House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[Empress1]

I just turned on the Austin dudes. One of them is named Kyler? Like, his parents couldn't decide between Kyle and Tyler?

 

I HATE HIS HAIR SO MUCH.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Empress1

[SanDiegoInExile]

......The buyer is naive and after seeing his parents house it looks he has led a life with lots of privileges and assistance from them.  He's living in his parents pool house which wasn't that bad.  ........

 

On another note, where do you find these audition tapes because they certainly do explain a lot of the background we don't see on the shows?     

 

I just googled the buyer's name. Sometimes I add House Hunters as a search term.  "Kyler Allison" is the name he uses (seems way fake to me, and part of the persona he is building -- including his "look").  Plus it appears to be his professional "athlete" name.  His facebook is loaded with competition pics and there is nary a mention of anyone, least of all any "girl" he wants to bring home to that King size bed (which would seem to be designed to hold large human beings).

[SmithW6079]

I didn't watch Kyler's interview video, but I did the walkthrough one, and I thought the pool house/studio apartment was actually pretty nice.

I can only imagine the hair that is involved with those beards

No worse than a woman with long hair.

[juliet73]

I just turned on the Austin dudes. One of them is named Kyler? Like, his parents couldn't decide between Kyle and Tyler?

I HATE HIS HAIR SO MUCH.

I googled him and came across info about his dad. His dad is Lee Kyler Allison. So at least now his name makes more sense. The haircut, however, will never make sense. Edited March 17, 2016 by juliet73

[WendyCR72]

Just a quick reminder to keep discussion with regards to its participants on what the show is about - house hunting and their opinions about that.

 

Spec about their private lives - unless it is already out for public consumption - isn't relevant to the show at hand.

 

Thanks! Back to our regularly-scheduled posting!

[DownTheShore]

I just don't get the whole terrorist-beard look. To me that is a big turn-off. Those two guys will probably happily live in that tiny house for years, since it looks like that whole group of friends is hanging onto their college years as long as they can.

I would have thought the first project, though would be to expand that second bathroom; that was way too tight in the toilet area. If they did a glass shower enclosure instead of the wall, that would gain them a few inches.

I was wondering if they would be allowed to enclose that carport, or if it was too close to the property line for that to be allowed. That would give that house a nice bit of extra space.

[laredhead]

Last night's house choice for the episode in southern California was no big surprise.  First they toured a house that supposedly had been on the market for a while and then the owners decided to do a major renovation in order to sell it, or at least that was the story line.  After both husband & wife declared they did not want to get involved with that much work, they then they toured two other beautifully furnished houses.  Guess which one they chose?  The first one and I have a hunch they bought that house before any work had been done on it by the previous owners.  I may be wrong, but considering past episodes along the same line, I doubt it.  

 

I liked all of the houses they looked at and thought that the one they bought looked very nice in the reveal.  I hope they stabilized that back yard when they removed the pool.  That was a bit scary to hear that the pool was in danger of sliding down the hillside.    

Edited March 16, 2016 by laredhead

[StatisticalOutlier]

I didn't watch Kyler's interview video, but I did the walkthrough one, and I thought the pool house/studio apartment was actually pretty nice.

 

I'd live there, except for the location.  I think his 100 miles/day of driving was an exaggeration, but that house is pretty inconvenient for someone who likes to hang around in central Austin . 

 

I don't buy that there's a problem bringing a girl home if you're in your 30s and living in a separate structure.  And if I were the girl, I'd pause for a second, wondering if he's some sort of boomerang kid, but when I found out it was the pool house, I'd grab a towel and a lounge chair. 

 

I can only imagine the hair that is involved with those beards

 

No worse than a woman with long hair.

 

 

Good point, but at least with a woman, there's a chance it's long and silky and pretty, like a shampoo commercial.  That beard hair is gross.  Then again, both types bother me a great deal when they're disconnected from their heads.  My sister put white tile floors in her bathroom and she said it's the biggest mistake she made.  Even one hair on the floor is noticeable.

 

 

I just don't get the whole terrorist-beard look. To me that is a big turn-off.

 

And when the beard gets mentioned instead of that haircut, you know it's bad!

