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House Hunters: Buying in the USA


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9 minutes ago, mojito said:

liked the offbeat Seattle woman (she sure was very tall) who managed to go over her budget by 250% but didn't go into debt in the process.

I thought presenting it that way was weird because she had been living there for over 7 years and it seemed the changes might have been made over a period of time. 

I didn't like the kitchen or the color of the walls in most of the rooms but it fit her.

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When I mentioned flooding in the Tampa episode, I meant that Bayshore Blvd floods, causing major traffic jams. I don't think the houses there flood but I guess if the storm surge was high enough, it could. I loved how the original house looked and I loved the yellow. I didn't really care for the gray and the addition. That house was big enough to begin with but I guess that may just be me. One interesting fact about that stretch of roadway is that it is the longest continuous sidewalk in the US.

"Located south of downtown Tampa, its sidewalk, claimed to be the longest continuous sidewalk in the world at 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long, is 10 feet (3.0 m) wide and is widely used for recreation and exercise. However, the longest continuous sidewalk in the world is actually the Rambla of Montevideo, which is over 13.7 miles (22.2 km) long and that borders the entire coast of Montevideo, Uruguay, along the Río de la Plata."

It really is a beautiful area but I'm not sure I would want to live on such a busy street.

Edited by suebee12
  • Love 3
On 8/23/2017 at 11:37 PM, Pegasaurus said:

Tampa couple - quite a big project!  Very nice.  Although, that master bath (where the husband lays his eggs) is very pretty, what about privacy?  I know they're newlyweds now but at some point, the "peek-a-boo" fireplace and what looked like lack of doors between the bathroom and bedroom area is going to get old.  I assume the toilet has a private space.  But don't most people want privacy in the bathroom even tho they love their spouse?  I've probably just been married too long but geez, "shut the door and let me have a little time to myself"!

I thought the same thing about the bathroom.  How many HH shows do we see in which the buyer hates it when the bathroom is open to the Master?  I would also want the privacy.   I did like the fireplace.

I agree with everyone else regarding the couple from Tampa.  They shouldn't have ripped out the library - it was beautiful.  I didn't understand why he couldn't make that his office?  Instead he has a little area - not even a room - behind the dining room wall?!  That huge "boss" house for two people, yet he doesn't have a dedicated office?!  Also, I didn't agree with staining those beautiful hardwood floors a darker color. You could barely see the inlay/detail, etc.  I preferred the yellow exterior vs the grey.   Will someone please explain to me how people just have an extra $800,000 laying around?  Another episode (I think it was Florida too) went way over budget.  Their reno budget was like $50K and the wife spent like $600k or something crazy! It was an older couple - I think he was retired military and she was an interior designer.  They bought a beautiful condo that looked updated and upgraded - it was definitely move in ready.  They changed out EVERYTHING and IMO, the end result looked horrible!  Every room was very dark!  She converted the dining room into a "keeping room" with way too much oversized furniture.  They took the kitchen down to the studs and replaced the dark espresso cabinets with ebony ones!  Seriously?!  There was barely a difference in the "after" kitchen.  

The Washington DC woman did a beautiful job on her row house.  It was so bright and welcoming and the addition on the back was a great idea.  However, changing the front exterior was too much for that run down looking neighborhood.  She would have saved some money if she just need subtle changes to the front.

The guy with the awful haircut still had that awful haircut.  They both still seemed like frat bros, but now a ditzy girlfriend joined them.  Considering the roommate was a carpenter by trade, I expected to see more than a custom made coffe table and bed frame.  

  • Love 6

I'm with all of you on the removal of the library in the Tampa house.  I swear there was just a touch of sarcasm in the narrator's voice as she announced they installed a bookshelf instead.  I know I have way too many books and bookcases in 4 rooms of my home, but that library was gorgeous; if I could build my own home, a library would be in the design.  

The staining of the hardwood floors was also a catastrophe.  The inlay was gorgeous before but looks dirty now.  Pity.

  • Love 4
39 minutes ago, Christine said:

know I have way too many books and bookcases in 4 rooms of my home, but that library was gorgeous; if

I thought the bookcases looked cheap and didn't appear to be original and thought it was a vast improvement and I say this as someone who keeps books in storage because i have so many and grew up with a library.

Cheap housing market in Iowa. Who knew? LOL!!! I liked the girl who bought the small cottage. She was looking for 3 bedrooms but ended up with the house with 2 bedrooms. She ended up buying for $161,000. It wasn't brand new and needed work. She seemed very sensible & had her best friend follow along who wasn't too annoying. The kitchen was kind of small in a galley way. It'd be great to open it up but she didn't seemed bothered by it. 

