House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[buttersister]

Sounds to me like tptb are having a tougher time finding decoy houses - the realtors know there's nothing in it for them.

And when it comes to condo hunting, I can speak for at least one big city association that said no thanks to being a decoy. Are you kidding me? (Three cheers for location!)

[roughing it]

Last night's HH in San Antonio.  I was a little bit invested since my sister-in-law lives there.  I would not want any of the three houses.  Of all the homes in SA, this was all the agent had to show them?  HH wife was super annoying too - "A pool would be nice" - agent shows house with a pool - "oh, I think having a pool would be too dangerous for Jackson (child)". 

[biakbiak]

She actually expressed her safety concern about the pool in the intro but said it wasn't a deal breaker.

The house they went with looked like two houses smashed together.

[laredhead]

I like the realtor telling the buyers that her brother got his head stuck between the railing bars when he was a child, just after they expressed concern about their child getting his head stuck.

[Ketzel]

I just saw the episode of the family relocating from Tennessee to Seattle. The wife was Kenyan and the couple had three very young boys. This episode had two of the HH tropes that make me roll my eyes the hardest. First, wanting inconsistent things and complaining when they can't have them. Please, folks. If you want the house to be next to a commuter bus stop, stop complaining that the houses you are being shown are on major streets. Commuter bus lines don't wander slowly through quiet areas; they are about picking up large numbers of people and delivering them to major business areas as fast as they can. You want a stop outside your door? Your door is going to open on a busy street. Sheesh.

Second, being convinced that your toddlers (and baby) are out-of-control monsters with suicidal tendencies. Is there some kind of epidemic in the US of unattended toddlers racing out into busy roadways and getting killed by drivers that I haven't heard about? When your children are young enough not to understand the danger, they shouldn't be outside alone in the first place. And when they are old enough, presumably you've taught them not to run into traffic.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Ketzel

[SpiritSong]

I just saw the episode of the family relocating from Tennessee to Seattle. The wife was Kenyan and the couple had three very young boys. This episode had two of the HH tropes that make me roll my eyes the hardest. First, wanting inconsistent things and complaining when they can't have them. Please, folks. If you want the house to be next to a commuter bus stop, stop complaining that the houses you are being shown are on major streets. Commuter bus lines don't wander slowly through quiet areas; they are about picking up large numbers of people and delivering them to major business areas as fast as they can. You want a stop outside your door? Your door is going to open on a busy street.

I missed the first part of the episode. If he commutes to work via bus, why did they want a 3 car garage?

[Kiddvideo]

I missed the first part of the episode. If he commutes to work via bus, why did they want a 3 car garage?

He has a bunch of books that need storage.

I hated this episode b/c of the "goodbye problem" when there just happened (!) to be an express bus stop at the new house that they failed to mention. Goodbye 20 minute walk to the bus, which was the only problem with the property.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Kiddvideo

[Ketzel]

He has a bunch of books that need storage.

I hated this episode b/c of the "goodbye problem" when there just happened (!) to be an express bus stop at the new house that they failed to mention. Goodbye 20 minute walk to the bus, which was the only problem with the property.

Failed to mention? Are you kidding me? That realtor specifically said the nearest bus stop was a 25 minute walk away!! I assume the bus company must have decided to add the stop after the HH made their agonized decision to chose the house that was such a long walk from the bus! Because the show wouldn't outright LIE to us would it? Oh nevermind. :) Edited April 1, 2015 by Ketzel

[Guest]

Can someone explain to me how this show works?  Sixteen years or so on air?  99 seasons?  I was thinking literal seasons, like Fall/Summer/Winter/Spring.  But they are almost a decade air time short of that.  Its bugging me.

[aguabella]

And when it comes to condo hunting, I can speak for at least one big city association that said no thanks to being a decoy. Are you kidding me? (Three cheers for location!)

 

Makes sense to me!  Why bother?  It's just an inconvenience to the current residents, IMHO.  I can't think of any benefits, in fact.  Would any potential buyers months or years later tour a unit and/or buy one b/c they happened to previously see the building featured on HH? 

 

If the filmed decoy was actually for sale on the filming date, it should be sold with escrow long closed by the time the HH episode airs, typically 6 months later.  If not, it has far too many problems for an appearance on HH to make any difference, whatsoever, IMHO!

