House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[izabella]

An engineer living in Seattle is likely working for Microsoft.  Yes, they pay their people well, and it wouldn't take much to save enough for a healthy down payment on a $1M house.  In many cases, the mortgage payment could actually be less than what rent is in some desirable rental areas of town. 

[Neurochick]

4 hours ago, topanga said:

Really? So you never wonder how a 20-something year-old newlywed couple can afford a $900,000 home? Or, in my case, what's wrong with my 40-something year old ass that I can't afford one?

Nope.  I just like to look at the pretty houses. 

That newlywed couple probably has a rich relative helping them, or one of them works on Wall Street. 

[Dewey Decimate]

2 hours ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

I don't see Seattle couple staying together for a long time.  Too much bickering, and not in a really cute and loving way.

Hell yeah. At first I found them mildly annoying, but figured, hey, whatever works... and then the wife shot something like this at her husband: "why do you spend so much time making robots for cats that don't even love you?" Straight face, no smile or giggle. Holy effing shit, that turned my stomach. Please do not let them breed - those kids'll be playing ICBMs in the divorce war to come.

The idea of his and hers "type" rooms - man caves, crafting rooms, extravagant walk-in closets - makes me angry. Maybe I'm too old and too single to understand, but were I half of a couple buying a home, you can bet every friggin' room in that thing would be "ours". I totally get wanting a place to escape and chill on your own, but the idea of it being a gender-based "No ----s Allowed" club gets me all riled up.

Oh, and libraries rock! Always had an image of one in my dream home: dark wood built-ins, an aquarium for relaxation (despite books + water = no bueno), and an extra large leather easy chair with nail head trim. In reality I have big Ikea shelving units, an old pull-out sofa, and a litter box. But god as my witness, it's a separate ROOM!

[izabella]

29 minutes ago, Dewey Decimate said:

Oh, and libraries rock! Always had an image of one in my dream home: dark wood built-ins, an aquarium for relaxation (despite books + water = no bueno), and an extra large leather easy chair with nail head trim. In reality I have big Ikea shelving units, an old pull-out sofa, and a litter box. But god as my witness, it's a separate ROOM!

It's nice the cat lets you share it with her/him.

[Natalie68]

On 7/19/2016 at 7:22 AM, Ohwell said:

Seattle couple was nice but I got really tired of her yapping on and on about having kids some day.  We get it.  You want kids.

I thought she was pretty passive aggressive and they seem to have a bit of difficulty negotiating things.  He will get tired of giving in eventually.  I laughed out loud when he saw the dome house and said he would paint it gray like the death star.  My husband and I would have chosen the dome house.  Loved it.  But I grew up in a non standard shaped house (A frame with additions).

[Natalie68]

16 hours ago, izabella said:

All these industrious house hunters make me tired.  Craft rooms, robot building, beer brewing, boating, hiking, biking, entertaining...

Where is the wife who says, "You know, I'm an introvert and I like to watch tv, read, and surf the internet.  I need a room away from everybody.  With a door.  That I can close.  And a comfy sofa and great reading lamp." 

That wife would be me.  If I could afford to buy a house!  We would also request an area with the worst school districts since we have no children.  

[Gurkel]

1 hour ago, Dewey Decimate said:

Hell yeah. At first I found them mildly annoying, but figured, hey, whatever works... and then the wife shot something like this at her husband: "why do you spend so much time making robots for cats that don't even love you?" Straight face, no smile or giggle. Holy effing shit, that turned my stomach. Please do not let them breed - those kids'll be playing ICBMs in the divorce war to come.

The idea of his and hers "type" rooms - man caves, crafting rooms, extravagant walk-in closets - makes me angry. Maybe I'm too old and too single to understand, but were I half of a couple buying a home, you can bet every friggin' room in that thing would be "ours". I totally get wanting a place to escape and chill on your own, but the idea of it being a gender-based "No ----s Allowed" club gets me all riled up.

