bathroom?

 

That NC woman was horrendous.  I found myself hoping that the husband would find someone else and divorce her, because if he doesn't, ten years down the line his life is going to be a living hell.

[darbar]

I have three bathrooms and the master bath doesn't have a tub, but a big shower. If I want to take a bath, I go to one of the other bathrooms and take a bath. I just don't get these house hunters who go nutso if there isn't a tub in the master.

I just didn't get the Phoenix woman. If she really wanted a Mid Century modern, she should have stayed in California. I used to live in the greater Phoenix area and most of the houses are either Spanish style or Santa Fe.

Watched an old show where a couple were fighting as to whether to live in Kentucky or Ohio. They were both so stupid. The realtor would show a Kentucky house and the wife would love it telling the husband that "it's only a short drive over the River" to Ohio. When they saw a house in Ohio, the wife got pissy and kept saying "it's just so far to Kentucky" when it was the exact same drive over the bridge to Kentucky.

I'm constantly amazed by the weirdness of so many buyers on all these house hunting shows. I swear they have a rule about having to include so many freaks. There was a guy who wouldn't buy a house if his wacky, and supposed psychic, wife felt that someone died in the house, or if there was a spirit that hadn't completely crossed over. And of course you have so many who have a budget of $150,000 but want a $500,000 home. Just once I would love to see an agent tell a couple to get freaking real and kick their butts to wake up and smell the coffee and tell them that they aren't going to get granite, stainless steel, a pool, walk in closets, a 20X20 master bedroom on a $150,000 budget.

Edited June 7, 2014 by darbar

[DownTheShore]

IIRC, a friend of mine told me that new homes in Santa Fe have to be built in either Spanish or Territorial style; perhaps Phoenix has the same requirements?

 

I would love to be able to have one of those mid-century Eichler homes that seem to abound in California.  Not much like that here in the Northeast; those low-slope roofs aren't the best for snow loads.  I think that California has the best assortment of types of housing stock.  They've got everything but truly old Colonial buildings and brownstones.

 

The ones that really get me are the house hunters who want their homes to conform to some feng shui standard.  I always wonder why they just don't build their own homes so that they get everything right.

[JasmineFlower]

The woman in Atlanta was a whole to take. In some ways she was better than I expected but she still grated. Others who have grated like her didn't see so many positives in a place, she wasn't going around criticizing everything under the sun, she saw potential in a lot of things, so it was more watchable than I thought it would be, I was thinking this was strictly FFwd material after that intro.

 

But her and the husband were killing me with the appliances in that 3rd house? I'm so glad the realtor was like, which old appliances are you referring to, this single old appliance? Cause the rest look brand new and they certainly did.

 

I just knew they'd go for the fixer upper, it felt like she needed a project and she was determined to make her house the next one. I'm happy they showed so much of the in-progress renovation, really capture how big of a renovation they are doing/.

[Peanutbuttercup]

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Atlanta couple on a future edition of House Hunters: Where Are They Now. And I agree, they weren't quite as bad as I feared they would be from the previews.

[ChelseaNH]

I caught the end of it and her manner bugged, but then she graciously recognized that her husband had indulged her with the fixer, so I'm not counting the days to their divorce.

[Ohwell]

Last night I saw an episode of a couple looking in DC.  He was military stationed at the Pentagon and she worked on Capitol Hill.  I used to live in DC so initially I was interested in the HH, but in the end I didn't care because I was distracted by her eyebrows, or lack thereof.  She was blonde and very fair, so her eyebrows were so light it looked like she didn't have any.  She looked weird.

Edited June 11, 2014 by Ohwell

[DownTheShore]

I'm always amused by the people who don't like a place because it is "already done" and they can't "leave their mark" on it.  Every time I hear that I think to myself, "Go pee in a corner of the room and you'll have left your mark on it".

 

Personally, I'd rather move into a house that was finished, and slowly change things to suit myself rather than buy something and immediately start ripping up things.  I'd rather get a sense of the place first by living in it for a while.

[Amethyst]

I'm always amused by the people who don't like a place because it is "already done" and they can't "leave their mark" on it.  Every time I hear that I think to myself, "Go pee in a corner of the room and you'll have left your mark on it".

 

Word.  As far as I'm concerned, the moment you sign the lease and move your stuff in, then it's yours.  Eventually, it will be filled with your silly clutter, your funky smell, and your goofy relatives.  You can't leave more of a mark than that.

