House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[Kohola3]

What was the deal with the dad and his "man cave" (I HATE that)?  He was horrified to think that his children would have access to his space and actually ENTER it.  Horrors!  Apparently he's allowed to lock himself away and leave his wife to manage life without him while he hides and watches movies.

[Ohwell]

With four females in the house, I think dad deserves his man cave.  Mom can have her space somewhere, too. 

[AuntiePam]

7 hours ago, Ohwell said:

With four females in the house, I think dad deserves his man cave.  Mom can have her space somewhere, too. 

I agree -- we all need space, even if it's just a corner somewhere, away from the hustle and bustle.  My husband has taken over the dining room.  He has his tablet, his magazines, his small projects covering the table.  Lucky for us, we don't 'entertain' but once or twice a year, at holidays.  I have the front porch and the basement.  And we're just getting away from each other! 

They do need to stop saying 'man cave' though.  I'm hearing less of it, thankfully. 

[KLovestoShop]

Today, during the repeats, there was the couple from Wisconsin with 5 kids, three adopted from Africa.  Really nice family.  But the dad hasn't had an easy time lately as he's been very, very sick.   It started with fevers as high as 104, progressed to a massive infection in his hip, then he contracted sepsis and finally a blood clot.   Very sad story from a former HH family.  His name is AJ Fink. 

[mojito]

Quote

What was the deal with the dad and his "man cave" (I HATE that)? 

He never called it his man cave. He called it his man "space". I appreciated him for that.

The Phoenix lady looking for a home....Of course, the cookie cutter hater ended up purchasing the brand new cookie cutter home. People are so silly. They want a vintage home with charm that's not cookie cutter but what they expect of the interior is pure cookie cutter.

[ByaNose]

2 hours ago, mojito said:

He never called it his man cave. He called it his man "space". I appreciated him for that.

The Phoenix lady looking for a home....Of course, the cookie cutter hater ended up purchasing the brand new cookie cutter home. People are so silly. They want a vintage home with charm that's not cookie cutter but what they expect of the interior is pure cookie cutter.

When I think of Phoenix I don't think of vintage. I knew she was going to end up with the cookie cutter house. It was pretty but I thought it was wieird that the stairs were in the kitchen. It looked like a (expensive) townhouse. I have nothing against townhouses since I live in one but her house looked small but nicely updated. Her wall of sliders was a nice touch but the view was of a huge stucco wall. I couldn't tell if that was her garage or her neighbors house. Overall, the couple seemed nice and it was an interesting twist that she was buying the house for herself and that he didn't propose at the end. That said, I do want to know if they are engaged, living together or married now. LOL!!!! 

[Tony]

On 9/30/2016 at 2:49 AM, speac said:

Tonight's episode sent me to http://www.mcmansionhell.com/

This site is so spot on. It should be required reading for anyone not building a townhouse or condo.

[Albino]

41 minutes ago, Tony said:

This site is so spot on. It should be required reading for anyone not building a townhouse or condo.

Hahahaha...this is great!  Thanks for posting...I now can happily kill a few hours this weekend while learning stuff.  

[swissair100]

Austin couple last night.. What was up with the wife & her voice/manner of speaking??? 

I think someone's been watching too many Kardashians... ughhh

[KLovestoShop]

I saw one the other day where the woman wanted "Downton Abby" but they only had a house maid budget.  I laugh when these snowflakes think they can have the manor on the hill for under $275K.   Another thing is that these young ones have no idea what a Victorian or Craftsman house really is.  One couple kept saying that this house has Victorian touches when it was nothing but your run of the mill colonial/contemporary.  

[Ohwell]

I'm used to getting new HH in the USA episodes at 10:00 (eastern time).  Now, I'm getting this Hunting Vintage crap, which I'm not interested in.  Does anyone know when (if?) HH is coming back at 10:00?

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I'm used to getting new HH in the USA episodes at 10:00 (eastern time).  Now, I'm getting this Hunting Vintage crap, which I'm not interested in.  Does anyone know when (if?) HH is coming back at 10:00?

This is just one of their special weeks. HH will be back next week.

[Ohwell]

1 minute ago, biakbiak said:

This is just one of their special weeks. HH will be back next week.