[Tara1665]

California couple... I couldn't. He wasn't terribly bad even though he wanted to be surfing every minute of everyday, but she was so entitled that I almost couldn't blame him for wanting to be on a wave somewhere rather then listen to her going on about her wants and needs and childhood but screw his.

[truther]

Last night's house choice for the episode in southern California was no big surprise.  First they toured a house that supposedly had been on the market for a while and then the owners decided to do a major renovation in order to sell it, or at least that was the story line.  After both husband & wife declared they did not want to get involved with that much work, they then they toured two other beautifully furnished houses.  Guess which one they chose?  The first one and I have a hunch they bought that house before any work had been done on it by the previous owners.  I may be wrong, but considering past episodes along the same line, I doubt it.  

 

I liked all of the houses they looked at and thought that the one they bought looked very nice in the reveal.  I hope they stabilized that back yard when they removed the pool.  That was a bit scary to hear that the pool was in danger of sliding down the hillside.    

They should have made it a Renovation episode given how obvious it was the first house was theirs.  Nobody in the history of real estate has ever purchased a home that's in the middle of being actively renovated where the seller controls the renovation and the buyers don't know what they're getting.

 

And yeah, the whole "the pool is sliding down the hillside" issue alone would have been an interesting problem to deal with.  

[aguabella]

Personally, I would deal with the OC pool issue by avoiding that property altogether.  If the pool is sliding down the hill, will the home follow???  In addition, that may indicate higher than average insurance costs.  But, that's probably why they (apparently) received such a steep discount on the home.  Plus, it sounded like the changes they were making were mostly aesthetic.

 

Yes, it was obvious that was their home when they walked in.  Actually, it's typically more about the finances than finishes for sellers when they consider improving a property.  They can do basic finishes but that oft-quoted "return" of 60-70% means they're losing 30-40%!

 

I can understand why everyone would have enjoyed seeing that as a HHR episode.  They probably had a timing difference, however.  HHR selects three metro areas each season and does 4-5 episodes per area, shooting them simultaneously.  Plus, it's a longer time commitment.  (HHR can't typically bang out an episode in 2 weeks ala HH.)  They did LA this current season so these guys were probably a tad late.

[aguabella]

Instead of condo, I'd call the Austin place either a duplex or 2nd unit.  Many would call it a "granny flat".  Duplex owners don't usually go to the expense of setting up an association.  (Board meeting for 2, anyone?)  Plus, many 2nd units were originally built for family members so formal agreements may not exist.  Always best to have documents in place, however, so that all owners understand their commitments WRT maintenance, improvements, noise, etc.

[aguabella]

With regard to the Chicago flipper episode, I was wondering what the family of the former owners thought when they toured it at the end of the show.  All the woman said was that she remembered the fireplace which had been closed off for safety issues.  I did not hear her gush about how beautiful the house was.

 

I thought that poor woman was in shock!  Initially, when I saw those 2 down the sidewalk checking out the 2nd story, I assumed the woman would walk up to Amy and say, "WTH have you done to my house, b**** ?"  I'll bet she was thinking that later, lol.

 

Surprised the story editor didn't cut that scene.  It seemed like a zero, to me.  Yeah, we all believe that Amy cares about the traditions the new owners will start in the home.  Keep trying, Amy!  Methinks you care about the size of their wallet, period.

[aguabella]

Thanks for SanDiegoinExile for posting the videos.  I took the time to watch them and a lot of the questions were answered.  The buyer is naive and after seeing his parents house it looks he has led a life with lots of privileges and assistance from them.  He's living in his parents pool house which wasn't that bad.  After listening to his comments about why he doesn't like white tile or floors or white appliances and why he likes the multi-colored granite counters, it became obvious that he doesn't like to clean.  That white topped range was a mess.  I have one and it can be kept looking new with the right product.  Mine is 13 years old and looks brand new, but it requires wiping and cleaning on a regular basis.  I can only imagine the hair that is involved with those beards, so a white tile bathroom would probably be a turnoff.  If he's planning to have a girlfriend he'd better step up his cleaning - IMO - because that would be a big negative in my book.  I do wonder how they are addressing the toilet issue in that bathroom for the roommate.  I think Austin's motto is "Keep Austin Weird", so these guys fit right in.

 

On another note, where do you find these audition tapes because they certainly do explain a lot of the background we don't see on the shows?     

