House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[slasherboy]

I suspect she was thinking of a split level, with just a half flight of stair between each level.  We had a house like that in Georgia: the living room and kitchen were in the middle; the bedrooms were a half flight up and the family room and garage were a half-flight down.  I don't know how common that floor plan would be in their area of Chicago, though.  And "basement" without stairs just does not compute at all.

 

This describes the house we had in Colorado, too.  I'd never seen that floor plan before and loved it.

[biakbiak]

Garry/Jerry/Larry/Terry Gergich's daughter did well!

[NYGirl]

I was so excited last night when I saw Eric Olsen from NCIS: LA and his wife. What a nice couple. I loved all 3 houses. I loved seeing Jackson Hole Wyoming. I absolutely loved everything. Lol

[laredhead]

NYGirl, I liked them too.  No fake drama over anything.  Only one comment about the location of what would be their son's bedroom in one house and a funny exchange between them about the son sleeping in their bed so it didn't matter right now where the bedroom was.  I like his mother too, and he was very complimentary about her input.  Yes, a very nice episode with beautiful scenery.   Now if only I could afford a $900,000 vacation house. 

[mojito]

I've lost a lot of interest in HH because the people are getting predictable and most of the houses are similar. It was nice to go to a setting like Jackson Hole in good weather to see homes that don't look like typical new homes in typical new neighborhoods in places like Atlanta and Dallas. So dull. The couple was nice enough, too, but when you're spending that kind of money, you're already getting the Holy Trinity so we don't have to hear them being demanded.

[slasherboy]

I like his mother too, and he was very complimentary about her input. 

 

I could be mistaken, but I thought that was her Mother.  Either way, I liked them all too.

 

The only thing I didn't like was the house they bought looked identical to the houses on either side of it.  Anybody else notice that?

[NYGirl]

I hated the Kansas City Mo couple tonight!!!  OMG what a freaking complaining bitch face she was.  And he was no better.  The first house he says.."we wanted move in ready" all because the kitchen cabinets were a light color.  The kitchen was nice with granite and stainless but because of the color it was not move in ready. 

 

Nine minutes from the park?  ::gasp:: that's way to far!

 

Ha...the one they complained the most about... LOL..her:  "I LOVE THAT HOUSE"   me:  Whaaaaattt??? you just complained throughout the whole tour?

 

I just roll my eyes and then move on.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I could be mistaken, but I thought that was her Mother.  Either way, I liked them all too.

 

It was his mother, although he called her "Jeannie-Beanie" at one point. 

 

But I found the episode almost unwatchable because the realtor said "actually" constantly, which drives me insane.

[Mittengirl]

I would think that someone who can afford who can afford a $750,000 vacation home could afford a comb, but apparently not. That was a gorgeous dog they showed at the end.

[AHumanBeing]

I've lost a lot of interest in HH

 

 

So have I, I don't get why the women allow themselves or allow house hunters to put up with this sexist behavior!! For instance, always talking about laundry and the kitchen and not saying anything about their own women cave (Den)! Just.Don't.Get It. It's practically on every episode, It's not going to change unless you do something about it!

[Writing Wrongs]

I don't really care for HH, but I watched last night's new one. It was in Kansas City, MO which is near where I live. The couple were so annoying that I couldn't enjoy watching it.

[aguabella]

So have I, I don't get why the women allow themselves or allow house hunters to put up with this sexist behavior!! For instance, always talking about laundry and the kitchen and not saying anything about their own women cave (Den)! Just.Don't.Get It. It's practically on every episode, It's not going to change unless you do something about it!

 

You're correct - HH is a 1950's redux!

 

The participants cede control when they agree to shoot an episode.  Tptb dictate their lines and then the editing room holds the final card.

 

As viewers, we can vote with our clicker

[aguabella]

I could be mistaken, but I thought that was her Mother.  Either way, I liked them all too.

 

The only thing I didn't like was the house they bought looked identical to the houses on either side of it.  Anybody else notice that?

 

As others confirmed, he was touring with his mother.

 

You're correct - the house was nicely finished but just another tract home, 2,800 square feet built on a .13/acre lot, i.e. monster home on a postage stamp lot.  The exteriors did appear to have the same floor plan.