Because the show wouldn't outright LIE to us would it? Oh nevermind. :)

 

Well, depends how you feel about lies of omission.  Are they lies b/c we'd probably be lucky to only count them on 1 hand per episode, lol!

Edited April 2, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Can someone explain to me how this show works?  Sixteen years or so on air?  99 seasons?  I was thinking literal seasons, like Fall/Summer/Winter/Spring.  But they are almost a decade air time short of that.  Its bugging me.

 

That's seasons as in television seasons, ParadoxLost, e.g. 13 episodes or 16 - as tabulated by the particular production company and/or network.  BTW, they often air episodes out of sequence.

 

If you check out the "Show" tab on their website, you may find more info.  OTOH, maybe not, lol!  Incidentally, the website's episode numbers typically don't correlate with the dvr / cable / TV guide's indexing so who knows ??? 

Edited April 2, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

So the Chicago flipper has sold that bungalow home. I got the impression, probably wrong, that she was wanting to be the next Rehab Addict: Chicago. She looked to me to be trying to mimic, in a slightly different way, the lady from Rehab Addict. I just thought she was angling for a show, more than her seminar exposure. 

 

 

eta It wasn't obvious to me that the high rise was a mistake. Wondering about my obvious skills now. Ha

 

I never got a Rehab Addict vibe but believe she was definitely trying to create a brand, IMHO.  Thought she was angling for all of it!

 

Can't help but wonder about the "sold" sign slapped up on that property what, 48 hours after HH aired?  Supposedly with a small overbid?  Closing a week later, so all cash, presumably?  Does Amy have another investment company - doing rentals perchance, lol ???  ETA ** 

 

To promote and market her brand, I'm certain Amy desperately wanted the "Sold" sign on that property, if / when anyone researched it, after either seeing or hearing of her appearance on the show.  Most people, IMHO, wouldn't remember the details concerning her purchase plus renovation costs and carry, etc.  Amy, marketing her brand, could fill in that part of the story, spinning it to her best advantage. 

 

Holding that property for 9 months, total?  She had a fair amount of investment $$$ tied up in that place.  If flippers strive to get in and get out, then ...

 

"High rise", stewedsquash?  Which episode?

 

 

**ETA:  incidentally, this is what I was referring to, i.e. the possibility of a related party transaction, when I mentioned that I was "skeptical" about the sale, above.  I wasn't thinking about the typical, city mid-rises across the street!  Sorry if I didn't express that succinctly, above.  In my world, these types of transactions happen, routinely.

Edited April 2, 2015 by aguabella

[Guest]

That's seasons as in television seasons, ParadoxLost, e.g. 13 episodes or 16 - as tabulated by the particular production company and/or network.  BTW, they often air episodes out of sequence.

 

If you check out the "Show" tab on their website, you may find more info.  OTOH, maybe not, lol!  Incidentally, the website's episode numbers typically don't correlate with the dvr / cable / TV guide's indexing so who knows ??? 

 

Don't think I didn't think of this.  I checked out wiki and episode count averages 5.4 per season that way and that is not normal.  TV.com says that some seasons have only one episode.  I was thinking maybe its a TV season by narrator or realtor or city or something :) I can't watch this show because a show about making the biggest investment of most people's lives should make sense mathematically. lol.

 

BTW, HH international says 70 seasons or something ridiculous like that.

 

Its like that age old question.  How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop.  Crunch.  The world will never know.

[Empress1]

Just watched an ep set in Provo, Utah. The husband kept saying he wanted a farmhouse sink in the kitchen because he did the dishes, and I was wondering why a dishwasher was never mentioned. 

 

It's interesting how distance varies to people - the wife wanted to be close to her parents because they helped out with their two young kids, and they looked at a house that was 15 minutes away from her parents. She thought that was too far. 15 minutes is nothing to me. They ended up in the one closest to her parents but furthest from his work (20 miles each way).

[Bastet]

Yes, I've noticed that in other episodes, too -- a HH will say she wants to be near her family because they routinely help with childcare, and I think, "Makes sense," and then in the next breath she'll declare anything over 10 minutes to be too far, and I'm baffled.  It's 15 minutes max, door to door, from my house to my parents', and I consider that conveniently close (but with just enough buffer to avoid the pop-in).

