House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[juliet73]

13 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I deleted the Tampa couple early on - they bugged me and I didn't like any of the houses.

I should have stopped watching at the beginning - I HATED THEM!!!  Everything was "too small" for them.  The normal size pool - too small.  The huge backyard - too small.  2600sq ft - too small.  It was just the two of them!!!!!!  I agree that all the houses were bad - all the rooms were too closed off and/or there was too much wasted space in each of them.  They picked the last one, on the water, with no fence.  Their little dogs aren't going to survive if an alligator comes by.  I did chuckle at one of the houses that had super dark green pool water and the buyers were disgusted. The realtor said "it just needs a couple chlorine tablets."  I'm pretty sure it needed more than a couple - it was pretty grody!

[Pickles]

The episode last night with the couple looking for a house with land for the six llamas (or were they alpacas?). Did they say how they made all of their money? They had a $3 million budget! I missed the first few minutes. 

[laredhead]

The animals were alpacas.  The boyfriend was in construction with a speciality of remodeling older houses.  I believe she was a veterinary tech, but I may have misheard that.  She had 2 daughters, both in their 20's, and he has 3 boys.  They did not say if the boys lived with them full time.  I figured they would chose the house that needed the most work because it had 25 acres of land, and she wanted a lot of acreage for her animals. 

They both owned homes and were selling them, so I guess that helped with buying a house together.

Edited June 10, 2017 by laredhead

[Pickles]

Thanks for the background info laredhead.

[DkNNy79]

CA - the wife definitely sounded like a princess, but in the end was reasonable about the house they chose.  I liked the little updates that they did to the house.  Agree that she was not a great advertisement for her services.  Her own makeup was several shades darker than her skin and she just looked overly made up.

 

FL- they were annoying with their demands for size.  Anything over 2,000 sq ft is a pretty decent size considering it was just the two of them.

 

 MA- jealous of their budget.  I heard their occupations and was wondering how they could afford that budget.  Maybe the guy owns his own company?  They weren't married I believe.  Thought the house they picked was the best option for them considering their needs (barn).  Although the bathroom situation upstairs was weird - I think there was only 1 and it was for all the bedrooms to share.  I liked all the houses they were shown.  

[MaKaM]

Young couple in Chicago--guy was Sanjay, can't remember the girl's name but she needed space for her hammock. I have the same hammock and I 100% agree with the necessity of having a spot for it. It is the best place in my house to hang out. I also liked the brick wall they added, it looked much better than I expected it would for being done by homeowners. I wouldn't be a huge fan of the train in the backyard, but that is par for the course in Chicago and my brother's house backs up to a train track and it does eventually become bearable.

[RemoteControlFreak]

On 5/18/2017 at 0:16 PM, preciousperfect said:

Springfield is a very depressed area. We drive thru once a year because they have an awesome fair every summer. Other than that, not sure what else goes on there.

There are a few pockets of nice homes but even there the property values are very low because the rest of the city is suffering. It never made the transition from the industrial age to the post-industrial reality.  Also,  the public schools are not good. 

[awaken]

Wow, Appleton Wisconsin woman has an INTENSE look!  She makes major, direct, intense eye contact with anyone she's speaking with!  I would need to look away! And everything is "soo darleeng!"  

[mojito]

What I noticed about Appleton couple was that at least once, she opened a door for him, and he usually preceded her when they entered a room. Whenever I'm taller than someone, I tend to open doors for them, I wonder if that's the way it is with her. 

She seemed pretty serious, he seemed a little less so, but they were both as reserved as I would be in front of cameras. 

They were a nice couple. Didn't understand why she thought the parquet floors had to be removed when they weren't damaged (she said she liked "vintage"). They picked the home that I would've chosen. 

Appleton, Wisconsin sounds like such a nice place. Too bad about those winters.

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, mojito said:

Appleton, Wisconsin sounds like such a nice place. Too bad about those winters.

