House Hunters - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

6 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I like to think that I'm a pretty flexible, accommodating person, and honestly have trouble thinking of any deal-breakers when it comes to a house.  Like, I love taking a recreational bath, but I've lived without a bathtub for years now and I'm surviving.  Or, I don't love Tudor houses, but I doubt I'd turn down a house that was otherwise perfect just because it's Tudor style.

However...I saw a rerun the other day of a couple in Florida--they were both orignally from Jamaica.  The man's wish list included a door on the toilet.

I've never been a big fan of those bathrooms that are open to the master bedroom, without a door between them.  But every one I'd ever encountered had the toilet in a space with a door that you can close.  But on the episode I watched, two of the houses had the open bathrooms, and the toilet was right there with the other stuff, and no door.  I had no idea there were floor plans like that, and that would be an absolute deal-breaker for me. 

I'll admit that I'm on the far end of non-demonstrative toilet user, but for more "normal" people--is that floor plan okay?

At age 70, I've only lived in 1 house or apartment out of 12 that had a water closet (toilet in a separate space.) Every other bathroom had a toilet open to the rest of the bathroom. The bathrooms all had doors however.

[Bastet]

13 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I'll admit that I'm on the far end of non-demonstrative toilet user, but for more "normal" people--is that floor plan okay?

Not unless one lives alone; who wants to hear/smell it if their partner has to get up in the wee hours to take a shit? 

I couldn't care less if someone occasionally needed to come in the bathroom while I was using it, but for that to effectively be the norm because the bathroom and bedroom couldn't be separated by a door?  No thanks.

Edited December 13, 2020 by Bastet

[amarante]

I haven't seen doorless bathrooms with exposed toilets. My experience is the the 1970's style where the sink and often the closet are exposed and the shower and toilet are in a separate little room. I think that it theoretically enables one to have a smaller footprint. 

What I am seeing in the International version are bathrooms which have a large glass wall so that if you are on the toilet or in the shower you are completely exposed to the bedroom and theoretically if the drapes are open in the bedroom - to the outside world.

I don't even understand why one would want a glass wall. I live in apartments where the bathrooms don't have windows so it's not as if a bathroom needs natural light. I thought one was an aberration but then it popped up again in another country.

[Kemper]

I saw the House Hunter marathon today on OWN, too.  When I tuned in there was a married couple...50ish? I think in Wisconsin?  She had long blonde hair and was wearing leopard-print leggings/jeggings.  He wanted something that would impress when entertaining.  They had been staying in Corporate Housing and were buying and downsizing.  Husband mentioned her beauty contest/pageant stuff; nothing they looked at suited her - house was too small, too big, not enough closets, etc.  She also had heavily--penciled brows...but was very attractive until she started critiquing the houses. AND.  She insisted that they could not be too far "out of the city" - one of the houses was 9 miles out and she was freaking. 

I can't remember which house they bought but it was huge.  And they never mentioned family/kids.  Was it a second marriage?  Or long-time marriage?  They were both full of themselves.    

I was happy to see House Hunters on OWN; isn't that an Oprah-owned station?  I think she owns Oxygen, too.  Are these shows plus HGTV under the same umbrella?

[chessiegal]

22 minutes ago, Kemper said:

I was happy to see House Hunters on OWN; isn't that an Oprah-owned station?  I think she owns Oxygen, too.  Are these shows plus HGTV under the same umbrella?

Yes, Discovery, Inc. bought Oprah's OWN some time ago. 

Here's a list of the channels they own.

Discovery, Inc. channels

[LittleIggy]

Dallas: OMG, that HH’s fried hair totally distracted me. It looked like a mass of dead twigs! 😬

Edited December 16, 2020 by LittleIggy

[Empress1]

When the Dallas realtor said that couple was the most difficult she’d had in 17 years, I howled. “This is Dallas, we don’t have views!”

