House Hunters - General Discussion

[Empress1]

22 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The idea of trading voice lessons for a full kitchen remodel is bizarre.     

I know someone who is a teacher & tutored her contractor’s kids in exchange for work on her home. (She bought her home for emotional reasons - it’s been in her family for a long time - but it’s a bit too much for her, so she’s usually stretched financially.) Seems more practical than voice lessons!

The voiceover for that upstate NY episode didn’t make the area sound very appealing - two hours from a major city and the industry that used to support the area is gone.

[chediavolo]

On 8/20/2020 at 12:38 AM, LittleIggy said:

Binghamton, NY: She must have gotten nothing in the divorce! I thought that house was just sad.

Guess you don’t make much money being an opera singer in Binghamton New York. You may be Able to get a home for 75,000 but my god that area was Sad looking. Hopefully the neighbors were nice which is more important then the poor depressed area itself where all the jobs have gone to China😞. She  was a little weird but artiste types sometimes are And not in a bad way. I just couldn’t get over all the dog fur on her black coat, my God was it just the camera and lights picking that up because somebody should’ve told her about that😳I’m surprised she chose the home where  she couldn’t even fit a piano in. Is it keyboard going to cut it? Because it seems like she needs that money she gets by teaching students. 

[chessiegal]

4 hours ago, chediavolo said:

Is it keyboard going to cut it? Because it seems like she needs that money she gets by teaching students. 

Absolutely. There are some incredible keyboards out there.

[Empress1]

Upstate NY realtor’s hair needed a trim and I think her natural hair color, which was growing in, was better than the dark color she’d dyed it.

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Absolutely. There are some incredible keyboards out there.

My friend is a working singer-actor in NYC (well, was, pre-COVID) and he has a keyboard he uses every day - no room for a piano in his place either. I wonder what the hunter was going to do with her piano? Sell it? Store it?

[chessiegal]

Good luck selling a piano. Last time we moved I didn't want to take my piano, which I didn't use, with me. I had trouble giving it away.

[amarante]

I went to college in Binghamton and it is a sad economically depressed area. There is a lot of cheap student housing though. 
 

It is a pretty large university so it has an economy and cultural center based around the university so it has the benefit of having the professors and administrative staff living in the area. There are actually some standard suburban areas especially in Vestal and beautiful large homes in Binghamton proper along the river which were built when it was a thriving industrial area. 
 

The shoe factory had recruiters to meet the immigrants as they alit and so there was a very strong Polish working class in thise sad little houses that were built for them. 

[buttersister]

LOL! Five Minutes From Dad couple. I hope the husband enjoyed doing his comedy act. The realtor and I both liked it. As did his adorable wife. Because was there a doubt about them buying house #1? No, there was not.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Will and Ajah looked older than 23, because they were dressed up beautifully.    Were they only 16 and 17 years old when they were met on a dating app, or did I misunderstand?    

He needs a separate dressing room for his suit collection/dressing room, so they have to use an entire bedroom for him?  In Tampa my number one priority would be a single family, that's solid walls, like block for hurricane survival.     For hurricanes, they need to have enough garage space to fit any cars into it.   In Florida, my preference would be hard surface everywhere, so I would have to take the carpet out.  So, I'm on Will's side for that.     So Will feels "Presidential" pulling up to a 2 story townhouse?   I love the size of the master bed/bath.   Bet in spite of the huge master closet, he'll want to use the entire bedroom closet for his stuff, so I bet they turn the alcove into her closet.  I hated the stairs in the townhouse, very steep, and very long because of the first floor ceiling height. 

All of the homeowners that want a decent yard for 'entertaining' but don't want yard work are so funny.   I guess getting a lawn service is not a possibility for them?    So they picked the wife's pick #1. the house 5 minutes from her father.     I bet that Will will start lobbying for another house within a couple of years, so he can get something with an adjoining bedroom, so he can cut through the closet back wall in the master, to make the second bedroom his dressing room.   

