House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[laredhead]

Truther, I was wondering the same thing.  Perhaps someone familiar with that area could tell us.  That is a huge house.  The first house they looked at was beautifully decorated.  I kept thinking that if it really was for sale, and not a decoy, once the furnishings and decor were removed it wasn't going to look quite that pretty.

[NYGirl]

I just watched the Bethlehem episode.  I loved them and I loved the houses they looked at.  I didn't want the episode to end.  I wanted more of that historic and beautiful city!

 

I love the holiday theme and I wished we could have seen the house fully decorated for Christmas.  We did see that on Renovations the other night though.

[biakbiak]

I believe the husband said they were hanging the peace sign on the wall of the garage.

[NYGirl]

Ok...they are now showing Christmas episodes and I'm loving them.  Don't judge me... lol

 

Tonight's couple was in Holiday, Florida, and wanted a house to decorate for Christmas

 

Obviously this is producer driven because they husband kept suggesting places to put the tree up.  I don't care I love them.  I am not going to complain until after Christmas.

[laredhead]

I thought the husband's last comment was funny.  He had said early in the show that he doesn't particularly like people, but in the last scene he said he might say hello to his neighbors in keeping with the Christmas spirit.  I would never buy a house with stairs as a forever, retirement house unless the house had the master suite downstairs.   

Edited December 2, 2015 by laredhead

[ByaNose]

I hope they didn't spend too much money on the fake tree. It was s cheap looking. I really wanted the Bethlehem couple to light up the peace sign at night. In fact, I thought the show was going to end that way. Such a letdown. I think it's funny they are doing Christmas themed HH when. They were done months ago and they don't show the houses fully decorated outside. I will say when I looked for my house I did think where my tree would go. It was sort of a deal breaker for some of the houses.

[Pjxf99]

could anyone explain to me why so many men on this show want to live 400 miles from their nearest neighbor? What is UP with that?

[KLovestoShop]

I can't believe the Tampa husband had the balls to say he hates people on national TV. What a pompous jerk. And yeah, I don't get why so many men don't want neighbors.

[topanga]

 

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.

Why would a peace sign bother the HMA? It wasn't gaudy (a matter of opinion, I know), and it wasn't a religious or an especially political symbol. Just a call for peace. And during the holidays, no less. Doesn't Bethlehem put Christmas lights on the City trees? And wasn't the town just declared "Christmas City, USA"? So what's the problem. 

 

 

I thought the husband's last comment was funny.  He had said early in the show that he doesn't particular like people, but in the last scene he said he might say hello to his neighbors in keeping with the Christmas spirit.

I love the way he made that original comment. And he pointed at the neighbor's pool full of floaties and said, "People probably live there!"

 

I could be wrong, but he seems like the kind of guy whose bark is worse than his bite. 

[Lovecat]

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.  

It's a parking garage.

 

I believe the husband said they were hanging the peace sign on the wall of the garage.

Yes, but I believe it was the side of the garage that faced inwards towards their garden.  It's probably not visible from the street.  I'll be up there over the weekend and can scope it out ;)

 

Why would a peace sign bother the HMA? It wasn't gaudy (a matter of opinion, I know), and it wasn't a religious or an especially political symbol. Just a call for peace. And during the holidays, no less. Doesn't Bethlehem put Christmas lights on the City trees? And wasn't the town just declared "Christmas City, USA"? So what's the problem.

Well I'm not on the HARB, but my guess is that it would be judged as "not in keeping with the historical character of the district," which is their objection to just about everything.  The only problem I see is that the HARB is a gigantic pain in the ass.  As for the Christmas City designation, it was adopted by the Chamber of Commerce in 1937, so it's not a recent thing.  And yes, the Christmas decorations are indeed abundant...and lovely :)

[proserpina65]

Why would a peace sign bother the HMA?

 

 

Didn't they buy a house in the historic district of Bethlehem?  Areas like that usually have restrictions regarding what you can/can't put up as outdoor decor, in addition to rules about modifications not in keeping with the historic feel of the area.  Personally, if I lived in a historic area, I'd appreciate having such regulations in place, but I do get that some committees can get very nitpicky about them.

