House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[Bellalisa]

Wow, that Dallas house they bought is TERRIBLE. No garage, no basement and no closets! With a kid coming! Bad layout. Whoever flipped this house took all the character out of it. It was craftsmen from the outside only. Oh and there was one arch. Other than that it was 100% generic inside. They put in a gigantic stainless steel fridge and gigantic shower and hoped the buyers would not notice the shortcomings. 

 

You walk in and the front room looked really big- but the couple cut it in half by putting the couch with the back facing the door (bad feng shui)- I looked again and it looks pretty hard to arrange the furniture in that room any other way with where the kitchen is with that half wall. It didnt help that they shoved that half room full of so much crap. The Before/After shots were hilarious. They had a bookshelf in front of the window and tons of crap in that room. Where is the baby swing, the high chair, playpen, toys and the stoller and all the baby's crap gonna go? Methinks it will all be in that front entry! There was not even a kitchen table nor room for one. I do not think I have disliked a house this much in a long time. They are going to outgrow it in a year and then have trouble selling it with all their crap shoved in it will be obvious there is zero storage. I guess they have to buy a shed? Where are they going to put the lawnmower, kid's tricycle and bikes? Is there room to build a garage in the back?  Terrible choice! The other house was much better but I guess it wasn't really one of their choices.

[walnutqueen]

Just watched the house hunting in Honolulu, Hawaii, and I've just got to say I fell a little in love with the realtor who offered to feed and care for the bird that the owner couldn't take with them.  Guess I'm a sucker for animals.  :-)  I hope the house hunters warm up to the little birdie and spend some time with him/her.

[BearCat49]

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

She reads???  hahahaha - oh, makeup instructions - maybe??

 

Thanks, buttersister.

 

Time to man up and move on, Brendon/Brandon!

Edited August 4, 2014 by BearCat49

[Taylorh2]

When the HH asked the realtor if the bird came with the house, I knew right then and there it was the house that they had picked.

 

"does the bird come with the house?"  WTHever

[SpiritSong]

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.

I'm not a fan of yard work either, but I'd hate living right on top of other people. I envy you your salt water pools, though! Fortunately, my rock and dirt yard in the desert is extremely low maintenance. Even the trees are on a drip irrigation system. The only time I spend in the yard is picking up dog poop.

[Patrizio]

Wow, note to self, don't look for a house on Hawaii unless I have a million dollars! Thought the wife was kind of a bitch, but she had great taste in clothes. I was glad to see her giving the bird some mango on top of the big bowl of seed, so she ended up redeeming herself some, but I knew right away they'd pick that house b/c the others were seriuosly flawed. Whenever, they have a spot I'd kill to live at, (NYC, San Francisco, Hawaii); I wish they would do like a Diamond Special or some such nonsense with people who have big bucks to spend.

[DownTheShore]

I knew she was going to pick that Hawaii house, too, because it was the least interesting of all of them and the newest, and there was no way his personality was going to supersede hers.  I didn't really like her for some reason; she seemed to have the air of "Mrs. Future-General's Wife" about her.  Though they weren't really looking for entertaining space, so perhaps my assumption about his career path is wrong.

 

I would have made sure that realtor took the bird with her if I bought that house.  Keeping a bird caged outdoors just seems cruel to me, because they can see that there's something more than their restricted space.

[DownTheShore]

I'd like to see a San Francisco one with unlimited funds, too.  I want someone to buy some big-a$$ old mansion that had managed to survive the 1908 quake, or one that was built immediately afterward - not an apartment or condo in one, the whole darn thing.

[Taylorh2]

I think the bird was theirs from the beginning. I don't believe for one minute that the previous owners left it.

[QuinnM]

 

I think the bird was theirs from the beginning. I don't believe for one minute that the previous owners left it

The minute the realtor launched into the story about feeding it etc I thought the same thing.  I watched the rest of that showing looking for other clues.

