House Hunters - General Discussion

[kirklandia]

3 hours ago, amarante said:

 

Thinking back that staged bit of shock was in lieu of the staged cliched wish lists and/or divergent wants of the house hunters.

 

I don't recall what the housing market was like in 1999. And I suppose, even in that first season, the house hunters had already closed their deal before filming began.  
Watching someone wait by the phone isn't very entertaining by current standards.  But, what with multiple offers and bidding wars, waiting to find out if your offer has been accepted ("We got the house!") is real drama.

[CrazyInAlabama]

From what I remember the first few episodes didn't have the requirement for ownership, however I believe that at that point the producers figured out they were being used to advertise homes for sale.    Then they said the requirement was either closed, or in escrow. 

[amarante]

I am not sure if it was the norm but the house hunters in the early shows actually saw many more houses but only three were shown - but there were a few exceptions in which a home was briefly toured and so more than three were technically shown. Also the shows would state which number house this was - e..g. the 14th or whatever.

The phone call was obviously staged in the same way that so many of the house hunters conveniently are staying at family or friends to disguise that they have moved in.

I do miss some of the earlier shows in which very distinctively shaped furniture was covered up with sheets and then would magically appear in the reveal with no mention that furniture had been bought or left.

To me an obvious tell is when there is some kind of very bulky piece of furniture that has been left or is somehow part of the deal. My understanding is that for many of the shows, the furniture is moved out because it is relatively easy to move out the small amount of furniture many house hunters actually have.

The other obvious tell is the home in which the previous owner had mysteriously decided to stop construction right in the middle - especially when the house hunters are looking for a project.

[laredhead]

Amarante, pool tables and pianos are usually the give away as to which house they chose.  I have watched HH since it was first televised, and I don't remember the early ones giving square footage or prices of the houses. 

[Bastet]

14 minutes ago, amarante said:

The other obvious tell is the home in which the previous owner had mysteriously decided to stop construction right in the middle - especially when the house hunters are looking for a project.

That was my absolute favorite (in the sense of keeping my eye-rolling muscles strong) tell, and one that was incredibly common in the early years.

Funny flashbacks to those horrible staged "We got the house" calls - thanks, folks.

Back in the day, a co-worker was on an early episode of an HGTV show about fixing homes up for sale (Designed to Sell, maybe) and, while I did not like her, I'd been to her house and knew the story.  The episode was so fucking fake, it made me notice even some additional things I hadn't already pegged as manufactured on HH.  Basically, I've always had a love/hate relationship with this show.

[chessiegal]

They definitely did not give prices in the beginning, nor name a specific town or state.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think for the first few seasons, everything was in the L.A. area, even if some were fairly far out of town. 

There was even a young bachelor looking for a smaller condo, and he looked at three options, and then at the end he got a job offer overseas (Asia I think), so he bought nothing. 

Edited October 27, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[NYGirl]

I was watching some of season 1 yesterday and I can't get over how different it was.

I saw one where the buyers kept losing houses they bid on too late so they looked at one at night with no electricity!!  They had flashlights.  Of course we couldn't see much.  They put in a bid and the next day after their bid was accepted they went to see it in the day time.

The house hunters are regular people too.  Nobody trying to audition for anything else.  It has the feel of maybe a home movie?

[MsTree]

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

The episode was so fucking fake, it made me notice even some additional things I hadn't already pegged as manufactured on HH. 

Could you share some of the fakery with us?

[TVForever]

20 hours ago, NYGirl said:

I was watching some of season 1 yesterday and I can't get over how different it was.

I saw one where the buyers kept losing houses they bid on too late so they looked at one at night with no electricity!!  They had flashlights.  Of course we couldn't see much.  They put in a bid and the next day after their bid was accepted they went to see it in the day time.

The house hunters are regular people too.  Nobody trying to audition for anything else.  It has the feel of maybe a home movie?

Wow! Where can we see season 1?

 

[NYGirl]

7 hours ago, TVForever said:

Wow! Where can we see season 1?

 

HGTV.com. Search House Hunters full episodes,.  There's a drop down menu showing seasons   It's like 175 174 etc...keep going down to season 1.

[laredhead]

Studio City woman - I just cannot begin to imagine paying $435,000 for that 950 sf place with no outdoor space and no view.  I have lived in several apartments and townhouses over the years, and even a postage stamp of outdoor space was important and made a huge difference to me. Her mother was trying to give her some practical advice, but the daughter wanted what she wanted, and she got it.  If she said what her occupation was I missed it.

