Flip Or Flop - General Discussion

[topanga]

3 hours ago, LizDC said:

It’s  my fault. I just couldn’t turn away from the car wreck. The flips are actually okay. Boring, but okay. The divorce stuff kills me. But still I persist...

[iMonrey]

OK who really thinks a camera crew just happened to be following Tarek and Izzy around when Christina called about a new house? I mean . . . why do they keep doing this? It's so dumb it's actually insulting to the audience. How stupid do they think we are?

I actually liked the stone fireplace in the Whittier house. I know they have to rip everything out that isn't white and marble but they could have redone the entire house and kept that same stone fireplace and it would have looked just fine, especially if you designed around it. They would have saved a ton of money too.

Ick on the brass hardware in the kitchen but LOL at the rather obviously gay kid commenting that it was an "interesting choice." Future HGTV design star in the making. And good grief . . . when that couple walked in with a baby I swore for a second their baby was dead the way it was just sort of lying all limp in that woman's arms. Freaked me out.

[Broderbits]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I actually liked the stone fireplace in the Whittier house. I know they have to rip everything out that isn't white and marble but they could have redone the entire house and kept that same stone fireplace and it would have looked just fine, especially if you designed around it.

I love a stone fireplace but thought that one was just hideous. My first house had a beautiful surround made from stones found on the property, a very warm and natural look. That one last night was so dated and would not have appealed to buyers at all.

[ByaNose]

Gold fixtures with stainless appliances don’t go together at all. IMO!!!

[mousegirl]

Yahoo News had a headline yesterday saying T & C are starting to film an 8th season of Flip or Flop.

I'll probably record the new season's episodes.  I will watch the beginning, so I can see how awful the house is to start with, and then gleefully fast-forward until I get to the reveal eye candy/open house/"we-stand-to-make-a-profit-of"/finish.   Forget the rest - not worth a moment of my attention.

Edited August 11, 2018 by mousegirl

[DVDFreaker]

16 hours ago, mousegirl said:

Yahoo News had a headline yesterday saying T & C are starting to film an 8th season of Flip or Flop.

I'll probably record the new season's episodes.  I will watch the beginning, so I can see how awful the house is to start with, and then gleefully fast-forward until I get to the reveal eye candy/open house/"we-stand-to-make-a-profit-of"/finish.   Forget the rest - not worth a moment of my attention.

Well, I thought Flip or Flop is going to be canceled since Christina is starting her new show but I guess I was wrong but they need to stop arguing about stupid shit that has nothing to do with the show 

[mojito]

Quote

Gold fixtures with stainless appliances don’t go together at all. IMO!!!

I thought the same thing. Gold(en) stoves, dishwashers, and 'fridges should be on the horizon.

Again, dumb comments from the potential customers. One guy claimed that the gray and white went so well together. Man, does he have an artistic eye. Someone else was crafty enough to recognize that the floors and fireplace shelves were color-coordinated. Funny, Christine said the same thing!

[Kenzie]

I'm beginning to think I'm the only person in America that's doesn't like the great room/kitchen combo. The last thing I want my company to see when they walk in is my kitchen. A kitchen out of view of the front door that opens to the family room - fine. But I really don't want my fridge 4' away from my living room couch.

 

I have a roomy galley style kitchen that opens on one end to the kitchenette and to the formal dining at the other. Come into my house and you'll have to make a long left and then a right before you see a sink or a trash can. 

[Mollysmom]

On 7/10/2018 at 1:21 PM, iMonrey said:

You're right but . . . the rest of the house is also mostly gray everywhere. Christina really hates color doesn't she? Even the baby's room is a wash of brown and gray earth tones. 

My house is mostly gray also. I love it. To me it's much better than boring tan and beige that everyone seems to want. You can pair gray with any other color. ANY color. It is way more versatile than tan. 

[Percysowner]

7 hours ago, Kenzie said:

I'm beginning to think I'm the only person in America that's doesn't like the great room/kitchen combo. The last thing I want my company to see when they walk in is my kitchen. A kitchen out of view of the front door that opens to the family room - fine. But I really don't want my fridge 4' away from my living room couch.

