House Hunters - General Discussion

[cameron]

Cincinnati wife was a childish 28 year old who had to live close to mommy and daddy.  Wonder how she ever made it through nursing school.  Of course, her husband wasn't a prize either.

[Empress1]

Cincinnati wife did strike me as kind of childish. I think part of it was her voice. I did think having the arch under which they got married in their yard was a nice  touch.

[laredhead]

Cameron, I thought the same thing about the Cincinnati wife.  I am so over the whiners who want a white kitchen, a white farmhouse with a porch, hardwood floors, a huge updated master suite, on a $200,000 budget.  Oh sure, those magical houses exist everywhere - NOT!  The wife wants to be near parents because I'm betting she's counting on babysitting when all of those kids she kept mentioning begin to arrive. 

I kind of liked the house they chose because it is located on a couple of acres, and it had sort of a quirky layout.  Wasn't it the one with the paneled basement area and the room with a skylight on the 2nd floor that she mentioned using for crafts?  That shows I was more focused on their personalities than the house, lol.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love the husband saying a master bathroom isn't a must have.    "We can always add one" isn't a small project if you're on septic, because it may result in enlarging the distribution lines, or replacing the entire septic system to accommodate modern plumbing requirements.  The couple certainly follow the script in disagreeing on every detail.   

I wouldn't have touched the first house, with the interior spiral stairs.    I've never liked spiral stairs, interior or exterior.   

Edited November 4, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[amarante]

I ask seriously why people want five or ten acres. What is the point unless you actually are using those acres for something - e.g. it is zoned for horses. But otherwise what is the point. If you have lawns don't you need to water them - water is fairly expensive and getting even more so. 

The $210,000 house (third one) with the steam shower is a disaster waiting to happen. A properly constructed steam shower costs about $15,000 to $20,000 because you don't simply water proof it - you need to make it vapor proof. And the glass needs to have a transom. I seriously doubt whether the owner of a $210,000 home spent $20,000 to build a steam shower and if they did what a stupid way to spend money in lieu of updating the kitchen.

[chessiegal]

39 minutes ago, amarante said:

I ask seriously why people want five or ten acres.

If you lived next to my neighbor who has hordes of friends and family at their house every weekend from May to September, loudly playing music they think the whole neighborhood wants to hear, you would. 

[Dehumidifier]

The second house in Cincinnati, the "farmhouse" as the wife called it -- wasn't that a center hall colonial? Seems like they call everything a farmhouse or a craftsman on these shows.

[Grrarrggh]

5 hours ago, amarante said:

I ask seriously why people want five or ten acres. What is the point unless you actually are using those acres for something - e.g. it is zoned for horses. But otherwise what is the point. If you have lawns don't you need to water them - water is fairly expensive and getting even more so. 

He mentioned hunting, so I guess he's going to hope there are lots of rabbits, squirrels, deer, water fowl, and maybe foxes? Plus it does make for an easy campout being that close to your own house.

[chessiegal]

I think the only show that gets architectural style correct is Restored.

[KLovestoShop]

8 hours ago, chessiegal said:

If you lived next to my neighbor who has hordes of friends and family at their house every weekend from May to September, loudly playing music they think the whole neighborhood wants to hear, you would. 

I swear you must live next to my cousin.  They party every single weekend with their neighbors——the women call themselves the Real Housewives of “the town where they live”.  It’s one long drunken party, and it’s always held at my cousin’s house—-they have the built in pool. Even this summer, there was no such thing as social distancing or mask wearing.  
 

What’s with so many of these young couples where they have to live near mommy and daddy?  For our generation, we couldn’t wait to get as far as possible from the parents. 

[Empress1]

11 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

What’s with so many of these young couples where they have to live near mommy and daddy?  For our generation, we couldn’t wait to get as far as possible from the parents. 

I wonder if COVID will change that. I read an essay by an academic that she wrote early on in quarantine. She lived far from her family because that's where she got a job; academics have to go where they're hired. And the gist of her essay was basically "I'm not sure it was worth it." Also having family around to help with kids if you have them is really valuable (literally - when my friends with kids tell me what they spend on child care, I'm always aghast). I grew up in the same city as my dad's half of the family (mom's half was two hours away, so we saw them a lot too), and we spent a ton of time with our grandparents and other extended family growing up. It was great.

