House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[dga28]

11 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

It's pretentious in the same way that buying anything for the brand name is pretentious.  Buy it because it's more functional or because it's reliable or because it's made in the USA. 

even if it increases the value of your kitchen and therefore the value of your house?  

there seems to be an inherent bias from a lot of posters regarding people spending their own money on what they want.

people shouldn't buy high end brand appliances?

Edited November 13, 2016 by dga28

[AuntiePam]

24 minutes ago, dga28 said:

even if it increases the value of your kitchen and therefore the value of your house?  

there seems to be an inherent bias from a lot of posters regarding people spending their own money on what they want.

people shouldn't buy high end brand appliances?

Buyers are free to do what they want, and we're free to snark on them when we disagree with their choices.  What I'm saying is that buying high end just because it's high end doesn't always mean  high quality, but a lot of people believe it does.  Lexus = just a Toyota, ya know?  

[ByaNose]

I love high end just for the look. I guess I'm shallow that way. Personally, I don't think pretentious is a bad thing. It's not like I'm hurting anyone or committing a crime. If it makes you happy and you can live with it then have at it. I'm off to Pottery Barn now and I'm looking for an new coffee table. I'm sure it will cost an arm and leg but if it looks good  then I've done my job. Have a good week everyone. 

[Bastet]

Quote

isn't  this a home improvement forum?...lol

It's a TV forum.

[dga28]

3 minutes ago, Bastet said:

It's a TV forum.

my bad.  you are correct.  i stand corrected.  .....smile...

[WendyCR72]

Snarking on posters is never okay and is not allowed here at PTV. Save that for the TV shows and those who appear on them. Thank you.

[KAOS Agent]

If you have the money and want to spend it on some status symbol appliances, go for it. However, it doesn't mean I won't make fun of you for making sure to point out to everyone just how cool you are for having said appliances. That's where the pretentiousness comes in. It's like telling everyone about your shoes when they didn't ask or comment and making sure to refer to them as your Louboutin heels. We get it. They are high end.

Last night on one of these shows a woman walked in and questioned whether obviously decent, fairly new appliances were functional simply because they weren't stainless steel. I don't think these people really do understand how they come off when they make these comments.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, KAOS Agent said:

Last night on one of these shows a woman walked in and questioned whether obviously decent, fairly new appliances were functional simply because they weren't stainless steel. I don't think these people really do understand how they come off when they make these comments.

They really do sound ridiculous.  I wonder if any of them actually know how to cook. A burner is a burner - it functions the same on white, ecru, black, or silver ranges. You won't get any better tasting meals from a shiny silver stove than you will from a white one.  Morons.

[mojito]

Food always tasted better on Avocado Green stoves.

Of course, it might've been Grandma's cooking....

[TVForever]

On 11/13/2016 at 8:13 AM, wait.what said:

Red knobs:

i took the comment as a kind of inside joke humble brag that only the elite will understand. "These "red knobs" were so expensive" (wink wink). "Oops I bought the stove for these cute red knobs, I had no idea that this was a limited edition precious stove." Because anyone who is anyone will know that these red knobs are indicative of a certain expensive brand of stove. 

All of us poor regular people will have no idea what she is talking about. 

Yeah, like the shoes with the Red Soles, LOL!!

[ByaNose]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

Food always tasted better on Avocado Green stoves.

Of course, it might've been Grandma's cooking....

Yes. Avocado Green. That's the color but I couldn't think of it. I think it was Yellow, Avocado Green and Brown. The center was a lighter and the outter sides were darker. At least, that is my memory. We later went all white. This was 80's white though. LOL!!!

[mojito]

Don't know what the brown was called. The yellow was "Harvest Gold".  The ecru was called "Almond". 

Does anyone think that white is going to go away for a good while? 

[Kohola3]

Ah, those were the days!  Bread from a Harvest Gold oven - yummy!

[magemaud]

I think the brown color might have originally been called "coppertone" although it eventually became a true brown rather than an "old penny" reddish brown. This could have been my parents' kitchen in the 60s: 

Edited November 14, 2016 by magemaud

[Kohola3]

Cool beans!  I bet all of those people wanting "mid-century modern" would have a conniption if they were told this was appropriate for that time periond.

[speac]

39 minutes ago, magemaud said:

I think the brown color might have originally been called "coppertone" although it eventually became a true brown rather than an "old penny" reddish brown. This could have been my parents' kitchen in the 60s: 

Just remember those coppertone, harvest gold, and avocado kitchens looked just as trendy in their day as  all white, granite and  stainless steel looks now.  Kitchen fashion trends come and go but they have nothing to do with the kitchen functionality. Stainless became trendy because it was on high end appliances, now everyone has stainless in every price point.  BTW, If you look at high end appliance sites, you will see the blue cabinets, even blue appliances so you can expect that that may be a growing trend that will start as 'high end' then travel down market.  