Edited December 2, 2015 by proserpina65

[topanga]

Didn't they buy a house in the historic district of Bethlehem?  Areas like that usually have restrictions regarding what you can/can't put up as outdoor decor, in addition to rules about modifications not in keeping with the historic feel of the area.  Personally, if I lived in a historic area, I'd appreciate having such regulations in place, but I do get that some committees can get very nitpicky about them.

I understand the desire to maintain the historic feel of an area, but this sounds like an example of trying to keep the house/street/neighborhood looking exactly as it did when he properties were built. Which is crazy to me. I understand that a HMA wouldn't want something like a 10-foot tall snowmen in person's yard. But you can't pretend that time has stood still and that houses are still only decorated with wreaths, bows, and American flags. if that's the case, why is there a parking meter on this historic block? That looks pretty ugly to me. Why are there cars? Heck, why are there electric street lights? 

 

I don't know why I'm getting upset--I don't even bother to decorate the outside of my house for Christmas. 

[proserpina65]

I understand the desire to maintain the historic feel of an area, but this sounds like an example of trying to keep the house/street/neighborhood looking exactly as it did when he properties were built. Which is crazy to me. I understand that a HMA wouldn't want something like a 10-foot tall snowmen in person's yard. But you can't pretend that time has stood still and that houses are still only decorated with wreaths, bows, and American flags. if that's the case, why is there a parking meter on this historic block? That looks pretty ugly to me. Why are there cars? Heck, why are there electric street lights? 

 

I don't know why I'm getting upset--I don't even bother to decorate the outside of my house for Christmas. 

For a  lot of HMAs, including the one in the town where my mother grew up, that is exactly the point, to keep the appearance of the area as close as practicable to what it would've been when the buildings were originally built.  (Hence, city-mandated things like street lights and parking meters are okay, while basketball backboards and sand boxes are not, for example.)  So, if the regulations for that particular historic district are written that way, then the peace sign wreath would have to be hung where it wouldn't be visible from the street.  Mind you, while I'm all for keeping historic districts looking historic (part of the whole appeal for me), I do find that kind of niggling detail a bit much.  But, then, I also hate that my HOA apparently gets out the ruler to check how long our grass is, so . . .

[truther]

Thanks, Lovecat.  

 

It's funny how the town is worried about relatively petty things like whether a homeowner's peace sign is visible from the street, when there's a giant parking garage looming behind these houses.  

 

That having been said, I doubt the concern is about the peace sign per se, but rather about opening the door to anything that deviates from the existing aesthetic.  If you get a peace sign then maybe your neighbor puts up a beer sign taken from their favorite bar.  If your neighbor gets his or her beer sign then perhaps their neighbor puts up a billboard.  Or a partisan political sign.  And so on . . .

[chessiegal]

I have a friend who  lives in a townhouse in  a 55+ community. She put a small (about 8" x 12") stained glass piece in her front window that said "PEACE". She got a letter from the HOA saying she had to remove it because it was a political statement. She told them they were crazy, and it remains in the window to this day.

Edited December 3, 2015 by chessiegal

[paloma58]

I live in a condo association in a large (Second City) city and not in a historic district, tho our building is a 12 unit courtyard beauty built in 1920 - think Craftsman/stained glass, etc.  We have rules about what can be attached to the outside of the building (nothing), what can hang in the windows (blinds/curtains, not freak flags) and general rules about decorating (unit door is okay; every piece of crap from the Dollar Store and plastic rubber trees in the hallway are NOT okay)  I serve on the Board and have, by default, become the HOA Nazi.  If policing is not done, the place would end up looking like a 1940's tenement.  Owners actually wanted to string laundry lines across the courtyard and turn the courtyard in to a veg garden.....when you have a group of owners, most of whom cannot grasp the concept of condo living, chaos can ensue.  Most of it is to maintain property values.  BTW, my unit goes on the market 01Jan.... 

[topanga]

Last night I watched the episode with the Holly (Michigan?) couple. I liked them well enough, but certain things bugged me. 

 

--The wife insisted on an old-fashioned farm house with lots of land, but she kept harping on how old everything looked on the inside, especially the kitchen. I understand wanting to upgrade, but what did she expect? That the Property Brothers had stopped by do renovation before they got there. But that was the house they ultimately chose, so the balking was mostly for the cameras, I'm sure. 

