House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[proserpina65]

So I finally saw the Long Beach woman who wanted a Craftsman house without any of the details which made it a Craftsman.  I nearly wept when I saw they'd torn out those wonderful built-ins so that the bitch could have a working fireplace, in southern California.

[CocoaGoddess]

I grew up in nearby Carson, and we had a wood burning fireplace in my childhood home that we used every single year. It actually helped cultivate a fondness and intensity I have for fireplaces and I wouldn't buy a house now without one, no matter where I live.

I would also have torn out those horrible built ins and used them for firewood if I could so ....

A Napa episode! I DVR'd this and watched it as soon as I woke up this morning, as the Bay Area is our dream area and we hope to move and settle there permanently some day. This couple was living the life with a one bedroom condo in San Fransisco and a now adorable Napa cottage for weekend living. *sigh* I loved that little house and I would have snatched it up in a heartbeat. Great location too. Hope they are featured on a future Where Are They Now episode, because I'm interested in seeing how the renovations will turn out. 

[izabella]

I liked the Napa couple and their cottage, though they did bug me every time they brought up a home's unsuitability for all the guests they'd be having.  Sure, they'll have some guests.  But considering how often they mentioned having these guests, I started to wonder if they were buying the house for themselves or for their guests.  And, I don't know about other people, but personally, I would want a vacation/weekend house for ME, ME, ME.  To relax!!  I would not want to always be shopping and cleaning and planning for and "entertaining" guests, and not so many guests or so often that I'd be buying a house for them.

The cottage was a great choice.  The yard was so big, they could easily add an addition in the back, or even another floor, should they have so many guests, lol.  The more expensive house they'd feel the need to rent out?  No bueno.  I do not want renters in MY weekend/vacation house.  Talk about a lot of extra work!

[CocoaGoddess]

I tried to put myself in the place of the Napa buyers since they are legit living my dream life--future goals. I would want at least one guest room because my family is from Los Angeles, and I would want them to be able to come down and visit the Bay Area once or twice a year, especially if I'm not able to get away to the house as often as I would want due to work or whatever. But no other guests though. They live in one of the most expensive areas in the country and are probably making well over half a million per year between the two of them, so I would have to assume their peers and friends are as well. Let them get a hotel or B&B in Napa. 

But that's maybe 7 days out of the year. Napa is so beautiful and there's so much to do there year round, I would definitely try to keep the house all to myself. No AirnB or anything like that. 

[dga28]

I couldn't stand when the Napa woman kept talking about "charm".  What the heck is that?   Charm is a small clumsy house with quirks that a lot of people renovate to update.  lol.

[magemaud]

I have my back to the TV and the new episode with the woman who is house hunting in Tampa is on. I wasn't paying close attention, but hearing the voice of the person she's hunting with, I thought it must be Harvey Fierstein. I was stunned to turn around and see it's her MOTHER! 

[Pickles]

I liked the Tampa woman and her Mother. The Mother DID have a really deep voice. Smoker's voice? Tampa did not look appealing to me, but that is just me.  I can't imagine growing 3000 pounds of fruit and vegetables a year! 

[AuntiePam]

28 minutes ago, Pickles said:

I liked the Tampa woman and her Mother. The Mother DID have a really deep voice. Smoker's voice? Tampa did not look appealing to me, but that is just me.  I can't imagine growing 3000 pounds of fruit and vegetables a year! 

Me neither.  Does the growing season last all year?  Then again, one apple tree can produce a lot of apples.  Maybe she's being unrealistic, but she did seem to have done her homework, so maybe!

[bragging]Some of our tomatoes weigh a pound each-- it was a good year for tomatoes.  But one tomato plant takes up a lot of space, and vine crops, like squash, cucumber, melons -- unless they're on supports, they cover a lot of ground.  It'd be interesting to come back in a couple of years, see if she's managing to feed the neighborhood.

[laredhead]

I think the Tampa woman is very ambitious and doesn't realize how much work a large garden takes, but more power to her if that is her goal.  I liked the 3rd house best, but unless she ripped up the entire driveway there was no place to have a garden and that seemed to be her #1 priority.  I did not like the exterior of the house she bought.  It needs to have a front porch added and some curb appeal.  Maybe her mom can give that to her as a house warming gift.  I liked her mother a lot.  From what I could see in the background of the brief outdoor shots, a couple of those neighborhoods did not look too great as far as having no sidewalks and a few of the yards looked overgrown with high grass.  I have a friend who moved to Tampa and she bought a house in a lovely neighborhood, so I don't think all of Tampa looks like the area where this woman bought.  Also, Tampa hardly ever has freezing weather, and their growing season is extremely long for many things.  She can probably grow various vegetables year round.     