[HotPhoenix]

If producers are writing the scripts for these house hunters, I would be embarrassed that they're trying to make me look like an idiot.  I was yelling at the TV last night with the couple in Chicago where the woman said that bidet toilets are totally gross.  Well first of all, Toto washlets are not bidets, they are for washing the entire area.  We've had the washlets for over 20 years now and we LOVE them.  Unless that woman has ever used one, she doesn't know what she's talking about.  Ladies, we all know that our darling husbands, at times, aren't the best in cleaning a certain area of their person, and we see the inevitable skid marks.  Since we've had the Toto, not one skid mark.  The Toto is self cleaning and does not harbor germs anymore than a regular toilet.  And if you live in a cold climate, you know how nasty feeling it is to sit on a cold seat in the middle of the night.  You don't have that with a Toto. 

 

And if this wife was as big a germaphobe as she claimed, her husband was totally correct when he said that all the exposed duct work was nothing but a dust collector, but she would not listen.  What a bimbo they made her out to be.
 

[laredhead]

The realtor in last night's Chicago episode got in on client bashing a bit.  She said she was showing them exactly what the wife wanted when she showed them an industrial style loft, and then the wife didn't want it.  The realtor said she didn't think the wife knew what "industrial" meant.  At least the wife didn't have that vocal fry voice so many women have decided to adopt.

[buttersister]

I'm betting this was the episode that would have featured our building--if we'd said yes to the producers that approached us, sure, show our building as losers. Instead, a loser are the couple--geez, no, she had no idea what industrial meant (therefore, I'm with HotPhoenix on where that gem came from). Lincoln Park is the burbs? Ha, funny (also, I believe they ended up a block from a major trafficy area). Germophobes living in a big city, renting bikes, touching stuff--oh, producers, get a new playbook.

I did enjoy their realtor, though.

Edited August 6, 2014 by buttersister

[Sun-Bun]

I'm betting this was the episode that would have featured our building--if we'd said yes to the producers that approached us, sure, show our building as losers. Instead, a loser are the couple--geez, no, she had no idea what industrial meant (therefore, I'm with HotPhoenix on where that gem came from). Lincoln Park is the burbs? Ha, funny (also, I believe they ended up a block from a major trafficy area). Germophobes living in a big city, renting bikes, touching stuff--oh, producers, get a new playbook.

I did enjoy their realtor, though.

I really wanted to see this episode since my husband and I live in an equally "industrial" loft in the downtown area of our city and cringe over ever living in the 'burbs as well.

But good lord, did this couple have the stupidest generic demands/complaints:

'We gotta have that stainless steel and granite, but ewwww, those dark counters from 2002 are so dated! We must have a cozy stone fireplace in our coldly "industrial" loft palace, but ewwww, why aren't there doors and walls that reach the ceilings in this dump? We like to cook and grill, but ewwww, why don't these industrial loft stoves have any exhaust hoods on them?? Why aren't these closets big enough for my wife's shopping addiction? Why can't ALL these lofts in our price range have the perfect city view and not these icky dusty pipes? Why would we ever want any fancy bidet toilets to wash the poo off our lilly-fresh buttocks?! Gross, icky!!'

Yeah. You could tell their realtor secretly loathed them both with her delightfully subtle snarking along the way.

("Your afraid your *clothes* will smell? WHAT are you cooking?!!")

Edited August 7, 2014 by Sun-Bun

[SpiritSong]

The woman on the show tonight buying a house in the Phoenix area made me want to punch her with her insistence on grass, I want grass! You're in the freaking desert, lady. Water is a precious resource that is wasted on a lawn. Gah! Hope she enjoys her astronomical water bills.

I do share her aversion to brown houses but that's what you find if you only look in cookie cutter developments. There are plenty of older homes in nice areas of metro Phoenix that aren't brown and identical to every other house on the block.

Her husband was much more reasonable and I have to say their baby was adorable.

[laredhead]

"When in Rome" came to mind tonight with the wife of the Phoenix couple tonight.  If they liked Tampa so much, they should have stayed there, job notwithstanding.  Yes, they should learn to like desert landscaping, SpiritSong.  Her comment about not wanting to be told what paint colors she can use on her house was ridiculous if they were choosing to live in a development that has the type of homeowner association that regulates things like that.  Go find another house in an area where you can paint your house purple with pink polka dots if you want to.  She was a whiner and her voice was like fingernails over a blackboard.  Whiny and vocal fry combined - the worst combo.   

[Bastet]

Her comment about not wanting to be told what paint colors she can use on her house was ridiculous if they were choosing to live in a development that has the type of homeowner association that regulates things like that.  Go find another house in an area where you can paint your house purple with pink polka dots if you want to.