Ok, thanks.  

Thank goodness! 

[ByaNose]

I watched a lottery winners sort of HH this morning. Oddly enough, the woman won 8 Million Dollars. She bought 2 small houses next to each other. One was for her and the other was for her mother. I don't think she spent more that $200,000 or so. I think if I won that much I would spend at least 1 million for a new house. Of course, that's just me. LOL!! Also, I much prefer my HH fix at 10:00 pm. I still can't believe I watch this show no matter how fake it is. LOL!!!

[chessiegal]

47 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

I watched a lottery winners sort of HH this morning. Oddly enough, the woman won 8 Million Dollars. She bought 2 small houses next to each other. One was for her and the other was for her mother. I don't think she spent more that $200,000 or so. I think if I won that much I would spend at least 1 million for a new house. Of course, that's just me. LOL!! Also, I much prefer my HH fix at 10:00 pm. I still can't believe I watch this show no matter how fake it is. LOL!!!

The mother and  daughter were spending their portion of the family's 8 million win, and from the picture shown it looked like it was split among about 8 people. They  bought  2 houses next  to each  other. Each  cost $190,000.

[ByaNose]

19 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

The mother and  daughter were spending their portion of the family's 8 million win, and from the picture shown it looked like it was split among about 8 people. They  bought  2 houses next  to each  other. Each  cost $190,000.

Yeah, I was a little fuzzy on how much money they had left. Either way, they were very sensible about the new house and didn't buy 2 McMansion's. They seemed like nice ladies.

[Tony]

That's probably what I'd do too - buy a reasonable property and save the rest as spending money or go travelling.

No point in buying a McMansion and constantly worry if you'll have enough to afford the property taxes in the future.

[AuntiePam]

The mother-daughter shoppers in Philadelphia -- can one of you city-dwellers explain why there's a $376 monthly HOA fee?  What's there to maintain besides the elevator and the common hallway?  There's no lawn, no amenities like a gym or a pool.  She didn't have a car so won't use the garage. 

Is it worth the extra payment?  How is it different from an apartment where management maintains the property without charging extra?

[KAOS Agent]

As a shared unit, the HOA would have to cover some sort of home owner's insurance, so that would be a big part of it. They'd have a fund to cover necessary roof/siding/whatever maintenance too. It might also cover things like waste removal, water, etc.  I always wonder if that kind of HOA fee is figured into the budget to start because if it were me, that would have to be part of my consideration and most of these people don't even blink when it's mentioned.

[Empress1]

The Philly woman did balk at a very high HOA on a property her mother was showing her (not one of the three she looked at) - it was like $800.

[Kohola3]

HOAs have always been a mystery to me as well.  There must be some sort of formula for them but something like $800 a month multiplied by all of the units in a large building must really add up to an enormous fund for "maintenance".  

[laredhead]

I have lived in several townhouse communities with HOA fees.  One of the places had a flat roof, which was a constant maintenance nightmare here in Louisiana where we receive huge amounts of rainfall.  At one point there was a temporary special assessment to totally redo the roofs.  All of the places in which I lived had a master insurance policy to cover fire or some other disaster that might wipe out the entire development, but the owners were responsible for insurance on the contents.  The master policy was to insure that repairs and replacements would be made and that insurance was a sure thing.  Water and lawn maintenance were always included, but outside maintenance on the unit was not included in one development where I lived and the HOA was less expensive there.  Downside of that was an owner could let the exterior deteriorate and there isn't much an HOA can do except put a lien on the property which only works if the owner plans to sell soon.  Otherwise, not much can be done to make an owner keep up the exterior of the property.

The unit she chose was very small, but if she outgrows it, it is probably a good place to use as rental property if she can't sell it.  I liked the modern one, but all of those steps would be a deal breaker for me.  They have shown several episodes in Philly and Baltimore over the years and I still get a little claustrophobic in those narrow row houses with few windows.  I understand the HH's who like the charm of the old row houses, but they aren't for me.