  • Love 5
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I also didn't like that they changed that lovely yellow house and painted it gray.  

I too was so sad that they painted over the yellow in Tampa.  The result wasn't BAD per se, but the yellow was so cheery and so Florida.  I did love the kitchen remodel.

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Another episode (I think it was Florida too) went way over budget.  Their reno budget was like $50K and the wife spent like $600k or something crazy! It was an older couple - I think he was retired military and she was an interior designer.  They bought a beautiful condo that looked updated and upgraded - it was definitely move in ready.  They changed out EVERYTHING and IMO, the end result looked horrible!  Every room was very dark!  She converted the dining room into a "keeping room" with way too much oversized furniture.  They took the kitchen down to the studs and replaced the dark espresso cabinets with ebony ones!  Seriously?!  There was barely a difference in the "after" kitchen.  

OMG.  Worst reno and design ever.  So dark, so heavy, and so much STUFF!  Where do you even get stuff like this anymore?  To each his / her own, but I hated everything about it.  Can you imagine the day when they do have to sell it?  Good luck. If I were an agent, I don't think I would take the listing.

  • Love 3
4 minutes ago, Mu Shu said:

 Just burns my biscuits to hear some cookie cutter millennial snot about a fucking room that was out of fashion and usefulness back when her grandmother was young.

Try 300 years ago in Colonial America.  And since we may as well be living in an open loft without walls, how is a "keeping room" different than dumping couches in the "open concept" space right near the kitchen?  These buzzword fads drive me nuts.

  • Love 6
On 8/26/2017 at 9:12 PM, juliet73 said:

The guy with the awful haircut still had that awful haircut.  They both still seemed like frat bros, but now a ditzy girlfriend joined them.  Considering the roommate was a carpenter by trade, I expected to see more than a custom made coffe table and bed frame.  

LOL,, and ditzy is the right word. I would NEVER voluntarily live in a 700-square-foot house with two grown men. I thought 700 square feet was too small for just the two men!

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OMG.  Worst reno and design ever.  So dark, so heavy, and so much STUFF!  Where do you even get stuff like this anymore?  To each his / her own, but I hated everything about it. 

Yes! I was excited to see what they did with the condo because I remember the original episode and loved the condo before they moved into it. But she spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to make that classy, stylish condo look terrible.

  • Love 6
2 hours ago, joylove said:

LOL,, and ditzy is the right word. I would NEVER voluntarily live in a 700-square-foot house with two grown men. I thought 700 square feet was too small for just the two men!

Yes! I was excited to see what they did with the condo because I remember the original episode and loved the condo before they moved into it. But she spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to make that classy, stylish condo look terrible.

It was soooooooooo dark. I think because they (she) were older they aren't into the "new" everything is white kitchen. The dark wouldn't have looked bad in a bigger home but in a condo it just made the place even smaller looking. I now know having lots of money doesn't buy good taste. LOL!!!

  • Love 1
On ‎8‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 8:53 PM, biakbiak said:

I thought the bookcases looked cheap and didn't appear to be original and thought it was a vast improvement and I say this as someone who keeps books in storage because i have so many and grew up with a library.

Couldn't stand to have my books in storage.  My bookcases are on the cheap side but who can tell since they're loaded with books?

Last night's Miami Beach house - did not care for the wife one bit, whining about how the kitchen cabinets in the first house (and the house they eventually chose) were cream and not white - she never heard of repainting?  What was I thinking?  They gutted the place to the studs.  Sure hope his job continues to allow them to pay a $6500 monthly house payment.

  • Love 3
46 minutes ago, Christine said:

Last night's Miami Beach house - did not care for the wife one bit, whining about how the kitchen cabinets in the first house (and the house they eventually chose) were cream and not white - she never heard of repainting?  What was I thinking?  They gutted the place to the studs.  Sure hope his job continues to allow them to pay a $6500 monthly house payment.

Did not like her at all.  She had this entitled vibe about herself.  I know he probably sells high end real estate in Miami Beach, but $6,500 a month mortgage?  She'd better hope he keeps on being successful because otherwise she might have to put their one kid in childcare and get her entitled ass a job. 

  • Love 9
2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Did not like her at all.  She had this entitled vibe about herself.  I know he probably sells high end real estate in Miami Beach, but $6,500 a month mortgage?  She'd better hope he keeps on being successful because otherwise she might have to put their one kid in childcare and get her entitled ass a job. 

I had to put my dvr on pause to make sure I was seeing the $6,500 correctly. Yikes!

