House Hunters Renovation - General Discussion

[SunnyBeBe]

I thought the same thing about the dark floors.  In fact, the wife said that they were going to lighten them, but, then they didn't.  I get how it's an old house and you have to maintain certain characteristics, but, all that dark wood on the interior trim and floor.....omg..it would drive me crazy. It seems they loved it though.  Good for them. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is the flooring crew told them that if they tried to refinish the floors lighter, they would have to sand them, and the floors weren't going to do that.    Since the floors were so old, I bet they've been refinished all that they can be.     I wonder if they really want to go lighter someday, that they'll have to replace the floors entirely.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

I usually tape this when it's a new episode, so I skipped this week.    I just looked and it's supposed to be a new episode tonight.  

[LittleIggy]

California: Another small, run of the mill house in California that cost over a half million bucks before renovation. What was wrong with the cabinets in the kitchen? They could have saved a lot of money if they had kept them. I didn’t have a problem with the countertops either. 

They need to get one of those fences Jackson Galaxy has shown on his show. It has an overhang that keeps cats from getting over the fence. I have a couple of big (indoor) cats and they can still jump high.

[Empress1]

I didn’t like the brown accent wall in the dining area. The house was tiny and I thought the wall made the space look smaller.

[CrazyInAlabama]

 I'm guess the sellers are pulling up a corner of the rug to show there are hardwoods under the nasty carpet.    On the first one I had to laugh when the wife walked into the enclosed porch with a huge laundry sink, and said she would put the washer/dryer out there.  

So they bought the third one at $610,000.    And asbestos, not a surprise to anyone, and framing issues is very predictable for a house that old.  And spend 65k on renovations?    675k before anything starts, I'm sure the budget will have surprise extras.   

I hate how they always spend extra on something like the big marble bath tile, when there are ceramic and porcelain that would never stain, and look just as good, and be a lot cheaper.    The gray/brown accent wall in the dining area was ugly.    I find it hard to believe they only went $10k over budget.   I was so sick of hearing about his spice area, and had to laugh at the pull out spice cabinet that kitchen cabinet companies have sold for years.  

That is such a tiny house for close to $700k.   I'm sure they're not staying too long, just until they make a big profit on it, and move to something bigger.   

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm guess the sellers are pulling up a corner of the rug to show there are hardwoods under the nasty carpet.

It’s super common for people to do that. Cost nothing and unlike if you rip up all of the carpet it’s unlikely that the corner will show damage. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

That's really smart to pull up a corner that will probably not have damage, but I'm sure when the entire rug is removed, you can see the wear, and the big stains.     I'm amazed when they can refinish, and there are big stained areas and they keep raving about how good it looks.     

Since I'm positive they are using this house as a stepping stone property, they should have gone to a distributor that was getting rid of a big lot of flooring at cheaper prices.     Some big retailers for flooring also have limited selection, but huge discounts because they buy so much, and that's a lot less than what the homeowners on the show probably paid for the floor they put in.     

That dining room color just made the room look smaller than it was, and so dark.     I bet that color soaked up any light in the room at night too.      

[CrazyInAlabama]

On the people near Denver who wanted a garden, they might recall it's called the Rocky Mountains for a reason.    I used to live near there, and everyone I knew with a successful garden had raised garden beds, with trucked in (meaning expensive) soil.    I doubt the homeowners can afford it, and it certainly isn't a money savings. 

[ByaNose]

The California house was sure small........and, expensive. Of course, I don’t get sticker shock on California homes anymore thanks to HH. LOL!!!! It was a nice little house. The kitchen cabinets were a nice change up from the usual white shakers. Although, I’m dying to have white cabinets in my kitchen. It looks so light and airy. While the backsplash tile was a little too big for my taste it did fill up the wall nicely. I thought they did a nice job with the fireplace. A little paint does the trick. With all that said the husband was kind of creepy to me. I don’t know why though. He seemed like he'd be this macho jerk but he came off totally the opposite. 

[LittleIggy]

Aussies in CA: Husband reminded me of Jon Seda! Not surprised they went way over budget. No way $65K was going to cover all that. 

What was with that coffin shaped door in one of the houses they didn’t pick? Weird!

[biakbiak]

I really didn’t like the bar they put across the main window in the living room. It’s they were so far over budget I would have just paid the $1000 for a picture window.

