Love It Or List It - General Discussion

[CheshireCat]

12 hours ago, NYGirl said:

Out of all of the shows on HGTV this one has the nastiest participants.  I used to watch religiously until I couldn't take the entitlement and nastiness to Hillary.  Now every so often I'll watch but I usually have to change it.

Same. It was really great at the beginning but once something went wrong with Hillary's renovation in every episode, it became annoying. I'm pretty sure the thing that goes wrong is staged and the homeowners are prepared for the possibility that whatever happens might happen but that's exactly why I hate it. It's predictable and the reaction of the homeowners each and every time is annoying. More often than not, they live in an old house. Old houses have issues.

I'd much prefer if Hillary included what could be lurking behind those walls in her initial talk with the homeowners when she gives them the budget and see the discussions revolving around that. I watch the show to see the new homes and for the renovation because what Hillary manages to do with those homes is more often than not amazing. I don't need the fake drama.

[CruiseDiva]

3 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

I watch the show to see the new homes and for the renovation because what Hillary manages to do with those homes is more often than not amazing. I don't need the fake drama.

Hillary does accomplish a lot despite the whining homeowners. My only fault with her results are that they are so specific to those homeowners that they might be virtually unsellable at the prices quoted after the renovation. I'm thinking of living rooms turned into an elaborate home office/place of business or playrooms with elements that would be difficult to get rid of unless a buyer really needed those spaces for their own small children. No one seems to think of that.

[annzeepark914]

3 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Same. It was really great at the beginning but once something went wrong with Hillary's renovation in every episode, it became annoying. I'm pretty sure the thing that goes wrong is staged and the homeowners are prepared for the possibility that whatever happens might happen but that's exactly why I hate it. It's predictable and the reaction of the homeowners each and every time is annoying. More often than not, they live in an old house. Old houses have issues.

I'd much prefer if Hillary included what could be lurking behind those walls in her initial talk with the homeowners when she gives them the budget and see the discussions revolving around that. I watch the show to see the new homes and for the renovation because what Hillary manages to do with those homes is more often than not amazing. I don't need the fake drama.

If I were a homeowner on this show and was told to add to the drama by acting like a jerk, I'd refuse. IMO, some of these people aren't acting...they really are obnoxious. Quite a few of the homeowners are truly grateful for the help, thank goodness. But, yeah...why throw a hissy fit when Hilary's crew find potentially dangerous things happening in your house.

[NYGirl]

This is why I loved Love it or List it Too.  First of all the scenery was breathtaking in Vancouver.  I think I loved every single house I saw on there.  Also the participants were not nasty or obnoxious.  I miss that show.

I do have to admit that Hillary does beautiful work though.  I love that she doesn't put those stupid floating shelves in the kitchen.

Edited May 11, 2021 by NYGirl

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, NYGirl said:

I do have to admit that Hillary does beautiful work though.  I love that she doesn't put those stupid floating shelves in the kitchen.

Does she though? I don't see any difference between her "designs" and what nearly every other HGTV personality does.

[CheshireCat]

2 hours ago, NYGirl said:

I do have to admit that Hillary does beautiful work though.  I love that she doesn't put those stupid floating shelves in the kitchen.

Those things are so not practical. First of all, things have to always look neat and organized and second, once you've gone on vacation, you have to clean all your dishes because they just sat there for so long.

 

6 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

Hillary does accomplish a lot despite the whining homeowners. My only fault with her results are that they are so specific to those homeowners that they might be virtually unsellable at the prices quoted after the renovation. I'm thinking of living rooms turned into an elaborate home office/place of business or playrooms with elements that would be difficult to get rid of unless a buyer really needed those spaces for their own small children. No one seems to think of that.

Sometimes I wonder if Hillary and David know what the homeowners are leaning towards. Adding space is almost always not possible, for example. And if you need more space then it's likely you'll want to try and sell the house. There are also homeowners who go on and on and on about why their house doesn't work and even though Hillary wasn't able to do a so-called key thing from their list, they still end up staying. Almost as if they didn't want it in the first place and just needed the things that go done to get done to stay.

