House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[aguabella]

Yep, the sellers of the Queens flip probably needed to invest in a few booties.

Brooklyn husband couldn't contain his exuberance when he threw open the door to his garage / future studio!

They appeared to be a loving family. So sweet when the little boy planted a kiss on his mum after they finished reading in his den.

Edited November 22, 2015 by aguabella

[awaken]

Really enjoyed lacrosse episode as I lived there for a year! The place is looking good. I probably walked past those houses (the first two, anyway) on my daily walks around town!

So glad they didn't choose #3- so bland and boring! The old colonial was a happy medium.

Also really liked Brooklyn trini family! Interesting houses, nice family!

Both eps so much better than your typical 3 boring new builds in Texas or blank square condos in some nameless city.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

The Brooklyn family was one of my favorite House Hunters ever.  How incredibly sweet, loving, and not obnoxious.  None of the "I want a Craftsman", but "I want a contemporary" and all of that fake drama ...  just, we need space for the studio, I need the commute to be reasonable, etc.

[KLovestoShop]

I just didn't understand the Philly couple and the house they chose. I thought it was the most unattractive house with the worst kitchen, and the baby blue walls were everywhere. Plus, I thought the interior looked the cheapest. The split level was amazing inside and the kitchen was beautiful.

[Peanutbuttercup]

I really appreciated the Philly couple and their love for carpet and lack of desire for the Holy Grail of Open Concept. The stuff in the kitchen is largely cosmetic stuff that can be upgraded when they feel like they need a fancy-looking kitchen and can afford it. I wouldn't necessarily have picked their house, and I don't love carpet quite as much as they do (I like it in bedrooms and family rooms though), but it was just refreshing to see people who don't buy into the HGTV/real estate industry code of what every buyer must want and what design choices are desirable.

[Empress1]

Yeah, I found that refreshing too. I don't like carpet so I wasn't with them there (nor was I on her side re: her opposition to fireplaces), but I WAS with them on not wanting open concept, as I've said here before. And as the realtor said, most buyers are looking for an open floor plan, and the majority of stuff built or renovated within the past ten years has an open floor plan, so it made sense to me that they would look more at the layout rather than the cosmetic. I'd probably do the same thing. I also just liked the couple - they seemed really sweet.

 

South Philly is a very hot area right now, so I'm not surprised their row home sold quickly. Depending on how long she owned it, I'd guess she saw its value increase nicely (I'd guess the equity there, not their salaries, is what got them approved for $500K).

[truther]

I really appreciated the Philly couple and their love for carpet and lack of desire for the Holy Grail of Open Concept . . . it was just refreshing to see people who don't buy into the HGTV/real estate industry code of what every buyer must want and what design choices are desirable.

I really don't like open concept.  I think it works for certain styles of homes, and in certain environments.  A genuine mid-century modern overlooking a rugged sea coast, for example, would be stunning.  

 

But open concept often makes homes worse.  Many of the renos they show on HGTV may look good for the camera but would be lousy to live in.  There's a reason small bungalows, for example, aren't designed that way.  You're not "opening things up" or "adding the illusion of more space" when you knock down the interior walls in some 1000 square foot home or apartment and bring the kitchen directly into the living room.  Rather, you're making the whole thing one tiny, cramped, noisy monstrosity.  I don't want to have to listen to the living room TV even if I'm in the dining room or the kitchen.  I don't want every bedroom to open directly onto the combined living/dining/cooking area.  Ugh.  

 

My parents live in an unrenovated 1970s apartment with a living room and galley kitchen.  I've seen some of the "updated" "open concept" versions elsewhere in their building and they look much, much smaller.  Who wants a giant oven hood ten feet from their sofa?

[NYGirl]

I also notice that on a lot of the reno shows, mainly Property Bros., the living rooms are very narrow.  Sometimes you have very little room between the couch and the wall and/or fireplace with the tv if you need to get by.  Open concept does this layout no favors.

