House Hunters: Buying in the USA

[Empress1]

The OK City couple seemed like very obvious actors to me. The house they picked was the one I liked least.

[juliet73]

OK city:  UGH!  He had such a whiny monotone voice!  And she looked like she was trying to look 15 years younger and it wasn't working. At all.  Their budget was $300k and of course they picked the house that's $357k .  I thought with her "confident negotiating skills", they would have gotten the price lowered by more than $7000.  I wasn't a fan of any of the homes - they all looked the same.  Whoever stained the kitchen cabinets in the third house did an awful job!!  I thought it was weird that the husband was complaining about the backyard facing west because it was going to be so hot when he would be outside grilling...not when he would be cutting the grass, 

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

My problem with the child sitting on the counter of the San Diego episode was not the the sanitary concern, but the safety concern. 
A child that age (of any age actually) should not be allowed to sit on a counter even with a parent in the kitchen, because of the danger of it losing its balance and falling off or maybe trying to crawl off the edge. 

Yes!  The cleanliness didn't even cross my mind, but the child falling off the counter was an accident waiting to happen.  

I wish the SD couple would have picked the first house.  It didn't look like a tract home and it had a much better backyard than the house they chose.

[MortysCleaningLady]

I really liked one thing about OK couple -- they actually LOOKED at the houses -- cabinets were opened, ceiling details discussed, logical shade in the back yard needs were reviewed.   Obviously, they were showcasing their real estate sales skills, but I liked the running commentary on all the homes.

[laredhead]

MortysCleaningLady, I thought the same thing about the OK couple.  Such a refreshing difference from one of the buyers walking into the room and declaring they cannot cook in a kitchen that has dark cabinets, or they cannot possibly consider a house because of the ugly carpet.  It was obvious that they were looking past the things that can be fixed that other buyers we see on this show don't seem to be able to do.

Juliet73, maybe the hubby in OK hires a yard service to cut the grass so that's why he's not concerned about the sun and heat for yard work. 

[Ohwell]

OK husband did have a strange, monotone voice but he did make me laugh when he kept bringing up the wife''s hairspray choking him in the bathroom.  She was unmoved.

[Nysha]

On 7/20/2017 at 7:12 PM, topanga said:

Oh, and the cat defenders up thread made me notice this: in the final scene, the couple's toddler daughter was sitting on the kitchen island with her bare feet and full diaper.  All while the mom was next to her cooking dinner. Gross. 

Until I started reading the Duggar threads, I never realized that letting your kids sit on the kitchen counters was an unsanitary and despicable thing to do. My little ones sat on the counter so I could comfortably tie their shoes, pull splinters out of their fingers, or just carry on a conversation while I made PB&J sandwiches for lunch. I also bathed babies in the kitchen sink until they were too big to fit because it's more comfortable than kneeling in the bathroom.

[msrachelj]

On 7/20/2017 at 10:12 PM, topanga said:

Interesting.  But buyers have to be under contract to be on HH, and didn't the final scene show her moved in?

Maybe you're right, and someone bought it for her. If it were her mom & dad, I understand why now mom was all up in the Kool-Aid. 

 

I liked the San Diego couple...kinda. The wife was beautiful. And they both seemed really smart. But they complained a lot. 'This bathroom is dated. Total gut job.' And what is it with young people not wanting to walk up a flight of stairs? Jeez. The only time it made sense was with the ex-baseball player (I think) with bad knees. 

Oh, and the cat defenders up thread made me notice this: in the final scene, the couple's toddler daughter was sitting on the kitchen island with her bare feet and full diaper.  All while the mom was next to her cooking dinner. Gross. 

shitty diapers and dirty feet on a countertop. i'd rather have  my cat's ass up there for sure. then again, i'd give birth to a kitten if i could, people mostly disappoint.