Oh, and libraries rock! Always had an image of one in my dream home: dark wood built-ins, an aquarium for relaxation (despite books + water = no bueno), and an extra large leather easy chair with nail head trim. In reality I have big Ikea shelving units, an old pull-out sofa, and a litter box. But god as my witness, it's a separate ROOM!

I don't mind the back-and-forth stuff per se. I know that the producers encourage the couples to do it and might even script it. But I do notice and care about how they treat each other. When one person minimizes the other's concerns or completely disregards their opinions, then I think the couple might be in trouble. Yes, this couple worried me. 

In contrast, last night I watched an episode with a married couple from Fort Worth, TX. They were in the kitchen arguing about a gas vs. electric stove. The wife went on a tirade, and the husband didn't say a word, but he gently put his hand on her lower back. But it wasn't a "Calm down, Woman!" move. I read it as, "I got you. We're in this house-hunting thing together, and it's going to be okay." Now that's a couple I liked and hope will stay together. 
 

[Natalie68]

6 hours ago, Neurochick said:

People read, they just read on their phones or tablets.  I see people reading all the time on the subway, and 90% of them are reading on a wireless device. 

I don't get why it's so important to know how these folks have their money.  Maybe they worked for it, maybe they saved, maybe they have family money.  I don't understand why it's so important.  I don't even listen when they mention what they do for a living, it's not that important to me.

I want to know in a Mrs Kravitz sort of way :).  If the buyers are part of the story I wanna know details!  

3 hours ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

I don't see Seattle couple staying together for a long time.  Too much bickering, and not in a really cute and loving way.

So ANNOYING with the fight over the craft room.  I wish the agent would have pointed out how ridiculous they both were.  Does HGTV not realize how over this stuff we are?  Just show us the homes, darn it!

This was my conversation with my husband last night.  They needed to stop worrying about kids cause I am not sure they will make it to that stage.

[Dewey Decimate]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

It's nice the cat lets you share it with her/him.

Yes, my two guys are quite thoughtful! In my next home, however, they'll surely insist on a separate Cat Cave, and I will absolutely need a hair-free reverse vacuum-sealed changing room with built-ins and chandelier. Once I'm "over" this piddling little starter home, naturally.

[AlleC17]

31 minutes ago, Dewey Decimate said:

Yes, my two guys are quite thoughtful! In my next home, however, they'll surely insist on a separate Cat Cave, and I will absolutely need a hair-free reverse vacuum-sealed changing room with built-ins and chandelier. Once I'm "over" this piddling little starter home, naturally.

*small voice*  my cats do have a cat cave.  lol  Well, actually a catio, as I enclosed the cement slab patio outside the living room.  I can go in as there is access through a chain link gate as well as the cat door, but it is theirs. 

[Natalie68]

2 minutes ago, AlleC17 said:

*small voice*  my cats do have a cat cave.  lol  Well, actually a catio, as I enclosed the cement slab patio outside the living room.  I can go in as there is access through a chain link gate as well as the cat door, but it is theirs. 

During the Dome house looksee my husband and I were actually talking about the fun stuff one could build for their cats there.  If I owned my place I would def build them some fun climbing things and have a catio.  Well, I would SUPERVISE the building.  I am not gifted with a talent for building things and would likely put an eye out.

[Dewey Decimate]

1 hour ago, AlleC17 said:

*small voice*  my cats do have a cat cave.  lol  Well, actually a catio, as I enclosed the cement slab patio outside the living room.  I can go in as there is access through a chain link gate as well as the cat door, but it is theirs. 

Oooh, I've seen those online, and would love to do one! (Not really any stranger than a dog run, I figure.) My guys love to go outside, but they're really indoor cats, and I only take them out in the fenced back yard, totally supervised. Not sure who looks like the bigger loser - me the watchful cat lady or my dorky Abys with belled harnesses, prancing about the yard.

Please, lord, let us get an episode where someone insists on a catio. I'll start taking bets.

[awaken]

19 hours ago, izabella said:

All these industrious house hunters make me tired.  Craft rooms, robot building, beer brewing, boating, hiking, biking, entertaining...