[laredhead]

Empress1, I also wondered why he kept mentioning a farmhouse sink for dishwashing instead of insisting on a dishwasher.  At the end of the episode he said he liked the time he spent in the car and used it as downtime. I thought the couple was trying very hard to say something nice about each house.  They seemed almost overly polite as opposed to many of teh HH's that do nothing but whine and moan about every house they see. 

[CocoaGoddess]

My dishwasher broke for a time and I had to start washing dishes by hand--I have a deep farmhouse style sink so it wasn't a frustrating experience, and I started to actually like washing the dishes and looked forward to do it as a way to de-stress. When I got my brand new dishwasher, it took me a week to start using it and even now, I prefer to wash dishes by hand. So I felt like the Utah buyer and I had something in common, and it was nice to see someone want a kitchen appliance/feature to actually USE it and make their lives easier. No, "I don't cook but I MUST have stainless for entertaining!"

 

Dishwasher is still best for utensils though. So tedious. 

[Ohwell]

and I started to actually like washing the dishes and looked forward to do it as a way to de-stress.

I have a dishwasher but I love washing dishes by hand.  There's something that's so comforting about it, and it does de-stress.  I turn on the dishwasher a few times a year just to make sure it's still working.  I remember as a teenager that my mom was so happy because she never had to ask me to wash the dishes.  I would get up from the table and start washing, lol.

[awaken]

Whoa-  I watched the ep last night with the guy who wanted a log cabin a la "Uncle Randy" in Florida, and that woman had THE BIGGEST jaw, chin, and underbite I've ever seen in my life!

[bubbls]

I'd be interested in just how fake all these husbands are who cook. I know of only a single husband who enjoys cooking and even then he's mostly a BBQ guy, although he does get in the kitchen too. Yet to hear it on HH a good 50% of the men do the cooking and must have the fancy kitchen appliances. 

[Empress1]

It's so funny - the "men don't cook" trope is foreign to me because my dad is an AWESOME cook, and he learned from my grandfather. I get my love of cooking from him. I've dated a few men who can't/don't cook and I always find it jarring.

Whenever I see electric ranges on this show, I think "Oh no, that must go." Gas all the way, IMO - I vastly prefer it for cooking.

Watching Amy the "urban pioneer." Agree she had no intention of actually living there, and she did seem to be angling for her own show. She spoke in sound bytes - things she thought sounded good on camera.

[laredhead]

Bubbls, looking for a man who cooks?  Come to south Louisiana, or Louisiana in general.  Men cook in this state, and they don't just BBQ outside.  I think it's a regional "thing" and men cooking where I grew up is not uncommon.  My father made a mean banana pudding and could make fried chicken better than my mom.  Fancy appliances do not a good cook make.  

 

Having said that, I'm tired of the women adding that cutesy statement that they don't cook or wash dishes.  What do they do to contribute to the running of the household if both HH's work?  Maybe they do laundry, but not much is said about laundry rooms on the episodes.  I just read that HH's now want nice laundry rooms, so I guess that will become the next big must have along with an up to date kitchen and bath. 

[bubbls]

Bubbls, looking for a man who cooks?  Come to south Louisiana, or Louisiana in general.  Men cook in this state, and they don't just BBQ outside.  I think it's a regional "thing" and men cooking where I grew up is not uncommon.  My father made a mean banana pudding and could make fried chicken better than my mom.  Fancy appliances do not a good cook make.  

 

 

It probably is a regional thing. In fact, my brother cooks and he....ta-da....lives in south Louisiana, lol. I've failed to notice the regional part on the show, but I also suspect producer shenanigans. And I too have wondered the same thing when the women say they don't cook etc. 

 

I've dated a few men who can't/don't cook and I always find it jarring.

 

 

LOL, that's funny. I know how you feel. My dad worked on our cars growing up so I assumed all men had an instinctive knowledge/desire to do the same. It took me awhile to catch on. 

[biakbiak]

I don't k n ow that it's that regional, I grew up in Seattle all the men in my family cook. I could seriously probably count the number of times my mom made dinner and it would be under a hundred. When my dad wasn't there we would go out or once I showed an interest in cooking I started making dinner.

Most of the men in my life who grew up all over also cook regularly.