The Columbus Ohio couple were either on opposite sides about what to get, or were great actors.   So they're having their first kid, but want four bedrooms, so she can have a sewing/craft room?     Bet she won't want the smallest bedroom for that either.       I like the realtor, but if he says 'first time home buyer' one more time, I'm going to scream.  The first house is too small, and hate the downstairs bedrooms.    I think the husband will grow to hate the height of the basement, with the master bath, and bedroom down there.   The stairs to the basement are not tall.   Also, I didn't see any egress windows in the basement, so the basement bedrooms are not really legal bedrooms.   I know millions of houses have basement living spaces with no egress, but it's simply not safe.   

The second house is nice, but it's a shared driveway, and I absolutely hate shared driveways, or even garages.    The dark blue toilet, and shower / tub combo is hideous (I like the color, but it will show every bit of water spots, or toothpaste or other things.  

The third house, the split is nice, I would call it a bi-level, with entering the front door, and either having to go upstairs to the living area, or down to the basement.    It's a 3 bedroom upstairs, so she could put her sewing/craft room in the beautifully finished basement level.   The basement has full windows, and it has a lot of natural light.   The wrought iron railing over the stairs from the living room would be easy to fix.  For now, they could put Lujan or formica sheets, or something cheap to keep the dog and the baby safe.    There is nothing wrong with the third house kitchen.  No one on earth ever died from having a cabinet color you weren't in love with.   You can always reface the kitchen cabinets, and since she wants a project, that would be a good one. 

So they chose #2, with no garage, or basement, and a shared driveway.   I would have bought #3.

The Milwaukee house was so nice, but the husband's right, the Ivy needs to go right now, in fact I wouldn't have bought that house until it was removed.   Then the inspector could see if there is any damage to the house from the ivy.  

Edited August 23, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[LittleIggy]

Tampa: She married a dandy just like her dad! 😆
Milwaukee: I loved the Tudor house they picked with the built-ins and leaded glass windows. The big drawback was the one bathroom upstairs. Yes, get rid of the Ivy!

Edited August 22, 2020 by LittleIggy

[StatisticalOutlier]

22 hours ago, chediavolo said:

She  was a little weird but artiste types sometimes are And not in a bad way. I just couldn’t get over all the dog fur on her black coat, my God was it just the camera and lights picking that up because somebody should’ve told her about that😳

Dang, I didn't notice that.  I was more focused on her frumpy look.  Dress below her knees for no apparent style reason, and pumps like I used to wear in the 1980s. 

 

14 hours ago, amarante said:

I went to college in Binghamton and it is a sad economically depressed area. There is a lot of cheap student housing though.

And cheap regular people housing, too. 

 

14 hours ago, amarante said:

It is a pretty large university so it has an economy and cultural center based around the university so it has the benefit of having the professors and administrative staff living in the area.

I didn't get that vibe at all.  I've always thought that a university can make an otherwise zero of a town into something a least a little palatable, and there was no sign of that at all.  The Chamber of Commerce should be miffed.

[amarante]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

 

And cheap regular people housing, too. 

 

I didn't get that vibe at all.  I've always thought that a university can make an otherwise zero of a town into something a least a little palatable, and there was no sign of that at all.  The Chamber of Commerce should be miffed.

I think the segment for whatever reason ignored it because it went against whatever story they were trying to tell. I almost never find any of the towns appealing in terms of my wanting to move there. I generally get a real kick when someone has moved into a suburb or small town in the middle of nowhere and brags about all the wonderful things to do and places to eat. 

I don't have particularly fond feelings toward Binghamton but it is a major university center with the kind of cultural stuff happening on any major campus that elevates it from being a place in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do except go bowling. It's on the circuit for speakers, music groups - both pop and higher level etc. especially given its proximity to New York. 

I don't think anyone would move to Binghamton unless they worked for the university but given that a major university exists, it does provide cultural and intellectual for the community around it. It's not a particularly charming town - the climate is not great as it rains more than it snows in the winter.

But economically it really has nothing going for it except the university. IBM had a major facility there from so long ago that it manufactured adding machines. 

And of course it's great claim to culinary fame is the spiedie which exists only in the Binghamton area. The dive bars used to run speidie specials where you could get cheap speidies and a pitcher of beer.