Where is the wife who says, "You know, I'm an introvert and I like to watch tv, read, and surf the internet.  I need a room away from everybody.  With a door.  That I can close.  And a comfy sofa and great reading lamp." 

Haha. That is me. That's why I'm posting on online forums and not busy doing the aforementioned activities!   

[Pickles]

Okay, the episode airing right now. Family with three daughters (all with ridiculous K names) moving to Boston. I already don't like them, because they said their middle daughter is their "quiet and shy daughter". Labeling her as such will only make her more self conscious. The oldest daughter is "the gymnast". The youngest is "the actress". Oh, and our middle daughter is shy and quiet. Idiots.

[laredhead]

The Seattle couple also annoyed me, and I cringed a little each time they were less than polite to each other.  Actually, she was the one who was the snarkier of the two.  They began to argue about the dining room table placement in the first house (the one they ultimately chose), and she wanted to put it next to the kitchen and he shut down that idea immediately.  I noticed the table was next to the kitchen in the reveal.  As they continued to look at houses and make statements about what room would be used for what, I thought to myself that once they have children, rooms have a way of becoming something else other than what you might have intended them to be.  For years I have had a very nice, large dining room that was used as a sun room by the previous owners.  About 4 years ago, I became a grandmother and the dining room has morphed into a combination dining/play room for my grandson when he visits.  In a few years after he grows out of the car and truck playing stage, it will become a 100% dining room again, although I have been thinking of having bookshelves built across one wall to give it that all important "character" that so many HH's crave.  Then it can become the dining room/library. 

[juliet73]

23 hours ago, izabella said:

All these industrious house hunters make me tired.  Craft rooms, robot building, beer brewing, boating, hiking, biking, entertaining...

Where is the wife who says, "You know, I'm an introvert and I like to watch tv, read, and surf the internet.  I need a room away from everybody.  With a door.  That I can close.  And a comfy sofa and great reading lamp." 

I'm totally that wife.  I want a room where I can spend some time alone, that's not the bathroom!   My "break room". No legos/toys allowed,  no food allowed,  no pets, children, etc allowed. No clutter. Just a comfortable couch,  a blanket, a big window,  a TV and some books.

[Christine]

That Boston guy must have set a record for saying "mid-century modern".  As soon as we saw that single story house, I told my husband "that's a ranch" which the realtor said within the next 30 seconds, adding California to the description.  They'll have a hard time finding anything personalized for Kherington, the youngest daughter.

[Ottis]

Quote

I don't get why it's so important to know how these folks have their money.  Maybe they worked for it, maybe they saved, maybe they have family money.  I don't understand why it's so important.  I don't even listen when they mention what they do for a living, it's not that important to me.

"Important" on a message board is relative, however, I sure want to know how they are doing it. Financial planning is my hobby. I've worked steadily for 30 years, have saved 15-20% of my income annually  and have a very good salary, and I couldn't/wouldn't afford a $750k house. How can they? And they are often 15-20 years younger than me. Are they simply financially reckless (i.e., paying interest only), financially stupid/entitled or have they somehow run into or earned a lot of money at that young age? I want to know if we are watching budding geniuses or the next generation to default on a mortgage and claim "predatory lending." Maybe in some areas of the country, it's 50-year loans, like Japan. Maybe people live in hock to their eyeballs because that's what you have to do in the most expensive US cities. I want to know, dang it!

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

That Boston guy must have set a record for saying "mid-century modern".  

Based on the realtor's reactions a few times, I think the husband was probably even more annoying in person than he appeared on t.v.  All he did was mope after the wife and realtor moaning like a broken record, "but it's not a mid-century modern".  I wasn't convinced he even knew what one was.  Loved when the realtor did the talking head that he would not have wanted original mid-century appliances and countertops in the kitchen.  Absolutely true.  Because again, I don't think he really even knew what that would look like.

I know it's often just to create some drama for the show, but I can't stand it when one party in a family seems only focused on their own selfish wants.  Like this dude, for some reason he had no explanation for, all he wanted was mid-century modern.  But the wife, her lists of "wants" was focused on family living and what would be in the best interest of her children.  That seems like the best approach and attitude to have.  You aren't shopping for just yourself anymore.