[MsTree]

Here's what I don't understand about the window situation. First of all, any good contractor knows building codes, and unless they were doing an "illegal" build, they had to apply for a building permit (including windows).  Assuming their contractor applied for a permit, wouldn't any new windows be part of the overall application?  That entire scenario was hokey. And that 2x4 across the window was ridiculous. Not to mention, easily removed once they got final approval from the building inspector.

[SrOfficial]

Most of the renos are very cookie cutter.  Tearing down a wall & opening it up?  No kidding.  ?. I wonder why people don’t like galley kitchens.  Everything is very handy.  Oh yeah, got to have an island.  ?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I have to laugh about the tiny galley kitchen, and the 'huge' remodel, but it was still a galley with the island instead of the wall.     At least they didn't pick a boring back splash.      The window solution looked ridiculous.   I'm sure that the contractor knew about the window requirement all along, and the 2 x 4 was a strange looking device to agree with the codes, and if they removed it later, they were fools.     They should have put a picture window there from the beginning.  

Did they ever say what they do for a living?   I'm guessing part of the film or TV industry, since they didn't say anything about jobs.   

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I have to laugh about the tiny galley kitchen, and the 'huge' remodel, but it was still a galley with the island instead of the wall.     At least they didn't pick a boring back splash.      The window solution looked ridiculous.   I'm sure that the contractor knew about the window requirement all along, and the 2 x 4 was a strange looking device to agree with the codes, and if they removed it later, they were fools.     They should have put a picture window there from the beginning.  

Did they ever say what they do for a living?   I'm guessing part of the film or TV industry, since they didn't say anything about jobs.   

They owned a marketing and branding agency that they ran out of their place. One of their requirements was an office.

[LittleIggy]

They said what their business was, but I don’t remember. Something about marketing or branding??

Agree about didn’t the contractor know about the code requirement. That was strange.

BTW, that little dog was so cute. I thought he was a puppy because he was so tiny!

[msmarjoribanks]

12 hours ago, SrOfficial said:

Most of the renos are very cookie cutter.  Tearing down a wall & opening it up?  No kidding.  ?. I wonder why people don’t like galley kitchens.  Everything is very handy.  Oh yeah, got to have an island.  ?

I don't care about islands, but I HATE galley kitchens (had one in my last place) because I'm a little claustrophobic and I really cannot stand being in such a kitchen with someone else.  It was a source of conflict.  I now have a kitchen with an island and its fine, but before the galley kitchen I had two other places with no island, but also not a galley style and I liked them too.  I didn't realize the galley would bug me til I had it (and I had it for 15 years, but it really bothered me to cook with someone else in the kitchen).    

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

don't care about islands, but I HATE galley kitchens (had one in my last place) because I'm a little claustrophobic and I really cannot stand being in such a kitchen with someone else.  It w

Yeah having an island rather than a wall is not the same when it comes to feel of a kitchen. 

[ByaNose]

A remodled galley kitchen is still a galley kitchen. I've never had one and didn't grow up in one either. I've been in them and I don't know how people survived. LOL!!! As they say on HGTV. It's a total gut job!

[aguabella]

On 9/30/2018 at 1:10 AM, MsTree said:

Here's what I don't understand about the window situation. First of all, any good contractor knows building codes, and unless they were doing an "illegal" build, they had to apply for a building permit (including windows).  Assuming their contractor applied for a permit, wouldn't any new windows be part of the overall application?  That entire scenario was hokey. And that 2x4 across the window was ridiculous. Not to mention, easily removed once they got final approval from the building inspector.

You're right.  That's an LA specific building code, regarding the exterior distance to grade (72", IIRC) and 42" on the interior.  I'm about 95% plus that the guardrail disappeared as soon as the cameras and inspectors finished work.

In the meantime, it served as a nice, visual plot device for the episode, lol!

Edited October 2, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Agree, b/c they removed only 1 wall, the Aussie couple's LA home felt galley-like, in spite of the island. Given their ages, they prob wanted more of an open concept.  Can't see them living there over five years so it makes sense for resale, avoiding the add'l major expense for the load-bearing wall.  Sure, not everyone desires open concept but it does appeal to more buyers.

