Season 10 Spoilers, Speculation and Social Media

[Galloway Cave]

We were talking about this in another thread. Someone Zillowed the neighborhood and the homes there sell for the upper six digits to low millions of dollars. So you have to wonder what the zoning is like for that development. Does it allow manufactured homes? Do they have to build site-built homes? Do they have to have a certain number of bedrooms? 

On the other hand, they got 14.5 acres for $820,000, which averages out to $56,522 an acre. That isn't too bad for the Flag area. So I wonder if they got a discount on the price because they purchased large plots next to each other or the plots are further away from the expensive homes. Or maybe there aren't any utilities or paved roads to the plots and they got them cheaper. And there may not be any restrictions on the type of home or size.  Who knows. I guess we will have to wait.

[Celia Rubenstein]

7 minutes ago, toodles said:

I'll go if someone will send the link with the info please.

Does anyone have a hidden body cam and mic setup they can loan our toodles??? 

[Sandy W]

14 minutes ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

Does anyone have a hidden body cam and mic setup they can loan our toodles??? 

If Janelle is the listing agent, I guess you'll just have to show yourself the house.  She will hand you a data sheet on your way in and say, let me know what you think as you leave.

[toodles]

I found the Zillow link.  I'll go sometime in the later afternoon.  Full report when I return.

[Sandy W]

2 minutes ago, toodles said:

I found the Zillow link.  I'll go sometime in the later afternoon.  Full report when I return.

Thanks for taking one for the team TOODLES.

[toodles]

You're welcome.☺

[xwordfanatik]

29 minutes ago, toodles said:

You're welcome.☺

Yay toodles!  Can't wait for your report.

[Kohola3]

2 hours ago, Sandy W said:

Bafflegab

Oh, great word!  I'm gonna have to remember that one.

[orangesmartie]

Long term lurker/snarker who registered just to say thanks Toodles, can't wait for your report!

[andromeda331]

I can't wait either! 

[toodles]

Well I'm back.  I met Janelle and she looks the same to me as she did at the STRIVE event two years ago. I got to the gate and there was a hand lettered sign to call for the gate code and Janelle answered. I went inside and we chatted a bit about the house.  When we finished chatting, she went back to her phone.  There were no brochures or business cards anywhere.

The house looked rough to me.  The downstairs was ok, but the upstairs really needs some wall work and a coat of paint.  I don't recall tlc filming upstairs so maybe they fixed up the downstairs.  There were lots of holes in the walls and the baseboards were really beat up.  The carpet seemed clean though.  That house has lots of closets and a great laundry room.  The outside patio had hunks missing and had rugs on top of the missing concrete.  I saw the Kody Brown handprints in the cement.  

This is a Vegas thing, but the yard sprinklers were running in the middle of the day.  I thought that was really weird.  Usually they run in the middle of the night.  It saves so much money.  

There was no staging and nothing to make  it more appealing.  there were full garbage cans and empty cardboard boxes in the side yard.  No lights were on and it was dark inside.  I was walking outside and another lady pulled up the patio rug and said "Presentation is everything".  I left and said thank you.  Janelle barely looked up from her phone and mumbled something.  She really couldn't have been less interested.

Here's the thing.  Right down the street are two new housing developments.  One is a development of modest home and the other has houses similar to Cuddle Sac.  I don't know the prices for the new houses, but I think the prices for the upscale development would be around the price of Christine's house.  Why would I buy a six year old house when I can get a new one?  A house owned by a Z list celebrity would not be a factor in my decision to buy a house that needs work.

This is a sellers market, but I guess it's somewhat relative.  To me $675K is a lot of money and out of my price range.  Other people may see it as a steal.   The Browns have 4 houses to sell.  My advice would be to hire a new realtor and fast.

There may be typos in my post.  Sorry about that.

Edited August 5, 2018 by toodles

[lettsjetts]

You are awesome Toodles! 

[Kohola3]

12 minutes ago, toodles said:

My advice would be to hire a new realtor and fast.