[qtpye]

17 hours ago, Dewey Decimate said:

Hell yeah. At first I found them mildly annoying, but figured, hey, whatever works... and then the wife shot something like this at her husband: "why do you spend so much time making robots for cats that don't even love you?" Straight face, no smile or giggle.

It also give me weird visions of the guy begging the cats to love him and them looking at him disdainfully, like grumpy cat.

20 minutes ago, Ottis said:

"Important" on a message board is relative, however, I sure want to know how they are doing it. Financial planning is my hobby. I've worked steadily for 30 years, have saved 15-20% of my income annually  and have a very good salary, and I couldn't/wouldn't afford a $750k house. How can they? And they are often 15-20 years younger than me. Are they simply financially reckless (i.e., paying interest only), financially stupid/entitled or have they somehow run into or earned a lot of money at that young age? I want to know if we are watching budding geniuses or the next generation to default on a mortgage and claim "predatory lending." Maybe in some areas of the country, it's 50-year loans, like Japan. Maybe people live in hock to their eyeballs because that's what you have to do in the most expensive US cities. I want to know, dang it!

There is also another component to this.  House Hunters started at the beginning of the housing boom, followed by the historical housing bust.  We all had a front seat to the chaos, even if most of us live very financially responsible lives.

There was an infamous man on the internet ( think his name was Dimitri) who would brag about owning multiple homes, despite never having a job, or any other assets.  I was thinking how can this guy have all these expensive homes (he was in his late twenties)...it did not make any sense and I am not a nosy person.

Then I found out that everyone and their father were getting approved for loans, totally out of line with what they can afford.  We had mortgage brokers pulling in seven figure incomes.  There was even one featured on the first season of  "Real Housewives of Orange County".  He was bragging about how easy it was for him to make money...the guy is totally broke, now.  He owes thousands in child support for his sick kid and lives off his girlfriend.

I do not think all this is happening again.  However, as a society we are all a little bit more suspicious, when something does not looks right.

However, in defense of the House Hunters, I will say there are some professions that pull in a ton of money at a very young age.  I have a friend who is a software architect, who at the ripe old age of 25, is pulling in well over six figures.

I also know someone who is a Dermatologist, who makes a very good living, even though he is only in his early thirties.

[Babalooie]

Another factor in house prices is the regional factor.  Here in the South you can get more bang for your buck, but average income is lower.  If you live in the NE, or on the West coast, aren't wages higher because the cost of living is higher, including house prices?

Edited July 21, 2016 by Babalooie

[Empress1]

Yes, but not always proportionate to the COL, particularly if you're in the early stages of your career.

This Boston couple named their child "Kherington." With an H. My God. My friend's niece is named Kennedy so I don't mind that as much. Kingsley is pretty bad, but Kherington? That is awful.

[Ohwell]

The Boston guy was annoying with his "mid-century modern" yapping, and I agree with the poster who said that he probably doesn't even understand what that means.  But the wife also got on my nerves yapping about wanting neighbors--and then, of course, they wound up picking the house without neighbors.

[Christine]

Why oh why do I continue to watch these shows?  I guess so I can come here and complain about it.  Beats trying to complain about the media or politics or anything else right now.

The wife in Seattle must come from my area.  She said a border city and she grew up on a dairy farm - so that would be Lynden or Sumas (WA).  She also mentioned her family flipped houses, so maybe she had income there.  Wonder what nannies make.  I'm with all of you on how can these young 'uns afford a house.  We paid about $300K for ours in our (non-dairy farm) border city and it was a new house, 2100+sf - no granite but stainless steel stuff - 10 years ago.  I was shocked to see how much houses in the Seattle suburbs now cost.

[AuntiePam]

7 hours ago, Babalooie said:

Another factor in house prices is the regional factor.  Here in the South you can get more bang for your buck, but average income is lower.  If you live in the NE, or on the West coast, aren't wages higher because the cost of living is higher, including house prices?

I believe you're right.  Houses in the South, the Midwest, and in the Rust Belt are cheaper, especially in smaller communities.