 

That drives me nuts.  I wouldn't live in a single-family home governed by an HOA if you gave it to me, so I certainly understand the "What do you mean I can't choose my own paint color?!" style of objection, but those of us who feel that way know not to look at houses in cookie cutter developments.  To opt to tour such a home and THEN make the objection is just plain stupid.

[MsChicklet]

The Phoenix wife's voice -- gah. The husband probably travels for work just to get away from it.

[Bellalisa]

As far as HOA paint colors go- there is a wide range of allowed colors you can choose from- normal colors. You can't paint your house purple or lime green- that's it. That's the point of it. It is NOT like there is only a selection of two colors brown and tan.  You would be thankful to have this regulation as it doesn't stifle your individuality, it just keeps the nieghborhood values high from having it look like a freak show with one banana yellow house on the block. 

 

she was a whiner and her voice was like fingernails over a blackboard.  Whiny and vocal fry combined - the worst combo.

 

Yes! The WORST combo! All of her complaints were stupid - but that voice. My question is how did vocal fry come about in the sense of how did MEN allow their girlfriends to talk like this and date and marry them? Don't these guys notice? Men don't do it, women do it. I can't take it. Her voice was dreadful and painful to listen to.  I found it amusing that someone from Florida is bitching about the heat and the sameness! Florida does not have the 4 seasons nor does it have a large variety of deciduous trees ( I don't think not certain but seems like mostly palm tressa). It also has no hills. I could understand someone from the Northeast bitching about  Arizona, but Florida, really?  

 

Then all the bitching about a remodel- yes you pay a crew and have them in and out in 4 weeks before you move in. That was smart. As much as I hate her, I love the way the kitchen came out. And her "I can't believe they remodeled this kitchen and didn't get new appliances"- Maybe they were not rich and the appliances still worked! THAT comment was NOT producer driven, it was her own snootiness showing. 

 

She was one of the most annoying House Hunters yet. Horrible!

Edited August 7, 2014 by Bellalisa

[roseslg]

I would want to paint my house purple though (dead serious here).  So a HOA would not work for me.  I think some men like the high maintenance ladies.  Some of these men on HH seem a bit brow-beaten. 

[Bastet]

You would be thankful to have this regulation

 

No, I wouldn't.  Which is why I'd never look at such a home while house hunting.  If I did, with general knowledge of the restrictions (which doesn't require reading the CC&Rs, but simply looking around) and then complained about the existence of such restrictions, I'd look like an idiot.  Like she did.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Bastet

[HotPhoenix]

What the bimbo in Phoenix doesn't realize is that you have to change your lawn twice every year, or else your lawn looks like crap.  It's the reason why we here in the desert have xeriscape properties.  Every spring you can't golf for two weeks because they have to thatch the fairways and greens and change to summer grass, and in the fall they do the same thing to change to winter grass. 

 

I can't stand people who move from one part of the country to another part, and insist that their property looks like it does in the old place.  The woman yesterday drove me nuts with wanting her place to look like Tampa.  You're not in Tampa, and what works in Tampa doesn't work in the desert southwest.  It's this attitude that has ruined our desert and made it not fit for those with breathing problems.  The Canadians and cold climate US persons insisted on bringing with them their indiginous plants and trees, and it's made for huge problems with increased humidity and pollen counts.  Many municipalities have gone to prohibiting certain trees and flowers now in order to improve the air quality. 

 

But I will say, their baby was absolutely adorable. 

[qtpye]

I think I read somewhere that people think that vocal fry makes a woman sound important and sexy.  The tone is supposed girlish, but the tired sounding fry gives the allusion the woman has a lot going on in her life.  I thought this was ridiculous and still find it annoying.

 

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.

 

 

I just saw this episode.  I thought the lady was attractive and I think the show ended with a lot of her male neighbors doing many favors for her, like installing her ceiling fans. 

 

It is interesting the way white cabinets were very in during the nineties and then they became dated and now seem popular again.  I do not think I have ever seen a design trend go in and out like that.

