House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[JasmineFlower]

The Toledo loft guest bedroom didn't have a door or a floor to ceiling wall.  If the couple has a baby, noise will be a problem, especially if they are having one of their beer parties.  The 2nd house seemed like a better fit for the future.  The HOA fees on the loft were $300+/mo which they could have applied to the mortgage on the 2nd house and lawn maintenance so hubby didn't have to cut grass.  I think he said they met in a Zumba class.  Is that correct?  

 

Yes, that was correct about Zumba and he was teaching it and to that end, I'll just say, at times during their episode, I was getting a ping from him and wasn't sure he wasn't trying to make sure he got the place he wanted for himself, not for his wife and future kids that may never come to pass with her...

 

Completely agree that the Chicago couple won't be together in 5 years. I'm not sure they'll make it one. She was so impressed with what looked most like the Palmer House Hilton and the "historical details" and he looked like he was humoring her but choosing what he wanted. She was full of it, her "history" was all renovated in the last 15 years, so her wanting to tear out a brand new kitchen was ridiculous since the same newly built kitchen in white would have gotten rave reviews from her, it wasn't about historical details. I wondered if it was really his place and she was moving in with him, but not really them buying together. They didn't seem ready for the long haul at all.  And that makeup. That hair. Closeups were not her friend to say the least.

[Patrizio]

About the Chicago couple, I caught that he was a lawyer but kind of missed what she did for a living. Before I restarted it, I thought for sure she was a former stripper who had gone to pot, and no way was she 28y/o.Her vocal fry would be so out of place in a professional setting, as would her unsophisticated appearance; I can see how her place of employment did not want to be identified.I know I sound so mean, but whatever possessed these folks to go on HH? I thought, well maybe I'll be blown away by their decorating choices- nope! They painted the living room an odd light periwinkle blue,, and put knick knacks in those weird cut outs over the fireplace. Even her kitchen backsplash did'nt work. At least they got a garage!

[JasmineFlower]

That kitchen backsplash did not work and I laughed at her gushing over it like it was the best thing ever to complete that kitchen. It didn't look like it was the best install either. Very strange color choices indeed, the backsplash tile next to the paint, really didn't work, so little did in that final scene.

 

In terms of what she did for a living, she does Media Relations for a historic Chicago hotel. That's what they were showing her in out of the commercial breaks and in the intro. From the place they showed, it looked more along the lines of Palmer House Hilton than it did the Drake, but it could be something else as well since there are several that would fall into that category. I don't think it was the Drake, just a gut reaction from me when they showed it, I immediately dismissed it being The Drake. But I would say it's one of the larger ones, not one of the boutique ones that fit that category.

 

Agree completely on the appearance, it doesn't fit her role at the hotel and I'd have a hard time taking her seriously with that clown getup. I so missed her age. Did they say 28? I sadly believe it but the years are not treating you well when you look 5-8 years older than you are when you're still in your 20s.

[Amethyst]

Agree completely on the appearance, it doesn't fit her role at the hotel and I'd have a hard time taking her seriously with that clown getup.

 

I thought about that as well.  That's a poor image to present, especially to a tourist.  Maybe she's in a supervisory position. 

 

 

I wasn't crazy about the backsplash either (very plain and generic for someone obsessed with details), but I let it slide, because it was clearly the only victory she got in the house.  

[NYGirl]

The couple last night..I forget where they were...Nashville maybe?  They were car nuts and he definitely wanted a 2 car garage and she was annoying with all of her "must haves" with their giant budget of somewhere in the mid $100,000 or $200,000.  Ok I was dozing while watching..I don't remember but I do remember them wanting the world.

 

You know?  I don't even remember what house they even picked!!!  I'm pathetic in that I fall asleep on that last commercial like every night.

 

My kids are not allowing me to TiVo all episodes anymore because I take too much space on the DVR..LOL

 

Well I'm here to say that they annoyed me.

[Tunia]

@NYGirl,

If you are thinking of the couple that specifically wanted a brick home, they selected House #1 - the only one that wasn't brick.  It did, however, meet all their other wants including a 2-car garage in which he could work on their beloved cars.