22 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I'm a big meanie, but the Oklahoma City wife was wearing more makeup in any single scene than I have cumulatively worn in my entire 52 years of life. The husband had zero affect, which was odd. I was glad they did not buy the house with the new pretty wood cabinets that she insisted must. be. white.

it's sets me off when buyers say they are going to paint over wood. if it is a quality wood, paneling, cabinets, woodwork, you are a destroyer of beauty and quality craftsmanship , go find yourself another house.

[msrachelj]

the california hunters. the house on the hill with all the acreage was stunning. why do you think it was, in california terms, relatively cheaper than the others? are they in a fire zone?

i got ticked off again when the clueless wife said about the gazebo from the 20's!!!!  (which i could only dream of having in my backyard) "what is that thing" and was ready to tear it down. if you have no respect for the past and tear things down that can never be replaced. i hate you.

[CruiseDiva]

On 7/21/2017 at 0:48 PM, jcbrown said:

I'm a big meanie, but the Oklahoma City wife was wearing more makeup in any single scene than I have cumulatively worn in my entire 52 years of life. 

I'm an even bigger meanie because I wondered how much filler she'd had injected into those duck lips. It was painful to watch her speak.

[Ohwell]

She looked like she was 2nd runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma City beauty pageant, 20 years ago, and just couldn't let it go. 

[Thumper]

Is anyone else sick of seeing the promo ads for that "Good Bones" show?  Ack!  I don't plan to watch it, and I usually mute the ad or click to another channel when the ad appears (nearly every commercial break, it seems).  

[chessiegal]

I like Good Bones. I think it's cool a mom and daughter have this kind of business, and they really seem to be having a good time doing their show.

[Pickles]

On 7/20/2017 at 8:30 PM, aguabella said:

Given the Southern mom plus HH' penchant for privacy, I assumed the Chicago woman went by both names, i.e. a middle (family) name.

Anyone else wonder, like me, if she'd added the alarm and walk-in closet?  Wouldn't have bothered but the street appeared very familiar to me so pulled the property.  (Yes on both counts, BTW.)   

They didn't show us the small laundry / utility room or a 2nd balcony, IIRC.  (I believe the listing mentioned another balcony.)  Inside laundry could make a huge difference in a walk-up.  Another major factor, possibly:  the high dues include utilities and water.  Always feels like HH omits / cut major items that could be the kicker for the big decision, lol!

Another interesting factoid:  wasn't looking for it but Ann didn't buy the unit.  Guess HH prefers the strong independent woman buys condo plot b/c the public records include this sale but to a gentleman.  Daddy or Sugar ...  ?  ETA:  (No indication of a contract falling out and public records don't typically lie!)

Given the building (lack of parking, elevator) and price level, I doubt many improvements occur.  If it were my unit, I'd try to relocate the stacked unit into a closet and make the utility room a 1/2 bath.  

If you'd like to check out the previous listing photos, send me a pm.  I'd prefer not to publish her address.

Was the man's last name Thomas? I believe that was Ann 's last name, so then it could have been her dad.

[juliet73]

Upstate NY couple:  She didn't bother me, HE was annoying!  One house didn't have a backsplash so he complained that he didn't want to have to move into a house that needed work on the kitchen. Plus, they were at the top of the budget so they wouldn't have the extra money to do it.    Seriously?!  And their 5 month old baby Nolan is going to be crawling around in a bubble.  Hubby didn't want wood floors in the playroom because it would be uncomfortable for Nolan.  The "slope" in the backyard would be too dangerous for Nolan. Didn't mention anything about the stairs killing Nolan so at least there's that.  Oh, and they had to be within a 3 mile radius of her parents.  Not six - that's too far. UGH!!!

[BTBAM310]

On 7/22/2017 at 11:56 AM, Thumper said:

Is anyone else sick of seeing the promo ads for that "Good Bones" show?  Ack!  I don't plan to watch it, and I usually mute the ad or click to another channel when the ad appears (nearly every commercial break, it seems).  