[Bellalisa]

I would say that having lived on streets without HOA's, there is always at least one house that is a total eyesore- chipped paint, shutters falling off, painted lime green with orange shutters, broken roof, lawn never mowed, cars on blocks in the driveway, ugly broken lawn ornaments, weeds up to the roof. This is why I say that many people are thankful for the HOA, even with the restrictions of an HOA because you would not have such a house right next to yours, lowering your home's value.  My brother lives right next door to such a house- I have an HOA and I don't have to worry about that. I know that he is going to have a hard time selling his house with that garbage dump next door. I do not want even one house like that on my street so I put up with the HOA regulations.  People are not allowed to put 10 neon Virgin Mary statues on their lawns that look like cornfields.

 

I agree with all of you about "When in Pheonix" don't try to plant a lawn. But she was so stupid! You would never base your home purchase on what type of sink their is in the kitchen. That is one of the easiest and most inexpensive things to change! You can even get a deep sink that is not a farmhouse sink! The only type of kitchen that a farmhouse sink looks good in is, well, a farmhouse.

 

I was yelling at the TV last night with the couple in Chicago where the woman said that bidet toilets are totally gross.  Well first of all, Toto washlets are not bidets, they are for washing the entire area.  We've had the washlets for over 20 years now and we LOVE them.  Unless that woman has ever used one, she doesn't know what she's talking about.  Ladies, we all know that our darling husbands, at times, aren't the best in cleaning a certain area of their person, and we see the inevitable skid marks.  Since we've had the Toto, not one skid mark.  The Toto is self cleaning and does not harbor germs anymore than a regular toilet.

I own one of those disgusting "bidet toilets" not a Toto. It's an attachment under the toilet seat, cost around $50. It hooks up to the water supply and diverts and a stream of water that shoots out when you pull the lever- if you need to wash. Saves on Toilet paper and also cleans better that toilet paper. Americans are one of the only countries in the world that wipe with toilet paper. Many of the rest of the world find us to be filthy. Also it killed me when she says a bidet toilet would be a "deal breaker"- Honey, you can have it removed and replaced with a regular "sanitary germ-free" toilet.  Again people ruling out a house for something that is simple to fix or change.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Bellalisa

[Bellalisa]

I would say that having lived on streets without HOA's, there is always at least one house that is a total eyesore- chipped paint, shutters falling off, painted lime green with orange shutters, broken roof, lawn never mowed, cars on blocks in the driveway, ugly broken lawn ornaments, weeds up to the roof. This is why I say that many people are thankful for the HOA, even with the restrictions of an HOA because you would not have such a house right next to yours, lowering your home's value.  My brother lives right next door to such a house- I have an HOA and I don't have to worry about that. I know that he is going to have a hard time selling his house with that garbage dump next door. I do not want even one house like that on my street so I put up with the HOA regulations.  People are not allowed to put 10 neon Virgin Mary statues on their lawns that look like cornfields.

 

I agree with all of you about "When in Pheonix" don't try to plant a lawn. But she was so stupid! You would never base your home purchase on what type of sink their is in the kitchen. That is one of the easiest and most inexpensive things to change! You can even get a deep sink that is not a farmhouse sink! The only type of kitchen that a farmhouse sink looks good in is, well, a farmhouse.

 

I was yelling at the TV last night with the couple in Chicago where the woman said that bidet toilets are totally gross.  Well first of all, Toto washlets are not bidets, they are for washing the entire area.  We've had the washlets for over 20 years now and we LOVE them.  Unless that woman has ever used one, she doesn't know what she's talking about.  Ladies, we all know that our darling husbands, at times, aren't the best in cleaning a certain area of their person, and we see the inevitable skid marks.  Since we've had the Toto, not one skid mark.  The Toto is self cleaning and does not harbor germs anymore than a regular toilet.

I own one of those disgusting "bidet toilets" not a Toto. It's an attachment under the toilet seat, cost around $50. It hooks up to the water supply and diverts and a stream of water that shoots out when you pull the lever- if you need to wash. Saves on Toilet paper and also cleans better that toilet paper. Americans are one of the only countries in the world that wipe with toilet paper. Many of the rest of the world find us to be filthy. Also it killed me when she says a bidet toilet would be a "deal breaker"- Honey, you can have it removed and replaced with a regular "sanitary germ-free" toilet.  Again people ruling out a house for something that is simple to fix or change.