Based on what info we were given, and my absolute non-knowledge about these locations, I would have chosen the 2nd one with the most square footage.  From what I could see, that kitchen was not a gut job as she claimed, but she wanted white cabinets and a serving bar where she could cook.  It had the most space for entertaining.  Condo fees were never mentioned.  I am always curious about that because that has to be added to the monthly cost as a separate item.  

[amarante]

3 hours ago, laredhead said:

Studio City woman - I just cannot begin to imagine paying $435,000 for that 950 sf place with no outdoor space and no view.  I have lived in several apartments and townhouses over the years, and even a postage stamp of outdoor space was important and made a huge difference to me. Her mother was trying to give her some practical advice, but the daughter wanted what she wanted, and she got it.  If she said what her occupation was I missed it.

Based on what info we were given, and my absolute non-knowledge about these locations, I would have chosen the 2nd one with the most square footage.  From what I could see, that kitchen was not a gut job as she claimed, but she wanted white cabinets and a serving bar where she could cook.  It had the most space for entertaining.  Condo fees were never mentioned.  I am always curious about that because that has to be added to the monthly cost as a separate item.  

It is the cliche - location, location, location.

Studio City is a desirable location. It is significantly closer to many places where people want or need to be. It is considered "trendier" in terms of restaurants, shopping etc. Whether you personally care about such things is irrelevant since enough people do so that real estate is more expensive than in other locations. Studio City is literally named after the studios - many of which are proximate. Studio City and Encino (which is just west of Studio City) are the most desirable locations in the Valley.

Chatsworth (second condo) is extremely far out and could add at least 1 hour in rush hour depending on where one has to be. It is also in the middle of nowhere and not even in the middle of nowhere in a *desirable* way like Calabasas. 

Van Nuys (third condo) would actually have made more sense as a bargain location. It is really not that much further than Studio City but it isn't as *nice* an area as Studio City is.

Chatsworth was also a gut job - floors, kitchen and bathroom would have been at least $75,000 to $100,000 in the Los Angeles area where labor costs are high.  

I don't know if I would have chosen either of those condos but my criteria would have been different but I accept that for her budget, that is what she could get in Studio City. She obviously wanted a townhouse style since she didn't look at more standard one level condos in apartment house type of buildings. Also HOA fees weren't mentioned - presumably they were relatively cheap since they had no amenities to speak of - not even the standard small front yards which are paid for by HOA. The Van Nuys condo had a pool but it wasn't discussed as any kind of desirable thing.

Thankfully I live on the other side of the Santa Monica Mountains and have a stupendous view :-). That was one of my main criteria as well as location.

Edited October 28, 2020 by amarante

[LittleIggy]

Studio City: I thought they said the HH was a writer, a term open to a lot of interpretations.

[CrazyInAlabama]

SHe's working on a cookbook, so she wants white everything, because her celebrity chef idols use white plates so the food pops in pictures.  

[Seelouis]

Loved the mom. “You can change anything. Can you change your....attitude?”

[cameron]

Houston couple were quite the pair.

[laredhead]

At first I thought I wasn't going to like the Houston couple, but by the end of the episode, I liked them and his quirks.  The last scene where Houston was having one our Gulf coast thunderstorms and she's outside covering furniture while he runs inside and is holding a cat I could relate to.  They were not extravagant in their wants, and she commented that their relatives in Russia were very impressed that they could buy a house at that young ages, which is something that was not possible in Russia.  

I do find it funny when these younger buyers think houses built in the 80's are old looking, and I think that when I look at one of those 80's houses, it looks pretty new to me compared to what I think is old because I'm 70 - lol.  I hope their house doesn't flood again.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/28/2020 at 6:51 AM, laredhead said:

Studio City woman - I just cannot begin to imagine paying $435,000 for that 950 sf place with no outdoor space and no view.  I have lived in several apartments and townhouses over the years, and even a postage stamp of outdoor space was important and made a huge difference to me.

I lived in one apartment that had a little balcony like a lot of apartments have, and never used it.  I wonder if it has to do with the fact that I don't drink coffee.

On the Studio City apartment--it had furniture when we saw it, but I thought that was a giveaway of a decoy.  But she bought it.

