Flip Or Flop - General Discussion

[Ringthane]

http://www.hgtv.com/design-blog/shows/flip-or-flop-christina-el-moussa-tarek-el-moussa-home-renovation

 

Photo with the new baby.

 

Also photos of their own renovated home.  Photos look like there's a weird instagram filter on it.  The home doesn't look like the one they film in.

 

Wait a minute...  The cabinet and counter in the bathroom don't match the ones in the kitchen.  I feel lied to...  I thought that was the thing to do if you wanted top dollar from buyers.

[Saylii]

http://www.hgtv.com/design-blog/shows/flip-or-flop-christina-el-moussa-tarek-el-moussa-home-renovation

Photo with the new baby.

Also photos of their own renovated home. Photos look like there's a weird instagram filter on it. The home doesn't look like the one they film in.

I believe the new home is a fairly recent purchase. Christina has said next season, which is already in the can, will include her pregnancy. The baby is already eight months old. So the shows we're seeing now are at least two years old.

[NYGirl]

I just rematched the one with their friend Carlos selling the family home.  Boy was he a pain in the ass...so unlikeable..ugh.  Plus a cheapo

[Albino]

I believe the new home is a fairly recent purchase. Christina has said next season, which is already in the can, will include her pregnancy. The baby is already eight months old. So the shows we're seeing now are at least two years old.

Just read a FASCINATING story on cnn.com (I think?) that said Christina is expecting their 3rd baby in August.  

 

I watch the show mainly to see if Christina will ever blink on her interview portions. Hasn't happened yet.  

[iMonrey]

Quote

Also photos of their own renovated home.  Photos look like there's a weird instagram filter on it.  The home doesn't look like the one they film in.

Ugh - their house looks like something out of the movie "Frozen." So cold, and modern.

[magdalene]

This show does seem less fake to me than most of the other shows on HGTV.  I know for a fact that Love it or List it and Property Brothers are completely faked.  Tarek and his wife actually do flip houses in real life. 

I don't like their own house and its design at all. It's this mixture of rustic and modern that doesn't do anything for me. I like most of their flips a lot better than their own house.

[mmecorday]

I do think it's BS whenever they're shocked -- SHOCKED, I say -- when a repipe or a rewire is going to cost a few thousand dollars. They should know by now how much it's going to cost to update the wiring and the plumbing in a home.

[suomi]

I pretty much like these folks because of the way they appear to get along. The one thing that bugs is Christina's Lagoona Beach accent. Her vocal fry and "Thank Yo" reminds me too much of Kristin Cavallari.

[chessiegal]

I have no idea what a Lagoona Beach accent is, but I do notice occasional focal fry, but it seems occasional rather than dominate. I like them too. They've been through a lot, and have made th3e best of it. Good for them.

[magdalene]

I don't think she dresses like a "hooker". She has a lovely figure and her clothes show off that lovely figure - good for her.

[Ringthane]

19 hours ago, mmecorday said:

I do think it's BS whenever they're shocked -- SHOCKED, I say -- when a repipe or a rewire is going to cost a few thousand dollars. They should know by now how much it's going to cost to update the wiring and the plumbing in a home.

I think they're not really shocked, they're just acting for the camera.  Then somebody who's just flipping (pun intended) through the channels and catches a few seconds of the show will be intrigued enough ("Oh, my, how will these young flippers make it with all these hurdles?") to keep watching, and HGTV has another viewer.

[mojito]

On the subject of staging....I had a hard time believing that people were unable to imagine their own things in an empty room. And then I saw a few shows where the house buyers were perplexed by a room that they could not identify. They made comments about it being strange, this room that was in addition to the living room and dining room. They wondered what in the world they would do with it. That kind of blew me away. 

If you have kids, they'll find 101 ways to use that room. How can adults be so obtuse?

[Guest]

The photographer they use always edits the photos to look like this. I follow the stagers on facebook and they post the photos that look like these.

[SunnyBeBe]

I enjoy this show and always hope for new episodes.

 I sometimes wonder if there will come a day when people will say they want to renovate the house and get rid of the open floor plan.  I wonder how much it would cost to put up a wall enclosing that kitchen.  lol I can't recall what the flippers did before open concept became so much in demand.