 

And why were they so insistent on having a separate craft room for Christmas crafts? That was almost more important to them than having a 4th bedroom. I hope they use it for gift-wrapping and other crafts, too. Made me think of Allison on 'Orphan Black.'

 

 

I serve on the Board and have, by default, become the HOA Nazi.  If policing is not done, the place would end up looking like a 1940's tenement.  Owners actually wanted to string laundry lines across the courtyard and turn the courtyard in to a veg garden.....when you have a group of owners, most of whom cannot grasp the concept of condo living, chaos can ensue.  Most of it is to maintain property values.  BTW, my unit goes on the market 01Jan....

And I hope you get top dollar for it. 

Edited December 3, 2015 by topanga

[truther]

I (mostly) watched that Holly episode last night.  They were nice enough but terrible actors.  All of those complaints and demands were clearly scripted, because I even remember when they went into the second, newer, house, the wife paused so the husband could deliver his line about getting the "updated" house he wanted.  Never mind that they had obviously already bought the old one.  

 

He also seemed a little less happy about things than he let on.  When at the end he said something to the effect of "overall I'm happy" I got the strong sense he really was disappointed not to have gotten his lakefront house or whatever.  

 

And in case anyone's wondering, yep those are real Michigan accents.  

[aguabella]

could anyone explain to me why so many men on this show want to live 400 miles from their nearest neighbor? What is UP with that?

 

I'll give you my answer - and I do believe it's the actual answer - it's producer driven.  The no neighbors / privacy demand has been a standard plotline, used repeatedly, for many moons.  If/when something's repeated by multiple HH participants, ad nauseam, it's a fairly safe bet.  

 

And, in the end, sure enough, that was the episode's red herring.  They'd purchased the only home, IIRC, that had fairly close neighbors!

[aguabella]

I can't believe the Tampa husband had the balls to say he hates people on national TV. What a pompous jerk. And yeah, I don't get why so many men don't want neighbors.

 

But wasn't he chuckling as the episode progressed, each time he said those ridiculous lines?  His wife's probably a HH fan so he went along with the program, passed Go, collected his $500 HH stipend and enjoyed his 22 minutes of fame!

 

If the producers have fans endlessly speculating about this plot, they've done their job!

[NYGirl]

I wonder just how many cities in the USA that actually have Christmasy names.  What's the over/under on them making it to Christmas with a new episode every night.

 

I liked the house they chose.  I always laugh at "craft rooms".  I'm from NYC and we don't do crafts.  Even if we did there's no way we get craft rooms..or even bonus rooms..here. 

 

I just wish he would have gotten his water access.

[topanga]

 

He also seemed a little less happy about things than he let on.  When at the end he said something to the effect of "overall I'm happy" I got the strong sense he really was disappointed not to have gotten his lakefront house or whatever.

You're right. His "overall I'm happy" was not very enthusiastic.

 

 

 

I liked the house they chose.  I always laugh at "craft rooms".  I'm from NYC and we don't do crafts.  Even if we did there's no way we get craft rooms..or even bonus rooms..here.

I just wish he would have gotten his water access.

I actually like the 3rd house (I think) best. It had the dock and that great basement. They could have figured out how to create another bedroom. (BTW, I know the house "choosing" is fake. I'm just blue-skying it). 

Edited December 3, 2015 by topanga

[aguabella]

Ok...they are now showing Christmas episodes and I'm loving them.  Don't judge me... lol

 

Tonight's couple was in Holiday, Florida, and wanted a house to decorate for Christmas

 

Obviously this is producer driven because they husband kept suggesting places to put the tree up.  I don't care I love them.  I am not going to complain until after Christmas.

 

 

I think it's fun, too.  Why not change things up with the graphics and holiday notes / random factoids?  I've heard of many city names over the years but am wondering if they just filmed a special holiday week.  They seem to do these things over a week.

 

Loved when they had their artificial tree delivered in July - or whenever they filmed the episode.  Did the production company pay some random delivery guy a few bucks to take a speaking part or did they hang a giant, fake "pick-up window" sign at the back of a friend's warehouse and have him do the honors, lol?