[KLovestoShop]

I thought those row homes in South Philly looked absolutely beautiful and each seemed to have their own "look" and had their own vibe.  But I can understand wanting a free standing house.  I've never lived in a row house, but I have lived in a condo with shared walls, and I could smell all the neighbor's cooking and heard their music.   Of course, the neighbors were from India and their cooking has very strong components, so smelling their cooking wasn't surprising. Do you have that same thing in a row house?  

[DownTheShore]

I like separate spaces and defined rooms. I want a kichen big enough to hold a kitchen table so those who want to be in the kitchen can be, but I don't want it open to the rest of the house. I can put a TV in the kitchen if I want to watch it, and others can have conversations in other rooms without the need for me being present. I like dining rooms and living rooms as separate rooms.

As truther said above, certain styles of homes do require open concept for maximum visual impact, but an open concept in a small house just means thast there's no quiet space.

I don't need to keep eyeballs on the kidlets at all times, and they don't need me hovering over them. When I was watching them when they were smaller, I just set them to playing in whatever room I was in, so I never had to wonder what they were doing.

[Mittengirl]

As a single woman, I kind of think that having a non-open floor plan offers a bit of security. There have been times when salespeople have come to the door and I have made reference to my "husband" being in the house, or my "dog". I don't like the idea that someone could stand at my front door and see most of my house.

[NYGirl]

And then we have my favorite complaint of no walls!!  No place to put furniture and to hang art and pictures.  I don't care if people are in my living room having fun while I'm cooking...I usually have mostly everything prepared by the time my guests arrive so I can spend time with them.  If not whoever wants to will come sit at the kitchen island and talk to me.

[Empress1]

And then we have my favorite complaint of no walls!!  No place to put furniture and to hang art and pictures.  I don't care if people are in my living room having fun while I'm cooking...I usually have mostly everything prepared by the time my guests arrive so I can spend time with them.  If not whoever wants to will come sit at the kitchen island and talk to me.

Right! I have a bunch of stuff to hang, and with an open floor plan I have no place to hang it. And to your point, when you're hosting, you don't just start cooking when your guests get there (like that episode of The Office when Jan doesn't start the three-hour braising process for her whatever until right when the guests arrive to her dinner party), and if you ARE cooking and people want to chat, well, let them come in the kitchen. I just like privacy and distinct spaces that I can decorate distinctly - I don't want people to be able to see all my business.

 

I thought those row homes in South Philly looked absolutely beautiful and each seemed to have their own "look" and had their own vibe.  But I can understand wanting a free standing house.  I've never lived in a row house, but I have lived in a condo with shared walls, and I could smell all the neighbor's cooking and heard their music.   Of course, the neighbors were from India and their cooking has very strong components, so smelling their cooking wasn't surprising. Do you have that same thing in a row house?  

I was raised in a single family Philly home but have friends who live in row homes now (some in South Philly, in fact!) and had friends growing up who lived in them, and the smells thing isn't really an issue in my experience. You can hear people coming and going sometimes, but it's not that disruptive. One of my friends lives in the top two floors of a renovated row home and her neighbor lives in the first floor and basement (unit A/unit B) and she can hear HIM, but they basically live in the same house. My dad was raised in a row home and we never really noticed what other people on the block were doing when we visited our grandparents, unless they were outside at the same time we were. And that part was cool - we were friends with my grandparents' neighbors.

 

It's very on-trend now in those row homes in gentrifying neighborhoods (and South Philly is one such neighborhood, which is why I think the HHer from last night probably did pretty well selling her place), which are generally pretty narrow, to renovate them and claim that an open floor plan "opens up the space," but I really don't think it does.

[Mu Shu]

Where's my guest house? :::sniff::: (resting bitch face)

Lol. Where's my grahhhnit? Where's my teen hangout area? Where's my soaking tub? Where's my houseboy with my vodka martini?

Fuckers. Sure, they may be coached, but they're assholes. These whiners aren't good actors.

I just want to scream every time I see a bathroom with awesome green and black vintage tile demoed. "Make it modern!!!!" Remember when the shit from the eighties was modern? Not all modern becomes classic, and it's a bitch and a half ripping up all that dated, no longer "modern". Grahhhhnit.