Which makes the attached garage even more attractive!  I wanted them to open the door to that glassed-in balcony (?) off the master bedroom on the second story.  I wonder if it used to be a sleeping porch.  It was hard to tell how big the space is.

When she said she wanted a four-square, I was hoping to see some, since that's what I live in and HH never shows them.  They're all over the Midwest and what people have done with them would be nice to see. 

[Ohwell]

Appleton, WI wife looked like she could beat the holy crap out of her husband if she had to.

[aguabella]

Anyone care to hear another theory about the suburban Chicago chef's constant headgear?

Whenever a guy about his age starts (rudely, to me) wearing baseball caps or hats (or whatever) 100% of the time, it means one thing:  early onset of male pattern baldness.

I had the feeling he expected to play HH's cool hipster but ended up in the role of aging millennial.

Sorry, dude - you're busted, lol!

[Chippings]

Just watched the New Jersey couple, and I never saw such an odd collection of needs, out of both of them ..  The woman was "not a fan of" a dishwasher (?), and wanted an entirely concrete back yard, because of her fears of bugs and "West Nile virus" !?..  And she was accompanied by the husband who seemed obsessed with a urinal in the basement.  I waited for the realtor to tell them that she had absolutely never seen a urinal in an ordinary house in that part of the world.  Who has?  A very odd pair, altogether.   

Also, I know they never mention it, but I wonder at the property taxes for those houses?  I'm from across the country, but in one visit to New Jersey I remember learning that the property taxes there are ginormous.  

[aguabella]

Quote

Quote

 

 

I believe the Appleton wife wanted to remove the parquet simply b/c of her dislike for parquet.  I agree, it didn't appear significantly damaged.  But that was a decoy home so she was just making conversation. 

Surprised that they made the HH cut.  (They seemed like bad actors, to me.)  Perhaps the producers needed another Midwest episode to round out the calendar.  (They typically film 4-6 episodes concurrently in a general area.  That's why we've recently seen a few NJ's, CA's, etc.) 

She did have an intense gaze and a few quirks but good to see a nice, normal, down-to-earth HH couple.  They seemed like the real couple most of us expected to see on HH.  That is, before the curse of reality television took over!

P.S.  If it were my basement, I'd consider a combo Murphy bed / desk for that one side.  Otherwise, unless her mother visits frequently, that bed kinda' dominates the room. 

Edited June 15, 2017 by aguabella

[aguabella]

I didn't hear them mention how often her mother visits but I naturally thought a combo Murphy bed/ desk would be a way to integrate that corner into their family space.  That way it's more functional when Mom isn't visiting.  Just another option for them.  I love design so can't help redesigning spaces when I see them.  Not a big deal ...

 

ETA - Yes, I was very disappointed, too, when the wife threatened to turn that beautiful sunroom into a mudroom.  No, no, no - whew, another decoy, lol!

Edited June 15, 2017 by aguabella

[Kohola3]

4 minutes ago, aguabella said:

 

I didn't hear them mention how often her mother visits but I naturally thought a combo Murphy bed/ desk would be a way to integrate that corner into their family space. 

 

Exactly what I have in my small bedroom.  It's there for infrequent visitors but out of the way when I use the room as an office.  

[aguabella]

I have a feeling my LDS friends would consider the Idaho Falls couple a little young for marriage.  (They emphasize education and seem to marry after the guys complete both their 18 month - 2 yr mission plus college.)  Their ages plus lack of children and manner of speaking / phraseology made me wonder if they were LDS.

I couldn't help it but yes, I checked out their blog.  Yep, they're in the faith but possibly not that active.  (That's their business.)  The blog popped right up and linked to their Go Fund Me page for invitro.  (That was the answer, alright!) 

Can't help it but I have a visceral reaction to personal Go Fund Me pages so am not linking it.  I hope it works out for them, however.  Their blog is easily accessed, if anyone's interested.  Or, PM me and I'll hook you up.

Just a hunch but I have a feeling they were moving out of a Rexburg college apt and closer to their IF jobs.  I doubt the other homes would have been in the running, if they even toured them during their actual house hunt. 