[CocoaGoddess]

My father was born and raised in Texas, and he was always the cook in our household. My mother, a native Los Angeleno had one dish and one dish only--meatloaf. Pretty much outside of my own husband, all of the men I know are great cooks and love to do it.

 

I think the Food Network culture over the past 20 years kind of contributed to that. Emeril and company all made it normal for men to tackle cooking and preparing meals for their families and guests. 

[laredhead]

My TV listing shows several HH Where are They Now episodes scheduled for this week.  They indicate they are not new shows, but are reruns.  If you missed some of these in the past, it might be a good time to catch up on them.  Check your local listings for the times.

[bubbls]

Well, I wish I knew some of these great men cooks because I get tired of cooking! I tried to get my husband to learn but he was no more interested in that than he was in my idea for him to go to chiropractic school so I could get free adjustments any time. Hmph. He can cook a mean bag of microwave popcorn tho so there's that, haha. 

 

I still think it's produce-driven though in a lot of cases in the same way so many of the women claim the biggest closet. 

My TV listing shows several HH Where are They Now episodes scheduled for this week.  They indicate they are not new shows, but are reruns.  If you missed some of these in the past, it might be a good time to catch up on them.  Check your local listings for the times.

 

 

I watched one recently about the couple who bought the condo on Cocoa Beach, Fl. The wife was an interior designer. Oh my, I loved how she decorated that condo! I wish I had that talent or knew someone who did. I really enjoy this version of HH. 

Edited April 6, 2015 by bubbls

[MoreCoffeePlease]

I like the realtor telling the buyers that her brother got his head stuck between the railing bars when he was a child, just after they expressed concern about their child getting his head stuck.

 

I liked that too.  There are babyproofing products you can install to prevent kids from sticking their head through the railings or dropping toys through them.

 

San Antonio couple seemed nice and the little boy was precious.  I liked that contemporary house, even though contemporary is not my usual preference.  I know they said they needed extra bedrooms for visitors ... how many visitors do you have at the same time? 

 

Normally I do like split levels, but the one they toured was a little strange, and the proximity to the highway was just too close.  That house did have a lot of potential though, if you could get past the location.

[tvchick]

My TV listing shows several HH Where are They Now episodes scheduled for this week.  They indicate they are not new shows, but are reruns.  If you missed some of these in the past, it might be a good time to catch up on them.  Check your local listings for the times.

Thanks for the heads' up.  These are my faves now in the HH franchise, so I'll be looking out for them.

 

BTW, is there a PreviouslyTV discussion anywhere of the "Beachfront Bargain Hunt" or "Lakefront Bargain Hunt" shows?  I was mesmerized by them yesterday, and I'd love to discuss it.

[chessiegal]

Right now Beachfront and Lakefront Bargain Hunt shows are being brought up under "Genre: Other Real Estate Shows". You can request a forum for them. Every time we watch them, my husband starts looking for condos on the Gulf in Florida or Alabama. :)

 

Also saying thanks for the renovation reruns heads up.

[laredhead]

Chessiegal, how do I find "Genre:  Other Real Estate Shows"?

[chessiegal]

The Genre list is here:

 

http://forums.previously.tv/forum/935-genre-talk/

 

 

[DownTheShore]

My sister made sure she taught her boys to cook and bake, starting from when they were young, because she wanted them to be self-sufficent. Her eldest son routinely cooks supper now for the family, frequently trying out new recipes or making up his own. The youngest one will do the same thing, and since he's also a hunter/fisherman he also brings home the protein.

[aguabella]

Interesting to see the multiple comments about the UT husband "washing dishes".  Funny, around here, nobody thought he was doing anything more than loading the dishwasher and cleaning up the kitchen, possibly washing a few stray items, at most.  Read a comment recently from someone who'd appeared on HH.  They said, "We were told what to say and how to say it".  Given HH' past behind-the-scenes practices,  I don't take anything uttered by the HH participants that seriously.

 

I think of HH as an adult version of young schoolchildren's matching exercise.  Tptb determine one item missing from 1 property and instruct one of the spouses to state it's something they absolutely can't live without!  Given the cookie cutter UT tract houses, however, tptb probably work harder to determine that item.  Sounded like a farm sink, an upgrade that's recently become fairly popular, was the best they could do.  

 

During the filmed house hunt, they had no need to mention the dishwasher b/c that'd be standard equipment for UT homes of that era, IMHO.  And, IIRC, each of those homes was equipped with a dishwasher.