Sounds like Janelle is approaching this pretty much the same way as she does everything else, with minimal interest.  They must have some totally hidden source of income if there is no apparent rush to sell one house when there are ostensibly four to sell.  Unless 3 of the 4 were foreclosed?

Thanks for the on-the-site report!

Edited August 5, 2018 by Kohola3
Be polite!

[toodles]

8 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Sounds like Janelle is approaching this pretty much the same way as she does everything else, with minimal interest.  They must have some totally hidden source of income if there is no apparent rush to sell one house when there are ostensibly four to sell.  Unless 3 of the 4 were foreclosed?

I was thinking about this on the way home. If I were a serious buyer, how would I contact her?  Every time I go to an open house, I leave with lots of material.  I left with nothing.  They could have at least got rid of garbage.

16 minutes ago, lettsjetts said:

You are awesome Toodles! 

Aw, thanks

[xwordfanatik]

@toodles, thank you for your report.  You're the best!  

So you have met the illustrious Janelle before?  I didn't know that.

The Browns must be counting on their celeb status to sell their houses, without very much effort.

[Libby]

I've never understood the Brown's financial situation and I don't think that I ever will. I don't understand how they afforded the houses in the cul de sac. I don't understand how they afforded to send the kids to college. I don't know how they afforded Meri's B&B. I don't know how they afforded this move without selling the houses that they currently own. TLC doesn't pay enough for all of that. Their finances are a total mystery and unexplainable to me.

[toodles]

I didn't actually meet her.  I saw her at the one and only Strive event.  The other Browns were there and they put about as much effort in to that event as they did for the open house.

[Sandy W]

Your reconnaissance mission is much appreciated TOODLES and just about what I had expected you would encounter.  What on earth could have been more important on her phone that she would let a potential purchaser slip away as she did with you.  I recall from my realtor days, that even if the prospect wasn't interested in the property you were representing at the open house, it was my duty to elicit their reason for attending.  Sometimes it would be that they came simply out of curiosity as you did, but many other times, I may have something else that the prospect may be interested in.  I see now why Janelle never did cut it as a realtor.

You mentioned the impressive laundry room and the listing on Zillow mentioned that there were 2 lr's, the one shown on Zillow is the barren room with old washer/dryer.  Is there another on the upper bedroom level?

The very least Janelle should have done would be to drag the full garbage cans and cardboard boxes over to her own or one of the other SW garages.

As the other lady said, presentation is everything and you never get another chance to make a good first impression.

[toodles]

18 minutes ago, Sandy W said:

Your reconnaissance mission is much appreciated TOODLES and just about what I had expected you would encounter.  What on earth could have been more important on her phone that she would let a potential purchaser slip away as she did with you.  I recall from my realtor days, that even if the prospect wasn't interested in the property you were representing at the open house, it was my duty to elicit their reason for attending.  Sometimes it would be that they came simply out of curiosity as you did, but many other times, I may have something else that the prospect may be interested in.  I see now why Janelle never did cut it as a realtor.

You mentioned the impressive laundry room and the listing on Zillow mentioned that there were 2 lr's, the one shown on Zillow is the barren room with old washer/dryer.  Is there another on the upper bedroom level?

The very least Janelle should have done would be to drag the full garbage cans and cardboard boxes over to her own or one of the other SW garages.

As the other lady said, presentation is everything and you never get another chance to make a good first impression.

You're right about the laundry rooms.  There is another one upstairs.  It was pretty plain Jane. The one downstairs has lots of cabinets.  I like that.

There were several other people there.  She didn't pay any attention to them either.  They left about the same time I did.

Edited August 6, 2018 by toodles

[Galloway Cave]

Did it look like anyone was living at any of the other houses? The school-aged kids need to be in Flag. Wonder if Christine is there with all the kids while moms stay back dealing with the homes.

It doesn't take much to do the cosmetic fixes you described. When the owners are willing to show that kind of damage, you have to wonder about the kind of damage that is easily hidden. I wouldn't trust anyone in that family to honestly fill out a disclosure form.

Thanks for spending your Sunday doing this for us!

[ginger90]

I wonder how Janelle thinks the open house went.