[NYGirl]

I saw a Home Town rerun today and they put up dish stands in windows.   They had slots to put dishes in.  I had never seen anything like that before.  I think it may have floating shelves beat.

[Grrarrggh]

2 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Sometimes I wonder if Hillary and David know what the homeowners are leaning towards. 

I'm guessing they totally know considering it's been proven that the owners film themselves saying that they'll love it AND that they'll list it.

[NYGirl]

I remember one I saw a couple of years ago where the idiot homeowner wanted a skateboard park in the yard!!  I could not believe it.  She looked at him like he was crazy and then found room in the budget to put part of one in the yard.  That's the stupidest episode ever.  Oh and of course they were not very nice about it.

[annzeepark914]

I remember the episode where the husband wanted a basketball half court in the back yard. At the end of the show, I thought, those potential neighbors near the houses David showed & the people didn't want, have no idea how lucky they are. 

[CheshireCat]

Maybe some of the owners are told to come up with something outrageous or say what they would want to have if they could have anything?

[annzeepark914]

14 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Maybe some of the owners are told to come up with something outrageous or say what they would want to have if they could have anything?

No. This guy *really* wanted to build a half court for his sons (& himself, I guess). Hilary did something in the back yard and he was happy, if I remember correctly.

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

No. This guy *really* wanted to build a half court for his sons (& himself, I guess). Hilary did something in the back yard and he was happy, if I remember correctly.

Well if you're going to be in the house for a while, and it is your money, why shouldn't you get what you want?

[CheshireCat]

9 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

No. This guy *really* wanted to build a half court for his sons (& himself, I guess). Hilary did something in the back yard and he was happy, if I remember correctly.

If it's something that I'd want, I'd take it if it gets done. But something like that wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. It would be something that I'd be happy about if there was money leftover in the budget.

I could see this being something that someone would want if there's money in the budget for it and then being edited into the episode as if it were the most important thing. I think it would be interesting to see how the unedited conversations go.

[Zanzibar]

There are episodes where it is so obvious that the owners are going to love it before we even get to the reveal, exactly because it has been so customized to their work.  I'm thinking of the woman who sold her mother's art prints, and Hillary designed a work space with very specialized drawers for her.  Or the doctor who needed a dark space to view x-rays.  Then there was the episode where the husband secretly gave Hillary more money to buy the countertop his wife wanted as an anniversary gift to her.  And the episode where the couple's sons chipped in to buy their parents a hot tub.  There is no way those homeowners are going to list after those very personal and/or sentimental touches.

[CruiseDiva]

18 minutes ago, Zanzibar said:

There are episodes where it is so obvious that the owners are going to love it before we even get to the reveal, exactly because it has been so customized to their work.  I'm thinking of the woman who sold her mother's art prints, and Hillary designed a work space with very specialized drawers for her.  Or the doctor who needed a dark space to view x-rays.  Then there was the episode where the husband secretly gave Hillary more money to buy the countertop his wife wanted as an anniversary gift to her.  And the episode where the couple's sons chipped in to buy their parents a hot tub.  There is no way those homeowners are going to list after those very personal and/or sentimental touches.

Very true. And there aren't likely very many buyers for houses with areas that are so overly personalized. The homeowners would likely ask top dollar because of those personal/sentimental "upgrades" for which buyers wouldn't be willing to pay extra.

[annzeepark914]

On 5/19/2021 at 11:18 PM, Grrarrggh said:

Well if you're going to be in the house for a while, and it is your money, why shouldn't you get what you want?

I was thinking of the neighbors of the houses David showed them and how they dodged a real PITA issue.  Having a basketball half court in a backyard means some serious time hearing basketballs dribbled hour after hour after hour.

[BradandJanet]

There was a single-story house that Hillary customized to the needs of the husband, who was in a wheelchair. The house already had a ramp outside. Every house David showed them was two-story with front steps and bathroom door openings the chair wouldn't fit through. I don't know why the producers even bothered to film a fake "list it" ending to that one. 