 

I have a roomy galley style kitchen that opens on one end to the kitchenette and to the formal dining at the other. Come into my house and you'll have to make a long left and then a right before you see a sink or a trash can. 

You are not the only one to hate open concept. A writer named Kate Wagner just wrote The Case for Rooms

She also runs a wonderful blog McMansion Hell which critiques the huge, overpriced McMansions in America. I would love for her to critique some of Tarek and Christina's remodels, because I think she'd be hilarious about them. Sadly, it wouldn't pass the copyright test.

[Kenzie]

On 8/12/2018 at 9:01 AM, Percysowner said:

You are not the only one to hate open concept. A writer named Kate Wagner just wrote The Case for Rooms

She also runs a wonderful blog McMansion Hell which critiques the huge, overpriced McMansions in America. I would love for her to critique some of Tarek and Christina's remodels, because I think she'd be hilarious about them. Sadly, it wouldn't pass the copyright test.

Thank you. That was a very interesting article.

[Rabbittron]

On 8/10/2018 at 7:11 PM, mousegirl said:

 

I'll probably record the new season's episodes.  I will watch the beginning, so I can see how awful the house is to start with, and then gleefully fast-forward until I get to the reveal eye candy/open house/"we-stand-to-make-a-profit-of"/finish.   Forget the rest - not worth a moment of my attention.

 that is the only way to watch the show

[suzsqueak]

On 8/3/2018 at 7:22 PM, ByaNose said:

This was one of their uglier flips. I don’t care for the kitchen cabinets but the white countertop balanced it out somewhat. I hated the herringbone tri color tile in the bathrooms. They were horrible colors. The backyard firepit. WTF? The pool was nice but the fake turf was dumb. It probably saved them money rather than using concrete, stones or having it landscaped. I guess a profit is a profit. 

It was a heartbreakingly bad remodel. Mr. Squeak and I went to see it when it was on the market, because it was in one of the two neighborhoods in Santa Ana we really wanted to buy in. It looked like it was a Cliff May designed home which was what grabbed us. I have never seen such terrible construction though. The chimney's mortar was coming out in chunks the size of my hand, there was terrible rot in the rafters that they had just painted over and my favorite part was the SPRAY PAINTED IVY on the back fence. The pool had huge cracks in it, and we weren't willing to invest another 50-100k to fix the house with the way it was done. We were bummed because we love that neighborhood, but we won't even look at a house if the El Moussa company has touched it. 

[doodlebug]

5 hours ago, suzsqueak said:

It was a heartbreakingly bad remodel. Mr. Squeak and I went to see it when it was on the market, because it was in one of the two neighborhoods in Santa Ana we really wanted to buy in. It looked like it was a Cliff May designed home which was what grabbed us. I have never seen such terrible construction though. The chimney's mortar was coming out in chunks the size of my hand, there was terrible rot in the rafters that they had just painted over and my favorite part was the SPRAY PAINTED IVY on the back fence. The pool had huge cracks in it, and we weren't willing to invest another 50-100k to fix the house with the way it was done. We were bummed because we love that neighborhood, but we won't even look at a house if the El Moussa company has touched it. 

Thanks for the insider info!

[topanga]

7 hours ago, suzsqueak said:

It was a heartbreakingly bad remodel. Mr. Squeak and I went to see it when it was on the market, because it was in one of the two neighborhoods in Santa Ana we really wanted to buy in. It looked like it was a Cliff May designed home which was what grabbed us. I have never seen such terrible construction though. The chimney's mortar was coming out in chunks the size of my hand, there was terrible rot in the rafters that they had just painted over and my favorite part was the SPRAY PAINTED IVY on the back fence. The pool had huge cracks in it, and we weren't willing to invest another 50-100k to fix the house with the way it was done. We were bummed because we love that neighborhood, but we won't even look at a house if the El Moussa company has touched it. 

That’s hilarious—and awful. And to think, Christina is always talking about wanting to spend money to impress buyers. Clearly, she meant buyers who don’t care about quality work. 