I was recently in Savannah, and was able to tour the ground floor of the Mercer Williams house. It's a bit neglected, but still amazing. They call the style Italianate, but it's really a huge 4 over 4 Federal style, IMO. I guess you don't call a house in a Southern city occupied by Sherman a Federal.

Even though the house is divided and segmented, the parlor/music room area is open to the back study, which can be closed off with pocket doors. Basically open concept for entertaining, and doors to use for privacy when not entertaining. Who the hell wants to hang out in a kitchen when you have a living space like that? I'd rather that design with a central hall and huge Windows. The light opens the space, yet allows for rooms seperate from the dining/cooking areas. It makes so much sense and would be such a comfortable and inspiring place to live in. Open concept just feels cluttered and smaller to me. It's all about having the maximum amount of light. And of course the money to live in such a house.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Mu Shu

[topanga]

 

I like separate spaces and defined rooms. I want a kichen big enough to hold a kitchen table so those who want to be in the kitchen can be, but I don't want it open to the rest of the house. I can put a TV in the kitchen if I want to watch it, and others can have conversations in other rooms without the need for me being present. I like dining rooms and living rooms as separate rooms.

But, DownTheShore, how will you entertain your children while you cook if you can't constantly peer into the family room? And how will you make sure they're not falling down the stairs? Babygate, Schmabygate. 

 

And how will you entertain guests at the dinner parties you host every weekend if you actually have the privacy of a separate kitchen to focus on something as meaningless as cooking?

Edited November 25, 2015 by topanga

[juliet73]

I think the open concept started 25+ years ago when buyers claimed they didn't need (or use) a formal LR and/or DR. Everyone usually hung out in the kitchen and family room. I am a huge fan of mid century modern and that style of open concept. The rooms are defined but still open and they have all the windows. I hate today's "open concept". They just look like oversized studio apartments.

[DownTheShore]

It also didn't help that the builders were gradually shrinking the living room and breaking up the walls with multiple doorways, making furniture placement very limited, thus limiting the functionality of the room.

[topanga]

 

I hate today's "open concept". They just look like oversized studio apartments.

When I'm in the kitchen, I like to listed to music or podcasts. I would hate to be drowned out by the family TV or to subject everyone else to my old school rap or Sklarbro Country podcast.

 

I liked last night's Virginia couple, especially the slightly-nerdy IT/gamer husband. He was cute and very nice. I can't believe that he started loading her dishwasher the first time he came to her house for a party! I also liked that the couple knew they had to play the feuding couples game for the show but didn't take themselves too seriously. Like at the beginning, Pilar (which is my sister's name) was going through her wishlist, she mentioned something she wanted, and then she said, "But..." and turned to her husband with a smile so he could say he wanted the opposite.

 

It was refreshing to see another couple that actually seemed to like each other. No one said that the other person's preferences were stupid or recommended throwing away the throw pillows. 

[Homily]

When we were househunting a few years ago the agent showing us houses refused to believe we actually wanted separate rooms on the main floor.  I don't need doors blocking off each room  but I also didn't intend to buy a house where the entire living area was one big room.  I like separate areas so I can have a private conversation with my daughter (or whoever) and my husband can still be watching TV or talking to someone else.  I can see the desire for a more open plan when the kids are small but I'm betting at least some of these homebuyers are throwing up some walls when their kids hit the teen years!

[Empress1]

I liked last night's Virginia couple, especially the slightly-nerdy IT/gamer husband. He was cute and very nice. I can't believe that he started loading her dishwasher the first time he came to her house for a party!

I found that meet-cute sweet, because that would totally get my attention too. I'd be like "Who is this helpful dude?"

[DownTheShore]

One of the nephew's girlfriend met the family for the first time last week. After dinner, when he got up to clear the table, she got right up with him and helped. A keeper - lol.

[KLovestoShop]

Did not like the St Augustine wife, and the comment that sealed it for me was "Its what I want, and you just have to compromise". I can't stand those spoiled brat wives who only want what they want, and all else be damned. Personally, I don't think I would have picked the house they did because it looked like more of a swamp and the chance for gators is high.