 

56 minutes ago, laredhead said:

At first I thought I wasn't going to like the Houston couple, but by the end of the episode, I liked them and his quirks.  The last scene where Houston was having one our Gulf coast thunderstorms and she's outside covering furniture while he's inside and is holding a cat I could relate to. 

I wondered why they don't have weatherproof furniture.  What if they're not home when a thunderstorm pops up?  It's not exactly an infrequent occurrence in Houston. 

I loved the realtor talking up the place with the big area upstairs with a creepy looking sink in the corner, saying if they added a mini-fridge, they could hunker up there in a flood.  I guess if you have to live in Houston that's a selling point, but I don't think the Chamber of Commerce is going to be using it in their campaigns.  (And was there a bathroom upstairs?)

Actually, I think she also talked up the old windows the girl HH hated, pointing out that they're obviously hurricane-proof if they're still there.

Vend those houses, realtor!

[MooCat Pretzel]

Studio City—I felt like she was trying too hard to appear cool with her “attitude” and talking about dating/guys/her ex.  Six months after a break up that you weren’t expecting, things are still pretty raw.  Because if what she showed was her true personality, yikes.  Maybe that boyfriend was on to something.  Loved her mom though—supportive and gave great advice.

Houston—I’m showing my age as well.  I see 80s architecture and a lot of times my first thought is “Cool!” When clearly, in 2020, it is not... I really liked the house they chose!

Edited October 30, 2020 by MooCat Pretzel

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I loved the realtor talking up the place with the big area upstairs with a creepy looking sink in the corner, saying if they added a mini-fridge, they could hunker up there in a flood.  I guess if you have to live in Houston that's a selling point, but I don't think the Chamber of Commerce is going to be using it in their campaigns.  (And was there a bathroom upstairs?)

Actually, I think she also talked up the old windows the girl HH hated, pointing out that they're obviously hurricane-proof if they're still there.

Vend those houses, realtor!

That made me think the realtor was good at her job - she listened to what the hunters told her was important to them and worked it!

The woman trying to jump to touch the ceiling made me laugh. I also laughed when the guy said "cozy means small" because it 100% does, in real estate parlance. He's peeped the game!

I liked the couple. I liked when she admitted that her price point wouldn't get her what she wanted. I also liked when the guy pointed out that going $10K over budget wasn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, especially since they could negotiate (and they did!). It annoyed me a little when they were saying they could work with the gray in the first house - just paint! (Which they did not do, and IMO they should have - that was a lot of gray. I think their furniture was gray!)

I didn't like the gray in any of the houses, or the floors. The floors were all either dark or gray.

[Grrarrggh]

That flooded house in Houston (that they bought!) was straight out of Flip or Flop bland. Did Tarek make a quick run to Texas?

[Tess23]

I thought the Houston couple was a hoot - liked them a lot.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Maybe I've been in solitary too long because of the pandemic, but Sookie and her Tucson tribe of girlfriends left me exhausted.

 

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

That flooded house in Houston (that they bought!) was straight out of Flip or Flop bland. Did Tarek make a quick run to Texas?

I'm thinking that a lot of the housing stock in Houston is going to look just like that.  And watching those flipping shows has made me very wary of obvious flips, but at least I know how to spot them.

4 hours ago, Empress1 said:

That made me think the realtor was good at her job - she listened to what the hunters told her was important to them and worked it!

Oh, I'm not saying she's not good at her job, but I'm thinking that a house where they have a second storey in which to ride out a flood if they add a mini-fridge isn't exactly ticking the "not in a flood plain" box.  I might rather be on the roof with a sign made out of a bedsheet, trying for a helicopter rescue.

[Empress1]

9 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Maybe I've been in solitary too long because of the pandemic, but Sookie and her Tucson tribe of girlfriends left me exhausted.

Me too, and they were wearing out the realtor. I know the show is fake but that’s too many opinions for me.

[laredhead]

Count me among the exhausted watchers after the Tucson episode.  It was like a gaggle of geese when they all toured a house.  The realtor earned her commission on that sale.  I wonder if they all showed up at the closing - lol. 

$400,000 was a generous budget for a house, and I wondered what the salary of a country club chef is.  She talked about her daughter "playing" with other kids when they toured the house on a cul de sac.  The daughter is 12, and that's not something she needed to consider at this point because a pool would be more in line with both of their interests.  I think she made a good decision with the 2-story house in a development with a community pool.  Low yard maintenance, floor plan that let her and her daughter have some separate spaces, and a pool.