No, but I got sick of seeing the ads for Fixer Upper proclaiming "America's Sweethearts are back!" What exactly makes them America's Sweethearts? What percentage of the population watches that show? Probably less than a one tenth of one percent. And don't get me started on the ads in the bottom right hand corner for Fixer Upper during House Hunters as well.

[Empress1]

The Pittsburgh couple were really wooden, but I liked what they did with the house. The fiancée was a little fussy about her laundry room but they ended up in a cute starter home.

[Ohwell]

10 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

The fiancée was a little fussy about her laundry room but they ended up in a cute starter home.

Yes.  She kept mentioning the damn laundry room and it got to be annoying.  They were a nice couple though.

[Beaner]

On 7/20/2017 at 9:01 PM, aguabella said:

Accidentally posted about the Pitt episode (plastic surgeon / wife) on the HHI thread.  No way to edit it, to my knowledge.  Included the local newspaper article, if you're interested.  Sorry!

Found it, thank you! Hampton is nice. My sister and her family live there and they seem to know a lot of doctors :)

[Empress1]

11 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Yes.  She kept mentioning the damn laundry room and it got to be annoying.  They were a nice couple though.

I kept thinking, "You can't fold the laundry in your bedroom?"

[laredhead]

I replayed the tour of the Pittsburgh house they bought, and I thought the basement looked large enough for both the laundry and a place for the hubby's TV.  In the reveal they showed him sitting in a bedroom watching TV.  What happened to the rest of the basement?  How much laundry can two people generate? 

[my3sons]

On 7/24/2017 at 2:16 PM, stewedsquash said:

I can't even remember the houses in the upstate NY episode. 

Chattanooga TN: I loved the house they picked yet hated the wife. I am positive that they are both very nice, caring people, and I always love it when there is success in life, financially and in jobs you love. Having said that, I wanted to high kick the wife for her stupid closet schtick. The closet she left behind wasn't all that (I am spoiled by Lisa Vanderpump. Even Kyle tried to out do her and, well it was sad, just sad) and I hated the way her face transformed when talking about a closet. 

I did like that they played games with the kids! Maybe they will be on HHWATN and show the additions they were talking about doing. I was glad that there was not nary a housing development, new build, faux (insert style of house) shown at all. 

I didn't care for her either.  I'm sure she and her husband are both busy professionals, so it was nice to see them spending quality time with their kids.  If she loves her closet so much, maybe they shouldn't buy another house.  I didn't like the way she wanted to replace everything with marble.  I forgot which house it was but I believe she was talking about wanting to replace the bathroom counters with marble.  The husband said something like, "Of course you do."  I didn't care for any of the houses but I sure liked the view at the first house.

[Pickles]

The Florida couple tonight. The wife had never heard of a Tudor style home?! She was not very likable. I really thought they would have gone with the third house. The house they chose had no garage, needed a lot of updates and that pool took up most of the yard. 

[AuntiePam]

Tampa wife sorta grew on me.  At least she was willing to compromise -- a little bit anyway.  Tampa husband though -- unless he was willing to share in the maintenance, he should have been more understanding about down-sizing. 

Are there a lot of Tudors in Florida?  I don't know.  I lived in one in Seattle -- lots of them there -- and I'd expect there'd be a lot of them in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. 

[KLovestoShop]

Didn't like the Tampa wife at all. What's with this over-used comment "I need to put my stamp on it. I need to make it my own."  Why do you need an old house or a fixer upper to put your stamp on a house?  We bought a house that was 5 years old, and all I needed to do to make the house ours was setting up our old furniture, put our art on the walls and the house felt like our very own home.  The Tampa wife sounded like she wants to be hoity-toity on a smaller budget. 

[ByaNose]

Tampa wife...never heard of a Tudor before? Really? I went through different stages of likes & dislikes with her. I did appreciate that she said she could just paint the cabinets and invest in a new countertop. I thought her faux finish of the bathroom countertop were impressive. I also wanted them to "pick" the house with the guesthouse. The house itself was really cute & I liked the separation of the guest house. They just needed the add a bathroom. I did appreciate that the husband & wife admitted they have nothing in common. LOL!!!