[scootypuffjr]

Yeah, the house Tampa lady bought had zero curb appeal, but the inside was gorgeous! And a nice big yard too. Personally, I probably would have taken the third house as I have a withered, brown thumb, but I can see how it would not be suitable for the buyer's needs.  I was happy she "chose" the one she did, it seemed to be the perfect house for her and I'm glad she found it. Actually all three houses were pretty nice - I wouldn't have been mad at her for choosing any of them. 

Ha! to the Harvey Fierstein reference. Mom seemed really nice and refrained from pushing her own aganda and I liked her quite a bit, but yeah, smoker's voice for sure.

[iMonrey]

I had no idea Tampa was so affordable. 170K for a decent 3-bedroom is about what you'd pay in the midwest. Maybe she was looking in older, less popular neighborhoods, but it's still Tampa. 

[AuntiePam]

37 minutes ago, scootypuffjr said:

Yeah, the house Tampa lady bought had zero curb appeal, but the inside was gorgeous!

I think if it had been set back farther from the street, it wouldn't have been so unappealing.  There's barely any room in front to plant any shrubs or small trees, which would help soften the appearance. 

[proserpina65]

Quote

I would also have torn out those horrible built ins and used them for firewood if I could so ....

What you call 'horrible built ins', I call the features which give a Craftsman its charm.  Potato, zucchini.  ;-)

[Guest]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

 I did not like the exterior of the house she bought.  It needs to have a front porch added and some curb appeal.  Maybe her mom can give that to her as a house warming gift.  I liked her mother a lot.  From what I could see in the background of the brief outdoor shots, a couple of those neighborhoods did not look too great as far as having no sidewalks and a few of the yards looked overgrown with high grass.     

The first house she looked at had neighbors who looked like they were all into curb appeal. 

I completely agree with you about the house she chose.  The third house - while beautiful inside - was too slammed up against the neighbors garage.  I would have develop claustrophobia.

[izabella]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I had no idea Tampa was so affordable. 170K for a decent 3-bedroom is about what you'd pay in the midwest. Maybe she was looking in older, less popular neighborhoods, but it's still Tampa. 

Sinkholes.  Lots and lots of sinkholes in the Tampa area. 

[Pickles]

The couple tonight in Cincinnati. She was pretty and very pregnant and the husband had the exact shape as his pregnant wife. I could not stop looking at the two of them side by side.

[Pickles]

And I forgot about the pig they had. Omg.

[KLovestoShop]

From the beginning, I didn't like the Cincinnati husband.  He embarrassed her with him comments about her burping.  He was also totally sarcastic with his comments about every house.  At least the wife said things like they could make it work.  IMHO, they need to get over buying a house with a pig in mind   I wonder if the new baby will come second to the pig. 

I was shocked about the price of the Swiss chalet style house. While it needed work, the place was huge for the price.  

What do they expect from houses that are over 100 years old?   Geeze, old houses have old features. 

[AuntiePam]

She's beautiful, but kinda dim.  How many times did she say "We could make it work" about something?  Her comment about "Easter threw up in here" was funny though.

I didn't like the house they chose.  Her comment about the neighborhood, and the price (much higher than the other two) seemed to indicate that the other two houses were in less desirable areas.  I thought the Swiss Chalet was perfect.  Didn't care for the siding on the Victorian, but the only "detail" that would be revealed by removing the siding would be wood -- wood that will need paint every 5-10 years. 

Was the Dutch Colonial the house with that little black stove in one of the rooms?  Or was that the Victorian?

[Albino]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

And I forgot about the pig they had. Omg.

I like pigs and all, but I never heard of someone keeping one in the house.

I know they don't smell and are very smart, but I would think that Miss Piggy - if asked - would prefer to live outdoors.  A pig is not a kitten, not a puppy nor a hamster.  

[biakbiak]

That "Swiss Chalet" house has to be top ten ugliest exteriors on House Hunters.

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

From the beginning, I didn't like the Cincinnati husband.  He embarrassed her with him comments about her burping.  He was also totally sarcastic with his comments about every house. 

He thought he was sooooo funny.....almost every comment had to illustrate how witty he was.  Not.