[DownTheShore]

Was watching the episode with Nicole & Dave (Charlotte NC to Marietta GA).

 

All I have to say is that they better thank God everyday that I don't rule the world.  What a very determined woman, bless her heart; and I mean that in the most Southern way possible.  I wondered why she actually chose that house, when she was subsequently changing every single thing about it.

 

Another one of those mothers who simply must have a laser eye on her only child at all times.  God forbid that a partial wall should block her view of the room he is in.  Can she just move a couple feet right or left to check on him? No, out with the wall instead!  Poor little Beau, the focus of so much parental attention

 

I had to laugh when the realtor said that even though their house was lower than the street, nothing would happen to their house because "it's on a slab".  Superstorm Sandy's surge created a sinkhole under my sister's slab and half of it broke off and dropped six inches from the frame of the building.  Granted an ocean surge is not likely to happen to that house, but we've learned to never underestimate the power of water.

[Bastet]

What a very determined woman, bless her heart; and I mean that in the most Southern way possible.

 

Ha!  I didn't see the episode, and I'm not Southern, but I have family members who are and thus know, and use, "bless your heart" as intended.  It goes over many a head here on the West coast, but it lowers my blood pressure to say.

[ShuFace88]

I also felt sorry for poor little Beau in Marietta.  He is going to be helicopter parented to death.  The wife worried about one house because the master was on the first floor and the other bedrooms were upstairs.  She didn't want Beau to be in the huge upstairs all by himself.  If she was really worried, she and her husband could make one of the other 3 bedrooms upstairs the master until Beau was older or maybe they didn't need 4000 square feet for 3 people!  When your kid can't make his way to your room in the middle of the night by himself, your house is too damn big!  My first thought when seeing these huge houses is "Who's going to clean all that?"

[HotPhoenix]

The Georgia couple left a lot to be desired.  I just don't understand some parents today who are worried about buying a house with a little stree traffic, or a pool, or one of those tiny "lakes" in a planned community.  My kids grew up with a pool, and we had a kid-proof gate so the kids didn't fall in.  And,if you're worried about a road in front of your house, want to know a little secret?  YOU WATCH YOUR DAMN KIDS !!!!!!!!  These parents are so concerned about little Johnny and needing to see him from the kitchen, but they don't want to watch little Johnny in the yard? 

[BradandJanet]

I also don't get the hate these otherwise picky househunters have for washlet toilet seats. I remember an episode of Love It or List It, where a woman turned up her nose at the "push-button toilet." These devices are awesome for many reasons, and if they were better known in the States, househunters would make them as necessary as granite and stainless steel. I installed them long before I decided what to do with my kitchen.

[Neurochick]

The Georgia couple left a lot to be desired.  I just don't understand some parents today who are worried about buying a house with a little stree traffic, or a pool, or one of those tiny "lakes" in a planned community.  My kids grew up with a pool, and we had a kid-proof gate so the kids didn't fall in.  And,if you're worried about a road in front of your house, want to know a little secret?  YOU WATCH YOUR DAMN KIDS !!!!!!!!  These parents are so concerned about little Johnny and needing to see him from the kitchen, but they don't want to watch little Johnny in the yard? 

LOL, and what runs through my mind when I see one of these parents is, "you know, the child WILL grow up some day."  

[Bastet]

I don't understand ANY toilet like or dislike being a storyline since they're easy and inexpensive to replace.  Yet we've been "treated" to HHs acting as if a bidet, an elongated toilet, a toilet that has been sat on by others, and probably others I'm forgetting may put the kibosh on a home purchase.  If you don't like the toilet for whatever reason, just replace it.  It takes no special knowledge, just a strong back or someone to help lift.

 

And I'd still like to know how the HH who couldn't deal with a "used" toilet ever leaves his house. 

[LuckyBitch]

or maybe they didn't need 4000 square feet for 3 people!  When your kid can't make his way to your room in the middle of the night by himself, your house is too damn big!  My first thought when seeing these huge houses is "Who's going to clean all that?"

 

The cleaning service?