[Babalooie]

I didn't like the St. Augustine husband.  It seemed to me that it was HIS role to be the harpy.

[Patti Jean]

I couldn't help but wonder how long it was going to be before that sweet dog was going to get eaten by an alligator. That man was so freaked out about the crabs, but i'd be more worried about gators coming out of that swamp.

[Babalooie]

PEOPLE OF THE SNOWY NORTH:  Native Floridian here. After watching the Buffalo episode, I can't help but wonder how people buy houses after touring them when the ground is covered with snow.  Isn't that taking a chance on what the yard looks like? 

Edited November 27, 2015 by Babalooie

[TimetoShine]

According Drew from the Property Brothers in the commercial that I just saw, viewing a house in snowy weather can be good because it shows how well the house will stand up in that kind of weather.

[DownTheShore]

With small in-town lots in a lot of the northeast cities, the backyards are nothing to write home about, snow or no snow, I'd say.

That comment by Drew maks no sense. Short of the roof collapsing under a snow load, most homes are left pretty much unscathed by a snowstorm. Raony weather would be a better test because interior leaks and property low spots would show up almost immediately.

[Tony]

Speaking as a Canadian, when people sell homes in the winter they usually have pictures of what the place looks like from the summer to give buyers an idea.

[Ohwell]

Buffalo couple:  I had to laugh when at the beginning the wife implied that they had a big budget--which turned out to be $200,000. 

[laredhead]

I have been impressed with some of the older Buffalo houses.  They are large and have many of the original details and they don't seem to cost an arm and a leg.  I guess the downside is the climate and heating costs of these old houses.  I hope they show the after of the Buffalo house on a future Where Are They Now episode.  The couple did not profess to be renovators, so it would be interesting to see how well they did with some of they DIY projects.  First thing I would do is winterize that house.     

[ChelseaNH]

I like separate areas so I can have a private conversation with my daughter (or whoever) and my husband can still be watching TV or talking to someone else.

 

This is something that comes up in Sarah Susanka's Not-So-Big House (about building for quality of space rather than quantity) -- you want two living spaces and one should be closed off.  One is for noise and one is for quiet, however you want to allocate.  So I'd have an open space for conversation and a closed-off media room, because I hate people having conversations when I'm watching a show.  But families might have the TV in the open family space, and allocate the closed-off room for reading or office space.

 

Basically, the designation isn't "formal" (which never gets used) and "casual" or "family" but "noisy" and "quiet".

[topanga]

This is something that comes up in Sarah Susanka's Not-So-Big House (about building for quality of space rather than quantity) -- you want two living spaces and one should be closed off.  One is for noise and one is for quiet, however you want to allocate.  So I'd have an open space for conversation and a closed-off media room, because I hate people having conversations when I'm watching a show.  But families might have the TV in the open family space, and allocate the closed-off room for reading or office space.

 

Basically, the designation isn't "formal" (which never gets used) and "casual" or "family" but "noisy" and "quiet".

Quality of space--that's a good way to think about a home.

 

Whenever I watch HH, and the couple says, "We'd never use a formal living room," I want to scream at the tv that I would! I'd use it!  A room where no one else in the family wants to hang out but still has comfortable couches? Throw in a couple of bookshelves, and that room becomes my quiet library. All day. 

[laredhead]

I was thinking about that last night in my house when there were many people gathered for Thanksgiving.  Some were in the separate dining room eating and talking,  some were in the living room talking and the others were in the den watching football and everyone could hear each other and enjoy those individual conversations.  Try doing that in one of those gianormous one room open concept houses.  I'm appreciating those recent buyers on HH who are asking for defined spaces. 

Edited November 27, 2015 by laredhead

[Pathetica]

So. Half Moon Bay. Did anyone else hear copyright troll when he said copyright litigator? And didn't need to guess which house because big ole honking TV and cabinet full of electronic equipment...