[Empress1]

19 minutes ago, laredhead said:

$400,000 was a generous budget for a house, and I wondered what the salary of a country club chef is.

I wondered that too, particularly since she hadn’t been at it that long - she said she was a SAHM for years (that’s how she met her friends). On Top Chef they always talk about how broke they are. I wondered if she got some money in her divorce. $400K is generous in Tucson - I used to have a friend who was from Tucson so I’ve visited maybe 8-10 times, and I think the COL is low. (Though to be fair, we were friends in our teens & early 20s so things may have changed since then. I haven’t been since she and I stopped being friends - I actually hate the desert! I visited to see her, not Tucson.)

[DonnaMae]

Were the only houses in Houston that were not in the flood zone too expensive?  I would never buy a house that's prone to flooding, especially now when hurricanes seem to love the Gulf area.  

[Dehumidifier]

All the Tucson friends were obviously desperate to be on TV and I guess she couldn't pick one and hurt the others. They could have been a bit more subdued. I really felt bad for the realtor having to deal with all of them. Yes, the community pool made the most sense. Why would she want to maintain a pool for two people (or pay someone to do it.) Daughter seemed very nice,

[BrownBear2012]

On 10/16/2020 at 12:36 AM, LittleIggy said:

Compton: I saw mold on the floors and walls, too! 🤭 That house needed to be on “Flip or Flop.” It looked like a gut job to me.

That wasn't a house...that looked like a former drug den. If my memory serves me right, they paid a little over $400,000 for that? It should just be demolished and put a new build up. It was disgusting and they got ripped off. 

[amarante]

16 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

 

Oh, I'm not saying she's not good at her job, but I'm thinking that a house where they have a second storey in which to ride out a flood if they add a mini-fridge isn't exactly ticking the "not in a flood plain" box.  I might rather be on the roof with a sign made out of a bedsheet, trying for a helicopter rescue.

I didn't quite understand how the presence of a refrigerator would help you ride out the storm. Theoretically it would allow you to bring up furniture but I assume electricity is the first thing to go - even if your house isn't flooded.

I can't imagine buying a home that had been flooded 12 inches and was in a flood plain when there are alternatives - albeit more expensive ones. It is only going to get worse and it is a major disruption to deal with.

Also, how it possible that a home that is that badly flooded doesn't have potential structural and mold issues. 

And how can you have a bedroom if the windows don't open. Aside from there being no possibility of ventilation ever, it would seem that would be illegal as a safety violation because no way to get out of the room in a fire without breaking a window.

Edited October 30, 2020 by amarante

[amarante]

3 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

All the Tucson friends were obviously desperate to be on TV and I guess she couldn't pick one and hurt the others. They could have been a bit more subdued. I really felt bad for the realtor having to deal with all of them. Yes, the community pool made the most sense. Why would she want to maintain a pool for two people (or pay someone to do it.) Daughter seemed very nice,

I assume that she had picked out the home without having all the yentas along and their being along for the fake camera tours was just to tour for the show. 

Without them, she had absolutely no storyline - not that the pack of yentas was a great storyline but it at least was more than the reality of a woman looking for an affordable home who had realistic list of wants/needs and chose a home that was most suitable for her and her daughter.

I agree that all the yentas were included so as not to hurt any feelings - it's like having a gaggle of bridesmaids.

Edited October 30, 2020 by amarante

[amarante]

5 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I wondered that too, particularly since she hadn’t been at it that long - she said she was a SAHM for years (that’s how she met her friends). On Top Chef they always talk about how broke they are. I wondered if she got some money in her divorce. $400K is generous in Tucson - I used to have a friend who was from Tucson so I’ve visited maybe 8-10 times, and I think the COL is low. (Though to be fair, we were friends in our teens & early 20s so things may have changed since then. I haven’t been since she and I stopped being friends - I actually hate the desert! I visited to see her, not Tucson.)

She and her husband probably owned a home and so she would have split the equity or been paid off in some way. There might also be some kind of child support.

She was Executive Chef and also said she was head of Food and Beverage so her salary would probably be better than just a cook or chef in a restaurant. Country club chef isn't the most exciting but I suspect it's a more solid position than most restaurants since the food portion isn't self supporting the way a restaurant has to live or die based on who walks in the door, reviews etc.