 

I got whiny vibes from the Baltimore couple.  About the staircase...the husband was worried that he would hit his head.  Wouldn't he see the stairs first?  I feel like I missed something.

[buttersister]

The producer's notes, no doubt.

[chessiegal]

We have a breakfast nook with a table and chairs, and light fixture hanging from the ceiling. One year we put the table to the side to put our Christmas tree in the other corner. I can't tell you the number of times my husband bumped his head on that light fixture until I stuck a chair under it, lol.

[suedehead]

Last night's ep featured a young NJ couple looking for their first home who were fairly quirk free. Her only thing was not wanting a bi-level (which I've always heard called a split foyer) and he wanted a fixer upper and a garage.  I thought they would pick the first one, a cute older home with some land and a detached garage, but it really didn't need much work and the price was at the top of their budget. I don't who would buy that third, really outdated, fugly YELLOW!!!!! house with the garage access off the small "master" bedroom. Super weird. Surprised, they picked the bi-level, but thought I it was the second best choice and it appeared she warmed up to it. 

 

I find it odd when a bedroom is called a "master", when there's no private bathroom (or en suite, which seems to be a popular term nowadays on these shows - first I heard it was on LIOLT and I thought it sounded pretentious, which wasn't a stretch IMO for David, who bugs). I always thought having a bath attached is what made it the "master." If it doesn't, isn't it just the biggest bedroom?   

[Taylorh2]

OMG that third house was seriously FUGLY!!!! why did the master bdrm open into the garage ? WTH and those bathrooms!!!! I really want to see the previous owners of that house. I wonder how long they lived there and were those bathrooms their design ?  lol

[JasmineFlower]

I got whiny vibes from the Baltimore couple.  About the staircase...the husband was worried that he would hit his head.  Wouldn't he see the stairs first?  I feel like I missed something.

 

I didn't care for the wife at all. She was way too whiny for me. I liked him for the most part and did think it was funny when he was like, I thought I had some principles and standards but have found shiny and new can basically make me cave on anything.

 

About the stairs, I think one of the things is that the camera work on these shows has gotten really good. I thought that living room was nice and all but I've been in these 100 year old townhome/rowhomes in Philly, Baltimore, DC, and Boston more times than I can count. How they show it on the TV screen really makes it appear larger than it actually is IMO. Baltimore being a bit newer than Philly seems to me they discovered the homes needed to be a bit wider, but they took it a few feet wider, not tens of feet wider. Point being, space is much tighter in those living rooms than I've seen it looking on these shows and typically you have to use the space near and under the stairs for some purpose when it's available (sometimes that area is solid and serves as space on the opposite end leading to a basement) just because options are fairly limited. I'm  not sure he was strictly concerned with walking into the stairs but standing from a couch, grabbing something from a cabinet and hitting the stairs, etc. Just my take on what he meant and why it didn't bug me much. That wife was another story.

 

Master bedroom doesn't mean en suite at all. There are millions of homes up and down the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions that have no en suites that have master bedrooms and have had them for over 100 years. The idea of a Master containing a bathroom is definitely a newer phenomenon. I think it typically was called that as it would be where the master of the house would live, it'd be the biggest room but also might have better attributes, better placement in the house, Also, remember some of these room sizes being huge is newer as well, the master used to be the biggest room well above the others. Children's rooms used to be a lot smaller and maid's quarters were minuscule at best, the size of a narrow closet today.

[Taylorh2]

We toured a 129 yr old house in Denver and the maid's rm was only big enough for a twin bed and small bed side table.

Edited June 13, 2014 by Taylorh2

[puppytoes]

Smh at the young couple in New jersey (last nights episode) who bought the bi-level house and are willing to pay $11,000 a year in taxes. That adds around 916.00 a month to their house payment. Stupid, stupid decision.

[walnutqueen]

I have a 1960s fugly yellow house.  I find it charming ... now.  (Bought it in '88, so I have no choice!).  :-)

[sugarbaker design]

Smh at the young couple in New jersey (last nights episode) who bought the bi-level house and are willing to pay $11,000 a year in taxes. That adds around 916.00 a month to their house payment. Stupid, stupid decision.

 

 

We New Jerseyans are painfully aware of property taxes, I'm sure they took that into consideration before buying.

[Tunia]

Smh at the young couple in New jersey (last nights episode) who bought the bi-level house and are willing to pay $11,000 a year in taxes. That adds around 916.00 a month to their house payment. Stupid, stupid decision.