Having said that, when one person in the couple is like "Half an hour away from your parents would be fine" and the other is like "Five minutes! I want them to show up unannounced!" I'm always on the side of the "half an hour" person. (And don't drop by unannounced, period.)

I fell out when the husband in the Alabama couple said they didn't need a king-sized bed and the wife said "We just bought it! We're still paying for it!" The third house was really pretty but I wasn't surprised they went with the second with the most space.

[chessiegal]

I was somewhat taken back when the Alabama wife said they were still paying for their king size bed. Sweetie, if you have to take out a loan to buy a bed, you have no business buying a house.

[Dehumidifier]

16 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I think the only show that gets architectural style correct is Restored.

An architecture show would be nice to have on this channel.

[amarante]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I was somewhat taken back when the Alabama wife said they were still paying for their king size bed. Sweetie, if you have to take out a loan to buy a bed, you have no business buying a house.

Yes that really stuck in my mind as well. Who is paying off a bed over such a period of time that it has to be mentioned and if they are charging a bed, I would assume they are charging a lot of other stuff. Alabama woman doesn't seem to be someone who defers gratification - she mentioned needing a large closet as well which no doubt will house a lot of other credit card purchases.

[laredhead]

Amarante, don't forget that the closet has to be large enough for the tiara and pageant stuff.  I also was floored that they are paying for a bed over time. Maybe they bought some $5,000 super duper bed for some reason.  I wonder when this was filmed?  Before COVID or just w/in the last couple of months.  

I like the house they bought, and I wonder if they had the deck repaired.  Looks like maybe the sellers might have painted over a badly weather worn deck that has some structural problems.  Replacing that will not be cheap.  And for the 10th million time, just hang some blinds or curtains if you don't want the neighbors to see inside your house.  That was in reference to his comment that the neighbors would see them eating in their dining room.  

By the time the episode was over, I got why the wife wanted separation, and some place where she would have quiet.  I wanted to find the "off" switch on him.   

[Dehumidifier]

Maybe she was referring to a bedroom set.

[Empress1]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I was somewhat taken back when the Alabama wife said they were still paying for their king size bed. Sweetie, if you have to take out a loan to buy a bed, you have no business buying a house.

She also said something like “I know we’ll be able to afford it since my business is growing” re: going over asking. I hope for their sake her business does continue to grow (and it may have, given how much online ordering has increased with COVID).

[CrazyInAlabama]

Some of the fancy beds can cost over $10k, so I bet a lot of people went for the fancy one with all of the added features, and are paying them off over several years.   

I wonder if that's a HOA subdivision?   Because if it is, good luck on a traffic heavy business like the wife's going unnoticed, and I wonder if in-law suites are still allowed?   Just because it's attached to the house, it doesn't mean it's allowed to live in, or be rented out.   Especially if their idea is short term rentals.  

Edited November 6, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[amarante]

I don't doubt that a "bed" can be expensive - one of the least expensive Duxiana mattresses is about $10,000 and there are mattresses that sell for $50,000.

Currently I own a "bed"   mattress - adjustable bed frame - and actual bed (e.g. the decorative element) which was expensive but I never dreamed of taking out a loan to pay for it. I bought it when I could pay cash. When I was in my twenties my mattress and bed were cheaper and didn't necessitate taking out a loan. I probably would have been buying the equivalent of an Oscar mattress and an IKEA bed frame. 

God I sound like a grouchy old person but it seems to be part of the same delusional thinking where house hunters starting out in their 20's want a home thet is as nice as the home their parents achieved after they had worked for awhile. Of course there are plenty of middle aged financial idiots but let's assume that many middle aged middle class people didn't start out with the homes their spawn wants to duplicate as their first home.

Circling back to the original discussion, I find it appalling that someone needed to take out a loan to purchase a bed. You can get a well reviewed mattress and bed frame for $1000 or a bit more. If you need a loan to afford that sum, maybe you shouldn't be purchasing a home. 