[Rhondinella]

your question about Toledo

 

 

Before reading your post everything I knew about Toledo I learned from MASH (Packo's Hungarian Hot Dogs is apparently a real thing still!), so that was helpful.

[BearCat49]

It was funny during the episode that they mentioned the team and stadium but I never heard them say "Mud Hens", even though I listened for it.  Hmmm, wonder if they were holding it back like a brand name -

[DownTheShore]

@NYGirl - IIRC, their budget was $175K.

What I constantly find interesting are what herd animals the young couples are when describing their ideal kitchen.  It's always either white or dark wood cabinets, black or some bland neutral light granite counter top, stainless steel appliances, and some sort of neutral-toned backsplash.

 

I mean, haven't any of these people ever heard of color?  I'm not talking garish, but when they come across a kitchen where there's a bold pop of color in one aspect of it such as the upper cabinets or the backsplash or an accent wall, they draw back in horror as if Satan himself had just popped up through the floorboards.

 

Are they all just designing things for what they think the next buyer of their house will go for?  If so, I think that's the saddest thing.  I have a sibling who did that - boring white walls, boring white cabinets, boring white subway tile blacksplash, solid black granite countertops, neutral tile flooring.  Everything monochromatic and as neutral as possible.  The kitchen and the bathrooms were all redone with the thought of what other people would like.  More money was spent on it than it was worth, all so that it would be appealing to the broadest amount of buyers when they sold the house in the future.  So their kids were growing up only knowing a sterile kitchen.  Well, they sold the house - and the new buyers tore the whole house down.  Buh-bye boring kitchen.

Edited July 27, 2014 by DownTheShore

[HotPhoenix]

I wish I could send you all some of the Tony Packo's food.  It's fantastic, so much so that when I'm back there this weekend for a baby shower, I'm bringing back a big bunch of stuff. 

 

I talked to my cousins from Toledo and they said they couldn't believe the House Hunters episode.  They all said that the area the couple purchased in was just as I posted---maybe one bar, and at least two bars that are frequented by the gay scene.  No good restaurants and they said that you really don't want to walk anywhere in that area at night. 

[jcbrown]

 

I wish I could send you all some of the Tony Packo's food.  It's fantastic, so much so that when I'm back there this weekend for a baby shower, I'm bringing back a big bunch of stuff.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area now and I still order pickles and egg noodles from Tony Packo's.  I just have to not think about how much the shipping is.

 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled topic. :-)

[JasmineFlower]

What I constantly find interesting are what herd animals the young couples are when describing their ideal kitchen.  It's always either white or dark wood cabinets, black or some bland neutral light granite counter top, stainless steel appliances, and some sort of neutral-toned backsplash.

 

I mean, haven't any of these people ever heard of color?  I'm not talking garish, but when they come across a kitchen where there's a bold pop of color in one aspect of it such as the upper cabinets or the backsplash or an accent wall, they draw back in horror as if Satan himself had just popped up through the floorboards.

 

Are they all just designing things for what they think the next buyer of their house will go for?  If so, I think that's the saddest thing.  I have a sibling who did that - boring white walls, boring white cabinets, boring white subway tile blacksplash, solid black granite countertops, neutral tile flooring.  Everything monochromatic and as neutral as possible.  The kitchen and the bathrooms were all redone with the thought of what other people would like.  More money was spent on it than it was worth, all so that it would be appealing to the broadest amount of buyers when they sold the house in the future.  So their kids were growing up only knowing a sterile kitchen.  Well, they sold the house - and the new buyers tore the whole house down.  Buh-bye boring kitchen.

 

I don't personally think this is the case. I'm not one to follow the crowd but I wouldn't want much non-neutral color in my kitchen. If I was going to go a bit more dramatic or bold it would be in the backsplash since I view that as something that can be replaced within a reasonable cost and without disturbing everything else in the kitchen. In general, I wouldn't go for something that I think looks great if I didn't think it would also look great in another 10 years. I wouldn't be planning for the next seller but for myself. I'd stick with timeless more than trendy or colorful because my opinion on how great it looked when I chose it would change over time as the trends changed.

