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House Hunters: Buying in the USA

Lisin

By Lisin
in House Hunters [V]

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laredhead

laredhead

I kept wondering if Beacon, NY had any nice houses after seeing was the realtor was showing them.  I should have known they would take the first house, but $100,000 isn't going to take care of everything they want to do with that house.  I'm with Sistersledge about whether they will over improve it for the market there.  Beacon doesn't look like a very lively place, and I doubt there are lots of bars and restaurants that so many people want to live close to on this show.

From a very quick glimpse, it doesn't look like the husband got to keep the pine paneling in the basement.  I actually love nice, vintage pine paneling.  It can be lovely with the right decor.  The cheap stuff that came later, no way.  Wonder if they will be on a future episode of HH WATN?

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LittleIggy
LittleIggy

For $1300/month, they better bring me breakfast in bed and do my laundry! ?

Tony
Tony

I find myself asking this question nearly all of the episodes. Funny enough, this meme has constantly been popping up all over my Facebook feed recently...

chessiegal
chessiegal

Those family shows are the worst! Get those kids off my lawn.

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MortysCleaningLady

MortysCleaningLady

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

I kept wondering if Beacon, NY had any nice houses after seeing was the realtor was showing them.  I should have known they would take the first house, but $100,000 isn't going to take care of everything they want to do with that house.  I'm with Sistersledge about whether they will over improve it for the market there. 

With Mom being an established realtor and snotty wife being a 'success' from the school system, they may have some connections to inexpensive labor.

DkNNy79

DkNNy79

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 4:17 PM, juliet73 said:

  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.

Did you see the monster truck the dad was driving at the end?  It wouldn't fit completely in the parking spot.  Why the hell do you need a truck that big?  It was humongous.

Beacon, NY is supposed to be a hip little small town.  Its maybe 30-45 minutes north of me.

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HawaiiTVGuy

HawaiiTVGuy

On 5/8/2017 at 8:24 AM, AlleC17 said:

Hawaii real estate is off the charts expensive and there is not that big a variety of house styles for people to argue over.  On Oahu, you take what you can get.  lol  Less room for whining, which is a plus.  There are neighborhoods (in the more 'country' areas) where you have a mansion next door to an old home that is falling apart.  Although I am not in love with the house I have here, I am really glad I bought it over 20 years ago...I would never be able to afford to buy in my area now. 

I missed the Chattanooga episode, apparently, so will need to find in on rerun.  Thanks laredhead for the heads up (hehe) on the Where are they Now episodes...I missed most of those, so reruns would be new for me.  :-)

I am a little late the party, I just watched the episode last night, but I am guessing that the neighborhood they ended up buying in was in Wahiawa?  They were actually really reasonable in their expectations which was nice to see.  I think it helped that the guy works on a base so they don't have to worry about the downtown commute and see the prices rise exponentially as they get closer to town.  And they actually ended up finding a place way below their budget, that is interesting considering how normally the houses that are shown are usually right at the top of the purchasers' budget.  What neighborhood are you in?  I want to be able to upsell out of our townhouse but even if you roll-over our HOA into a mortgage at these low rates, we would be tied up in so much debt just to get any SFH here we probably are just going to stay put.

AlleC17

AlleC17

(edited)
2 hours ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

I am a little late the party, I just watched the episode last night, but I am guessing that the neighborhood they ended up buying in was in Wahiawa?  They were actually really reasonable in their expectations which was nice to see.  I think it helped that the guy works on a base so they don't have to worry about the downtown commute and see the prices rise exponentially as they get closer to town.  And they actually ended up finding a place way below their budget, that is interesting considering how normally the houses that are shown are usually right at the top of the purchasers' budget.  What neighborhood are you in?  I want to be able to upsell out of our townhouse but even if you roll-over our HOA into a mortgage at these low rates, we would be tied up in so much debt just to get any SFH here we probably are just going to stay put.

I am in Kailua, which has ridiculously high prices, thanks to investors buying up places versus genuine homeowners.  They rent to short term people for high rates which makes landlords want to rent to short termers, driving up the price of long term rent as well as home prices.  The median home prices in Kailua are now north of $850k...crazy.  Median condo is about $500k.  The west side is more affordable, but if you work in town you have an awful commute.  More people are leaving the islands than moving here now. 

Edited by AlleC17
roseslg

roseslg

I have a friend who moved from NYC to Beacon and a couple of others who've visited as well as moved from the city, they've all loved it.  It's full of artists and semi-hipster types.  There is definitely a walkability to the downtown area  and the usual coffee shops and restaurants.   All of the houses there were so blah though.  I wouldn't have bought any of them. 

