House Hunters - General Discussion

[cameron]

The episode last night about the Seattle Seahawks player was certainly contrived.  Why would they even consider the first house when their original home was so much better.  And the budget constraint was pure fabrication.  He just signed a 15.5 million dollar two year extension to his contract.  They could buy anything that they wanted.  But I did like him.

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, cameron said:

The episode last night about the Seattle Seahawks player

I like the Seahawks, so I looked up who it was (I hardly ever watch the show anymore, I just still read here about it) - K.J. Wright.  He's a good player, and seems to be a decent man.  In a radio interview back in April, in talking about his plans to stay in Seattle after football (as background, he's been there since being drafted by the Seahawks in 2011, and, as noted above, signed a two-year extension of his contract this year) and noting he was househunting right now, he mentioned he planned to be on HH, his favorite HGTV show.

[suebee12]

I had fun watching the show with KJ because my son teaches at MSU(Mississippi State). I just knew they would pick house #2 because of the views! This was a pretty good show and the couple was fun! I liked their house to begin with....but the new one had the great views and he can always get a larger tub!

[KLovestoShop]

I did like the Seahawks player and his wife.  I looked him up and he has earned nearly $40 million in his career, and I would bet that he’s not going to be one of those retired players who is bankrupt within 5 years of retirement.  Both he and his wife seem really smart with their money.  I did like the house they chose.  
 

I’m not at all sure about the Texas couple.  They both came off as very self absorbed just seeming to care only about what they individually needed/wanted.  I was getting so sick of hearing “What about me”.  And what the heck is a “hotel vibe”?  Who wants a house to look like a hotel, and what kind of kitchen has a hotel vibe?  The only kitchen I’ve seen in a hotel is some cheap looking thing with a frig, small sink and coffee maker. 

Edited December 13, 2019 by KLovestoShop

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the Seattle episode, but I missed the first few minutes, and was totally shocked to find out he played football.    My strange cable guide said basketball.    Of course, my cable guide often has boo-boos in it.    I thought he seemed short for a basketball player.    Have the realtors every suggested that you can swap out free-standing tubs for bigger ones, as long as there is enough floor space?   

I think they picked the right house, and I love that they actually stuck to the budget.  They were a nice couple, and seemed willing to compromise.    

Edited December 14, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Empress1]

I liked the Sugarland episode. They seemed like a nice family. (I loved the blue and white striped dress that the wife wore in the opening.) I did wonder how things would work out - how the space would be readjusted - if they had a second child. 

Their closet before they moved, with all the husband's shoes, was making me so agitated. I don't even have claustrophobia issues but there was so much stuff in there!

[amarante]

Astounding that the Seattle Seahawks couple came off as one of the most balanced and down to earth couples on the show. 

I suspect that their net worth is actually far above almost any HH we have seen and yet they chose a home that was not particularly expensive for the Seattle market and really was just a very nice family home. If they had wanted to show off I am almost certain they could have "afforded" a much more expensive home but then - as others have pointed out - I am almost certain that we will not read about him in the bankruptcy courts in five years. 

One of my very dearest friends has great wealth and similarly chose a nice home that was well below what they could theoretically afford. Of course, since it's in Los Angeles, it's a multi-million dollar home but it's quite modest as it was originally built for a nice middle class type of family :-). What is true about my friend - and from what we have seen of this Seattle HH - is that these kinds of "modest" living standards generally carry through in terms of how children are raised. Obviously they are privileged but there is a huge difference between parents providing excessive lifestyles with everything that money can buy and having a lovely life that isn't financially excessive. In my experience, the kids turn out better as the expectation is that they will have to achieve - e.g. do well in school - look towards college and career - versus a lot of the neer do well spawn of rich celebrities.

[Grrarrggh]

On 12/12/2019 at 8:29 AM, cameron said:

 And the budget constraint was pure fabrication.  He just signed a 15.5 million dollar two year extension to his contract.  They could buy anything that they wanted. 

