House Hunters - General Discussion

[LittleIggy]

On 6/27/2019 at 7:46 AM, doodlebug said:

All I could think of were the swarms of mosquitoes living near that swamp.  For me, that would've made the outdoor space virtually unusable.

The house they got was on the ocean, wasn’t it? It was on a beach with sea shells. When I saw the places on the marshes, my first thought was of mosquitos and snakes. 😳

[juliet73]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

The Palm Springs drag queen was just exhausting to watch.  People who are always 'on' like that do not wear well with me.  He was not nearly as cute or entertaining as he seemed to think. 

I don't know what the Palm Springs drag queen was trying be, but he came across as a complete douche!  Listening to all their future plans at the end, made me feel very sorry for their neighbors.  I love MCM, so I hope to see a WATN epsiode with this house but with only the roommate/work partner present.

Edited June 28, 2019 by juliet73

[NYGirl]

Am I the only one who misses the snarky narrator?

[jcbrown]

I generally like the Palm Springs episodes but the bitchy drag queen was just awful. Shut it, honey. As others have noted, he was nowhere near as adorable as he thinks he is.

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, NYGirl said:

Am I the only one who misses the snarky narrator?

Nope, you aren't the only one.

[ByaNose]

Palm Springs are always good real estate porn. That said, I make sure to delete before watching.

[edie3]

2 hours ago, jcbrown said:

he was nowhere near as adorable as he thinks he is.

I almost turned it off.  

[twinks]

1 hour ago, edie3 said:

I almost turned it off.  

I did, although I did flip it on a couple of times. Everyone summed it up beautifully. Did anyone catch the very opening? Where were they? Was that the place they were living?

[laredhead]

Twinks, I thought maybe they were in the dressing room of a club where the guy appeared in shows.  It looked pretty rough.  It did not look like an apartment or house.  

I agree with another poster who said they would feel sorry for the next door neighbors of this guy in Palm Springs.  Sounds like he plans to have parties every weekend, and his plans include neon signs and vending machines.  Guess we now know why privacy and the wall was a selling point for him.       

[LittleIggy]

7 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I generally like the Palm Springs episodes but the bitchy drag queen was just awful. Shut it, honey. As others have noted, he was nowhere near as adorable as he thinks he is.

Carrot-Top the drag queen was a miserable person. The BF seemed nice.

[cameron]

Durango Colorado couple heading to splitsville if you ask me.  Couldn't agree on anything and he was certainly overbearing.

[doodlebug]

On ‎6‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 4:30 PM, pep4 said:

Austin:  Is Marching Band Designer a real full time job?  Not a school's band director, the episode implied he was a consultant working from home.  When I was growing up in Texas marching band was only in the fall.

I enjoyed that they were pleasantly chill.

Actually, yeah, it can be.  These days, many marching bands use very complicated choreography and formations in their shows.  Much of this stuff is done on the computer and there really are people who design these productions and package them and sell them to various marching bands as a software package.  The combination of songs, steps, even costuming and special effects is copyrighted and can earn a lot of dough for a talented designer.

I attended THE Ohio State University, home of The Best Dam*ed Band in the Land, which is the gold standard for this sort of show.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=OSU+marching+band&view=detail&mid=71466C09C305E3A6FDA571466C09C305E3A6FDA5&FORM=VIRE

So, yeah, if that particular househunter was a true band geek and into this sort of thing, it could be a career.

[edie3]

21 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Carrot-Top the drag queen

I knew he reminded me of someone!

[Gothish520]

On 6/21/2019 at 7:57 PM, Mannahatta said:

Well I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but here's yet another article (from 6/20/19) about how these house hunting shows are fake - as in really, really fake: https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/06/house-hunters-true-story-of-being-on-the-show.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

The writer of the article was on two HH shows........I watch these shows because I love the combo of real estate voyeurism and travelogue. If the personal stories are all fake - I wish the producers would just drop them. And if they want more drama then surely they can figure out another format that doesn't involve excessive lying to the audience. Lol

On 6/22/2019 at 2:09 PM, Mannahatta said:

This will be my final post on this thread. I would just like to point out that I wasn't presenting the article as "ground breaking news". However, I do think that there's a bit of cognitive dissonance occurring when people say they know the shows are fake but will then comment upon the shows as if they're real.