[stafford]

Wow how refreshing to see a couple that didn't want an open floor plan in South Carolina. Granted the wife (or the producers) pushed the "all brick all the time" to up the drama when, in fact they purchased a home without any brick to stick within his budget preference when it was an option. They did upgrade to get a backsplash and the inevitable stainless appliances. Good for them to realize their next house could be all brick and that they didn't have to have it all immediately. Frankly the whole housing crash of 2008 was due, in large part, to people over-extending themselves so they could have it all immediately and the banks pushing people to buy only to face a ballon payment or a huge interest rate increase in five years that they could not afford.

I loved this couple. They were funny and respectful. The fact that they both were the first in each of their families to buy a house made it quite touching but not in a cloying poor us kind of way. Now I don't get the gift wrapping station (to each her own) but I loved that he had a side business/hobby making beaded jewelry.

I only wish other first time homebuyers on HH would watch this episode as a primer on how to approach buying a home. I hope they have a happy life. I'm sure her dad is very proud of her even without the brick exterior.

[DownTheShore]

I liked that couple too.  And I agreed with her reasoning against an open floor plan - in that it limits your decorating choices since everything is seen all at once.  I didn't get the gift-wrapping station bit either - did I miss something and perhaps she has a small side business?  Or maybe they both have ginormous families?

[DownTheShore]

I also felt sorry for poor little Beau in Marietta.  He is going to be helicopter parented to death.  The wife worried about one house because the master was on the first floor and the other bedrooms were upstairs.  She didn't want Beau to be in the huge upstairs all by himself.  If she was really worried, she and her husband could make one of the other 3 bedrooms upstairs the master until Beau was older or maybe they didn't need 4000 square feet for 3 people!  When your kid can't make his way to your room in the middle of the night by himself, your house is too damn big!  My first thought when seeing these huge houses is "Who's going to clean all that?"

 

The same thoughts were going through my head, especially the question as to why they couldn't use one of the upstairs bedrooms while he was small?  They could just as easily crowd the upstairs bathroom at the same time (because isn't it a written rule somewhere that married couples simply must use the bathroom at the same time?) just as well as the one in the master bedroom.

 

I always ask "who's going to clean it?" too.

 

------

 

And I always cringe when the wife in an episode wants a chandelier over the bathtub, and I think how water-spotted the crystals are going to get from the steam, and what a pain it is to take apart and clean a chandelier to begin with - much less one perched over a hard surface like a porcelain tub.

[WendyCR72]

All I know is, when I watch House Hunters, I am always gobsmacked at how...lazy...some people can be. I mean, when some walk in and whine about a color on the wall, and how they will NOT buy a house that has the ugly X or Y color.

 

Here's a thought: Get off your lazy asses, buy some PAINT (they do know it exists, right?) and CHANGE THE DAMNED COLOR! Sorry. But as you can tell, it drives me crazy. LOL! Are people THAT averse to a bit of work now?

 

Home Depot or any equivalent can solve so many of these so-called problems so many of these home buyers usually have.

[LuckyBitch]

I hate to paint so I'd just hire someone to go in and paint the entire interior before we moved in. The last time I painted I was in college, and I'm never doing it again.

[WendyCR72]

I can understand that, @LuckyBitch . But, like you said, if they don't want to paint, hire someone. Hell, have family come (if nearby) and make a party of it. But to give up a house for a "wrong color" just seems like a waste to me! But you give a little (money for a new color), you get something back (a house, more value down the line, maybe, depending on what one puts into it).

[LuckyBitch]

I totally agree, @WendyCR72 . These house hunters always complain about the paint color, when it's relatively inexpensive to change.

 

Another thing that drives me nuts is when they complain about light fixtures. The house can be $400,000 and they bitch about a few hundred dollars worth of light fixtures that they might have to change out.

[Neurochick]

I always ask "who's going to clean it?" too.

 

 

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who wonders that.  That's why my friend wanted a small house, because she knew the job of cleaning it would fall on her.  

[Patrizio]

Really liked the DC reno couple that got the townhouse from hell. The house turned out to have a lot of electrical probs,( outlet in shower, supporting beam cut  to rig air duct, ect). Anyhoo, despite all the mess they endured, their house ended up looking fabulous! I thought they were making a huge mistake getting rid of the 1st floor 1/2 bath, but they ended up putting a new one in which was wise. If I lived in that area, I would definitely hire that contractor  and designer.   