 

I've seen many more unique kitchens where I think, wow, that looks great, but I could easily see getting tired of some of those colors or designs after a year or two and want to change that. The two color cabinets in the kitchen is definitely one of those things, I've liked many of those that I've seen but almost never as much as other designs and so much of it feels trendy. I also think that about glass door cabinets or open shelving, it can look great, but it may not suit my living in a realistic manner and get old fast keeping things looking perfect through the glass. For me, that's something that would affect my choices, I know myself enough to know I wouldn't want to do another renovation or cabinet painting or whatever because I went with something that I thought was fabulous in 2008 but not so much now. I want to spend that $25k once and not regret it. For me, that means sticking with something I think is a more timeless aesthetic.

 

So, I wouldn't assume these House Hunter couples are afraid of color in that manner, just might be making a reasoned decision like I would be doing. I get that others may want to see color or something more unique or less cookie color, but I think that depends largely on the buyer. Great if you're up for it and don't think you'll regret it, but that's not everyone. And going with something that is neutral lends itself to a more classic design that wears well over the years. I like pops of color in design touches that can be replaceable and in the less expensive category, not on the cabinets in the kitchen, for instance.

Edited July 28, 2014 by JasmineFlower

[Neurochick]

 

The Toledo loft guest bedroom didn't have a door or a floor to ceiling wall.  If the couple has a baby, noise will be a problem, especially if they are having one of their beer parties.  The 2nd house seemed like a better fit for the future.  The HOA fees on the loft were $300+/mo which they could have applied to the mortgage on the 2nd house and lawn maintenance so hubby didn't have to cut grass.  I think he said they met in a Zumba class.  Is that correct?

 

What I didn't get about the Toledo couple was they were living in a loft apartment already; they talked about buying a house "in the future," so why not just keep renting the loft apartment, save their money and then move into a house?  Now they'll have to deal with selling the loft place before buying a house. 

[Bellalisa]

Chicago woman had the worst combo of vocal fry and valley girl- I can't believe she was from Chicago- where did she pick that up? I kept thinking of how accents and voices have changed over the years and they way the woman used to talk in the movies from the 40s and 50s- it was so lovely. Imagine replacing Jane Russell or Katherine Hepburn voices with that of this chick? It's so grating! How did this change happen? PAINFUL to the ears! And her makeup! I could not figure it out. The way she thought she was soooo sophisticated putting down granite as on its way out. Then she picks "glass subway tile" HA the biggest trend ever! Not unique honey and it looked pretty stupid. She should have gone with a multi color similar to the one the Toledo couple had.

 

Speaking of the Toledo couple: Trying to buy a house based on where to put that fugly bar? Where they put it was right in the way and made the small room even smaller. The stupidest thing ever!

[Neurochick]

 

I think he said they met in a Zumba class.  Is that correct?

 

Toledo couple:  They said he taught the Zumba class.

[JasmineFlower]

Chicago woman had the worst combo of vocal fry and valley girl- I can't believe she was from Chicago- where did she pick that up?

 

No way is she from Chicago. I'm blanking on her name so I can't try to find her info, but in my experience having lived for several years in Chicago - that woman is not from Chicago. She lives in Chicago, claims to be a Chicagoan "through and through" but will hail from somewhere else in the Midwest. If I had a dollar for every time I encountered this, I could buy the highly coveted House Hunters granite countertop for my kitchen. Not that it explains her accent completely, but I highly doubt she's from Chicago. If someone can remind me of her name, I'll look her up. I'd put a large bet and her not being Chicago born and raised. It's likely where she's wanted to live forever and now does and therefore where she claims to be "from" there is my best guess, seen it oh so many times.

[HotPhoenix]

I can see wanting to have a somewhat neutral kitchen.  I'm a little obsessive about changing things in my house, like bedspreads and curtains, so if I had kitchen cabinets that were an unusual color, It would make it tough for me to change things up, color wise.  I remember seeing an older HH where the wife brought in a decorator, who in reality, designed the kitchen to HER taste, and despite the fact that the wife didn't like the colors, she agreed.  The decorator said that white cabinets are SO out, and so she chose light blue cabinets.  I'm sorry, but light blue cabinets all over the kitchen is going to look dated after a while and I'm guessing you're going to get tired of the blue everywhere.  And since when are white cabinets passe? 