I also am perplexed as to why my posting (or even re-posting) a related article seemed to be a trigger to some. Perhaps such parties should immediately inform "Slate" and "House Beautiful" that articles on this topic already been written about and therefore should no longer be published lest they be commented upon. I am sure they would find such feedback to be very useful. LOL

I usually put HGTV on when I'm doing something else but planning to watch a show on my DVR in the near future. Every one of those home shows follows a formula that is so predictable, but the channel makes for a nice neutral, comfortable buzz in the background. I can't take them seriously because I know how ridiculously fake they are, and I agree with you that I couldn't continue to comment on them like they are real. I also agree that they need to take the personal drama out or dial it way, way back. I don't understand why the producers think that it's at all interesting. It's tedious and most of the couples come off looking terrible.

I do enjoy seeing the houses though, and the discussions often mirror real-life issues that house hunters might encounter. And I find HH International much more enjoyable, as I love the scenery and checking out how people live in other countries. But a good 90% of the people on American HH are awful and I just try to tune them out. More often than not though, I can't wait to hit "play" and start watching one of my shows, lol.

[Kohola3]

I would enjoy these a lot more if the addressed real life issue like taxes and school districts instead of the drummed up drama about cosmetic issues.  If I were interested in knowing about cities with which I am unfamiliar, that would be more important in a decision to relocate.

[Gam2]

A few years ago, I stopped watching these two shows but still check this forum once in a while. The main reason I quit watching was the constant repitition of the same words: spacious, natural light, gut job, not enough yard, too much yard, granite, stainless steel, upgrade, no bathtub, no shower, no garage, no garage I can turn into a work space, etc. I know that is producer driven and I didn’t blame the “house hunters” but after 15 or so years, the producers should have caught on that they needed some new words to feed their folks.

[Gothish520]

On 6/30/2019 at 12:07 PM, Gam2 said:

A few years ago, I stopped watching these two shows but still check this forum once in a while. The main reason I quit watching was the constant repitition of the same words: spacious, natural light, gut job, not enough yard, too much yard, granite, stainless steel, upgrade, no bathtub, no shower, no garage, no garage I can turn into a work space, etc. I know that is producer driven and I didn’t blame the “house hunters” but after 15 or so years, the producers should have caught on that they needed some new words to feed their folks.

All these people that "work from home " and need home offices, lol. Oddly, we actually have a small room off the garage of our split-level (four levels) that was used as an office by the original owners. We have our desk top computer and file cabinet in there, but we mostly use it to store beverages and paper goods, lol. I haven't used the desk top for years.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Gothish520

[topanga]

On 6/30/2019 at 7:13 AM, Kohola3 said:

I would enjoy these a lot more if the addressed real life issue like taxes and school districts instead of the drummed up drama about cosmetic issues.  If I were interested in knowing about cities with which I am unfamiliar, that would be more important in a decision to relocate.

On 6/30/2019 at 12:07 PM, Gam2 said:

A few years ago, I stopped watching these two shows but still check this forum once in a while. The main reason I quit watching was the constant repitition of the same words: spacious, natural light, gut job, not enough yard, too much yard, granite, stainless steel, upgrade, no bathtub, no shower, no garage, no garage I can turn into a work space, etc. I know that is producer driven and I didn’t blame the “house hunters” but after 15 or so years, the producers should have caught on that they needed some new words to feed their folks.

I still watch it for the house porn and for the interesting characters. An interesting character can be nice (the NJ lady who recovered from breast CA), quirky (the Turtle Lady, the Shaman Lady, the Seattle couple that bought a weird house with caves), or downright horrible (the Dallas husband or the many couples who seem like they're on the brink of divorce/breaking up). 

Oh, and I love to yell at the TV when someone wants a vintage home but complains about the small bedrooms that don't come with huge walk in closets, or when a couple chastises the real estate agent for showing them a home that's $10 bucks below their budget.  

I know most of it is fake, but I enjoy it anyway. 

[LittleIggy]

The 7/1 episode in CA: That view was spectacular. I missed the first little bit. How old were the older offspring and whose were they? I assume the husband’s since the wife didn’t seem thrilled with the idea of them visiting.

Edited July 2, 2019 by LittleIggy

[pep4]

Debbie Downer Does Tehachapi:  I sure hope the wife isn't near the wet blanket that the producers portrayed her as.

"Nina is actually the more pessimistic of us."  Would never have guessed...

I think they said the oldest kid was 22, but was only half watching so don't recall whose it was.  What was up with her repeatedly saying "You don't want the kids to be too comfortable?"

Edited July 2, 2019 by pep4

[Mittengirl]

I thought the oldest kid was her son (& his wife), so the joking didn’t bother me.  

I thought she said she works in a prison, so showing where she lives, along with her two very young children, seemed an odd choice.  Maybe I misheard?