  • Love 2

Well, that's a first - I don't think I have ever heard anyone on this show (or in real life) say "You know how I HATE original hardwood floors!"  And she tore out the original hardwood to replace it with . . . ceramic tiles that look like hardwood.  Ugh.  I was surprised, though, how little you get for your money in Miami Beach (and this is coming from someone who lives in the Bay Area).  I'm not as picky as the Miami Beach lady, but I was surprised that all of the houses looked somewhat dated, with very few high-end fixtures in the bathrooms or kitchen.

  • Love 4
21 minutes ago, Aimless said:

Well, that's a first - I don't think I have ever heard anyone on this show (or in real life) say "You know how I HATE original hardwood floors!"  And she tore out the original hardwood to replace it with . . . ceramic tiles that look like hardwood.  Ugh.  I was surprised, though, how little you get for your money in Miami Beach (and this is coming from someone who lives in the Bay Area).  I'm not as picky as the Miami Beach lady, but I was surprised that all of the houses looked somewhat dated, with very few high-end fixtures in the bathrooms or kitchen.

The ceramic tiles (usually the brown/gray) color are all the rage in the beach homes. It's the newest thing. That said, I don't think I've seen anyone rip out original hardware floors to do so.

  • Love 3
3 hours ago, Christine said:

Couldn't stand to have my books in storage.  My bookcases are on the cheap side but who can tell since they're loaded with books?

It's just in the basement of the building so easily accessible, I literally have no room for more book shelves.

For me it wasn't just that the bookcases looked cheap it was that the space looked better focusing on the windows and it really made the room light and airy.

5 hours ago, ByaNose said:

The ceramic tiles (usually the brown/gray) color are all the rage in the beach homes. It's the newest thing. That said, I don't think I've seen anyone rip out original hardware floors to do so.

I put them in my kitchen in my Midwestern home to replace some really icky carpeting (carpet in the kitchen! Ick!).  There wasn't any hardwood under the carpet or I would've gone with that.  The ceramic tile is really easy to keep clean and doesn't get messed up if water gets spilled so its nice for a kitchen.  I also have two pooches and have to refinish my other hardwood floors regularly because of them, but there's not much they can do to hurt the kitchen floor.

  • Love 2
22 hours ago, CaughtOnTape said:

This bitch (Miami) took out the original floors to the house.  ORIGINAL FLOORS which were ACTUAL WOOD

I just....

Oh my God...

What I came out here to say.   Those were gorgeous and in nice shape.  I was rooting for them to pick the arts and crafts as I was afraid for those floors.  And there is nothing worse than cleaning grout.

  • Love 4

I just saw an episode of buyers in Dallas.  Not sure how old it was.  Both husband & wife made me want to smack them.  The husband was complaining about too many windows & he wanted a movie/media room in a craftsman style house (not sure he knows what this is).  They were shown one house & the wife bitched about the kitchen being outdated.  The realtor said the house was built in 2006 - so, of course, it would have to be completely renovated.  Are people normally this obnoxious or is it just for the show?  

  • Love 5

Chicago couple bought a loft/condo for $495,000. It had the usual exposed brick with a roof top deck. They even got a 2 car garage which is a premium from what I hear. The wife was slightly annoying but I've seen worse. The realtor was a total stud. I would like to see a Where Are They Now with just the realtor during the summer months without his shirt. Hubba Hubba. LOL!!!! 

Edited by ByaNose
  • Love 6
2 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

Chicago couple bought a loft/condo for $495,000. It had the usual exposed brick with a roof top deck. They even got a 2 car garage which is a premium from what I hear. The wife was slightly annoying but I've seen worse. The realtor was a total stud. I would like to see a Where Are They Now with just the realtor during the summer months without his short. Hubba Hubba. LOL!!!! 

Don't think they could air that unless it's on an adult channel. ;-)

  • Love 1
7 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

Chicago couple bought a loft/condo for $495,000. It had the usual exposed brick with a roof top deck. They even got a 2 car garage which is a premium from what I hear. The wife was slightly annoying but I've seen worse. The realtor was a total stud. I would like to see a Where Are They Now with just the realtor during the summer months without his short. Hubba Hubba. LOL!!!! 

I'm glad it wasn't just me! I rarely even notice the realtor, but not this time! Very hot! 

On 7/6/2017 at 4:43 PM, DkNNy79 said:

 

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

Late to the party here.

It is, a lot of hipsters from Brooklyn have migrated there.  One of my best friends lived there.  The town wasn't hip when they moved in but as the years went on, the place became crowded and the taxes went up.  It's a cute town.

