House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[ByaNose]

The Destin, Florida couple used the word beachy a lot and it got on my nerves. LOL!! They finally ended up with a really semi small beachy house. The wife wanted a McMansion for her guest. I don't know if that was an act or not but it was so obnoxious. I was shocked by how much house you could get in Destin. I thought the houses would $800,000 - $900,000. They got one around $600,000 or so. Somehow I thought it would be super expensive to buy a house there.

Edited June 27, 2017 by ByaNose

[Diane M]

That man drove me crazy with his beachy cottage feel.  He said it over and over!!!

[KLovestoShop]

Completely disliked the Florida wife.  You're looking for a vacation home, not a permanent primary residence, so shove the Mediterranean house.  And if I heard "beachy" one more time, I was going to slug the husband.  When the wife said "I don't know if I want to do renovations on a vacation home" I yelled at the TV, " Then why do you need a fancy mansion?"  if it's just a vacation house?   

[AuntiePam]

This couple looked too young to have that much money to spend on a vacation home.  What is it he does for a living?  Medical equipment sales?  Shoot, most doctors can't afford a million for a second home.   

I guess it's personal choice -- priorities.  Like owning a motor home that's used a few weeks a year -- those things are $50K and over.  $50K pays for a lot of nice hotels, and you don't have to empty the toilet.

I liked this couple though -- they bickered about their differences, but there were smiles too. 

[Rosebud1970]

I wanted to go through my TV at the wife in the Destin show tonight. She grated. Spend $1mil on a ginormous vacation house! Yeah no.

Five bedrooms, no pool, grand Mediterranean style. I just loathed her. How he could put up with her was a total mystery to me.

You live by the beach, you buy a cottage-type house. Your year-round house can be whatever. Grand, Mediterranean, bazillion bedrooms.

[Kohola3]

I have serious doubts that obnoxious "beachy"  pair (geez, enough already with that stupid word) could afford a million dollar place.  The whole charade was meant to make us think that they could.  It's ridiculous to drop that kind of dough on a place that would sit empty for months on end.  You'd still have to pay utilities and you can't just leave a place like that closed up without heating and/or air on year round.  Plus security.  And yard maintenance.  Besides, there were just 3 of them - why would they need a 5 bedroom villa?  I think that whole grand villa scenario was for show.  

Anyone impressed?  I'm not.

[Diane M]

Quote

 Besides, there were just 3 of them - why would they need a 5 bedroom villa? 

Because they expect lots of visitors.  How about one extra bedroom for visitors and the others can stay in a hotel?  It also is crazy for a vacation home to have to be perfect.  Why do kitchen cabinets have to be painted or replaced when there is nothing wrong with them except they're light colored wood?  

[laredhead]

I haven't seen the Destin episode yet, but were they planning to use the house as a luxury rental and make lots of money on their investment? 

[Mittengirl]

Where was the Destin couple from?  Maybe they were looking at a future retirement location, but vacations for now?   Sometimes I wonder if another couple, perhaps parents, are also going in on a vacation home when the HHers need so many "guest" rooms. 

Glad to know I was not the only one ready to hop in the car, drive to Destin and slap him silly for his "beachy cottage" remarks.

[Diane M]

I don't remember them saying anything about renting when they weren't there.

[KLovestoShop]

I'm also tired of all the "we entertain so we need the space" comments.  Now really.  How many of you here entertain all that much that one of your first needs in a house is entertaining space?  We maybe have one party a year, and it's not all that many people where entertainment space is necessary.  But it seems every single freaking couple puts entertaining space in their top three wants.  Heck, I live in a nice subdivision and I can count on one hand the number of parties that my neighbors throw.  And they're not the kind of parties where you need a huge patio/deck to handle all the people.  

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, Diane M said:

I don't remember them saying anything about renting when they weren't there.

Neither do I.  And none of the usual prattle about needing a home office.  They simple needed a bazillion square feet for the three of them.  Of course, I if I had to hear those insipid comments from my spouse (and they were both guilty) I'd want some space away from them as well.

[juliet73]

The Destin wife - UGH!!!! I wanted to punch her in the throat!! She basically wanted a McMasion to show off to the "friends" that were coming to visit. All she cared about was having extra beds/baths for all of her guests. We had a vacation home growing up - 2 bed/1bath for a family of five. When we had guests, all the kids would sleep on the floor in the living room and the adults would take the bedrooms. I don't remember anyone bitchin' that they couldn't get ready because the ONLY bathroom had just one sink!