[laredhead]

The 22-year old son was hers, and at first I thought the toddlers were her son's children as well.  So, the toddlers were her and her husband's children?  That's a huge age gap between siblings. 

As for the houses, none of them were great, IMO, but the views in that area are beautiful.  Since they bought the one with all of the wood, and it has only 2 bedrooms and the loft, I am assuming that maybe the older son and his wife won't be living with them, or at least not long term.  it's going to take some $$ to renovate that place.  OK, off to look up info on Tehachapi, which is another place I've never heard of.

[cameron]

8 minutes ago, laredhead said:

The 22-year old son was hers, and at first I thought the toddlers were her son's children as well.  So, the toddlers were her and her husband's children?  That's a huge age gap between siblings. 

As for the houses, none of them were great, IMO, but the views in that area are beautiful.  Since they bought the one with all of the wood, and it has only 2 bedrooms and the loft, I am assuming that maybe the older son and his wife won't be living with them, or at least not long term.  it's going to take some $$ to renovate that place.  OK, off to look up info on Tehachapi, which is another place I've never heard of.

Her cheshire cat grin would drive me crazy!!

[NJMom]

8 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

I thought the oldest kid was her son (& his wife), so the joking didn’t bother me.  

I thought she said she works in a prison, so showing where she lives, along with her two very young children, seemed an odd choice.  Maybe I misheard?

I thought she said she was an assistant principal.

[Ohwell]

The wife talked fast and mumbled so much, I'm glad I'm not the only one who couldn't understand what she was saying in the beginning of the episode.  So the oldest son was hers, and the two young children were hers and the husband's?  I did understand her saying that she was a vice principal, but there was a picture of her and the husband in another country, dressed in some kind of native garb, and for the life of me I couldn't understand where she said it was. 

I didn't like any of the houses, although the views were beautiful.  They bought the cabin with 18 acres.  I'd be afraid of snakes and other creepy critters though.  I feel sorry for the kids living in such a remote area, because in a couple years they'll want playmates, not just at school.

[Pickles]

Did she say she had worked for the government, before moving to CA? I honestly could not follow what she was saying. The perma grin was so annoying, as Cameron already mentioned. I have never understood people who always smile even when delivering/receiving bad news, etc. I definitely can't mask my true emotions like that. Her wig was not great either.

[jcbrown]

11 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

I thought she said she works in a prison, so showing where she lives, along with her two very young children, seemed an odd choice.  Maybe I misheard?

3 hours ago, NJMom said:

I thought she said she was an assistant principal.

She said she was an assistant principal at an adult school in a correctional facility. I had to rewind to catch it. Not sure how that related to her previous work in Abu Dhabi.

I didn't understand where they were going to put everyone, looking at such small houses. Two couples and two toddlers in a two-bedroom house?

[laredhead]

I did a little research on the area, and there is a maximum security state prison in Tehachapi, so I am assuming that is where she works.  I believe her previous work in Abu Dhabi was for the government.  I also thought the house they bought was the one that had the least room for 4 adults and 2 toddlers, and one of the adults (her husband) works from home.

[CruiseDiva]

5 hours ago, laredhead said:

 I also thought the house they bought was the one that had the least room for 4 adults and 2 toddlers, and one of the adults (her husband) works from home.

That seemed to be the least appropriate choice of dwelling for two adult couples and two toddlers. One thing I noticed from a long shot of the back of the house...there was a door on a lower floor that opened to the back yard below the main floor deck. My bet is that there is a walk-out basement space in that house. It might not be finished, but could serve as extra living space in the future. I found it odd that it wasn't mentioned, but suspected that they would select that house since it was the least expensive.

[Ohwell]

Watching a Las Vegas couple right now.  I'm assuming they must have an, ahem, "understanding" because she must know he's gay/bisexual and she might be too?  They're both kinda annoying so I'm not going to finish watching because I don't care which house they choose.

[ShellyM]

27 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Watching a Las Vegas couple right now.  I'm assuming they must have an, ahem, "understanding" because she must know he's gay/bisexual and she might be too?  They're both kinda annoying so I'm not going to finish watching because I don't care which house they choose.

I’m right there with ya lol. And if that woman says Cha-Ching ONE more time I’m gonna scream! I get the feeling she thinks it’s a “cool” thing to say

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, ShellyM said:

I’m right there with ya lol. And if that woman says Cha-Ching ONE more time I’m gonna scream! I get the feeling she thinks it’s a “cool” thing to say

OMG, me, too! That was so effing annoying. Also annoying was how she acted as if they threw massive dinner parties all the time. BTW, how does she work as a legal assistant from home? Maybe she just types up documents. It’s been a while since I practiced law so...🧐

[laredhead]

I must have missed it, did the couple in Las Vegas entertain a lot??

