House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[StatisticalOutlier]

I liked those guys, too, and was glad he chose a normal apartment to buy.  It was more spacious than some of the $1M+ apartments we see on HHI in Paris, for example, and, again, no composting toilet!!! 

 

That reminds me--the Escondido women looking for a tiny house who bought a park model in an RV park.  In one of the bathrooms, one of them exclaimed, "Look at the size of that toilet!"  It was a composting toilet.  Sounds like she hadn't been doing much research into actual tiny houses.

[laredhead]

I want to see an episode of HH Where Are They Now featuring tiny house buyers in about 2 years.  Bet none of them are still living in those small spaces.

[auntieminem]

I had to watch last night's tiny house hunter in Columbus since I live in Columbus.  I knew he would not get the tiny house because he kept talking about finding a space for it near the Short North.  There are no lots and if there where it would have cost more than he had and snapped up by a developer.  I hate tiny house hunters but I really enjoyed those guys especially since he did not buy the tiny house.

 

However tonight's Fl family who had financial problems brought out my irrational tiny house rage.  That tiny house was awful.  There is something fishy that they moved it on the property of their house that they are trying to sale.  Huh?  Why not stay in the house until you sale it?  They will have to move their tiny house again which was not easy.  I just wonder if that house belongs to family or friends.  That whole situation is odd.  

[DownTheShore]

That container tiny house's interior was probably the least efficient use of space I've seen. No privacy, and no room. They might as well be living in a dumpster. And I'm sure its presence is doing just wonders for the neighborhood property values.

[Grneyedldy]

I want to see an episode of HH Where Are They Now featuring tiny house buyers in about 2 years.  Bet none of them are still living in those small spaces.

  

Totally agree. I also think if anyone wants a tiny house, just wait a few years and get one at a deep discount.

I had to watch last night's tiny house hunter in Columbus since I live in Columbus.  I knew he would not get the tiny house because he kept talking about finding a space for it near the Short North.  There are no lots and if there where it would have cost more than he had and snapped up by a developer.  I hate tiny house hunters but I really enjoyed those guys especially since he did not buy the tiny house.

 

However tonight's Fl family who had financial problems brought out my irrational tiny house rage.  That tiny house was awful.  There is something fishy that they moved it on the property of their house that they are trying to sale.  Huh?  Why not stay in the house until you sale it?  They will have to move their tiny house again which was not easy.  I just wonder if that house belongs to family or friends.  That whole situation is odd.

Yes there was all kinds of BS going on with that story. And there is no way that family could function and grow in that container house.

[camom]

Last night's family was ridiculous.  That first tiny house, which she loved, was less than 200 sq. ft.  How in the world would 2 adults and 2 growing children survive in that space?  None of the "houses" were appropriate for their family.  And why in the world was it parked in the yard of their "real" house?  If it really is for sale, won't they just have to move it again?  And where would they move it to?  So many things didn't make sense.  I don't remember where they lived -- was it in an area that would allow outdoor living year round?

[mom2two]

doing some research, he was plugging his own business.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-speigner/57/378/a03

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/397131857099715/

[DownTheShore]

Oh, that's a good catch, mom! Now it makes sense.

Though I don't think that the crappy interior design is going to generate sales - especially with his own wife pointing out how that sleeping bunk blocks the light from the front window.

Edited October 22, 2015 by DownTheShore

[Grneyedldy]

Aha! Thank you mom2two, now it all makes sense. So HE was responsible for that monstrosity bed/couch/entertainment center thingy? If the inside was more efficient, I think it would make a great little vacation place in the right environment. Easy to lock up and leave.

[Grommet]

I enjoyed the Columbus guys. That little condo was perfect, something I would have loved when I was in my 20s.

The Florida people infuriated me but now that I know it's an advertising ploy, I really hate them. That place sucked and I feel sorry for the kids.