[CruiseDiva]

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

When the Dallas realtor said that couple was the most difficult she’d had in 17 years, I howled. “This is Dallas, we don’t have views!”

Loved the Dallas real estate agent! She should get a medal for putting up with those two.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Dallas house hunters were almost a SNL parody skit of house hunters we all can't stand.     I had to laugh at the 'changes' of their townhouse purchase, with nothing but paint that looked bad with everything else that was in the house.     The kitchen cabinets looked even worse with their paint choice.  The fact that they demanded a pool, and a bigger yard, and didn't get any of it was funny to me.   I wonder how their big noisy parties went with the neighbors?    My guess, not very well.    They should have bought the house, or another single family house, not a town house. 

[buttersister]

I travelled a lot to Dallas for business. Nope, no views. You have to wonder if this duo plotted out how to be characters on this show. Maybe the realtor, bless her, was in on the scheme. Let's be memorable! Because otherwise, the realtor had zero fucks left to give, the put-upon fixer-upper half of the couple could have put that contraption on her arm get out of doing all the work for both of them, and the passive-aggressive pool diva with asshole remorse? Just no.

[40Love]

On 12/12/2020 at 12:58 AM, LittleIggy said:

It’s a PC issue with the word “master.” I’m a liberal Democrat, and I think it is much ado about nothing. The term “master” doesn’t automatically equal “slave owner.” Think “master carpenter” or “master class.”

African American here... and it doesn't bother me either.

Never thought much about having a bathroom attached to my bedroom. But after watching so many of show... I now want one! Stat! Hehe!😉

[CrazyInAlabama]

1 hour ago, 40Love said:

Never thought much about having a bathroom attached to my bedroom. But after watching so many of show... I now want one! Stat! Hehe!😉

How have you survived without an ensuite, that's spa like, and the size of a football field?   

[Empress1]

3 hours ago, 40Love said:

African American here... and it doesn't bother me either.

Never thought much about having a bathroom attached to my bedroom. But after watching so many of show... I now want one! Stat! Hehe!😉

I remember a hunter who actively did not want an en-suite, which struck me as strange. I could see not caring either way, but she hated the idea of them - she said they felt like a hotel. I think she actually had to go to a different floor to use the bathroom in the house she ended up buying, which she was happy about.

[madpsych78]

So, the Dallas couple episode was really interesting to watch because I live in the same area. In fact, my husband and I actually checked out the subdivision where the final home was located, but we didn't go inside; we just peeked through the windows. So it was interesting to see what it actually looked like inside. 

The couple itself was something else. The taller one didn't bother me as much, but Yuki was kind of a piece of work. 

I'm not as familiar with Coppell, but I was chuckling at the realtor's description of Lewisville. Lewisville tries but it's not exactly a happenin' place to be.

Edited December 17, 2020 by madpsych78

[Grizzly]

San Diego. There was no counter space in the kitchen they picked. And that washer/dryer right there was strange. I preferred the expensive one. It's nice not having anyone living above you.

[chessiegal]

My husband and I both grew up in houses with the washer and dryer in the kitchen. Actually for me, just a washer. We didn't have a dryer. They were out in the open, not behind folding doors. Watching reruns of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, their house on the set has the washer and dryer in the kitchen.

[Empress1]

36 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

San Diego. There was no counter space in the kitchen they picked. And that washer/dryer right there was strange. I preferred the expensive one. It's nice not having anyone living above you.

I hated everything about that kitchen. It was so tiny and narrow, there was no storage or counter space, I think it was an electric stove, and I was with the blonde (who I liked better than the redhead) - I would not want to eat next to (RIGHT next to, since the kitchen was so small) the washer and dryer.

At one point the redhead complained about the age of the appliances and the sink in one of the condos and whenever someone does that I think “Then buy new ones.” Especially sinks! That’s not a big expense!

Edited December 17, 2020 by Empress1

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

My husband and I both grew up in houses with the washer and dryer in the kitchen. Actually for me, just a washer. We didn't have a dryer. They were out in the open, not behind folding doors. Watching reruns of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, their house on the set has the washer and dryer in the kitchen.