Oh, where to begin with that woman?  She declared a perfectly acceptable kitchen as dated.  What does she think her fabulous renovation is going to look like in 10 years?  I wasn't a fan of the tile in the family room area either, but given that the house was already over her budget, I would just buy a big rug and cover most of it for the time being.  In one house there was a wide opening into the bathroom from the master bedroom, but no door.  Instead of making a huge deal about that, just hire a carpenter to frame in a door.  So many HH's act like they are the ones who are actually going to be doing the work, when most of them can barely hang a picture.  They all say it's just too much work to do renovations.  They aren't doing the renovations.  Maybe it's too much work to write the check or swipe the credit card.    

The Las Vegas houses never appeal to me, and I know that the older parts of the city must have some different looking houses, but I don't believe there have been any episodes showing those.  By the time last night's episode was over, I didn't care which house they bought, I just wanted to never hear the words "entertain" and "cha-ching" ever again. 

[cameron]

10 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Watching a Las Vegas couple right now.  I'm assuming they must have an, ahem, "understanding" because she must know he's gay/bisexual and she might be too?  They're both kinda annoying so I'm not going to finish watching because I don't care which house they choose.

Did you notice how tight he wore his pants.

[Empress1]

On 7/2/2019 at 8:34 AM, laredhead said:

The 22-year old son was hers, and at first I thought the toddlers were her son's children as well.  So, the toddlers were her and her husband's children?  That's a huge age gap between siblings. 

Yes they were. I used to work with a woman who has three sons from different fathers (not sure if the eldest two have the same father). Her elder sons are in their late 20s and early 30s now; her youngest son is five or six. She had her first two in her late teens and early 20s and then her last one with her current husband when she was around 45. She is a really warm, energetic person who shocked people when she told them she had kids that old (black don't crack!) and she seemed delighted with her life, but I would think "Damn, you started all over?!" I've also known a number of men who started second families with much-younger wives.

Never heard of the town they were looking in. I agree with y'all that they seemed to be looking at pretty small spaces for two adult couples and two toddlers. Gorgeous views though. I was fixated on the wife's wig. 

[ECM1231]

12 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Watching a Las Vegas couple right now.  I'm assuming they must have an, ahem, "understanding" because she must know he's gay/bisexual and she might be too?  They're both kinda annoying so I'm not going to finish watching because I don't care which house they choose.

I have 0 gaydar. 😲 What struck me about the wife were her eyebrows; they made her look angry all the time. His budget was 200K higher than hers. The house they chose was the most expensive and needed a kitchen and 2 baths gutted ( her viewpoint, not mine.) I would have compromised on the last house. It was 599K and had a gorgeous pool and yard for entertaining. Plus the kitchen was nice, too. And I am right there with all of you about her overuse of " ka ching."😄

[topanga]

23 hours ago, Pickles said:

I have never understood people who always smile even when delivering/receiving bad news, etc. I definitely can't mask my true emotions like that. Her wig was not great either.

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

I agree with y'all that they seemed to be looking at pretty small spaces for two adult couples and two toddlers. Gorgeous views though. I was fixated on the wife's wig. 

Interesting episode, but yeah, I was a little confused about their situation. I thought I heard the husband say that in addition to their own young children, they have grandchildren who come to visit (or live with them). 

I understand her ongoing smile. It could be cultural, or it could be a nervous tic. I sometimes experience nervous laughter in stressful situations. I loved it when the husband says that she'll be wearing that same smile while ripping someone a new one. The couple genuinely seemed to like one another, so that was pleasant to see.

But yeah, that wig was horrible. The wife looked like a low-rent Shonda Rhimes. 

12 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Watching a Las Vegas couple right now.  I'm assuming they must have an, ahem, "understanding" because she must know he's gay/bisexual and she might be too?  They're both kinda annoying so I'm not going to finish watching because I don't care which house they choose.

I haven't finished that episode yet, but the wife is already annoying me. When they saw the first house, I did laugh when she looked at the 2000+ sq foot home and lament that it only had one living room (insert eye roll), and then the real estate agent pointed out the outdoor courtyard in front. The wife goes, "In the front? Where everyone can see me?"  Lady, aren't you planning to host 60 plus people at your house every weekend for parties? Won't they all see you?   Unless she was talking about her lowly neighbors. LOL

[Pickles]

At the end of the episode, did the Las Vegas couple say they had been in the house two weeks? Where was their furniture? I saw beds, but was there anything out in the main room or in the back for all of their entertaining? Lol. That party looked a bit sad.