Part of that money goes to his agent, publicist, lawyers, and taxes. Not to mention that his career could end at anytime and he's only thirty years old. He and his wife spent wisely. 

[jcbrown]

On 12/11/2019 at 8:05 AM, Empress1 said:

I thought the first house the Bloomington couple looked at was so cute and I loved the neighborhood, but I saw the guy's point about being able to afford more space so wanting more space. I did think "OMG, just paint your damn house!" a bunch of times when he kept saying he didn't want to lift a finger. Their little Ginsburg was SO CUTE.

I agree--that house was my favorite and being close to campus would have been great. My husband and I were trying to pick up the bread crumbs through this episode and wishing they showed where the homes were located like they do on the International show. Bloomington is our hometown but we could not figure out where they were looking. Maybe those 25 years in the San Francisco area have ruined us for hometown geography.

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Part of that money goes to his agent, publicist, lawyers, and taxes. Not to mention that his career could end at anytime and he's only thirty years old. He and his wife spent wisely. 

One of the best sports documentaries I've seen is an episode of 30 for 30 called "Broke." It details how athletes go broke and it's fascinating because they go into more than just the extravagant lifestyle that many athletes have. It talks about how much your handlers take and how crooked handlers abound in that business, how you get hit with taxes if you get traded mid-year and have to establish a new residence, etc. It's actually pretty easy to go broke, especially when NFL careers are generally pretty short so whatever money you have has to last you decades. Just because you CAN spend a ton of money on a house doesn't mean you should. I always find it refreshing when the hunters say "I'm approved for x but I only want to spend Y" (though the Sugarland wife was like, well, the bank says we can spend $260K so let's do that!).

[Ohwell]

55 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

One of the best sports documentaries I've seen is an episode of 30 for 30 called "Broke." It details how athletes go broke and it's fascinating because they go into more than just the extravagant lifestyle that many athletes have. It talks about how much your handlers take and how crooked handlers abound in that business, how you get hit with taxes if you get traded mid-year and have to establish a new residence, etc. It's actually pretty easy to go broke, especially when NFL careers are generally pretty short so whatever money you have has to last you decades. Just because you CAN spend a ton of money on a house doesn't mean you should. I always find it refreshing when the hunters say "I'm approved for x but I only want to spend Y" (though the Sugarland wife was like, well, the bank says we can spend $260K so let's do that!).

I agree that it's easy for these athletes to go broke, for all the reasons you listed, but if a player ends a career, say, in his mid/late thirties, that doesn't mean that he can't or shouldn't find some kind of work in the future.  Now if they don't ever want to work again at such a relatively young age, then that's another story.   

[Empress1]

11 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I agree that it's easy for these athletes to go broke, for all the reasons you listed, but if a player ends a career, say, in his mid/late thirties, that doesn't mean that he can't or shouldn't find some kind of work in the future.  Now if they don't ever want to work again at such a relatively young age, then that's another story.   

Late 30s is geriatric in the NFL. The average career is only a couple of years. So yeah, people who come out of it have to find something else to do - one of the players in the doc is a financial adviser who works with athletes.

12 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I agree--that house was my favorite and being close to campus would have been great. My husband and I were trying to pick up the bread crumbs through this episode and wishing they showed where the homes were located like they do on the International show. Bloomington is our hometown but we could not figure out where they were looking. Maybe those 25 years in the San Francisco area have ruined us for hometown geography.

A mile commute! You could walk. But I think the house they ended up with was like two and a half miles, which is plenty short. I think the prof said he planned to bike to work.

[answerphone]

Ah, the Dr and his wife moving from Florida to Coronado.. I'm sure he's a great Dr, but he's a terrible actor🤣.

I heard every one of the classic House Hunters remarks "turn-key, natural light, stainless steel appliances, entertain friends and family."

I hope they appreciate the ample amount of money they have available to spend.