[auntieminem]

doing some research, he was plugging his own business.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-speigner/57/378/a03

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/397131857099715/

Thanks, so it is the home owners business?  I thought it was fishy.  Did not make sense.  

[DownTheShore]

Aha! Thank you mom2two, now it all makes sense. So HE was responsible for that monstrosity bed/couch/entertainment center thingy? If the inside was more efficient, I think it would make a great little vacation place in the right environment. Easy to lock up and leave.

That's the only thing it would be good for, given how it still it retains its metal end doors. It would probably be good for a fishing camp or something like that.

I though that the finish on that wooden beast was cheap-looking, in a very home-project-by-someone-who-never-did-it-before kind of way.

Edited October 23, 2015 by DownTheShore

[truther]

I'm not surprised the FL people were plugging their business.  The whole Tiny House Hunters series seems like some sort of poorly-conceived ad campaign for pointless hipster trailers that no sane person would ever buy.

 

It would have been much more interesting if they were looking at unusually small places to live, like some studio apartment wedged inside an office building somewhere or that HHI a few years ago where they moved into a converted underground public restroom. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

THANK YOU for clearing this one up.  I can't see Facebook, but I noticed on his LinkedIn thing that his previous employment was direct mail advertising.

 

I can't believe they put this show on.  I know the standards for HH are really low, and lots of fishy things go on, but this one was the most ridiculous ever.  She's saying she wants something mobile so they can get out of harm's way when a hurricane is coming, and they look at (1) a house that will blow over in a stiff breeze, (2) a house that you need a permit to move because it's over-width (and will win you LOTS of friends when you're blocking the shoulder lane during a hurricane evacuation, and (3) a house that you have to have a CRANE to move.  I know I'm stupid for watching these damn shows, but it now looks like the producers of the show also know I'm stupid, and are running with it.

 

Yet I'm actually relieved it was a marketing ploy because I was afraid for the little girl.  I'll tell you what will scar you more than having all your stuff destroyed in Hurricane Andrew:  growing up in an ill-designed shipping container a couple of feet from a perfectly good house that sits empty.

 

And I think he may have shot himself in the foot by being on the show because that was not good advertising.  Showing what it takes to get that thing in place certainly isn't a selling point to the minimalist movement, and as pointed out upthread, the layout was terrible and who gives a shit about reclaimed pallet wood when the place is unlivable. 

 

I hope a hurricane comes and tips that thing on its side with the family in it, never to be seen again.

[karasmom]

I did not understand last night's episode (Portland, Oregon) at all.  The girl (can't remember her name) had student debts that she was trying to pay off, so she was living with her parents.  But suddenly she had to get a tiny house?  Why didn't she just stay with her parents? So she got approved for a mortgage of $60,000.  She chose the most expensive house and now has a mortgage of $68,000 added on to her loans.  Makes no sense at all.  Also, why didn't she buy the second house which was only $35,000 and was perfectly fine -- except that it didn't have a dishwasher (heaven forbid that she wash a couple of dishes!) and didn't have a loft -- it had a nice bedroom instead.  

Edited October 23, 2015 by karasmom

[CherryAmes]

I saw one a day or so ago where the couple are buying a house in Stuart, Florida.  I had to turn if off because the woman just got on my last nerve.  Even my husband who is way more tolerant than I am snapped at the TV when she remonstrated with her husband for standing in the shower of one of the houses because "other people's feet have been there".  He told her he was wearing shoes - so it's ok to stand in someone else's shower wearing your shoes?  But I can give that a pass when it's overwhelmed by a woman who clearly never stays in hotels or goes to swimming pools or whatever who is so obsessed by cleanliness that you can't even stand where other people have stood?!?

Edited October 23, 2015 by CherryAmes

[DownTheShore]

I was watching another of the tiny house shows the other day - don't remember which channel it was on - and the young couple were looking at three houses all by the same builder. This guy must be really new to the business and in a place with very lax building codes, because all of the electrical wiring was in metal conduit on the OUTSIDE of the walls, inside the house. Why would anyone do that? They wound up building their own - I think someone's dad was a contractor - and it was much nicer. They put in three domed skylights right down the length of the house, which looked great.