It does have a lot of cheap housing especially that was built and not much gentrification going on because there really isn't a reason for anyone to need to live in a specific area as commuting is pretty easy and fast and not very congested. I lived a bit north of town and there are a bunch of homes that are under $100,000 for sale. And some for less than $75,000.  So it's a pretty good investment to buy a place and rent it to students.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Chenango-Forks_NY

I don't think any of the homes on this segment were particularly attractive or functional but I often think that I would have rejected all the options and continued to look. On my segments I really wonder if that is really the best they could do for the money but obviously it's all staged so I don't spend that much time thinking about it. 

[chediavolo]

18 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Good luck selling a piano. Last time we moved I didn't want to take my piano, which I didn't use, with me. I had trouble giving it away.

Agree. We actually tried to get a free piano for our home. Gorgeous older upright. Had to leave it there, they are impossible to move. You can pay to have it moved but it's costly. So many have to stay with the house and then become firewood I suppose!

[chessiegal]

I did eventually give the piano away to a family that a friend of mine knew. Their 8 year old was taking lessons on a keyboard, and they couldn't afford a piano. We had it in the semi-above ground basement. It was on wheels, so some big guys wheeled it out the garage and somehow loaded into the bed of a pick up truck.

I'm nosy enough to wonder about what happened with that opera singer. Maybe leaving her piano with the ex was sweet revenge on how he would get rid of it.

[NYGirl]

I loved the dapper couple in Tampa.  He was so funny.  I loved the way he dressed up for each house.  The house they picked looked so tiny. I would have gone for the 2 story presidential!  He's gonna be sorry he's so close to her dad.

The couple in Columbus had me wondering why the hell they needed all those bedrooms.  Then the end showed the craft space and I just shook my head.  Good luck with that.

[CruiseDiva]

We kept my mother-in-law's piano when she died and I hoped to learn to play more than the kiddie tunes I learned in education classes in college. That hope didn't come to fruition and the piano ended up being a great spot to display family photos and collect dust. One day our next door neighbor's 5-year old daughter sat down at the piano and began playing along with the song that was playing on the stereo. Her mother and I were stunned. The little girl had never had a lesson. The piano was on wheels so my neighbor bought it on the spot and had it wheeled it from our house to theirs. Her daughter turned out to be a prodigy.

[laredhead]

I'm just getting around to commenting on the Columbus couple who were expecting a baby.  5 bedrooms in a 1400 sf house means all of the rooms are going to be tiny.  There was no basement, so there went the additional square footage that usually isn't counted in living area, right?  We don't have basements here, but that's what I have ascertained from previous comments on this forum.  The camera angles must have made that place look larger than it was because otherwise that house must have been a nightmare to film in.  The fact that the closets were tiny and they had to buy portable wardrobe hangers would have been a no go for me.  Maybe it is time they divested themselves of some of their stuff.  No garage in a cold climate, or a place to store tools, etc?  Again, a no go.  Hope they like cozy living, because that place is going to get even smaller now that the baby has arrived.  Babies come with another set of stuff.

Oh, and I almost forgot the wife's answer to making space - just knock down a wall.  She even said that wouldn't be a difficult project.  I shake my head when some of the HH's on this show think knocking down a wall is no big deal.  It is if it has electrical, plumbing, HVAC, or is a support wall.  It's also mess, time consuming, and involves more than one person with a sledge hammer.  I know from my experience with several remodels.  Nothing is ever as simple as you think it will be.  

     

[CrazyInAlabama]

I suspect the Columbus couple won't be in that house for two years.   I bet they'll keep looking, and hoping for a really good deal on a fixer upper, or a cheaper home, and will move on.   Or they'll move further into the suburbs for cheaper housing, that's also bigger. 

  The basement square footage can only be included if it's heated, cooled, and some places if it's finished.   You can only have a legal bedroom down there if there are egress windows, or the windows are large enough for egress (garden windows are above the ground level on a bi-level, or raised ranch), or a walk out basement.    Some localities don't enforce the egress windows on older houses, that may be grandfathered in.  

Some places don't include it (good reminder chessiegal, thank you)   It's bizarre how things vary by locations.  Also, if something is finished after the initial building is assessed for taxes, then if it's not added to the legal description, then it might be because the tax assessment, would go up.  

 

Edited August 24, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The basement square footage can only be included if it's heated, cooled, and some places if it's finished. 

We had a raised ranch that had a lower level that was heated and cooled, many windows and a door to the back yard. All the lower level sq. footage was NOT included in the size of the house in legal descriptions and real estate listings.