[JasmineFlower]

Oh, I think I remember that, if it was a House Hunters Renovation. But yeah, that's a great example of what I mean. I thought those blue cabinets looked surprisingly great...for sky blue cabinets. Not every something I would convince myself I'd be okay with for the long run. If it was free, I'd reconsider, but I don't think they get the designer assisted portion free, just some stuff thrown in like the appliances or something.

 

I do remember that designer pushing it on the homeowner. I've seen that more than once and since hiring a designer is part of that version's formula, it's hard to tell but I hope they are on board with these decisions but IRL, designers can bulldoze a bit so I'm not certain some of those are merely staged for TV. I've only seen one where the homeowner truly pushed back and overrode one of the major design decisions proposed by the designer.

[Bellalisa]

You know what? You are RIGHT:

 

Lafayette native Angela Braswell and her boyfriend, Ryan Gleitz, were featured this week on an episode of HGTV's “House Hunters.”

 

Lafayette? Where is that?

 

She claimed to be from Chicago. She referred to herself as a Chicago Girl through and through as she stood on the balcony and looked at the city view she creeked out "I'm a Chicago girl through and through so I need a great view" with the word "view" in a croaky frog voice. I wish you could all hear me imitate her!

Edited July 28, 2014 by Bellalisa

[Neurochick]

What is that Chicago episode called, if it has a name?  I have a whole bunch of episodes "on demand."  I watched the Toledo one and I'd like to see that Chicago one.

[BearCat49]

Neurochick, the name of the Ryan/Angela episode is "History Buff Seeks Loft in Chicago" b/c the storyline was that Angela wanted a loft with history or character.  You know - it was the typical she wants city but he wants suburbs (or vice versa) plotline, lol.

 

The original airdate was July 24 and it's a Season 90 episode.  The HGTV website doesn't have a repeat date listed.  IIRC, they usually repeat in about a month or 6 weeks.  The Toledo episode appeared on my OnDemand but this one didn't.  I watched this off the dvr.  Perhaps you have a different OnDemand, however.

 

Good Luck!

 

P.S.  I was curious about where she was from, too.  The article mentioned appeared in the Lafayette Journal and Courier so she's from Lafayette, IN, a suburb of Indianapolis.  I've heard of a few Lafayette's so had to check it out!  Thanks for posting the article info, Bellalisa.

 

Just another carpetbagger, wannabe, hahaha ...

 

ETA:  OMG, the guy proposed so they celebrated at the viewing party with their friends!  (Just read the article.)  She needs some real friends who'll take her aside about that eye shadow, lol.  And it was the Hilton -

Edited July 28, 2014 by BearCat49

[JasmineFlower]

You know what? You are RIGHT:

 

Lafayette native Angela Braswell and her boyfriend, Ryan Gleitz, were featured this week on an episode of HGTV's “House Hunters.”

 

Lafayette? Where is that?

 

She claimed to be from Chicago. She referred to herself as a Chicago Girl through and through as she stood on the balcony and looked at the city view she creeked out "I'm a Chicago girl through and through so I need a great view" with the word "view" in a croaky frog voice. I wish you could all hear me imitate her!

 

What did I tell you? LMAO! I'm serious, happens all of the time. Thanks for posting it.

 

Lafayette is in Indiana as was mentioned, but it's a big stretch to call it a suburb of Indianapolis. It's really not, it's more remote than that, you have to pass through clear rural areas before reaching it. I don't think it gets counted as being in their metro area for instance (Bloomington, in the other direction is closer to Indy than West Lafayette for instance and it's not counted). Lafayette is basically where Purdue University is located (which is in West Lafayette - only reason I know where the heck this town is!).

[BearCat49]

They were claiming to be a suburb when I looked it up - that wasn't my opinion, Jasmine.  Sounded like it's an hour or a little more from Indy so as development moves further away from cities b/c homeowners demand more space and cheaper new homes - could be why they try to sell themselves as a suburb.

 

It's inbetween Indy and Chicago.  Chicago's a little farther but perhaps Angela compared the two cities and decided to claim Chicago as her hometown.