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MsTree

MsTree

19 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

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

It was HOA governed. Called the HOA multiple times. They sent her a warning, she denied it. I called HOA back and held the phone out the window. They sent her a hearing notice, but she never attended. They fined her, but she didn't care because she knew that they can only fine up to a certain amount...something she would probably pay out of the proceeds if she ever sold her house. Luckily, I was able to sell my house to someone who was also immune to barking. Whew!

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MsTree

MsTree

1 hour ago, sskrill said:

Ft Myers cat lady.  Who the hell moves a hot tub from Indiana to Florida?  "I can't buy this house, my cats can't see out the screened in porch."

She's one of those people I couldn't even pretend to be nice to.  Everything about her grated - except her friend - no idea what he sees in her.

OMG, she was one of the worst!  I'll never understand cat owners who allow their pets to walk all over their countertops. Not at all sanitary in my opinion. This is where you prepare your food...and if it's an island, you also might eat there! 

I was invited to a party where the host allowed this behavior. Not only did the cats walk around/over the food on the counter, there was cat hair all over the place. Needless to say, I made a beeline to the front door. Leaving so soon? You're damn right I am. Disgusting!

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Empress1

Empress1

7 hours ago, MsTree said:

OMG, she was one of the worst!  I'll never understand cat owners who allow their pets to walk all over their countertops. Not at all sanitary in my opinion. This is where you prepare your food...and if it's an island, you also might eat there! 

I was invited to a party where the host allowed this behavior. Not only did the cats walk around/over the food on the counter, there was cat hair all over the place. Needless to say, I made a beeline to the front door. Leaving so soon? You're damn right I am. Disgusting!

Oh thank God. I am not a cat person so I don't always understand the way cat lovers behave with their cats. In fact, I never had pets growing up so I don't always understand the ways of pet owners (although I like dogs of a certain size). But when I saw that big orange long-haired cat stomping all over the counters where people put food, my immediate response was "Ew!" I'm glad that's not an unreasonable response. The cat has been walking everywhere, indoors, outdoors, in cat litter ... its paws should not be where food is prepared. And I'm sure it sheds. And it walked across the stove - it's going to get burned one of these days unless she trains it to stay off the counters (unless she never uses the stove).

1 hour ago, mojito said:

Oh, I really doubt that.

Me too. I thought the friend was gay.

I thought the paint colors she chose were pretty garish. I did like that she had one of the kitchen walls cut in half - I thought it looked better.

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laredhead

laredhead

Thanks to all who have replied that Beacon, NY isn't as dull and drab as was portrayed on the episode.  Maybe they don't want to advertise the fact that it's a hip place to live.  The scene they kept showing looked grim - cloudy day, visible utility lines all down the street, one church steeple, and never a mention of nearby shops and restaurants which are always a plus.  I later looked up some info on the town and even looked at the aerial view maps which show an Interstate in the north section of the town, the railway into NYC and several restaurants popped up on the main streets.  

In the Indiana to Florida episode, I agree that removing part of the wall between the living room and kitchen much improved the look and flow of the house.  The buyer knew what she wanted in a Florida house, and I thought her color choices reflected "old Florida" as opposed to so many of the newly constructed houses where everything is cream, white, or gray.  I do wonder if her cats will soon discover that the screen on the porch is easily removed with claws or a forceful bump.  Pet proof screening is available, but it cuts down on visibility and air flow which is important in Florida.  I liked the friend.  He was pretty tolerant and I thought he offered some good comments.       

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AlleC17

AlleC17

I am laughing at all the cat hate.  I have several cats, some of which love to jump on the countertops.  Before preparing food, I clean the countertop...OMG its soooo hard...well, not really.  I guess when you have pets, certain things don't bother you, just like when you have kids.  While I have no issues with litter box cleaning, I gag at dirty diapers, and little children being underfoot everywhere.  (based on interactions with nieces etc when they were very young).  However, if I am having people over (entertaining!!!) I actually put the kits in a room where they can't bother my guests.

The pet proof screening works really well, but although I replaced all my claw damaged screens with it (from when they were little demon kittens and home alone while I was at work or at the barn with my horse) I don't know that I even really need it, since as adults, they don't seem to care about ripping out screens any more. 

I really liked her parents house.  I don't know if I would have ever moved out.  LOL  They had a really nice pool area. 