[KLovestoShop]

The mother and daughter from Philly were interesting.  I liked the daughter a lot but that mother was another deal.  What a budinsky.  I had the feeling that the agent would have loved to smack the mom upside her head and tell her to shut up.  She picked apart every aspect of every place, because she wanted her daughter to live in a high rise with a doorman, to protect the girl.  I really liked that the daughter chose the townhouse with only one bedroom, so mommy dearest couldn't stay with her.  

[Ohwell]

3 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

I really liked that the daughter chose the townhouse with only one bedroom, so mommy dearest couldn't stay with her.  

Heh.  I chuckled when she chose the one bedroom because my immediate thought was that she didn't want mom staying with her.  Even though I wasn't crazy about any of the places shown, I thought it was the best choice. 

[ByaNose]

8 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

The mother and daughter from Philly were interesting.  I liked the daughter a lot but that mother was another deal.  What a budinsky.  I had the feeling that the agent would have loved to smack the mom upside her head and tell her to shut up.  She picked apart every aspect of every place, because she wanted her daughter to live in a high rise with a doorman, to protect the girl.  I really liked that the daughter chose the townhouse with only one bedroom, so mommy dearest couldn't stay with her.  

I'm from the Philly area and I was even shocked by the HOA. I live in a townhouse development in the burbs and pay less then $90 a month HOA. I think it depends on how many units per HOA. I was surprised that she didn't want or go for the 2 bd/2 bt unit and ended up with a one bedroom. It was actually refreshing to see. She seemed like a nice girl. Her mother on the other hand........LOL!!!

[AuntiePam]

Philly mom's comment about worrying about her daughter's safety because she was "beautiful" -- that hit me wrong.  Doesn't mom know that "beauty" has nothing to do with whether a woman might be a target?  Someone could watch that and think every young woman living in a city is in constant danger. 

[Ohwell]

Yeah, I forgot about that "beautiful" comment, which made the mom even more obnoxious.

[ByaNose]

Also, did.not.like.the.modern.house. The stairs in the kitchen/dining room were right there like a big hole. Of course, you can't do much with a shotgun style house but one false move and one of your party guest will be down in your basement pretty fast. All the upgrades were nice but I didn't like the layout and way too many stairs. She was young so it wouldn't have been a big deal though.

[Ohwell]

I thought the modern house was butt ugly.  Actually, the only one that looked halfway nice was the one she chose.

[CocoaGoddess]

House Hunters Family Edition is everything I don't want in a House Hunters episode. Good lord. 

[juliet73]

The Philadelphia mom: OMG, what a pill!!  She must be fun at parties...Not! The daughter was nice, too nice. I would have left mom at home after the first house! The last house was perfect, but mom had too find something to complain about so she bitches about the shower head?! Ugh! She was so awful! I can't imagine how the mother reacts when the daughter brings a boyfriend around. 

[JasmineFlower]

3 hours ago, CocoaGoddess said:

House Hunters Family Edition is everything I don't want in a House Hunters episode. Good lord. 

Exactly. I'm not trying to be mean, but I don't ever want to see anything of this level again, I'm so not interested in having kids included in this show anywhere near this level. I'm watching House Hunters as part of my nighttime wind down, and the kids shrieking and running into each house and just being loud and ultra excited felt like the show had transplanted to Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. Just no. I'm fine if they had left it at the intro with the girls saying what they wanted in a home, but the rest, no. We've seen kids go on house hunts before and this was just fifty times worse than anything bad I can remember of those.

I missed an episode in Philly? But sounds like the mom was so annoying, not sure it's a bad thing I missed it.

[ByaNose]

5 hours ago, JasmineFlower said:

Exactly. I'm not trying to be mean, but I don't ever want to see anything of this level again, I'm so not interested in having kids included in this show anywhere near this level. I'm watching House Hunters as part of my nighttime wind down, and the kids shrieking and running into each house and just being loud and ultra excited felt like the show had transplanted to Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. Just no. I'm fine if they had left it at the intro with the girls saying what they wanted in a home, but the rest, no. We've seen kids go on house hunts before and this was just fifty times worse than anything bad I can remember of those.

I missed an episode in Philly? But sounds like the mom was so annoying, not sure it's a bad thing I missed it.

and, kids shouldn't have any say on which house the parents are buying on HH. LOL!! That counts for real life, too.