[LexieLily]

2 hours ago, Pickles said:

The Florida couple tonight. The wife had never heard of a Tudor style home?! She was not very likable. I really thought they would have gone with the third house. The house they chose had no garage, needed a lot of updates and that pool took up most of the yard. 

I watch only sporadically so I'm sure there are others but this won the award for me for being the first episode where both husband and wife seemed to downright dislike the house they bought.

[Babalooie]

9 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Are there a lot of Tudors in Florida? 

Yes, Florida has some nice historic Tudors in the historic districts of the larger cities such as Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami, etc.  There are also modern Tudors.  I had one built in 1988.   I agree that the wife came off as pretty unlikeable in this episode and it was a bit unsettling in the way that they kept insisting that they had nothing in common.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tudor homes jacksonville fl&qs=n&form=QBIR&sp=-1&pq=undefined&sc=0-27&sk=&cvid=742A9E6076374320AF836260F253D749

[msrachelj]

On 7/22/2017 at 7:35 PM, Pegasaurus said:

I laughed when, touring house #1, she said (paraphrasing) "I just love this 5 burner cooktop, I could really cook on this" - only, from what I could see, it was a 4 burner. 

i only saw 4 also!

one thing that really irked me. every house had an "office" that was carpeted. pretty nicely if i remember correctly. she insisted the carpet would have to taken up because the chairs would not roll. Have they never used, heard of, or seen the vinyl or hard plastic that goes under your office chair that is made just for this dilemma?

[mojito]

The Tampa woman irritated me initially with her demands to express herself (I thought she did a good job of expressing herself all through the house hunt). When I realized that she didn't want a large home, I kind of liked her better. He didn't do much for me with his demand for larger everything, including the kitchen. I wonder if he cooks at all, or if he every cleans the house?

[juliet73]

UGH about the Tampa wife!!  She was wayyyy too middle class and blah to come across so stuck up!  She was beyond unlikable!!  She acted like every house they toured had walls exposed with absestos, chalk outlines of dead bodies and floors covered in mold and roaches!  Geesh lady, it's just 12 x 12 builder grade tile!  Replace it! Stop acting like the house has to be condemned because of it!  I know she wanted to downsize, but a 2bed/1ba home?  That house would have been great as a vacation home, but with a $600k budget, it didn't make sense.  How has she never heard of a tudor?  Has she lived on Mars her entire life?  The East wing of the house?  Really?  I didn't realize their 3000 sq ft house was  equivalent to the size of Buckingham Palace!  First thing was making the master bath "palatable"?!  Gawd! Shut. The. Eff. Up!!  Replacing the brass fixtures would have updated the room way more than anything she had done.  Even though all her changes were just temporary until they could "take it down to the studs".  She is in my top five list of the worst buyers! 

[pep4]

Houston episode:  Lulz at the realtor being the host of the Chevy commercials.

[snarts]

Quote

Upstate NY couple:  She didn't bother me, HE was annoying!  One house didn't have a backsplash so he complained that he didn't want to have to move into a house that needed work on the kitchen. Plus, they were at the top of the budget so they wouldn't have the extra money to do it. 

I'll never understand why people buy new construction at the tippy top of the budget. Do they not realize the cost of window treatments, landscaping, etc? 

[sistersledge]

YMMV, If I'm spending 600k on a house, I would want everything updated already. I didn't realize Tampa was so pricey! I liked her, I thought she was funny.

[suebee12]

3 minutes ago, sistersledge said:

I didn't realize Tampa was so pricey!

Like most of Florida, it depends on how close you are to the beach! I lived in Sarasota(50 miles south of Tampa) for over 40 years and just watched the prices climb and climb and climb! When Siesta Beach was declared #1 beach in the US, it really went crazy.