Edited December 3, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

I live in a condo association in a large (Second City) city and not in a historic district, tho our building is a 12 unit courtyard beauty built in 1920 - think Craftsman/stained glass, etc.  We have rules about what can be attached to the outside of the building (nothing), what can hang in the windows (blinds/curtains, not freak flags) and general rules about decorating (unit door is okay; every piece of crap from the Dollar Store and plastic rubber trees in the hallway are NOT okay)  I serve on the Board and have, by default, become the HOA Nazi.  If policing is not done, the place would end up looking like a 1940's tenement.  Owners actually wanted to string laundry lines across the courtyard and turn the courtyard in to a veg garden.....when you have a group of owners, most of whom cannot grasp the concept of condo living, chaos can ensue.  Most of it is to maintain property values.  BTW, my unit goes on the market 01Jan.... 

 

 

You're exactly right, paloma58.  It does maintain property values but someone has to step up and do the dirty work.  Best of luck with your sale!

[Mittengirl]

Off the top of my head - there is a Christmas, Michigan, a Rudolph, Wisconsin, and of course, Santa Claus, Indiana. I have been to Christmas and it is beautiful, right on the shore of Lake Superior. But I don't think there is a snowball's chance in Hell that HH would go all the way to a tiny town in the U.P. to film. (Imagine what the narrator could do if they filmed in Hell, Michigan. Think of the word play possibilities.)

[biakbiak]

The Christmas theme appears to only be this week. Next week is Where are They Now episodes and the following week is Tiny House Hunters.

Tonight is Santa Claus, Indiana and they are back in Bethlehem on Friday.

Edited December 3, 2015 by biakbiak

[laredhead]

Don't forget about North Pole, Alaska. 

[Lovecat]

The Christmas theme appears to only be this week. Next week is Where are They Now episodes and the following week is Tiny House Hunters.

Tonight is Santa Claus, Indiana and they are back in Bethlehem on Friday.

Oooh, back in Bethlehem on Friday? Thanks for the heads up! I did a drive by of the house from the other day's episode, and you can totally see the illuminated peace sign from the street. I'm still wondering whether or not it's going to get the HARB's panties in a wad.

ETA: I checked the episode description for tonight, and they're in Bethlehem, NY. Lovely, I'm sure, but not my hometown :)

Edited December 4, 2015 by Lovecat

[paloma58]

don't know how to do the box thing, but topanga (And I hope you get top dollar for it.) and aguabella (You're exactly right, paloma58.  It does maintain property values but someone has to step up and do the dirty work.  Best of luck with your sale!) - thank you very much.  Have done a ton of work getting ready for the sale

and after 19 years cannot believe how much stuff/crap I have accumulated - I could never go Tiny - my kitchen stuff alone would fill most of the tiny homes :).  Most of the thanks go to my hard working, never ending energy chick of a sister - could not do this without her.  After the place goes on the market, we are going on a cruise - my treat.  If any of you are Joe Kenda fans...that is where we will be in January!

[NYGirl]

Tonight I saw a rerun of the coast guard couple in Hawaii.  Boy were they freaking annoying.  He had to have a room for his stupid music.  He was mad when a house didn't have stainless steel.  I don't know...they were just babies about their first house purchase.  They annoyed the realtor to no end.  At one house there were umbrellas and he picked one up and made a joke and the realtor said with a straight face.."they belong to the homeowner".  LOL

 

I laughed when they ended up with a town house.

Edited December 5, 2015 by NYGirl

[Pickles]

I liked the Bethlehem couple last night. They both seemed normal and their kids were adorable. I hope their pub is successful.

[Christine]

 

 

and after 19 years cannot believe how much stuff/crap I have accumulated - I could never go Tiny - my kitchen stuff alone would fill most of the tiny homes :).  Most of the thanks go to my hard working, never ending energy chick of a sister - could not do this without her.  After the place goes on the market, we are going on a cruise - my treat.  If any of you are Joe Kenda fans...that is where we will be in January!