On 8/27/2017 at 3:46 PM, ByaNose said:

Cheap housing market in Iowa. Who knew? LOL!!! I liked the girl who bought the small cottage. She was looking for 3 bedrooms but ended up with the house with 2 bedrooms. She ended up buying for $161,000. It wasn't brand new and needed work. She seemed very sensible & had her best friend follow along who wasn't too annoying. The kitchen was kind of small in a galley way. It'd be great to open it up but she didn't seemed bothered by it. 

yes, a likable home buyer. quite rare on this show.

On 8/29/2017 at 10:19 AM, Ohwell said:

Did not like her at all.  She had this entitled vibe about herself.  I know he probably sells high end real estate in Miami Beach, but $6,500 a month mortgage?  She'd better hope he keeps on being successful because otherwise she might have to put their one kid in childcare and get her entitled ass a job. 

i hated her. and i do not like most of the home buyers on this show but she was an extra special piece of shit.

so..my husband requested i ask this and truthfully i am wondering myself: does everyone else watching  hate most of these buyers for one reason or another? the major ones being they are either too rich ( what with my family working hard and struggling to keep up, hoping to survive when retirement comes, not buy a beachfront condo and go on long cruises and european vacations as the media would have you believe is what happens. aarp magazine, i'm looking at you too) or way too entitled or stupid re: huge mortgage and believing nothing will ever happen to your job? idiots.

and  then when it comes to buying a vintage home and then destroying it in one way or another. if you want modern, don't buy a victorian , an art deco era home, a craftsman, etc and then go about  tearing out it's original beautiful, quality made features that would cost a fortune , literally, to be made today IF you could find a craftsman capable of it. . it makes me so angry i am sure my b.p. goes up. ( the newish show "restored" is the only one where there is actual love for the original quality features of a home) . love seeing the homes and the interiors. hate most of the people on it. 

  • Love 8
On 8/29/2017 at 9:29 AM, Christine said:

Couldn't stand to have my books in storage.  My bookcases are on the cheap side but who can tell since they're loaded with books?

Last night's Miami Beach house - did not care for the wife one bit, whining about how the kitchen cabinets in the first house (and the house they eventually chose) were cream and not white - she never heard of repainting?  What was I thinking?  They gutted the place to the studs.  Sure hope his job continues to allow them to pay a $6500 monthly house payment.

these people are idiots. if he loses that job or has to take a pay cut, princess piece of shit will never subject herself to the level of working woman. and they may lose the house. so sad. :) how the fuck do these people gripe about anything when they are that financially fortunate. it disgusts me. horrid specimens. 

  • Love 3

I think the buyers have gotten much less tolerable over time.  I'm not sure if it's totally producer-driven or sensible people do don't these shows.  If producer-driven, why?  I started watching to see homes in different parts of the country and then the world. I would be perfectly happy to just have Realtors show homes and get rid of the BS fighting and snarking that goes on followed by the jolly fake party (or the alternate of chopping veggies in the kitchen).  It's the Fifteen Minutes of Fame syndrome for a lot of these narcissistic couples, in my opinion.  "Look at me, I was on the teevee!  Aren't I too cool for school?"

I also do a lot of eye-rolling at the entitled folks who want it all at a very young age.  I worked for 45 years for my modest dream home.  There has to be family money behind some of these over-the-top purchases or they are totally house poor in the end and don't have a penny in retirement savings down the road.  But most of them are so unlikable I don't really care if they end up losing their houses because they are never paid off.

And stop spouting words (craftsman, mid-century modern, etc.) for which you don't know the meaning.  Educate yourselves and stop parroting what you hear or read without understanding that it means.  Don't walk into a home from the 1800's and bitch about the lack of a walk in closet.  Fools, one and all.

  • Love 15

My new hate phrase is "What is this supposed to be?". There are only a few options. Most likely if you are saying this as you walk in the front doors it's a f'ing living room or an office! If it's off the kitchen it's an f'ing dinning room! If it's after the kitchen and before the backyard it's probably the f'ing family room or a f'ing sunroom! I don't don't if HH is making them say this or if they are just that stupid!

  • Love 8

Did anybody watch tonight's episode?  (I think it was new.)  It featured an awesome family house-shopping in South Hadley, MA.  -- No vocal fry or uptalk.   No griping over stupid stuff.  No snide comments toward each other. --   The attractive husband and wife have been married 18 years and have three nice kids, and they all seem to be such a great, loving family.  They had such a nice, easy way with each other.  (I also noticed that they seemed very natural on camera. Oftentimes it's so obvious that the HHs are acting and it's painful to watch.)