The one thing I would have not compromised on was a garage. It is hot, rainy, etc in FL and having your car inside is a must in my opinion. Who wants to bring in grocery in the rain(almost a daily occurrence in

3 minutes ago, sistersledge said:

I didn't realize Tampa was so pricey!

Like most of Florida, it depends on how close you are to the beach! I lived in Sarasota(50 miles south of Tampa) for over 40 years and just watched the prices climb and climb and climb! When Siesta Beach was declared #1 beach in the US, it really went crazy.

The one thing I would have not compromised on was a garage. It is hot, rainy, etc in FL and having your car inside is a must in my opinion. Who wants to bring in grocery in the rain(almost a daily occurrence in the summer). It also keeps your car protected from the sun which is brutal plus with a covered area(garage or carport) you don't burn your hands and other parts of your body from the extremely hot  steering wheel and seats!

I really liked the third house. The two bedrooms in the house for the family and a great place for guests in the guesthouse. I would have wanted to add a second bathroom but there was already a place to put it and they were under budget weren't they?

[laredhead]

The Tampa couple was interesting to say the least.  The house they chose had a pool and a screened patio, so that was a plus.  The 3rd house would have been a good choice given what we were told about what they wanted, except for the lack of a 2nd bathroom which could have been added.  There was no pool though, and I think that the pool would be a good thing for their daughter during the coming years as a teenager with her friends.  The wife said that the guest house probably would not be used that much, so that would be a lot of wasted square footage to include in a mortgage.     

[drafan]

Young couple buying in Portland , Oregon....he of the formerly long hair who fancied himself a bike-riding hipster......anyone else think he sounded like Mr. Lumbergh from Office Space with those long "Uuuuuuhhhhhs" down in his throat at the end of every sentence?  Had to mute the sound. 

[Juneau Gal]

2 hours ago, drafan said:

Young couple buying in Portland , Oregon....he of the formerly long hair who fancied himself a bike-riding hipster......anyone else think he sounded like Mr. Lumbergh from Office Space with those long "Uuuuuuhhhhhs" down in his throat at the end of every sentence?  Had to mute the sound. 

Oh lordy, they were like the cartoon stereotype of Portlandiers; cycling, chicken farming, wine making, soap and toothpaste creating, foodies, too cool for school walking talking affectations. 

[Thumper]

14 hours ago, drafan said:

Young couple buying in Portland , Oregon....he of the formerly long hair who fancied himself a bike-riding hipster......anyone else think he sounded like Mr. Lumbergh from Office Space with those long "Uuuuuuhhhhhs" down in his throat at the end of every sentence?  Had to mute the sound. 

Yes; his voice was very hard to listen to.

[AuntiePam]

I liked the Chico, CA couple.  They chose the right house -- price was right for the renovations needed -- but their design choices were a bit, um, individual? 

[Empress1]

4 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

I liked the Chico, CA couple.  They chose the right house -- price was right for the renovations needed -- but their design choices were a bit, um, individual? 

Ditto. I couldn't live there with those touches, but they were a sweet couple.

[jcbrown]

I actually loved what they did with the place! And I was astonished that they said they did it all for like 50K. They must have done all the work themselves?

[laredhead]

I would love to live in that Chico house post remodel.  I thought the design choices were beautiful, but I love MCM and the colors and decor in that house.  It was very serene looking.  They probably got a lot of things at cost because one of them is an interior designer and I bet they have connections to craftsmen for cheaper prices on labor.  

In all the years of watching HH, that hot tub room had to be one of the most bizarre things I have seen.  

The couple have been together for several years and have renovated a few houses, so they know each other's tastes well.  It was a good Saturday night for non-drama on this and on HH Renovation and much appreciated by this viewer.     

[Thumper]

Watching a rerun -- family of ten moving to Texas.  She wants two washer/dryers and two dishwashers for 8 kids???  Bit much, IMO.  I grew up in a family of 8 kids -- one w/d, one dishwasher (portable, didn't get one til the oldest was in high school) -- AND only 1 1/2 baths.