There are several reasons why young couples might afford a pricey house.  A large down payment from selling their current home, moving from a seller's market to a buyer's market,  or an inheritance.  In the old version of HH, with Suzanne Whang, we were often given more information about the hunters' jobs and even their income, if I remember right. 

When we moved from Seattle to small town Iowa, we had money left over after paying cash for the Iowa house. 

My son recently sold a Seattle house, close-in, where he had lived in for 14 years, house prices going up all the time.  He ended up with $200K for a down payment on a bigger, better house north of Seattle (Edmonds).  His mortgage, taxes, and insurance are cheaper than Seattle rent.  So the answer in some areas is:  Buy 15 years ago.

[Tony]

On 7/19/2016 at 2:38 AM, Albino said:

Apologies to anyone on the board who enjoys crafting. I just don't think you need a special dedicated room for it. 

This! Just do it on the freaking dinning room table like most people. To me, a crafting room is just a notch below a gift-wrapping room on the pretentious scale.

[KLovestoShop]

We have a relative who lives in a super expensive subdivision where houses start at $600,000 with most at $900K on up. When you drive around you see very young couples with pre-school age kids.  Most of the moms don't work, so it's single income families. I asked my cousin how these young'uns afford these places and he said they are mortgaged to the hilt, and are only house rich.  Go inside these places and there's little furniture and no decor at all.  The houses are beautiful on the outside but the insides are empty bins. He also said that many got help with down payments from mom and dad. And again, when you drive around, you see lots of for sale signs when these Millennials realize, after a few years, that they can't keep up with the mortgage, insurance, property taxes and in the case of this subdivision, the high association fees ($300 a month in his subdivision). 

Should have had a drinking game during yesterday's Boston area couple said "mid-century modern", you could take a drink.  Of course, he didn't get the house he claimed he wanted. 

[HawaiiTVGuy]

7 hours ago, Ohwell said:

The Boston guy was annoying with his "mid-century modern" yapping, and I agree with the poster who said that he probably doesn't even understand what that means.  But the wife also got on my nerves yapping about wanting neighbors--and then, of course, they wound up picking the house without neighbors.

I saw parts of the episode, it piqued my interest initially when I saw prices that actually didn't make me depressed living here in Hawaii, and then when I found out it was in "Boston" because my sister and her family live there.  My question is, did they say what this couple did for a living?  Like what does the husband do that allows him to just decide to move every couple years? 

[laredhead]

One more comment on the Seattle couple and the crafting room.  She was using what was designed as a dining room for her crafting room, but it didn't have any doors on it, so unless she keeps it very neat, you are going to see a messy room as one of the first things when you enter the house.  Personally, I want to be able to close the door on a space like that so that I can keep it messy if I choose to do so.  It's not like they didn't have other rooms to use for that.  He got a robot room and the basement as I remember.  Maybe someone has already mentioned that, but there have been so many comments about that episode I lost track.  Karma would be for them to have triplets. 

[Ohwell]

55 minutes ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

I saw parts of the episode, it piqued my interest initially when I saw prices that actually didn't make me depressed living here in Hawaii, and then when I found out it was in "Boston" because my sister and her family live there.  My question is, did they say what this couple did for a living?  Like what does the husband do that allows him to just decide to move every couple years? 

I missed the first couple of minutes so I don't know what the husband did for a living.  Not sure what the wife did either but I think she was a stay at home mom.

[biakbiak]

The husband was a sales trainer and it was implied they moved because of job transfers within his company which is based in Lexington.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

I missed the first couple of minutes so I don't know what the husband did for a living.  Not sure what the wife did either but I think she was a stay at home mom.

She was a SAHM/group fitness instructor.

[aguabella]

On ‎7‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 8:16 AM, topanga said:

For me, it's all voyeurism and living vicariously through the House Hunters. And poking fun at them a little. Isn't that what reality TV is all about?

Definitely!  The producers understand, appreciate and encourage that type of voyeurism.  They're not ashamed to do anything, anything at all, if it results in viewers talking about a specific episode and/or HH, in general.