Edited June 15, 2017 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Quote

 

Hmmm, bed frames and cable wires ...

Sure, cable wires get left behind but if the home's vacant, it's vacant.  I have seen cable wires hanging in homes for sale that were partially staged, e.g. staged in the common areas plus master b/r.  Homeowners have Tvs in so many rooms, now!  So, that's not always foolproof.

And bedframes???  Well, sometimes those remain if they'd been assembled on upper floors and were tough to remove.  Or, if a couple was downsizing and made a deal with the new h/o, writing it into the contract, that they'd remain.

Because home sale contracts typically require sellers to leave homes vacant, removing all personal property unless specified in the contract, it's not that typical to see bedframes.

BTW, abandoned bedframes do however, have significance for HHI.  Will leave it at that b/c I don't want to spoil anyone's enjoyment of HHI.

[aguabella]

On ‎5‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 2:09 PM, ByaNose said:

I have always been fascinated by people going way over the asking price. I guess thee house is the perfect house or the best location. Do they start below asking and the seller is the one who keeps raising it? Do the buyers automatically go way over to get it? Of course. It could be multiple bidders drive the price over asking, right? What's the general rule of thumb if you really, really want it? Go over asking price?

Sorry for the tardy response, ByaNose.  Don't know if you're interested in another option.  This was about the Nutley episode, correct?

Bidding wars typically occur in hot markets, soon after a home's listed.  Sure, they may come up later but not that often.  In this instance, the house had been on the market for several months with no price reduction.  I'm not that familiar w/Nutley but my cursory look made me believe that the seller wanted to recoup full price for their renovation and the home was overpriced.  (If anyone knows Nutley, please correct me, if I'm wrong.)

During those few months, they rec'd 1 full price* offer but the deal fell apart.  In good markets, sellers sometimes list even if they're not that motivated to sell, and hold out for their price.  During the episode, the couple said something about being instructed by their realtor (brother of woman) and loan officer (uncle? father?) that, "If this is the one, here's what you need to do".

They offered 10K over, even though we never heard about a multiple offer situation.  My theory:  they needed closing cost assistance or some type of special financing and increased their offer by 10K to cover it for the seller.  BTW, in some areas, the appraiser just nets that and only considers the net price.  They closed so we have to assume they satisfied the appraiser.

If anyone wants to check it out, PM me and I'll shoot you the link.  Incidentally, they'd removed the photos.  If you look further, you can find the previous seller's, pre-renovation shots.

Anyway, that's another reason for over-bids.  In this case, yes, it appears they really wanted it!

*I'm saying full price but actually, we don't know.  (A full-price offer contains no contingencies.) 

Edited June 15, 2017 by aguabella

[laredhead]

On 6/15/2017 at 0:49 AM, Chippings said:

Just watched the New Jersey couple, and I never saw such an odd collection of needs, out of both of them ..  The woman was "not a fan of" a dishwasher (?), and wanted an entirely concrete back yard, because of her fears of bugs and "West Nile virus" !?..  And she was accompanied by the husband who seemed obsessed with a urinal in the basement.  I waited for the realtor to tell them that she had absolutely never seen a urinal in an ordinary house in that part of the world.  Who has?  A very odd pair, altogether.   

Also, I know they never mention it, but I wonder at the property taxes for those houses?  I'm from across the country, but in one visit to New Jersey I remember learning that the property taxes there are ginormous.  

I finally got around to watching this episode last night, and you're right about the husband being obsessed with the urinal.  Even if he was egged on by the production crew, they could have dialed that back a little in the editing room.  I have news for the wife and her belief that concreting everything will prevent West Nile virus.  It won't because mosquito larva can live in just a tiny bit of water and if you have pot plants in saucers, that's an excellent breeding ground.  Take it from someone who lives in south Louisiana where a drop of water is a mosquito magnet.  