I can’t say I’m surprised. You would think Janelle would have done something resembling professionalism, for goodness sakes. Just googling suggestions for holding open houses would put someone above what she presented.

Prior to my agent showing my house, and also holding an open house, I turned lights on, opened curtains, etc. . Geez. The house ended up being sold to a couple who first saw it at the open house.

[Galloway Cave]

Always bake cookies and have coffee and water. The smell alone will sell the place for you. You don't let them wander with the food and drink, though. Stand in the kitchen and discuss the house.

Edited August 6, 2018 by Galloway Cave

[Dumbfounded]

1 hour ago, toodles said:

Well I'm back.  I met Janelle and she looks the same to me as she did at the STRIVE event two years ago. I got to the gate and there was a hand lettered sign to call for the gate code and Janelle answered. I went inside and we chatted a bit about the house.  When we finished chatting, she went back to her phone.  There were no brochures or business cards anywhere.

The house looked rough to me.  The downstairs was ok, but the upstairs really needs some wall work and a coat of paint.  I don't recall tlc filming upstairs so maybe they fixed up the downstairs.  There were lots of holes in the walls and the baseboards were really beat up.  The carpet seemed clean though.  That house has lots of closets and a great laundry room.  The outside patio had hunks missing and had rugs on top of the missing concrete.  I saw the Kody Brown handprints in the cement.  

This is a Vegas thing, but the yard sprinklers were running in the middle of the day.  I thought that was really weird.  Usually they run in the middle of the night.  It saves so much money.  

There was no staging and nothing to make  it more appealing.  there were full garbage cans and empty cardboard boxes in the side yard.  No lights were on and it was dark inside.  I was walking outside and another lady pulled up the patio rug and said "Presentation is everything".  I left and said thank you.  Janelle barely looked up from her phone and mumbled something.  She really couldn't have been less interested.

Here's the thing.  Right down the street are two new housing developments.  One is a development of modest home and the other has houses similar to Cuddle Sac.  I don't know the prices for the new houses, but I think the prices for the upscale development would be around the price of Christine's house.  Why would I buy a six year old house when I can get a new one?  A house owned by a Z list celebrity would not be a factor in my decision to buy a house that needs work.

This is a sellers market, but I guess it's somewhat relative.  To me $675K is a lot of money and out of my price range.  Other people may see it as a steal.   The Browns have 4 houses to sell.  My advice would be to hire a new realtor and fast.

There may be typos in my post.  Sorry about that.

 

I created an account to get in on this snarking. I have met Christine and the kids in Southern Utah a few years back. Her minivan was totally trashed - big dents and scrapes all over it. I was certain her home wouldn’t be any better. This family is so bizarre to me. They came from nothing, barely scraping by - and now they toss money around like it grows on trees (hence their newer cars and all the clutter in their homes). 

So only Christine’s home has been listed (and nearly a month now)? They have already taken off to Flagstaff where they have bought lots. They must be renting while they build. 

Was the culdesac quiet? The homes look huge from the outside. But I’ve always thought they were very cheaply built. And it sounds silly, but did the home smell clean? Was the grout nasty? 

We saw Mykelti in Kneader’s a week ago. She is a very tall girl like her mom and works at a credit union here in town. I’ve always wondered what the other wives look like in person, especially Robyn for some reason. I think she was pretty the first few years (considering), but the last couple seasons, she’s almost looked like a different person - like she has aged 20 years. I wish the show depicted more of their daily lives and routines. So much mystery surrounding the infamous Brown clowns. 

Im excited to get in on the snark! Thanks for making an appearance for us, Toodles! 

42 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

I wonder how Janelle thinks the open house went.

I can’t say I’m surprised. You would think Janelle would have done something resembling professionalism, for goodness sakes. Just googling suggestions for holding open houses would put someone above what she presented.

Prior to my agent showing my house, and also holding an open house, I turned lights on, opened curtains, etc. . Geez. The house ended up being sold to a couple who first saw it at the open house.

Considering they have 4 homes to sale, and taking even 50k less on each home is 200k total - you would think they would present the home as professionally as possible. Yikes!

