Lakefront Bargain Hunt - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

Editor's Note:

Discuss Lakefront Bargain Hunt Here!

 

We really enjoyed the Smith Lake, AL episode tonight. My husband grew up near there in Cullman, AL. He learned to water ski on Smith Lake. His brother and cousin live in waterfront homes on the lake, although his brother lives in a dump, and his cousin lives in a mansion. Hee.

[chessiegal]

In the Lake Champlain episode tonight, the husband walked into a kitchen and remarked it had the "barnyard sink" his wife liked and she agreed. What???? I'm guessing he meant farmhouse sink.

[Mu Shu]

Ugh, just saw one last night.  Midwestern extended family with the harshest "eeiikk-scents" finding a place in Alabama.   Listening to "mahhhhmm" screaming on a zip line was enough to switch to that awful Guy Fieri shoving his dirty fat sausage fingers into food.    Of course these fools wanted beach front on a canal front budget.     

[AlleC17]

I fast forwarded through all the screeching.  I hate when they show the HHs swimming, boating etc...and then not show all the bedrooms, baths etc in the house.  I watch this to see the houses:  I don't give a damn about watching the HHs playing.  At least I guess we see some of the local scenery, so there is that.

[Mu Shu]

On September 27, 2016 at 2:36 PM, AlleC17 said:

I fast forwarded through all the screeching.  I hate when they show the HHs swimming, boating etc...and then not show all the bedrooms, baths etc in the house.  I watch this to see the houses:  I don't give a damn about watching the HHs playing.  At least I guess we see some of the local scenery, so there is that.

If I see one more beef eating heifer on one of those stand up paddle non pirogue looking flotation devices  I will toss my cookies.    Just buy a damn house and entertain your 1,000 friends with it.  

[Thumper]

Have seen several Lakefront shows this weekend, and am irritated that we often do not get to see the whole house.  I would like to see more of the houses and less of families frolicking in the area.

Edited July 17, 2017 by Thumper

[chessiegal]

10 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Have seen several Lakefront shows this weekend, and am irritated that we often do not get to see the whole house.  I would like to see more of the houses and less of families frolicking in the area.

Isn't that the truth. Their formula of showing zip lining, skiing, whatever has no interest to me. At least we get to see more than 3 houses most of the time.

[Diane M]

Yesterday I watched a couple with three small children who bought a vacation home at a lake in Maryland.  I couldn't believe that all the renovations they made (they practically gutted the entire house and added a pop-out dormer window) cost them only $60,000.  This was in Maryland where I wouldn't expect prices to be low.

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, Diane M said:

Yesterday I watched a couple with three small children who bought a vacation home at a lake in Maryland.  I couldn't believe that all the renovations they made (they practically gutted the entire house and added a pop-out dormer window) cost them only $60,000.  This was in Maryland where I wouldn't expect prices to be low.

Deep Creek Lake is in the boonies of far western MD in the panhandle, near WV.

[CherryAmes]

We just got back from a week at "the cottage" (owned by friends of family).  We've been lucky enough to go every year for a while now but this was the latest we've gone and ended up with gorgeous weather.  But I digress.  The whole time I was there I was thinking about what the typical Lakeside bargain hunter would think if they could see this 70 year old house with it's old furniture, the "rustic" charm of not having potable water and the tiny bathroom that would never ever have room for two sinks (we're lucky there's an inside flushable toilet!) I wish once in awhile these shows would feature the kinds of cottages most of us (at least in my area) go to - not the condos and houses pretending to be cottages that the so-called bargain hunters are willing to settle for!

[Kohola3]

6 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

I wish once in awhile these shows would feature the kinds of cottages most of us (at least in my area) go to - not the condos and houses pretending to be cottages that the so-called bargain hunters are willing to settle for!

Ditto.  The closest they got to this was the couple from Grand Rapids, MI who toured that type of place.

We spent every summer in a 400 square foot cottage with only cold water and no shower - that's what the lake was for.  One bedroom, one tiny sink in the 3 foot by 3 foot bathroom.  The tea kettle was on the stove non-stop to provide hot water to wash dishes.  College dorm style refrigerator.  On cold mornings we turned on the electric oven of the dinky stove and opened the door (our version of central heating).

This generation of buyers would run in horror.  To us it was heaven on earth.

[izabella]

My MIL has a lake cottage that has been in the family for years, and it's small and somewhat rustic.  The first time I went in there, I put on my HGTV hat and thought the wood floors need to be refinished, the vinyl tiles in the kitchen and bath need to be replaced, the bathroom needs drywall of some kind, the furniture was way old and ugly (hey, let's take that old couch to the cottage!), etc.  Now, I look at it and think, it's great that we don't have to worry about messing up any new, "beachy" white couches, can troop around in there getting sand everywhere, the spiders keep to themselves and are so good at eating bugs and mosquitoes so let them hang out quietly in the corners undisturbed, what an awesome screened-in porch we have, and how EASY it is to hang out and have fun there without worrying about cleaning a huge house with a bunch of bedrooms and bathrooms. 