[laredhead]

Florida to Coronado - it must be nice to have an extra million to add to the budget when you want to live in what she considered paradise.  I guess this was a repurposed beach hunter episode since the realtor did not accompany them on the tour of the inside of the houses.  I did agree with the change to the counter surfaces from ceramic tile to solid surface. 

[NoReally]

I wondered if tiled countertops were an "island thing," since I think all three houses had them. Seemed a bit odd.

[amarante]

10 minutes ago, NoReally said:

I wondered if tiled countertops were an "island thing," since I think all three houses had them. Seemed a bit odd.

I don't recall the third home as having tile but I think it had to do more with the era in which the homes had been built or last renovated and not a specific style of Coronado.

My experience in California is that the only homes which don't have solid surface of some kind (quartz, marble, granite) are Spanish Colonial homes in which tile is used because the owners want to preserve the authenticity of that style. And even in Spanish Colonial homes which are lovingly restored, there will very often be solid surface because it is so much more functional in a kitchen than tiles. 

[cameron]

On 12/15/2019 at 9:43 AM, NoReally said:

I wondered if tiled countertops were an "island thing," since I think all three houses had them. Seemed a bit odd.

Had them in brand new house in Chicago in 1983.  Better than Formica.  It was in then.

[WendyCR72]

In the future, please do not post house locations. While some public figures do appear on this program, an expectation of a semblance of privacy with regard to exact location is expected.

Any questions, please PM myself or @Black Knight.

[LittleIggy]

Did anyone else watch “Move and Improve”? It seemed like a rebranded “House Hunters Renovation.” The husband was so incredibly annoying with his mugging for the camera. I liked how the reno turned out (didn’t like the brass kitchen hardware though) and how the couple didn’t go around “blowing out” walls. 

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Did anyone else watch “Move and Improve”? It seemed like a rebranded “House Hunters Renovation.” The husband was so incredibly annoying with his mugging for the camera. I liked how the reno turned out (didn’t like the brass kitchen hardware though) and how the couple didn’t go around “blowing out” walls. 

I posted about it in the HHR thread because my TiVo thought it was HHR! It really was the same show. I didn't like the brass hardware or the vinyl floor.

Shifting gears: I was a little frustrated with the SF guy who kept asking about negotiating the prices of everything they saw because he appeared not to understand the SF market, but I tried to be patient because they were from Detroit, which has a very different COL. And it was kind of refreshing to hear it stated that $1.2M is a lot of money. It seemed like the guy hadn't really wrapped his head around how much housing costs in SF. (I'm not saying it's right that $1.2M doesn't get you much in SF - gentrification sucks - but that's where things are there.)

Edited December 18, 2019 by Empress1

[juliet73]

Florida to Coronado:  I had to laugh when the Dr said they wanted to move to San Diego so he would have a shorter commute.  Seriously?  Who moves to So California for a shorter commute?  I was a little surprised at how small the backyards were at the houses they toured.  

[chessiegal]

We went to Coronado several years ago for a sailing rendezvous. I don't remember the traffic being an issue on the island. Did he have to leave the island to go to work? I don't remember traffic being an issue in getting from San Diego airport to Coronado.

[cameron]

The newest Bloomington wife with her rescue cats and worm farm was a little out there.

[DonnaMae]

I guess they don't plan on having kids.  She'd be too busy playing with the cats and worms.  🙄  I found that constant smile a bit weird.

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

I guess they don't plan on having kids.  She'd be too busy playing with the cats and worms.  🙄  I found that constant smile a bit weird.

When she made that crack about it being a good thing his parents weren’t moving in with them, implying that she wouldn’t give them that ground  floor master suite if that were the case...Ugh! 🙄

[Pickles]

I can't really imagine living with a set of parents, as a married adult. They must all get along really well! I am guessing the parents were funding most of the house purchase? They had a big budget. Was it $500k?

[amarante]

I also assumed the parents were helping with the purchase as it was a bit steep for a college Professor and a worm farmer. 
 