Edited August 6, 2018 by Dumbfounded

[Dumbfounded]

On 7/10/2018 at 8:35 PM, Pickleinthemiddle said:

Was wondering when they would have to move.  No way anyone would be able to keep up house payment over $2,000 a month X 4.

The HOA’s are nearly $800 a month total for the four homes as well. 

[Kohola3]

12 minutes ago, Dumbfounded said:

The HOA’s are nearly $800 a month total for the four homes as well. 

How the hell......?  Never mind, we will never know the answer.  They are good at hiding the truth.

Edited August 6, 2018 by Kohola3

[toodles]

 The cuddle sac was quiet.  I couldn't tell if the other houses were occupied, but I didn't see any junky cars.  The finishes were not high end, but they were ok.

Edited August 6, 2018 by toodles
STUPID AUTOCORRECT!!!!

[toodles]

I debated with myself about adding this comment, but I'm going for it.  The master bedroom is downstairs and so is the master bathroom.  There is a very nice handheld faucet in the tub.  Draw your own conclusions.??

[Dumbfounded]

I’m very curious to see what kind of homes they build on their lots in Flagstaff. Will they be mindful that the TLC gravy train will eventually dry up and choose to take a more modest route? Or will their Vegas lifestyle be replicated in AZ? 

What will Christine do for a job out there now that her kids are growing and she’s happily medicated? Will there be a psychotic break when Grody shifts primary interest back to another wife again?

Meri is totally high on the LuLaNo Kool-Aid, and will be long gone when the show is done. Good thing the B&B worked out for her sake.

Robyn is thick into her joolry business - bless her stealth soul with those substandard “designs” that she KEEPS coming back with. She might even have another child so TLC can film it and People magazine can pay to publish the news. She caught onto the no sugar, healthy diet in a minute, especially since Grody shifted a new flame under Christine in last season.

Jangle will probably farm their food and maybe build another Tee-Pee out back, while she tries to remain as detached from the family as possible. Eventually, Maddie and Caleb will probably be building a cabin on their property somewhere. Or they might just move back in when baby #2 is on its way if there’s room.

There is no way Grody is taking a fifth wife, he’s too old and the wives won’t accept a newcomer to infringe on their hard earned TLC assets. After all, they traded their souls to the devil for this set-up. 

Just when you think this family has exhausted every possible avenue for TLC ratings, they do something new and (seemingly EXHAUSTING) to keep the show going. 

That being said, over all, their kids are amazing. They are doing something right when it comes to parenting. I think the kids have developed far better than expected, considering the heinous things we have seen the adults subject them to over the years. 

What is it with this train wreck that keeps us coming back? For me, I think it’s their ability to go from nothing to where they are now. And despite their seemingly bad choices, they still manage to come out on top. It is totally baffling that these asshats have made it thus far. 

14 minutes ago, toodles said:

I debated with myself about adding this comment, but I'm going for it.  The master bedroom is downstairs and so is the master bathroom.  There is a very nice handheld faucet in the tub.  Draw your own conclusions.??

If Christine adds a similar faucet to her Flagstaff bathroom, we might know what’s been going down all this time. ??? After all, she only gets Grody every fourth night. He probably saves the viagra for Sobyn. 

[Pickleinthemiddle]

3 hours ago, toodles said:

She didn't pay any attention to them either.

I think Janelle is very much an introvert and probably didn't want to answer any major questions about the things that needed to be fixed.  They could have had someone come in and professionally clean everything, and give a quick coat of white paint.  They knew they were moving long before this they could have had everything fixed up by now.

[Pickleinthemiddle]

3 hours ago, Libby said:

I've never understood the Brown's financial situation and I don't think that I ever will. I don't understand how they afforded the houses in the cul de sac. I don't understand how they afforded to send the kids to college. I don't know how they afforded Meri's B&B. I don't know how they afforded this move without selling the houses that they currently own. TLC doesn't pay enough for all of that. Their finances are a total mystery and unexplainable to me.

I would bet that Meri's mother sold her house and used part of it for the down payment.  Otherwise she wouldn't have qualified for the loan.