[mojito]

Quote

Cool beans!  I bet all of those people wanting "mid-century modern" would have a conniption if they were told this was appropriate for that time periond.

Make it chocolate brown, keep it one tone, make the paint semi-glossy, and you start a new craze.

I see what @ByaNose meant about the two-tones.

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, magemaud said:

I think the brown color might have originally been called "coppertone" although it eventually became a true brown rather than an "old penny" reddish brown. This could have been my parents' kitchen in the 60s: 

I'm 52 and this looks like every kitchen from my day. Ours didn't look like though. I do recall my painted all the cabinets in a prey light Country Blue. Is that such a color. LOL!!! Back then, everything was in and I don't think anyone thought otherwise. It is HGTV who ruined it for everyone. LOL!!. That said, I'm easily impressed by a beautiful kitchen with the nice countertops, stainless steel & shaker style cabinets. My kitchen doesn't look like that though. I've been in my townhouse 18 years and didn't realize I was supposed to update it like HGTV keeps telling me. Now, I'm too broke to do so. Drats!!

Edited November 14, 2016 by ByaNose

[mojito]

If HGTV would give us that retro week I've suggested, we'd all be laughing at  seeing how many times we'd have to change out our appliances, floors, and counter tops just to keep up with the trends.

[ByaNose]

That said, I do love me some HH. Even if it's fake I often have an opinion on all the houses whether they are the fake ones or not. I wish they would show more of the HH Renovations. I think HH is almost (99%) new at 10:00pm from what I can tell. It's on my season pass and I never miss it.

[KLovestoShop]

YMMV, but if I lived in a house where new people moved in and had chickens, like tonight's Nashville couple,  I would not be too happy.  I know in our area you can't have farm animals of any kind.  Actually, there's a man in a different part of town who has a rooster and the court gave him a certain amount of time to get rid of it.  For some reason, the rooster has been clucking around the area and no one could catch it, so they hired a rooster wrangler to try and catch it.  

[biakbiak]

You don't need to have a rooster to have egg laying chickens. My friends neighbors have chickens and they are a hell of a lot quieter than her orther neighbors dogs. Plus tons of eggs that they give away!

Edited November 15, 2016 by biakbiak

[ByaNose]

7 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

YMMV, but if I lived in a house where new people moved in and had chickens, like tonight's Nashville couple,  I would not be too happy.  I know in our area you can't have farm animals of any kind.  Actually, there's a man in a different part of town who has a rooster and the court gave him a certain amount of time to get rid of it.  For some reason, the rooster has been clucking around the area and no one could catch it, so they hired a rooster wrangler to try and catch it.  

A rooster or charms blowing in the wind would be a deal breaker for me. LOL!!! I guess I'm being too picky but certain noises drive me crazy. Especailly, during the summer when you have your windows open.

[izabella]

I hate wind chimes so, so much.  I consider it noise pollution!  I would take a rooster over wind chimes, because those damned things never, ever stop with their discordant clanging.  I've lain in bed plotting one plan after another to sneak over to a neighbor's house to cut the strings on their chimes or worse.  Never did it, but damn.

Edited November 15, 2016 by izabella

[juliet73]

Nashville: I liked the house they chose,  but it definitely didn't belong it that neighborhood! I have a feeling they are going to lose a lot of money if/when they decide to sell.  They paid $464k and the other houses looked to be around $100k.  I liked the chicken coops under the deck - that was a good idea.  I agree with some others,  I would rather hear chickens than dogs.  I am surrounded on all sides by dogs and the owners are oblivious to the non stop barking! 

[magemaud]

3 hours ago, izabella said:

I hate wind chimes so, so much.  I consider it noise pollution! 

My next door neighbor has one of those "capiz shell" wind chimes that looks like a Portuguese Man of War jellyfish hanging on her porch. Its CONSTANT clanging sounds like someone is emptying their recycling bin, 24/7. 

Edited November 15, 2016 by magemaud
I meant recycling BIN

[AlleC17]

lol  Wind chimes don't bother me at all, but you all are giving me a new perspective.  I don't have any, because I am lazy and can't be bothered to hang them, but now I would think twice.  In Hawaii, you can have chickens...I think we are limited to two hens, but there are so many feral chickens and roosters, you hear the crowing all over anyway.  i want to get a pair of hens.  :-)

Regarding high end:  there is nothing wrong with wanting/getting high end appliances, and I don't think anyone here makes fun of people for that reason.  What I like to snark about are the comments, such as HH comes into a nice kitchen with new white appliances and announces its a 'gut job', which is pretentious and ridiculous.  If they just said something such as 'I really like stainless steel better'  there wouldn't be much to snark about.  For me, its their manner.  I don't really like the stainless steel look, but if I were a HH I wouldn't state they weren't 'functional' like one recently did for a non stainless steel  (can't remember the exact wording) just because I prefer a different look. 