[zipbags]

Did anyone catch Tiny House Hunters the other night? It was about a couple from Florida with two kids who want to downsize. So they end up getting a shipping container. Just cannot see how a family of four could sleep or even fit in the container. The two beds are single or twin size. They put the container in their backyard of their house which is up for sale. They say they don't use the house...just seems too small for a family of four.

Never mind...just read the previous post showing he owned the business with the containers. Calling BS on the whole episode. Cannot believe the producers allowed this.

It also explains why they didn't show his last name...but, showed hers.

Edited October 23, 2015 by zipbags

[Grommet]

I liked the house the annoying Portland girl chose. It's the sort of house that would be nice as a vacation home (in my other life where I have more money). But I don't get how you park these things in someone else's driveway. Where are you getting your electricity and water? Where is your sewage and gray water going?

[KLovestoShop]

I don't get this whole thing with tiny houses. One big storm and it tips over. How are they heated? Where does water come from? Sewage? The woman last night wanted a dish washer and washer. Where does the water come from with that and where does it go, when you're parked in a driveway?

[Mittengirl]

I find it odd that so many people have a friend or relative that lives on a large plot of land in an area that allows trailers to be parked on them. I do have one semi-distant relation that has a large dairy farm, but I have my doubts he would be thrilled to let me live there. And, as Grommet mentioned, I have no idea about hooking up to utilities.

I wonder what a financial expert would say about investing in a small home, especially for people like the Portland woman last night who are doing it for monetary reasons?

The only reason I could see doing this is if you already own the land, and would like to build a "real" house on it some years down the road.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Mittengirl

[truther]

I did not understand last night's episode (Portland, Oregon) at all.  The girl (can't remember her name) had student debts that she was trying to pay off, so she was living with her parents.  But suddenly she had to get a tiny house?  Why didn't she just stay with her parents? So she got approved for a mortgage of $60,000.  She chose the most expensive house and now has a mortgage of $68,000 added on to her loans.  Makes no sense at all.  Also, why didn't she buy the second house which was only $35,000 and was perfectly fine -- except that it didn't have a dishwasher (heaven forbid that she wash a couple of dishes!) and didn't have a loft -- it had a nice bedroom instead.  

 

 

I wonder what a financial expert would say about investing in a small home, especially for people like the Portland woman last night who are doing it for monetary reasons?

The only reason I could see doing this is if you already own the land, and would like to build a "real" house on it some years down the road.

Nobody will ever call me a financial expert, nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn express last night, but I do own my own home and can think coherently.  That tiny house made ZERO financial sense.  The absolute last thing somebody who can only get approved for a $60,000 mortgage should be doing is buying a tiny house that will never appreciate in value.  Think about it for a second -- there's no land attached, so there's no real property that will ever have worth.  And the tiny house itself is only going to depreciate as styles and materials change and the objects gets used and worn.  It's a vehicle.  It will never be worth more than what she paid for it. 

 

So I agree completely -- if you want a temporary place to shack up on your land until such time as you build a real house, then one of these things might work.  otherwise, you're throwing your money away. 

[laredhead]

Utilities for these tiny houses are probably treated the same as those with motor homes and campers.  When one of my neighbors let a visiting relative park his RV in the driveway for a few days and the visiting relative spent the night in the RV during his visit, it was hooked up to the neighbor's electricity with a heavy duty extension cord.  If you don't have access to electrical hookups, then there is a noisy generator to provide power.  The holding tank for the toilet had to be dumped at an RV facility every few days, and fresh water for the shower & sinks was provided by hooking up a garden hose that is approved for this type of use.  Tiny houses are just campers and RV's with fancy exteriors.  I'll take the RV or camper any day because they are designed to be pulled by a standard vehicle or truck, and I think their storage capacity and layouts are better than what I've seen of the tiny houses on this show.  The appeal of the tiny house is lost on me.     