[doodlebug]

11 hours ago, topanga said:

That’s hilarious—and awful. And to think, Christina is always talking about wanting to spend money to impress buyers. Clearly, she meant buyers who don’t care about quality work. 

I guess it just shows how ridiculous the housing market is in California that sellers can get top dollar for shoddy work.  Of course, we've seen Tarek pretend to set tile on the show and he is laughably bad at it; so I guess this isn't much of a surprise.

[sarthaz]

I've been watching a lot of "Desert Flippers" lately, and it just reinforces how much I dislike "Flip of Flip" at this point. Whether it's just clever editing or not, Eric and Lindsey suit up and do a lot of work themselves, they're perpetually on-site together, and they don't bicker. Even at its best, "Flip or Flop" couldn't deliver those things. I think I probably only watched just to see how ridiculous Christina looked when she finally graced the property with her presence. There's no way to know what's real and what's not, but I'd much rather watch Chip and Joanna goof off or Eric and Lindsey work together than whatever "Flip or Flop" is now. It's disheartening that the ratings appear to have gone up and we're stuck with this crap now.

[sarthaz]

On 8/12/2018 at 12:01 PM, Percysowner said:

You are not the only one to hate open concept. A writer named Kate Wagner just wrote The Case for Rooms

She also runs a wonderful blog McMansion Hell which critiques the huge, overpriced McMansions in America. I would love for her to critique some of Tarek and Christina's remodels, because I think she'd be hilarious about them. Sadly, it wouldn't pass the copyright test.

Oh my ... a "mess kitchen". I like "open-concept", not because I'm pretentious about "entertaining", but because our family cooks together and spends a lot of time in the kitchen, and I like that my son can be playing in the living room while my daughter is doing homework at the table and I'm in the kitchen and we're all basically together. I really couldn't care less what guests think about it. But when we do have people over, they gather in the kitchen no matter where I try to put them, so the more it opens to other living spaces, the better things work. But a "mess kitchen". Wow.

[WarnerCL45]

On 14/08/2018 at 3:36 PM, suzsqueak said:

It was a heartbreakingly bad remodel. Mr. Squeak and I went to see it when it was on the market, because it was in one of the two neighborhoods in Santa Ana we really wanted to buy in. It looked like it was a Cliff May designed home which was what grabbed us. I have never seen such terrible construction though. The chimney's mortar was coming out in chunks the size of my hand, there was terrible rot in the rafters that they had just painted over and my favorite part was the SPRAY PAINTED IVY on the back fence. The pool had huge cracks in it, and we weren't willing to invest another 50-100k to fix the house with the way it was done. We were bummed because we love that neighborhood, but we won't even look at a house if the El Moussa company has touched it. 

I've often wondered how they really looked (without the editing).  They seem to spend a fair amount, if they're being honest, but maybe they should concentrate on the bones of the house rather than herringbone tiles.  The designs are not really my taste, anyway.   

Edited August 15, 2018 by WarnerCL45

[Mu Shu]

On 8/11/2018 at 11:19 PM, mojito said:

I thought the same thing. Gold(en) stoves, dishwashers, and 'fridges should be on the horizon.

Again, dumb comments from the potential customers. One guy claimed that the gray and white went so well together. Man, does he have an artistic eye. Someone else was crafty enough to recognize that the floors and fireplace shelves were color-coordinated. Funny, Christine said the same thing!

The worst part of the show to me is the inane comments from “buyers “.

”Oh look.  Fresh... flowers”.

”I really like the color of the door”

”it feels like a spa “ ( from a 12 yo boy) and he said it two fucking times!

”I really like these bushes”

”I like the way they tied the kitchen tile into the bathroom “ ie, they scored an extra flat of tile.

and my most hated one of all-“It looks like a little dahhl house”. Something about the way she says doll grinds my gears.

i also get irritated at the stagers, looking like they are performing surgery or going to Mars or something.  Just the name Identity home Staging enrages me.  

[mojito]

Prospective buyers from 8/16 episode:

"Look at the color of the tree."

"Oh my."

"That sets off the color of that house really nicely."

Not the flowers on the tree that match the color of the house. The. green. leaves.