 

HH' occasional UT episodes seem fairly consistent WRT the endless supply of cookie cutter tract homes.  Apparently there's no shortage of both desert land and cheap labor so they continue building.  Yes, they've aired a few Salt Lake Victorians but not that many interesting, older, unique, renovated homes.  And, these house hunters, like most who've appeared, were searching in the Salt Lake City / Provo 'burbs.  (Incidentally, it's probably tough signing up SLC Victorian decoy homes.)  Why renovate when you can cheaply and easily buy new?

 

UT residents out there, if you don't care to lose your privacy and appear on HH  but have an interesting, unique, upgraded home and plan to sell, please sign up as a decoy, lol!  You don't mind vacating your home for 12 hours, correct?  Or the fact that there's apparently no stipend, right?  Yes, your home will be sold and closed by the time it airs, most likely.  Oops, there's no benefit to you - sorry ...  Well, how about practicing your negotiating skills to score that $50?.  Oh, sorry, the realtor used their own home or friends', free of charge ...

 

Ok, ok, ptb, I understand:  you're back in LA for Season 298, lol!

Edited April 13, 2015 by aguabella

[bubbls]

 

Read a comment recently from someone who'd appeared on HH.  They said, "We were told what to say and how to say it".

 

 

Very interesting! So these people are willing to look like compete dumb-asses for a chance to be on TV? Bwahaha!! Some of them manage get around it somehow and you can tell they're mocking the show while being on the show. My favorite was the couple buying the million-dollar home somewhere in Florida. The husband said that, yes, they need a huge yard for Tiny, their 1/4-pound toy poodle (or whatever the details were). He was obviously laughing with the rest of us and close to doing an eye roll. 

[Peanutbuttercup]

Tptb determine one item missing from 1 property and instruct one of the spouses to state it's something they absolutely can't live without!

 

I have no doubt that's true. Last night's in/near Boston was: we must have a second bathroom! And of course they picked the house without the second bathroom.

[laredhead]

I liked the house the Boston couple chose.  Well, I liked the first floor anyway.  Those houses are small!

 

Then there was the family of 9 moving to Portland and they chose the new build because they didn't want to spend any money on updating or remodeling.  Unlike some of the previous HH's with multiple children, they were planning to have at least a couple of the children share a bedroom.  It would have been nice to have had 3 bathrooms in that house, but in a few years, the kids will be leaving for college or moving out and then a 5 bedroom house would probably be too large for them at that point.  I did not like the dining room in that shade of red which was not only on the walls, but also on the ceiling.  I wonder if that was their color choice since it was still there after they moved in?

 

Also, with the Portland couple, when they were shown a 5 bedroom house with only 2000 sf they both talked about how small the rooms were.  Duh!  The more rooms you squeeze into a 2000 sf house, the smaller the rooms become.  They had already seen 4 bedroom houses with bonus rooms that had more square footage.  What did they expect?  Nevermind, it's all fake anyway, but please complain about something real.  If a realtor had told me he was going to show me a 2000 sf house with 5 bedrooms, I would have told him not to waste my time or his. 

Edited April 16, 2015 by laredhead

[Bastet]

I liked the house the Boston couple chose.  Well, I liked the first floor anyway.  Those houses are small!

 

We were quite conspicuously not shown the upstairs rooms in the "after move-in" segment, which was annoying because I wanted to see if they were sleeping in bunk beds, in a queen-sized bed hey had to both climb onto from one side because it took up the whole room, or what.  For all the HHs we’ve been subjected to who proclaim a bedroom to be too small when there is ample space for a full bedroom set with room to move around, here’s a couple with a room that is legitimately small and we don’t get to see how they made it work.

 

But, yes, I loved the downstairs.

[aguabella]

Very interesting! So these people are willing to look like compete dumb-asses for a chance to be on TV? Bwahaha!! Some of them manage get around it somehow and you can tell they're mocking the show while being on the show. My favorite was the couple buying the million-dollar home somewhere in Florida. The husband said that, yes, they need a huge yard for Tiny, their 1/4-pound toy poodle (or whatever the details were). He was obviously laughing with the rest of us and close to doing an eye roll. 