[kirklandia]

Tucson episode got me thinking about Chopped.  I wonder how a country club chef ranks hierarchically as compared to, say, a cruise ship singer.  (Although, Ted Allen is certainly more kind and inclusive than Simon Cowell).

[CrazyInAlabama]

In Houston, a great feature for homes is Never Flooded.     I'm sure the prices for "Never Flooded" after Harvey and everything else flooded there a lot in the last few years, then the prices are going to be a lot higher.       

I'm sure if the one house would have been dry all through it's life, then the price would have been lot higher.  Don't forget her house either has exclusions for water or flooding issues, and might qualify for federal flood insurance.    They might not be able to rebuild if it flood again, and needs to be built from the ground up.

That Compton house was hideous.   

[pdlinda]

On 10/30/2020 at 7:09 AM, Empress1 said:

I wondered that too, particularly since she hadn’t been at it that long - she said she was a SAHM for years (that’s how she met her friends). On Top Chef they always talk about how broke they are. I wondered if she got some money in her divorce. $400K is generous in Tucson

I've lived in AZ for 30 years and know Tucson quite well although I don't live there.  Tucson used to be very affordable; however, now, less so.  As with most other parts of AZ, many, many people from other parts of the Country (like CA, in particular) have flooded the state driving real estate prices (and other prices) higher and higher.

When I heard she had a $400K budget I was STUNNED because, like the poster (and watching all the Food TV shows), it seemed VERY HIGH for a country club chef (albeit an "executive chef.")  I mulled over the possible divorce settlement and the fact that maybe she sold another house and had the profit from that to draw from; however, regardless, unless she has the $$$ to put down a large amt just CARRYING a home at that price point doesn't compute in my mind.  

I fell asleep before the show ended so I'm hoping she picked one of the 2 houses shown that were in the $250K range and even that amount seems like a stretch.

 

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, pdlinda said:

fell asleep before the show ended so I'm hoping she picked one of the 2 houses shown that were in the $250K range and even that amount seems like a stretch.

She picked the 2 story that was listed for $269,000.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, she picked the two story, with the community pool.         I'm wondering if there's a trust or other family money?     Plus, probably some from the divorce marital home settlement or something similar.   

Edited October 31, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[DonnaMae]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

She picked the 2 story that was listed for $269,000.

And no mention of the HOA fees.  🙄

[chessiegal]

I lived in a community outside Atlanta that had a pool, tennis court, and club house. My HOA was $200/year.  I rented the club house for $50 and had our small wedding there.

No spoiler - I accidentally hit the icon and can't delete it.

Spoiler

 

 

[DonnaMae]

An HOA of $200 would be great, but some of the HOA fee in the cities are several hundred a month.  That's outrageous.

[Lisa418722]

9 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

An HOA of $200 would be great, but some of the HOA fee in the cities are several hundred a month.  That's outrageous.

I pay $326 a month for trash pickup, lousy landscaping, and a pool (of course it's been closed this year).  But most people don't pay theirs in my community, so they penalize those of us who do pay.  I would love to pay $200 a month (which would be reasonable considering what we get).  

[Empress1]

There is an episode on right now with a young couple (very young - husband is 28, wife is 21 and she's a "stay-at-home wife") where the guy's mother is their real estate agent. They are in Vancouver. She has a really unfortunate head of hair. They just showed her from behind and ouch. She has a dyed (you can see her roots) damaged mullet. She has extensions that are a different shade of blonde than her real hair and her extensions are healthier-looking (shinier, not broken) than her real hair. The wife's hair is so platinum that it has a green cast to it.

Another episode that my DVR thinks is new (aired at 11 AM). Matawan, NJ couple where the husband is a hobby musician (he was in a band when he met his wife) and has a music room in their current house but she hates that he plays music and doesn't want him to have a music room in their new house (they look at a house, he says "Where would my music room go in this house?" and she replied "In the garbage," and she later said his music room was "not really a priority"). He wanted a fixer (apparently their current house was a fixer) and she didn't; she wanted her family to be able to drop by unannounced, as they did at their first house; he did not. I liked him much better than her. 

I hated the third house they looked at - renovated in on-trend white and gray. Very bland. The first house they looked at had all the space they wanted, including a basement for his music room; it just needed work. I was glad they picked it. (It was also the one furthest from her family, 25 minutes away. I was glad the husband got his way.)