 

That's just not that unusual for the area.  My son and his family moved three years ago from Massachusetts to the Hudson Valley area of New York.  Taxes in MA were around $3,500/year on a $450K home.  Their NY taxes are $12K for a 3,200 sq. ft. new construction in a fairly remote area (with a 1-hour commute to his office just over the NJ border), and that was the low end of the properties they were looking at.  One home they liked had an $18K tax bill!

Edited June 13, 2014 by Tunia

[suedehead]

 

Master bedroom doesn't mean en suite at all.

Then what is it and what is the difference between it and a master bath?

 

I was an appraiser here in Atlanta for 15 years (until the bubble burst) and appraised a variety of properties from crack houses to mansions. Never heard the term en suite. Maybe it's a regional thing? Since I first heard it on LIOLI, I thought it's must be a Canadian term for master bath. Only recently have I seen floor plans saying en suite, and those have been few and far between. I've been into home plans since I was a kid (50 y.o here) and every one I ever saw (and these would be from firms all over the country) would denote "Master Bedroom" and "Master Bath" on the plan.  To me, it's on the same level of the recently overused term "open concept." 

Edited June 13, 2014 by suedehead

[JasmineFlower]

Smh at the young couple in New jersey (last nights episode) who bought the bi-level house and are willing to pay $11,000 a year in taxes. That adds around 916.00 a month to their house payment. Stupid, stupid decision.

 

Not stupid at all. Just part of the price you pay to live in New Jersey. That's not even remotely high. There are $200,000 houses that pay that much in taxes in New Jersey. It's just the way that it is and it's better than it was before, they've stabilized the taxes in recent years instead of having increases (though that's come at a cost to their immediate areas at times). It's hard to understand I'd think if you live in an area where you have super low taxes, but it's common to most of New Jersey to pay high property taxes and if you plan to buy, you know that going in. It's the way that it is. It's why many who decide to live close to Princeton have opted for north Philly suburbs near the NJ border, taxes aren't cheap at all but they might be better than NJ and you might even get more bang for your buck house wise.

 

This couple was in Morris County (which is a very, very nice area that is highly sought after) so that tax amount for that huge property seemed low to me. Think they lucked out.

 

@suedehead, I said where I thought the term "Master Bedroom" came from. I'd assume en suite merely means a room that is only accessible from one particular room, that's it's enclosed in that area. What I meant before was that it's not at all synonymous with a Master Bedroom. It is not a requirement for a master bedroom to contain a bath, that was what I meant was a new phenomena.

[puppytoes]

I am from suburban md ,lived in Montgomery County before I retired To Md Eastern shore seven years ago. My taxes run under $2500.00 a year in my new county and I paid much less in my old county. It was sticker shock hearing that taxes were so high in NJ.

[Rhondinella]

Never heard the term en suite.

 

 

I THINK maybe this is originally European (and maybe by way of Canada, I don't know).  I just know I never heard the term until I started living and traveling in Europe, where "en suite" the the designation that your room will have its own private bathroom, instead of the older European tradition of sharing a bathroom with the rest of the people on the floor.  That's still true in some places I've stayed, especially older buildings that haven't been remodeled.

 

Anyway, I always assumed it migrated to the US from Europe, but I might be wrong.

[LuckyBitch]

NJ has notoriously high real estate taxes, probably the highest in the country. I thought it was interesting the way they brought up the tax figure in the NJ episode, because I don't remember ever seeing the real estate taxes mentioned on HH. But, in NJ one of the very first questions prospective home buyers have after the price of the house is how high are the taxes.

 

I'm pretty sure the voice over coming back from one of the commercials mentioned that Morris County is one of the most affluent counties in the country. Many Fortune 500 businesses are headquartered there, salaries are on the high side, and many people commute to NYC where the salaries are even higher.

 

Most people are used to the high real estate taxes, although it's a perpetual source of complaints. The major problem with the high real estate taxes is that it forces so many people to sell their homes and move out of state when they retire. Almost everyone cites the high real estate taxes and high cost of living as the main reason for moving away from their family and friends when they retire.

Edited June 14, 2014 by LuckyBitch

[DownTheShore]

I remember taking a boat ride on the Navesink river in NJ years ago and Bon Jovi's house was pointed out.  IIRC, the guide said that the property taxes on the homes on that street, at that time, were in excess of $86,000/year.

 

$11.000/yr in property taxes in Morris county isn't bad.  NJ is a very expensive place in which to live. 