I have such a hard time imagining these families actually living in these beach homes with kids and pets. 

My pet peeve is also the people who keep saying "we'll be outside all of the time."  First, no you won't, and second, if you'll be outside all the time, why do you need the latest in granite countertops and appliances, a living room big enough for a football team, and five different places to drink coffee while looking at the view?

[snarts]

Quote

On 9/28/2017 at 9:44 AM, Kohola3 said:

Ditto.  The closest they got to this was the couple from Grand Rapids, MI who toured that type of place.

We spent every summer in a 400 square foot cottage with only cold water and no shower - that's what the lake was for.  One bedroom, one tiny sink in the 3 foot by 3 foot bathroom.  The tea kettle was on the stove non-stop to provide hot water to wash dishes.  College dorm style refrigerator.  On cold mornings we turned on the electric oven of the dinky stove and opened the door (our version of central heating).

This generation of buyers would run in horror.  To us it was heaven on earth.

 

Add me to that list too.  Irish Hills Michigan area, Jerome to be exact.  The cottage had a lot of bedrooms only because it was multi generational and the original cottage was hit by a tornado.  My Dad & Grandpa re-built iand added bedrooms with the insurance money.  One bathroom, no shower, no heat, indoor/outdoor carpeting, all furnishings hand me downs.  Most weekends there was a minimum of 7 people & two dogs and a cat.  Some of my favorite memories happened at the lake.  

[ByaNose]

Lakefront Bargain Hunt: Renovation. Two brothers buy a shack and basically build a whole new house. Personally, I think it would have been either to just spending the renovation money on a house already done. That's just me. LOL!!! The younger brother did ALL of the work but the older one was the one allowed to decide on the cabinets. I would have been like, "FU". That said, the tiny house turned out really nice for the size of it. Each brother had a girlfriend who seemed nice enough and the younger brother did get the loft with the views. He even built the giant ladder/steps to the loft. He is really talented and a hard worker. The older brother not so much. 

[izabella]

There was nothing left of that house when they were lifting it off the foundation...crazy.  They pretty much demolished everything, except for three outside walls, which were lifted off the foundation.  I don't understand what "house" they were trying to save at that point. 

Edited October 1, 2017 by izabella

[ByaNose]

38 minutes ago, izabella said:

There was nothing left of that house when they were lifting it off the foundation...crazy.  They pretty much demolished everything, except for three outside walls, which were lifted off the foundation.  I don't understand what "house" they were trying to save at that point. 

I know!!!! That was one of the craziest house renovations I’ve seen. I guess it was worth it......maybe?!?

[pianogirl73]

Why did they leave part of it there at the end? The whole new house was beautiful and then you saw some part of the green house at the end. Very strange. 

[ByaNose]

13 minutes ago, pianogirl73 said:

Why did they leave part of it there at the end? The whole new house was beautiful and then you saw some part of the green house at the end. Very strange. 

I saw that, too. Was that the shed? If so, why was is still green or there at all. Very odd.

[TheGreenWave]

I honestly thought they were going to go for the empty lot.  Not only did they essentially have to rebuild the whole house, but the aerial shots showed it to be pretty close to the neighbors.  At least with the lot, it didn't look like the houses were super close.  And, despite the talent going into the renovation, I don't think I would be happy climbing a ladder every night to get to the bedroom.

[ByaNose]

7 hours ago, TheGreenWave said:

I honestly thought they were going to go for the empty lot.  Not only did they essentially have to rebuild the whole house, but the aerial shots showed it to be pretty close to the neighbors.  At least with the lot, it didn't look like the houses were super close.  And, despite the talent going into the renovation, I don't think I would be happy climbing a ladder every night to get to the bedroom.

The ladder while cute (and, being built by the younger brother) wasn’t really practical and the novelty would wear off for me after the first week. I’m not sure what else you could do since the house was so small. I’m assuming steps would have taken up the whole place.

[suebee12]

On 10/1/2017 at 5:15 PM, izabella said:

There was nothing left of that house when they were lifting it off the foundation...crazy.  They pretty much demolished everything, except for three outside walls, which were lifted off the foundation.  I don't understand what "house" they were trying to save at that point. 