[dga28]

i have questioned the sanity of this tiny house movement myself.  i guess the argument some make is two fold.  it cost less for a tiny home than for a decent RV of the same size.  second, some say RVs are not well suited for very cold climates.  i still feel the negatives outweigh the positives.  if your intent is to have a mobile home, an RV is more suited for that and more mobile.  

 

when i watch the shows, its irritating when some of the people say they want a tiny home, then complain that its too small.  lol.

 

also why would you move multiple people and animals into such small quarters?...and i feel bad for the kids who have to be subjected to their parent's eccentricities..

[NYGirl]

I am so horrified watching this!  I just saw the much discussed idiots in Florida...She tried to look like Lucy Ricardo with that scarf and only appeared to look much older than her husband.

 

When they looked in that wood thing and showed the bed in a drawer I was just shocked.  How could anybody live in that thing??  And then the last one?  They'd have the little boy and little girl sleep together in the couch?  What???

 

So stupid..putting it in their yard.  I just can't.  I hate these small crap houses.

[dga28]

I am convinced some of those people are either really eccentric or mentally ill and HGTV is enabling them.  lol

[StatisticalOutlier]

I liked the tiny house the girl in Portland got, with its separate, enclosed living room and decent sized kitchen, although I don't like what she did with it.  I think it's stupid to have the second loft as a sitting room, with the ladder and low ceilings.  And I'd want a couch somewhere, and a table to eat on.  And $68,000 is pretty darn high, and as analyzed above, makes no fiscal sense at all.

 

I also think she probably has her childhood bedroom at her mother's house filled to the brim with all her crap, because it's sure not in the tiny house.

 

As for utilities, I looked carefully at the end and didn't see an electrical cord, and I doubt there happened to be a power pedestal right where she was parked that we just couldn't see.  So I wonder if that's where the tiny house actually "lived," or if there's normally a power cord running across that driveway.  Nice.

 

As for water, I didn't see a hose, either.  I wish they'd say if the tiny house they're looking at had holding tanks for water and wastewater (like RVs).  Those things take up a lot of room, so I suspect if they do have them, they're not very big. 

 

I guess it's possible she had only a "black water" tank, and just a drain for gray water (sinks and shower), and she lets the gray drain onto the grass.  Although I think that might create a swamp in pretty short order, and possibly a smelly one at that; gray water can get pretty rank--ever left a sink full of dishwater overnight?  Yuck.  It's also illegal in a lot of places to dump wastewater (including gray water) on the ground, so the hope there is to not get caught.  But having a house sitting on some land, not hooked to the sewer system, is bound to make someone wonder where the wastewater is going and start nosing around.

 

If you have a sewer cleanout available, you can dump into that.  You see them near houses--a 3" PVC pipe sticking up with a cap on it--it's a way to get to a clog without digging everything up.  Although if you're on city sewer, there have been cases where cities have objected when a homeowner has another dwelling (like an RV) generating waste that goes into the sewer system.

 

It's a pretty sure bet she's not hauling that tiny house to an RV dump station every week or two, so I bet she's dumping into a sewer cleanout.  There are macerator systems you can use that will allow you to dump from as far as 200 feet away, but it's a hassle dealing with all that hose, obviously. 

 

Any gray water holding tank she has will fill up with a quickness between showers, and washing dishes, and laundry, so my money's on easing the gray onto the yard.  For the black tank, I bet she's using the house's sewer cleanout with a macerator system.  For fresh water, I have no idea--I guess she leaves a hose strung along there all the time.  Probably right next to the power cord that's strung along there somewhere.

 

Her friend must really like her.

[NYGirl]

I saw an episode in Hawaii or Austen, Tex.  (they all ran together)  some time yesterday and the reason they didn't take one house was "too much work".  The work?  The electrical plug and switch plates in the kitchen didn't match.  I swear to you that was the only work and the husband's remark was that it was too much to do.