My favorite person in the episode was the mother.  She seemed like a no nonsense type of person with a good head on her shoulders.  I think she really was ready to get those two out of her house and into one of their own.  I think the blurb at the bottom of the screen said the house they purchased was only a little bit over 1,000 sf.  I swear they must film these shows with a huge wide angle lens, because I lived in an apartment with 1,000 sf and there was not way to get 3 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms in that space.  

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

I swear they must film these shows with a huge wide angle lens, because I lived in an apartment with 1,000 sf and there was not way to get 3 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms in that space.  

Totally agree.  The rooms would have to be pretty darned tiny.  I had a 975 sq. foot house (called nowadays a "tiny house" - snerk) and to of the bedrooms were 10X10.  No way I would have been able to fit another bathroom in there without cutting the already small living room in half.

[sheetmoss]

Ugh Staten Island now NJ couple bugged

At times I thought they were more like mother and son

Quite the pair, she hated dishwashers, yards w/grass an he got too confused if staircase was too close to entry door,

      I really wish the realtor would have told her dishwashers are anasset when reselling and an all paved over yard  isn't 

What did amuse me, the kitchen sink in the house the bought was really a shitty size  being so small - I'd hate to wash a larger pot in that sink.

BTW, a urinal isn't nasty, it would make more sense if more bathrooms had them for males esp if you have sons.

Edited June 18, 2017 by sheetmoss

[Nysha]

7 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

BTW, a urinal isn't nasty, it would make more sense if more bathrooms had them for males esp if you have sons.

I spent one summer as a janitor for a youth program and, in my opinion, all urinals do is teach boys to urinate on the wall & floor. Cleaning the boy's bathroom was nasty, nasty, nasty. 

[Hotel Diva]

I watched the Tampa episode and all was neat, all was clean. I was glad they didn't choose the fixer upper because that would not only cost money to buy the house, but also for renovations. That would be tedious and a lot of work.

[Mu Shu]

On 5/30/2017 at 6:36 PM, chocolatine said:

Did CT-to-FL husband really say that alligators don't attack people? I'm sure the family of the poor little boy who was killed by an alligator at Disney World last year would beg to differ.

They rarely attack people.  The little boy was splashing at the edge of the water, which is the best way to get taken.  Florida is alligator infested, yet they rarely are a problem, and most suburbanites don't know their community lake or canal usually has a few.   As long as you stay out of murky water and away from nests, they just don't have the energy to take you, especially on land.   But I would'nt want to take a chance with a kid, especially the kids of today who have no outdoor smarts.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 6/15/2017 at 3:03 PM, aguabella said:

Can't help it but I have a visceral reaction to personal Go Fund Me pages so am not linking it.  I hope it works out for them, however. 

I don't. 

Go Fund Me appeals are like spam emails--if nobody ever responded to them, they'd stop.

[Kohola3]

3 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Go Fund Me appeals are like spam emails--if nobody ever responded to them, they'd stop.

Goofy ones for personal gain certainly are and I would never donate to someone for some sob story or to "fulfill my dream".  Dream fulfillment is your department.  But there are some really worthy causes (usually non-profits) that deserve a look.  Today's society doesn't go home, write a check and mail it to charities;  they want to donate online or on their phones immediately.  If you can't catch them at the spur of the moment, you've lost them.

[Beaner]

I was doing some serious hate watching tonight. The couple with three young kids looking for a $500,000 - $600,000 in Peoria...could that woman have been any more hateful? Husband is so whipped. I was yelling at the tv for him to grow a pair. Her insistence on a white kitchen, all bedrooms on the same level, but not a ranch, mind you! Because husband wanted a ranch! And we can't have that!  So the house they chose had a beautiful kitchen, which they gutted, because it wasn't white. And the island wasn't huge enough. Wretched excess. What a waste! (and what a waste of my nerves, lol.)