 

Didn't hear them mention if they'd bought a home in the LA area.  Depending on the suburb / location, that 's far more house than most people purchase.  They're both working on series now but as actors, who knows about the future??

Edited January 30, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

I've lost a lot of interest in HH because the people are getting predictable and most of the houses are similar. It was nice to go to a setting like Jackson Hole in good weather to see homes that don't look like typical new homes in typical new neighborhoods in places like Atlanta and Dallas. So dull. The couple was nice enough, too, but when you're spending that kind of money, you're already getting the Holy Trinity so we don't have to hear them being demanded.

 

Have had that same thought about the Holy Trinity - the house hunters at the upper budget levels don't focus on it b/c it's a given.

 

Kinda' funny that the Jackson Hole episode prominently featured 2 Idaho homes.  Apparently the towns of Driggs and Victor are considered to be part of the Jackson "micro"-politan area.

 

IIRC, they purchased the farthest home out - 45 minutes from Jackson.  The smaller, decoy home in Jackson was 925K but they supposedly negotiated the Huntsman home down to 750K.  Budget of 900K?  Whatever, Show!

Edited January 30, 2015 by aguabella

[mojito]

Aguabella, I was thinking, after watching the KC couple, that maybe there's soon to be an addendum to the Holy Trinity: the farm sink. To me it's kind of a clash, having those brown mottled granite countertops, ss appliances, dark cabinets, and a white farm sink (yes, I'm sure you can get them in ss, but she seemed to like the white sink she saw, if I remember correctly).

[auntjess]

So did everyone catch the turtle lady?
I enjoyed this show a lot.  I see the date was last year, so I think it's a one & done thing.

Who they missed was the couple, moving to a new place, and the wife insisted that they live near friends from home, even though that  added a lot of time and miles to the husband's commute.
They showed the woman who hated trees because birds bothered her, but I remember that one, and her boyfriend, who was the one buying it, bought the one that he liked, and it had trees.
They missed the cornfield and mirror-reflecting shower women.

Some of the commentary was pretty funny.
I cracked up when one said he and his wife kept score on which of them picked the winner, and one was ahead by like 321-315.
Then he said "we've been following the show for 3 weeks."   So true.

 

[NYGirl]

I'm so mad my TiVo didn't pick this one up. I love the nuts. I did see most of the ones you mentioned though.

[Bastet]

I don't know whether tonight's episode in Loudon Co. (VA) was new or just new to me since I hardly ever stomach this show anymore, but good grief!  I tuned in a couple of times during commercial breaks and discovered two things:

 

1. The wife wanted to be within ten minutes of her sister.  Ruling out the possibility there were formerly conjoined twins who had been detached but, by some bizarre medical procedure, were still connected via a 10-mile-long aorta, I decided her complaint about a house being 25 minutes away was every bit as stupid as it sounded.

 

2. They were looking at an 8500 square foot house.  First taking the time to ascertain they were not running an orphanage, halfway house, or other group home, I moved on.

[Honey]

I don't know whether tonight's episode in Loudon Co. (VA) was new or just new to me since I hardly ever stomach this show anymore, but good grief!  I tuned in a couple of times during commercial breaks and discovered two things:

 

1. The wife wanted to be within ten minutes of her sister.  Ruling out the possibility there were formerly conjoined twins who had been detached but, by some bizarre medical procedure, were still connected via a 10-mile-long aorta, I decided her complaint about a house being 25 minutes away was every bit as stupid as it sounded.

 

2. They were looking at an 8500 square foot house.  First taking the time to ascertain they were not running an orphanage, halfway house, or other group home, I moved on.

It was a rerun.  They had 2 kids and were planning to adopt 2 more. I love that couple and that house.

[buttersister]

The "Chicago" couple with wife who was OCD (Oy, Christmas Decorations) worked my last nerve. Freakin' Bartlett is nowhere near the city, so spare me the skyline shots and try a Forest Preserve and a mall. It apparently is the Land of the Worst Window Treatments on Earth. The one redeeming feature was at the very end when the husband (who I had previously wanted to bump his head on every doorway) busts out that he grew up in Poland and just wanted to give his kids more space (ok, but did that account for the three-car garage whining? No.) Annoying OCD wife can make this home her own holidaypalooza and their kids can grow up to never have so much as a wreath in their homes. Loved the realtor, though.