[Grrarrggh]

8 hours ago, laredhead said:

Oh, and I almost forgot the wife's answer to making space - just knock down a wall.  She even said that wouldn't be a difficult project.  I shake my head when some of the HH's on this show think knocking down a wall is no big deal.  It is if it has electrical, plumbing, HVAC, or is a support wall.  It's also mess, time consuming, and involves more than one person with a sledge hammer.  I know from my experience with several remodels.  Nothing is ever as simple as you think it will be.  

I'm always shocked at how much square footage they think a wall or two will add. How thick are these walls?

[ECM1231]

8 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

I'm always shocked at how much square footage they think a wall or two will add. How thick are these walls?

Plus, once the wall is knocked down there is no space for furniture placement. Our staircase is in the middle of our house, and goes side to side, not front to back. We had toyed with the idea of opening the wall up somehat so as to expose the staircase and railing. We changed our mind because we had a tall TV cabinet and it would limit where that was placed. I think open concept is great if the home was designed like that and rooms are large. Otherwise, it always looks cramped to me, with the island and stools jutting into the dining area.

[Grrarrggh]

3 hours ago, LucindaWalsh said:

I am thrilled that the he got a real estate license just to buy a house episode couple bought that beautiful 1967 home. The only bad part of that house was the garage and that could be fixed at leisure. I loved that she loved it.  I felt my heart melt when I saw those multiple storage closet doors in the upstairs hallway (on the episode).  Nobody does that nowadays and they are so useful. The brick first option was also a nice house with a great floor plan. I had a moment of dread when they went to the crappy new build that they would pick that one, in a classic fake out. That house was horrible and cramped. I also hate with the hate of stepping on tiny hard toys that rustic/sparkle/reclaimed/cheap look that is so popular. "Gather" in scrolling type is a trend that can end anytime. That house also had one of my least favorite floor plans where the living room and dining room line up with a small hallway going towards the back isolated kitchen and den. The front lr/dr/hall always reminds me of a commercial office space instead of a home. 

I was so happy someone who appreciates history and the floorplan it was made to have bought it. 

[amarante]

I suspect people get ridiculous notions of the cost of remodeling from shows which bear no relation to reality. 
 

Once you remove a wall, you also need to deal with the flooring and repainting. Not to mention structural walls. And removing a kitchen wall generally eliminates a lot of storage especially in smaller homes with smaller kitchens. 
 

Painting kitchen cabinets is not simple and is expensive if done by a professional. You don’t simply slap paint on it as you would for a wall. 

[MsTree]

18 hours ago, laredhead said:

Oh, and I almost forgot the wife's answer to making space - just knock down a wall.  She even said that wouldn't be a difficult project.  I shake my head when some of the HH's on this show think knocking down a wall is no big deal.  It is if it has electrical, plumbing, HVAC, or is a support wall.  It's also mess, time consuming, and involves more than one person with a sledge hammer.  I know from my experience with several remodels.  Nothing is ever as simple as you think it will be.  

Exactly! Not only electric, plumbing, HVAC, etc. need to be considered, but I hope they were also thinking about replacing their floors, because it's never easy to match old/existing flooring. Even if existing tile is still in stock, it's never going to align correctly.

[KLovestoShop]

It was interesting to see what $75K buys.  I was really expecting to see basic shacks in a run down area where the rest of the houses were boarded up.  I was surprised to see relatively decent houses.

I had a Yamaha Disk Lavier baby grand and donated it to the high school around the block from my house.  It was a very nice tax deduction and the school is putting it to very good use. The school is a private one and is attached to an assisted living apartment, and the kids put on concerts for the residents using the piano.  

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

Virginia real estate agent searching for a vacation home in Las Vegas. Holy Valley Girl vocal fry, Batman. Had to force myself to continue watching past the first house, because the women were so painful to listen to. I felt embarrassed for the guy that his narrative centered around drinking and partying. Overall, horrible episode.

Cardboard box townhouse overlooking the highway and in the middle of a construction zone.

Cardboard box detached house with weird details, terrible yard, and awkward layout.