[ByaNose]

9 hours ago, Beaner said:

I was doing some serious hate watching tonight. The couple with three young kids looking for a $500,000 - $600,000 in Peoria...could that woman have been any more hateful? Husband is so whipped. I was yelling at the tv for him to grow a pair. Her insistence on a white kitchen, all bedrooms on the same level, but not a ranch, mind you! Because husband wanted a ranch! And we can't have that!  So the house they chose had a beautiful kitchen, which they gutted, because it wasn't white. And the island wasn't huge enough. Wretched excess. What a waste! (and what a waste of my nerves, lol.)

The lady from Peoria was the first HH I've seen on the show who didn't look made up. Her hair was awful, her clothes were drabby and I don't even think she had makeup on. It's like she rolled out of bed and went to the shoot. He seemed like a nice guy but she didn't seem like a barrel of laughs. She was openly sort of vile to her husband and her demands. The house they picked was nice enough. I would like to see the finished product. Maybe, they'll be on HH Renovation.

[mojito]

Quote

...and I don't even think she had makeup on.

Coming from the Makeup State of Texas, I see it as a good thing when a woman doesn't feel compelled to be made up. 

I'm going to assume that those cabinets found a good home. When she stated that she wanted to replace one stainless steel stove fan with a wood one for that "classic" look, I wondered when that look was ever a classic. Except for HGTV, I've never seen it in real life, and I've been around awhile.

[twinks]

I thought they were both rather ridiculous. She was bitchy and he was a whiner. It was some good "hate" watching though.

[MortysCleaningLady]

I watched the rerun last night of the native Houstonians (she was third generation) that wasn't afraid of a fixer-upper, had a million dollar budget with an extra $500K reno budget, and bought an ancient house on a charming street that had been converted into a duplex.   That would be a house I would love to see renovated.   

I rarely root for the fixer upper (even though I love a well done one) and was so glad they went that route.   They seemed capable.

[aguabella]

22 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I don't. 

Go Fund Me appeals are like spam emails--if nobody ever responded to them, they'd stop.

 

Don't ???  Ah, sorry, let me clarify:  thought everyone would understand that my visceral reaction was negative towards a personal GFM page but meant that I hope they're able to fulfill / satisfy their desire to become parents.  Although I'm not aware of the specific costs involved, they could possibly accomplish the latter goal by alternative, i.e. significantly cheaper (!) ways, e.g. adopting an older or special needs child, int'l adoption or even becoming active in various organizations, e.g. Brothers / Sisters groups.  In fact, kinda' funny but I've noticed that when couples let go of that intense desire to procreate naturally and instead focus on sharing their love in other ways, they become pregnant!

 

No, we definitely agree.  I would never contribute or respond in any way to a GFM solicitation.  For one thing, it's my understanding that the costs, deducted off the top, approximate 8%.  Ouch!  If a cause is worthy enough to warrant my contribution, I'll locate the organization's website and contribute directly.  (WRT individuals, I wouldn't help out anyone I don't know personally so there's no value provided by GFM.)  Why enrich the middleman?  And, yes, when I offered to hook other posters up, I was referring to the HH's blog.  If they care to contribute, they're on their own, lol! 

Edited June 20, 2017 by aguabella

[aguabella]

23 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Goofy ones for personal gain certainly are and I would never donate to someone for some sob story or to "fulfill my dream".  Dream fulfillment is your department.  But there are some really worthy causes (usually non-profits) that deserve a look.  Today's society doesn't go home, write a check and mail it to charities;  they want to donate online or on their phones immediately.  If you can't catch them at the spur of the moment, you've lost them.

Or, if contributors take some add'l time, the organization might score significantly more, larger donations!

Yes, Kohola3, I'm sure you're correct about small, spur of the moment donations, e.g. texting 9999 (or whatever) to donate $10 to cancer research or the heart fund.  I make contributions through my business' foundation.  Needless to say, given the $$$ involved, we spend a significant amount of time researching the organizations and/or campaigns before approving our annual grants.  BTW, does anyone write checks, lol? 

I haven't spent much time perusing the GFM non-profit section but of what I've noticed the causes appear a little skeevy.  Although I didn't spend much time, I'd be concerned about their 501(c)(3) status.  Well, as with anything, buyer / contributor, beware. 