[Tunia]

^^^I cringed every time the husband climbed into the bathtubs with his shoes on.  How rude to do that!

[aguabella]

Aguabella, I was thinking, after watching the KC couple, that maybe there's soon to be an addendum to the Holy Trinity: the farm sink. To me it's kind of a clash, having those brown mottled granite countertops, ss appliances, dark cabinets, and a white farm sink (yes, I'm sure you can get them in ss, but she seemed to like the white sink she saw, if I remember correctly).

 

OMG, too funny, mojito!  Was having that same thought a few days earlier during another episode and then KC wife comes along to confirm it!  With her, we should have set up a drinking game!  Don't remember a preference for a white sink (she may have) but oh yeah, she can definitely get it in stainless!  Was trying to avoid listening to them b/c they whined about absolutely everything.  Thought the guy was smart to simply give in at the end.

 

Didn't care for that brown granite either and no, not with the dark cabinets and white sink.  IIRC, thought another of those homes had too much contrast with brown granite and white cabinets, too.  Don't know anything about the KC market but those houses all looked like flips where someone had gone in and done the basics with stock everything.

 

IIRC, even with the work completed, they complained and complained, negotiating 20K+ (IIRC) off the price.  Wonder if the improvements reduced their days on market.  Good reminder, IMHO, that in general, you don't make your $$$ back from  improvements.  There's always somebody who'll come along and won't care for your choices. 

 

How many buyers plan to rip out part of the granite and demolish a great walk-in closet, like that woman?  And, after saying it, how many actually follow through, lol? 

[mojito]

Yes, the Chicago "OCD" wife...Husband stated that the white appliances that looked perfectly good had to be replaced, but uttered not a word about them when they were in the home he liked. The good thing for all the Americans who are trying to get out of their monstrosity homes with all the upkeep and high mortgages is that there are still people who think they should have granite and knocked down walls and open concept that they can sell their homes to.

 

Think I'm backing off HH for a while. Killing time to watch an interesting show is one thing, but killing time to watch a show you don't like is just plain pathetic.

 

2/5 ETA: I've had my "stone composite" sink for over 12 years, it's a dark charcoal, and there are no scratches or chips. It seems impervious. It's not common to see a utility sink in a home nowadays unless the home is old. This serves as that. I've washed paintbrushes and rollers, the stove fan filter, gardening stuff, and a dog in it.

Edited February 5, 2015 by mojito

[peggy06]

I actually understand the farm sink thing. I have one of those awful stainless steel divided sinks, and neither side is wide nor deep enough to wash anything large. I would really like to have an old-fashioned single deep porcelain sink, but the divided ones are all you find in apartments nowadays.

[aguabella]

I actually understand the farm sink thing. I have one of those awful stainless steel divided sinks, and neither side is wide nor deep enough to wash anything large. I would really like to have an old-fashioned single deep porcelain sink, but the divided ones are all you find in apartments nowadays.

 

Not saying that any particular item in the holy trinity + 1 is necessarily undesirable ... at least, IMHO

[Ohwell]

I don't know whether tonight's episode in Loudon Co. (VA) was new or just new to me since I hardly ever stomach this show anymore, but good grief!  I tuned in a couple of times during commercial breaks and discovered two things:

 

It's "Loudoun" County, and it was probably western Loudoun where they bought.  I had commented earlier that I thought it strange that they didn't mention the name of the town because we do have those in Loudoun county. :)  

 

You can get a lot more for your money if you move to western Loudoun because there's more land, which probably explains why they bought that big-assed McMansion.

[mojito]

I replaced the double stainless steel sink with a giant sink of some kind of composite material. It's nine inches deep and you can soak a large pan in it sitting flat. Highly recommend.

[QuinnM]

I replaced the double stainless steel sink with a giant sink of some kind of composite material. It's nine inches deep and you can soak a large pan in it sitting flat. Highly recommend.

I did that too. It's called granite but it's not really granite. Mine has a little ledge on the left with a colander. I love it. I love that I can soak a roasting pan right in the sink.