[LazyToaster]

I agree with you SunnyBeBe - I believe that one of these days I'll be watching HGTV and a potential buyer will proclaim - OH NO, who lives like this - where are my walls - where are my rooms - I DON'T want to see everything and everyone ALL the time!  

[LazyToaster]

I've watched every episode I could catch on Masters of Flip and really like them.  Some of her designs seem a bit risky to me but it is refreshing to me that they all look different - plus I think they are cute together.  

[Maharincess]

I hate "open concept" so I would be the one who wants to add walls everywhere. I don't want my house to be one big ass space.  I like actual seperate rooms. 

[Callietwo]

We hate "open concept" too.  We housesat for four years in a lovely, lovely home out on a lake recently.. bought our own house two years ago and we were very specific that we wanted the kitchen away from the living room especially.  We both hate having the noise of the kitchen in the damn living room.  And I don't want to see kitchen messes when we sit down to eat, it is so not relaxing to look at.  Give me a traditional dining room and living room and I'm a much happier cook.  

I like Christina and Tarek well enough but they have a very set style and it's getting old.  Wish they'd branch out and try color or something.  Beiges, greys and whites have become boring.  

Edited May 31, 2016 by Callietwo

[slf]

I agree that they have a set style but isn't neutral better when you're trying to sell the house? I've seen people count a vibrant paint color as a reason not to buy a house (because, boy, when some people say they don't want to do any work on a house they mean it!). I can't imagine doing anything like a backsplash in a non neutral color. I know nothing about real estate but my understanding is neutral sells better.

Edited June 1, 2016 by slf

[Bastet]

Oh yeah, Christina definitely knows what she's doing in designing for the O.C. market.  It just makes for repetitive and thus boring television.  That's why I like the follow-up ones where we get to see how the owner decorated it -- at least that brings in some variety.

[SunnyBeBe]

I get how they want to appeal to the broadest spectrum of client, but I would like a little splash once in awhile.

What does amaze me is that with Flip or Flop, you have the couple doing the design and then a separate STAGING company stages it.  To me, it looks just as good as many of the renovations look on other shows like Property Brothers, Love it Or List It, etc.  And they are supposed to be professionals.  I would think the staging company isn't. Anyone know?

[chessiegal]

Staging companies are professionals - that is what they get paid to do. HGTV used to have a show that was just about staging companies They have huge warehouses of furniture to chose from. It's a real business.

[Blergh]

On ‎4‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 11:32 AM, mmecorday said:

I do think it's BS whenever they're shocked -- SHOCKED, I say -- when a repipe or a rewire is going to cost a few thousand dollars. They should know by now how much it's going to cost to update the wiring and the plumbing in a home.

Agree- it's kind of like seeing Scooby and Shaggy act surprised that the 200th  'ghost' they've unmasked turned out to be a living human fraud.

[Talky Tina]

On 4/28/2016 at 8:02 PM, magdalene said:

This show does seem less fake to me than most of the other shows on HGTV.  I know for a fact that Love it or List it and Property Brothers are completely faked.  Tarek and his wife actually do flip houses in real life. 

 

It's so interesting to me how people interpret things so differently.   This show seems more fake to me than any of the other popular home renovation shows.    The fakery over the "surprise, unexpected" repairs that need to be made, problems that would have shown up in the inspection.  Then the fakery over how much those surprise repairs would cost.   Then there are the fake things they do.  Like the pet mouse that Christina pretended was a wild mouse that was infesting the house.  Then the wall outside that came "unexpectedly" crashing down and they had to run out to make sure everybody was OK.   They definitely are not actors and it shows. 

That's not even mentioning when they pretend to tile and do actual work. Neither of them can hold the tools properly or at the right angle when they pretend to tile. 

I think the fake shock over the unexpected repairs and the cost makes them look incompetent.  First, they should have caught those things during inspection and by now, they should know what that kind of this is going to cost. 

That said, it may not sound like it I do actually enjoy the show and the few times I've seen Taylor speak I thought she was adorable.  I'm not a kid person at all, the only kid i like is my niece,  but Taylor is pretty cute. 

Edited June 8, 2016 by Talky Tina
Forgot a word.

[okerry]

I think we have to accept that any "reality" show is faked to a greater or lesser degree, mostly because it has to be given story structure to make it interesting. I do enjoy this one, though, because this is a cute couple who really do seem to enjoy working together. It's really very refreshing to see.

And it is informative. They explain how and why they do things. I've learned that you can actually raise an entire house and level the foundation (!) if you're willing to spend the money, and that homeowners often tack try to make crappy additions out of back porches that aren't legal and can actually be very dangerous.

The other tips on decorating and design are fun, too. So I do find it enjoyable and informative. I'm a fiction writer myself and we often say that "it doesn't have to be realistic - just believable." 

[topanga]

2 hours ago, okerry said:

I think we have to accept that any "reality" show is faked to a greater or lesser degree, mostly because it has to be given story structure to make it interesting. I do enjoy this one, though, because this is a cute couple who really do seem to enjoy working together. It's really very refreshing to see.

And it is informative. They explain how and why they do things. I've learned that you can actually raise an entire house and level the foundation (!) if you're willing to spend the money, and that homeowners often tack try to make crappy additions out of back porches that aren't legal and can actually be very dangerous.

The other tips on decorating and design are fun, too. So I do find it enjoyable and informative. I'm a fiction writer myself and we often say that "it doesn't have to be realistic - just believable." 

Great post. There are a lot of house flipping shows on HGTV these days, but this one remains my favorite. Yes, it's a "reality" show with producer-driven reality. But Tarek and Christina know real estate, they're interesting, and they make me interested in the home redesign business. Yes, Christina tends to use the same decorating scheme with most of their homes. But most of the homes are eerily similar-- single-story homes with ~3 bathrooms and 1-2 bathrooms. I like what they do with the spaces to make them somewhat distinct from one another. 

And I know the "Scare Christina" pranks are just that--planned pranks, but watching her run through a house--or outside--while screaming to the top of her lungs gets me every time. I find it hilarious. 

[StaceyNotStacie]

I think that the fact that this show is only 30 minutes long makes it more enjoyable. There is less time for drama and they pretty much get to the point in regards to repairs, etc. 

[ByaNose]

3 bedrooms & 1 bathroom for that price. Now way! No how! People are downright crazy. LOL!!! I didn't like the backsplash tile design in either the kitchen or bathroom. It was to taste specific. That said, it sold and they made a profit, if the deal went through. 

[StaceyNotStacie]

I didn't care for the backsplash either. I would have preferred plain white. The backsplash limits the colors that can be used in decorating the rooms. At least with the white, I can use brighter colors and change it up easily if I want something new. 

[LizBug]

Christina has liked that moroccan style tile for a while now.  She tried incorporating it into a house last season (although in white).  Personally, I don't care for it.

Also, during the Flip or Flop marathon yesterday, I noticed and noticed and noticed how she screws her mouth to the side when she's facing something that she doesn't like (i.e., "unexpected" repairs, Tarek disagreeing with her, etc.).  It just looks weird.

[Tabbygirl521]

I got a kick out of the exciting pregnancy reveal (I may be paraphrasing ever so slightly.):

"Guess what? I'm pregnant."

"No way."

"Yes way."

"Cool."

"Kiss me" 

(awkward lip peck)

It might have been staged. 

[Lovecat]

Noooooo!  The hell you say!

Quote

Also, during the Flip or Flop marathon yesterday, I noticed and noticed and noticed how she screws her mouth to the side when she's facing something that she doesn't like (i.e., "unexpected" repairs, Tarek disagreeing with her, etc.).  It just looks weird.

They're actually playing that up during the commercials for the show, much to my amusement.  I sort of miss the "What? What?? What?  WHAT???" of last season's promos, though.  My BF and I mocked that out endlessly.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Lovecat

[iMonrey]

New episode! Same old story! In particular I was rolling my eyes at the notion that they didn't find the termite damage before buying the house. Talk about your basic real estate "musts." I did love those little windows in the slanted ceiling over the kitchen though and I'm glad they kept them.

Quote

I think the fake shock over the unexpected repairs and the cost makes them look incompetent.  First, they should have caught those things during inspection and by now, they should know what that kind of this is going to cost. 

I think the problem is that HGTV makes them stick to a specific formula for every episode. That's the problem with almost all of their shows which is why they get so stale. And you're right, it really damages their reputation because it makes them look downright incompetent not to catch some of these very basic things before buying the house after all this time. That's why I liked the "follow up" episodes where they really told us which ones were flops.

[doodlebug]

8 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

I got a kick out of the exciting pregnancy reveal (I may be paraphrasing ever so slightly.):

"Guess what? I'm pregnant."

"No way."

"Yes way."

"Cool."

"Kiss me" 

(awkward lip peck)

It might have been staged. 

Ya think?  The fact that this supposedly occurred on the day they bought the house and she was quite obviously in the latter stages of pregnancy, at least late second trimester, just a couple months later at the open house, made the whole scene laughable.  Why not just welcome viewers to the new season and give an update on what else is new?  They've always included their family in the show.  The idea that any woman in this day and age needs to wait for a phone call from her doctor before telling her husband they're pregnant was weirdly anachronistic, ala 'I Love Lucy'.  Don't know who is writing these scenes but they need to stop.

I think this show needs a drinking game: 

take a slug every time Tarek claims the whole reno will cost '$30-35,000.". Another big slug when the actual cost is more than double

Another slug every scene where he's wearing flip flops. 

Tarek wants to paint the cabinets or refinish the floor to save money and Christina shoots him down.

 Christina makes her patented 'WTF' face when she disagrees with Tarek's moneysaving shortcuts or when another contractor tells them the house needs a roof or plumbing or electrical or asbestos abatement or any other expensive fix that they've surely known about for months.

Christina insists on painting the exterior gray and/or expresses hatred for any exterior color that is NOT gray

She uses black, gray and white as her 'color palette' for the kitchen and bath

Christina refers to accent tiles as being 'high design'

Christina says '100% yes' when someone says something she agrees with

Christina runs shrieking from the house after encountering a pet mouse, a cockroach, a squatter

[ByaNose]

On June 10, 2016 at 8:29 PM, doodlebug said:

Ya think?  The fact that this supposedly occurred on the day they bought the house and she was quite obviously in the latter stages of pregnancy, at least late second trimester, just a couple months later at the open house, made the whole scene laughable.  Why not just welcome viewers to the new season and give an update on what else is new?  They've always included their family in the show.  The idea that any woman in this day and age needs to wait for a phone call from her doctor before telling her husband they're pregnant was weirdly anachronistic, ala 'I Love Lucy'.  Don't know who is writing these scenes but they need to stop.

I think this show needs a drinking game: 

take a slug every time Tarek claims the whole reno will cost '$30-35,000.". Another big slug when the actual cost is more than double

Another slug every scene where he's wearing flip flops. 

Tarek wants to paint the cabinets or refinish the floor to save money and Christina shoots him down.

 Christina makes her patented 'WTF' face when she disagrees with Tarek's moneysaving shortcuts or when another contractor tells them the house needs a roof or plumbing or electrical or asbestos abatement or any other expensive fix that they've surely known about for months.

Christina insists on painting the exterior gray and/or expresses hatred for any exterior color that is NOT gray

She uses black, gray and white as her 'color palette' for the kitchen and bath

Christina refers to accent tiles as being 'high design'

Christina says '100% yes' when someone says something she agrees with

Christina runs shrieking from the house after encountering a pet mouse, a cockroach, a squatter

This is too funny but sooooooooo true. I don't even think I realized how predictable the show is. That said, I'll continue watching. Overall, the results are pretty well done. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Christina refers to accent tiles as being 'high design'

Another one: Take a drink every time Christina or Tarek say "At this price point."

[auntjess]

This was my least favorite of all they've done.
First, expensive tile doesn't make up for the fact that it's an ONLY bathroom in an almost half million dollar house.
And the exterior, with the gravel and gray stucco?  Could have  been a garage.

[ByaNose]

I know it's California and it's expensive but 1 bathroom is so wrong. I can't believe that people pay $500,000 + with only 1 bedroom. How much more would a 2 bathroom house cost?

[iMonrey]

They've done 3-bedroom/2-bath houses that cost less than that, but . . . it depends on the area mostly. Apparently if you want to live in that neighborhood, and want a home that's completely remodeled and move-in ready, that's what you pay.

[auntjess]

I just don't get the priorities.
I grew up in a 3br, 1bath semi-detached house, and my loathe-to-spend-money father had a second 1/2 bath installed in the basement.

 

[mmecorday]

Quote

I just don't get the priorities.

I don't either! You would think when faced with unexpected repairs that they would back off from using the high-end stuff. Like the marble sourced from the same quarry where Michelangelo fetched his to sculpt The Pieta.