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chessiegal

chessiegal

I've had cats on screened-in porches on 2 houses. None of them ever did any damage to the screens. They were happy to watch the birds, squirrels, rabbits, and other critters that wander through. My cats have never been allowed on tables or counters, but when Mom's away - I've seen circumstantial evidence of cat paw prints on the dining room table. 

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MaKaM

MaKaM

Colorado Couple (Andana and Katelyn). First house: standard ranch. Second house: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I know from doing the Parade of Homes in my brother's neighborhood that the patchwork siding look with all colors and directions represented is the modern look, but geez, it just looks to me that they got the remnants of a couple different sidings and smooshed them onto the house. The finishes were very builder grade and I kinda liked that they noticed and mentioned it. It looked pretty but it was definitely all cheap. Third house: The McMansion Hell lady would definitely comment on the Pringles Can of Shame and the "balcony" to nowhere, and while it too had some cheapness (the stucco front but siding every where else, peel and stick tile floors), the "done" backyard rather than a dirt patch and the doorways having a little character made it more appealing. In the red room with the banker door, you could see where the previous people had cut the trim at the bottom to put a bookcase or entertainment center and then didn't patch the trim on their way out. I would pick #1 for the location and because you could probably add on at some point, but they went for the obviousness of #3. Looking back at the comments when it first ran, I didn't hate them as much as many others did but definitely agree they seemed clueless.

ByaNose

ByaNose

The lady with the 3 cats. So gross! I  pretty much hate cats & ffwd to the end for the reveal. Much to my horror the cats were walking on the kitchen counters & walking across the stove?!?!?? That is beyond disgusting. I would be able to enter that house know all of this. I will say knocking half the wall down really opened up the place. I didn't care for any of the bedroom colors. Is she 12 or something?  

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Dewey Decimate

Dewey Decimate

6 hours ago, AlleC17 said:

I am laughing at all the cat hate.  I have several cats, some of which love to jump on the countertops.  Before preparing food, I clean the countertop...OMG its soooo hard...well, not really.  I guess when you have pets, certain things don't bother you, just like when you have kids.  While I have no issues with litter box cleaning, I gag at dirty diapers, and little children being underfoot everywhere.  (based on interactions with nieces etc when they were very young).  However, if I am having people over (entertaining!!!) I actually put the kits in a room where they can't bother my guests.

Phew - I thought I'd be the lone voice in the wilderness! I totally identified with the cats walking freakin' everywhere and loving the high spots. Now, would I buy a house BECAUSE of its feline accommodations? No. But it would be a second-tier consideration. I have two, and her cats trotting across the stove is something I see every day. (FYI I leave the pot/pan on the hot burner until it's cooled to avoid injury.) I totally get why some would be grossed out by this, but consider: 1) If you have a cat, their ass ends up on probably everything, like it or not. (There's a great comic, I think in The Oatmeal, that highlights this.) That's why science invented household cleaning products. 2) If you have a dog, they lick all over as well, probably including your face. 3) If you have kids, I suspect you've come in contact with plenty of gross human excretions. I worked in a grade school for 6 years, and used a helluva lot more soap and hand sanitizer there than I have at home. Now, if someone is either allergic or really skeeved out by this (and has never had a pet or child), I can totally get avoiding a cat owner's house. I've had cats, dogs, birds, fish, etc. over the years, and it just bums me out to see what feels like a lot more visceral dislike of cats than of dogs (or, frankly, kids) when some of the issues seem kind of similar.

Sorry for the ramble - back on topic, the colors she chose were sooo not my taste, but damn if she didn't commit. Let your individual flag fly, cat lady!

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crazycatlady58

crazycatlady58

I do not " let" my cats walk on the counter .  In fact I have never seen the on the counter  and only  on my table once. I removed  her right away . HOWEVER , cats being cats I wipe down the counter or table before  I cook/ eat  on it andvbleach  the counter  / table  once a week because  I do not  know what  they do while  I am at work . 