 

You might try a youtube search on episodes you're interested in, laredhead.  The HH casting agents frequently have participants make their own videos and post them there.  Sometimes, the participants neglect to remove them.

[aguabella]

I hate open concept and I hate to entertain. I guess I wouldn't make a good HHer.

 

I love open concept and I don't entertain - mileage varies.

 

 

If both of you are under 40 and photogenic with bubbly and/or quirky traits / personalities / backstory, HH will happily sign you up!  Your individual preferences don't matter - they'll provide your lines!

 

I haven't reviewed the application recently, although I believe the posting disappeared.  They're probably not admitting the under 40 bias these days but check out the participant pool, if you disagree.  Over 40 and you'll need more personality, etc.

 

They have a few more older participants on HHI but that's not surprising b/c casting's tougher. 

 

JMHO, everybody. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

Instead of condo, I'd call the Austin place either a duplex or 2nd unit.  Many would call it a "granny flat".  Duplex owners don't usually go to the expense of setting up an association.  (Board meeting for 2, anyone?)  Plus, many 2nd units were originally built for family members so formal agreements may not exist.  Always best to have documents in place, however, so that all owners understand their commitments WRT maintenance, improvements, noise, etc.

 

I guess I wasn't clear.  It's the legal description in the tax assessor records that calls the Austin property a condo.  I'm thinking it's a way to get around some sort of zoning issues--there are quite a few properties just like it in that part of town, which makes me think someone figured something out and everybody's jumping on the bandwagon.

[aguabella]

I guess I wasn't clear.  It's the legal description in the tax assessor records that calls the Austin property a condo.  I'm thinking it's a way to get around some sort of zoning issues--there are quite a few properties just like it in that part of town, which makes me think someone figured something out and everybody's jumping on the bandwagon.

 

Could be, b/c many municipalities don't permit 2nd units / granny flats.  And, if RE values are rising, the extra costs to draw up a boilerplate "condo" association might be warranted.  Or, it's possibly a quirk in the assessor's recordkeeping system and their only descriptor for add'l units. 

 

Obtaining the (legal) condominium designation increases both current and future costs for all involved parties.  So, owners don't usually take that step unless it's necessary. 

 

ETA:  I've noticed many posters using the "condo" description when many units may not be condominiums.  It's not a big deal for our purposes here but the term has specific, legal connotations.  Like many of my posts, it was merely a general comment. 

Edited March 17, 2016 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Thank you, StatisticalOutlier.  I agree with you about her comments on cleaning the counters and I wondered the same thing as to whether she would never clean the dark counters.  I have a multi color granite on my kitchen island, and even though I think I keep it clean, sometimes when I look at it from a chair across the room, I can see crumbs or something that I have missed in wiping it.  I would have no problem with a white or light colored counter and it would be an incentive to keep it very clean.  Love your snark about them enjoying the "many outdoor recreational opportunities Denver provides."  I wonder about the location of the house they chose.  It looked a bit isolated from downtown and maybe it's in a developing area or one that was industrial and is becoming a more hip place to live.  They did  not say what the $100 a month association fee covered.     

 

Sorry for the tardy post, laredhead.  Limited time, these days.

 

Anyway, during the Denver episode they mentioned that they were the initial owners in that complex, IIRC.  It did appear fairly quiet and deserted.  Normally in those situations the builder sets up a condo association when they begin selling off units.  They usually file boilerplate, simple documents and have limited involvement.  The $100 would be a nominal, introductory HOA fee, i.e. not representing actual costs.  (The builders' costs are typically much lower, anyway.) 

 

Later, either the residents become active and/or professional association managers (selected by the residents), commission reserve studies for the property and determine the actual costs, going forward.  In the meantime - yes, you guessed it - the builders love mentioning those low association fees as they sell off units.  That complex didn't have many amenities or much common area, IIRC, so their dues might remain reasonable in the future.

 

Someone else mentioned the area may be industrial.  Have done some projects in Denver and yeah, I had concerns about that location.  They'll probably want to unload that place in a few years.  Good luck, guys!  Felt like a poor choice for them - to me, anyway. 