What I wondered if they have the same rules that we had in Florida?  When there is a renovation done, a certain % of the original house needs to remain if they don't want to change the elevation of the house. I remember when a house was renovated across the street from my MIL's (on a key) they left a portion of the house so that they didn't have to build the house up to protect it from storm surge. A new build next to that(they tore the house down) had to build really elevated....it looked like a parking garage under it(and the area could not be used for living area). Since this house (in RI, ?) was on a lake this was part of the reasoning for doing it the way they did.

[Mittengirl]

In my city, if a certain percentage of the house is left standing then some non-conforming things can be grandfathered in that would otherwise not meet code.   A friend’s father had built a small second home on a oversized lot-and-a-half before the city was incorporated.  When Son bought the lot, with both houses, he wanted to renovate the small house and had to leave 51% of the original house or it would be considered a re-build, which is not allowed by code.  Only one house per lot, no matter the size, is allowed these days.

[LittleIggy]

Outer Banks: Nice people and another beautiful renovation. It was great that the dad was so handy and could do quite a few things himself. I really liked the reclaimed wood wall he did.

[ByaNose]

The only thing I don’t like is when they two different paint colors on the walls. I know it’s one wall with a dividing line but it’s still one room. I would paint it all one color. That said, it ain’t my house. LOL!!! I did appreciate that they painted the downstairs wood paneling a crisp white. They saved so much money & extra headache taking it down & drywalling it. The outside decks were great with awesome views. They seemed like such a very normal family. How did they get through casting? LOL!!!

[Irlandesa]

Does anyone know what kind of rugs they put out on the deck?  They looked like normal rugs you'd put inside but doesn't it rain there? 

[sheetmoss]

23 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Does anyone know what kind of rugs they put out on the deck?  They looked like normal rugs you'd put inside but doesn't it rain there? 

Probably polypropylene a  man-made fabric and very durable, BTW, they're   wonderful  if you have pets & accidents.

     I don't recall the one shown, but catalogs like Ballard & Frontgate have outdoor carpets that  look like ones used inside.

Edited July 10, 2018 by sheetmoss

[NYGirl]

When I was growing up we had a place at the beach.  I can't imagine it all fixed up because there was always sand in every room and even in the beds.  There were tons of options on where to sleep as people used to come and then say..eh I'll stay over.

It was such fun!!

[BrownBear2012]

I watched the Lakefront Bargain Hunt last night of the couple from Rochester looking for a home on Lake Ontario. I was blown away by the caliber of properties that you can get up there, right on the lake , for less than $400,000...not bad at all....but I don't understand why this couple ultimately chose a house that had no yard at all when they had specifically asked for a property with some green space for their Labradoodle to be able to run around in. All of the houses they looked at were on the water...all had but the one they chose had some green space for kids/dog to run around in. The wife complained that the house with the best green space seeemed "cottagey"...isn't that what a lakehouse is supposed to be? But in actuality it wasn't a cottage at all but it wasn't suburban type of family home either...it was more of vacation home...whatever...my question is, why give a realtor a "wish"list and then make several references to needing a yard for the dog and then go with a house with no yard at all.

[alexa]

I loved the lake in Idaho, but how cost effective is having a place that many miles from your home?  It seems like you could only visit a few times a year at most?  I didn’t get the sense they were renting out, which I actually appreciate.  It just seems like owning doesn’t make much sense.  

[chenoa333]

20 hours ago, alexa said:

I loved the lake in Idaho, but how cost effective is having a place that many miles from your home?  It seems like you could only visit a few times a year at most?  I didn’t get the sense they were renting out, which I actually appreciate.  It just seems like owning doesn’t make much sense.  

I don't know how real any of these "couples" are. I've read that most are actors. Which brings me to the conclusion that you still have to have a large amount of money to buy a lakefront home that you will only use a few months out of the year.

But I still enjoy looking at the properties.

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is that like the other shows with vacation location house hunts, that most are investment properties, and rented out constantly. 

I think they're real owners, who already bought, but I think almost all of them are investors who rent out short term.   That's why question #1 is amenities, and question #2 is almost always if they can do short term rentals, and if there is a property management program that will handle the reservations, clean up, and marketing for the properties.   

Edited September 14, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

I haven't read the hunters on this show are actors. Considering HGTV and the production company Magilla - I think these are folks who have already bought a place and answered a casting call. That's what they usually do.

[shapeshifter]

Season 2, "Alabama Build" is airing right now:

Quote

Alabama Build Aug. 10, 2019

A family looks for a vacation home on Logan Martin Lake, Alabama, in hopes of getaways filled with fishing, kayaking and relaxation. They find a fixer-upper with water views, but the extensive renovations may break the budget.

The youngest son (Carter I think?) is so sweet.

And even the sulky teen was impressed at the end, LOL.

*Sigh* 
This is why I always wanted to marry a carpenter.
I still have some furniture I made 30+ years ago, but now I'd have to hire someone for everything.