Personally, I didn't care for their color choices.  Floors were a little too blond and the backsplash appeared somewhat neon on my screen (???). Back to the basic white Shaker cabs plus contrasting blue island.  Overall, together, they didn't jive, for me.

[aguabella]

On 9/10/2018 at 11:56 PM, CruiseDiva said:

But they got that accent wall of fake weathered wood tile! And the fancy blue patterned tile over the stove! And the pebble tile for the shower floor and a strip of it up the shower wall! 

Those items added unnecessary expense to their budget and no doubt there were other things they could have saved on with less expensive options. The one thing they should have splurged on was a decent dining table and chairs.

I believe buyers should always consider their dining needs.  Unfortunately, not sure they have room for the dining table.  IIRC, that home was only 1,600sf and that might have included the separate suite over the garage.  Plus, in the main home, that square footage was spread over 2 floors, i.e. the main floor plus basement.

Even though it was fairly small, given that floor plan, I believe they could have made it slightly smaller, possibly adding more cabs on the back wall plus cabs and/or a serving station on the tile wall.  

Given the small size, I believe they needed to accept the peninsula barstools for their casual dining and purchase a pop-up coffee / dining table for the fireplace area.

Had to chuckle at the fake wood wall.  In the Denver area, what's the 1 material you (usually) can't use too much of?  Wood, haha!  Why not purchase some cheap shiplap from a h/w or big box store and rough it up.  Presto, homeowners' DIY project to film for HHR!

[aguabella]

On 9/9/2018 at 10:03 PM, biakbiak said:

I didn’t like the cabinet or backsplash colors so I choose to blame them! 

Also, the fact that ugly as “weathered board” wall was actually tile pissed me off. It’s not just that it’s so over as a trend it’s that the fact that they are tiles it’s going to be a bitch to change. 

Yep, pain to change but in Denver, wood is typically never over.  But, as mentioned above, I'd either go with the real thing for that wall or incorporate it into the kitchen space with cabs and/or a serving bar, if possible, given that small footprint.

[aguabella]

On 9/1/2018 at 9:57 AM, msmarjoribanks said:

Current trend here for high-end new construction is very light and matte.

I think most stains work fine, though -- medium is nice and neutral, and of course presumably people have rugs in most cases.  Mine are dark and I quite like them.  My floors in my old place needed to be refinished for years and it was too much of a hassle to move everything out to do it until just before I sold, so I'm just happy to have beautiful floors that are in good condition.

There are regional differences in these so-called "trends".  For example, stain colors in SoCal run lighter.  (Interested in design and blessed to tour new homes fairly frequently across the country.)

If you like your dark floors, that's all that matters!  I (probably) wouldn't have done them in your previous house, either.  The buyers were probably thrilled to have wood floors, period.

[aguabella]

On 9/2/2018 at 9:15 AM, ForReal said:

As a former realtor, I would have wanted to see my clients use the best inspector they could afford and felt that they trusted. If something went wrong and the inspector missed something important, I'd want that inspector to have E&O insurance and a reputation he/she would want to protect and so would be accountable and make right on the problem.

Agreed, that's how most realtors recommend inspectors.  If you noticed, my post said "sometimes" realtors value inspectors who push through sales.  (Sorry if it sounded personal.  Don't know why it would ??? but it certainly wasn't intentional.)

Always agree with verifying E&O insurance.  That said, how many buyers have time to take precautions?  Besides the stress of moving, they're frequently experiencing other life changes, e.g. marriage, divorce, job relocation, family expansion, etc.

Many, if not most, buyers accept their realtors recommendation w/o taking add'l precautions.  And, unfortunately, if/when the worst happens, they turn on both the inspector and their realtor.  (BTW, like you, I'm posting from my own and my firm's experiences, working on RE deals across the country.)

If buyers only verify one thing, I recommend they determine if the proposed inspector is licensed in their state.  If not, it's a huge red flag.

Edited October 3, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 9/9/2018 at 8:39 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Another boring, monochromatic kitchen, and more hipster jerks.  I hated the kitchen back splash tile, it was so blah.      I hated the blue patterned tile behind the stove.   I wonder how their huge garden will do after they get the first water bill, and see it will cost them a fortune to raise veggies.   The water bills in some areas are huge, and they might be sorry they wanted a big yard or acreage to take care of, unless they're on a really well producing well.   