For a vacation home, I love the idea of the minimal maintenance that comes with a high-rise condo. I agreed with her that a large balcony with a view would be better than a yard. But $700 for a monthly condo fee, yikes. Totally understand the limit of two guests in common areas. I lived in a high-rise apartment that ostensibly had a limit on guests in amenities spaces, but it was never enforced. Made it almost impossible for actual residents to use the pool or grills on nice days.

Ultimately, I was not invested in her final choice, because I found all of the options to be generic and interchangeable. Could be that I would just never choose Vegas for a vacation home.

Edited because Virginia ≠ Virginal. 

Edited August 26, 2020 by Sheikh Yerbouti

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, Sheikh Yerbouti said:

Ultimately, I was not invested in her final choice, because I found all of the options to be generic and interchangeable. Could be that I would just never choose Vegas for a vacation home.

Edited because Virginia ≠ Virginal. 

Well, maybe she chose Vegas because she's trying to get away from Virginial... 😉

[buttersister]

Rerun of Texas to Colorado to live the mountain man life! LOL, they bought the place with the critters waiting to eat her kids.

[kirklandia]

On 8/23/2020 at 5:42 PM, LucindaWalsh said:

I only caught the last bit of the Dad lives close by episode while it was recording but wow, that lady was beautiful.

Her dad and her husband were a couple of sharp-dressed men!  That was a fun episode.

[Grrarrggh]

I'd love to see an update of that young Tampa couple in a few years. They were great! 

[ByaNose]

It’s currently 108 degrees in Las Vegas. I will have to pass. Especially, since they don’t have a pool. I like the lady. She had a pretty smile & good attitude. I’m just glad I don’t have to live next to said brother with his planned drinking & partying. I’m curious if that development is more family or singles? It really does look very brown out there with the house, the yard & the retaining wall right up to a highway. It’s way too neutral for me. She seemed happy with the place. The high rise was nice but it had too many rules and HOA fees to contend with. I know people love Vegas but once a month seems a lot but I love the shore (South Jersey) and I’d go every weekend if I could. Different strokes.............

[LittleIggy]

NY: I loved the house they picked. When the HHs drove up to it, I squealed “It’s a castle!” 😆

[Kiddvideo]

I think the Sarasota couple made the right choice, but they seemed to be acting it up for the cameras a bit more than other couples. Her voice? I'm embarrassed for her. How does the real estate agent not know if the fireplace works? And why would the people ask when they already own it?

[chessiegal]

When the Sarasota woman was scrolling on her phone and saying the house seemed older, maybe 70s or 80s, give me a break. When you're looking at Zillow or Realtor.com, the listings tell you exactly what year the house was built. So fake.

 

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

NY: I loved the house they picked. When the HHs drove up to it, I squealed “It’s a castle!” 😆

I'm a city girl so was leaning toward the Manhattan apartment. Despite the work it needed, 1,000 sq ft is HUGE for an apartment, plus the gorgeous terrace plus being just blocks from Central Park. I did like the quirkiness of the Tudor "castle" and Dutch colonial, though. I was a little sad that the one dude lamented about work meetings he had to miss while commuting back and forth to take care of the dogs. When you're affiliated with a university, being near campus is so key. During the epilogue when they were huffing and puffing to carry stuff up the stairs, I was like...just wait until winter and all the work you'll have to do to keep those stairs from being coated with snow and ice. 

[blueray]

Yeah, my husband and I were saying the same thing. Those stairs will suck in the winter. As cool as that house looked that would be a deal breaker for me. That being said we were glad that they didn't pick the house with the blue kitchen as they wanted to it take it out and it was awesome. I would have picked the one in the city but then at the end when they showed they had huge dogs, that place won't work.

[ECM1231]

50 minutes ago, Sheikh Yerbouti said:

I'm a city girl so was leaning toward the Manhattan apartment. Despite the work it needed, 1,000 sq ft is HUGE for an apartment, plus the gorgeous terrace plus being just blocks from Central Park. I did like the quirkiness of the Tudor "castle" and Dutch colonial, though. I was a little sad that the one dude lamented about work meetings he had to miss while commuting back and forth to take care of the dogs. When you're affiliated with a university, being near campus is so key. During the epilogue when they were huffing and puffing to carry stuff up the stairs, I was like...just wait until winter and all the work you'll have to do to keep those stairs from being coated with snow and ice. 