 

Ears perked up....Lt. Joe?  Big fan here.  Great respect for most of law enforcement - always a few stinkers. I worked for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department eons ago.  No one remains from those days, so no one was involved with the event of this past week. Just saw that Lt. Joe and I share a birthday although I am younger than he is.  I remember the days when we could smoke in our offices.

Edited December 5, 2015 by Christine

[Empress1]

I liked the Bethlehem couple last night. They both seemed normal and their kids were adorable. I hope their pub is successful.

I liked them too. I was with the wife (who was a tall drink of water) on not wanting to take on much financially & in terms of renovations when they're opening a new business (he's going to be working a ton of hours), but I also saw the husband's point that "everyone does work on their first home." It was refreshing to see some pragmatism, and a couple that didn't expect the moon. I wasn't on the wife's side about liking siding though.

[NYGirl]

After watching It's a Wonderful Life last night I threw on HHs.  Lo and behold it was resting bitchface and her guest house in Key West!  Too bad I only got to see the very end of it when they were showing their sons their rooms on the iPad.

 

I'm sorry I missed it!  NOT!

[topanga]

I watched a repeat of the Los Angeles couple moving from a condo to a single family home. I vaguely remember having a discussion about this, although I don't know if it was about this particular episode, but the husband (Paul) was giving me serious gay vibes. And not in stereotypical ways like snapping his fingers, vogueing and saying "Girlfriend." But the way he talked had a homosexual lilt, the way he walked and moved was slightly effeminate, and he was very into the details of style, like the design of the kitchen backsplash (I guess that is a stereotype. My bad). 

[DownTheShore]

Perhaps he's way in the closet for religious reasons, or something.

Though some guys give off that vibe but aren't. I used to know two guys like that.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

The Holiday, FL episode:

 

 

I hope they didn't spend too much money on the fake tree. It was s cheap looking.

 

That was a pathetic-looking tree.  :-(       If I were the husband, I would have been firmer regarding having a 1st floor master.  No one is getting any younger, so it just makes sense to be prepared so that you don't have to move again.

[laredhead]

HH Where Are They Now episode last night revisited the people with 4 children who moved from a 2500 sf house in Santa Clarita, California to a 600 sf house in Corning, NY.  When that episode first aired under the Tiny House themed show, they showed the attic space which the parents planned to turn into a loft for the 2 older girls.  That is what they did, but they did not raise the roof and it's still claustrophic in my opinion.  There is no way I would ever go up there.  It has to be hot in the summer time unless there is an A/C we didn't see.  The roof is so low, that the occupants must have to slither out to get to the stairs.  The twins share a bedroom, but I think they are a boy and a girl, so that won't work in a few years.  I guess by that time the two older girls will have escaped the attic and the parents will put one of the twins up there.  The woman commented that they had not divorced, but the oldest girl said her parents were crazy.  She did qualify it by saying they weren't crazy for buying a  tiny house, but I wonder if she really meant it.  

 

The New Jersey beach house couple was featured as well.  The woman was concerned about buying a shotgun style house because of bad feng shui where the belief is that the money goes in the front door and out the back door.  In the reveal, she said they put up a window shade on the back door which made everything OK.  I had no idea that a window shade would remedy assets flying out the back door.  I must buy one for my back door today (heavy sarcasm).  The husband did say that he took a lot of ribbing after the episode aired because he used to keep the furniture in his house covered with plastic to keep it looking new.  

Edited December 10, 2015 by laredhead

[sugarbaker design]

And not in stereotypical ways like snapping his fingers, vogueing and saying "Girlfriend." But the way he talked had a homosexual lilt, the way he walked and moved was slightly effeminate, and he was very into the details of style, like the design of the kitchen backsplash (I guess that is a stereotype. My bad).

 

 

God knows, there are no effeminate straight men!

[Pjxf99]

On the where are they now episode, didn't the first couple say their tree bounced off the neighbors house and MOVED it three inches? How is that possible? I don't get it. I'm not saying it isn't true, I saw the picture.... Just, how!?

[biakbiak]

Also I am wondering who paid for the repairs and the six month relocation of the other family because damn!