[Trillium]

I missed the beginning of the Philly mom and daughter episode. Were her parents helping her out with a down payment or something? Ibkept wondering why mom kept harping on the parking spot issue since the daughter said multiple times she didn't have a car so who cares, it was so the mom could "save money" when she came to visit. Really? How often and how long are you visiting that parking costs are an issue? Lord help that girl if she ever has children. At least she held her own pretty well and I agree, the floors in the modern bathroom would have been a nightmare to keep clean. 

[TVForever]

19 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Philly mom's comment about worrying about her daughter's safety because she was "beautiful" -- that hit me wrong.  Doesn't mom know that "beauty" has nothing to do with whether a woman might be a target?  Someone could watch that and think every young woman living in a city is in constant danger. 

Exact same line from an episode of Selling New York ( I miss that show). 20-something daughter looking for a condo with mother along for the ride. Mother insists on a doorman building because daughter is "young and beautiful and needs the security and protection". I find the implications oddly insulting. As if those less attractive don't really need protection. Kind of like Trump insisting that his accuser must be lying because, "Look at her, that's not who I'd choose."

Believe me, most of those who live in cities (even NY and Philadelphia) manage to exist and live perfectly safe lives without  doormen. Men, women, young, old, gorgeous, and not-so-much. Please, scriptwriters for these shows, get off that line. It may seem harmless, but it really isn't.

[laredhead]

I guess HGTV thinks House Hunters needs to be mixed up a bit by offered HH Family Edition.  I vote that it doesn't.  Leave the original successful formula alone.  Their latest offerings of HH Hunting Vintage and HH Family Edition are totally unnecessary IMVHO.

As for last night's episode, I would have taken the house with the pool and spent the extra budgeted money to do cosmetic fixes to the house to bring it up to date.  The view and the pool were very attractive features.  Instead they purchase the house with the least amount of outside space for the dog and the trampoline.  The neighbors are going to love having that trampoline parked almost at their back door just on the other side of the fence.

[Kohola3]

Quote

Their latest offerings of HH Hunting Vintage and HH Family Edition are totally unnecessary IMVHO.

Lord, no.  Most of the vintage hunters wouldn't know vintage if it collapsed on them and I sure as hell don't give a crap about the opinion of some little brat.  It's fake enough with the original recipe but at least we know when to mute it.

[topanga]

4 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Lord, no.  Most of the vintage hunters wouldn't know vintage if it collapsed on them and I sure as hell don't give a crap about the opinion of some little brat.  It's fake enough with the original recipe but at least we know when to mute it.

What's next? House Hunting Pets? Where people take their dogs or cats (or turtles) on every house hunt? I don't know if the current home owners would like that, but at least the HH would be able to find out if their dog likes to crap in that backyard. 

[izabella]

16 hours ago, JasmineFlower said:

Exactly. I'm not trying to be mean, but I don't ever want to see anything of this level again, I'm so not interested in having kids included in this show anywhere near this level. I'm watching House Hunters as part of my nighttime wind down, and the kids shrieking and running into each house and just being loud and ultra excited felt like the show had transplanted to Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. Just no. I'm fine if they had left it at the intro with the girls saying what they wanted in a home, but the rest, no. We've seen kids go on house hunts before and this was just fifty times worse than anything bad I can remember of those.

I hated that episode so much,  I will be mean - keep the noisy, entitled brats off my screen!  "I don't see my bay window!"  Shut up!

I had to mute the episode, and then just deleted without seeing what house they picked.

I should have deleted as soon as the mom said in the beginning that this house was "the most important decision of our lives!"  Seriously, lady?  How about the decision to have three children?  I'd expect the decision to create new human beings and raise them for the next 20 years was a bit more important than which indistinguishable house you buy this week

50 minutes ago, topanga said:

What's next? House Hunting Pets? Where people take their dogs or cats (or turtles) on every house hunt? I don't know if the current home owners would like that, but at least the HH would be able to find out if their dog likes to crap in that backyard. 

I would prefer that!

No more HH Family for me, ever.

Edited October 19, 2016 by izabella

[laredhead]

Uh oh, I'm afraid y'all just gave HGTV a new idea for episodes - House Hunting Pets.  Laughing so hard about that one.  Izabella, I thought the same thing about the wife's comment of "the most important decision of our lives".  I guess marriage and births rank below house buying.