I can guarantee they couldn't afford a $1mil house, but they wanted the world to think they could. 

I loved the house they chose. 

Edited June 27, 2017 by juliet73

[ByaNose]

17 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

The Destin wife - UGH!!!! I wanted to punch her in the throat!! She basically wanted a McMasion to show off to the "friends" that were coming to visit. All she cared about was having extra beds/baths for all of her guests. We had a vacation home growing up - 2 bed/1bath for a family of five. When we had guests, all the kids would sleep on the floor in the living room and the adults would take the bedrooms. I don't remember anyone bitchin' that they couldn't get ready because the ONLY bathroom had just one sink!

I can guarantee they couldn't afford a $1mil house, but they wanted the world to think they could. 

I loved the house they chose. 

I loved the house they picked, too. It was so beachy. Sorry! I had to say it.

[Kohola3]

1 minute ago, ByaNose said:

We had a vacation home growing up...

I look back on our cottage - 300 square feet, no hot water or shower (BIG bathtub AKA Lake Huron), one double bed in a tiny bedroom, teeny gallery kitchen about 12 inches wide....and we had tons of people all summer and an absolute blast.  All four of the girl cousins slept sideways across the bed with our feet hanging off and everyone else claimed whatever floor space there was.  Housekeeping consisted of sweeping up the sand.  I would hate to have to clean a McMansion, I'd much rather be having fun in the sun!  

Although I suppose at that price they probably have some illegal alien come in to clean and they pay her under the table.

[izabella]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Housekeeping consisted of sweeping up the sand.  I would hate to have to clean a McMansion, I'd much rather be having fun in the sun!  

That's how I think of vacation houses, too.  It seems like it would be more comfortable if no one was worried about damaging anything or getting things dirty. 

[Newberry]

So glad everyone saw this episode the same way I did. What a shrew that wife was! Grand! McMansion! Bedrooms and bathrooms for everyone! My ass! In my mind, if you keep the bedrooms to a minimum, then you don't have the whole family showing up at once, and if they do, you make due. It's a vacation home for God's sake! That first house was way too pretentious to be a vacation home. And if the plan is to retire there, why would you want such a big house? I was SO happy that the husband got his way for a change-that house was just adorable and would have been my first choice as well.  He kinda grated with the "beachy-cottage" shtick, but she was way worse. Of course, she needed "open-concept" so she could always have the child and husband in sight. I do not have an open concept home, and it works for me. I would be seething if I were working hard in the kitchen, and had to watch the husband just sit there relaxing and watching TV!

[Babalooie]

NJ couple purchasing the reno house on the water:  they were a breath of fresh air.  Good attitudes and I knew they would take the house that needed the most work since the hubby said that he didn't want a reno.

[MortysCleaningLady]

The Destin wife didn't bother me half as much s the Destin realtor, whose name was.... Destin.   When she was driving them around in the golf cart but dressed in Southern business attire, I was rolling on the floor.   Do we think that was her real name?

[Empress1]

12 hours ago, Babalooie said:

NJ couple purchasing the reno house on the water:  they were a breath of fresh air.  Good attitudes and I knew they would take the house that needed the most work since the hubby said that he didn't want a reno.

They reminded me of my cousin and his wife, who are also a Black man & Guyanese woman, so I liked them right away! I'd like to see the house when it's complete.

Edited June 30, 2017 by Empress1

[awaken]

 Enjoyed the foster family! They were able to express their preferences with maturity, and Not seem petulant or insult one another in the process!  

[Pickles]

I liked the foster family, but was wondering about their plans to adopt several more foster children. The couple looked to be in their forties. How easy is it to adopt children you have fostered and how long is the process? Maybe not long? I think they mentioned their baby was four months old and they were adopting him. Wonderful that they are doing that. I was just curious about the process. They seemed to have big plans for a big family.

[AnnaRose]

On 6/30/2017 at 10:45 AM, Pickles said:

I liked the foster family, but was wondering about their plans to adopt several more foster children. The couple looked to be in their forties. How easy is it to adopt children you have fostered and how long is the process? Maybe not long? I think they mentioned their baby was four months old and they were adopting him. Wonderful that they are doing that. I was just curious about the process. They seemed to have big plans for a big family.