[NYGirl]

I'm not gonna lie..I'm in love with the crime scene tech from tonight's Where Are They Now.  He had some really cute lines and I was actually laughing out loud.  Who would have thought someone would be actually laughing at the remarks rather than at the stupidity of the show!

[laredhead]

Did not realize that HH Where Are They Now episodes are on all this week at 9:00 or 9:30 p.m. CST.  They seem to be new episodes if anyone wants to watch or record them.

[BearCat49]

Yes, the HH, WATN episodes show up on the dvr as new all this week. 

 

JMHO but have always believed the paint color comments were producer-driven.  Anything that's used in HH so repetitively, doesn't make much sense (!) and is a very easy plot device -

 

===========

Although I agree with the SC couple about limiting open floor plans, I don't believe they necessarily restrict decorating options.  Zones can be created within great rooms and easily flow by repeating just one color or style or ...  They seemed nice but I never understood why they supposedly needed so much space for the beads and gift wrapping.  Oh well, I'm sure they'll have children at some point and those br's will be used.

 

================

Yes, WRT the HI military family, it was obvious they'd moved their bird over to the house b/c they wouldn't have been able to keep it in their temporary housing.  Sorry, realtor lady, realtors don't maintain pets during the sales period, haha.

 

Interesting that some believed the HI wife had a future general's wife air about her or at least was making that attempt.  Funny, I never picked up that vibe.  She did annoy me for some reason.  Her husband seemed like a nice guy but I don't know if he'll get there - he was a Lt., IIRC. 

 

One thing I do remember, he didn't appear tall (from the shallow end, sorry).  In fact, IIRC, he was about the same height as the 2 women, i.e. his wife and the realtor.  Statistically, tall people do receive more promotions.  I believe U.S. presidents tend to be taller.  So, good luck to him but he didn't come off that way to me.

 

Their HI house did appear to be the most basic, smallest of the 3 options.  It came off as almost base housing, to me.  So, for that reason, besides the fact that they'd moved their bird in, I guessed it was their choice.  Was thinking perhaps they'd hold it out for rent in the future, if/when he's transferred elsewhere.  Wondered if that area's popular with the junior officers so that might have been their plan.

 

============

Will jump in here and defend the last Chicago couple, even though some of their comments were a little nutty!  Lincoln Park is in the 'burbs now?  Ok, if you say so ...

 

Personally, I didn't care for the dark green color of the granite in that one house.  IIRC, the couple also commented that they didn't like that green.  The realtor jumped in and said, "Well, it was renovated in 2002".  So, I actually thought she was the one who brought up the fact that some might consider it dated - I didn't hear them specifically say that to her.  If my memory's correct, they simply didn't care for that particular green.

 

In the design world, kitchens are considered dated after only 5 years!  That's to designers, not me, necessarily.  The realtor, IMHO, came off as one of those sales types who always has an answer to defend whatever product she's trying to unload.  If the kitchen had been an absolute wreck, say a foreclosure situation, she would have said, "Oh this is great!  It's a blank slate/tear down so you can install whatever kitchen you prefer".  

 

And then the realtor proceeded to defend the black appliances.  I don't remember the couple even complaining about them specifically.  In a TH, she said something along the lines of, "You said you wanted a dark kitchen.  What more do you want?"  Just b/c someone prefers a dark kitchen doesn't mean they'll like any dark kitchen, in any dark shade. 

 

Also, to me, those black appliances appeared thrashed on camera, IIRC.  Assuming they'd been added in 2002, they'd probably surpassed their average useful life.  So, IMHO, if they'd selected that home, I'd expect them to replace the appliances and select whatever finish they liked.

 

And the comment about the stove venting that the realtor made - well, IMHO, that was rude, sniping and unnecessary.  Doesn't matter what you're cooking, again IMHO, you need proper venting.  The stove probably had a downdraft.  If she'd wanted to be helpful, she could have pointed out that feature.  Or, she could have nicely suggested they request (and she negotiate on their behalf) an appliance allowance.

 

IMHO, the realtor seemed brusque.  Clients like what they like and are entitled to their personal opinions.  Just b/c something was renovated 12 years ago doesn't necessarily mean that a particular house hunter will care for the color choices and should simply accept it.  Within reason, the client is always right, IMHO.  And, the realtor didn't make those remarks during the designated realtor snark segment the HH ptb added a few seasons ago so that appeared to be her normal personality.   