[peggy06]

Not saying that any particular item in the holy trinity + 1 is necessarily undesirable ... at least, IMHO

That's a good point. I get so bored with HHers having this knee-jerk insistence, and even expectation, of granite countertops that I forget they became popular for both practical and aesthetic reasons.

[ChelseaNH]

The irritant is not that any of these things are bad; the irritant is the assumption that any other offering is defective to the point of rendering the kitchen/house unusable until the defect is remedied.

[aguabella]

The irritant is not that any of these things are bad; the irritant is the assumption that any other offering is defective to the point of rendering the kitchen/house unusable until the defect is remedied.

 

We weren't discussing that issue but I agree - lack of the holy trinity also doesn't necessarily mean the house is either unlivable or not "move-in ready".  That said, another irritant is the repetition and redundancy, i.e. the fact that HH participants constantly demand the same finishes.  And that repetition is how they received the moniker "holy trinity", IMHO!

Edited February 5, 2015 by aguabella

[NYGirl]

I really do wish that they wouldn't have the HHs ask for the same things every single episode!  Modern and with clean lines (whoever came up with that needs to be shot) vs. character.  Why can't you add your own character?  How can they say a room and boring and bland when it's empty?  Can't they make it more exciting by painting and furnishing?

 

Whatever happened to variety?  I'd really enjoy this show a lot more if they weren't fed lines and opinions.

[laredhead]

This might qualify for the "pet peeves" section, but yet again buyers were complaining about rooms being "tight" and small  in a 1650 square foot house.  They want 3 bedrooms, an office, a large space to entertain, a master suite and they proceed to look at 1500 and 1600 square foot houses.  There is no way anything is going to feel spacious when you try to put all of that into one small house.  These HH's were the ones in Washington.  He was in the National Guard and she was an accountant who worked from home.  In the end they bought the smallest house after moaning about the small rooms.  I did enjoy the hubby's question to the wife about how many people she expected to entertain in that yard and when she said lots of friends and their kids, he said he was planning to be busy that day elsewhere.    

[aguabella]

This might qualify for the "pet peeves" section, but yet again buyers were complaining about rooms being "tight" and small  in a 1650 square foot house.  They want 3 bedrooms, an office, a large space to entertain, a master suite and they proceed to look at 1500 and 1600 square foot houses.  There is no way anything is going to feel spacious when you try to put all of that into one small house.  These HH's were the ones in Washington.  He was in the National Guard and she was an accountant who worked from home.  In the end they bought the smallest house after moaning about the small rooms.  I did enjoy the hubby's question to the wife about how many people she expected to entertain in that yard and when she said lots of friends and their kids, he said he was planning to be busy that day elsewhere.    

 

I rarely consider the selection b/c I realize the home's already purchased and it's unknown if the decoy homes are actually on the market.  In this episode, however, I felt strongly that they should have selected the larger home.

 

The price differential translates into a relatively small difference in the monthly payment but it had nearly everything they needed, according to their statements on camera.  It just felt as if it'd be the better choice.  That small home came off as a little crackerbox, cheap tract home, IMHO.  Yes, I don't know WA RE or anything about those particular locations.  So, who knows?

 

The wife was already complaining that she'd misjudged the reno costs for the kitchen.  And the guy wondered why they hadn't made an attempt to negotiate with the sellers.  Sorry, she didn't come off as some financial wiz, to me.  If their main short-term goal was to go to Hawaii, then ...

 

So, JMHO but I would have purchased the other home, assuming they gave us all the pertinent information.

 

Oh, not a big deal but the guy's snarky comments about guests were directed towards extra kids.  And the episode's title that indicated he's in the National Guard???  IIRC, he actually was retired military, working a stateside job for Homeland Security.  Perhaps tptb need a new intern, lol.

[roseslg]

I must say that I liked that there was a shot in the final scene of the late episode last night (buying in Iowa somewhere, black family), where there was a toddler going up and down the stairs by himself.  It's sad that the highlight of the episode was that they couple didn't go on about stairs their kids would fall down and that you actually saw a toddler not falling down steps.  It happens people!  You have to believe! 

[Bastet]

Even better, there was an episode where the HHs reacted positively to homes with stairs precisely because their little kid liked playing on them. 