My single cousin adopted three separate times throughout her forties.  Before she did, I didn't even realize you could adopt children in the US if you weren't married.  She fostered all three of them first.  It was a long arduous process.  She fostered several that didn't make it through to adoption also.  (Mostly a formerly missing bio-parent suddenly showing up before the adoption was finalized.)  I would imagine rules probably vary by state.

[MaKaM]

Just caught the rerun of the St. Paul shower sleeper and he was the worst. I hated him. His voice was so annoying. It was like he shouted everything. The wifi thing was asinine. They make repeaters/boosters, moron. The wife seemed nice and normal but she was with him, so there must have been something wrong with her too. :-P

[Empress1]

On 6/30/2017 at 10:45 AM, Pickles said:

I liked the foster family, but was wondering about their plans to adopt several more foster children. The couple looked to be in their forties. How easy is it to adopt children you have fostered and how long is the process? Maybe not long? I think they mentioned their baby was four months old and they were adopting him. Wonderful that they are doing that. I was just curious about the process. They seemed to have big plans for a big family.

I know a few people who were foster parents and adopted through that process (and some who fostered but didn't adopt). One is my friend, who started fostering at 35 (she was and is single) and adopted her daughter when her daughter was a teen (she came to my friend as a teen). It wasn't that long a process. They also could be adopting older kids. I wondered how they came to fostering at their ages, given that they'd been together for so long.

Just saw the Portland woman who wanted move-in-ready for $250K. I was surprised she went with the second house. Did not like her green paint scheme, but was glad she was willing to put in some work. And I liked her mom - she seemed like a lot of fun.

[MsProudSooner]

I"m watching what is probably a rerun episode - family moving from Florida to McKinney, Frisco or Prosper, Texas.  If they told the husband to be a complete a$$hole, he completely nailed it.  Congratulations, jerk!  

[Mu Shu]

I'm probably out of the loop, but the Miami to Gainesville couple had me grittingthe enamel off my teeth.  She was from Bulgaria with the most awful nasal drone.  When they were introduced, it was revealed he was a doctor, and nothing about her vocation.  When the episode ended, she was feeding him.  Fucking creepy.  Sorry lady, when he divorces you you better have a job lined up.   My thought was that she didn't do much more than spackle a pound of makeup and glued on a couple pounds of hair everyday.  Didn't help much.  

Now im watching Cincinnati couple. 230 k for a 1 bedroom condo with 700 square feet?  What?  I can get 3 bedrooms for less and just West of ft lauderdale.  That's messed up. 

Edited July 2, 2017 by Mu Shu

[chessiegal]

Quote

Now im watching Cincinnati couple. 230 k for a 1 bedroom condo with 700 square feet?  What?  I can get 3 bedrooms for less and just West of ft lauderdale.  That's messed up. 

1 br 1 ba 783 sq ft in Annapolis for $340K. Location, location, location.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1915-Towne-Centre-Blvd-Unit-315_Annapolis_MD_21401_M68035-46281?cid=prt_patch_listings_web_forSale

[juliet73]

Oregon girl complained that house #3 had a dog barking next door.  I thought that was ironic since she brought her dog to every house and let it walk around, etc.  

Her choice of paint colors were something to be desired.

Edited July 2, 2017 by juliet73
were not was

[topanga]

40 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

Oregon girl complained that house #3 had a dog barking next door.  I thought that was ironic since she brought her dog to every house and let it walk around, etc.  

Her choice of paint colors were something to be desired.

ITA. Cute dog, but I wonder why she took him inside every house. Ah, but the backyard in the house she chose. That green grass made me miss Portland. All of that rain has to be good for something, and it is. 

I'm feeling you on those paint colors. Her lime green room? A turquoise-colored room? She can paint her walls whatever color she likes, but she'll probably have to repaint them before selling. 

Still, I liked the HH overall. She was pleasant and not terribly unreasonable.  I really don't get why she wants chickens, though. 

Watching her and her mom makes me want to know more about her story. Where's the dad? Does she have siblings? 

[Ohwell]

I didn't watch the episode so I don't know how old she was but I think having chickens is a "thing" nowadays, especially with younger folks.  

[mojito]

Quote

 Does she have siblings? 

Yes. She made a comment about always listening to her mother, and her mother stated something like she did this unlike her brothers.

The dog thing struck me as odd, too. Who's to say that any next door neighbor won't decide to keep a bunch of yakky little Chihuahuas? You just take your chances on that. Also, with chickens, can she be sure that her dog won't bark and gleefully chase them? I understand chickens make nice pets, that they're nice animals. They provide a good source of protein, too, without having to give their lives in the process (recall the joke of how chickens were dedicated, but pigs were committed). I wonder how difficult it is to leave town when you own chickens?