I love how all of the house hunters want an old house, and then are shocked at having to do a replumb, rewire, add a decent electrical panel, and find asbestos and mold.     I thought the kitchen/dining  tile wall was nice, since I have a similar back splash tile, but it was certainly cheaper, and less work than a reclaimed wood wall like they wanted. 

So they really want the MIL suite with separate entrance for rentals, right?  Or do they want to get a live in nanny for their future kids?    

 Bet he won't think the deer are so cute when they eat his entire garden.  Or the day they find coyotes ate their chickens.    I want the video when he comes face-to-face with a bear someday too.  

I love the woman's remark about the barn being smelly.  I wonder if she's going to be able to stand country living?     I guess chicken poop doesn't bother her.    I can't believe they had that many chickens in that small area, and in a rental house. 

So they have a huge kitchen, a couple of bar stools, and the table is shoved against the wall because the dining area is so narrow?     The master closet after wasn't really any more space than the smaller original closet.      

I like that their $100k budget ended up $120k, and they didn't even add the other bathroom they wanted.   I wonder if they'll ever add the extra bathroom, because my guess is the engineers told them how much the septic could accommodate, and that it would need a major overhaul or replacement if they add another bath.  

Definitely agree that they should have and most likely did know about the necessary upgrades, in advance.  But they produce easy drama for the producers.

About that closet ... it did look smaller but I believe it had more s.f.  It probably appeared smaller b/c they hadn't completed it.  IIRC, it had no rods on the walls or shelves.  Given the size, it might accommodate a long, narrow chest or bench in the center, too.

Ok, but, thinking about that house.  As mentioned above, the s.f. was limited and divided between the two floors.  Looking at the floorplan, it appears to have basically the same layout on each floor.

Guessing, I'd say someone borrowed from the entry closet to create that first, existing closet.  Then, they sliced off s.f. from the master to expand it.  

Given the home's small size, why not consider combining that space with the l/r, eliminating that wall (prob not load bearing) to create a larger living space?  The old /existing master could be a guestroom and/or den/office/tv room with a smaller bathroom. 

Then, move the master to the basement.  Sure, many would rather avoid having their bedroom in the basement but when space is so limited, why not consider it?  The master would be much larger and yes, they'd have space for dining.  

Problem solved, yippee!

[msmarjoribanks]

3 hours ago, aguabella said:

There are regional differences in these so-called "trends".  For example, stain colors in SoCal run lighter.  (Interested in design and blessed to tour new homes fairly frequently across the country.)

If you like your dark floors, that's all that matters!  I (probably) wouldn't have done them in your previous house, either.  The buyers were probably thrilled to have wood floors, period.

I did redo them right before I sold, and think it was worth it.  Buyers here for higher-end condos are super picky.  Places are above top of the bubble prices, but only if they seem new or updated.  We don't have nearly the crazy market as in some places.  Everything competitive has wood floors, they are super common here.

[aguabella]

19 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

I did redo them right before I sold, and think it was worth it.  Buyers here for higher-end condos are super picky.  Places are above top of the bubble prices, but only if they seem new or updated.  We don't have nearly the crazy market as in some places.  Everything competitive has wood floors, they are super common here.

Yes, you said that, lol!   Sorry, reading quickly and skipped over the phrase "until just before I sold".  Thanks for correcting me.

Sounds like you did a great job!  Agree, very important to understand your particular market.  I always recommend that sellers tour the competition and follow the closings, time permitting, before they list.

Congratulations!

[aguabella]

About pulling up a corner of the carpet to reveal the hardwoods ...

Sure, sellers might do that.  Many leave the corner intact but mention the h/w floors within their listings.  Flippers frequently cover damaged hardwoods with new carpeting for a fresh, clean look plus the new carpet smell.  (Carpeting's usually cheaper than refinishing or replacing h/w floors.)  It's definitely true that buyers make their decision very quickly, in possibly a minute or two, so that first, olfactory, impression is critical.

 WRT HH, could be the buyers pulling up their own corner (escrow's previously closed) for a visual to film.  Unfortunately, in real life, the corners usually appear undamaged.  Later, when the carpet's removed, buyers see either traffic patterns, pet damage and/or ...  Ugh - time to plead for the Lumber Liquidators, HHR freebie!