[CocoaGoddess]

The weird Black couple in Atlanta (so what else is new--mix it up HH, please!) with the wife whose face was so shiny, she was practically a big glare in HDTV. Does HGTV not have a makeup artist? I guess they wouldn't but geez, I just wanted her to blot. Just once. 

 

Forgot to mention why they were so weird; she didn't want toilet tissue holders in the bathroom because it "broke up the flow" of the wall. What? There is "wall flow" in a bathroom? Sheer lunacy.

And she also complained about outlets being in kitchens, because why would anyone want to ... you know, plug in a coffeemaker. Or a stand mixer. Or any of the dozens of kitchen appliances that people use on a daily basis?

 

Did anyone notice at the end when the husband bragged about doing the concrete floors himself, that the baseboards were splattered with what looked like paint or stain from the concrete floors? Dang bruh, you couldn't spot touch those baseboards with a little bit of white paint before going back on TV?

 

They were in their late 30s and clearly DINKs, but the wife playing it up for the camera, and threw in possibly using a spare room as a nursery one day, and her husband could not hide his annoyance/surprise. You'd think HH would edit out those kinds of reactions. 

Edited February 11, 2015 by CocoaGoddess

[cathy7304]

OK, I can't even wait until this new episode is finished airing to talk about this couple from Dallas to Tennessee. The wife is OK (even though she refers herself as the CEO of the house, ugg). The husband is a total tool. How many times did he say "you know how I hate plastic houses" when he is talking about vinyl siding. And if the kitchen didn't have SS appliances, oh well, he just couldn't deal. And don't get me started with his demand that the floors be wide planked hardwood. The floors in the house they chose had beautiful hardwood , but narrow planks. OMG He just didn't know if he could make that compromise.

[laredhead]

Even the realtor seemed annoyed with him and said the floors did not need to be replaced.  A $300,000 max is not a lot of money for all of the things he was demanding.  Since everything was bigger in Texas, maybe they should have stayed in Texas.  I liked the wife's comments that she didn't care what color the appliances were as long as they kept the food cold and the cookies baked properly.

[Peanutbuttercup]

I want to force people like the Tool from Texas to read a book like Behind the Beautiful Forevers and then ask if they really feel like they need to whine about how they can't possibly live in a house with white appliances or narrow plank hardwood floors. Better yet, have them go live in a slum in a developing country for a month or so and then see if they cry so much over their truly first world problems. Asshats.

[buttersister]

The price differential translates into a relatively small difference in the monthly payment but it had nearly everything they needed, according to their statements on camera.  It just felt as if it'd be the better choice.

Too bad the realtor didn't show it to them before they bought their actual place?

 

Small budget people with no imagination + producer's notes + delusion = low budgets and great big wishlists.

[laredhead]

The Seattle couple was a breath of fresh air with few demands other than a 3-car garage and a short commute for him by public transportation.  No insistence on granite, although she did appreciate seeing it in the kitchens.  No comments about how close the neighbors were and that houses surrounded the back yard of the house they chose.  Guess they don't have a phobia about being seen by the neighbors.  I agreed with their comment about the 2nd floor balcony ledge, but they didn't recoil in horror at it and say it was a deal breaker.  She even mentioned putting up gates at the foot of the stairs in one house, not because she was afraid the children couldn't negotiate the stairs, but because she didn't want them creating a mess upstairs while she was downstairs.  All in all, the episode was pretty drama free.   

[peggy06]

Just watched the Telluride episode, and I am jealous. What an incredibly beautiful place! And the houses weren't bad, either. I think this is in the top three priciest episodes I've ever seen - what must it be like to have that kind of budget? Sure hope those kids appreciate the lifestyle they've been provided.

 

It was shame about the lack of another bedroom in the log cabin house, because otherwise, that was the one I thought they should pick. It was beautiful, and the views? Out of this world. Then again, the father could maybe have set up office space in the master suite and let one or two of the boys have that upstairs bedroom. There I go again, acting like this is real.

 

Wonder if there's any chance that log house is ever rented out? Nah, beyond my price range anyway.

Edited February 14, 2015 by peggy06

[aguabella]

The weird Black couple in Atlanta  

 

... (snip) ...