My mother’s condo has the washer and dryer in the kitchen so I don’t find it weird the way so many HHs do.

[laredhead]

San Diego - In my 72 years, I've lived in several houses and apartments, and the washer & dryer have been located in laundry closets, designated laundry rooms, garages, and the kitchen.  I can live with all of those except ever having them in a garage again.  I live in south Louisiana where there are big, icky insects and spiders in garages, so that would be the deal breaker for me.  Presently, in my final house, the washer is in the kitchen behind a door that matches the cabinets, and the dryer is in the utility room a few steps away.  The washer could be relocated to the utility room at great expense involving jack hammering the concrete slab for a drain line, and digging up 125' of back yard to connect it to the sewer line.  I've lived with this for 17 years, and have other things to spend my money on other than moving a washing machine.  When my house was built in 1957, it was common to have the washer in the kitchen, and there was no provision for a dryer, because most people did not have them then.

Use the tops of the w/d as extra counter space when needed.     

Edited December 17, 2020 by laredhead

[40Love]

12 hours ago, Grizzly said:

San Diego. There was no counter space in the kitchen they picked. And that washer/dryer right there was strange. I preferred the expensive one. It's nice not having anyone living above you.

 I liked the one they picked the best. My gripe is with the size of all the condos. I get it. San Diego is a hot spot... but, damn that's a lot of money for such a small place. Living alone would be okay... but for two people and then eventually one or two kids. The redhead was looking to stay there for at least 11 or 12 years. They're going to outgrow that place way sooner than that. 

[Crashcourse]

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

My mother’s condo has the washer and dryer in the kitchen so I don’t find it weird the way so many HHs do.

My washer and dryer are in the kitchen behind a folding door.  Although I recognize that it might be a problem for some, it's no problem at all for me.  In fact, it's rather convenient.

[StatisticalOutlier]

14 hours ago, madpsych78 said:

I'm not as familiar with Coppell,

I noticed that the realtor pronounced it KOPP-pull, when I've always heard kuh-PELL.

 

5 hours ago, laredhead said:

In my 72 years, I've lived in several houses and apartments, and the washer & dryer have been located in laundry closets, designated laundry rooms, garages, and the kitchen. 

To me, the issue with their washer/dryer was that it wasn't really in the kitchen, but more in the dining area next to it.  It was just kind of hulking there, and that area was obviously never intended to have a washer/dryer if they had to have the dryer vent running out from the side of it.  She can build an enclosure for it, but it's then going to be a big closet-looking thing in the dining area.

Some people find washing machines IN the kitchen to be weird, but they would get used to it if they watched enough HHI, plus they can be integrated into a kitchen fairly nicely.  That wasn't the case here.

And actually, there was a NYC episode a while back where the place had an open floor plan, with the kitchen basically along one wall, I think, and it had one of those monster washer/dryer sets that couldn't be put behind a cabinet because it was so huge and stuck out so far, and I thought it looked awful.  It lorded over an otherwise great-looking apartment.

I was talking about open bathrooms upthread, and one of the condos in this episode had a bathroom with the sink area open to the bedroom, and the shower and toilet off to the side behind a door.  One of the HHs said she didn't like it, because it seemed like a hotel room.  I hadn't thought about that, but she's right.  That wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me (I've lived in apartments with that arrangement).  The ones that would be a deal-breaker for me are bathrooms open to the bedroom, with the toilet out in the open.  I'd never seen that before the Florida rerun I watched.

I can't remember if it was this episode or maybe Dallas (I'm getting them confused), but recently a HH complained that the kitchen didn't have an island, and the realtor said something like, "Why do you need an island?"  She wouldn't be my realtor for long after that.

[Grizzly]

With most of you, I'm not opposed to having the laundry in the kitchen. Mine is in the basement so this would be a one floor improvement. This one just took up too much space in an already cramped kitchen/dining area. And you don't usually see the dryer vent hose.