[stafford]

Ha I was thinking Lafayette, Louisiana but I can see how it would be Indiana. I had to FF anytime she spoke. It was like watching HH with the Kardashian's. I try to take into account that actual colors don't show up as the real color on TV but that green glass backsplash did not come off as "tying the room together". To be even more super bitchy I thought the tiny decorations above the fireplace needed to have more volume. You'd have to stand right next to them on a ladder to figure out what she had on display. I thought he seemed like a nice guy.

[JasmineFlower]

Oh, I figured that's what it said, that's why I was posting say it's not a suburb. I've been through Purdue and have driven from Chicago to Bloomington for a conference. Purdue is in West Lafayette like I mentioned. That area is not a suburb to Indy. I totally hear what you're saying in terms of moving out of the city and spreading out but this isn't that sort of area yet. It would take significantly more development to qualify as being a contiguous area that would make it some sort of combined metro area. So, yes, it's not much further than an hour from Indy, but that shouldn't be viewed in a vacuum. It's not like Chicago or many East or West Coast big cities where there's suburb after suburb coming out of the city for an hour's drive radius. You pass a lot of flat land filled with corn and wheat.

 

Indy, Bloomington and Lafayette/West Lafayette are all considered separate metro/micro areas. Bloomington and Lafayette/West Lafayette are largely college towns.

 

As I'm writing all this I'm thinking, you know, with all the places House Hunters has featured episodes, I don't recall seeing many episodes in college towns around the country. It seems like an area that is good to target, usually featuring nice older homes. Maybe it's a matter of not getting a lot of people applying from there but I'd welcome seeing house hunters in more sort of dedicated college towns like these 2, Eugene, Binghamton, State College/Happy Valley, Storrs, CT, Amherst, MA, Champaign/Urbana, Lansing etc. I remember them doing an episode more recently in Columbia, MO, Huntsville, and Charlottesville and can remember a few Ann Arbor, Davis and Boulder ones. I'd love it they found more in Chapel Hill (which has some gorgeous real estate) and Madison. Just a thought, I'd welcome the additional variety instead of another Florida, or Arizona episode.

Edited July 29, 2014 by JasmineFlower

[BearCat49]

Ha I was thinking Lafayette, Louisiana but I can see how it would be Indiana. I had to FF anytime she spoke. It was like watching HH with the Kardashian's. I try to take into account that actual colors don't show up as the real color on TV but that green glass backsplash did not come off as "tying the room together". To be even more super bitchy I thought the tiny decorations above the fireplace needed to have more volume. You'd have to stand right next to them on a ladder to figure out what she had on display. I thought he seemed like a nice guy.

For some reason, that green shows up frequently in bathrooms.  I call it toothpaste green and detest it.  IIRC, when they toured the property and in the "before" shots, the living room was painted that color.  Thought she was going monochromatic with that but in the living room "afters", they'd painted the living room a light blue - at least on my screen!  So who knows what she was thinking! 

 

WRT the fireplace, I thought the add-on was an eyesore and should have been ripped out.  The tchotchkes just clutter the space and make a small room feel even smaller, IMHO.  In its place, they could have installed a f/p surround and mantel in their choice of style.  Or, alternatively, my preference would be to use tile or marble or another stone from floor to ceiling. 

 

Maybe she used her eyeshadow to select her color scheme, lol!  Not my style, that's for sure -

 

 

WRT college towns, they did Lansing at least once.  Chapel Hill recently and Ithaca once, IIRC.

Edited July 29, 2014 by BearCat49

[OSM Mom]

The African American woman looking for a house in Florida last night drove me nuts with her pronunciation. One house needed "yart" work and one had small "betrooms". Gah! Learn to pronounce the letter d properly please.

[Peanutbuttercup]

re: the lazy Toledo couple and others who don't want a house, or a large yard, because it's "too much work":

WTF. I am incredibly lazy and I happily bought a house on a half acre. I didn't unlazy myself . . . I hired someone to do yard work! It wasn't hard, it's not illegal, it's not even expensive. Less than $100/month where I live. Why do all these people act like having a yard/lawn/garden service is something that doesn't exist?

[Ohwell]

Watching a couple looking in LA right now.  The woman's voice is so annoying, I want to stuff cotton in my ears.  The evil part of me wants a big butterfly to suddenly appear and fly down her throat.