[Mu Shu]

On November 11, 2016 at 6:09 PM, scootypuffjr said:

I always thought that one could make a house their own, or put one's stamp on a house, by putting your own personal possessions in it, and decorating it to one's own taste. I don't know why so many people seem to think it requires knocking down walls or replacing perfectly acceptable and serviceable appliances, granite, tiles, cabinets, floors and so forth with something nearly identical in a different style or color. 

Because they are poopfaces who buy their art at Pottery Barn and Wayfair.  No creativity or imagination. 

[Mu Shu]

On November 13, 2016 at 3:12 PM, Bastet said:

It's a TV forum.

Yes.  A TV forum where we bitch.  It's not that serious. 

[AuntiePam]

I love wind chimes.  I had a large set -- cost $150 (a birthday gift) - and they were tuned, like pipes on an organ.  Since they were so big, it took quite a breeze to set them off. 

Last night's episode -- Charlotte? -- the woman searching with her sister's help.  Did I hear right that the buyer wanted to rent rooms to vacationers?  Nothing she was shown would be appealing as more than a place to sleep, and leave before breakfast the next day. 

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, AuntiePam said:

I love wind chimes.  I had a large set -- cost $150 (a birthday gift) - and they were tuned, like pipes on an organ.  Since they were so big, it took quite a breeze to set them off. 

Last night's episode -- Charlotte? -- the woman searching with her sister's help.  Did I hear right that the buyer wanted to rent rooms to vacationers?  Nothing she was shown would be appealing as more than a place to sleep, and leave before breakfast the next day. 

Yeah, I didn't get the whole thing about renting to vacationers. I could see a permament renter but random people on vacation is a whole different thing. IMO! The house was nice and she seemed like a sensible woman.  

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

Yeah, I didn't get the whole thing about renting to vacationers. I could see a permament renter but random people on vacation is a whole different thing. IMO! The house was nice and she seemed like a sensible woman.  

Everyone thinks AirBnB is a goldmine.

[KLovestoShop]

I just didn't get the Charleston woman wanting to rent bedrooms in her house with only one bathroom.  No way would I share my bathroom with strangers, not even on an overnight basis.  Even though house three was over budget, if she was serious about renting, the rental rate could offset the higher cost.  

[pianogirl73]

1 hour ago, KLovestoShop said:

I just didn't get the Charleston woman wanting to rent bedrooms in her house with only one bathroom.  No way would I share my bathroom with strangers, not even on an overnight basis.  Even though house three was over budget, if she was serious about renting, the rental rate could offset the higher cost.  

She was so disgusted by the carpet and all I could think of was how she should have been equally or more  disgusted by sharing a bathroom with a stranger. 

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, pianogirl73 said:

She was so disgusted by the carpet and all I could think of was how she should have been equally or more  disgusted by sharing a bathroom with a stranger. 

Seriously! She was disgusted by carpeting but is willing to share a one bathroom with strangers. Too funny!

[Mu Shu]

12 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I just didn't get the Charleston woman wanting to rent bedrooms in her house with only one bathroom.  No way would I share my bathroom with strangers, not even on an overnight basis.  Even though house three was over budget, if she was serious about renting, the rental rate could offset the higher cost.  

I know someone that does that in a one bedroom house in a high crime area of Miami.  He's a special snowflake with a masters degree who is too good to actually work.   I don't know, working seems like a better proposition than getting mugged and pooping with strangers.  Apparently, he gets the hostel crowd, and needs to have at least an average of three per night just to make rent.   He hasn't slept in his bed in two years.

[Kohola3]

Oh, gross!

[NYGirl]

I have one thing to say:  Pearls and Diamonds...diamonds and pearls.   I gotta have a gourmet kitchen even though I don't cook.  I want guests to think that I cook.  

Me:  rolling my eyes.

The husband was such a nice guy too.

I knew the new build was the one as soon as the realtor said:  I have a new build....

[TVForever]

1 hour ago, NYGirl said:

I have one thing to say:  Pearls and Diamonds...diamonds and pearls.   I gotta have a gourmet kitchen even though I don't cook.  I want guests to think that I cook.  

Me:  rolling my eyes.

The husband was such a nice guy too.

I knew the new build was the one as soon as the realtor said:  I have a new build....