Given the above, personally, I don't get too excited when the h/w floor corner appears undamaged.  But, it's always nicer to existing hardwoods to work with than the alternative.  Especially since new h/w is typically engineered.

Edited October 3, 2018 by aguabella

[msmarjoribanks]

21 hours ago, aguabella said:

Yes, you said that, lol!   Sorry, reading quickly and skipped over the phrase "until just before I sold".  Thanks for correcting me.

Sounds like you did a great job!  Agree, very important to understand your particular market.  I always recommend that sellers tour the competition and follow the closings, time permitting, before they list.

Congratulations!

Yes! and that's exactly what I did -- signed up on redfin to get notices for a place like mine, and then went to open houses.  

[laredhead]

Meant to post this yesterday, but forgot.  In the most recent renovation episode, Aussies in California, I couldn't believe they removed a great storage cabinet in the powder room to replace it with a small one and left an open corner for the placement of pot plant.  I would have replaced the old cabinet with a long, updated one, with storage under it.  If you want a plant, put one on the counter top.  It's a powder room, and not going to be used for counter space.  One can never have enough storage in a house - IMO.  I think the new cabinet jammed in the corner next to open space made the room look unbalanced.

[ForReal]

On 10/1/2018 at 10:29 PM, aguabella said:

(Sorry if it sounded personal.  Don't know why it would ??? but it certainly wasn't intentional.)

No worries!

Always agree with verifying E&O insurance.  That said, how many buyers have time to take precautions?  Besides the stress of moving, they're frequently experiencing other life changes, e.g. marriage, divorce, job relocation, family expansion, etc.

Many, if not most, buyers accept their realtors recommendation w/o taking add'l precautions.  And, unfortunately, if/when the worst happens, they turn on both the inspector and their realtor.  (BTW, like you, I'm posting from my own and my firm's experiences, working on RE deals across the country.)

If buyers only verify one thing, I recommend they determine if the proposed inspector is licensed in their state.  If not, it's a huge red flag.

Our neighbors across the street bought their first house when it was definitely a seller's market. He was a house painter, so they relied on some friends in the trades to do their "inspections." All kinds of problems were missed, like mold, among other things. I think the sellers could and should have been sued, but there wasn't much they could do (and the seller moved cross country). 

I used that as a cautionary tale to clients, saying the one thing you don't want to go cheap on is an inspection. If you can't afford the inspection, and afford to lose that money if the results are alarming, then you probably can't afford to be house hunting.

[LittleIggy]

Port Aransas, TX: OMG, the daughter needs to dial it down a lot. It was exhausting just watching her. I mainly liked the reno except for having the master bedroom open to the kitchen/living room space. I mean, WTF? ? That was ridiculous. The teen son needs to claim the private bedroom and tell his mom and sister that they can sleep on those double beds out in the living room.

[sheetmoss]

RE: Port Aransas

Daughter Tilda was way too 'on' - I wonder if she thought it was an audition?

     That said, they seemed like pleasant people

Oy, they needed to enclose up the area w/the 2 beds. 

         Obviously they didn't think it through about if somebody wanted to stay up and watch TV in the LR.  

I did think the mosaic tile patch was a clever solution to stretch the tile they had

Edited October 7, 2018 by sheetmoss

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is the Port Aransas condo was going into weekly rentals permanently, and the family would only go there for the two weeks or whatever the IRS allows for investment property these days, or they would just rent something for their vacations.     The two buyers weren't worried about the open bedroom, because it was a ton of sleeping space for weekly renters.    Sleeps six is a great option for buyers, and I'm guessing the sofa might be a pull out too, so it would be even more rental potential.  

Edited October 7, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[lucygoose]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

My guess is the Port Aransas condo was rented permanently, and the family would only go there for the two weeks or whatever the IRS allows for investment property these days, or they would just rent something for their vacations.     The two buyers weren't worried about the open bedroom, because it was a ton of sleeping space for weekly renters.    Sleeps six is a great option for buyers, and I'm guessing the sofa might be a pull out too, so it would be even more rental potential.  