The house is not staged until a pillow gets a karate chop.

I like seeing this version of Tarek and Christina. On the surface, it looks as though he has acquired her taste and they agree nicely with each other's choices.

[iMonrey]

Good Lord, I am so over Christina showing up in her inappropriate designer outfits. I get that she's on TV but this is supposed to be a remodeling show, not a modeling show. In the first segment she's wearing this ridiculous black and white polka-dotted pantsuit/onesie thing that looked like something Twiggy would have worn on the runway in the 1960s. Then in the next segment she's got on an off-the-shoulder, floor length gown and giant hoop earrings. WTF. Was she on her way to the Oscars? Then when she and Tarek were walking up to the house in the final segment, the camera zoomed in on her expensive designer shoes. 

It's really like she's auditioning for some other show. They're putting more money into Christina's wardrobe than the homes they're flipping.

[Mu Shu]

5 hours ago, mojito said:

Prospective buyers from 8/16 episode:

"Look at the color of the tree."

"Oh my."

"That sets off the color of that house really nicely."

Not the flowers on the tree that match the color of the house. The. green. leaves.

The house is not staged until a pillow gets a karate chop.

I like seeing this version of Tarek and Christina. On the surface, it looks as though he has acquired her taste and they agree nicely with each other's choices.

Oh my god.  I just came her to post that about the tree!  I swear it was the same yutz who commented on the “Daahlhouse”

[ByaNose]

I actually liked the kitchen. It was a nice change from the white shaker cabinets. I liked the wall paper, too. I’m not even a wallpaper person. The updated tile in the bathrooms was nice and what's old really is new. The updated landscaping was a big improvement. I’m not sure if the smaller master closet would deter buyers or not. Obviously, someone bought it so I guess they weren’t too upset by it. Overall, it was a nice flip.

[CrazyInAlabama]

That's shocking about the Cliff May house.    My question is if there are that many obvious defects, then I wonder how many more there are that are hidden?    

I can't believe that HGTV signed these two for another season, and added one for Christina doing her beach house in grey/white, and glitz.     I'm not signing up for that season with my DVR. 

Edited August 22, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[DVDFreaker]

Christina is stuck in Hawaii with her kids and her boyfriend and his kids so I hope they are all will be okay

[DVDFreaker]

18 hours ago, Pegasaurus said:

Desert Flippers is now my favorite.  Eric & Lindsay are refreshing to watch.  They do a great job with some pretty challenging properties.  Lindsay is not afraid to look "normal" while working on the site. Then she glams up at the very end.  She's very pretty.  Love Eric's corny comments; he's funny without going over the top and acting stupid (sorry, but looking at you, Chip).  Anyway, the Bennet's are talented and likable.   I hope this show doesn't send them down the same path as those El Moussa people.  

I wonder why Lindsay's brother, Uncle Mike, isn't on the show this season.  

Here is what Lindsey said about her uncle not being on the show this season:

Lindsey: When this whole thing started, uncle Mike lived with us. He helped us with the kids and he helped me go in when we were doing one at a time and I needed to do a Hail Mary flooring, like we need to get this floor done. He and I would knock it out overnight.  So he’s always been a come-in-and-help-us-as-we-need. But as we were taking on more, doing bigger things, we needed licensed people so it basically came to that. And we need multiple (contractors). Uncle Mike is still around, he’s helping me more on the back end.

Edited August 23, 2018 by DVDFreaker

[Frost]

WTH is with Christina's teeth!  They're not just 'whitened'.  They look like they glow in the dark.  I do a double take every time she smiles.  The teeth go beyond fake.

Their relationship on screen is so awkward.  Poor Izzy having to stand there while they snipe and roll their eyes at each other.  Who thought it was a good idea to keep this show on?

[CrazyInAlabama]

Bizarre fact, but if you over whiten teeth, then they actually can turn blue.    Also, some veneers look like that, super white, and like chicklets.    My guess is she's addicted to tooth whitening, and doesn't know when to stop.   And if you whiten teeth too much with the bleach and other professional methods, you can end up with sensitive teeth.         I'm guessing there's a lot of botox, and spray tans involved too.     I bet poor Izzy wants to chase both of them with a nail gun.    Of course, being on a national TV show, and being shown as the professional contractor probably is wonderful for his business.   