[Pickles]

I think the Oregon girl was 27. The mom mentioned the girl had brothers. I wondered if she was up for mowing the yard in the house she bought. The yard looked like a good size. I know I would not want that responsibility. 

[twinks]

The girl from Bulgaria was a CPA. I don't think I'd even want to buy a house if I already knew I'd only spend 3 years there.

[LizBug]

Rerun of NJ single woman (Shannon) who brought her friend along to help ... and all the friend (Alex) could say was, "You have to have room for the baby" in the most annoying voice ever.   What baby?  Seems like the NJ single was focusing on her career; not at all interested in a place for a baby.  

[laredhead]

Mojito, one of my son's friends has chickens and they ask a couple of their friends to take care of the chickens when they leave town periodically.  They have a very nice coop with automatic feeder and waterer, but those need to be refilled depending on how long the owners are gone.  So far, the chicken sitters have been happy to help for fresh eggs in return. 

As for a barking dog, I would not even go inside a house if I walked up to it and a dog(s) began to bark from next door.  I have lived in two different situations like that and it was very unpleasant.  I like dogs - well behaved dogs that don't bark at every little thing. Unfortunately many have owners that seem to be deaf to their constant barking.    

[mojito]

Watched the Riverside couple wanting a beach home in Newport Beach. Ugh. She doesn't use public bathrooms so wants to be within walking distance from the beach. He couldn't say "beachy" and "cottage" enough. They had over $1M to spend on this place. Of course, she needs those modern "lines" and he wants something comfy and lived in. They weren't concerned about having enough space to entertain all their friends. I wonder if they have any?

[AuntiePam]

Not to mention the wall of windows facing the street -- it would be like living in a storefront.  There was a lot of traffic, and even if the double-pane windows cut down on the noise, you're still looking at cars.  I'd be planting some greenery, toot sweet. 

I agree about barking dogs ruining a neighborhood.  Some owners leave their dogs outside all the time and generally, those dogs will be barkers -- constant barkers.  Like laredhead says, the owners are immune to the noise. 

[juliet73]

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Not to mention the wall of windows facing the street -- it would be like living in a storefront.  There was a lot of traffic, and even if the double-pane windows cut down on the noise, you're still looking at cars. 

Exactly!  You could never have the windows open - that would be a deal breaker for me.  Newport Beach is one of my dream home locations so I was excited to see it featured.  Unfortunately, the wife kind of ruined it for me with all of her "clean lines and contemporary" talk.  I agreed with her about living so close so she could go home and use the  bathroom.  In addition to the bathroom, it would be nice, to go home and have lunch/dinner and then go back. You would just need to bring a small cooler for drinks, etc.  I agreed with the husband...if I'm buying a vacation home near the beach, I would want it to look "beachy" (sorry, I couldn't think of another word).  If she wants more modern, why not update/change their Riverside house?  Of course, they pick what the wife wants and she says he can have a hand in decorating even though EVERYTHING he mentions, she says no!  UGH!  I think a couple of colorful surfboards would look cool on those stark white walls.  Considering she loved modern so much, their living room furniture looked very um...not modern.  Also, I didn't understand 2 things:  1. why the oldest daughter needed her own master bedroom/bath or apt when she would be away at college?  2.  Why they were complaining about the lack of parking?  They had a one car garage and a carport so 2 parking spots.  Why would they need more?  Or are they all driving there separately?  If they have vacation renters, they aren't going to need more than 2 spots.  When people come over, they can just use the meter parking.

[mojito]

Quote

1. why the oldest daughter needed her own master bedroom/bath or apt when she would be away at college?

I assumed (yeah, I know about assuming) that the daughter was going to college in or near Newport Beach, so she would be able to commute from the second home to school. She would have her own space except for when her family came down, and then she'd share with her sister. I'm sure the couple and this daughter had cars, and far be it for anyone to scale back their lifestyle, they would all need their cars (3) when they were  all together. 

[biakbiak]

21 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

Also, I didn't understand 2 things:  1. why the oldest daughter needed her own master bedroom/bath or apt when she would be away at college?  2.  Why they were complaining about the lack of parking?  They had a one car garage and a carport so 2 parking spots.  Why would they need more?  Or are they all driving there separately?  If they have vacation renters, they aren't going to need more than 2 spots.  When people come over, they can just use the meter parking.