[ChelleGame]

So. Half Moon Bay. Did anyone else hear copyright troll when he said copyright litigator? And didn't need to guess which house because big ole honking TV and cabinet full of electronic equipment...

 

What was she talking about with that crazy grout rule?  Since when is it a rule?  Was she a contractor? I missed the beginning.

[topanga]

What was she talking about with that crazy grout rule?  Since when is it a rule?  Was she a contractor? I missed the beginning.

The beginning was a stereotypical HH wife who had a long list of demands and thought her husband's opinions were stupid. He was nicer, but he was also a little critical of modern homes. Yes, I've never heard of the grout rule. Not on HH renovation, or Property Brothers, or Flip or Flop, or Fixer Upper (my sources for contracting knowledge). 

 

I did like the episode. It was one of the few times that I liked all 3 of the houses. Of course, with a $1.4 million budget, you're going to see some nice homes. But the house they chose did have a small yard. I hope there's a park nearby. Otherwise, that sucks for the German Shepherd. 

[NYGirl]

I do watch HGTV a lot.  When I'm not specifically watching a show like Survivor, etc., I put HG on.

 

I just want to say that every single show mentions open concept.  I believe the people that run the network like it and they shove it down every single person's throat that that's the way to go.  It's not new as they've been doing it for several years now.

 

It's disheartening when couples look at the older homes like we see in Buffalo, have a tiny budget, but all they know is that "there are walls here"!!  HG must think that people entertain every single night.  They don't realize sometimes you're invited to someone else's house. 

[DownTheShore]

~running screaming, arms waving wildly~

Aarrrgh! The South Padre/Corpus Christi episode with Toni, the mother of Troy Lynn, is on!

RUN!

[jcbrown]

 

Of course, with a $1.4 million budget, you're going to see some nice homes.

Sadly, not so much here. (I live in the South Bay in one of the areas they decided they could not afford. Fortunately, we bought in 1995.) My DH and I looked at each other when they said they were looking in Half Moon Bay and said, in unison, "they don't have to commute!" I like HMB but no way am I signing up for the coastal or the over-the-mountain commute and those are your options. Hope they can telecommute. And no, when he said he was an IP litigator, I did not think patent troll, I thought he probably gets a ton of work in the Bay Area.

Edited November 29, 2015 by jcbrown

[Pjxf99]

~running screaming, arms waving wildly~

Aarrrgh! The South Padre/Corpus Christi episode with Toni, the mother of Troy Lynn, is on!

RUN!

ooooh, that's who I came here to complain about! I hadn't seen than episode before. What an awful woman. She's someone I'd love to see on HH: Off the Grid. Please, go away and don't bother the rest of us.  There won't be any carpet to bother Your Highness in the middle of the rain forest. Also, WTF--you cannot just name your child after your husband and give her a female middle name. Well, other people can but she can't. 

 

As for the ongoing open floorplan discussion: I have cats. I need doors. Preferably with locks because they're smart little buggers. As it is, my first floor is "open plan" which means I end up temporarily hiding/storing things in the bathroom or pantry, just to keep them away from the cats. Sometimes there is quite the collection of stuff in the bathroom. 

 

Also, I invite Troy Lynn's mother to come roll around on my carpeted filth!

[Peanutbuttercup]

My crazy conspiracy theory with HGTV and "open concept" is that they are in the pocket of the builders and real estate industry who want to make houses as cheaply as possible. I also think they use a canned set of scripts to basically convince people that every market is a "hot market" where you have to put in an offer immediately or you will "lose out" to someone else (this is particularly true in HHI, but I see it a lot in the domestic version too), that bidding over the asking price is normal, as is blowing out your budget. These all seem to be staples in every market they show, even when I know they aren't true. They called my city a "hot market" (it isn't), said it was important to move quickly when buying a house (it isn't, it's a buyer's market here), and showed houses for sale with tv "asking prices" approximately 50% over what those houses are really selling for. I think they are trying to brainwash us into over-paying for houses and thereby putting lots of $$$ into realtors' pockets.