 

Yep, no shortage of people willing to give up their time in exchange for a measly $500/couple stipend and their 15 minutes of fame - or so they believe!

 

Oh, you mean the FL guy who installed the terrific pool with the walk-in, beach-style entrance?  Can't remember it specifically but I wonder if he was eye-rolling his wife.  They try to play up spousal conflict so that could be why they selected that comment or TH and didn't edit it out.

 

Or, tptb just liked his shtick.  They film them for an entire week, including 5 full work days to produce only 22 minutes of television, with the house hunters appearing in every scene.  Given that, tptb can easily edit the participants into any type of character they choose, IMHO.  And, the participants willingly sign over complete control.

 

It's six months from filming to the air date fairly consistently for these episodes.  They take their time.  Between the camera crew and post-production, I doubt anyone misses anything.  Tptb create and/or mold the characters however they like, IMHO.

 

Different HGTV thread but I remember someone on these boards mentioning a friend declined to participate in HH when he/she realized he'd have to pay his lawyer to review the mountain of contracts tptb presented to him!

Edited April 17, 2015 by aguabella

[camom]

Yes, all "reality" show contracts are horrible for the participants.  At least until the show is a hit and the people finally wise up and hire their own people.

 

Last night's HH with the family moving from NJ to GA.  All of her "Where's my pool?" "Where's my porch?" and his "Where's my basement?" got annoying.  Any why in the world did he think they needed 4,000 sq. ft. for three people?  It's not likely that there will be more children on the way.

[laredhead]

I thought each of them came off as looking very selfish, especially when she kept snarking that he was getting everything he wanted and she was getting nothing.  One of the comments was very cutting in that regard.  Wait until he gets that utility bill for cooling that big house.  I think it's going to be quite a bit more than cooling a house in New Jersey in the summer.  I hope he gets that pool dug, or he's going to hear about it 24/7.

 

On another topic about HH's wants, when did carpet in the dining room become such a huge no-no.  I grew up in houses and have owned houses that had carpet in the dining room, but it was never a problem as far as food spilling on it.  Maybe my family members were careful eaters.  Are people messier now?  The HH's I've seen lately recoil from it like it's a hazardous waste dump in the dining room.  I guess it's another one of the production driven things that HH's are supposed to say they don't want.  I totally understand that bathroom carpet is taboo.

Edited April 17, 2015 by laredhead

[awaken]

Just watched the episode with the Butthisface Mommy's boy, and I was saying "WTF" the entire show!

 

His main criteria for a house is that it be near mommy and daddy, and that there be a perfect space outside for playing "Cornhole" with the family.

 

did they say how old he is?  I didn't catch it.  But if he already had his own house for 9 years prior, he's got to be in his 30's at least, I'm guessing!  

[awaken]

I enjoyed the Boston episode!  For once it seemed like a couple who liked each other and had common, *reasonable* goals.  And, it didn't hurt that I share similar values!  I appreciated that they wanted to minimize commuting and the need to drive, and weren't looking for a ridiculously huge # or sq feet or bedrooms for just the two of them.  Most people on this show are utterly horrified when there isn't an en suite bathroom, or other things that are nice but you CAN actually survive without.  Amazing that they ended up ok with 1 bathroom!  Unheard of!

 

Couldnt' stand the family moving to Florida or Georgia with the 3 bratty kids.  The heming and hawing over the girls not being able to share a room or even a bathroom.  Geez, what spoiled privileged brats.  "This pool is a joke!" when you have an INDOOR pool!  I had to stop watching because it was making my blood pressure rise!  

[CocoaGoddess]

If people weren't willing to get on TV for $500 and get a little nugget of tv screen time, then we wouldn't have our show. HH can truly be awful, but it exists for as long as it has because at its core, it's all about house porn and being able to snoop inside of private residences all over the world. I'm glad these people are taking one for the team (us, the audience).

 

Yes, all "reality" show contracts are horrible for the participants.  At least until the show is a hit and the people finally wise up and hire their own people.

 

Last night's HH with the family moving from NJ to GA.  All of her "Where's my pool?" "Where's my porch?" and his "Where's my basement?" got annoying.  Any why in the world did he think they needed 4,000 sq. ft. for three people?  It's not likely that there will be more children on the way.

