House Hunters - General Discussion

[Grizzly]

3 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I'm not sure why the SD couple got married. To go on national tv and call your wife a fun killer - okey dokey then.

And again with the white cabinets in the kitchen. The house they bought had nice cabinets that looked like solid wood to me. I swear some of these women would be fine with cabinets made of pressed particle board with a wood veneer as long as it's white.

When he said she was a fun killer, I asked why did he marry her! And I hate white cabinets.

[ECM1231]

Couple looking in East Nashville. How does one get to be 36 years old and not know what a bidet is?

[LittleIggy]

Does anyone else think ALLIGATORS! when they show houses in FL on lakes or large ponds or is it just me? I think of that poor boy killed by a gator at a Disney World resort. I would have to have a gator-proof fence (theoretically since I would never live in FL).

[buttersister]

Shrew in SD—with her 12-block radius—discovers that one more block is okay. It’s more than okay, lady, it’s lucky number 13! And wtf was wrong with guy-with-the-skeevy facial hair’s voice? 

[cameron]

2 hours ago, buttersister said:

Shrew in SD—with her 12-block radius—discovers that one more block is okay. It’s more than okay, lady, it’s lucky number 13! And wtf was wrong with guy-with-the-skeevy facial hair’s voice? 

I swear that HH must put out a casting net for the most bizarre couples that they can find.  He acted like an immature idiot - climbing and jumping over everything.  She wasn't much better.  The only thing that I give her credit for was wanting a basement because of tornadoes.  Thought that calling the room with all the mechanicals a shelter was a stretch.  Tornado doesn't make a  distinction about sparing the middle of a home when its blowing up everything in its way.

[Dehumidifier]

SD couple bought garages with a house attached to them.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 11/25/2020 at 11:54 PM, LittleIggy said:

Does anyone else think ALLIGATORS! when they show houses in FL on lakes or large ponds or is it just me? I think of that poor boy killed by a gator at a Disney World resort. I would have to have a gator-proof fence (theoretically since I would never live in FL).

I wonder about the ones that get a house with the 4 foot chain or metal fence, or the screened pool house (bird cage).    None of those will stop a gator, or coyotes, and certainly won't keep snakes out either. 

Screens will not stop an alligator, and if any of the screen comes loose, anything can get in there.   There are also people who think the screen rooms over pools and patios don't look good, so they remove them.  

I'm wondering if the SD husband had invisible braces, or a retainer?    He sounded like it. 

 

Edited November 29, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[DonnaMae]

How could alligators or snakes get into a screened pool house?  Maybe if someone left the door open to the outside; otherwise, I think they'd be safe and free from insects.

 

[buttersister]

Weirdos in AZ. Can someone please explain these people? Castle? Shlubby guy with bad grammar? Brit wife spending $800K for a castle bitching about it being too big for her to clean? As if, and sure enough, in the aftermath, there was talk of a cleaning service.

I missed the opening—what did this couple do for employment? I heard a lot about the misery of corporate housing. Which is often paid for by the corporation (had that sweet deal for a few months one time). Had they both banked salaries for years to afford the high-ticket house? Erm, castle?

Shlubby dude and his giant dog must be wandering the parks of Mesa. While wife sits in her repainted white kitchen. Something(s) felt goofy.

[Kathcart]

6 hours ago, buttersister said:

Weirdos in AZ. Can someone please explain these people? Castle? Shlubby guy with bad grammar? Brit wife spending $800K for a castle bitching about it being too big for her to clean? As if, and sure enough, in the aftermath, there was talk of a cleaning service.

I missed the opening—what did this couple do for employment? I heard a lot about the misery of corporate housing. Which is often paid for by the corporation (had that sweet deal for a few months one time). Had they both banked salaries for years to afford the high-ticket house? Erm, castle?

Shlubby dude and his giant dog must be wandering the parks of Mesa. While wife sits in her repainted white kitchen. Something(s) felt goofy.

To be charitable, perhaps they got their instruction sheet that told them they had to be outrageous or they wouldn’t make the cut to get on the show? If not that then I have no explanation.

I missed the beginning, too, so kept wondering where in the world they got all their money. Where do people get this money? Maybe BabyMan inherited it. I can’t see him employed in a real job with a big paycheck.

And Mrs. BabyMan — yuck, what an unpleasant person she came across as. A Cat Room! Red flag of impending divorce, IMO.

Did you see that look on her face at the end when he brought up (again) how they were interested in having kids? She did not look like a person who was interested in having kids. 

I agree, something seemed off. And that house was insanely huge.

[chessiegal]

Just watching the Phoenix episode. They moved from Seattle. He moves a lot, is a financial crimes investigator for a large tech company. Microsoft anyone? She's a teacher. She didn't cringe at having kids in the intro.

[Bastet]

They had awful taste!  I know it's subjective, but I only saw the end with what they'd done to the place since moving in, and it was somehow simultaneously bland and noticeably ugly.

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is the husband knows they'll be moving in 2 or 3 years, so he goes for best resale.     I just feel sorry for the dog, because he has no yard, Phoenix is so hot, and then Scorpions.    As someone pointed out the first time this aired, scorpions love carpet, and the bark scorpions will love that house.     I like a cohesive look, so I see zero reason to paint the kitchen cabinets white, and the living room cabinet that was a nice brown, into what looked like dark grey.    The kitchen looked nice with the white cabinets, but nothing else they changed looked good. 

I think the husband thinks the McMansion they bought will appeal to people who are coming to the Sunbelt, hear about the summer temperatures, and want as much indoor room as they can get.     I bet he's hoping the eventual buyers don't ask about utility bills either. 

The second Arizona house was way out of town, I hated it.   However, the third one was even more hideous.  

Edited November 30, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[BrownBear2012]

On 11/26/2020 at 5:54 AM, cameron said:

I swear that HH must put out a casting net for the most bizarre couples that they can find.  He acted like an immature idiot - climbing and jumping over everything.  She wasn't much better.  The only thing that I give her credit for was wanting a basement because of tornadoes.  Thought that calling the room with all the mechanicals a shelter was a stretch.  Tornado doesn't make a  distinction about sparing the middle of a home when its blowing up everything in its way.

OK...this couple got on my last nerve. Her stupid list of "must haves" and him leaping and climbing around like a monkey was oh so annoying. I am always amazed at how entitled and demanding young women are on these shows. They have to have this, they have to have that. And the white cabinet craze seems to be a trend amongst millinials...why? They get dirty quicker and you find yourself wiping dirty fingerprints all the time. The cabinets at all the homes were just fine...solid wood with nice finishes. Up until a few years ago, I had always lived in homes with particle board cabinets that were stained. I didn't complain...it was what we could afford and living near a good school was more important than cabinets. But I see with these young couples, they have a wish list that is either out of their reach financially or one that they will not compromise on. She was being ridiculous with this "12 block" radius thing...and he was equally ridiculous with his "treehouse" thing. I felt sorry for their realtor...he definitely earned his commission on this sale!

Edited November 29, 2020 by BrownBear2012

[Dehumidifier]

I hardly noticed the house in the Arizona episode. I was so put off by the whole area -- so beige, so gravelly, so dry, a parched bush here, a spindly tree there. Ugh.

[BrownBear2012]

16 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Hey, chill with the "female" "millinials" and "young people" bashing. Shoppers of every age and gender ask for white cabinets and other stupid, pointless things. 

Not bashing...just pointing out that it seems to be younger people needing so many "must haves" and not being able to be flexible about stuff like cabinet color, etc...they really don't have too many people on this show that are "Boomers".

[KLovestoShop]

Years ago, we visited a friend who lived in Naples, Fla and had the screened pool area.  People put those up mostly to keep out the huge bugs and lizards.  One evening, a large gator meandered across her yard on the way to the pond.  I knew then that I would never live in Fla.  Whenever I see Fla HH’ers buy a home on a small lake, and they have young kids, and no solid fencing, I get concerned for the kids.  

But we did live in Arizona for 10 years and I hated the critters there.  Bark scorpions are everywhere, and since we lived next to a wash, we had a lot of all kinds of nasty critters.  Tarantulas, desert coral snakes, diamondback rattlers, javalinas and lots of scorpions. 

[Spunkygal]

14 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

Years ago, we visited a friend who lived in Naples, Fla and had the screened pool area.  People put those up mostly to keep out the huge bugs and lizards.  One evening, a large gator meandered across her yard on the way to the pond.  I knew then that I would never live in Fla.  Whenever I see Fla HH’ers buy a home on a small lake, and they have young kids, and no solid fencing, I get concerned for the kids.  

But we did live in Arizona for 10 years and I hated the critters there.  Bark scorpions are everywhere, and since we lived next to a wash, we had a lot of all kinds of nasty critters.  Tarantulas, desert coral snakes, diamondback rattlers, javalinas and lots of scorpions. 

Oh hell no to both scenarios. 

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, KLovestoShop said:

Tarantulas, desert coral snakes, diamondback rattlers, javalinas and lots of scorpions.

You had me at coral snakes and rattlers.  I would have been gone in a New York minute. 😨

[CrazyInAlabama]

Javelinas, and other critters are why people have those 8 foot tall solid block walls, however the scorpions, and other creepy crawlies climb very well.     I lived about 4 hours East from PHoenix, and people I knew that lived on the outskirts of town had bad problems.   We really didn't have much of a problem with scorpions, or Javelinas, but in Phoenix critters were a huge issue.  

[laredhead]

A screen door or room will not deter an alligator.  The screen is good for leaves and birds, not a reptile weighing several hundred pounds.  I would never depend on that for gator protection.

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 11/29/2020 at 5:53 PM, Dehumidifier said:

I hardly noticed the house in the Arizona episode. I was so put off by the whole area -- so beige, so gravelly, so dry, a parched bush here, a spindly tree there. Ugh.

It just so happened that the current episode of Ask This Old House is about landscaping in different climate zones.  They started with Phoenix, and even the talented Jenn could do only so much.  She put some bougainvillea in for a little ground cover with color, one mesquite tree, and some other deserty looking stuff, all spaced out because that's how things grow in the desert.  She added some boulders and some mounds of dirt so it wouldn't be completely flat.  The finished product looked vastly better than before, but still sparse and gravelly.

Something I noticed in Phoenix was yards made of gravel that was painted green.  I just looked it up and it was quite the thing for a while, and I learned that the gravel is glued down, which I couldn't tell in person.  But it turns out those painted gravel yards soak in the heat, making the area even hotter.

Not many options for what most people consider a pleasing landscape.  And as you noticed, it's even worse in the area in general (i.e., outside people's yards).  They have nice looking freeway overpasses, but maybe that's just a perception compared to what they're adjacent to. 

 

 

[LittleIggy]

Charleston, SC: Must be nice to have parents who will buy a house for you! Wonder if the other daughter is younger. Will she expect a house? 😏 

[laredhead]

Littleggy, I live in Baton Rouge which is the home of a large college (LSU), and parents have been buying houses and condos for their kids for over 20 years now due to some legislation that provides almost free tuition to in-state students who qualify because of grades in high school.  Many parents with children who qualify for those tuition breaks invest in real estate instead of having to spend it on tuition.  A few downsides of that exist, especially for people who live in neighborhoods where parents have bought a house or condo for their student.  This is from first hand experience, and from reading about several neighborhood association problems here in Baton Rouge, and in other college towns.  The real estate agent was pointing out the 2 parking spaces at the places they looked at.  Two spaces for 3 occupants, each of which will most likely have a car, but that doesn't include space for guests, or the 1-3 boyfriends who will also likely end up living there or staying overnight there most weekends.  Do the math.  If each girl has a boyfriend, that's 6 cars.  In an neighborhood that has a lot of college kids living in it, it soon begins to look like a used car lot with cars parked everywhere.  Then there are the parties.  Yes, this student was 22, but where I live, partying doesn't stop with entrance to grad school.  Maybe she will be a responsible home owner, and be courteous of other owners and abide by parking, noise, litter, etc. rules.  I live in a quiet neighborhood 3 miles from the campus, but 2 years ago a homeowner rented his house to 4 college freshmen boys, after having rented it to a couple with a small child for year or so.  The house has a single car driveway, and each boy ended up with a girlfriend within a few weeks, and on the weekends it was party central and cars were parked on the street to the extent that a few times the garbage truck couldn't get through to pick up the cans.  Neighbors complained to owner, to the renters, etc., and when the students' lease was up, the owner had to spend some $$$ to fix up the house and repair damage.  He sold it, and the new owner is a single mom, with a child is elementary school. Our city govt. has tried to put limits on how rental occupancy in single family areas, but it's done very little to eliminate the problem.  There is one owner who has bought up houses throughout the area for the purpose of renting to students.  He does the bare minimum on maintenance, turns the houses over fast, and in retaliation to local homeowners complaints about street parking, he has retaliated by chopping down trees and paving entire front yards of his rental houses. 

Back to the HH episode, and sorry for venting, but that episode triggered my angst about parents buying houses for students.  The father was obviously looking for something he could profit off of after his daughter's college days were over.  She very likely will move to another part of Charleston, if she stays in the city after graduation.  There was never anyway she was going to want the older house with the postage stamp of a backyard.  Her excuse for not mowing was that she would be studying?  Uh, yeah, right.  Wonder what the income source of the parents was.      

[Kiddvideo]

South Carolina: I didn’t see all of the episode, but I liked them from what I did. My parents wouldn’t have been able to buy me a nice home (or help pay for tuition, cups at keggers, and the zillion other things) so I’m a little envious, but she seemed to respect their help rather than expect it. Here are the pros/cons and this is the one I would prefer, but it’s your guys’ money.

[sempervivum]

On 11/29/2020 at 1:24 PM, BrownBear2012 said:

And the white cabinet craze seems to be a trend amongst millinials...why?

Eh, I was the previous generation of buyers (late 90's) and was obsessed with maple cabinets (and granite counters, which I guess is out now, too). It's called fashion and it changes just like in clothing.

Also, I was kind of fascinated by the husband being able to climb the wall to get to the ledge above.

Edited December 2, 2020 by sempervivum
additional information

[CrazyInAlabama]

Everywhere I lived that was near a big college, had the student rentals, and they can work if there's enough parking, and distance to neighbors.    I wonder how well the Charleston house will work for the woman, and her two roommates?     

A town near where I lived a few years ago, finally passed laws about how many unrelated people can live in one home.  To prevent a home from having three bedrooms, but having 10 people living there, and all have cars.     Owners of the rentals tried to ignore the rules, but neighbors would call code enforcement, and the residents/owners were told they had until a certain date to follow the occupancy rules.   Then some renters or owners would call the local news show, and complain about how they were depriving students of housing.    The town actually limited the areas of town you could rent to non-related people, and owners still tried to turn homes into student housing.  

[LittleIggy]

Laredhead, I got my undergrad degree at LSU.

[laredhead]

Littlelggy, so did I, but it was long ago when students lived in a dorm, at home, or a fraternity or sorority house on campus. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

4 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

South Carolina: I didn’t see all of the episode, but I liked them from what I did. My parents wouldn’t have been able to buy me a nice home (or help pay for tuition, cups at keggers, and the zillion other things) so I’m a little envious, but she seemed to respect their help rather than expect it.

The only off note I got was later in the show, when she said her parents were helping her buy the house.  That sounds to me more like giving her the down payment instead of them paying for it and while she's in school, all she has to pay is the utilities, and have roommates whose rent covers the mortgage.

Actually, it also bugged that she was saying she wouldn't be able to drive down various narrow streets without hitting cars, and that one of the driveways wouldn't work because she would hit things trying to park in it.  Get some lessons, or get a tiny Smart car, and if all that fails, get a scooter because you shouldn't be driving.

I'm not generally a fan of old houses (like early 1900s or before), but I adore the Charleston houses that are set sideways to the street and the street-facing door goes to the porch and not the actual house.  It's kind of silly, because on the one they looked at, there were steps up to the open porch at the other end.  But I just love the way they look, and am so glad they included one.

[topanga]

22 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

The only off note I got was later in the show, when she said her parents were helping her buy the house.  That sounds to me more like giving her the down payment instead of them paying for it and while she's in school, all she has to pay is the utilities, and have roommates whose rent covers the mortgage.

It sounded to me like the parents were going to pay for the mortgage and just let her live there. Whenever the very vocal dad would talk about the mortgage, he would never say "your mortgage" to his daughter. And she didn't mention working during grad school, but who knows? 

I did appreciate their honesty. A lot of HHs aren't open about the financial assistance they're likely getting from parents

or other relatives. 

My DVR recorded two tiny house episodes. Were these new? In any event, at the end of one of the episodes, the couple decided to buy a tiny house then backed out of the deal when the construction wasn't going well. I've never seen a person or family on this show not end up with a house. This was a first.

[Dehumidifier]

45 minutes ago, topanga said:

It sounded to me like the parents were going to pay for the mortgage and just let her live there. Whenever the very vocal dad would talk about the mortgage, he would never say "your mortgage" to his daughter. And she didn't mention working during grad school, but who knows? 

She said something like maybe she could take over the mortgage after she finished school. That's assuming she gets a job in the area, or even wants to. 

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

 

I'm not generally a fan of old houses (like early 1900s or before), but I adore the Charleston houses that are set sideways to the street and the street-facing door goes to the porch and not the actual house.  It's kind of silly, because on the one they looked at, there were steps up to the open porch at the other end.  But I just love the way they look, and am so glad they included one.

I like those too.  It lets you have a front room facing the street with a full front wall, no door in the midst of it.

[cameron]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

The only off note I got was later in the show, when she said her parents were helping her buy the house.  That sounds to me more like giving her the down payment instead of them paying for it and while she's in school, all she has to pay is the utilities, and have roommates whose rent covers the mortgage.

Actually, it also bugged that she was saying she wouldn't be able to drive down various narrow streets without hitting cars, and that one of the driveways wouldn't work because she would hit things trying to park in it.  Get some lessons, or get a tiny Smart car, and if all that fails, get a scooter because you shouldn't be driving.

I'm not generally a fan of old houses (like early 1900s or before), but I adore the Charleston houses that are set sideways to the street and the street-facing door goes to the porch and not the actual house.  It's kind of silly, because on the one they looked at, there were steps up to the open porch at the other end.  But I just love the way they look, and am so glad they included one.

I didn't like her comments about not being able to drive down the narrow street or trouble with the driveways either.  Thought she was trying to be cute and it didn't go over well with me.  Even the one way streets here in Charleston aren't that narrow.

[javajeanelaine]

I thought she sounded entitled and the mom and daughter against dad was annoying.

Also, parents buying their children a home happened a lot when I lived in South Bend, IN.  All the domer parents with their kids that then rented the house out for game days.

[snarts]

2 hours ago, topanga said:

It sounded to me like the parents were going to pay for the mortgage and just let her live there. Whenever the very vocal dad would talk about the mortgage, he would never say "your mortgage" to his daughter. And she didn't mention working during grad school, but who knows? 

They talked specifically about how the rental income would cover the mortgage and she would pay the utilities.  In each of the homes, the realtor advised how much each room would command in rent.  At the end, she mentioned that one roommate had already moved in and the other would be moving in a couple weeks.  The parents likely made the downpayment and expected to handle maintenance.

Michigan State alum here and entire neighborhoods were laden with student rentals & fraternity/sorority houses. There might have been some non-student homeowners mixed in but they certainly knew what to expect living so close to campus. One of my co-workers sent five boys through MSU over the last 10 years. He wisely bought a condo that they all had to live in.  Made a nice a profit too when he eventually sold it.

Edited December 2, 2020 by snarts

[kirklandia]

When I went to college in the 70s, I envied my friends who attended state schools in college towns full of big old houses where students could rent a room. Seemed like fun! 

I went to a smaller school in an urban setting, not a college town.  Off-campus apartments were hard to find and to afford - we were competing with people who had steady jobs and decent incomes.

And there was a law that no more than three unrelated people could live together. I had an illegal roommate. Four of us girls shared a one bedroom apartment.   Nobody had cars, especially not students! There really wasn't any parking on campus.  We walked, rode bikes, took the bus or the L.

[Kiddvideo]

Colorado people with the horse: She was so condescending to him. What she wanted was, “umm, yeah, we need it” or “That’s a discussion for the car.” And her table was not that big. It would’ve fit. At least bring a tape measure if you have a sensitive need.

[TVForever]

Vacation Home on the  Jersey Shore:

I was surprised that there was no mention made of the couple's previous episode (where they hunted for their current house in Rahway).

Admittedly, I wasn't wowed by any of the houses they toured, but a house at the shore is a house at the shore, and they can fix it up over time.

 

[Dehumidifier]

12 minutes ago, TVForever said:

Vacation Home on the  Jersey Shore:

I was surprised that there was no mention made of the couple's previous episode (where they hunted for their current house in Rahway).

Admittedly, I wasn't wowed by any of the houses they toured, but a house at the shore is a house at the shore, and they can fix it up over time.

 

The guy did say something about John? (the older guy, who is his uncle I think) helping them find the house in Rahway. He didn't say that they had been on the show at that time. They sure are doing well. It wasn't that long ago that they bought in Rahway. 

[Grrarrggh]

I wonder how bad the Jersey guy's gambling problem is. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I was getting very tired of the woman whining about how a home on pillars, wouldn't feel like a beach house.    The other ones won't either when they turn into swimming pools when another storm surge hits.    I did notice the dock at the third house was very high off of the water, so that would have been an issue, plus it looked like the neighbor's boat would have been blocked in by the dock. 

 

[Crashcourse]

59 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

I wonder how bad the Jersey guy's gambling problem is. 

I wondered about that too. 

I didn't like any of those houses.  As far as renting, I'd hate to clean up after a bunch of drunks/messy people who rented it for a week or however long.

 

 

[chessiegal]

9 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I wondered about that too. 

I didn't like any of those houses.  As far as renting, I'd hate to clean up after a bunch of drunks/messy people who rented it for a week or however long.

 

 

My experience with beach rentals is the owner use a management service and hire cleaners. They also require a deposit that any damage that is caused can be used to cover costs,

[CrazyInAlabama]

I live about 90 minutes to the Gulf Coast, and my understanding is the short term rentals, at the beach they're usually a week or two at a time, and a cleaning crew comes through the second the renters leave.   The management people fill out their checklist of damages, and in a couple of hours, the rental is ready to go again.   Some also charge cleaning, and restock fees that are huge.    I bet the NJ beach place was only for rentals, and not for the DJ and his girlfriend/wife.  

Some of the high rises at the beach here are pretty reasonable for the three bedrooms, with lots of sleeper sofas, etc. so you can sleep a lot of people.   However, they are almost all rented out year round a week or two at a time, and the cleaning/booking/damage fees are huge.  

My understanding is that short term rentals are happening, but they have a couple of days between rentals now.    I think they charge a much bigger sanitization/cleaning fee too.     I know at the beginning, people were fleeing NYC, for vacation rentals, and it was terrifying the local authorities.    They only gear up for massive amounts of visitors in the summer, and the groceries, and other suppliers, were worried about keeping stocked, and hospital capacity in vacation towns is a real issue. 

Edited December 5, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Crashcourse]

I'm assuming this was filed pre-COVID so they probably aren't getting rentals now anyway.

[chessiegal]

I know people who are doing short term rentals since COVID started.

[Grizzly]

South Dakota. I physically recoiled when they showed the red and purple walls. The newer house was definitely the one to pick.

[chessiegal]

The new SD house would be a no go for me. There was hardly any cabinet space in the kitchen. That's what happens when you don't have walls. And it didn't have a pantry. I have a u-shaped kitchen with a peninsula, open to the breakfast nook. I have tons of cabinets and a pantry. I use every inch of it.

[edie3]

5 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

South Dakota.

For the love of Pete, old houses have creaky floors, not that earth shattering. Don't say you want an older house with character, unless you want character!

[ByaNose]

SD couple. Nice looking young couple. I’m sure they’ll make beautiful children some day. LOL!!!! They showed a before and after of the kitchen. Am I missing something? It didn’t look any different. This time I would have preferred white cabinets because the wood ones were so dated looking. It looks like a starter home that most couples buy when they are starting out. They’ll have busy careers and it seems like the perfect house for them right now.