The reason Christina got stuck in Hawaii is she failed to leave early enough to allow for traffic, and so now Christina, the boyfriend, and four kids are stuck.     Apparently the boyfriend got Christina and her kids out on a later flight, I guess that means someone got a big bribe.    Then the boyfriend and his kids got out on another flight, so I guess another bribe.

 

I love Desert Flippers.   It's what Flip or Flop claimed to be at the beginning, but Desert Flippers seem to be the real deal, and the Palms Springs houses are so varied that it's more interesting to me.    Thanks for finding out what happened to Uncle Mike, I missed him.      

Edited August 26, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[iMonrey]

Quote

Their relationship on screen is so awkward.  Poor Izzy having to stand there while they snipe and roll their eyes at each other.  Who thought it was a good idea to keep this show on?

HGTV apparently did and the ratings are still good so as long as they can make money off it they'll keep it on the air. Offhand, my guess would be that initially there's a train-wreck fascination with the show since their very public divorce was splashed all over the tabloids. Hopefully that wears off soon. My issue is that the bickering sounds (mostly) phony and staged, so I don't think Izzy is suffering from anything worse than boredom or embarrassment having to stand there and witness Tarek and Christina's half-assed attempts at acting.

I must say, though, that the kitchen in this latest remodel in Anaheim Hills was astounding. That's probably less to do with their design choices than the way the layout was set up with the curved window over the regular windows (I don't know what that's called.)

I had to laugh when Christina was looking at the cabinets and said "I love the color!" Gray. Of course. And technically, gray is not a color. 

[mousegirl]

The bickering in the latest episode was terrible.  I DON'T need to hear or see this.  It spoiled the rest of the show for me.

I think I'll start watching Desert Flippers and slam the door on T&C.  They have officially FLOPPED as far as I'm concerned - and I've been a devoted part of their audience for years.  No more.

Edited August 25, 2018 by mousegirl

[CrazyInAlabama]

I wonder if the people who bought that house from the first season or two, that kept having break-ins, and supposedly had someone in the house when they went in (you know that was recreated when Tarek didn't call the police when the 'intruder' walked away from the house), were shocked to see that their house in a bad neighborhood, and T & C thought a privacy fence would stop the break-ins?   

Since there is more on Tuesday that I watch, I DVR Desert Flippers, and watch it when T & C are bickering, and posing.    

Edited August 30, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[jcbrown]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

...T & C thought a privacy fence would stop the break-ins?   

Wouldn't a privacy fence potentially exacerbate the break-ins, because it would shield the house from view? Am I over-thinking this? (Or perhaps, compared to T&C, thinking this?)

I have not seen a new episode in a few weeks, which is okay. I have switched allegiances to Desert Flippers, as well. No interpersonal drama, no stupid outfits, interesting properties.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, that's what I think about privacy fences too, and they usually combine them with big sliders, so all you do is wear work clothes, carry a clipboard, wear a ball cap, and walk right in the back yard, and then you're in the house in seconds.    I think that house actually had a chain link fence on the back anyway, if I remember it correctly (and I haven't watched that one in a while, maybe not). 

 I've heard of burglars that did that, watched you leave the house, and they open the slider, or break in the back door, and then the crew shows up, they load everything into the garage, load up a generic looking moving truck, and you can be cleaned out in an hour.    Then, they come back in a month or so, after you replaced everything.  

I think that episode illustrated that they used to flip in terrible neighborhoods for the most part.   Now they're mostly fancier neighborhoods, but they weren't always.  

Edited September 2, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[SunnyBeBe]

It's really amazing how these guys seems so normal on their show earlier.  It wasn't until after their troubles hit the media that they both started acting in ways, tweeting, making comments, that made me wonder about them.  Do they really have such poor judgment?  Do they really think their behavior is appropriate?  How in the world did they tolerate each other and put on a front for the cameras? I just find it odd and now, though, I do watch, because I like the flip part, I now see them as quite fake and not necessarily very nice people. 