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msrachelj

msrachelj

8 hours ago, MsTree said:

I know pet owners like to equate their animals to children in all instances. Sorry, but my child never walked across my counters, cooktop or cabinets. Nor did they sit their ass on my kitchen table.

i loved the cat lady. she is a wonderful and caring pet mom. i was glad to see she was thinking of her fur babies. 

for some of us our pets are our children. by that i don't mean we dress them up, and things like that. they are members of the family and we give them our unconditional love for the short time they are here. when they pass it is no different and many times worse, than when a human in our life dies.

i bet your children got plenty of bacteria all over your house. nothing worse than a shitty diaper, potty training , runny noses, puke, etc. as for sitting their dirty asses on surfaces, i am reminded of what i read years ago as just one example. just think of your grocery shopping cart seat where you place your handbag. if you do not use one of the anti bacterial wipes usually available by the carts at the store, you are placing your bag on a seat that has probably just housed a dirty ass kid . maybe even a leaky diaper. and of course the bar should be cleaned too. there are germs everywhere. when they get home many women (not i, i never put my handbag on the table or even the bed) put it on the kitchen table or another place besides a chair seat or the floor..  personally, i would take a cat over a kid any day. but i am an animal person. when they love you, it is the world. they don't usually throw tantrums, don't grow up to possibly ignore or hate you. don't cause you day in and day out stress growing up. they lower your blood pressure and stress level. they are literally, a God send. 

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juliet73

juliet73

Ugh, the FL cat lady!! I won't reiterate what has already been said about the cats in the kitchen! Disgusting! I can't believe she said she was buying house #2 because it would be the best house for the cats!! This chick is always going to be single! I'm glad she removed most of the kitchen/LR wall - it looks so much better! I liked her friend. Pretty sure that was the last time he was going to eat at her house. 

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MsTree

MsTree

15 hours ago, msrachelj said:

i bet your children got plenty of bacteria all over your house. nothing worse than a shitty diaper, potty training , runny noses, puke, etc. as for sitting their dirty asses on surfaces, i am reminded of what i read years ago as just one example. just think of your grocery shopping cart seat where you place your handbag. if you do not use one of the anti bacterial wipes usually available by the carts at the store, you are placing your bag on a seat that has probably just housed a dirty ass kid . maybe even a leaky diaper. and of course the bar should be cleaned too. there are germs everywhere. when they get home many women (not i, i never put my handbag on the table or even the bed) put it on the kitchen table or another place besides a chair seat or the floor..  personally, i would take a cat over a kid any day. but i am an animal person. when they love you, it is the world. they don't usually throw tantrums, don't grow up to possibly ignore or hate you. don't cause you day in and day out stress growing up. they lower your blood pressure and stress level. they are literally, a God send

While I can appreciate your love of cats, a specific point is being missed. My child's crappy diaper never came in contact with my kitchen countertops or where ANY food was prepared. Potty training stayed in the bathroom, and nobody vomited or blew their nose on the countertops. I am a very fussy housekeeper, so I can assure you none of that happened.

As for the grocery cart seat, I never use it. My handbag (or purse) always sits on my shoulder and when I return home with groceries, I place my purse on a hook in master bedroom closet. When I go out to eat, my purse never leaves my lap.  Like I said, I'm fussy that way ;-)

For the record, I don't own a pet due to extreme allergies. In addition, I was mauled by a large dog at the age of 10. So for me, my blood pressure RISES along with my stress levels when in my presence. I'm sure I'm not the only person in the world who is animal-free...but I just MIGHT be the fussiest housekeeper (LOL).

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MakingBacon

MakingBacon

As someone who lives in Southern California, it was annoying that the show kind of glosses over the realities of living deep in the valley vs the westside when you work in West La or downtown. I assume this couple works in the city and not near Woodland Hills. The show said that Woodland Hills is only 30 minutes away from the westside. What it neglected to say was that it's only 30 minutes away on a Sunday morning when there are no cars on the freeway. On a regular weekday, you are looking at a around 90 minutes each way between Woodland Hills and the Westside. A potential 3 hour round trip commute should be a factor in where you live. Also, no mention was made that there are big costs to living on the valley, not including the gas getting to and from work in the city. If you live in Woodland Hills, you will need air conditioning because summers can be brutal.

I have a friend living not to far from there and her DWP bill during the summer can average almost $1,500 every two months for a small three bedroom house and a pool. I watched because I wanted to see if those realities would be taken into account. Those issues were obviously not mentioned. It reminds me of when people were buying housing in Lancaster because they were huge and cheap. After a few years of the commute, people were looking to move. Living in the valley is great if you work there and don't have to come over the hill often, otherwise it's takes a toll. Not hating on the valley but those are the reasons I chose living in something smaller rather that dealing with the heat and commute. 

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mojito

mojito

Quote

 The show said that Woodland Hills is only 30 minutes away from the westside. What it neglected to say was that it's only 30 minutes away on a Sunday morning when there are no cars on the freeway. 