Their former house was a very small home with only one bathroom, so the home they chose was a very nice upgrade for them.  They seemed so nice and appreciative, and were a joy to watch.

I really liked that fabulous kitchen in the ranch house they toured but didn't buy... but the colonial they did get seems like a great choice for them.

And no chopping vegetables at the end.  They had cake instead. :D

I wonder if this was supposed to be one of the House Hunters Family Edition episodes?  I normally avoid those like the plague.  I think those usually tend to be particularly awful.   I didn't mind the kids in this one at all.  They weren't all present for all the house touring though, so maybe it was just the regular variety.  I don't think my TVGuide specified.

So, thanks House Hunters.  More participants like this... and less of the entitled, obnoxious, whining, vocal fry, uptalk varieties, please!

  • Love 12
2 hours ago, ByaNose said:

My new hate phrase is "What is this supposed to be?".

To which I respond by yelling at the TV, "Whatever the hell you want it to be!"  The kitchen and bathrooms can't be anything else without significant remodeling, but pretty much everything else can be used however the buyer wants.  Bedrooms, obviously, but even rooms intended as living rooms or dining rooms can be used in a different way if someone wants.  If you want a library, gym, game room, office, sewing/craft room, meditation room, whatever - pick a room and furnish it that way.  I know a buyer can walk into a room and because of its layout, it being an additional room beyond the number she or he was looking for, etc. and think, "Hm, what would I do with this?"  But the flummoxed or indignant, "What is this supposed to be?" reaction needs to go.

  • Love 12
1 hour ago, ByaNose said:

Massachusetts couple with 3 kids. They bought a sensible house with a pool. The house was nice but while it wasn't  fixed up it looked very homey. Also, HOT Dad alert. Yowza!!!!!

I know, right!!  He reminded me of my ex-boyfriend.  He seemed very sweet, too.  That Aimee is a lucky woman.  :)

  • Love 2
17 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I think the buyers have gotten much less tolerable over time.  I'm not sure if it's totally producer-driven or sensible people do don't these shows.  If producer-driven, why?  I started watching to see homes in different parts of the country and then the world. I would be perfectly happy to just have Realtors show homes and get rid of the BS fighting and snarking that goes on followed by the jolly fake party (or the alternate of chopping veggies in the kitchen).  It's the Fifteen Minutes of Fame syndrome for a lot of these narcissistic couples, in my opinion.  "Look at me, I was on the teevee!  Aren't I too cool for school?"

Yes...and they could do away with ALL the aspiring singer/songwriters. Ugh!  We really don't want to hear you sing, play the drums or strum your guitar.  Just look at the damn houses & pick one!

  • Love 8
9 hours ago, Bastet said:

To which I respond by yelling at the TV, "Whatever the hell you want it to be!"  The kitchen and bathrooms can't be anything else without significant remodeling, but pretty much everything else can be used however the buyer wants.  Bedrooms, obviously, but even rooms intended as living rooms or dining rooms can be used in a different way if someone wants.  If you want a library, gym, game room, office, sewing/craft room, meditation room, whatever - pick a room and furnish it that way.  I know a buyer can walk into a room and because of its layout, it being an additional room beyond the number she or he was looking for, etc. and think, "Hm, what would I do with this?"  But the flummoxed or indignant, "What is this supposed to be?" reaction needs to go.

I agree! Aside from kitchens and bathrooms, rooms become what they are with whatever you put in them. I enjoy when house hunters have hobbies and say they want space for them. When house hunters ask the "what is this supposed to be?" question, I tend to assume they lack imagination. My ex is a former professional musician who still plays and takes lessons, so one of his spare bedrooms is a music room. See how easy that is?

South Hadley wife had very severe eyebrows that made her look meaner than she is, and an awful haircut. But they were a nice family. I like when they said that they wanted to be the household where the kids could have their friends over. That house was the best fit - the first one they looked at was too small.

  • Love 5
47 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I turned away from the South Hadley episode after about five minutes because the wife's eyebrows and severe haircut scared me off.  Seriously.  I'm glad they turned out to be a nice couple though.

Yeah, her haircut was a little too severe. It also looked really outdated in a Kate Gosselin sort of way. That said, she and her hunky husband seemed like such nice & normal people. Their kids were also nice and didn't seem like they were putting on a show. I would like to see their house in the summer. They got a nice pool with the house with an acre or two of land. Also, you gotta love a family that has a Birthday ice cream cake. You can't get any more All American than that. LOL!!!!

Edited by ByaNose
  • Love 6
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