I missed this episode. Where else did they look? Westchester County?

[CrazyInAlabama]

The NYC couple looked at the Tudor with at least 50 steps to the front door, without central air (it had baseboard heat I think).

Then the second was the 2 bed 1 bath Manhattan apartment with the lovely terrace.

Then the third (my favorite) with central heat and air, lots of room, but did need the ceilings drywalled, and the kitchen was a gut job.  One bath needed the toilet, and tub replaced, but it was a guest bath, so not a priority to me.   This was in (I know I'll misspell it) Mamaroneck, but the price was low enough to do the kitchen, and do the minimal back yard fence it needed, and the ceilings. and I'm sure they would have had a great return on their money.     

They bought the first house, with all of the stairs.    The grad. student did say he missed a few meetings, and classes to take care of the dogs, but I think a neighborhood pet sitter would be a solution for that.  (Actually, a pet sitter training for speed skating, or the Tour de France who has thighs like tree trunks)

The Sarasota couple were interesting.   How can the wife say the first house is dark?   The preserve area behind the house is concerning, with lots of mosquitoes, and who knows what else will crawl out of the area right next to the back of the house.     I hated the back yard on this house.   

House #2 The moveable thing on the cabinet is called a shelf.   It's where you put a trash can under it, so it's out of the way.  How big of a bedroom does one kid need?   There is no way I would have those huge oak trees in the back yard, I would have them gone before hurricane season starts.

The wife is wrong, the trees in the back yard wouldn't be maintained by the HOA if there was an HOA in that neighborhood. The realtor explained that at the first house the fees only included front yard mowing.    

#3, but only a 2 bedroom.   With an optional HOA, but only for the pool.    I bet if they bought that house, they would be house hunting the entire time, and would move within  a year.   I would have put upper cabinets by the sink, and over the other section of cabinets.    I would have wanted a lower price, to replace the windows with double pane.   I would also chop down the palm tree near the electric line.  I liked the house, but the two bedrooms would be a deal breaker for me.    

I would have bought house #2, and for once I guess correctly which one they bought.  .   They would only have to get the trees gone, and replace the kitchen appliances.  They made a good choice.  Refacing the cabinets would be economical, and they can choose any style or color they want, and they chose the sensible option by refacing.  

Edited August 28, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Empress1]

I think the Tudor was in Yonkers. And I agree that those stairs will be a nightmare in snow. I guess they don’t have friends or family with mobility issues! They didn’t appear to want kids (one of them scoffed at the idea of a nursery) so at least they won’t be dealing with strollers and those stairs.

[TVForever]

17 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

I'd love to see an update of that young Tampa couple in a few years. They were great! 

They were the most mature 23 year-olds I've ever seen. And I mean that in a good way, no snark here!

[buttersister]

Quote

The NYC couple looked at the Tudor with at least 50 steps to the front door, without central air (it had baseboard heat I think).

Run!

ETA: Away!

Edited August 27, 2020 by buttersister

[laredhead]

Sarasota Amanda, no, the HOA will not take care of the tree cutting for you, unless your HOA fee is a million dollars a month.  I've lived in 4 developments with HOA fees, and the 2 that included outside maintenance on the dwelling itself had very high monthly fees.  The other two took care of the front lawn, the garbage/recycling fees, basic cable TV, and the common pool maintenance for around $150/mo.  

She annoyed me going on and on about the cabinets in the house they chose.  That was an adjustable shelf she kept saying was broken.  Remove it, or move it up and down to fit your needs.  The fireplace did not look old and dirty.  It has been painted white.  The first fire in it is going to make it look dirty, but that's what fireplaces look like when you light a fire - duh!  I'm sure the parents were very happy to see them depart after 2-1/2 years.

Their comments about buried electrical lines in storm prone regions were good, but you can solve that problem by buying a whole house generator as I did a few years ago.  I live in south Louisiana, where we have power outages this morning due to Hurricane Laura.  I can hear generators running now at houses on the street behind my house.  Thankfully, my street did not lose power.  We have overhead electrical lines in my subdivision which was built in the 50's.  It's part of living here if you want to live in an older neighborhood.   

[chessiegal]

@laredhead Glad to hear you are okay. Laura was one scary storm, still is. We have family that live in Uptown New Orleans and are so relieved it veered west.