Edited August 30, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Rabbittron]

 this is a really great episode tonight because I'm playing a game because every other scene Tariq has a beard.

[iMonrey]

When they showed the close-up of the kitchen backsplash I could see a clear separation between the tile that should have been filled in with grout. It looked terrible. Also, when they removed the stone from the fireplace it had plain bricks behinds it. They could have just painted the bricks white and it would have looked fine. No need for the $2000 wood veneer. 

What was up with all the paparazzi footage? Like they're such huge stars now photographers follow them around. Give me a break.

[Rabbittron]

11 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

 

What was up with all the paparazzi footage? Like they're such huge stars now photographers follow them around. Give me a break.

They think they are big stars.

[Gam2]

Yeah, but no. Not now, not ever.

[doodlebug]

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

When they showed the close-up of the kitchen backsplash I could see a clear separation between the tile that should have been filled in with grout. It looked terrible. Also, when they removed the stone from the fireplace it had plain bricks behinds it. They could have just painted the bricks white and it would have looked fine. No need for the $2000 wood veneer. 

What was up with all the paparazzi footage? Like they're such huge stars now photographers follow them around. Give me a break.

I saw the lousy job on the backsplash, too.  A very large gap  that totally disrupted the pattern that the wall of tiles should’ve had.

I remember reading somewhere that Christina, in particular, is a total famewhore and frequently calls the paps herself when she goes out.  I suspect the producers used her to call her usual photographers telling them that they were filming a fight for the show and there would be plenty of juicy photos if they showed.

[ByaNose]

20 hours ago, iMonrey said:

When they showed the close-up of the kitchen backsplash I could see a clear separation between the tile that should have been filled in with grout. It looked terrible. Also, when they removed the stone from the fireplace it had plain bricks behinds it. They could have just painted the bricks white and it would have looked fine. No need for the $2000 wood veneer. 

What was up with all the paparazzi footage? Like they're such huge stars now photographers follow them around. Give me a break.

Wait! Did I write this? LOL!!! I totally saw the separated tile, too. I thought it was just me who would have noticed it. If a person can see this from a video tape (or whatever is used) then surely a person seeing up close at a open house could see it too. It was pretty bad. Also, when I saw the brick fireplace I said to myself, “ Why don’t they just paint the brick white and save money”.  I guess you wouldn’t have a show if Christina didn’t make Tarek carry in large sample of a chevron tile to talk about. Personally, I thought it was mirror that she wanted him to put over the fireplace. LOL!!! In the end, I thought the house was meh and I thought the outside was meh-meh. I didn’t think it was one of their better flips. That said, they supposedly made a huge profit. So what do I know. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I remember reading somewhere that Christina, in particular, is a total famewhore and frequently calls the paps herself when she goes out.  I suspect the producers used her to call her usual photographers telling them that they were filming a fight for the show and there would be plenty of juicy photos if they showed.

Tarek and Christina's "fame" comes more from tabloids than TV though, and HGTV is really trying to exploit their notoriety. Which is pretty gross when you think about it. It's even grosser to think of T&C going along with it considering there are children involved. This is something I'd expect to see on the Bravo channel, not on HGTV. 

[Percysowner]

On 9/1/2018 at 12:22 PM, iMonrey said:

Tarek and Christina's "fame" comes more from tabloids than TV though, and HGTV is really trying to exploit their notoriety. Which is pretty gross when you think about it. It's even grosser to think of T&C going along with it considering there are children involved. This is something I'd expect to see on the Bravo channel, not on HGTV. 

They do seem to be set on keeping the kids out of it. I'll say again, this is what they have been told is necessary to keep their jobs. They are being asked to play out not the divorce of Tarek and Christina, but what HGTV thinks the viewers want to see as the divorce of T&C. People expect divorced exes to be jealous when the ex starts dating, so we get scenes of them being jealous of each other dating, even though they may be long past that point. People expect exes to fight over various things when they divorce and HGTV is giving us the cliched fights that they think people want. Eventually they will cover all the scenarios that are "expected" and (hopefully) move on and go back to flipping.