[Kohola3]

Quote

 I guess marriage and births rank below house buying.

Unless it's a wedding dress show.  Then the wedding is the most important day of their lives and the wedding dress is the most important purchase of her life.  A few yards of fabric apparently outrank the next 50 years of marriage.

[juliet73]

4 hours ago, izabella said:

I hated that episode so much,  I will be mean - keep the noisy, entitled brats off my screen!  "I don't see my bay window!"  Shut up!

I had to mute the episode, and then just deleted without seeing what house they picked.

I should have deleted as soon as the mom said in the beginning that this house was "the most important decision of our lives!"  Seriously, lady?  How about the decision to have three children?  I'd expect the decision to create new human beings and raise them for the next 20 years was a bit more important than which indistinguishable house you buy this week

I would prefer that!

No more HH Family for me, ever.

Yes!!!!  This was the WORST episode ever!!!  If I wanted to watch out of control kids running around screaming, I'd go to my local Walmart! I fast forwarded through most of it because of the shrieking brats!  I saw the end where the idiot parents ask their spawn to raise their hand for which house they prefer. How about this... Raise your hand if you're paying the mortgage so you get to make all the decisions! 

I will NEVER EVER watch HH Family again!!! 

[Pathetica]

For once the daughter in Philly chose the one I would have chosen, but all my warm fuzzies for her poofed when she spooned out store bought guacamole. Because anybody who can't make freaking guacamole is suspect in my world. 

[AuntiePam]

Birmingham, Alabama -- realtor dad describes master bedroom as "the love palace."  Ewww -- dad! 

[KLovestoShop]

I don't understand why they feel the need to divide HH up into separate notions.  It's really stupid, IMHO.  They're all just house hunters in different configurations.   So what's next---- HH Single Women, HH Divorcees, HH LBGT, HH Big People, HH Spoiled Wives?  But I will say, I will not watch the Family edition as I disliked kids on shows like this.  There's no way kids should control the house the family buys.  And those three girls were a pain in the butt  

The daddy realtor on the Alabama episode just seemed to me that he was auditioning for a comedy club.  Didn't like him at all.  I knew from the beginning that they'd choose house one.  

[Kohola3]

Those of us boycotting that hideous Family Edition really need to let the network know.  Otherwise they'll keep clogging the airwaves with crap.

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

Exactly. I'm not trying to be mean, but I don't ever want to see anything of this level again, I'm so not interested in having kids included in this show anywhere near this level. I'm watching House Hunters as part of my nighttime wind down, and the kids shrieking and running into each house and just being loud and ultra excited felt like the show had transplanted to Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. Just no. 

House Hunter Gods, please....never, ever, ever again!!!  The screeching!  I turned it on a little late, right at the exact moment one of the little banshees was exclaiming, "it has the wood floors I was really hoping for"!  Excuse me?  Are you the next Frank Lloyd Wright?  Because in what world does a kid dream of hard wood floors.  I'd buy into the fantasy of a little girl wanting the bay window long before.  That's at least something cool you may have seen at a friend's house.  But flooring?  The parents were probably hoping the girls would be "discovered" and soon starring in the next remake of the Parent Trap.  

[JasmineFlower]

13 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Those of us boycotting that hideous Family Edition really need to let the network know.  Otherwise they'll keep clogging the airwaves with crap.

I liked a few Facebook comments that said how terrible the show was. I had gone to comment about it myself, but there were several there, so I liked those instead. Not really sure how they review viewers feedback, but that's at least something. They don't seem to reply often, but they do update the page regularly, so it's likely not completely ignored.

@Kiki620 LMAO!!! The one daughter does create online videos and specifically wanted good lighting for shooting, so that's just not out of the realm that they wanted a bit of promotion.

[Pickles]

The Alabama episode last night. The husband and wife were both 27. They had been married seven years! Do people really get married that young in this day and age? 

[mojito]

Mother and Daughter in Philadelphia.

The thing that struck me the most about this episode was that not one of the choices was a high rise. In all the episodes I can remember, there was always one place shown that satisfied the annoying parent. But not this one.