I definitely would get a whole house generator if I lived in an area prone to power outages. The Sarasota woman was insufferable.

 

[Empress1]

I didn’t like any of the Sarasota houses.

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

The Sarasota woman was insufferable.

Her voice, alone, was so grating.  She said she's a criminal defense attorney.  Pity the poor souls who have to listen to her in an out of the courtroom.  The personality wasn't much better.  I agree that parents will change locks on doors after they leave😄

[CruiseDiva]

8 hours ago, blueray said:

Yeah, my husband and I were saying the same thing. Those stairs will suck in the winter. As cool as that house looked that would be a deal breaker for me. That being said we were glad that they didn't pick the house with the blue kitchen as they wanted to it take it out and it was awesome. I would have picked the one in the city but then at the end when they showed they had huge dogs, that place won't work.

I loved that house, but it didn't look at all Tudor style to me. With the garage at street level and a room above it, my bet is that there are indoor stairs up to the house from the garage. If that's the case, I wish they'd shown it, but it would have ruined the "50 steps" complaint.

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, pdlinda said:

Her voice, alone, was so grating.  She said she's a criminal defense attorney.  Pity the poor souls who have to listen to her in an out of the courtroom.

Once again I had no problem with the voice. What she was saying on the other hand.... She kept pointing out things she hated then 5 minutes later talking about how much she LOVED the house. It was odd. 

[chessiegal]

We both chuckled at the Sarasota woman saying she was a criminal defense attorney. With their budget, she is most likely a public defender. Not that there is anything wrong with that. My stepdaughter was a public defender in Florida for 7 years. Salary was okay, she worked a lot of hours, but had good health insurance. Her father, a retired federal prosecutor, was very proud of her.

[Lisa418722]

9 hours ago, chessiegal said:

When the Sarasota woman was scrolling on her phone and saying the house seemed older, maybe 70s or 80s, give me a break. When you're looking at Zillow or Realtor.com, the listings tell you exactly what year the house was built. So fake.

 

Sometimes Zillow gives the wrong year.  My parents' house was built at the end of WWII. They brought me home from the hospital to that house.  When looking at Zillow it shows the year built as 2 years after I was born - and I was born years after WWII.  

[chessiegal]

Yeah, but Zillow can at least get you in the right decade. She was saying the house was maybe built in the 70s or 80s. The last house we had showed it was built in 1949, 1950, and 1951 on various records, 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I looked at the House of Stairs episode several times (DVR), and I don't think there were other stairs from the garage up to the house,    The room over the garage had an outside door onto the stair landing half way up, so I'm betting that the room over the garage is sort of useless.   I think that looking from the street, the garage was on the left, then the stairs of pain, and on the right side right nest to the house there were other stairs.  The right side stairs might have just been to the back yard.  I bet there were no internal stairs from the garage to the bonus room over the garage, or from the garage and sun room/ bonus room to the main house.  

I can only imagine how much extra movers, and furniture or appliance delivery costs to that house.    I also wonder about people getting up and down the stairs on a rainy day, or in the winter.   I really liked both of the men, but what were they thinking buying that house?    I hope neither one, or any guest have mobility problems, they won't be having visitors with bad knees or other problems.  

I used to live in Colorado, and knew people with stairs like that, or driveways in the mountains that only a mountain goat could get up in winter.     Some had to park on level ground, and wait for driveways to melt.    The south facing driveways were very desirable, and I'm hoping the 'Tudor' house has south facing stairs.     I can only imagine hauling groceries up the stairs.    I suspect that bonus room over the garage was fairly useless, since there didn't seem to be inside stairs to the rest of the house, and the only door I saw seemed to be the one off of the middle of the stairs.    I think it was more of a sun room. 

I saw the rerun of the people who were getting married in a few weeks, and the man decided they needed to trade in their one bedroom, one bath home with the hideous commute for the woman (I think it was a couple of hours each way), and they wanted a 3 bed, 2 bath, with a yard, and space for his music equipment, and bicycles.    The finally decided on the first one that they thoroughly trashed on the show.    Of course, even though it was turn key, and they did buy before the wedding, they were talking about what they wanted to change.    I didn't like either one of the house hunters, 

Edited August 28, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama