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Flip Or Flop - General Discussion


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Half a mil+ for that ugly house?  So glad I live in the land of reasonable real estate prices.  A house like that, even fully remodeled, wouldn't be worth half that here.  It's tiny and the neighborhood looks awful.

So, anyone think T&C bought a boxcar full of those Moroccan tiles at an amazing discount?  Those things are becoming Christina's new subway tile.  Not to worry, though, looks like she found some brown subway tiles to use in the bathrooms.  Reminds me of the restroom in the Greyhound station around 1977.

Edited by doodlebug
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On ‎8‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 10:28 PM, auntjess said:

Yes, I had one, but that house was built in 1964.  It also had a yellow & brown master bath, and gray and white one.

You had a "master" bath, fancy <G>.  Our house was built around 1955, basic Cape Cod, one bath, 2 bedrooms.    Of course in the 1960's my mother covered the real wood flooring with wall to wall carpet (hey, at least it wasn't a shag carpet!).

Like everyone else, I eye-rolled the "pretty" grey, but also that she referred to using that color as an accent wall.  Huh?  Grey as the accent color?!  I hate the flooring they do, especially the grey tones.  Do something basic for once.  The worst is that because it's generally a laminate or at best an engineered hardwood, the buyers won't be able to sand and refinish.  If they want to change the color, they need to reinstall.

I can't remember the house, but there was one recently where Christina fell in love with a sort of 3D tile (wasn't really 3d exactly but the center was indented kinda?).  She said it was an updated look for subway tile.  All I could think of was that it would be virtually impossible to clean. 

I had read about the TX flippers/designers being annoyed that people were renting out their houses, but hey, once you get paid, the homeowners can do what they want.  It's like the Minnesota (or is it Detroit?) restoration woman who inserts clauses in the sales contracts about the buyers keeping the exact look of the home, always having an American flag out, etc.  And supposedly she drives around to see the houses and complain if things aren't as she left them.  Hey, they bought they house, it's their business what they do with it!

 

Of course, the painting industry is helping none of us, the official "color of the year" for 2017 is, wait for it, Poised Taupe.  Lord knows why it's "poised."

2017 Color of the Year

Sherwin-Williams doesn’t usually like to play color favorites, but in this case we can’t resist. The color we anticipate defining 2017 is Poised Taupe. Here’s why: This timeless neutral is modern, classic and a beautiful balance of warm and cool.

The 2016 industry shows revealed a surprising transition from grey to taupe. Both contract and consumer color / products have been focused on grey as THE key neutral – although grey is still important, we have seen a significant shift in materials and finish color to warmer, taupe-ier expressions of neutral.

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/inspiration/color-forecast/2017-color-forecast/color-of-the-year/

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19 minutes ago, Mrs peel said:

You had a "master" bath, fancy <G>. 

Yes.  My folks had the master bath, and the ones of that era were a bonus, "hey it's just a shower, sink, and toilet, but you don't have stand in line with the kids."

None of this spa-like retreat crap.
House was a 5 br 3/b split foyer.
Brick.

And why do they have to cover up brick or stone, exterior and fireplace.
I like brick.
 

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They got rid of all the trees. Are trees bad? Why remove the shade giving mature trees and replace them with mulch and a tiny tree? It's interesting too to see all of the pictures of the rooms right next to each other. That house is so blah and gray. I know that's how Christina rolls, but I never realized just how colorless everything is until I saw it all laid out in one place. Does she even know that other colors exist?

Edited by KAOS Agent
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And after flip

Is that really the exterior paint color?  The grey inside is one thing, but that exterior looks like stucco that is only at the brown coat stage.

My parents' next-door neighbors recently renovated their home with a grey exterior, and it looks great; I don't automatically hate a grey house.  That El Monte house, however, looks like ass from the outside.  Even for El Monte.

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Oh wow, I was looking at the listing linked above on Zillow, and it says the house previously sold in March 2016 for $310K. I wonder how that affects the perception of the potential buyers, knowing the sellers bought it for $310 and are listing it for $579K. I'm not sure how I would feel about that. I guess, maybe it wouldn't matter, if you're looking at other homes in that price range and this is the nicest one. Still it would make me wonder what the hell was wrong with it that they got it that cheap.

Well, that was T & C's price, given the timeline, I'm sure and they typically buy run down properties and make them "pretty" albeit boring as all get out (to my eyes).  So, you can be pretty sure it was all their standard problems prior to repairing & listing.

Also, the link shows it has a pending offer already so it must be hitting the right note with buyers.  

Oh hey, putting up a giant flat screen tv in your back yard in Southern California is a fantastic idea! First of all, it never, ever rains or hails in Southern California, so your tv is in no danger. Second, it's not like you'll have any close neighbors nearby who could possibly be annoyed by your blaring tv. Finally, as we all know, there are no thieves in Southern California and so your tv is perfectly safe and will remain outside in your yard as long as you want it there.

Seriously, wtf were they thinking???

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3 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

it's no more annoying than outdoor stereo equipment like my next door neighbor has by her pool, bless her heart. I'd pay someone to steal it if I thought I could get away with it.

My young neighbors next door like to blare their C & W music, which to me is no better than nails on a chalkboard.  I'd almost rather listen to the guns being shot off at the shooting range nearby at 7 am on a Sunday.  Almost. 

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Outdoor TVs are big now. A lot of people have them in their covered patios. I've been to a Yard House where they have a bunch  of them in the patio dining area and they are exposed where if it rained, they'd get wet. I don't understand how the TVs don't get ruined.

Since the link I posted was an on air open house, we should be seeing this episode. So, we all have to remember the El Monte house!

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I don't understand how the TVs don't get ruined.

They are specially made outdoor TVs - I don't know what they do to them to make them water/weatherproof, but it's a thing.  (I'm guessing there's a limit to how weatherproof they are - the only ones I've seen "in the wild" are at outdoor bars where they show various sports, but I've noticed that, while they do leave them outside, they don't leave them outside in the winter, so perhaps they are susceptible to temperature extremes?)

On 8/30/2016 at 4:58 PM, jabinlbc said:

We are in a drought here in SoCal, so green lawns are frowned upon...El Monte is not a great area, but any single family home in this area is easily at least $500K.

I see they did those awful weathered grey wood floors.  Ugh.

That's so funny because those are my absolute favorite floors.  I think they're gorgeous.

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22 hours ago, Peanutbuttercup said:

Oh hey, putting up a giant flat screen tv in your back yard in Southern California is a fantastic idea! First of all, it never, ever rains or hails in Southern California, so your tv is in no danger. Second, it's not like you'll have any close neighbors nearby who could possibly be annoyed by your blaring tv. Finally, as we all know, there are no thieves in Southern California and so your tv is perfectly safe and will remain outside in your yard as long as you want it there.

Seriously, wtf were they thinking???

I thought you were serious, until I got the part with no close neighbors.  Lol

5 hours ago, Reddust said:

Anyone else wonder if the kids will eventually be called Bray and Tay?

Oh, for sure. They already call Taylor "Tay-Tay." I don't know if they've shortened Brayden yet. But the opening scene was my favorite part of this episode. Watching Brayden go to town on that orange slice was hilarious. He even grabbed his mom's hand at one point so he'd have a better angle to take a bite.  And I rewound the episode several times to try to figure out what Taylor did when she walked over to Christina and Brayden--did she try to bite an orange slice, bite Brayden's hand, or was she trying to kiss his stomach? I couldn't figure it out. 

A few things about this Long Beach episode.

--Overall, I liked the improvements they made to the outside of the house and in the entrance. Once they were done, it looked like a fancier, much more attractive and modern home. 

--For once, I didn't like Christina's design choices inside the house. I didn't like the cement counter tops in the kitchen, and I didn't like the blue and white tile back splash. It looked too much like swimming pool tile to me. And those black and white tiles with crosses that she insisted on installing throughout the house and backyard?  Those things were straight-up fugly. 

--And WTF is up with creating almost the exact same backyard that they did last week? Fire pit, barbecue grill, fountain, bar, and outdoor TV. It seems like the landscape engineer is using Flip or Flop to advertise his outdoor design skills.  Sure, the backyard looks nice, but it is a completely non-functional space for for families with children and/or dogs--which seems to be most families. On House Hunters, anyway. In fact, everyone who came the open house had small children or teenagers. Children want backyards to play ball in or simply to run around. At the very least, dog owners want a fenced backyard for their dogs to pee and poop.  I know SoCal is in the midst of a terrible drought, but there are alternatives to sod: for example, T & C could've installed a rubber type outdoor Sports floor--it's become popular in recent years as an alternative to asphalt or cement: you can bounce a basketball on it or run on it with minimal risk for injury. 

--And I liked Tarek's anxiety about picking a stain color for the outdoor floor. He could feel Christina's disapproving eyes on him--and so did I. 

Looking at this backyard, was anyone else extremely distracted by the view of all the back walls and roofs of the neighboring homes and power/phone lines? I know that this is an oasis kind of back yard; and if you live in that concentrated an area, it's a great thing to have. I just think the camera crew could have better cropped the views of the back yard. 

Also didn't like any of the decorative tile; it looked kind of trashy to me.  I would rather have seen all they did to the interesting house than the silliness of that back yard. 

Edited by mojito
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  • Love 1

I hated those busy tiles they put in throughout the house. Christina is allergic to color, so everything must be as bland as possible, but crazy busy tile is A-OK in her book. I don't get that. It's max $50 to repaint a room in a color you like, re-tiling that fireplace would cost a hell of a lot more. I'm sure they'll find a buyer who loves something like that, but why paint to appeal to everyone and then use tile that a lot of people wouldn't necessarily like?

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Do they not have mosquitoes and gnats in SoCal?  Spiders? Not even no-see-ums? Because I could not comfortably watch TV outdoors at night with any kind of bug flying, creeping or crawling around near me.

Also not a big fan of using the same freakin' tile inside and out.  In kitchen, in bathroom, on fireplace, on patio, on outdoor bar, on fire pit, on water feature. Who cares if it ties into the house?  

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Do they not have mosquitoes and gnats in SoCal?  Spiders? Not even no-see-ums? Because I could not comfortably watch TV outdoors at night with any kind of bug flying, creeping or crawling around near me.

What kind of after-dark critters you'll get depends on where (with respect to ocean vs. mountains) you are, and you can't sit outside anywhere here completely free of bugs, no, but we're not so plagued by invaders you can't comfortably spend an evening outside (unlike, say, Florida, where you're a prisoner in your own home - or enclosed outdoor space - for months of the year).  If you're not comfortable with any kind of bug near you unless you can see it and run away/kill it, you can't be outside anywhere after dark.  If you want someplace you can be pretty well blissed out in your ignorance of what bugs are around you when you can't see them, So Cal is generally a good area to be -- you won't wind up covered in bites or anything like that.  The availability of indoor/outdoor living most of the year (largely because of weather, but also because of climate-related bug population) is one of the reasons why many of us put up with the traffic, cost of living, etc.

Edited by Bastet
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Wow - continuity really took a hit this episode. Tarek had a different haircut in every shot. Normally, I don't care for the marine look (buzzed around the parameters, a little length left on top) but it looked kind of good on him. There was also a shot of T&C walking out back with their landscaper which cut to a shot of them discussing the outdoor design with him and they were wearing completely different outfits. I get that they shoot these out of sequence and are doing multiple homes at the same time, but the editing is just getting really haphazard. 

(Continuity was bad last season too, due to Christina's pregnancy. She was at various stages of showing in every episode, as though she were pregnant about ten times; they also kept showing the new baby's room at various stages of readiness, but in reverse order as the episodes were aired.)

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Looking at this backyard, was anyone else extremely distracted by the view of all the back walls and roofs of the neighboring homes and power/phone lines?

Yes, and it struck me that the raised deck was going to elevate them above the level of the fence which was originally meant to give them some privacy.

Didn't like the weird patterned tile with the four-pointed stars in them - looked very Texas to me. One thing I did like was the accent color on the wall facing the front entrance. That was still a weird entrance though.

Backyard was nothing to write home about, could have been any regular episode of Flip or Flop. Not even a spa. 

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LOL I knew it must be a basement - what else could it be? Have T&C honestly never seen a basement before? Come to think of it, I don't remember them doing any previous houses with finished basements. And it is a bit odd to have the basement windows in the front like that. The thing about "codes" and not being able to market the basement as a potential bedroom seems like an awfully easy thing to get around. Just stage it to look like it could be a bedroom and then let the buyers figure it out. Maybe they can't legally list the house as a five bedroom, but once someone buys the house they can use that room for whatever the hell they want and there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it.

Edited by iMonrey
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I liked this yard with the big deck better than last week's.  All I could think of with the fire pit, the putting green, yadda yadda, was how much work it was going to be to take care of all the elements of that back yard.  Maybe if you're paying $1.2M for your house you have disposable income for someone to manage all that, but your average HO after cleaning their house's interior doesn't really want to do much more than mow, trim a few hedges once in a while, and maybe hose off a deck. 

2 hours ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

"OMG!   Whatever can this strange house be with windows on the ground!!??   Could it be the ultra rare and unheard of split level??"    

I totally thought the same thing--who says this show isn't scripted?  They can't possibly be that stupid; some production person invented drama to go into the commercial break.  Speaking of which, seems like they've upped the product placement, too.  Closeups of the paint cans and surfing for staging furniture with big shots of the tags, followed by actual commercials for said sponsors.

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Looks like the Joss&Main division of Wayfair has a promotional deal with HGTV. They've previously featured items seen on one of the beachy shows, I think it was Beachfront Bargain Hunt, and now it's FoF.

Those stupid outdoor tvs just seem like another way to annoy the neighbors; I would not want to be subjected to someone else's viewing habits. Whatever happened to "quiet enjoyment" of one's property?

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7 hours ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

"OMG!   Whatever can this strange house be with windows on the ground!!??   Could it be the ultra rare and unheard of split level??"    

Seriously? Had they never heard of or seen a basement? I couldn't believe how they were going on and on about it. Are basements an anomaly in California? Is it just a northeast thing? I wasn't terribly impressed with the inside or outside. It was a "flop" to me.

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Basements are extremely rare in California.  I've only ever seen one house with a basement and I've lived here since 1968 (yes, I am old).  Earthquakes, the types of soil, and prevalence of termites are the main reasons not to put in basements.  We have crawl spaces.  (It's my big pet peeve about Modern Family that they have Haley living in the basement when previously it was a crawl space.)

 Makes you really drop your jaws at the home prices, doesn't it? :-)

I agree with whoever was commenting about using the same tile throughout the house.  I would find it a little creepy to have the same tile in my bathroom and in the kitchen.  Not to mention scattered in random locations throughout the home.  Makes you wonder how cheap they got it and if there might have been some reason why it was so cheap.

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On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 10:47 PM, topanga said:

And those black and white tiles with crosses that she insisted on installing throughout the house and backyard?  Those things were straight-up fugly. 

I was thinking they looked like Alcoa logos, but when I checked, it's US Steel, or Steelers.
Seeing the same tiles in several places would make me think they got a deal on them.
I know grass takes water, but paving the whole damn yard made me think of "they paved paradise and put in a parking lot."
Let a dog or a child have a little grass.

On the basement, I didn't think the ceiling was that low, but the windows obviously weren't proper egress windows.

  • Love 1
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Considering CA is in a drought (and often is), no grass is a good thing. Southern CA folks weigh in.

If you keep it reasonably sized, and take the time to properly select your sod and the type and placement of sprinkler heads and the times at which they run, level out excessive slope to avoid runoff, etc. you can have a lawn that will stay green even with the water restrictions imposed by most cities.  Not a lot of people who didn't do that originally go back and fix it now, so it's largely down to those putting in new lawns -- so T&C could do their research (or, for them, hire landscaping contractors who do) and provide environmentally responsible lawn space.  It's increasingly common to see an overall landscape design that mixes lawn, drought-tolerant plants, and hardscape.  (And sometimes artificial turf, but that comes with its own negative environmental impact, and used to be banned in many municipalities before such bans were themselves banned, so it isn't as favored.)

Edited by Bastet
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On ‎9‎/‎2‎/‎2016 at 11:27 PM, ByaNose said:

I hate that large tile. It looks Moroccan or something. I've seen a lot this tile for years on HGTV. I've never liked it. I guess I'm more into the shiny or rustic looking tile. I also agree that "tying it altogether" isn't always a good thing. 

I agree with others who think that using the same tiles throughout looks like they got them at a discount and decided to take the cheapest option.  All the potential buyers who walk through and proclaim how fabulous it is that all the rooms are 'tied together' by the use of the same tile, flooring, cabinets and counter tops are plants, IMO.  Sure, keep the colors consistent as well as the style; but using the same stuff in every room and the yard doesn't look anything but cheap to me.

Apparently, it also doesn't appeal to T&C who have posted many photos of the remodel they did on their new home.  It looks awful to me, all black and gray ( you know, the 'pretty' shades), but the flooring, tile and counters are decidedly different from room to room.

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14 hours ago, chessiegal said:

That's "Masters of Flip". They already aired at least 1 episode. HGTV wouldn't be doing so many flipping shows if they weren't getting good ratings. I recorded a new show Friday at 11 pm called "Desert Flippers" - a couple flipping houses in the southwest.

I watched "Masters of Flip" a few months ago. Maybe on DIY, I can't remember which network. Anyway, I loathed it. It was an hour long, and it would have been awful at 30 minutes. An hour was ridiculous. I can't stand either the husband or wife. They are IMO pretentious asshats who seem to be legends in their own minds. There was nothing interesting or entertaining to me in watching them emote for the show. Didn't even find the houses interesting. 

OTOH, I really enjoy Nashville Flipped - and I hope they come out with more episodes. The flipper is engaging, I love his approach to the houses, and most of the end results, and his designer can get a little screechy but I like her generally.

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On 8/26/2016 at 3:58 PM, Honey said:

 

It's so funny I just can't hear Christina's vocal fry, and I'm someone who gets really annoyed when I hear it.

Maybe because there's actually nothing wrong with the way she talks. "Vocal fry" is just a common Internet way to talk shit about an attractive young woman. Can't criticize her clothes, her weight or what she says? Decide that she has "vocal fry" and should shut up and go away. No way to win as a woman in the public eye.

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On 9/4/2016 at 5:40 AM, chessiegal said:

That's "Masters of Flip". They already aired at least 1 episode. HGTV wouldn't be doing so many flipping shows if they weren't getting good ratings. I recorded a new show Friday at 11 pm called "Desert Flippers" - a couple flipping houses in the southwest.

I was excited about someone working in Arizona or New Mexico. Was bummed that Desert Flippers is in Palm Springs. No thanks to that. No more California for me, and I despise Palm Springs. 

Edited by azshadowwalker
20 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

Maybe because there's actually nothing wrong with the way she talks. "Vocal fry" is just a common Internet way to talk shit about an attractive young woman. Can't criticize her clothes, her weight or what she says? Decide that she has "vocal fry" and should shut up and go away. No way to win as a woman in the public eye.

I think her voice is harsh and grating, it bugs me.  It's a common thing amongst young women these days, but I find it unpleasant.  I think she could stand a little voice coaching.  I also think she's quite a pretty young woman.  I don't think the fact I find her voice unpleasant has anything to do with her looks.

 

ETA: I thought she looked prettier in the early seasons when she didn't go as heavy on the fake lashes, extensions and makeup, but that's me.  She lives in Southern California where those things are par for the course while I'm a Midwesterner who prefers less artifice.

Edited by doodlebug
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21 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

Maybe because there's actually nothing wrong with the way she talks. "Vocal fry" is just a common Internet way to talk shit about an attractive young woman. Can't criticize her clothes, her weight or what she says? Decide that she has "vocal fry" and should shut up and go away. No way to win as a woman in the public eye.

Hm.  I'd argue that there's no way to win as a PERSON in the public eye, regardless of sex.  Forums like this make me glad that I'm a boring not-on-TV person!

I really try not to over-apply the vocal fry criticism. For one thing, I am pretty sure I engage in the practice myself from time to time! But I'm also aware that it is an issue that IS disproportionately identified and criticized in young women. Once that double standard was pointed out to me, I became considerably less rabid on the subject.

But to my ears, Christina's is one of the worst cases of VF I've ever heard. Sometimes the show will cut to her saying a sentence, and I'll turn to my husband and say, "I didn't get a word of that--did you?"  Honestly, some of her THs just sound like "Rwr rwr rwr rwr rwr rwr rwr" to me.  There's a quality to her voice--and I'd argue that it's an objectively measurable quality--that sometimes interferes with my ability to hear her effectively.  And yes, I find that annoying, but saying so doesn't mean mean that I hate Christina or want her to go away.

It's interesting to me that Christina seems to be such a lightning rod.  I've actually been accused of being jealous of her in the past.

Edited by Portia
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Maybe because there's actually nothing wrong with the way she talks. "Vocal fry" is just a common Internet way to talk shit about an attractive young woman. Can't criticize her clothes, her weight or what she says? Decide that she has "vocal fry" and should shut up and go away. No way to win as a woman in the public eye.

I've been wondering just what "vocal fry" is supposed to mean. It sounds like a description of a raspy voice, like someone who has lost their voice from over-use, or someone who has a cold or is a heavy smoker or something. I have never detected anything unusual about Christina's voice.

She's a bit of a valley girl, and she has an over reliance on the adjective "super" when describing things ("It's super cute, I'm super excited," etc.), but there's nothing particularly objectionable about the pitch or tone of her voice that I can tell. Her vocabulary could use some expanding but her voice seems OK.

  • Love 4

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