The wife was t.v. star beautiful.  But she suffered from the same disorder we see with many of our house hunting friends:  she said she wanted a house built before the 1940's but then was repulsed at anything in said house that was from before the 1940's.  Or that had been renovated before 2010.  So in reality, she wanted a brand new house with an old exterior?  I'm always confused by that attitude.  

[izabella]

I'd have some concerns about Penelope Pig's hooves on the hardwood floors, but she was adorable in her Harry Potter room under the stairs.

Edited September 8, 2016 by izabella

[WendyCR72]

17 hours ago, Albino said:

I like pigs and all, but I never heard of someone keeping one in the house.

Yeah. Pet pigs are cute, but I have qualms about one in a home. Although they are said to be clean...

[Peanutbuttercup]

I thought the pig was adorable and she was very cute in her little Harry Potter room! And yes, pigs are quite clean when they are allowed to be, and are easier to house train than dogs. They do have an incredibly strong urge to root, which can be a good thing if you want the vinyl tile or carpeting taken up, otherwise not so much.

Napa couple with their fixation on hosting other couples -- I decided they were swingers.

[awaken]

22 hours ago, izabella said:

I'd have some concerns about Penelope Pig's hooves on the hardwood floors, but she was adorable in her Harry Potter room under the stairs.

Haha.  That was really cute!  Loved the Harry Potter pig room!

Enjoyed that ep despite the husband and random annoyances- always more fun to see interested houses with lots of detail rather than the usual 3 indistinguishable new builds.  

Edited September 9, 2016 by awaken

[wait.what]

Vancouver, WA couple. Cute couple, but I got a weird flirt vibe from the husband and realtor. And the realtor looked like a polished version of the wife. Did the wife and realtor look similar or was it just me?

also, the wife and realtor giggled like teens over everything the husband said. 

I didn't like the house they chose, but I was glad they stuck to their budget. 

The sectional was hideous. purple? With red walls? Oh well, they seemed happy. 

[biakbiak]

I found the husband an annoying ass who thought he was a lot funnier/charming than he is.

[JasmineFlower]

3 hours ago, wait.what said:

Vancouver, WA couple. Cute couple, but I got a weird flirt vibe from the husband and realtor. And the realtor looked like a polished version of the wife. Did the wife and realtor look similar or was it just me?

I got a vibe too. I was hoping they were friends at least because I think they came off as being friendly and familiar, but I didn't hear mention of that in the intro. The husband was likable enough, not my fave but certainly not anywhere near as bothersome as other HHs. The wife came off young to me for some reason, I know she was actually young, but even younger. And yeah, the realtor and the wife definitely looked alike.

The husband could not have been more right about getting things like king beds up to the second floor with a staircase like that. It's not something people consider, but I personally would eliminate a place that had hallways and stairways too narrow after just having minor issues living in a modern apartment building with staircases built with a too-high solid railing for some odd reason that made furniture moving much more difficult that was necessary. In the more historic section of Philly, you would not believe the gymnastics they have to go through to get furniture and appliances into the older homes. When things have to be hoisted through a window, I'm out. And that staircase in the older home in Vancouver, I'd imagine kind beds and dressers would be absolutely brutal getting upstairs and needing to probably go through an upstairs window.

Decor in the after wasn't to my taste, but I was just happy their place didn't look as depressing as that apartment...Cause that just kind of made me sad cause they didn't say that was a temporary space to live while house hunting.

Seeing Vancouver, WA was interesting and I like the change of pace, can't remember seeing much here. Vancouver came off much sleepier than I thought it was. I'd like to see another episode or two in Vancouver with at least a bit of a price bump to see what that would get you.

[Kohola3]

Between the incessant giggling and the repeated "no stairs, no stairs, no stairs" I couldn't finish watching.  I can understand not selecting something that would make moving large objects a challenge but a young healthy man with working legs should not be so obsessed with avoiding steps of any kind.  I bet he pays a gym membership to work out on a stairmaster whilst whining about the one step onto the porch.

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, JasmineFlower said:

The husband could not have been more right about getting things like king beds up to the second floor with a staircase like that. It's not something people consider, but I personally would eliminate a place that had hallways and stairways too narrow after just having minor issues living in a modern apartment building with staircases built with a too-high solid railing for some odd reason that made furniture moving much more difficult that was necessary. In the more historic section of Philly, you would not believe the gymnastics they have to go through to get furniture and appliances into the older homes. When things have to be hoisted through a window, I'm out. And that staircase in the older home in Vancouver, I'd imagine kind beds and dressers would be absolutely brutal getting upstairs and needing to probably go through an upstairs window.