Edited March 17, 2016 by aguabella

[KLovestoShop]

Love the term "lunkheads" for the Austin guys. What a couple of over indulged idiots. Personally, I've never been able to stand guys who focus so much on their working out. I missed it if they said what their jobs were. Are they both fitness club workers? And if he thinks his hair looks hot, I've got a clue for him----it's downright ugly. Really shocked they bought the smallest house, as two overly beefy guys will not fit comfortably.

Could not stand either of the So Cal couple. Just another privileged Millennial couple. I can't help but think they're flippers and will sell that place.

[laredhead]

I think the buyer of the Austin house said he was a manager of a health food store or something similar, and that he had worked for the company in California for several years.  His friend did something in the technology or graphics field - I think.  Obviously I should have been paying more attention.

[juliet73]

I wasn't a fan of the OC wife at all. The husband didnt bother me. For once, it was nice to hear a legitimate reason why the homeowner didn't like a specific style of house. He didn't like the Spanish or Mediterranean style because of animals he has had to retrieve from the tiles. But, of course, that's the style the entitled wife wanted so that's what they got.

I'm curious if there has ever been a Where Are They Now episode with a couple that is no longer together.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I think the buyer of the Austin house said he was a manager of a health food store or something similar, and that he had worked for the company in California for several years. 

 

I recognized it.  It's one of those places that sell pre-made healthy meals.  At his size, though, it would cost him about $100/day to get enough calories.

 

I was trying to see around the beard and mullet, and I think the guy might not be bad looking.  But I also noticed that he may shape his eyebrows. It's kind of amazing the amount of effort he apparently puts into looking bad.

[SmithW6079]

I just don't get the whole terrorist-beard look. To me that is a big turn-off. 

That's profiling. Men with beards are not terrorists.

 

Good point, but at least with a woman, there's a chance it's long and silky and pretty, like a shampoo commercial.  That beard hair is gross.  

 

And when the beard gets mentioned instead of that haircut, you know it's bad!

Well-groomed, well-maintained beards are a thing of beauty. Kyler had a good-looking beard. That modified mullet/mohawk was awful, but not his facial hair. Let's keep the beard prejudices to a minimum.

Edited March 17, 2016 by SmithW6079

[Mu Shu]

I am irrationally peeved by urban chicken owners, too. My parents had chickens for a while - way out in the country on 5 acres of land surrounded by farmland. They are a LOT of work, they are dirty and smelly and, roosters. You also can't get "chicken sitters" when you want to go on vacation to let them in and out of their coops, much less anything else.

And if you are keeping them trapped in the coop with auto-feeding and water systems, then why do it? Chickens aren't very bright and won't complain, but that doesn't make you any better than the dairies, so just buy your fucking organic free range eggs at Whole Foods and spare your neighbors the barnyard experience they didn't sign up for.

/chicken rant

I get the whole egg thing, but once you're done buying feed, medication, and tallied your hours caring for the chickens, Store eggs are much cheaper. When the layers become fryers, who will wring their necks? Not these snivellers. My neighbors have puma lions. Luckily, they don't have chickens. That would piss me off far more than puma lions.

[DownTheShore]

That's profiling. Men with beards are not terrorists.

 

Well-groomed, well-maintained beards are a thing of beauty. Kyler had a good-looking beard. That modified mullet/mohawk was awful, but not his facial hair. Let's keep the beard prejudices to a minimum.

Not profiling, merely commenting on the bushy style popularized by terrorists. I did not say or imply that either of them were terrorists.

I don't like beards, no matter how well-groomed they may be. That's my personal preference - not a prejudice. Prejudice is something completely different.

[Kohola3]

I quite liked the couple moving to Bethlehem last night. They refrained from any horror and shock comments and seemed very down to earth. His Irish accent was easy to listen to as well.

[paloma58]

My Shu...puma lions? Cannot be what I first thought, can it? Tho, the puma lions if actually puma/mountain lions, would certainly enough the chicken buffet...

1

My Shu...puma lions? Cannot be what I first thought, can it? Tho, the puma lions if actually puma/mountain lions, would certainly enough the chicken buffet...

1

[DownTheShore]

I liked that the Bethlehem guy wasn't moaning about how they were going to run a business and still take care of the property and renovations. One had nothing to do with the other.

[Mu Shu]

My Shu...puma lions? Cannot be what I first thought, can it? Tho, the puma lions if actually puma/mountain lions, would certainly enough the chicken buffet...