To be fair though, I often wonder about so many of the (mostly) women who MUST HAVE a "Gourmet Kitchen", actually cook, or at least at a "gourmet" level. I want my kitchen to look as nice as the rest of my house, but my friends know that I will not be auditioning for The Next Food Network Star anytime soon, LOL! 

[juliet73]

Diamonds and Pearl's?!  How many times did she say that?  I lost count after 10!  I didn't care for her at all.  She NEEDED a backsplash BEFORE she would be able to cook anything!  B!tch, shut your mouth!!  

I was puzzled by the realtor saying new builds are less expensive than resales.  After adding in your upgrades and everything after not included in your house sale ie: patio/deck, landscaping, window treatments, fencing, etc,  it definitely costs more for a new home.  

My husband would love a gourmet kitchen because he LOVES LOVES LOVES to cook.  If the rest of the house was a dump, he would be fine with that, as long as the kitchen was totally upgraded/high end.  

[AuntiePam]

I was all set not to like Diamonds and Pearls but she grew on me.  She didn't take herself too seriously -- she was having fun with it. 

I don't agree with their choice of the new build though.  No deck, no fence, and I don't know why they said they'd like the privacy, because there was none.  We don't know the size of their lot or what would be going up on the other side of that walking trail. 

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, TVForever said:

To be fair though, I often wonder about so many of the (mostly) women who MUST HAVE a "Gourmet Kitchen", actually cook, or at least at a "gourmet" level. I want my kitchen to look as nice as the rest of my house, but my friends know that I will not be auditioning for The Next Food Network Star anytime soon, LOL! 

There was a woman on a previous episode who said she wasn't going to be cooking but needed a gourmet kitchen to take take-out out of containers. "I need counter space to do that!" (She was joking, her husband was teasing her, it was a funny moment.)

I cook all the time and I can do it in a bare-bones kitchen, but oh, how wonderful it would be to be able to do it in a gourmet kitchen ...

17 hours ago, pianogirl73 said:

She was so disgusted by the carpet and all I could think of was how she should have been equally or more  disgusted by sharing a bathroom with a stranger. 

And if I were looking at Air BnB options, I would immediately veto any with only one bathroom. I don't know you like that! That's gross.

[izabella]

2 hours ago, Empress1 said:

And if I were looking at Air BnB options, I would immediately veto any with only one bathroom. I don't know you like that! That's gross.

And I would immediately veto any option where I have to be there WITH the homeowner!  What if he's a serial killer and his AirBnB is a way to get more victims into his house?  Kidding, but not really.

[Tony]

On 11/11/2016 at 6:09 PM, scootypuffjr said:

I don't know why so many people seem to think it requires knocking down walls

Because everything has to be open concept. Apparently house hunters thinks enclosed rooms are the devil's playground.

[magemaud]

It's all about "the flow." Because it's necessary to be able to walk in the front door and see all the way to the back of the house! Because you need to be interacting with your guests when you're in the kitchen! Because you need to be able to see your children every minute! 

[Kohola3]

Geez, doesn't anyone want privacy anymore?  Why not just have no walls at all so you can see every damned thing your family does.

Thanks, anyway, I don't need to see every damned thing.  I survived a childhood where there were walls around every room.  My parents expected us to behave civilly, even when out of their sight, so we lived up to that.  Short of torturing my sister on occasion, we all did very well.

[KLovestoShop]

1 minute ago, Kohola3 said:

Geez, doesn't anyone want privacy anymore?  Why not just have no walls at all so you can see every damned thing your family does.

Thanks, anyway, I don't need to see every damned thing.  I survived a childhood where there were walls around every room.  My parents expected us to behave civilly, even when out of their sight, so we lived up to that.  Short of torturing my sister on occasion, we all did very well.

And when we were kids, we played outside from early morning until dusk in the summer months, and we weren't happy when we had to finally come inside. We knew how to behave, we didn't leave the yard when we were very young and we weren't glued to the TV or computer or video game console.   We had a small house with every room divided and mom didn't have to stare at us all day.  

The Diamonds and Pearls wife wore on me after a while, but I loved her makeup.  I also liked her husband. 

[Angeltoes]

I thought her makeup looked nice, too.  She knows her business.

[izabella]

18 hours ago, Tony said:

Because everything has to be open concept. Apparently house hunters thinks enclosed rooms are the devil's playground.

Yes, the kids will DIE if mom can't keep an eye on them from the kitchen (always the kitchen, apparently, she never goes into other rooms).  At the same time, those same kids each need to have their own individual bedrooms, plus a playroom and a family room to play in, and the parents need man-caves and mom-caves to get away from everyone. 

[magemaud]

Apparently a Man Cave offers the only escape from Open Concept!