Yep. A friend of mine had to (well, the movers had to) hoist her & her then-boyfriend's entire bedroom through the window when they moved into their Washington Square (an old Philly neighborhood) duplex. There was a narrow spiral staircase separating upstairs from downstairs. It looked cool but carrying anything bigger than a suitcase up there was impossible. I lived in a walk-up apartment in NYC with narrow hallways and the furniture delivery people had to basically do a 3-point turn into my neighbor's apartment to get my couch, which was not particularly large, into mine. I knew my neighbor, we were friendly. We laughed about it because he'd gone through something similar when he moved in. It was still a pain.

The husband was very cute. The wife and realtor did look alike - they could have been sisters. Their sectional was pretty ugly, but he was happy.

[juliet73]

WA couple: The husband was cute but annoying.  The wife...ugh!! I fast forwarded through most of it because of the giggling.  And the Kim Kardashian braids were not a good look on her. She did look so much like the realtor. What was her job? All I heard was "professional..." 

I would think if the  seller was so motivated and the house was on a busy street, they could have gotten more than $10k off the list price. 

Edited September 10, 2016 by juliet73

[Ohwell]

WA couple:  During the intro, I couldn't understand what the wife said she did because she had that whiny voice.  I did hear that the husband sold insurance.  She just seemed very young, even for 25.

The purple sofa was hideous.  I didn't watch the entire episode so I didn't see if they painted the walls red or if they were like that when they bought the house.  In any event, they seemed to be very happy sitting on that purple sofa with the red walls behind them.   

[Bronx Babe]

Portland, ME.  Young dentist and chatty lisping wife with vocal fry, who NEVER SHUT UP.  Ugh.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Bronx Babe said:

Portland, ME.  Young dentist and chatty lisping wife with vocal fry, who NEVER SHUT UP.  Ugh.

Oooh, I remember them. I think I turned them off because I couldn't stand the sound of her voice. If I recall correctly, there was a lot of discussion of her awful voice when that ep first aired. And I think all the houses were boring new builds.

[Bronx Babe]

I'd love to read those discussions.

[Empress1]

Here you go.

[JasmineFlower]

4 hours ago, Ohwell said:

WA couple:  During the intro, I couldn't understand what the wife said she did because she had that whiny voice.  I did hear that the husband sold insurance.  She just seemed very young, even for 25. 

She said she was a professional nanny. Why she felt the need to add "professional" I'm not quite sure. Think nanny conveys the position/career quite well and her phrasing made it more odd than it needed to be. But again to me, she felt young, like she could use some life experience.

Edited September 10, 2016 by JasmineFlower

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, JasmineFlower said:

She said she was a professional nanny. Why she felt the need to add "professional" I'm not quite sure. Think nanny conveys the position/career quite well and her phrasing made it more odd than it needed to be. But again to me, she felt young, like she could use some life experience.

Thanks.  For the life of me, I couldn't understand her.

[Mu Shu]

Pig shit is even worse than cat shit, and  bigger.  A pig is livestock.  They are cute when small, but grow up to be large and obstreperous.   When it becomes too large and uncontrollable, they will send it to a nice farm to become bacon.   Get a cat you idiots.  Even if the pig didn't become large, aggressive, and didn't have the foulest poop on the planet, it still has hooves.   

[Bronx Babe]

5 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Here you go.

@Empress1  Thanks so much! 

1 hour ago, Mu Shu said:

oops, don't know why Mu Shu's quote box showed up.  Sorry!

Edited September 10, 2016 by Bronx Babe

[ByaNose]

Ugly 90's sectional. Nuff said. I forwarded though a lot of the show but I totally thought the homeowner and realitor were sisters. They.looked.exactly.alike. So weird!

[Ohwell]

34 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

Ugly 90's sectional. Nuff said

That monstrosity looked like it was from the 80's.  I said the wife seemed really young for 25, and I think she was, because there's no way a grown woman would have let him bring that thing into their house.  Or maybe her taste is just as bad as his, which makes them a perfect match I guess. 

[AuntiePam]

10 hours ago, Ohwell said:

WA couple:  During the intro, I couldn't understand what the wife said she did because she had that whiny voice.  I did hear that the husband sold insurance.  She just seemed very young, even for 25.

The purple sofa was hideous.  I didn't watch the entire episode so I didn't see if they painted the walls red or if they were like that when they bought the house.  In any event, they seemed to be very happy sitting on that purple sofa with the red walls behind them.   

They painted the red.  And I think they painted another wall purple.  Or maybe it was a purple bedspread.  Those colors might have looked okay 'in person' but on my TV they were garish.  I didn't care for the sectional, but it did look comfy.  