[Grizzly]

For those of you unfamiliar with CT, West Hartford is nowhere near Fairfield! Janelle doesn't like to drive, she is going to have a heck of a commute! 

[ByaNose]

San Diego. Um, I’m not paying over $300,000 for an apartment with a washer/dryer in my kitchen. No way! No how! It was basically a cave get in to that place. It’s just crazy to me. Please tell me it had a pool?!

[cameron]

Ct. family.  Come on people, it's called a living room not a family room.  Especially, when there is a family room with fireplace attached to the kitchen in house #1.  That child wouldn't last long with me going into the Sound fully clothed.  Think discipline would go a long way here.

[cameron]

10 hours ago, Grizzly said:

For those of you unfamiliar with CT, West Hartford is nowhere near Fairfield! Janelle doesn't like to drive, she is going to have a heck of a commute! 

95, 84 and 15 are all major traffic jams between Fairfield and West Hartford.  Use to drive that and it's not great.  Also found the house they bought and while it is across from a strip shopping center; it's located on a major 4 lane highway that connects West Hartford to downtown Hartford.  Not an easy crossover to the other side

[LittleIggy]

5 hours ago, cameron said:

Ct. family.  Come on people, it's called a living room not a family room.  Especially, when there is a family room with fireplace attached to the kitchen in house #1.  That child wouldn't last long with me going into the Sound fully clothed.  Think discipline would go a long way here.

I was thinking that, too. My mother wouldn’t have just laughed it off if I or my brother had done something like that!

[buttersister]

3 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

My mother wouldn’t have just laughed it off if I or my brother had done something like that!

Heh, Ct. mother laughed off being the one to have to "compromise, lose," too! And didn't they just make it seem like they were walking to a little main street instead of trying to cross a busy 4-lane highway. Good luck, folks! Oh well, he's happy. Still. Again. Some more.

Edited December 18, 2020 by buttersister
" "

[Grrarrggh]

9 hours ago, cameron said:

Ct. family.  That child wouldn't last long with me going into the Sound fully clothed.  Think discipline would go a long way here.

Why? As a teacher I say she was old enough to be wet and uncomfortable for a while after she got out. It wasn't like she was going in up to her neck in a rip current. 

[amarante]

The San Diego condos were all very inexpensive for San Diego and they showed. Of course it's hard to tell exactly where they are located but San Diego is a really expensive real estate market. Obviously $400,000 or $350,000 would buy a mansion in some areas of the US but location determines fair market value.

I agree about the location of the washer dryer being odd because it was placed in the dining area as a hulking monster. I live in a condo with a washer dryer installed retro and the solution is to get a European style washer/dryer which has a ventless dryer. The stackable units can be installed anywhere there is a plumbing line to tie into. Mine is installed in the master bedroom closet but many of my neighbors have them in their bathrooms - and they fit elegantly behind cabinets because they are relatively small. 

The condos in San Diego reminded me of the 1970's vintage condos that are scattered around Los Angeles and are similarly expensive - or inexpensive depending on how one views the real estate market. A lot of them were originally built as apartment buildings which is why they generally have very basic finishes and layouts. My condo was converted from apartments and had the original unattractive cheap finishes when I moved in,

[izabella]

I could see how the washer dryer was an eyesore, but I was more troubled by all the windows looking onto concrete, and that weird tunnel entrance.   They could get rid of it and install free standing, side by side washer and dryer, install a countertop and shelves above, and it can blend into the rest of the room.  Or build a closet around it.  Or remodel that whole kitchen and laundry. 

That is something they could deal with.  But the concrete everywhere was permanent and awful.

[cameron]

16 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Why? As a teacher I say she was old enough to be wet and uncomfortable for a while after she got out. It wasn't like she was going in up to her neck in a rip current. 

Because her parents warned  her not to get wet and who knows what the water will do to her clothes.

Edited December 19, 2020 by cameron

[CrazyInAlabama]

Also, didn't the parents say something about which one of them would have to go in and get the daughter out of the river?   And some places you aren't supposed to go in the water.     I guess currents or drop offs you can't see never occurred to them either?    

My guess is that kid has never heard the word No, and had any repercussions about ignoring it either. 

I don't think the daughter had issues, I think she was just indulged, and never disciplined.  

Edited December 23, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Crashcourse]

12 hours ago, izabella said:

I could see how the washer dryer was an eyesore, but I was more troubled by all the windows looking onto concrete, and that weird tunnel entrance.

That tunnel entrance would scare the hell out of me.  Some baddy could be waiting to grab you and no one would see it .  

[Grrarrggh]

12 hours ago, cameron said:

Because her parents warned  her not to get wet and who knows what the water will do to her clothes.

They jokingly warned her and if the water ruins her clothes she can pay for replacements. Mistakes are how we learn. What's next, not letting children climb stairs? 😉

[cameron]

32 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

They jokingly warned her and if the water ruins her clothes she can pay for replacements. Mistakes are how we learn. What's next, not letting children climb stairs? 😉

Yeah, maybe she can get a part time job after school.

[Grrarrggh]

20 hours ago, cameron said:

Yeah, maybe she can get a part time job after school.

Or use her allowance. Or birthday/holiday money. Or not get something else she wanted. 

[amarante]

Are these Christmas episodes another HH shtick or are there actually people who buy homes based on whether there is a window to display a Christmas tree? 

And the homes also for the most part didn't have windows on the street so what is the point anyway of where it would be placed since only people living in the home would really enjoy it?

On the same topic, are there people who actually sit on their front porches in this era? What is this desire for a front porch - are they all yentas? I understand wanting a private backyard of some kind although I do the eye roll when people live in metropolitan areas and complain about neighbors.

The Christmas couple moving to the Pacific Northwest - give me a break as some of the grounds require more than just someone to mow the lawns. Either you have to be an absolutely dedicated talented gardener or you have professionals take care of it for you.

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, amarante said:

On the same topic, are there people who actually sit on their front porches in this era?

I do occasionally, but the ability to do so is not something that would have ever even crossed my mind in selecting the house; I spend the overwhelming majority of my outdoor time in the backyard.

[CrazyInAlabama]

OWN is having HH reruns, apparently of the pickiest, most irritating Hunters.    The people moving from Florida to Cleveland are hysterical.   He wants a basement deep enough to do a full swing on his golf club, and he's a tall guy.    Then they keep talking about 'moving to Cleveland' when it's obviously way out in the burbs.      I'm betting to get a tall basement ceiling height, that they'll go with the new build.   Another person who seems to think that stairs are a new invention, and her kid will die from being in a house with stairs.    It's called a baby gate, they're easy to install, and fairly cheap.  Then, they're worried about the kid going in a sloping back yard, and the kid will trip a lot.   That's for snow run off in Cleveland, just like in other places,    The husband keeps getting in the house tubs with his shoes on, and I hate that.     Not a surprise they picked the new build, so he can practice his swing in the basement, and they have room for her visiting relatives.    

Then there are the people married for over 30 years, and moved four times in the last five years, and they're now moving to Albuquerque.     So they keep making remarks about adobe being mud.   Yes it used to be, but the new stucco isn't.  Then she wants soaring, vaulted ceilings, but I bet they don't realize that the electric heating, and cooling costs will be horrible for that style.  So the wife says she was a dancer, and has terrible knees, so she wants single story, but he insists the stairs in the first house are fine.  Second mid-century house is OK, the third does look like a museum.  The husband and wife both demand a second living area, so they can use their theater seating that's been stored for a couple of years.   So they buy the two story, so they can use their theater seating.    So much for her bad knees. 

The people moving to NJ, and demanding an older house with character, but no ghosts are irritating as hell.   