Edited November 1, 2020 by Empress1

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Another episode that my DVR thinks is new (aired at 11 AM). Matawan, NJ couple where the husband is a hobby musician (he was in a band when he met his wife) and has a music room in their current house but she hates that he plays music and doesn't want him to have a music room in their new house (they look at a house, he says "Where would my music room go in this house?" and she replied "In the garbage," and she later said his music room was "not really a priority").

Then that relationship won't last, especially if they have kids.  I don't know how many people need to learn this the hard way before it becomes a known rule, but if you're involved with a musician who is constantly in "their" room playing away, that is never going to change, so if the time they spend on it bothers you, and if it's going to irritate the hell out of you when they're in there while you're trying to get dinner made and help with homework, you need to NOT marry and procreate with that person.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, I know that "New" NJ episode was recent, but a rerun.  

[Empress1]

23 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Then that relationship won't last, especially if they have kids.  I don't know how many people need to learn this the hard way before it becomes a known rule, but if you're involved with a musician who is constantly in "their" room playing away, that is never going to change, so if the time they spend on it bothers you, and if it's going to irritate the hell out of you when they're in there while you're trying to get dinner made and help with homework, you need to NOT marry and procreate with that person.

The funny thing was, I’m fairly sure that music was a hobby he shared with his father-in-law. In the opening “what are we looking for in a house?” segment, they were at a family dinner at their house & the husband said “I definitely need a music room, me and you” and he gestured to his FIL across the table. His FIL was like “oh, for sure.”

An ex of mine is a hobbyist musician - he tried to make it in that field, did not, and opted to climb the ladder at his day job turned career & keep playing on the side. He took (probably still takes) lessons, and he has a music room at home. There’s no way he’d be with anyone who wanted him not to play.

[amarante]

I didn't really take the NJ couple's comments seriously They had to have some kind of storyline so his music room and her feigned indifference was the plot point. He was into music - some men are into watching sports or playing video games. They have been together for 8 or so years and at least to me had a pretty normal fond relationship.

In the end they made the obviously best choice which was to renovate a place that was reasonably close to the parents. Since they had renovated before they obviously knew what they were doing and what the realistic costs and time frames would be. I find some house hunters ridiculous when they act as if taking down a wall and even painting kitchen cabinets is a small thing. Based on the update they removed a load bearing wall to open up the kitchen.

And they were so much better off than paying or some flipper's completely bland/poor style choices - not to mention how the flipper made the least expensive choices whenever possible. Anyone who opts for gray FLOORS at this point should have their head examined.

The Vancouver couple with the 21 year old girl on the other hand was just weird. As I commented upthread when it first aired, I thought they were living with HER mother because the older woman looked like an older dried out version of the wife. 

Edited November 1, 2020 by amarante

[Empress1]

25 minutes ago, amarante said:

Anyone who opts for gray FLOORS at this point should have their head examined.

I don’t like those gray floors at all. The Houston houses a few episodes ago had them too (I think all of them had them - the house they picked definitely did), and just ... no.

[BrownBear2012]

On 10/30/2020 at 12:32 PM, Dehumidifier said:

All the Tucson friends were obviously desperate to be on TV and I guess she couldn't pick one and hurt the others. They could have been a bit more subdued. I really felt bad for the realtor having to deal with all of them. Yes, the community pool made the most sense. Why would she want to maintain a pool for two people (or pay someone to do it.) Daughter seemed very nice,

The chef lady drove me crazy with her hyper personality...so dramatic about everything. Wise choice however with the townhouse. They get a pool, don't have to maintain a lawn and her daughter will meet other kids at the pool or in the community. The coven of girlfriends was a bit much and the realtor had more patience than I would have had.

[topanga]

17 hours ago, BrownBear2012 said:

The chef lady drove me crazy with her hyper personality...so dramatic about everything. Wise choice however with the townhouse. They get a pool, don't have to maintain a lawn and her daughter will meet other kids at the pool or in the community. The coven of girlfriends was a bit much and the realtor had more patience than I would have had.

The poor daughter must want to run away whenever Mom is hosting girls' night. Thank goodness they'll be living in a bigger house where she can go somewhere and shut the door. I'm sure these women are great friends who have been there for chef lady and her daughter during some tough times. But they are loud AF.