 

Oh, WRT the brushlet toilet, agree that I don't understand the wife's supposed dislike of them.  OTOH, I watched carefully and never saw their bathroom after the toilet replacement.  (They said it was immediately replaced when they moved in.)   Tptb filmed/aired all of their other updates.  Why not that?

 

When it comes to reality television, anything I don't see, I don't believe.  So, I saw the toilet as (what I call) the HH designated red herring.  I frequently notice that many episodes contains something they harp on but the one home containing that item is typically the home they selected.  Remember the NJ woman who hated bi-level homes?  That's one recent example.  So, who knows if the wife actually dislikes brushlet toilets or if they even replaced it? 

 

Oh, I gave the husband a break about his stated desire to remodel the fireplace.  He did prefer traditional and there's nothing wrong, IMHO, with mixing decorating styles for an eclectic look.

 

So, on balance, even though they were slightly annoying, the Chicago couple didn't bother me that much.  They didn't utter that many lines about granite and stainless - just the obligatory few that the producers (probably) suggested.

Edited August 14, 2014 by BearCat49

[cassaundroll]

I'm always amazed at the realtors' poker faces.  How they can stand there and NOT say, "the appliances still work, bedrooms are for sleeping, do you plan to throw a party in the bathroom, crown molding is to be had at the big box store for mere dollars, get a loft bed and put the computer station under it, etc." is beyond me.  Is it an unwritten rule among realtors, or realtors on HGTV, that they're not to make helpful suggestions to circumvent all of the non-problems that buyers throw up in touring houses?  I would have a million suggestions...

 

And the voice fry; I would HAVE to say something about that!

[chessiegal]

I remember one episode where the realtor had shown the couple some ridiculous number of homes, over 100, I think. Every house they went into the husband would pick, pick, pick about this and that. The realtor would always say, well, you can fix it by doing such and such. In the husband's TH, he complained that no matter what the problem, the realtor had a fix. And you do hear them tell HHs that paint and changing flooring are easy to fix.

 

Any realtor I've ever worked with has always given me suggestions on how to make the best of a home. I think the realtors not saying anything on the show is part of the script.

[BradandJanet]

As for the things realtors say, some years ago, while considering a house, realtor told hubby and me that the knob and tube wiring was superior because the wires were separated and couldn't cause a problem even if the wrapping around the wires was unraveling. We did not buy a house from that woman.

 

As for the washlet toilets (possibly my last word on this unless TV house hunters keep insulting them), the ones we have are toilet seats that replaced the usual seats. Installation involves a wrench and a nearby electrical outlet, which our current home has by chance. If there's an outlet already there, they take about 30 minutes for the average homeowner to install. I imagine they could be removed in about 15 minutes with no heavy lifting. This is such a red herring. 

 

As for the vocal fry, there will be a generation of old women who squeak when they try to talk.

[chessiegal]

 

As for the things realtors say, some years ago, while considering a house, realtor told hubby and me that the knob and tube wiring was superior because the wires were separated and couldn't cause a problem even if the wrapping around the wires was unraveling.

 

Just wow. In Maryland that realtor would be in violation of the Real Estate Commission's Ethics Code, and could be reported for disciplinary action.

[BearCat49]

chessiegal, have noticed the same thing, i.e. that the realtors rarely make any helpful suggestions unless it's one of a few, repetitive lines, e.g. "That's an easy fix".  Yes, agree, it must be part of the script.  I've wondered if it's b/c of their time limitation - that is, touring 3 properties minus the house hunters' opening and closing segments in only 22 minutes.  So, except for the designated realtor snark TH, they don't get much of a chance to improvise.

 

Had one other idea, too - it could be b/c they're required to shoot each scene multiple times, from various camera angles.  So, they have to remember their lines and repeat the same ones for each angle.  Easier to do that (and for the production assistant or intern to remember or keep track of it) if they limit it to a few, standard, boring, repetitive bits. 

 

BradandJanet, I'd definitely take a bet that if we returned to the Chicago 'burbs of Lincoln Park (lol), they're very happily using their washlet toilet and laughing about how far the faux, "reality" TV program forced them to go just to add a little drama to their otherwise kinda' boring house hunt.

Edited August 15, 2014 by BearCat49