They stated that the older daughter would be living there full time when she attended college so they wanted her to have a bigger room that she could also share with her sister when they visited. How this going to happen when they also said they were going to rent it out I don't know. I mean I know airbnb let's you rent rooms while you stay in the house but that doesn't seem like something you would want to do with your 18 year old daughter and strangers but maybe they meant in the future when she graduated.

The parking made sense to me obviously if the oldest daughter is living there full time she will have a car and because the place is only an hour from their house I can imagine many scenarios where they would drive separately.

[Mrs. Hanson]

On 7/3/2017 at 10:05 AM, laredhead said:

Mojito, one of my son's friends has chickens and they ask a couple of their friends to take care of the chickens when they leave town periodically.  They have a very nice coop with automatic feeder and waterer, but those need to be refilled depending on how long the owners are gone.  So far, the chicken sitters have been happy to help for fresh eggs in return. 

As for a barking dog, I would not even go inside a house if I walked up to it and a dog(s) began to bark from next door.  I have lived in two different situations like that and it was very unpleasant.  I like dogs - well behaved dogs that don't bark at every little thing. Unfortunately many have owners that seem to be deaf to their constant barking.    

I agree.  I am an animal lover as well but barking dog?  No thanks.  9 times out of 10 the owner leashes it outside then leaves for work.  Yes it many not be forever but that could be a year old dog that can live for twelve or more years.  Off topic:  I used to volunteer at a shelter in the surrender area.  I never understood the weight limits for townhome/apts.  I would MUCH rather live next to a big dog that barks twice than some yappy little dog!

[Mu Shu]

On 7/2/2017 at 5:07 PM, chessiegal said:

1 br 1 ba 783 sq ft in Annapolis for $340K. Location, location, location.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1915-Towne-Centre-Blvd-Unit-315_Annapolis_MD_21401_M68035-46281?cid=prt_patch_listings_web_forSale

Yeah, but that's east coast, not rust belt.  No way is Cincinnati more desirable than the Ft Lauderdale metro.

[chessiegal]

Well, Cincinnati is pretty happening. Real estate sells for what the market bears. I've found FL real estate to be cheaper than other markets in general. Our daughter in St. Petersburg is finally above water on a house they bought before the bust. (Bought it for over $200K, and until recently couldn't have sold it for more than $125K).

[topanga]

On 11/21/2014 at 0:55 PM, JennyMominFL said:

Has anyone seen this? House Hunters, the musical, from Tosh.o.. It's a bit rude, so be warned. Starts about 30 second in

 

Ran across this one looking through some old posts: absolutely hilarious. And the singers have really good musical-theater voices. Except for Tosh himself. 

[MsTree]

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 3:48 PM, Mrs. Hanson said:

9 times out of 10 the owner leashes it outside then leaves for work.  Yes it many not be forever but that could be a year old dog that can live for twelve or more years.  

I lived in that situation for 18 months and it was pure hell. My neighbor put her dogs out at 5AM and they immediately started to bark non-stop until she came home at 6pm. Then around 8-9pm she'd put them out one more time until they did their business...and brought them back in around midnight. Very inconsiderate.

[Kohola3]

4 hours ago, MsTree said:

I lived in that situation for 18 months and it was pure hell.

No noise ordinances?  We had strict ones in our town and the police could issue tickets.

[Mrs. Hanson]

15 hours ago, topanga said:

Ran across this one looking through some old posts: absolutely hilarious. And the singers have really good musical-theater voices. Except for Tosh himself. 

Okay - I thought that was a stitch!!!  I loves that Tosh did not have the best voice.  They all knew it and played to that fact.  They really hit on all the great points, especially the pickiness of the wife!!!

[sistersledge]

Oh, Lindsey. They definitely  chose the right house/fixer upper but Beacon, NY looks like a real dump and I'm from the metro NYC area (jersey side). I would worry that they would fix it up too much for that market but maybe they just didn't show 500k houses...

 

i found it surprising she missed a house showing to watch the kid... couldn't they have just brought him or had grandpa watch him? 

[mojito]

NYC to Beacon.

I wanted to smack the husband for all his "absolutely love" exclamations. What? She didn't like crown molding? Her snootiness/pickiness irritated me.

Seemed kind of odd that the couple lived in NYC but spent weekend at her parents'. I guess they're just not city people. Maybe they were until the baby was born.