I thought all the choices were terrible for a multi generational family. They should have looked for a home with truly separate quarters and not just a bedroom. 

I grew up in a two family home with my mother’s parents in the downstairs apartment but that enabled each family to have privacy. My grandmother was really tactful about respecting privacy so it worked well since she was my caretaker from an early age and then in her later years my parents were able to take care of her when she became less physically fit. 

[javajeanelaine]

The wife is really a piece of work. She didn’t seem to care about anything little husband.

Just now, javajeanelaine said:

The wife is really a piece of work. She didn’t seem to care about anything her husband  wanted  

 

 

 

[edie3]

I was ready for her to choke on a worm before the show was over.

[Johnny Dollar]

The Bloomington wife was literally a HH meme. “I’m a worm farmer and my budget is half a million dollars.”

[tvrox]

Why is HH no longer on every night at 10? Now, sometimes its on at 11, sometimes its not on at all. Or sometimes HHI is at 11, and HH is at 11:30. Weird.

[chessiegal]

I've noticed they always put HHI first, then HH these days. Not sure why the more than often move to 11 pm, which is no longer prime time, I think.

[laredhead]

I've also noticed that they are sneaking in what I would call HH beachside/vacation episodes or whatever they are called.  I'm not a fan of those because they all seem to be the same.  I realized last night that I have several episodes recorded but unwatched for about the last 3 weeks.  I used to watch them on the day they aired.

[msrachelj]

On 12/19/2019 at 1:51 PM, cameron said:

The newest Bloomington wife with her rescue cats and worm farm was a little out there.

A little spoiled and demanding it seemed. I feel for her husband and his new living arrangements. Having your compromised father in law and mother in law in the same home, not even a separate apt. Good luck. I know from experience it is not good! The wife seems very close to her parents, and this guy is gonna need some space of his own. Have to wonder if the parents were chipping in a good deal on the house. That's the only way I can see this happening. Or the poor guy doesn't know how to say no. I did love that she was into rescuing the ferals.  Did they pick the house with all the acreage? If not, the neighbors are going to have a fit about all those cats unfortunately. 

On 12/19/2019 at 4:36 PM, DonnaMae said:

I guess they don't plan on having kids.  She'd be too busy playing with the cats and worms.  🙄  I found that constant smile a bit weird.

I'd rather have and rescue cats. Don't fault her there. She is doing a service and it's commendable. 

[ehall1052]

On 12/26/2019 at 9:20 PM, tvrox said:

Why is HH no longer on every night at 10? Now, sometimes its on at 11, sometimes its not on at all. Or sometimes HHI is at 11, and HH is at 11:30. Weird.

I wrote this on the forum a few weeks ago, but something is going on with HH. My friends were accepted on the show, but later cancelled by the producers. They were told that they’re no longer making any HH. Maybe they’re changing production companies? Or the format?

[Pickles]

I don't see any HH or HHI episodes scheduled for this week at all. Maybe they think everyone is still off on vacation and not watching tv this week?

[proserpina65]

On ‎12‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 10:46 PM, chessiegal said:

There are homes on the beaches in NC that have survived decades of hurricanes. We have a friend who has a house in Atlantic Beach NC built in the 40s, and is still standing.

I have a friend whose family has a house in Rodanthe.  Apparently it wasn't beachfront when she was a child, but now it is.  Every time there's a hurricane coming close, she's sure the house will be gone afterwards, but so far it's still standing.  She fully expects it to go within a few years, though, because sooner or later the ocean is going to encroach on it and undermine the foundation.

A lot of that depends on how a house is built.  Older houses like your friend's tend to be built better, and really new ones have to be built to a stricter code, but those built in the 70s and 80s often come apart like cardboard during hurricanes.

On ‎12‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 2:04 PM, amarante said:

The other issue is insurance as the costs of insuring homes within flood zones (and flood zones are expanding) is becoming increasingly expensive. And do we as taxpayers want to subsidize people who willingly choose to live on ecologically untenable land?