[LittleIggy]

Columbia, MO: Those ittle bitty kittens! Squee! 😍

[Empress1]

I was surprised when one MO husband said he was nine years younger than the other. I wouldn't have guessed. I loved the idea of volleyball coaches putting a volleyball court in their backyard - I think they talked about doing that with the first house, which did have a nice big yard.

[Crashcourse]

I liked the Columbia, MO guys and I thought all of the houses were nice for the price.  It's a nice change to see low budget houses. 

[BrownBear2012]

On 11/4/2020 at 7:17 AM, cameron said:

Cincinnati wife was a childish 28 year old who had to live close to mommy and daddy.  Wonder how she ever made it through nursing school.  Of course, her husband wasn't a prize either.

Ugh...all the whining about being near her parents! Good grief...grow up already! My daughter lives on the other side of the country...I haven't seen her in almost a year and had to miss her wedding due to COVID and this woman/child is moaning over being 20 minutes from her parents???? I thought the house they chose was a good compromise for them...he gets a nice piece of land with privacy and she gets to put her "stamp" on the kitchen and house to grow into with kids in the future. 

Edited November 6, 2020 by BrownBear2012

[CrazyInAlabama]

What some of the medical couples don't mention is that in some jobs they can only live a certain distance from the medical center they work at.    So that's another factor to consider when house shopping.  

[DonnaMae]

Would like to see one couple who are looking for the same thing (house, price, location).  They always want different things, like they didn't discuss this before going to a realtor.  I'm sure it's all staged, but it's annoying.

[chessiegal]

7 minutes ago, DonnaMae said:

Would like to see one couple who are looking for the same thing (house, price, location).  They always want different things, like they didn't discuss this before going to a realtor.  I'm sure it's all staged, but it's annoying.

It's definitely all scripted. They didn't do it many years ago, but now  it's a given.

[Bastet]

On 11/5/2020 at 6:07 AM, Empress1 said:

Having said that, when one person in the couple is like "Half an hour away from your parents would be fine" and the other is like "Five minutes! I want them to show up unannounced!" I'm always on the side of the "half an hour" person. (And don't drop by unannounced, period.)

I am completely unable to fathom anyone wanting people to show up at their home unannounced. 

I live a little less than ten miles from my parents (and used to live half that distance away) and generally see them once a week, so I understand someone wanting to live close to their parents - but I don't understand needing close to mean five minutes.  Half an hour IS close. 

[CruiseDiva]

7 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I liked the Columbia, MO guys and I thought all of the houses were nice for the price.  It's a nice change to see low budget houses. 

And they got kittens!!! Cat Dads! 😻😻 That just melted my heart.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I really liked the two Cat Dads from Columbia, MO.     However, it's smart that they kept to their budget.     Coaches may be moving from job to job after a few years, so a place with a good resale is important.   

[Grizzly]

Vegas. How old is the brother? Most people outgrow their partying in their 20s.

[Dehumidifier]

On 6/13/2019 at 10:18 PM, Empress1 said:

I thought it was odd that the Nigerian house hunters (the man was named Chidi, which made me smile as I love the character in The Good Place with the same name) were looking in New Jersey. Not Montclair or Camden or Trenton ... just New Jersey. They spent way more than they planned - $100K more than their budget AND renovations. Yikes. They were nice though, and a good-looking couple. I liked that the wife was like, yeah, we need two sinks, I'm messy as hell.

This episode just played on OWN. I think it must have been the Philadelphia suburbs because houses like they showed would have cost more near NYC. The husband's talk about needing sinks far apart was a dead giveaway as to which house they chose. I was shocked about the renovation of the kitchen on top of the big house price. The room looked fine to me. Could that really have been because she didn't like the cabinet color? I hope the old ones were falling apart. Hard to justify otherwise.

[Dewey Decimate]

On 11/4/2020 at 11:55 AM, amarante said:

I ask seriously why people want five or ten acres. What is the point unless you actually are using those acres for something - e.g. it is zoned for horses. But otherwise what is the point. If you have lawns don't you need to water them - water is fairly expensive and getting even more so. 

Good question! I can only speak for myself, but as I'm writing this, I'm outside on my deck, enjoying a gloriously, unseasonably warm day for CT. In just the last 15 minutes, I've been subject to the delightful sounds of 1) a neighbor's yipping dog, 2) another neighbor's gas powered leaf blower across the street, 3) a third neighbor's grandkids squealing in the yard (which, a thumbs-up for kids playing outside, nothing wrong with that, I just don't particularly want to hear the screeching), 4) multiple motorcycles revving at the stop sign in front of my house, 5) a landscaping truck with tools improperly secured to the trailer slamming across the potholes, 6) three low-flying airplanes almost close enough to read the lettering, 7) a honking car alarm, and my personal favorite, 8) someone using an irregularly-droning tool that sounds like a cross between a power saw and a dental drill. This is not to mention the vague whiffs of what I'm pretty sure is pot probably coming from a vape-friendly neighbor. (A step up from the cigarettes of a previous tenant.)

Call me a snowflake, but I can feel the cortisol surge through my body with every uncontrollable aural assault. I'm sure it varies for different people, but noise is proven to have detrimental physical effects on humans, period, end of sentence. I am so grateful to have the means to own a not-quite quarter of an acre, but it just blows my mind to pay my taxes, pay my mortgage, and be a scrupulously good neighbor, yet not be able to enjoy my hard work in the way I would like. (For fuck's sake, I actually turn down the radio as I pull into my driveway so as not to disturb anyone. Yes, I'm a chump and a dork.)

For the last few years my "meditation" has been to peruse and save Zillow listings in VT with at least 5 acres, researching how close are snowmobiling trails, airports, main roads... I kid you not, but it's RELAXING to dream of moving. Covid has forced my work online, which very fortunately for me has been an easy transition, even if it's at a pay cut. Maybe someday I'll be able to make the move, but in the meantime I'll post the occasional diatribes of a middle-aged hermit.

Apologies for the long-winded response!

[LittleIggy]

I went to grad school in Vermont in 2012. I loved it there! 

[Bastet]

On 10/26/2020 at 1:09 AM, MsTree said:

Could you share some of the fakery with us?

Oh, my - you asked me this two weeks ago about my coworker who appeared in the early days of Designed to Sell (the fakery of which made me take an even more critical look at the stories presented by HHs at the time) and I completely forgot to respond.  I don't have an interesting answer, but I didn't mean to leave a direct question unaddressed, sorry (I read it, got distracted, forgot all about it, and then when seeing Sell This House while scrolling through the program guide just now had the oops realization).

We were not friends outside of work, but I was at her house once and chatted about it some with her and her husband (it was a cute old house, they'd done some work, and it needed more).  I had no idea she'd applied to be on the show, and by the time they taped it, we no longer worked together, so when it aired, I just happened to see it and say, "Hey!"  So I did not talk directly with her about the experience, I just knew from being there and talking specifically about renovations that a lot of what was presented was inaccurate.

It was so long ago, most of the details are lost to me, I just remember that things were distorted or misstated for maximum drama/suspense (as much as one can get on shows like this; it was all a bunch of little stuff).  Things like having her and her husband disagree on whether to do something when I knew from talking with them in the very house they wanted to do it, but were feeling lazy and hadn't.  And there was one project the VO made out to be a really big task, but I knew (had seen) the hard part had already been done by the homeowners YEARS before and never finished, so all that was left was the final, mostly cosmetic step (so, of course, that was all that was shown, as that was all that was actually done at the time).

Basically, it was clear they were using the show to get free labor to do the half-assed work that, in that market, would garner far more in increased selling price than was invested in the work; this way, they invested nothing, so turned an even greater profit.  (They were those type of people, but I'm not going to cry for the production company - the parties were using each other and it worked out for both.)

[MsTree]

No worries, Bastet. I had forgotten I even asked the question 😂

Appreciate the follow-up.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The House Hunters in Lakeland,  FLorida was beyond irritating.    They had one little girl, a tiny poodle, and wanted three bathrooms, and a dedicated office, and thought four bedrooms was too small.     I can't believe the houses they were saying were too small.   The third house was scary.   It had an upstairs with a balcony/hallway open to the living room, and the bannister vertical slats were way too far apart to be up to code, or to be safe for the baby or the poodle.    I think the balcony/stair rail was too low too.    

[Grizzly]

Chicago. I'm sorry but that house wasn't "in" the city. And that brief glimpse of her mother, she looked very frail. How is mom managing all those stairs? Noticed the sister wasn't offering to take her in. Thought the husband was ok.

[Grrarrggh]

I wanted to slap that Wisconsin buyer! What family has two children, including one with a serious lifelong illness, is $90k in debt and has MORE children?!? He seemed so selfish and entitled. Yuck. 

28 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Chicago. I'm sorry but that house wasn't "in" the city. And that brief glimpse of her mother, she looked very frail. How is mom managing all those stairs? Noticed the sister wasn't offering to take her in. Thought the husband was ok.

Bronzville definitely is IN the City of Chicago. 

[Dehumidifier]

11 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

I wanted to slap that Wisconsin buyer! What family has two children, including one with a serious lifelong illness, is $90k in debt and has MORE children?!? He seemed so selfish and entitled. Yuck. 

 

Maybe they wanted to have more children BECAUSE they had only two and one had a serious lifelong (and life shortening) illness. Debt can be taken care of (and apparently they did take care of it.)

[buttersister]

Quote

Chicago. I'm sorry but that house wasn't "in" the city. And that brief glimpse of her mother, she looked very frail. How is mom managing all those stairs? Noticed the sister wasn't offering to take her in. Thought the husband was ok.

Mom isn't going anywhere. The separate entrance was for people coming to see her (so they wouldn't bother the daughter). It's possible the sister didn't have room.

As Grrarrggh said, Bronzeville is a Chicago neighborhood. That "suburban" home looked like it on the way to Iowa (never even saw a strip mall); there was no doubt they'd be in the city. I liked the choices the husband made--it looked way less cookie-cutter when he was done.

[ByaNose]

I did like the rooftop deck. I liked the update to the kitchen but I don’t like the thick veins in the counter tops. I prefer a solid stone color. I’m boring that way. That said, I hate the cold and I could never live in Chicago. I can’t even take the cold in Philadelphia. Even though we don’t really have winters anymore around here. 

[cameron]

10 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Chicago. I'm sorry but that house wasn't "in" the city. And that brief glimpse of her mother, she looked very frail. How is mom managing all those stairs? Noticed the sister wasn't offering to take her in. Thought the husband was ok.

Surprised that the contractor husband couldn't put a door in the back of the house on the lower level for his mother-in-law.

[Empress1]

The fact that the WI husband wanted to spend as much as they’d been approved for when they had just gotten out of $90K in credit card debt (!), he’s previously lost a job, and they had to sell their house, which was so traumatic for the wife that she cried when she saw similarities in a different house, was driving me nuts. Like, there is a lesson to be learned here, my dude. I was glad they bought the $350K house, although I didn’t like any of the finishes. It was all very brown.

I always like the Chicago episodes. It’s such a fun city and the architecture is beautiful. The second house seemed more exurban than suburban. The third place, the condo, was too modern for me.

10 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Noticed the sister wasn't offering to take her in.

I didn’t think anything of that - they can’t both take her in. I assumed they’d come to a decision as a family. (My best friend and her sister are talking about their mom splitting the year - living with the sister in the cold weather months because she lives in a warm climate, and spending the warm weather months with my friend, who lives in a four-seasons climate that sees a lot of snow. But the HH & her sister live in the same city, so that makes less sense.) I liked hearing the husband’s ideas and seeing the changes he made. The wife stepped all over the nice moment the husband was trying to have at the end - he was trying to say “no matter where we are, we’ll be happy” and she was like “NOPE.”

[WI GIRL56]

11 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

I wanted to slap that Wisconsin buyer! What family has two children, including one with a serious lifelong illness, is $90k in debt and has MORE children?!? He seemed so selfish and entitled. Yuck. 

I live 20 minutes away from Stevens Point.  My daughter went to college there.     Husband needs a reality check.   Wife is so much more practical.

Love the Chicago episodes since I lived there for my 1st- 33 years.  Bronzeville is very much in the city.  I imagine they took a vacant lot to put the homes up on.  Obama Library is scheduled to go into Bronzeville.

[CrazyInAlabama]

That country house an hour from Chicago would have been a disaster.    The wife was right that the basement would have cost double what the husband estimated, and take twice the time he estimated.   Also, I bet that house had a septic tank, and adding another kitchen and bath or two, and laundry for the downstairs would have required expanding, and replacing the entire septic systems.  Plus, running more plumbing would have been very expensive. 

I liked the house they picked, so they could pick the finishes.  House #1 was the right choice.  

Edited November 13, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[laredhead]

The husband in the Lakeland, Florida, episode got on my last nerve with his picky comments.  I bet the in-laws were glad to see them move out after 2 years of having to listen to him.  2 of the houses they looked at were less than 2300 sf, if I remember correctly, so if you have 4 bedrooms & 2.5 bathrooms, the rooms aren't going to be huge.  The contemporary house with the 2nd story needed work to bring some of its defects up to code.

They chose the largest house with over 3,000 sf and it has a pool.  I am assuming they are going to put a fence around the pool as a safety measure for their child.  They said they had not totally moved in, so that may be in the offing soon.    

[buttersister]

Quote

The wife stepped all over the nice moment the husband was trying to have at the end - he was trying to say “no matter where we are, we’ll be happy” and she was like “NOPE.”

I know, right? I liked her but between that and her worry that Mom's visitors were going to bother her, I started wondering. Still, her husband's face said that's not the first time that happened and she gave him his way on the finishes, etc., so they make it work.

Also, hate to say it, but I'm guessing they weren't going to be putting in another door because they didn't want to live with another entrance long-term.  

Quote

I bet the in-laws were glad to see them move out after 2 years of having to listen to him. 

Thought the same thing! You're on camera, dude.

Edited November 12, 2020 by buttersister
The whiner in Lakeland

[CrazyInAlabama]

I don't think there was anywhere to put another entrance on the Chicago house #1, or the husband would have had the builder put one in.     They couldn't do on on the back, there wasn't enough headroom with the deck, so I suspect part of the basement foundation was below ground level.    

I bet the parents in Lakeland were doing the happy dance when Prince and Princess Entitled moved out.   I knew they wouldn't get the third house when no one mentioned the hideously unsafe stair and hallway railings.    

I know people that are single, or childless couples, and they buy the biggest house they can afford, for two reasons. 

1. To impress people.

2. For better resale.     

I bet they'll have the entire family room for the kid's playroom, then they need two bedrooms for themselves, and the little girl, probably an office for one or both of them, plus a hobby or craft room, and a guest bedroom for the other parents.  

They could have a cabinet changed to several pull out spice holders, they're the same depth as the cabinet, and are very useful.  They might also find some wall space for some of the big pantry cabinets, and you can get different widths, so one for pots, and pans, and platters, and the other regular pantry items. 

I know so many people who buy the ideal house, and it's huge, and they can barely afford it.     People used to buy the starter house, and over the years would upgrade if they could afford it.   Now so many people buy the forever house first time.    I worry (I'm a worrier, even for people I'll never meet in real life) that one illness, or a job layoff, and they're going to be in real trouble.   Also, what if one of them gets a job offer elsewhere?   Trying to sell that huge pool house may be a real problem someday.   

Edited November 13, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[KLovestoShop]

I just didn’t get the Lakeland husband.  What a doofus.  Why was he insisting on 5 bedrooms?  Their child will be the only child, so they’ll only NEED two bedrooms, plus one for his sometime visiting parents.  Sheesh, when we were growing up, we survived with 2 bedrooms and one bath in a 945 sq ft house for 4 of us.  And the wife and her pantry?  I just freaked when she said she didn’t want to store her spices with her glasses and dishes.  What a dumb comment. Typical behavior of people their age. 

[DonnaMae]

52 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

Their child will be the only child, so they’ll only NEED two bedrooms, plus one for his sometime visiting parents.

They wanted an extra bedroom for the child's playroom.  My poor kids had to make do with their toys in their bedrooms.