[Kohola3]

Red and purple were the colors for Knights Inn motels way back in the 70's.  Supposed to be "royal" colors.  Fail!

[JasmineFlower]

22 hours ago, Ohwell said:

That monstrosity looked like it was from the 80's.  I said the wife seemed really young for 25, and I think she was, because there's no way a grown woman would have let him bring that thing into their house.  Or maybe her taste is just as bad as his, which makes them a perfect match I guess. 

This contributed to me thinking she was young even for 25. It's like he was living in a bachelor pad, both in their sad, non-decorated apartment and then in the house decor, and she did nothing to speak up about it or correct on her own. I highly doubt given the chance she'd pick the same stuff he wanted. I'm not saying she'd have the best taste ever, I'm picturing her thinking something with sparkles or leopard print would be a good accent piece, but I doubt it would have looked the same if she had done more to insert herself in those decisions. She just seemed super young in every way possible. You could just as easily have told me she was 21 as 25 for how she came off.

[juliet73]

3 minutes ago, JasmineFlower said:

This contributed to me thinking she was young even for 25. It's like he was living in a bachelor pad, both in their sad, non-decorated apartment and then in the house decor, and she did nothing to speak up about it or correct on her own. I highly doubt given the chance she'd pick the same stuff he wanted. I'm not saying she'd have the best taste ever, I'm picturing her thinking something with sparkles or leopard print would be a good accent piece, but I doubt it would have looked the same if she had done more to insert herself in those decisions. She just seemed super young in every way possible. You could just as easily have told me she was 21 as 25 for how she came off.

Her decorating style struck me as someone who would still dress her bed with stuffed animals if she was single. 

[JasmineFlower]

The engaged couple in Dallas with the $750k budget from a few days ago? Him desperate for a garage for his classic car that looked like overcompensation and her wanting a full room for her shoes? Didn't care for either a ton to start, but certainly not him by the end. He seemed very dismissive of what she said or wanted if it didn't mesh with what he wanted. Don't get me wrong, she won't be some peach if she feels the need to correct him about the number of staircases in a townhouse while recording, but still, but the end, she didn't come off as bad to me as him. Felt like I was watching a future divorced couple. I hope I'm wrong, his mother seemed nice enough, so hoping he's not quite as douche-like as he appeared at times. They were using a whole lot of "what I want" and did admit that looking for a house and taking each other's opinions into consideration was tough for them, so maybe it'll get better.

Did anyone else catch when the realtor said in the first house, that one room would be good for a nanny or housekeeper? It gave me pause. I couldn't decide if he was reading them more as people who would want that or if they voiced wanting that as possible space. It wasn't mentioned during the intro.

Enjoyed seeing these higher priced homes in Dallas. I liked them all in large part, though I preferred the final home the most, way more than the one they bought that to me had some awkward spaces and would result in them spending well over the top end of the budget when all was said and done with renovations. Interesting that garages seemed to be true extras in these areas despite the lot sizes and home prices. Hopefully we'll get to see something in $400-600k range soon. I feel like so many Texas episodes, especially in the Dallas and Houston areas, are either someone looking below $300k or over $1 million, with the former being what we see overwhelmingly. The variety in prices is nice, helps from keeping the homes seeming so similar from episode to episode.

Edited September 12, 2016 by JasmineFlower

[Pickles]

The couple buying a home in Overland Park, Ks. She had some fierce eyebrows. His eyebrows looked a little different too. I didn't really like any of those homes, but knew they would take the first one that was move in ready. Interesting how they had no grass in the backyard at all, but had a gazebo. I was wondering if their little boys would want a swing set down the road and would they be able to have one in that house? At least there would be less grass to mow. The wife reminded me of Lisa Ling.

[AuntiePam]

Pickles, I wondered if they'd miss having grass too.  There didn't seem to be room for a swing set.  How long do kids want a swing set?  Four or five years, maybe?  Then it's bicycles.  Most of my neighbors have swing sets but I rarely see the kids using them.  

Too bad dad didn't get an office.  If he works from home 50% of the time, this is a case where he really needs something.  Maybe one of the bedrooms?  It sounded like they were done procreating, so maybe that'd work permanently. 

I liked the house, but if it's really going to be their "forever home", I think they'll wish the yard was bigger, for outdoor family gatherings if nothing else.  You can always go to a park and throw a ball around.

They were a nice couple.  I wonder if they get to keep the SUV.