[Janc]

Thanks for the report Toodles! If anyone hasn't seen it yet, check out the Meri thread, another poster stayed at the B&B this past weekend! 

[Phoebe70]

Please no more weddings or babies in Season 10.  I'd love it if Kodouche was courting someone.  Robin and Christine would no longer be the popular wives.  Even better, if Kodouche was hiding this woman from them until he announces the engagement.  Another thing I'd like to see:  Kodouche with a short haircut, to accentuate his baldness and gut.

[Sandy W]

3 minutes ago, Phoebe70 said:

Please no more weddings or babies in Season 10.  I'd love it if Kodouche was courting someone.  Robin and Christine would no longer be the popular wives.  Even better, if Kodouche was hiding this woman from them until he announces the engagement.  Another thing I'd like to see:  Kodouche with a short haircut, to accentuate his baldness and gut.

They haven't yet fully exploited Mitch and Aspyn's wedding, aside from selling it to the tabloids.  It's almost ancient history now, but they will deal with it in the new season.

[TurtlePower]

14 minutes ago, Phoebe70 said:

Please no more weddings or babies in Season 10.  I'd love it if Kodouche was courting someone.  Robin and Christine would no longer be the popular wives.  Even better, if Kodouche was hiding this woman from them until he announces the engagement.  Another thing I'd like to see:  Kodouche with a short haircut, to accentuate his baldness and gut.

SO SICK of weddings and babies. So boring I'd fast-forward those episodes. I'm more interested in the moving drama and where Meri is going to put her new wet bar. 

[Sandy W]

5 minutes ago, TurtlePower said:

SO SICK of weddings and babies. So boring I'd fast-forward those episodes. I'm more interested in the moving drama and where Meri is going to put her new wet bar. 

I want to know if they had to hire a tractor trailer to haul Robyn's unsold SW Closet Crap.  They are still trying to flog "Limited Edition" Christmas ornaments from 2012 thru 2015.

[Phoebe70]

Has Jenelle never watched House Hunters?  Good grief!  If you're having an open house, you need to make sure the house is in pristine condition.  Hire a cleaning company, shampoo the carpets, patch up the holes in the wall, and remove boxes and other clutter.  My house sold in 6 weeks during a time when the housing market was cruddy.  We made sure the house was spotless for open house, and baked chocolate chip cookies to make the house smell nice.  Obviously selling this house isn't a huge priority for Jenelle.  Who would hire this woman to be their realtor?

Thanks to Toodles for taking one for the team and going to the open house!

Edited August 6, 2018 by Phoebe70
forgot to thank Toodles :)

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, Sandy W said:

They haven't yet fully exploited Mitch and Aspyn's wedding, aside from selling it to the tabloids.  It's almost ancient history now, but they will deal with it in the new season.

The whole last season was ancient history as well - we'd heard all of the news and seen all of the pictures and knew the ending only to see it all in film 6 months later.  Nothing new to see here, folks, move on.

[smarty]

Honestly, I'm a bit jealous about how much real estate/land they've been able to buy.  They have the 4 house in Las Vegas, at around $445,000 each - so $1.78 million.  They have the 4 lots in Flagstaff, at at total of $820,000.  Plus they keep the original house back in Utah right?  That's over $2.6 million invested in real estate.  How did they qualify to borrow that much?  

[Kohola3]

5 minutes ago, smarty2020 said:

Plus they keep the original house back in Utah right? 

I thought they sold that.  But it's a drop in the bucket on cost of the other properties.  I guess crime pays as, because I pay my bills, I have never declared bankruptcy, and worked full time for 45 years I could not afford the stuff they have. 

Or don't actually "have" - maybe they simply pay the interest on all of their loans and then declare bankruptcy when they can't keep up. 

[ginger90]

I think the Lehi house sold last year.

[xwordfanatik]

Didn't Meri's mother own the Lehi house, and sold it to finance the Parowan house?

I could be wrong.  I certainly wouldn't want to be in charge of the Brown family's finances.  

[ginger90]

24 minutes ago, xwordfanatik said:

Didn't Meri's mother own the Lehi house, and sold it to finance the Parowan house?