 

They were in their late 30s and clearly DINKs, but the wife playing it up for the camera, and threw in possibly using a spare room as a nursery one day, and her husband could not hide his annoyance/surprise. You'd think HH would edit out those kinds of reactions. 

 

JMHO and not trying to disappoint you, Cocoa, but I don't believe tptb will ever edit out those comments!  Why not?  Well, they were probably suggested to them by the production staff.  Again, JMHO, but whenever I hear the same comment, repetitively, from the same type of house hunters, e.g. young couples of child-bearing age, it tells me it was probably scripted.  The nursery comment occurs over and over, ad nauseam.  Also, tptb crave drama between the spouses so if the wife actually had that thought (doubtful, if they're truly DINKs), it's definitely not hitting the cutting room floor.

Edited February 15, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

The Seattle couple was a breath of fresh air with few demands other than a 3-car garage and a short commute for him by public transportation.  No insistence on granite, although she did appreciate seeing it in the kitchens.  No comments about how close the neighbors were and that houses surrounded the back yard of the house they chose.  Guess they don't have a phobia about being seen by the neighbors.  I agreed with their comment about the 2nd floor balcony ledge, but they didn't recoil in horror at it and say it was a deal breaker.  She even mentioned putting up gates at the foot of the stairs in one house, not because she was afraid the children couldn't negotiate the stairs, but because she didn't want them creating a mess upstairs while she was downstairs.  All in all, the episode was pretty drama free.   

 

Perhaps the wife didn't sound as if she was complaining but she was mentioning all the usual suspects, e.g. double sinks, granite, s/s, walk-in closets, blah, blah, blah.  And tptb included the typical spousal conflict:  he wants a ranch but she needs a two-story.  The difference might be that even for the Seattle suburbs, their budget was relatively healthy ($600K) so each of the homes they toured on camera were either relatively new and/or upgraded.  Thus, no whining necessary.

 

Had to laugh during the beginning of the last block as they were sitting in a restaurant, reviewing the 3 homes.  Another patron (or two) managed to sneak on camera.  You missed one, editors!  OTOH, with the way they were placed in that shot, tptb might have been stuck with it when they saw it during post-production.  Gotta' love the occasional flubs on reality TV!  Nope, they won't send the team back to WA to shoot a little b-roll.

Edited February 15, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Anybody else surprised tptb didn't mention the Savannah pied-a-terre couple previously appeared on HH in connection with the purchase of their Charlotte home?  HH usually mentions previous appearances and includes a brief clip so ???

 

Was also surprised they hadn't spruced up that small kitchen a tad before the final scene.  They probably will and then list it as a vacation home with the tag line "featured on HH"!

 

 

[biakbiak]

Was also surprised they hadn't spruced up that small kitchen a tad before the final scene.

I wasn't because given they didn't have their dogs with them at the reveal and showed them turning and elevating the queen sized bed and putting up a shower curtain, I imagine this was filmed about an hour after they toured their "fully furnished" purchase.

[aguabella]

I wasn't because given they didn't have their dogs with them at the reveal and showed them turning and elevating the queen sized bed and putting up a shower curtain, I imagine this was filmed about an hour after they toured their "fully furnished" purchase.

 

Agree, biakbiak, that's when they film the "3 months later" (or whenever) scene!

[Kris223]

The Savannah couple - were they the ones that wanted 6 or 7 bathrooms in their Charlotte house? And having an additional one in the basement where there was a bedroom just wasn't good enough?

[aguabella]

The Savannah couple - were they the ones that wanted 6 or 7 bathrooms in their Charlotte house? And having an additional one in the basement where there was a bedroom just wasn't good enough?

 

When I recognized her, something popped into my head about a bunch of bedrooms (for only the 2 of them plus pups) so you're probably correct, Kris223.

 

Also remembered her as being fussy so was surprised they hadn't reno'd the kitchen b4 filming and she didn't even mention it.  Perhaps tptb didn't care for her so they edited out a few comments that would have advertised her Savannah vacation home!  (BTW, I have no idea - merely guessing.)  Otherwise, why demand another 15 minutes of fame?

 

So, if you're planning a Savannah trip, watch for the 1 bedroom, "featured on House Hunters" when you peruse vrbo's vacay listings!  Lol ...

Edited February 19, 2015 by aguabella