 

These people were absolutely terrible and came across as entitled and selfish. I can't stand episodes when I can't root for either buyer and am resentful that the house owners get to live in big, updated, sprawling estates. 

 

"Where's my ..."

 

Shut up, shut up, shut up. "Move in ready" doesn't mean that every previous owner of every house you look at should have the house painted, designed, and built EXACTLY to your specification, you twit. If you want a pool/walk in closet/granite/double vanity and the rest of the house meets ALL of your specifications, then build the freaking pool and quit whining about how wronged you are and how the entire real estate community is against you.

 

God! I guess they pissed me off more than I realized. Terrible people, cute kid. 

[laredhead]

CocoaGoddess, you have me laughing so hard with your critique.  You took the words out of my mouth about custom designing a house if nothing you see fits your exact needs.  Of course, if they custom designed the house, they probably wouldn't be able to afford it.

 

Awaken, it was my understanding that the 3 grown children did not live at home anymore and would only be visiting on occasion.  That meant there would be 4,000 sf for only 3 people.  As I said, wait till"Mr. I want 4,000 square fee" receives his first utility bill for a Georgia summer.

[aguabella]

Sounds like Awaken's probably referring to the rerun episode with the family who moved to the Pensacola area (IIRC) and purchased the home with the indoor pool.  Don't know but perhaps they showed their WATN episode again with that bunch this past week.

 

CocoaGoddess, I give the participants the benefit of the doubt and assume their apparent selfishness was scripted by tptb to amp up the spousal conflict.  Can't have drama w/o conflict!

Edited April 17, 2015 by aguabella

[laredhead]

Aguabella, you are correct.  I thought she was referring to the family moving to Georgia from New Jersey.

 

Sorry about that, Awaken.  I remember that episode and I agree with you.

[Empress1]

"Where's my ..."

 

Shut up, shut up, shut up. "Move in ready" doesn't mean that every previous owner of every house you look at should have the house painted, designed, and built EXACTLY to your specification, you twit. If you want a pool/walk in closet/granite/double vanity and the rest of the house meets ALL of your specifications, then build the freaking pool and quit whining about how wronged you are and how the entire real estate community is against you.

I find that so annoying! Like, don't you want to paint? Swap out the knobs on the cabinets? (I've done both those things as a renter.) Change up some tile? Customize things a little bit so that the place feels like yours? I know the show is fake, but when NJ to GA woman was talking about looking past the colors and wallpaper (which were indeed fug), I was like, "OF COURSE." I get not wanting to knock out walls, but who in the world rejects a house because of the fucking paint color?

 

I thought the house they ended up in was way too big for three people. (Their six-year-old was ADORABLE.) I know they have grown kids and they wanted a place for them to come home to, but how often was that happening? Ditto the family visits, unless his family was in GA (she said hers was in NJ; I assume they're not flying down every weekend). And I had the same thought about the high cost to cool that giant house with those high ceilings. GA is hotter than NJ, and for longer.

[bubbls]

 

Oh, you mean the FL guy who installed the terrific pool with the walk-in, beach-style entrance?  Can't remember it specifically but I wonder if he was eye-rolling his wife.

 

 

Yes, him! Wasn't that pool fabulous? We were going to do that with our pool when we lived in Florida, but I can't remember why we didn't. Yeah, he could have been mocking his wife, although they both seemed to be (or were edited to be) having fun playing along with the program. 

 

On another topic about HH's wants, when did carpet in the dining room become such a huge no-no.

 

On the day the hardwood floor company got the advertising and the carpet company didn't, hehe. 

 

it's all about house porn and being able to snoop inside of private residences all over the world. I'm glad these people are taking one for the team (us, the audience).

 

 

I can appreciate that perspective!

[27bored]

HH marathon on HGTV today. I'm watching the episode with the Maryland to Hawaii couple. The husband is a lieutenant in the military, but he looks a little squishy...in more ways than one. His wife, Rachel, seems like a beeeotch. Damn. That bitch doesn't like shit. And for real, it almost never fails that whenever you see a woman who's a princess about her wants is ALWAYS a stay-at-home-mom.

 

Now I'm watching the episode with Lakesha and her sister Petechia (...I'm not kidding) looking for a house in Fayetteville, GA.

 

ETA: !!!

 

Why do y'all keep naming your kids Jalen?! Please stop!

Edited April 18, 2015 by 27bored