</crazy conspiracy mode>

[chessiegal]

Our daughter who lives in New Orleans had a house across the street from her that was a decoy house. Not only had the house been on the market, the asking price quoted on the show was on target. I know this isn't always the case, but in this instance, no fudging facts.

[awaken]

Enjoyed the Buffalo episode- never have had much of an opinion about Buffalo, but I agree, seems like a great, old, cheap housing stock!  Also laughed that they had a "large budget" of $200K!  Enjoyed seeing the older homes with character, and that they also appreciated them!  They also seemed to actually like each other, which is always refreshing!

 

Couldn't stand Half Moon Bay couple, esp the wife.

 

Sounds like I really need to watch the Padre Is. episode- I have it on my DVR!  Sounds like a doozy!  

[juliet73]

HMB wife was HORRIBLE! Even her friend admitted it, but in a nice way. I have heard about the grout "rule". It's not so much a rule, but it's more about the wider spacing is more aesthetically pleasing on the floor vs more narrow grout lines for countertops and blacksplashes, etc.

[NYGirl]

The husband in the HMB duo did have a lot of little snide remarks about his wife.  Seems that she likes to spend.  I didn't like her either.

 

I couldn't believe Troy Lynn's mother was on last night.  I actually watched again and she succeeded in annoying me a second time.  She thought was so cutesy.

[DownTheShore]

I can't believe that as a mother of three kids, she declared on national television that Troy Lynn is the love of her life. Way to make your two sons feel cherished, Toni!

You just know that Troy Lynn is going to go right into the beauty pageant circuit, and that Toni is going to be the mother-from-hell once Troy Lynn starts attending school.

[KLovestoShop]

That Half Moon Bay wife is a total witch, with a B.  I can't believe she dictated how the guy proposed to her.  If I were him, that would have signaled "RUN as fast as you can" away from this spoiled brat.  She really thinks she's hot stuff, but anyone with half a brain sees how awful she is.

 

And what's with her obsession with turrets?  The first house didn't have a turret, it was closer to a dormer.  It's really a shame that the first house was left to look like crap with the awful roof.  That should have been fixed before being put on the market.  Plus, the French Normandie house didn't  look French at all.  

 

The second house and that stairway looked weird.  What was with the railing on the right side that was just partially there.  And I can't believe that she wants to change a brand new house just to "make it her's".  Why don't they just buy land and build so the princess can get everything she wants?  But if he let her do that, the house would cost $4 million. 

 

For the price, the third house looked cheap with regards to the chandeliers.  The entryway chandelier was so totally cheap looking, like it only cost about $200.  Same for the dining room light---looked like it was from Lowe's.  Tell her to shove her grout rule up her butt.  She's insane.  The top mounted sinks in the MBR and the fixtures were also stock, from a Home Depot kind of store.  

 

Shocked they bought the house with the bad roof.  And a white sectional with a kid and a dog?  DUH !!!!!

[Lovecat]

I was delighted to see last night's episode was set in my hometown of Bethlehem, PA!  The place they ultimately bought was absolutely gorgeous, and is literally right smack in the middle of the downtown area.  I'm buying a place there, soon, but at about 1/6 of the price they paid!  I wonder if anyone told them about Musikfest, though--10 days and nights of streets full of drunk people.  I was happy to see them hang that peace sign wreath on a grounds-facing wall; ain't no way the HARB (sort of like the Homeowner's ASSociation for the historic district, emphasis on the ASS) would have let that face one of their historic streets, and I would've called shenanigans had I seen it go up on the facade of the house facing Market.

 

The second house, the one with the conservatory room and pool, is still on the market, BTW, if anyone has a spare $795K + money for renovations ;)

[lizzy07]

 

I was delighted to see last night's episode was set in my hometown of Bethlehem, PA!

 

I was so frickin' jealous that they get a pizza oven! I WANT ONE!! WAAHH! (tantrum over)

[truther]

What was the giant wall running along the back of their property?  It looked like something that ran the whole length of the block, rather than just at the edge of their backyard, almost as though there's a freeway on the other side or something.