I always figure that commute times quoted are merely best-case times, they're never accurate for rush hours. Especially in SoCal. The whole country has heard of its horrendous traffic. Not too long ago, the state hit a point where more than 50% of people polled stated that they would leave CA if they could. I'm guessing traffic is one very good reason why. 

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BTBAM310

BTBAM310

On 7/2/2017 at 1:45 PM, Mu Shu said:

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. 

Was that the one that wanted the waterfall kitchen island?

meep.meep

meep.meep

On 7/7/2017 at 0:15 PM, AlleC17 said:

I am laughing at all the cat hate.  I have several cats, some of which love to jump on the countertops.  Before preparing food, I clean the countertop...OMG its soooo hard...well, not really.  I guess when you have pets, certain things don't bother you, just like when you have kids. 

Isn't this the real reason why everyone wants granite counter tops?  To make it easier to clean off the cat hair!

On to an explanation for the stainless steel appliances!  And then the farmhouse sinks!

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my3sons

my3sons

Did anyone see the episode the other night with the couple from Holland, Michigan? They were looking for a cabin by the lake for a vacation home.  They also owned an RV and were taking their kids to all 50 states before they turned 18 (they had two states to go).  It might have been a rerun but this was the first time I caught the episode.  I can't imagine owning a house, an RV, and a vacation home, not to mention taking the family to see all 50 states.  I'd be in debt up to my eyeballs!  The wife didn't want to rent the lake house so they decided to rent the RV.  That would generate some income but how often would they be renting the RV?  I guess I'm not a lake house kind of person because I didn't like any of the three houses that were shown.

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laredhead

laredhead

I saw the Holland, Michigan episode and thought how lucky they were to have the financial ability to do all of that.  Unfortunately I fell asleep before the reveal, so I don't know which house they chose.  I agree with the wife about not wanting other people sleeping in my bed.  If I can afford to own a lake house, then I want it to be for my use only.  RV rental might be lucrative during the football season and summer months for vacationing families.  Sounded like their RV days might be winding down while their lake house days would be increasing, so that made sense.  Which house did they choose? 

MortysCleaningLady

MortysCleaningLady

Just saw a rerun (last night) of a Manhattan couple looking for a one bedroom with bonus space and a $600K budget.   That is how you do tiny spaces.   They bought a crazy expensive 600 square foot place that didn't really have bonus space, but could put up a wall in the dining room if they needed to have a nursery.     It was fun to see something that wasn't a minimansion or a tiny home for a change.

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my3sons

my3sons

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

I saw the Holland, Michigan episode and thought how lucky they were to have the financial ability to do all of that.  Unfortunately I fell asleep before the reveal, so I don't know which house they chose.  I agree with the wife about not wanting other people sleeping in my bed.  If I can afford to own a lake house, then I want it to be for my use only.  RV rental might be lucrative during the football season and summer months for vacationing families.  Sounded like their RV days might be winding down while their lake house days would be increasing, so that made sense.  Which house did they choose? 

I think it was the first one -- the 105 year old house -- but I'm not sure.  I was only half watching at that point.

It's nice they were financially able to do all the things they were doing.  I never would have guessed owning some sort of playground installation business would be so lucrative.  I agree about not wanting to rent out the lake house.  I don't even want to imagine what people do when they're renting someone's house, condo or apartment. 

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Kohola3

Kohola3

1 hour ago, my3sons said:

I agree about not wanting to rent out the lake house.

Ditto. It would make me paranoid to think about what was going on and what I'd come home to find.  And I'd probably feel the need to fumigate after every guest.  But I am not all that comfortable in motels anymore, either.  Too many bedbug stories.

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Bastet

Bastet

I'd be even more reluctant to rent out my RV in their shoes -- you have the same I don't want people using my stuff concerns, the same general issues where some people don't have a lot of respect/care for short-term rental property, and then on top of that the fact you'd have a lot of people without any actual RV knowledge trying to drive and use the thing when they don't know what they're doing. 

That's great on taking the kids to all 50 states.  We covered a lot of them in my parents' motorhome and went to quite a few others via plane, and I had a jacket onto which I'd sew a state patch for each state we visited.  (Filling in with my own travel as an adult, I've been to all but Alaska, and I'll go there someday.)

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MortysCleaningLady

MortysCleaningLady

30 minutes ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

Back to the cat lady in Fort Meyers, FL ... what was up with those upper cabinets in one of the houses that she didn't choose?  They were mounted just below the ceiling, and then there was empty wall space, for what? Trendy open shelving?  Very strange.

Either to place open shelving underneath or to hang your assorted bar glasses underneath would be my guess.   It did look so weird though.

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