 

I had to replay it back to be sure.  You know I was shocked.

Edited October 25, 2015 by NYGirl

[Mittengirl]

Pretty sure that it was the Austin couple, because I was yelling at them to haul their asses down to Home Depot and buy matching plates and covers for less than $50.

[juliet73]

It was Austin. She was complaining how she couldn't handle the mismatched plates because of her OCD. Ugh! I didn't mind him, but she seemed very pretentious!

[Bastet]

Was it something like the outlets being almond and the cover plates being ivory?  Because that would annoy me, too.  Right up until the point I shelled out a dollar apiece to change the covers and move the hell on with my life.

[DownTheShore]

Yeah, it was Austin. Her comments about faceplates made her look like an idiot. I wanted her to be transported to a third world county and made to live in one of the houses there.

[NYGirl]

I couldn't believe they would go along with that because they really looked stupid nationally.  We are just a small sample of everybody who saw that show.

 

That's almost like when they complain about the furniture in the house  when they view it.  (smh)

[camom]

If anyone really wants a tiny home, just wait a few years.  All those people who think they're so adorable and cool will be sick of living in such close quarters and you'll be able to pick one up real cheap!

[Empress1]

It was Austin. She was complaining how she couldn't handle the mismatched plates because of her OCD. Ugh! I didn't mind him, but she seemed very pretentious!

I didn't like her at all. Between the face plates and fixtures, which is like ten minutes worth of work, to the end where she was like "I'm ... living with the texture on the wall" complete with cringe, as though it was SUCH a hardship to live with, I was thinking ugh, shut UP, lady with your invented problems. 

 

If anyone really wants a tiny home, just wait a few years.  All those people who think they're so adorable and cool will be sick of living in such close quarters and you'll be able to pick one up real cheap!

For me, it's not that it's close quarters, it's that it's such a twee, pretentious way of living small. Rent or buy a small apartment if you want to downsize, or if you don't want to share walls, get a trailer. Downsizing is not particularly novel, nor is living in a small space (just ask any New Yorker who's not in the 1%), and these tiny home buyers have such a "look at me, I'm edgy!" hipster vibe about them that I find irritating.

[laredhead]

When the Austin woman quipped that she could grate cheese on the wall texture, I thought what a grate idea (sorry) - a double duty wall.  

 

I don't think the house with the multi colored electrical fixture plates was in the running at all, because they chose the cheapest one so they can travel.  I wonder what she demands for accommodations in other countries when they travel? 

[biakbiak]

I just assume she was just pointing out a flaw because she knew it wasn't the house she had already purchased.

[DownTheShore]

Just once, I'd like one of these househunters to comment on the capacity of the circuit box, or the age of the furnace, or how weather-tight the windows are. Just once. Is that asking too much?

[chessiegal]

Just once, I'd like one of these househunters to comment on the capacity of the circuit box, or the age of the furnace, or how weather-tight the windows are. Just once. Is that asking too much?

Yes. Because this is fantasy house hunting, not real house hunting.

[truther]

Just once, I'd like one of these househunters to comment on the capacity of the circuit box, or the age of the furnace, or how weather-tight the windows are. Just once. Is that asking too much?

 

 

Yes. Because this is fantasy house hunting, not real house hunting.

I mean seriously.  What difference does the structural integrity of the house make when THE APPLIANCES ARE THE WRONG COLOR?!?  Who cares whether the house is habitable for its intended purpose if THE THIRD GUEST BATHROOM NEEDS UPDATING?!?

[Peanutbuttercup]

What was up with the guy from Portland last night? Is he some kind of special breed of neat freak/germophobe that has an obsession with hair? He thought a dog would be unacceptable because there would be dog hair all over the yard. He wanted separate sinks in the bathroom because his would be clean but his wife's would be "clogged with hair" ??? Does she have a problem with hair loss or something? It all seemed kind of creepy and weird to me. I don't predict that he'll deal very well when his future baby spits up on him or he gets poop on his hands after dealing with an overfull diaper or something.