Yes, the reason I reacted negatively to the HH's plea was it sounded like it belonged in the sob story or dream fulfillment category.  Sad but not everyone will realize the dream of parenthood.  (As mentioned above, they might want to consider other options before blowing their life savings on in vitro.) 

The HH's basis for their fund raising was that they love, love, love each other so, so much!  Touching but unfortunately, everyone who's been through a divorce (not me, thankfully) probably said that at the inception and during the first years of their relationship.

Oops, sorry for the long post.  If anyone's interested in the websites to review charitable organization financials, definitely contact me and I'll be thrilled to point you in their direction!

Edited June 20, 2017 by aguabella

[DkNNy79]

On ‎6‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 0:25 PM, twinks said:

I thought they were both rather ridiculous. She was bitchy and he was a whiner. It was some good "hate" watching though.

Agree - I disliked both of them equally.  I was surprised at the real estate prices in Peoria.  I thought they had a pretty generous budget to begin with.  They got the house they wanted at like $60k under asking price and they still ended up putting $100k in renovations into it.  My mind was blown.

One thing I do agree with the wife was living in a neighborhood when you have 3 small kids (all under 10 years of age I believe).  I don't understand his insistence in living out in the boonies with no neighbors around.  I get that he wanted lots of land, but that's an expensive upkeep and the kids would have no one to play with.  Personally I would hate to be so isolated in the country.  God forbid something happens to you, no one would ever know.

[Ohwell]

West Chester County, PA couple was pretty nice and not whiny.  He mainly wanted a gas stove because he likes to cook (He's a keeper--I love a man who likes to cook), and they both wanted a garage and a small yard.  I guess most of the houses in that area are old and that's what they were looking for, so that's what they got.  It. was nice enough, but a little too old for my taste

[topanga]

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

West Chester County, PA couple was pretty nice and not whiny.  He mainly wanted a gas stove because he likes to cook (He's a keeper--I love a man who likes to cook), and they both wanted a garage and a small yard.  I guess most of the houses in that area are old and that's what they were looking for, so that's what they got.  It. was nice enough, but a little too old for my taste

Totally agree with your post. The inside of the house looked nice. But the outside? That ugly green and white awning---AHHHH!!! I hope they eventually remove it. But awnings like that were very popular at a certain time in and around Philadelphia. 

[topanga]

On 1/7/2016 at 11:57 AM, lizzy07 said:

Last night's DC couple -- At first I was annoyed by the husband, but then he cracked that if they had a ton of money, they would whine, "Why can't I have a helipad??" He won me over with that.

Cool kitchen in the house they chose.

HGTV re-ran this one today. I really liked the husband--he had jokes for days. I liked when he mentioned that a house had a window seat and started singing "Window Seat" but used a slightly different melody from Erykah Badu's song. Was that for copyright purposes. 

The wife was nice but was kinda hippy-dippy strange. "Ooh, I like the orange walls." "Ooh, I like the awkward layout and strangely shaped bedroom." 

[DkNNy79]

12 hours ago, Ohwell said:

West Chester County, PA couple was pretty nice and not whiny.  He mainly wanted a gas stove because he likes to cook (He's a keeper--I love a man who likes to cook), and they both wanted a garage and a small yard.  I guess most of the houses in that area are old and that's what they were looking for, so that's what they got.  It. was nice enough, but a little too old for my taste

I think they were also limited because they wanted to be in walking distance to town.  I get it that young folks want to walk to bars/restaurants, but personally I would've gone a little farther out for a single family home that was a little bigger and nicer.  I didn't really love the options they were given.

A friend of mine lived in West Chester for a couple years and I got to visit her.  Its a nice area.  The little downtown area looked really cute and I believe there is a university there so I'm sure its pretty pumping when the students are in residence.

This couple was looking in nearby Phoenixville, which I don't know nothing about.  It seemed like a smaller, more quiet version of West Chester.