I could be wrong.  I certainly wouldn't want to be in charge of the Brown family's finances.  

These were the listed owners, I edited out before the Brown purchase, and the sale after:

[Roslyn]

The Lehi house sold awhile back in a short sale.  Basically selling it for the amount due on the mortgage to keep it from foreclosure. I know people have talked about Meri's Mum, but I'm not sure if it was confirmed she sold her house or not.  All in all they have a whole lot tied up in real estate and loans.

[xwordfanatik]

Wouldn't it be nice to live courtesy of other peoples' money, and sleep like a baby at night?

I always wondered what a short sale was.  Now I know.

[AnnieBeez]

I hate to be that person, but actually...https://www.investopedia.com/mortgage/short-sale-property/

[smarty]

It used to be that the amount the bank "forgives" in a short sale had to be declared as income on your federal taxes.  Not sure how it works anymore, I know there were many exceptions to that rule that were allowed during the subprime mortgage crisis.  Typically people who do short sales are filing for foreclosure as well so the shortage is written off anyway in the bankruptcy.

[ginger90]

Some comments on one of Meri’s Instagram posts:

 

archaepelago@antndom I believe at least Christine is at this house. Rumor around town is that they are all out in my neighborhood, but I’m not sure about that.

 

 

antndom@archaepelago that is so cool! I’m a big fan of the show!

 

 

archaepelago@antndom I’d never seen it and watched a few episodes when I heard they moved here and has bought vacant lots down the street. I can see them from my living room. Beautiful properties!

 

 

archaepelago@antndom truth be told many in the neighborhood are not happy. We have a quiet, rural environment surrounded by forest. We’ve already had camera crews and whatnot around and nobody is looking forward to the activity the show will bring. It has nothing to do with who they are. No one really cares about that. Folks do not want the traffic from onlookers or fans of the show trying to find where they live once stuff starts appearing on TV. There’s a lot of misinformation flying around in town and where I live. So who knows what is going on. I think it’d be nice for the family to reach out to the neighborhood because there are some upset residents who have been there for decades. Just my perspective.

 

 

 

antndom@archaepelago gosh I don’t blame you looking at it that way. Is there anything you guys can do about it? That has to be sort of violating to privacy.

 

 

archaepelago@antndom Hopefully fans will respect their privacy. And hopefully camera and filming won’t be too obnoxious. It would be nice if someone would tell us all who live out there what will happen once filming starts. I think that would eliminate a lot of speculation and stress about it.

[Celia Rubenstein]

Was there much of a problem with people lurking around the cuddle sac in vegas? I know it was gated, but people might have still tried.  I never heard it was a problem.  I get the idea the new house is kind of off the beaten path ( am I right?) - seems like not many people are going to bother poking around. I could be wrong.

The traffic for filming might be a drag. Is it really that extensive, though? 

Ugh, it just occurred to me ... Kody has a whole new town full of people to go around informing he has FOUR WIVES, THAT'S RIGHT FOUR!!!  I was hoping I wouldn't have to hear that any more except on vacation shows.  Bleh.

[Galloway Cave]

14 minutes ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

I get the idea the new house is kind of off the beaten path ( am I right?)

In the pictures  Paedon posted on Insta, the house is on a road with houses all along the road. One picture was shot looking right down into a neighbor's side yard. The homes are on acreage, so many aren't right up close to the road but it would still be a a nuisance to have a bunch of crew trucks and vans, plus looky-loo cars driving up and down the road. At least it is an asphalt road instead of cinder.   

[lookeyloo]

My son’s house in Atlanta was used to shoot a tv series. It was a huge production - the neighbors were asked for permission and compensated for the disruption of the street. Many big vehicles. The house had sometimes 100 people inside. It was not made to easily accommodate that many people. Granted this wasn’t a reality show but what we see - a couple of folks talking doesn’t show all the equipment and folks shooting them. It isn’t like a camera is mounted on a tripod or on one fellow’s shoulder and that is all they use. So I could see the neighborhood/street in chaos during shooting.