Edited May 24, 2021 by BradandJanet

[Panopticon]

On 5/24/2021 at 9:22 AM, BradandJanet said:

There was a single-story house that Hillary customized to the needs of the husband, who was in a wheelchair. The house already had a ramp outside. Every house David showed them was two-story with front steps and bathroom door openings the chair wouldn't fit through. I don't know why the producers even bothered to film a fake "list it" ending to that one. 

That one even had presumably-scripted dialog with the husband saying that it was hopeless and even custom-building couldn’t meet their needs, and David replying that Hilary could do it. I remember wondering at the time if there had been a conscious decision to tone down the snark/rivalry/banter angle because the episode was going to air in the holiday season. 

[Mean Jeanne]

Haven’t read every page so sorry if I’m being redundant in my comments.

Hilary will always have the “home field” advantage because of sentimentality AND either the homeowners are too lazy to take on the move or, let’s face it, moving your whole household and family and all of the address changes and possibly being in a different tax district, and the lost goes on and on....... just might be too daunting of a task for a lot of busy parents. So they’re put on the spot to make their decision immediately after seeing all the wonderful shiny changes Hilary made to the place where they ALREADY ARE.

Also, Hilary is a bitch. Maybe it’s all for show but I wonder how David can be so good-natured about it. And she always seems to act like it’s the contractor’s fault whenever any surprise issue comes up.

Finally, I was taken aback when they feature a homeowner who was on the original Trading Spaces show. It was the bitch who hated brown and had a conniption when it was used in her space. She was just as much a bitch to David, which always pisses me off because he already takes so much shit (not to mention the gloating) from Hilary

 

[Broderbits]

4 hours ago, Mean Jeanne said:

Also, Hilary is a bitch. Maybe it’s all for show but I wonder how David can be so good-natured about it.

You do realize that all the attitudes on the show are producer-driven, don't you? HGTV is less about design than personality.

As for the woman from Trading Spaces: I don't think it's being bitchy to expect that when you tell your designer you hate a certain color, they will refrain from using it. But again TPTB decided controversy was the way to go. Sic transit Reality TV.

[MsTree]

12 hours ago, Mean Jeanne said:

Finally, I was taken aback when they feature a homeowner who was on the original Trading Spaces show. It was the bitch who hated brown and had a conniption when it was used in her space. She was just as much a bitch to David, which always pisses me off because he already takes so much shit (not to mention the gloating) from Hilary

I don't recall seeing that episode. Do you remember what season/episode number it was? Or maybe what year it was released? If so, I'll try to find it as HGTV runs consecutive episodes quite often.

[Mean Jeanne]

12 hours ago, MsTree said:

I don't recall seeing that episode. Do you remember what season/episode number it was? Or maybe what year it was released? If so, I'll try to find it as HGTV runs consecutive episodes quite often.

Wow, I wish my memory was that good! At this age I can’t even remember what years the original TS episodes were shown. I just remember that particular episode so well because her reaction was so extreme. (And of course all the times the episodes were all rerun over and over........)

[MerBearStare]

I just googled Hilary and holy shit, she's 68-years-old (or possibly 69, google and wikipedia had different ages). I need all of her skincare (and maybe plastic surgery?) secrets. David is 55 and I totally thought they were closer in age.

[dleighg]

18 minutes ago, MerBearStare said:

I just googled Hilary and holy shit, she's 68-years-old (

I'm about to turn 60. Wish I looked that good!

[ML89]

On 6/14/2021 at 2:34 PM, Mean Jeanne said:

Finally, I was taken aback when they feature a homeowner who was on the original Trading Spaces show. It was the bitch who hated brown and had a conniption when it was used in her space. She was just as much a bitch to David, which always pisses me off because he already takes so much shit (not to mention the gloating) from Hilary

 

I can’t find that the famous Crying Pam of TS was on but there was a couple who sued over their makeover:

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3548268/Couple-appeared-reality-Love-List-sue-producers-ruining-home-botched-renovation.html

[MrPissyPuppy]

16 hours ago, MerBearStare said:

I just googled Hilary and holy shit, she's 68-years-old (or possibly 69, google and wikipedia had different ages). I need all of her skincare (and maybe plastic surgery?) secrets. David is 55 and I totally thought they were closer in age.

She played Betty Munroe in Rocky Horror Picture Show back in 1975!