Could also be why they didn't seem to concerned about taking away a lot of the closet storage, especially for that useless "nook" in the bedroom.  I wish they would have at least put a movable wall separating the bedroom from the living room, unless everyone goes to bed and gets up at the same time, that would be a huge inconvenience.  They seemed nice enough but not very practical.  

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, lucygoose said:

didn't seem to concerned about taking away a lot of the closet storage, especially for that useless "nook" in the bedroom. 

Yeah the nook was crazy stupid but I liked what they did with the other closet space, they kept some hanging space but made most of it drawers it’s the beach so must of the clothes are going to be casual wear that can be folded.

[juliet73]

Port Aransas ep:  If any reno warranted sliding barn doors, it was this one!!!  I can't believe they didn't put a set between the LR and the bedroom!  They took "open concept" to the the extreme!  I can't believe they removed the closet - it was obvious the boyfriend was still in it!  LOL! The daughter was overacting so much that I had to mute her!  

[wait.what]

2 hours ago, juliet73 said:

Port Aransas ep:  If any reno warranted sliding barn doors, it was this one!!!  I can't believe they didn't put a set between the LR and the bedroom!  They took "open concept" to the the extreme!  I can't believe they removed the closet - it was obvious the boyfriend was still in it!  LOL! The daughter was overacting so much that I had to mute her!  

Haha. Just watched the episode. Now I get it. The closet situation? Lol. Yea. He needed that closet!

[CrazyInAlabama]

I had to laugh when the "boy friend" showed up.   And am I the only one who suspected the mother's 11 year old was actually her grandson?     

[ByaNose]

First off, the boyfriend can’t be the boyfriend. Just saying.... 

Secondly, the open concept bedroom has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. Maybe, if it’s a studio with no kitchen but it ain’t. It’s a two bedroom. WTF??? I think it’s basically a decoy rental and they aren’t staying there long term. 

Thirdly, they were such a mismatch family. It’s like none of them belong to each other. Very odd! Only, two thousand over their budget so they were pretty much on top of stuff. 

Edited October 8, 2018 by ByaNose

[sheetmoss]

6 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I had to laugh when the "boy friend" showed up.   And am I the only one who suspected the mother's 11 year old was actually her grandson?     

Yeah, love to know their backstory... ;-)

  BTW, I was waiting for a big "It's fabulous" from 'boyfriend'

Edited October 8, 2018 by sheetmoss

[Empress1]

Was there a new episode this week? My TiVo didn't record it.

[CrazyInAlabama]

It was Beachfront Reno, not the usual title HHR, so I'm betting that's why it didn't get Tivo to tape it.     It's Beachfront Reno this Saturday too, and supposed to be new.   

[QuinnM]

41 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

It was Beachfront Reno, not the usual title HHR, so I'm betting that's why it didn't get Tivo to tape it.     It's Beachfront Reno this Saturday too, and supposed to be new.   

This was originally aired in 2017 so TiVo would not pick it up as new.  It was season 3 and this year is season 4. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

My cable guide said it was new, but my cable guide lies more often than my GPS does.   

I've noticed the same thing on HHI, and Mexico Living or whatever they call it, where everything looks familiar, because they ran the episode on HHI, and then put another series name on it, and run it again as new.   

Edited October 8, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[LittleIggy]

Outer Banks, NC: So was the house they bought the one they had been renting for years? That’s the only explanation for all the family at the big reveal saying “didn’t so and so used to be here” and the like. “Remember the French doors?” Why would they remember all that if the couple had bought a new home? Then there was the scene where the couple was taking out the microwave and hubby said “You did your best cooking here.” ?

I don’t like gas fireplaces with those fake logs. Give me real wood. 

Reno was nice, but it was the usual bland palette with the shiplap and subway tiles. 

Did Hurricane Florence hit that area?

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is not only did the buyers rent that house in the past, but maybe some of the friends and family at the ending party did also.     I've known families to rent the same place when they find one in the location they like, and at the right price.    It was a nice reno, but kind of bland.     I wonder if they homeowners will now rent it out too?    I suspect a lot of the bland, beach look ones are rentals, and I bet all of the couches are pull out beds too.     

[LittleIggy]

Outer Banks: I’m pretty sure I heard the realtor say to the husband that the house was near his work, and the couple said something about it being their “forever home,” so I assumed it wasn’t going to be a just vacation home.