[DownTheShore]

Saw an episode where a couple went to school in VA together, he was originally from Wisconsin, she supposedly was from FL, and they were moving to Green Bay.  IIRC he wanted to live on the west side of town closer to the stadium and she wanted an older home with "character" on the east side.  What struck me about her was that there didn't seem to be a trace of FL in her accent.  Every now and then she would pronounce a word that sounded like she originally came from North Dakota or somewhere in that area.  It was odd.

 

Back to kitchens, while I like the look of open upper shelves in a kitchen, all I can think of is dusty dishes.  That's one of the reasons why I've never liked those hanging pots over a center island.  Not really a fan of center islands either; they just seem to narrow down the room for movement in a kitchen.  Also don't like stove tops on islands with large vents overhead that interfere with line of sight (I'm tall).  I don't mind glass cabinet doors, but I would definitely use either frosted or that ridged glass that blurs the shapes of items behind the glass.  I like those long horizontal upper cabinets that usually show up in the European cooking shows; the ones where the whole front lifts overhead, so the cabinets can remain open while cooking without the danger of whacking your head in the corner of the open cabinet door (been there, done that, writhed in pain).  I just don't like white cabinets; to me they represent cheap, generic cabinets - no matter how expensive they might have been; that would turn me off buying a house with them, unless they could be repainted or something.  Off-white I don't mind as much, or antiqued white - just those blinding white ones.

[Neurochick]

re: the lazy Toledo couple and others who don't want a house, or a large yard, because it's "too much work":

WTF. I am incredibly lazy and I happily bought a house on a half acre. I didn't unlazy myself . . . I hired someone to do yard work! It wasn't hard, it's not illegal, it's not even expensive. Less than $100/month where I live. Why do all these people act like having a yard/lawn/garden service is something that doesn't exist?

 

Maybe they'd rather spend their money on other things than to pay someone to do the yard work.  Not everybody wants a yard and that doesn't mean they're lazy; maybe they spend their time doing things they want to do.

[NYGirl]

Watching a couple looking in LA right now.  The woman's voice is so annoying, I want to stuff cotton in my ears.  The evil part of me wants a big butterfly to suddenly appear and fly down her throat.

Do you mean Steffie???  OMG I could not stand her, her voice, her stupid fake perkiness and her idiocy.  I'm glad she gave in to her level headed husband and got the Spanish house.

 

Some of these HHs just don't realize how much certain renovations actually cost.  They should watch Property Brothers or Flip or Flop.

[lizzy07]

I wanted to strangle Steffie. Did she and her husband not do ANY research on real estate in LA?!!? I live in LA and bought a house with my husband a few years ago (when the market wasn't doing well -- so we lucked out big time). Steffie was completely unrealistic with her wants -- asked for 'character' and then whines about the kitchen in that house looking too old. Whines about that one house having the character in the bathroom removed during renovation -- but then puts in plain white, boring tiles in the bathroom of the house they did get. GAH! Make up your mind, Steffie!!! (I'll give her credit for not removing the vanity in the bathroom, though.)

 

I hope she realizes how frickin' lucky they were to get that Spanish-style house with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths for $385,000, especially since it was in such good condition.

I'm pretty sure the realtor hated her guts.

[laredhead]

Yes, Los Angeles Stephanie's voice was very annoying, but at least they didn't harp on granite and stainless the entire time.  That first house was a hot mess.  The square footage was small, and the layout was very weird especially the fact that to get the back yard, you had to go out the front door and down a shared narrow driveway.  A shared driveway would be a deal breaker for me on a single family house.  They can do the renovations over time, and they found out that they can actually prepare food in a kitchen that doesn't have granite counter tops, stainless appliances, dark cherry cabinets or a good layout as opposed to other HH's who have declared they couldn't possible even set foot in a less than perfect kitchen.  They seemed happy and ultimately realistic about what they could afford since they wouldn't compromise on location. 

[Patrizio]

Loved the New Orleans couple, not crazy about their pick; but they got a pretty good deal.