"It's nicer than Betty Munroe had!"

"Oh, Brad!" 

"Now I'm engaged and I'm so glad ..."

Edited June 16, 2021 by MrPissyPuppy

[CrazyInAlabama]

I was amazed that only one homeowner sued Trading Spaces (the hay room), but apparently several have file suit against Love it or List it. 

 

TS had two that really hated brown/beige.   One was in Las Vegas, hated brown, and when her neighbor she had swapped with came to talk to her, she tackled her to the ground.    That was Jesse something.   Season 3, Smokemont Court Jessie.    

Then there was another one about the time of Crying Pam, and this woman hated beige, and said so at the reveal.  Paige asked her if she liked anything in the room, and she said no.  

Edited June 20, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[MerBearStare]

5 hours ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

She played Betty Munroe in Rocky Horror Picture Show back in 1975!

OMG. I am, as they say, shook. She's kind of reminding me of Lisa Vanderpump - older, pretty brunette Brits with interesting and unexpected pasts.

[buttersister]

This Justin and Breanne pair with the almost 3 kids and a laundry volcano are about the most miserable couple I’ve seen on this show. 

She’s bitching about big rooms (points for not wanting an open plan house!) because she likes comfy and cozy. Her current sitch stinks. Literally, of diapers. 

Second house, big bedrooms are nice instead of too big. But in other bitching news, how dare Hilary kill the garage cause their budget won’t fund it, as she’s building a second floor!

Hilary walk-through: Breanne is impressed with her kids’ large closets.🤨🤮So they’re, as expected, staying. They’re happy. But if I never see them again, it’d be too soon.

Oy, another episode that screams for a laundry room. But this couple, same dumb arguments, manage not to make me nauseous. Still, click.

 

[3 is enough]

Speaking of the homeowner who wanted the cooktop in the island so she could watch her daughter, did they love it or list it?  I fell asleep just before they made their decision.  

 

[nb360]

I love how you can tell the episodes that are being shown are really old, not only by the dated design (lots of dark, mahogany-looking wood items), but also by David's hairline. The more hair he has, the older the episode :).

(All in good fun - I like David.)

[buttersister]

I call bullshit. Caught a rerun tonight with a couple with three little kids and a sloping roof/not enough space. So Hilary does a decent job of doing what she could (the design was by far the strongest part, as usual). And they passed on a nearby house with a bedroom for each kid (instead of the boys sharing a room that was okay for cribs, but will be jammed later), large rooms/bathrooms for everyone, an office, huge kitchen, actual mudroom (she claimed was important), a screened-in porch and was next to both an empty cul-de-sac and a 25-acre forest preserve. She claimed she couldn't give up a community pool/rec room but the new house had an enormous backyard, huge playroom, did I mention the screened-in porch and huge, fenced backyard and the freakin' forest preserve?

[ECM1231]

A few of the episodes have had the homeowners mention having to be located "within the Beltway." I know the show has filmed in North Carolina the past few years, but where is this Beltway that they speak of? I hate that they never mention city/town names like House Hunters.

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

A few of the episodes have had the homeowners mention having to be located "within the Beltway." I know the show has filmed in North Carolina the past few years, but where is this Beltway that they speak of? I hate that they never mention city/town names like House Hunters.

They might've said the beltline. It circles Raleigh and has a bit of a snootiness to it. A lot of folks who live "inside the beltway" have no use for the people who live outside the beltway (many of whom transferred to NC with IBM and other companies when Research Triangle Park opened/expanded in the 60's & 70's). Most of LIOLI has been taped in Raleigh over the past few years, with a few in the Durham area.

[CruiseDiva]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

They might've said the beltline. It circles Raleigh and has a bit of a snootiness to it. A lot of folks who live "inside the beltway" have no use for the people who live outside the beltway (many of whom transferred to NC with IBM and other companies when Research Triangle Park opened/expanded in the 60's & 70's). Most of LIOLI has been taped in Raleigh over the past few years, with a few in the Durham area.

My husband's son and snooty daughter-in-law bought a house in Chapel Hill. I think their area is Governor's Village (or something like that). Snooty D-I-L said a home in their 'hood was on LIOLI.