In the "after" scene the candles arranged on either side of the tv screen made it look like an altar, as though they worship the tv.

eta: I realized my original comments on their decorating style were a lot meaner than I wanted to be so I took most of them out.

Edited October 29, 2015 by Peanutbuttercup

[Empress1]

He pinged my gaydar. He seemed very sweet and he plays the piano beautifully, and he set off my gaydar. They were young to be on their second home.

30 miles/an hour commute is a compromise on his part, for sure. That would bug me.

[laredhead]

I was also thinking they were young to be on their second home, but maybe there was some family money.  The baby grand was a gift from his grandfather, so maybe the grandparents helped out with the first house purchase, and they made a lot of money from the sale of it.  All of the houses they looked at were large, but I guess Portland is yet another city/area where I would be priced out of the market for a decent house in a good location.

[truther]

That guy absolutely skeeved me out. 

 

The episode got off on the wrong foot, for me, when he introduced himself and then introduced her, as well.  Young guys who speak in very measured tones and do the talking for their wives/girlfriends rub me the wrong way.  That may be completely unfair -- it could have just been an edit -- but it was my snap assessment.  From there it was just downhill.  I'm not actually worried about how he'll react to having the baby throw up on him because something tells me he won't he in that situation.  That will always be someone else's job. 

[Babalooie]

Regarding your gaydar pinging, I agree.  I've seen it before.  A gay man growing up in the church and still active there, knowing that he is expected to marry (a female), will often do so to please his family.  Enough Psychology 101.  I would have been happy with any of the houses.  They were lovely.

[StatisticalOutlier]

What was up with the guy from Portland last night? Is he some kind of special breed of neat freak/germophobe that has an obsession with hair? He thought a dog would be unacceptable because there would be dog hair all over the yard. He wanted separate sinks in the bathroom because his would be clean but his wife's would be "clogged with hair" ??? Does she have a problem with hair loss or something? It all seemed kind of creepy and weird to me. I don't predict that he'll deal very well when his future baby spits up on him or he gets poop on his hands after dealing with an overfull diaper or something.

In the "after" scene the candles arranged on either side of the tv screen made it look like an altar, as though they worship the tv.

eta: I realized my original comments on their decorating style were a lot meaner than I wanted to be so I took most of them out.

 

That's a shame.  I generally enjoy mean comments.

 

As for the hair, I have a little bit of a thing about hair.  Not dog hair in a yard, for heaven's sake, but I have short hair and one time in a shower at a health club I got a long hair wrapped around my toe and it grossed me out.  Ever since then (at least 10 years ago), I've noticed long hair in the wild, like in sinks in public bathrooms, or picking it off my fleece jacket.  Or the woman next to me in a movie theater who had hair like Roseanne Roseannadanna, only twice a long, and it was resting on MY shoulder.  Hey, everybody, keep your hair to yourself, whether it's still attached or not.

 

So I have my own thing about hair, but I draw the line at letting it factor into which house I buy.

[Vivigirl10]

Babalooie, those were my exact thoughts as well. 

[Empress1]

Regarding your gaydar pinging, I agree.  I've seen it before.  A gay man growing up in the church and still active there, knowing that he is expected to marry (a female), will often do so to please his family.

Yeah, between that, the fact that they met at music camp, and his overall demeanor, that set my gayer pinging. [shrug] They both seemed like nice people.

 

I am so sick of grouted tile back splashes, I don't know what to do. That's a fashion over function thing, IMO. The point of backsplash is that stuff splashes on it, and that grouted tile seems like it would be a pain to keep clean.

[DownTheShore]

All right, who stole the real stewedsquash?

[Tara1665]

Indianapolis guy... Pretentious much? Also, I why hide the engagement ring? I spotted it right away but she kept covering it up.