[MortysCleaningLady]

16 hours ago, Ohwell said:

West Chester County, PA couple was pretty nice and not whiny.  He mainly wanted a gas stove because he likes to cook (He's a keeper--I love a man who likes to cook), and they both wanted a garage and a small yard.  I guess most of the houses in that area are old and that's what they were looking for, so that's what they got.  It. was nice enough, but a little too old for my taste

I was relieved that they selected the one with the garage that looked to be  what I affectionately call 'a grandma house'.   Sure, the wallpaper, paint colors, and awning are dated, but I bet the furnace and roof were in great repair!   The other two looked flipped.  I was very pleased that the wife got a decent closet and a garage, if not her central air.

[LazyToaster]

I wonder if all the people that claim they want to "be able to walk to shops, restaurants, and bars" really do that?  I'm sure some do - but, it has become such a mantra that I give a side eye to a lot of them. 

[Ohwell]

47 minutes ago, LazyToaster said:

I wonder if all the people that claim they want to "be able to walk to shops, restaurants, and bars" really do that?  I'm sure some do - but, it has become such a mantra that I give a side eye to a lot of them. 

I think singles and couples do that--but just wait until the kids come!

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, LazyToaster said:

 

I wonder if all the people that claim they want to "be able to walk to shops, restaurants, and bars" really do that?  I'm sure some do - but, it has become such a mantra that I give a side eye to a lot of them. 

 

Plus that's all totally dependent on the climate.  No way they put on 8 layers of clothes to schlep down the street in knee deep snow for a beer.

[Ohwell]

39 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Plus that's all totally dependent on the climate.  No way they put on 8 layers of clothes to schlep down the street in knee deep snow for a beer.

Welp, where I live, in the winter when there's snow--even when there's ice--the younger folks will do just that.  Walk for a beer.  They think it's fun.

[Kohola3]

I'm sure the youngest ones do but I think it doesn't take long for the novelty to wear off unless you simply must have alcohol in a crowd.  My millennial goddaughter has lived in downtown Chicago for 8 years and it got old for her pretty quickly.  Something about those foot high snowdrifts on the way to the neighborhood bar!

[twinks]

I loved living in a walkable area. Yes, we did walk to restaurants, movies, bars, etc...even when it was snowing. I don't think I could stay indoors all winter! People were always out and about.

[roseslg]

I am not young by any means, but I hate having to jump in the car to have to go to the supermarket, or to a restaurant.  We just moved from NYC a couple months ago and it's been an adjustment having to drive everywhere.   I just want milk, why can't I run to the corner?  No, I have to pack the toddler into the car and drive.  If we could afford it, we'd live in a more walkable area of our new city.

[Mrs. Hanson]

22 hours ago, topanga said:

Totally agree with your post. The inside of the house looked nice. But the outside? That ugly green and white awning---AHHHH!!! I hope they eventually remove it. But awnings like that were very popular at a certain time in and around Philadelphia. 

I disagree about the West Chester PA couple.....they kinda bugged me.  She seemed annoyed by everything and his insistence on a gas stove was tiring, but I am not that picky about stoves!  Plus it can be replaced.  Her thing about closet space was tiring, too.  I wanted to ask the realtor for more choices!!

Edited June 24, 2017 by Mrs. Hanson

[mojito]

Anyone else getting tired of this: 

As soon as the couple gets out the car, someone announces, "It's not a ____________________ (style of home).  What a shitty attitude. Stop it, House Hunters.

[MsProudSooner]

On 6/23/2017 at 4:20 PM, LazyToaster said:

I wonder if all the people that claim they want to "be able to walk to shops, restaurants, and bars" really do that?  I'm sure some do - but, it has become such a mantra that I give a side eye to a lot of them. 

I went on a cruise recently that departed from Vancouver.  The drive from the airport to the cruise terminal went on a street that had literally miles of shops and restaurants - very attractive and few, if any chain stores.  I found myself thinking that this is what the people who want a 'walkable' neighborhood are looking for.