[qtpye]

14 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

When we moved from Seattle to small town Iowa, we had money left over after paying cash for the Iowa house. 

My son recently sold a Seattle house, close-in, where he had lived in for 14 years, house prices going up all the time.  He ended up with $200K for a down payment on a bigger, better house north of Seattle (Edmonds).  His mortgage, taxes, and insurance are cheaper than Seattle rent.  So the answer in some areas is:  Buy 15 years ago.

We lived in Seattle for a while and when we went there people kept talking about how affordable it was.  So, we got a lot of sticker shock when we went looking for houses.  We asked why does everyone think Seattle is cheap place to live?  We finally got our answer...everyone was comparing it to San Francisco.

That is like saying, this place is not hot because it is cooler then the sun.  The Pacific Northwest has seen property values rise a lot in last couple of decades, thanks in part to being the second most important tech hub outside Silicon Valley.

[Empress1]

I liked the woman in Kansas City and thought she chose the right house. Only $500 down from asking, though?

I thought it odd that the realtor showed her the last house and touted the square footage (I think it was 2200?) as a plus, when the house hunter specifically said she was looking to downsize and wanted something in the 1500 square foot range. 

[roseslg]

I like knowing what they do. Why?  because I'm nosy.  Same reason I like to look into people's homes when I walk by and the blinds are up.  Of course, not in a pervy way, but I live in NYC and I like seeing inside some of the older homes and some of the luxury condos.  On occasion, I even mock their taste in decoration.    House porn up close.  

 

We are looking into moving across the country to the PNW in the next few months and some of these prices I see on HGTV are giving me pause.  if 26 yr olds are buying 600k-1m homes, I don't know if we could afford to live there. I bought into "affordable housing" (not by a lot of people's standard), so my mortgage and monthlies are relatively low for NYC.  

[AuntiePam]

25 minutes ago, roseslg said:

We are looking into moving across the country to the PNW in the next few months and some of these prices I see on HGTV are giving me pause.  if 26 yr olds are buying 600k-1m homes, I don't know if we could afford to live there. I bought into "affordable housing" (not by a lot of people's standard), so my mortgage and monthlies are relatively low for NYC.  

The PNW in general or Seattle?  I'd love to move back there someday but there's no way I could afford to live in Seattle again.  I'd probably look in Everett, Monroe, Carnation, Bellingham, or south to Renton, Tukwila, Olympia.

When my son was looking, he shared photos from Zillow.  There were lots of nice places in the $400-$450K range but they were a good distance from downtown Seattle.  The farther out you go -- north or south -- the lower the prices.  It will depend on where you'll be working.  The area has excellent public transportation, but if you're wed to your car, commuting (and parking downtown) is expensive. 

The house my son sold was a 70-year-old one-bedroom that needed a lot of work -- it's a tear-down, really.  It would sell for $20K in my town. He was paid $350K by a developer. 

[NYGirl]

The Kansas redhead in Kansas with grandma's dining room table.  Next time don't take Debbie Downer with you when you are house hunting.

I'm noticing lately that nobody ever picks House #3.  It gets talked up the most and it usually ticks off all the boxes and the HHs rave about it yet.. "we pick House #1".

[roseslg]

@auntiepam, we are thinking the PNW in general.   My husband has romanticized Portland, but we will see.  Most of what we have applied for is not in Portland, but in smaller cities - Eugene, Bend, Corvalis.   I interview next week for a job in LA.  Talk about prices!!  

I would take it the French teacher picked house #1?  It was the only empty one.  That coffee they were making when they were discussing requirements never got made.  I got a kick out of them showing the opened coffee pot after a scene where they poured the coffee in and turned it on.

[izabella]

Kansas woman and her grandmother's furniture got on my nerves.  She is downsizing, yet complained how small all the rooms were.  She wanted 1500 square feet, 3 beds, 2 baths...ok, lady, how big do you think the rooms can possibly be with those parameters?  However, she didn't know "how she would use" the finished basement in the third house (2500 sq. ft.).