[BearCat49]

I wanted to strangle Steffie. Did she and her husband not do ANY research on real estate in LA?!!? I live in LA and bought a house with my husband a few years ago (when the market wasn't doing well -- so we lucked out big time). Steffie was completely unrealistic with her wants -- asked for 'character' and then whines about the kitchen in that house looking too old. Whines about that one house having the character in the bathroom removed during renovation -- but then puts in plain white, boring tiles in the bathroom of the house they did get. GAH! Make up your mind, Steffie!!! (I'll give her credit for not removing the vanity in the bathroom, though.)

 

I hope she realizes how frickin' lucky they were to get that Spanish-style house with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths for $385,000, especially since it was in such good condition.

I'm pretty sure the realtor hated her guts.

Based on what she said about the time spent and the before/after photos, I have a feeling all she did in the bathroom was paint the existing (pink) tiles.  She probably sprayed them.

 

The white tiles are a wise, neutral choice.  She can add in character with her accessories, etc. far less expensively.  I'm sure a complete bathroom reno is in their future - when they can afford it. 

 

I also agree with their decision to invest in the sod and clean up that eyesore of a backyard for their first major project.  That's probably more bang for their reno buck.  JMHO.

 

Agree that they were lucky with what they got for $385K.  I thought they were totally unrealistic about what their 3-400K budget in LA was going to bring them. 

 

Another voice like nails on a chalkboard - together with the cutesie, faux perky, attitude.

Edited July 30, 2014 by BearCat49

[BearCat49]

Do you mean Steffie???  OMG I could not stand her, her voice, her stupid fake perkiness and her idiocy.  I'm glad she gave in to her level headed husband and got the Spanish house.

 

Some of these HHs just don't realize how much certain renovations actually cost.  They should watch Property Brothers or Flip or Flop.

She did come off as an idiot but I had to wonder about him.  Being around that woman for more than 5 minutes would drive me up a wall.  Living in 400 s.f. with her???  He seemed a tad boring (sorry, dude - must be the edit) so maybe that was the attraction to Miss Perky! 

 

I believe the faux-ality reno programs make it look a little too easy.  WRT the budgets, many viewers seem to be confused b/c the PB costs vary wide according to their filming location, e.g. Toronto/Vancouver v. TX/Atlanta. 

Edited July 30, 2014 by BearCat49

[lizzy07]

 

Loved the New Orleans couple, not crazy about their pick; but they got a pretty good deal.

 

They were my favorite couple ever to be on HH!

[DownTheShore]

I liked the New Orleans couple too, though I would have chosen the house with the second floor master bedroom, just for the increased square footage.  My thinking was that you can always add "character" back into a house in a piecemeal fashion over time, and it's better to get the most space right up front without having to remodel for it.  I like the shotgun style, but they could have brought that look back to the house I preferred.

[Bellalisa]

I HATE when the HHs will harp on a house style when they have no budget. The LA couple exemplified this. On their tiny budget the style of the house- craftsman, spanish- split-level, colonial etc should absolutely NOT factor in.  That is the least of their problems. The size of the house, the location, the condition- these are the important things. If they can get any thing liveable and nice- grab it! Who cares what the style is?  I don't know if it was producer driven but that Stephi from LA with her incessant comments about "It's not a craftsmen" were ridiculous. Honey, triple your budget then you can be choosy.

[NYGirl]

Has anybody seen the commercial for House Hunters with Don't you want me Baby in the background? It prominently features the blonde Chicagoan.

[Bellalisa]

White small was a dumb choice for the bathroom because they show all the mold and scum and are hard to keep clean. Bigger tiles are more in style these days for a tub surround. But then again I don't think your typical tan/beige/nuetral brown color tile would have worked in that bathroom if they intended to keep the vanity.

 

I was also glad they could survive in a kitchen with older style countertops. The big problem was the fridge in another room so really they should wait until they can redo the whole thing instead of just replace floor and counters. 

[lizzy07]

A tequila room?!?!?!? I need to find that VA couple and befriend them (-;

[HotPhoenix]

I saw the commercial featuring the straw haired Chicago woman and thought why would HH even want to feature that bimbo? 

 

I'm just amazed by the differences in real estate costs around the country.  It seems you can get a really lovely house in some cities in Texas for very low prices, but put that same house in So Cal, and it's in the high 6 to low 7 figures. 