I know times are different, but this makes me roll my eyes.

[MsTree]

Ok, maybe...and that's a big maybe...I can understand folks living at or near the beach enjoy having sharks, crabs, starfish and other misc fish hanging on their walls (UGH!), but someone please tell where it's written that every beach house must be painted some shade blue?  That's all this one woman talked about as she toured the house. Some "beachy blue" paint.  How about "sandy beige" or "ocean foam green"?  No??  What about "salmon"? (LOL)

[Mrs. Hanson]

My fiance and I went to a Nordic Fest this weekend (don't laugh!) and we saw homes from the mid 1800's that Nordic settlers lived in.  The point?  The homes were one room homes to live in, with a loft upstairs.  When we were done touring them, my fiance looks at me and announces, "Well, they got their open floor plan!"  LOL!  The floor was dost, not hardwood, though!

10 hours ago, Thumper said:

Watching a rerun -- family of ten moving to Texas.  She wants two washer/dryers and two dishwashers for 8 kids???  Bit much, IMO.  I grew up in a family of 8 kids -- one w/d, one dishwasher (portable, didn't get one til the oldest was in high school) -- AND only 1 1/2 baths.

I know times are different, but this makes me roll my eyes.

Yep - we were a family of five with one bathroom.  Funny, we all lived to tell!

[CruiseDiva]

Six of us (parents & four children)  shared one bathroom and (horrors!) I shared a bedroom with my youngest brother until I was a teenager!!

[roseslg]

Does anyone know if the most recent Pittsburgh couple were looking?  I'll try and search it out online.  10 pm is my bedtime.  I tired looking online but only found that annoying nurse wife and her doctor husband.  Ugh. 

[JasmineFlower]

They've brought back this ridiculous House Hunters Family where they feature the kids constantly throughout the home search. ALL WEEK LONG. Clearly HGTV doesn't want me watching the channel tonight between this and the Tiny House nonsense. Hopefully this is better than what they previewed before, but I'm out. I just can't based on the first two minutes. Maybe I'll be in the mood for it later this week if there's only teens that aren't brats (like the teenager daughter tonight seemed okay). But these little kids are a lot for me to take. Feels like a mistake to put this in the 10pm slot. This is when I'm winding down for the night, I don't want or need screaming kids on my TV as part of that.

[Dewey Decimate]

Hell no - seeing HH Family makes the week an easy no-dvr. Thankfully I have a couple eps from last week to tide me over.

Chico, CA ep: Why was the realtor wearing a gingerbread cookie as a necklace as they went through the second house? The couple's story about a horrible first date and accidental swallowing of an artichoke leaf totally cracked me up, and was all too reminiscent of a personal experience. Living in NYC about 15 years ago, I went to a party at which sushi was being served. There was a bowl of green things on the table, so I popped one in my mouth whole and proceeded to chew the shit out of what I thought was the dagnastiest pea pod I'd ever encountered. Swallowed the whole thing for fear of spitting something up at a semi-swanky party, when I'm assuming everyone else was wondering who is this chick eating an edamame pod?

[Bastet]

54 minutes ago, Dewey Decimate said:

Living in NYC about 15 years ago, I went to a party at which sushi was being served. There was a bowl of green things on the table, so I popped one in my mouth whole and proceeded to chew the shit out of what I thought was the dagnastiest pea pod I'd ever encountered. Swallowed the whole thing for fear of spitting something up at a semi-swanky party, when I'm assuming everyone else was wondering who is this chick eating an edamame pod?

That's not quite as bad as the time in childhood my best friend decided she was going to be all sophisticated at the Japanese restaurant her parents had taken us to and ask if I want to eat some of the tuna roll with her -- but she wasn't sure what that red stuff in the middle was. 

Topic?  I wish I'd seen the Chico episode.  I've visited a couple of people back in the day who went to the state college there (its reputation as a party school seems well earned), but never anyone who lived there as an adult -- I'd have liked to see some of the rest of the area.