Hey, the narrative of "Tarek was a designing diamond in the rough, held back by Christina" schitck that has been being pushed all season makes me nuts, but HGTV gave Christina her own show as a designer, so they may think a little Tarek fluffing in in order.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I've noticed that one of the summer episodes during the divorce when they were doing those expensive back yards with fire pits, pools, TVs and outdoor kitchens, and one episode description says something like, 'T & C redo their own pool', and that's not shown at all.    That's because the first big blow up with the police call was C. and the pool contractor (not Jesse by the way, but some older guy, maybe Gary) was not only the person she was texting, but the 'witness' who called the police, and just happened to be working at a nearby house, after redoing T & C's pool.  So I guess he got edited out, and probably isn't a contractor they use any more.   

And I've read that the summer backyard redos were all losers, and were probably subsidized by HGTV or the production company for extra publicity.

I've also stopped believing F & F, and other shows when they say 'we sold during the open house, and made $### profit, because apparently many of those offers don't go through, and some are on the market for a long time, especially on another version of this show in a certain desert location east of LA.  I'm sure a lot of offers never go through, but I'm still skeptical of the claim they sold for a lot in the first three minutes of open houses.   

I also wonder about how happy the homeowner who bought the one that was near the elementary school in one of the early seasons, when the school would be full of cars twice a day.  

Edited September 4, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[Cranky One]

On ‎8‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 7:26 PM, ByaNose said:

Gold fixtures with stainless appliances don’t go together at all. IMO!!!

This is the house with the gold fixtures, right?

From the article "the asking price on the Orange, CA, home fell from $999,000 to $939,900 before a buyer would bite."

It sold for $920K

[Kenzie]

On 8/30/2018 at 6:15 PM, Rabbittron said:

 this is a really great episode tonight because I'm playing a game because every other scene Tariq has a beard.

I think all the paparazzi attention has gone to his head. All black clothes, torn skinny jeans, manicured stubble - he came off as vacuous as Christina in this episode.

[BamaMomRollTide]

Why are the bathroom sink counters so small?

 

and why no dishwashers?

[iMonrey]

Quote

I've also stopped believing F & F, and other shows when they say 'we sold during the open house, and made $### profit, because apparently many of those offers don't go through, and some are on the market for a long time, especially on another version of this show in a certain desert location east of LA.  I'm sure a lot of offers never go through, but I'm still skeptical of the claim they sold for a lot in the first three minutes of open houses. 

What's even more baffling is that T&C themselves admitted the selling prices the show advertises aren't even true. They did one or two "Flip or Flop Follow-Up" seasons where they went back and revealed that they actually lost money on some of the houses that showed a profit at the end of the episode. So, what's the point? 

The cynic in me says HGTV has a vested interest in making people think flipping is almost always profitable because their main sponsors are Lowes and Home Depot.

[mousegirl]

To give T&C credit, I don't think they've ever said at the end of an episode "we sold the house and made this much profit, time to find another house to flip".

Tarek's voice-over always states "we received an offer of (however much), and if this deal goes through, we stand to make a profit of (however much)" - implying that, of course, the sale might not go through as predicted. 

I  remember an early episode where they bought the run-down, rather small house with the huge double lot (I think it was in Buena Park).  They were hoping to build some kind of rental unit at the back of the property to increase the value of the flip, but found out (after purchase) that they couldn't get a permit to do so unless they themselves planned to live on the property.

IIRC, Tarek said at the end that they had definitely flopped on that one - I think they lost $30k on the deal.  Bad Buy!

[iMonrey]

The first big, million dollar flip they did way back in Season 1 or 2 was presented as a successful flip with a big profit. (It was the house where they spent an enormous amount of money on an elaborate wrought-iron double front door, if you remember that one). But when they did a follow-up on that house, it turned out they lost money, not because the deal didn't go through, but because the carrying costs ate up all their profit. 

Yeah, they try to cover themselves by using contingent language but with rare exception (in which case no offers have yet been made) the suggestion is usually a decent to big profit. As with everything else about this show, the true story would probably be far more interesting than the fabricated one they use for TV.