[shapeshifter]

"Lake Country Lounging" is airing now:

Quote

A family finds a fixer-upper in Lake Country, Wisconsin, in hopes of turning it into a lakefront retreat with a boat dock. The house's outdated style and need for major repairs may break the budget, dashing their lakeside dreams.

They are replacing the roof——which they did not anticipate or budget for——so they are doing the shingles themselves.
The husband is at least 10 years younger than I am and commented that he's "not as fast as [he] used to be." 
Heh. More than 40 years since I worked on a roof.

[CrazyInAlabama]

My understanding is that the house shoppers are legit buyers, but I suspect a lot are redoing the place for the vacation rental market.    I'm sure some are family homes, and year round residents, but I'm sure others are vacation or seasonal rentals.     I just watch to see the houses, and what is done to them.    

There are other shows that are reported to be actors, for the super pricey homes or estates, but not on HGTV, or the discovery channels.     

Edited December 18, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[SusanM]

I saw an episode of this show last night, I'm pretty sure the couple were looking for a primary residence as opposed to a cottage, anyway they have 7 kids and a budget of $400k in Florida and were shown two absolutely lovely houses that were spacious, updated and were ideal for them except they weren't right on the water.  The last house was the one they ultimately bought, it was cheaper than the others, incredibly small, looked a little rough around the edges on the inside but did have about 170ft right on the water.  The husband turned on the guilt trip and the wife agrees to buy this house.  I really hope this was a little bit of producer driven drama because I was so angry at this manipulative jerk who brought his wife to tears as she gave in to his desire to be on the water so that meant it was fine to put 7 kids into 2 bedrooms and squeeze a family of 9 into a 1400 sq ft house!

 

[chenoa333]

2 hours ago, SusannahM said:

I saw an episode of this show last night, I'm pretty sure the couple were looking for a primary residence as opposed to a cottage, anyway they have 7 kids and a budget of $400k in Florida and were shown two absolutely lovely houses that were spacious, updated and were ideal for them except they weren't right on the water.  The last house was the one they ultimately bought, it was cheaper than the others, incredibly small, looked a little rough around the edges on the inside but did have about 170ft right on the water.  The husband turned on the guilt trip and the wife agrees to buy this house.  I really hope this was a little bit of producer driven drama because I was so angry at this manipulative jerk who brought his wife to tears as she gave in to his desire to be on the water so that meant it was fine to put 7 kids into 2 bedrooms and squeeze a family of 9 into a 1400 sq ft house!

 

Yeah, there's so much about these real estate shows that make me question what is true and what is producer scripted. 

I try to ignore the couples and their stupid banter about who wants what in a home. I just like to see the homes. 

[Vivigirl10]

Going through old reruns of the show now in case anyone else is too.  I watched one last night that left me totally perplexed.  Single Mom who lived in the Dominican Republic with her 3 small boys who wanted a vacation home on a lake where she had previously lived for 20 years.  Her Realtor was her "best friend" and he was also going to be the general contractor for the renovation.  I kept thinking maybe the two of them would get together.  Funny banter.  Seemed close.  The first complete head scratcher.....she chose an old hunting cabin far out and isolated in the woods.  It had no running water, no plumbing, no septic, no bathroom (no kitchen??), and it was only one giant room.  I kept thinking that it seemed pretty dangerous for a single lady to be out in a cottage alone, in the middle of the woods, with 3 small children!  Horror movie kind of stuff!  Next......she only put in one set of bunkbeds, so 2 beds for 3 boys???  Ok, so maybe 2 would bunk together but honestly, how long is that going to last?  Then the big surprise at the end, in walks her "boyfriend" (first we've heard of that development??) and the Realtor/best friends' wife!!  Hope everyone was o.k. with how cozy the home buyer and Realtor seemed to be.  She absolutely had to be using that cabin as a VRBO.  It was the only explanation to me.  

I still think this is a fun show.  I like to see the tours of the houses and then I usually fast forward to the end result - I'm a cheater!

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, Kiki620 said:

She absolutely had to be using that cabin as a VRBO.  It was the only explanation to me. 

Why would anyone want to rent a one room cabin with zero amenities? No bathroom, running water, kitchen? I don't see that being viable.

[Vivigirl10]

On 7/21/2023 at 4:02 PM, chessiegal said:

Why would anyone want to rent a one room cabin with zero amenities? No bathroom, running water, kitchen? I don't see that being viable.

She added all of that.  It ended up being a very glammed up one room cabin.

[chessiegal]

I watched a rerun today where the wife said at the end they originally weren't planning on using a real estate agent but met this agent at an open house and they clicked. If you're a buyer, why wouldn't you use an agent? The seller pays the commission fees, not the buyers. Made no sense.