In the end, grandma's table didn't look all that big, so she could have used the area next to the kitchen after all.  Instead, she now has this enormous living room that was empty, with the table and buffet barely taking up one quarter of the space way at the end of the room.

[chessiegal]

Re:  young folks buying expensive houses. We sold our last house for $650K to 20 somethings - she had just finished residency at Georgetown Hospital and had a job at NIH. He was a sales rep for IBM. Between the 2 of them, they were pulling down over $300K/year. They had plenty of money for a down payment, even had the original hardwoods redone before they moved in. Location and jobs - makes a difference.

[laredhead]

Where was the laundry equipment in the house the Kansas woman chose?  I can't remember now.  Having inside laundry is a must on my list of requirements.  When I was a child we lived in two houses where the washer and dryer were in the garage (one attached and one detached) and that turned me off on that arrangement for life.  When I bought my last house, I rejected one house, even though I really liked it, because the washer & dryer were on a back porch and there was no way to move them inside without spending a lot of money to make that happen.  

Maybe the grandmother's table has leaves that expand it to a larger size and when that is done, it fills the space.   

[Empress1]

I think in the third house, the laundry was next to the master bedroom and she was happy about that, but I always get nervous about laundry being on an upper floor. If it leaks, you're in trouble. I think everywhere I've lived, the laundry has been in the basement. 

I have an antique hutch that was my grandmother's, so I had a soft spot for that. (Mine is just in my living room, in a corner.)

[Linky Loo]

The laundry was in the basement, but you had to go into the garage to get to it. That would be a nope.

[ByaNose]

12 hours ago, Linky Loo said:

The laundry was in the basement, but you had to go into the garage to get to it. That would be a nope.

Yeah, that was a weird entry way for the basement. Wouldn't fumes of a running car go right down there?

[Mu Shu]

I just enjoy bitching about the people on the show.  And yes, I want to know where these Twenty something carpetbaggers are getting their shekels from.   

[juliet73]

I too,  like to know what these twenty somethings do for a living.  After they announce their jobs,  I fast forward to the houses; I don't care about the rest of their backstory. 

I'm glad the show displays the home prices. Back in the day when the show first started,  they never mentioned the cost of the homes or the towns...and they were ALWAYS in California. That's when Suzanne Whang was on it too. 

[Dewey Decimate]

On 7/22/2016 at 0:40 PM, NYGirl said:

The Kansas redhead in Kansas with grandma's dining room table.  Next time don't take Debbie Downer with you when you are house hunting.

 

On 7/22/2016 at 7:17 PM, stewedsquash said:

Yeah, the two ladies who were looking with Kansas lady were annoying. I did think Kansas lady was very pretty and loved that, seriously, her hair DID match exactly the color of the wall in that room. The sister in law or whoever the heck she was irked me because she thought she was so smart saying use the living room as the dining room.

All I could think was "you're taking decorating advice from someone in that ill-cut, plaid monstrosity of a vest?"

[Neurochick]

On 7/22/2016 at 6:05 PM, chessiegal said:

Re:  young folks buying expensive houses. We sold our last house for $650K to 20 somethings - she had just finished residency at Georgetown Hospital and had a job at NIH. He was a sales rep for IBM. Between the 2 of them, they were pulling down over $300K/year. They had plenty of money for a down payment, even had the original hardwoods redone before they moved in. Location and jobs - makes a difference.

Yes, that's why it doesn't phase me.  Lots of DINK's twentysomethings in NYC, where both have six figure incomes.

[topanga]

2 hours ago, Neurochick said:

Yes, that's why it doesn't phase me.  Lots of DINK's twentysomethings in NYC, where both have six figure incomes.

I agree. But a 300,000 annual salary doesn't = rich. It's really just upper middle class or lower upper class, especially in an expensive city like Seattle. I can't figure out what a million dollar house would cost in terms of a monthly mortgage payment (plus taxes, HOA fees, etc). But unless the couple was able to put down a huge down payment, or their savings have been supplemented by a large sum of monetary wedding gifts, their incomes would still be stretched.