1

My Shu...puma lions? Cannot be what I first thought, can it? Tho, the puma lions if actually puma/mountain lions, would certainly enough the chicken buffet...

1

I'm not sure what they are. Someone said Florida Panthers, but they are very endangered and I doubt they are allowed to have them in their cat prison. I'm going with Puma lions until someone puts it in writing. Interestingly enough, though they have three large wild cats, There is no smell.

[Pickles]

Tonight's episode with the young couple moving out of Boston and into the suburbs. Her voice drove me nuts. Vocal fry! Even the husband seemed to have vocal fry. Did they say what they did for a living? They paid $540k for their house.

[chessiegal]

Yep, focal fry on both.

[Pickles]

Omg, now I have the Sweden HH International on and this chick talks the same way! What is it with this way of talking?!

[Diane M]

I didn't notice that in the Boston episode, but the blonde in Sweden was really annoying.  Such a lazy, I don't give a damn, tone.

[outtahere]

Boston couple:  she is a labor/delivery nurse and he works in computer technology.

[Pickles]

Thanks for the info outtahere! I saw her in her scrubs and wondered if she was a nurse. I didn't think she was a doctor, since there was no mention of having to be within a certain distance of the hospital.

[StatisticalOutlier]

The Boston nurse was mainly baby voice, with a little bit of vocal fry.  The Swedish one was a good example of vocal fry, although a true vocal fry needs to drop in tone at the end, and she didn't do that much of that. 

 

Lake Bell discussed the sexy baby vocal virus.

 

Start at the 1:40 point:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY_6fFdRnik

 

What I find interesting, though, is that Lake Bell is thisclose to having vocal fry herself, with that raspiness.  And as much as she rails against this annoyance, I once had to stop watching an interview she did with Sam Jones (on DirecTV's Audience channel) because she said "like" every three words.

 

 

I didn't think she was a doctor, since there was no mention of having to be within a certain distance of the hospital.

 

Can you imagine having someone with that voice as your doctor???

[Tara1665]

Baltimore couple... Sorry to tell you that row homes in the city don't have your mega spaces and excesses that you demand you have on 300,000. Entitled F***s.

[laredhead]

That Baltimore couple had wishes that fit a $500,000 house in the burbs, not a $300,000 row house in Baltimore.  So, instead of a row house with charm they end up in a generic new build over looking train tracks.  That must be one comfortable sofa with magic powers for them (her) to pass up living in a row house instead of buying a new sofa.  I've said it before, those row houses make me bit claustrophobic because they are so narrow.   I lost count of the number of stairs in the second one they looked at with the roof deck.  That was definitely not a house for someone with mobility problems.  He kept asking for something more modern and I was surprised they didn't look at a loft or a modern place since they usually toss in a red herring like that just for variety.  

[Pickles]

The Baltimore couple and that mega sofa. Omg. Get rid of it! They even went to TX to get some other "section" for it. Ridiculous.

[proserpina65]

Baltimore couple... Sorry to tell you that row homes in the city don't have your mega spaces and excesses that you demand you have on 300,000. Entitled F***s.

The mere fact that she thought $300,000 would buy them in Baltimore what they had in Texas made me roll my eyes.  Yeah, maybe in a 'transitional' neighborhood in West Baltimore (say hello to Stringer Bell) but not in a desirable area like Greektown.

[Matt K]

Also from Baltimore and this episode drove me crazy.  I've been to friends homes in Fed Hill, Charles Village and Fells Point and across the board they are tight spaces, even new construction.  It drove me nuts that they didn't seem to understand anything about the house market in Baltimore City.  Wanting a walk in closet and like 20' or more across is nuts.  Plus what was the deal with that sofa, they had to know that it was unlikely to fit in any home they looking at downtown.  That said, I would love having a roof deck. 

 

And I agree the place they chose was awful.  What was the deal with that small living space when you came in and then up the stairs for the kitchen?  The first floor didn't seem to actually extend the length of the house and I have no idea what was taking up all that room.  The train noise tends not to be that bad, but that view was awful and seemingly in a few years all you'll be looking at is other homes.  I actually didn't like any of the homes they looked at but that view from the roof top deck of the second home was beautiful and I probably would have gone with that one. 