I think that the "en suite" term migrated from the European hotel industry, since having a bathroom of your own in your hotel or motel room in the US probably hasn't even been in question since prior to the 1950's, I would guess.

[ChelseaNH]

"En suite" is French, refering to a set of interconnected rooms forming a suite.  I've been reading "At Home" by Bill Bryson, about the history of domesticity, and indoor bathrooms were adopted earlier and more extensively in America than Europe, and en suite bathrooms were a major feature in European hotels.

 

Houses with a single shared bathroom (like mine) still have a master bedroom.

[Amethyst]

I used to look forward to the Chicago episodes (my hometown!) but they always pick the most entitled jerks to represent the city.  

 

The girlfriend was such a brat.  She was griping about things she hadn't even mentioned on her list.  "Where's my doorman?  Where's my double vanity?  Where's my walk in closet?"  

 

All I wanted was my remote control so I could change the channel.  

 

Don't forget she had to have a skyline view, a wood and timber loft, new appliances, and be in River North.  I actually felt bad for the boyfriend, did he even ask for anything?  Never once did the girlfriend say what they wanted, only what she wanted.  

[jcbrown]

She was truly dreadful and she had taste for shite. She spackled on the makeup, too, and ended up looking like a clown. I don't get buying property with someone before you've ever lived with them. She seemed like she would be a PITA to live with. Ack.

[buttersister]

Ugh, grateful to not have the entitled one in River North. Hilariously, my building was contacted about being one of the also rans---had to be for this episode. No thanks! (A previous episode ended with a purchase here, don't know if it was the same realtor!)

[Patrizio]

Enjoyed the Jacksonville, FLA couple. The house didn't look like much from the outside, but, was nice on the inside.

[darbar]

That River North woman was awful. And what was with her and crystal chandeliers? The new light fixtures did not belong in the unit they purchased. She's all about the blig, but no substance. That couple will never stay together.

[izabella]

I thought that chandelier lamp thing was hideous and took up far too much floor space. 

[LazyToaster]

I couldn't take that woman, so had to FF to the end. I agree, the lamp was awful.

[Misslindsey]

I missed the intro on the couple in last nights HH's. Why was she worried about ghosts?

[Lawgiver]

Because she's either crazy or that's what the producers wanted.

[laredhead]

Did they ever explain why there was a cemetary marker in the back yard of one of those houses in last night's episode.  I was distracted by the woman's appearance.  It looked like she had prepared for her 15 minutes of TV fame by getting a spray tan and her teeth whitened and an odd haircut.  The husband was pretty laid back and I loved his response to her gripe about no tub in the master bath by saying he had never seen her take a bath. She then said she wanted a tub for Emma, but the hall bath had a tub.  Why do people think every bathroom needs a tub, especially if the bathroom that the child will be using has one?  While I'm sure many historic houses are lovely and have their fans, I could never live in one like the house they showed last night.  Very small, tiny kitchen, not energy efficient, but someone had taken cae of the house and maintained it beautifully from what we were shown.     

[zivadanielle]

We're watching a repeat in Atlanta we haven't seen before. The husband didn't want carpet because it contains "old foot skin". We were cracking up. That was a new one. In the first house, he said about the master bedroom that it would fit a king bed, but wouldn't fit The King. He was a funny guy.

 

One of my favorite episodes!  He was hilarious and from what I recall the realtor was kind of funny too.  Wasn't there a bathroom with a weird gate thing to the toilet or what not? They were all likeable for HH where a lot of the people seem like asshats. 

 

That River North woman was awful. And what was with her and crystal chandeliers? The new light fixtures did not belong in the unit they purchased. She's all about the blig, but no substance. That couple will never stay together.

 

 

I thought that chandelier lamp thing was hideous and took up far too much floor space. 

 

I miss when I don't watch for a while then all of these horrible episodes spur me to come on here!   Yes those chandeliers were tragic. 

 

With those Chicago people, I did not get their dining room either.  Everyone at the dinner party they showed looked all squeezed into a hallway area!

 

I came on though specifically to state my slight annoyance with the very entitled yet almost Stepford wife family in Oklahoma.  They were basically looking at all humongous homes that, while IMO pretty posh, needed extensive renovations in order for the wife to consider living there.  Blech.  

[NYGirl]

I enjoyed last night's Las Vegas couple.  The husband had me actually laughing out loud at some of his remarks and antics.  He had to have a balcony so he could be Jimmy Cagney.

 

They were a likeable couple.