[twinks]

She was ridiculous. She wanted a minimum of 3000 sf but didn't want to pay for it. And on top of that, she wanted to gut everything. They were definitely an odd couple.

[juliet73]

Las Vegas:  She was awful!  Besides being totally selfish, she was beyond annoying.  I don't know how long they've been married, but I can't see it lasting much longer.  I doubt he'll want to spend his retirement listing to her "cha-chinging" everyday.  I had to laugh that she insisted on such a big house for entertaining, and their huge (sarcasm) party of 5 people had to sit on the pool ledge because there was no furniture - inside or outside.  

I think the husband is going to be thankful for having a pool.  I can't imagine living in Vegas without one.

4 hours ago, laredhead said:

The Las Vegas houses never appeal to me, and I know that the older parts of the city must have some different looking houses, but I don't believe there have been any episodes showing those. 

I lived in LV for over 25 years and IMO, they probably will never have an episode showing the older parts because 1. Everyone wants brand new!  These buyers that think a 10 year old house is "dated" are certainly not going to look at areas that were built in the 60's, 70's or 80's.   2.  Sadly, the older homes are not in desirable neighborhoods anymore.  In their heyday, they were nice, but nowadays if you go a few blocks in any direction, it's very questionable.  

1 hour ago, topanga said:

When they saw the first house, I did laugh when she looked at the 2000+ sq foot home and lament that it only had one living room (insert eye roll), and then the real estate agent pointed out the outdoor courtyard in front. The wife goes, "In the front? Where everyone can see me?"  Lady, aren't you planning to host 60 plus people at your house every weekend for parties? Won't they all see you?   Unless she was talking about her lowly neighbors. LOL

I did a major eye roll at the realtor counting the courtyard as a living space.  People like their privacy, especially in LV so people entertain in their backyards. I can't see them (or anyone else) using the courtyard on a regular basis.  Plus, it's like a thousand degrees outside for half the year.  I doubt anyone would enjoy sitting out in front with no shade when it's 110.

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, Pickles said:

At the end of the episode, did the Las Vegas couple say they had been in the house two weeks? Where was their furniture? I saw beds, but was there anything out in the main room or in the back for all of their entertaining? Lol. That party looked a bit sad.

Not exactly a weekend in the Hamptons, was it? 😏

[Ohwell]

3 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

What struck me about the wife were her eyebrows; they made her look angry all the time.

OMG that's another reason why I just changed the channel after about 10 minutes.

[Vivigirl10]

Las Vegas:

The husband talked and acted like Dave Chappelle playing a character.

I truly believe that no one wants to go to any of their parties!!

[CruiseDiva]

2 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

Las Vegas:

The husband talked and acted like Dave Chappelle playing a character.

I truly believe that no one wants to go to any of their parties!!

They were a very strange couple and their "party" looked less than festive.

[jcbrown]

Okay, just watching the Las Vegas couple. So is she like 20 years older than him? She was godawful. 

[LittleIggy]

Orlando: They were a nice couple, but I got sick of her harping on a “playroom” for the 2 yo. If he has a bedroom, that is his playroom as far as I’m concerned. That and the living room. Loved the husband’s crack about “first world problem.” 😆

[Ohwell]

Orlando couple was attractive and not too annoying, and their little son was adorable.  I thought the house they chose was the nicest looking on the outside and it should look really nice on the inside after the renovations. 

[laredhead]

I liked the Orlando husband's comments about practicality, and especially the "first world problem" quip.  He also said that Formica countertops were perfectly acceptable as long as they held stuff or something like that, and as long as the refrigerator kept the beer cold he didn't care if it was stainless or not.  I was falling asleep at the end and missed their planned renovations.  What did they plan to do?

[Christine]

Tehachapi is up the road from Mojave.  It's a warm place.  When I was loads younger, had friends who lived there - first on acreage, then in town.  This was like the '70s?  Later I had a former boyfriend incarcerated in the prison - never visited him but would drive through.  It was like the back road from Vegas to Bakersfield in order to hook up with an Interstate heading to Napa.

I have nothing to add to the comments on the Vegas couple episode; I believe you all have said everything.

Edited July 5, 2019 by Christine

[Empress1]

23 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Orlando couple was attractive and not too annoying, and their little son was adorable.  I thought the house they chose was the nicest looking on the outside and it should look really nice on the inside after the renovations. 

I thought they were a really good-looking family. I laughed when she called him cheap and he tried to defend himself, and the producer was like "I mean, my dude, you wouldn't even buy her ice cream on your first date!" and they all cracked up.