Edited March 25, 2016 by Matt K

[Tara1665]

I totally agree with what everyone said. I've lived in Baltimore and now I live in TX. I have 2500sq for under what the paid in Baltimore.

What gets me is if she were so enamored with a row home how could she not know what a row home was all about?

I think she just heard somewhere they were either trendy now or heard the term "row home" without ever seeing the inside of one or researching what they were all about.

Meh.

[izabella]

That railroad track, which rendered their balcony virtually unusable due to noise and grime, and made it unlikely they'd be opening windows much, would have been a deal breaker for me.  However, that is what makes their new townhouse affordable, so I'm sure they'll get used to the train noises.

[Peanutbuttercup]

Baltimore couple: "we're foodies!"

Me: *delete*

[MaKaM]

And I agree the place they chose was awful.  What was the deal with that small living space when you came in and then up the stairs for the kitchen?  The first floor didn't seem to actually extend the length of the house and I have no idea what was taking up all that room.  The train noise tends not to be that bad, but that view was awful and seemingly in a few years all you'll be looking at is other homes.  I actually didn't like any of the homes they looked at but that view from the roof top deck of the second home was beautiful and I probably would have gone with that one. 

 

There was probably a garage. I am south of DC and that is how they design them here. Though often the extra room on the garage level is another bedroom. The one door was clearly a powder room but they never opened or mentioned the other door. Maybe their couch was living in there since they had already chosen the house?

[Empress1]

That Baltimore couple had wishes that fit a $500,000 house in the burbs, not a $300,000 row house in Baltimore.  So, instead of a row house with charm they end up in a generic new build over looking train tracks.  That must be one comfortable sofa with magic powers for them (her) to pass up living in a row house instead of buying a new sofa.  I've said it before, those row houses make me bit claustrophobic because they are so narrow.   I lost count of the number of stairs in the second one they looked at with the roof deck.  That was definitely not a house for someone with mobility problems.  He kept asking for something more modern and I was surprised they didn't look at a loft or a modern place since they usually toss in a red herring like that just for variety.  

 

I've said here that a pet peeve of mine is when people want to live in cities without wanting the stuff that comes with city living. I'm from Philly, which has a lot of row homes like Baltimore, and those houses are narrow (although I think the Baltimore ones look a little narrower).  Like, had she never been in a row house before? "I don't like closets that aren't walk-in." Shut UP. Houses built in the 1800s don't have walk-in closets and media rooms.

 

And every time they talked about their couch I was like "Oh my God, buy a new fucking couch." It's a couch! They went to damn Texas for a part of the sectional? What? SO much eye-rolling.

[DownTheShore]

I wanted someone to take the woman from that Baltimore couple and force her to live in one of those 200 sq. ft. tiny houses for a year, making her have to pare down all her clothing shoes and handbags.

Them trying to buy a house that would suit their sofa was just like the HH's who buy a house to suit their dog.

[NYGirl]

I've said it once and I'll say it again, when there's a new build in the mix, no matter how many complaints they have about it, they pick it 90% of the time. 

 

I suspect the fact that she wanted a row house was producer driven.  Sometimes the HH is just so ridiculous that it can't be true.

[juliet73]

Baltimore couple: "we're foodies!"

Me: *delete*

LOL!!!

Tonight's episode with the family from Detroit. She drove me batty! She would not stop smiling when she was sitting next to her husband. It was weird. And of course they picked the house right down the street from the RR tracks. Good luck with your baby taking a nap with the train going by. I live about 4 miles from some tracks and sometimes, the train wakes me up in the middle of the night.

[laredhead]

I live about 1 mile and a half from a railroad track and sometimes the sound of the whistle is louder than at other times, depending on the wind direction.  There are about 2 to 3 trains a day, and one around 4:30 in the morning like clockwork, but evidently I have gotten used to it and don't really hear them anymore.  I have double paned windows and that cuts down on the sound a lot.  Maybe there are very few trains that go by their development.  The third house was certainly an interesting floor plan, and the wife was correct that it would be a good house if you had adolescent children where they would be in another part of the house.  Spiral staircases as the only means of access between floors are a no-no with me, especially as I get older.

 

If they can afford to finish the basement in a few years, that 1700 sf will almost double to a really huge house.  As with most new builds in that price range, it was rather generic.