 

Bellalisa, I agree with you on how out of touch some buyers are.  In most cities, but especially in LA, your first thought needs to be location, especially when you have a small budget, and not whether you have granite/stainless steel in the kitchen.  It's the same here in Phoenix.  Some areas are downright dangerous to live in, so even if you find a nice house, you really don't want to live there. 

 

BTW, just to let you know, we were talking about the Toledo couple and Tony Packo's restaurant the other day,  well, a semi was driven into the front of the building, doing major damage.  The driver apparently had a heart attack and died on the scene.  Very sad situation. 

[Sun-Bun]

Maybe they'd rather spend their money on other things than to pay someone to do the yard work. Not everybody wants a yard and that doesn't mean they're lazy; maybe they spend their time doing things they want to do.

Thank you!!

My husband and I bought our loft 6 years ago and are now proudly anti-yard due to previous years of seemingly endless home lawn/shrubbery/gardening duties. That shit gets old, especially when you eventually *get* old---neither of us are outdoorsy or possess green thumbs either, so there you go.

Yes, you can hire that done, but we'd much rather spend that money on other things, like hosting cocktail parties for all our jealous lawn-owning friends, or paying our building's lovely HOA fee that provides care for our two saltwater swimming pools, dog park and 24/7 state-of-the-art gym.

To each his peach---some of us would really rather not deal with the constant headache of caring for a yard. For all the reasons to hate on HH, people who don't ever want a lawn don't seem so cray-cray at all to my lawn-hating self.

[Mama No Life]

Just watching the episode with Chris and Chelsea (maybe?) who wanted to live in Old Town Alexandria. Chris was absurd with all of this quirks and requirement...I just kept thinking, forget the house and find a new man! She's going to have one miserable life with him. And then they bought a house for almost a half mil that was 800 sq feet. No that is not a typo. 800 sq feet b/c they needed to walk to the metro instead of driving. OMG.

[chessiegal]

If you've ever had to drive in DC in rush hour, you understand the need to easily get to the Metro. I don't think the Alexandria Metro has any parking. Driving into DC and parking can be very pricey. When we bought in Bethesda, MD just outside DC, we bought an older, smaller home about 1 1/4 mile from the Metro, and there was a local bus stop one block from the house - my husband worked in downtown DC.

 

Location, location, location. After owning the home for 13 years. we made a ton of money selling it in a market that was just beginning to pick up. The young couple who bought it said the main factor was - location.

[BearCat49]

Saw the Chicago River North episode.  Wow, what a witch!  She was so awful it had to be her real personality, i.e. not producer-driven.

 

JMHO but I believe Brendon (Brandon?) needs to get honest, accept himself and come out so he can dump her!  No wonder he's never lived with her in 8 yrs of dating!  (Am I the only one who was thinking this?)

 

Had most of the same reactions as everyone here, back in June (the 16th or so) so I'll just add a few more.  Between she and her mother, they could have started a makeup counter with what the two of them had on their faces.  Yeah, her chandeliers, including that awful monstrosity, the chandelier floor lamp, didn't work in that space. 

 

Nobody wondered about this previously - to anyone from Chicago:  any special reason why she called River North, "The Nook"?  Or was it just another one of her cutesie phrases?  Guessing the latter but had to ask the question.

 

Thanks in advance, BTW. 

Edited August 3, 2014 by BearCat49

[Mama No Life]

If you've ever had to drive in DC in rush hour, you understand the need to easily get to the Metro. I don't think the Alexandria Metro has any parking. Driving into DC and parking can be very pricey. When we bought in Bethesda, MD just outside DC, we bought an older, smaller home about 1 1/4 mile from the Metro, and there was a local bus stop one block from the house - my husband worked in downtown DC.

 

Location, location, location. After owning the home for 13 years. we made a ton of money selling it in a market that was just beginning to pick up. The young couple who bought it said the main factor was - location.

I have driven there many times, but I don't live there so maybe I don't totally appreciate it.  It just seems they didn't really try very hard. Their realtor wasn't a prize either.

 

They still had a ten minute walk.  She's going to enjoy that walk when she's 9 months pregnant and it's snowing out?   Just seems short-sighted to me.

[buttersister]

any special reason why she called River North, "The Nook"? 

 

**Looks around River North** Nope, just her. Had she misplaced her e-reader?