I agree, and yet I would love to live at the beach.

[chessiegal]

My Fios guide is showing new HHI and HH on next Wednesday and Thursday (Jan 8 and 9) at both 7:00 and 7:30 AND 10:00 and 10:30. Four new shows a night! Doesn't look like it's been cancelled to me.

[laredhead]

I hope these "new" shows aren't repackaged beach or vacation house hunting episodes that they have been doing lately.

[chessiegal]

I was reading descriptions of upcoming episodes starting next week. I only saw 1 that could be a beachfront repackage. The rest seem like the usual HH. The HGTV HH web site says they are looking for people who want to be on HH.

[chessiegal]

You can find the descriptions of upcoming episodes on the HH web site. My Fios mobile app lets me look weeks in advance. I can also record up to 5 shows at the same time.

[Johnny Dollar]

I set my DVR to record all new episodes at any time and it seems to be able to adjust for time slot changes. It’s not yet smart enough to sniff out repackaged waterfront eps. 

[abbey]

I certainly hope it isn't cancelled. it seems like all HGTV does is   various versions of property brothers, house flipping shows, and lottery dream house. I used to watch HGTV religiously back when they offered a variety of shows. now I only watch for house hunters. if I never saw Jonathan and Drew again along with the lottery guy I would be very happy.  

[topanga]

17 hours ago, abbey said:

I certainly hope it isn't cancelled. it seems like all HGTV does is   various versions of property brothers, house flipping shows, and lottery dream house. I used to watch HGTV religiously back when they offered a variety of shows. now I only watch for house hunters. if I never saw Jonathan and Drew again along with the lottery guy I would be very happy.  

There’s a new show called 100 Day Dream Home. Not revolutionary, but the host couple builds a home from scratch. I’m watching the first episode now. The couple is beautiful and seems really nice. I’d hang out with them and go out for drinks. Or more. LOL.  

[NJMom]

4 hours ago, topanga said:

There’s a new show called 100 Day Dream Home. Not revolutionary, but the host couple builds a home from scratch. I’m watching the first episode now. The couple is beautiful and seems really nice. I’d hang out with them and go out for drinks. Or more. LOL.  

This was definitely on last year some time. Same episode and all.

[topanga]

4 hours ago, NJMom said:

This was definitely on last year some time. Same episode and all.

Oh. I’d never heard of it till Rock the Block

[NJMom]

10 hours ago, topanga said:

Oh. I’d never heard of it till Rock the Block

Now that I think of it, I do not think it was called Rock the Block. They must have renamed it and passed it off as new.

[topanga]

11 hours ago, NJMom said:

Now that I think of it, I do not think it was called Rock the Block. They must have renamed it and passed it off as new.

The couple was on the show Rock The Block as guest judges. 

[Empress1]

I think there was a new episode last night with a DC-area couple. I liked them, especially him - he was funny. His aunt was their realtor and she showed them a house with an unfinished basement and she said it would cost "50" to finish. He said "50 what?" and his delivery was terrific. Also when his wife said there were plans to expand their family (they had a toddler) and he said "We're getting a puppy?!" I fell out. They ended up with an end-unit townhouse, which she'd initially said she didn't want but I thought it made the most sense. Good price, close to the metro (I think they both worked in DC proper), and a lot of space.

[Grrarrggh]

14 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I think there was a new episode last night with a DC-area couple. I liked them, especially him - he was funny. His aunt was their realtor and she showed them a house with an unfinished basement and she said it would cost "50" to finish. He said "50 what?" and his delivery was terrific. Also when his wife said there were plans to expand their family (they had a toddler) and he said "We're getting a puppy?!" I fell out. They ended up with an end-unit townhouse, which she'd initially said she didn't want but I thought it made the most sense. Good price, close to the metro (I think they both worked in DC proper), and a lot of space.

I hope he was playing up his want for his own space for the show. I'm sick of all these fathers who only want to get away from their children and leave it all to their wife.