[laredhead]

If the tree company was licensed, bonded and insured, they probably were liable.  I doubt that was the way the new owners wanted to meet their neighbors.  One of my neighbors had a tree cut down in their backyard.  The company doing the work cut it to a certain point and then felled the rest to the ground.  When it hit the ground, it landed very close to their house and the foundation slab cracked from the impact.  Months of hassling with insurance and expensive repairs.  Tree company was not licensed.

[izabella]

Taking down big, old trees between houses is serious business.  The limbs and trunks are extremely heavy.  I had a bird's eye view of the next door neighbors taking down a 100 year old tee in their backyard, and the company they used was extremely careful to tether the limbs before lopping them off so they could lower them to the ground.  And they'd still thump and shake the ground.

[aguabella]

Tree matters can be very complex.  Any given case may have multiple contributing factors.  Typically the homeowners' policy for the party that sustained the damage covers everything and subsequently seeks reimbursement from other parties / insurers, if/when appropriate.

 

Agree, they made it sound as if the new neighbor's tree company was liable but that could be difficult to prove.  Also, it's HH so who knows if we received the entire story?  For example, what if they had a windstorm that night?  Or, perhaps the neighbors had a pre-existing foundation issue that they'd neglected to remedy.  Presumably they had the same sandy soil.  Any soil compaction issues?  AZ homes are typically slab on grade.

 

So, each case must be examined individually.  Yeah, what a pita to deal with.  Welcome to the neighborhood, indeed!

 

P.S.  It's a good reminder for homeowners.  I always advise everyone to verify liability (besides license, etc.) coverage before allowing any workmen to step foot on their property.

Edited December 12, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

The MO couple (WATN) did a good job with their reno.  A few things bothered me, naturally!

 

They used a contemporary wallpaper over the f/p, competing with their traditional marble tile surround.  No, no, no.  If you can't afford or don't care to tile all the way up, how about paint?  Keep it simple and draw the eye to your traditional f/p.

 

And, just b/c you have leftover marble tile doesn't mean you're required to use it for the bathroom backsplash, competing with the granite.

 

Was that 3 different tiles, including more marble tiles plus the river rock floor competing in the shower?  It made their wet room feel much smaller, cutting off the eye, IMHO.  Doesn't matter if it was 2 or 3 patterns - it was too much for me

 

Something else was off in that wet room.  Either that tub was too large for the space and/or they needed to break up the line (two vanities plus the linear tub).  How about a lovely oval tub?  It needed something - well, fewer tiles patterns, for sure!

 

Probably needed a little more / better space planning for that bathroom, IMHO.

 

Nice craftsman they aired briefly.  Too bad they can't move there and flip the home in the burbs.  (No idea if the $$$ work in their local RE market, however.)

Edited December 12, 2015 by aguabella

[juliet73]

I've been watching Where Are They Now all week and am I the only one that is fascinated when these homeowners go so over budget? They say their remodel budget is $50,000 but they spend $100,000!! And they just chuckle and say "I got what I wanted." or the one the other night (I think it was AZ) that went like $200,000 over budget!! He just laughed out off! It just floors me because they act like it's an extra $50 over, not $50,000! Or $200k!

[biakbiak]

I found this week of WATN to be boring and nearly all of the renos underwhelming.

[Empress1]

My TiVo recorded what I think is an older ep that I hadn't seen before, with a couple in Montgomery, AL looking for their first home. He was an entrepreneur who had started his own business that was doing well and I don't think they said what she did (they had a toddler so she might have been a SAHM). The house they ended up in was fine - pretty brick ranch - but what I was struck by was how emotional the guy was over the purchase. He said he was the first person in his family to own a home, and "coming from where [he came] from, this isn't supposed to happen." He was crying at the end. I was really touched by that. He was both grateful and humble, which was really nice to see.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Empress1

[camom]

Tonight's episode with the family of 5 looking for a tiny house was ridiculous.  200 sq. ft. for 5 people.  Do they not realize that small children will grow?  And they lived in South Dakota, so in the winter they will be crammed in there for days on end.  Since they parked the thing on her parents' farm, I bet they will be spending a lot of time at mom and dad's.

[biakbiak]

If bathtubs and room for a full-size Christmas tree are on your must haves you shouldn't be in the market for a tiny house.

I loved that even the tiny house builder thought they were crazy.