[annzeepark914]

One night while watching the show, I thought a house looked familiar. The more I looked at the house, the more I just knew family friends once lived there: two parents & four teenagers. The current owners, two men, said the house was too small for them. I can't remember if they stayed or listed it. It was an A-frame style house on a semi woodsy street in North Raleigh (outside the beltline 😆).

[LizDC]

Looks like the new season is still in North Carolina. 

[annzeepark914]

19 minutes ago, LizDC said:

Looks like the new season is still in North Carolina. 

I just saw it in the TV section of today's Washington Post. It starts at 7 and continues at 8, both indicate new shows. Odd if they're still in NC as they said they were returning to Toronto for the new season. I still like this show as I only watch the beginning, David's houses, and then the renovated original house. I can't handle all the drama among Hilary, the contractor, & the home owners.

[LizDC]

They just started filming in Toronto in May.  Might be too soon to have the Canadian episodes ready.

I wonder if gone original team will be back - Desta, Eddie, the other one. 

[annzeepark914]

45 minutes ago, LizDC said:

They just started filming in Toronto in May.  Might be too soon to have the Canadian episodes ready.

I wonder if gone original team will be back - Desta, Eddie, the other one. 

My favorite was the contractor with the New Yawk accent. I can't remember his name. Every once in a while he'd come out with some hilarious observation 

[annzeepark914]

The 7:00 show looked so familiar (especially the husband😁). It was from S17 so it was a rerun. Still can't believe they decided to love it (well, that's what they *said*).

[quirkygal]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

My favorite was the contractor with the New Yawk accent. I can't remember his name. Every once in a while he'd come out with some hilarious observation 

Eric - he was a hoot. He caught vivid during the first wave that hit New York. Here's a link to an article I remembered and Google very kindly found for me.

https://people.com/home/love-it-or-list-it-star-eric-eremita-miraculously-survives-coronavirus-after-2-weeks-on-ventilator/

 

[quirkygal]

4 hours ago, LizDC said:

They just started filming in Toronto in May.  Might be too soon to have the Canadian episodes ready.

I wonder if gone original team will be back - Desta, Eddie, the other one. 

I miss Desta. She actually contributed to the design process, added some good insights, and acted as the can you believe these unrealistic homeowners complaining buddy for Hillary. The woman who assists Hillary now seems to be very junior designer who is just in the background.

[ECM1231]

5 hours ago, LizDC said:

I wonder if gone original team will be back - Desta, Eddie, the other one

Fergus?

I forgot that the new season started tonight. Glad my DVR picked it up. Haven't watched yet.

Edited October 12, 2021 by ECM1231

[LizDC]

4 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Fergus?

I forgot that the new season started tonight. Glad my DVR picked it up. Haven't watched yet.

That’s it!  Fergus.  Thanks. 🙂

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, quirkygal said:

Eric - he was a hoot. He caught vivid during the first wave that hit New York. Here's a link to an article I remembered and Google very kindly found for me.

https://people.com/home/love-it-or-list-it-star-eric-eremita-miraculously-survives-coronavirus-after-2-weeks-on-ventilator/

 

Wow!  Eric is lucky to be alive (as he well knows). I miss him on the show.

[barshi50]

Concerning the new episode last night...who needs a kitchen that big? It was the size of three kitchens. In fact ,who needs a house that big? The family wasn't that large; there really didn't seem to be any concern for the kid's bedrooms/space. The wife seemed to think she was all that and awfully pretentious with what she wanted in the house. Who puts $200,000, bumped up to $250,000 on renovations?

[GeorgiaRai]

That was a ridiculous amount of kitchen space.  And the guy still has to keep his work desk in the family room?  I understood the big budget - especially with the re-wire cost - but Hilary's initial plans made way more sense to me than getting a multi-room kitchen while keeping the gross sunken tub in the guest bath.

(Aired 10-11-21)

[Panopticon]

I thought the enormous master bedroom looked like a hotel lobby. And that’s fine if that’s what they wanted. But then the husband described it as “cozy,” which made me wonder if this couple somehow didn’t grasp how incredibly huge their home is.