[doodlebug]

The SoCal real estate market sure is strange.  Here in the Midwest, most buyers wouldn't give a one bathroom house a second look, no matter how nice the rest of the house is finished.  And, yes, it would certainly be a priority for anyone doing home improvements or flipping to add at least a half bath.  All the quartz countertops and laminate flooring in the world doesn't make up for lack of plumbing facilities.

[3 is enough]

The "must have multiple bathrooms" mindset is fairly new.  I know I am dating myself, but I grew up with 4 brothers in a house with one bathroom.  My father eventually had an extra bathroom put in the basement when we had been in the house for 12 years.  

When my husband and I bought our first house 32 years ago we were thrilled that it had one full bath and one powder room. A few years later we moved and again were thrilled that we had a tiny master bath (the kind that people on these HGTV shows sneer at), but not having to share with the kids was a real luxury.

Now it seems that master bathrooms must have 2 sinks and be the size of a bedroom, each kid needs their own bath, and there needs to be a spare bath in case you ever have guests.  Funny how priorities have changed in a relatively short period of time.

Edited June 15, 2016 by 3 is enough

[auntjess]

Oh, I wouldn't even want a big bathroom, because it would be harder to clean, but 50 years ago new houses in the suburbs mostly had more than one bathroom.
But I want at least 2 toilets.

[Callietwo]

I grew up in (Non-officer) military housing with 8 people but just one bathroom.  We survived but it wasn't easy.  My two children grew up in a house with three bathrooms, which- who wants to clean three friggen' toilets?  NOT ME!  Two is now the minimum and the maximum.

Quote

I just don't get the priorities.

Right.  As the others have said, why spend $$ on higher end features when the core of the home is missing something so basic to everyday life now.  Resale value will *suck*.  And resale value is something to keep in mind no matter how much you like a house.  My ex cajoled me into buying a house with a weird water retention pond (storm drains emptied into a manmade drain pond on our property) and that seriously impacted the resale years later. 

But most of these shows gloss over that aspect of improving a home so this show ignoring resale values isn't all that unusual.  

Edited June 16, 2016 by Callietwo

[iMonrey]

I'm not sure but I bet they'd have to pull a lot of permits to add a bathroom and have inspections, etc. I remember one where they were adding or at least remodeling a bathroom and the contractor told them the toilet had to be X feet away from the wall or something so they had to move the whole wall to meet code. In the long run they'd probably have to spend a lot more money to add a bathroom, with inspections and permits and such, than they would on high-end fixtures and countertops. There was another one where they wanted to add a master bath and the city came back and said they couldn't build out more than 3 feet or something which ruined their plan.

That said, a 3-bed, one-bath house isn't too awful if it's just a young couple with no children, or a young couple with a baby, or an older couple whose children have left the nest. I just can't imagine a family with mulitple children ever considering it.

[chessiegal]

My oldest stepdaughter and her husband and 6 children under the age of 9 live in a 2 bedroom 1 bath house, and they make it work.

[mmecorday]

Did anyone watch last night? The new episode was actually depressing, I thought. Christina and Tarek bought a house that belonged to a pair of cat hoarders. The neighbors said that the couple owned at least 30 cats. Just looking at how the former homeowners neglected their home, I shudder to think how the cats were treated. :(

[iMonrey]

This was definitely a strange episode. If they do more "follow up" episodes I hope they cover this house, because it seems more likely than not to be a flop. I think they realized early on that they overspent, or overbought, and weren't going to get much of a profit.

What was really weird is hearing Christina argue against adding a fourth bedroom. Generally that's a no-brainer; a four-bedroom is always going to be worth more than a three bedroom so her resistance to it was kind of baffling. But I think somewhere along the line they realized they were going to be overpriced for the neighborhood. They started by saying comps were around $660K and by the time they were finished they had a break-even of $630. Not much of a profit there, especially after carry costs the longer it stays on the market.

I did love their designs but one thing I objected to is that they closed off the loft bedroom's balcony window to the stairwell. I thought that was a nice feature and they should have kept it.

[auntjess]

The new horizontal stair railings were attractive, but I didn't see any glass, and I was surprised that code allowed that.
The Ontario code which covers so many shows, doesn't allow horizontal rails because kids can climb on and over them, and that makes sense to me.