Edited December 20, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[cameron]

31 minutes ago, amarante said:

Are these Christmas episodes another HH shtick or are there actually people who buy homes based on whether there is a window to display a Christmas tree? 

And the homes also for the most part didn't have windows on the street so what is the point anyway of where it would be placed since only people living in the home would really enjoy it?

On the same topic, are there people who actually sit on their front porches in this era? What is this desire for a front porch - are they all yentas? I understand wanting a private backyard of some kind although I do the eye roll when people live in metropolitan areas and complain about neighbors.

The Christmas couple moving to the Pacific Northwest - give me a break as some of the grounds require more than just someone to mow the lawns. Either you have to be an absolutely dedicated talented gardener or you have professionals take care of it for you.

Actually we do.  Have a historic home in downtown Charleston with wraparound porches and use them a lot.  

Edited December 20, 2020 by cameron

[Dehumidifier]

40 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

   Another person who seems to think that stairs are a new invention, and her kid will die from being in a house with stairs.    It's called a baby gate, they're easy to install, and fairly cheap.  Then, they're worried about the kid going in a sloping back yard, and the kid will trip a lot.   That's for snow run off in Cleveland, just like in other places,    The husband keeps getting in the house tubs with his shoes on, and I hate that.     Not a surprise they picked the new build, so he can practice his swing in the basement, and they have room for her visiting relatives.    

I don'y know how that man delivered the line about the sloping yard with a straight face. He can't seriously think the kid will never ever walk on a slope.

Yeah, I don't mind them trying the tub or shower, but take the footwear off!

[StatisticalOutlier]

48 minutes ago, cameron said:

Actually we do.  Have a historic home in downtown Charleston with wraparound porches and use them a lot.  

I'm not sure what a wraparound porch is, but the historic houses I think of in Charleston have a ground-level front porch that is actually on the side, and doesn't directly face the street.  For all the emphasis HHs seem to put on privacy, I would think that a street-facing porch that puts them on display to everyone passing by wouldn't be popular.

[cameron]

30 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I'm not sure what a wraparound porch is, but the historic houses I think of in Charleston have a ground-level front porch that is actually on the side, and doesn't directly face the street.  For all the emphasis HHs seem to put on privacy, I would think that a street-facing porch that puts them on display to everyone passing by wouldn't be popular.

Ours, is actually on the front and both sides downstairs and upstairs.  House was built in the 1870's.

[chessiegal]

16 minutes ago, cameron said:

Ours, is actually on the front and both sides downstairs and upstairs.  House was built in the 1870's.

That sounds lovely. I'd be hanging out on the front or side porch too.

[Spunkygal]

1 minute ago, chessiegal said:

That sounds lovely. I'd be hanging out on the front or side porch too.

It sure does. And if lacking a wraparound porch, do what our neighborhood has done since mid-March and have umpteen front yard happy hours! 

[StatisticalOutlier]

43 minutes ago, cameron said:

Ours, is actually on the front and both sides downstairs and upstairs.  House was built in the 1870's.

Do you like sitting on the downstairs part of the street-facing porch?  For some reason to me it seems kind of natural to sit on the front steps of a brownstone (the yentas), where you're definitely very exposed, but it's somehow different on a porch more removed from the street.  Maybe it's the distance?  Like on the brownstone steps, you're part of what's going on on the street, but on a porch set farther back, you're not, and you're either being observed or doing the observing.

There's some house renovating show where I've seen them put an actual patio, with furniture and all, in the front yard, not behind a fence.  I don't think I'd like that at all. 

Or like the beachfront houses in Manhattan Beach, California, where people have their patios adjacent to the beachfront walkway, with its constant stream of pedestrians and bicyclists.  Sometimes they have glass walls, but sometimes it's just a low wall and it feels awkward to me.

[cameron]

12 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Do you like sitting on the downstairs part of the street-facing porch?  For some reason to me it seems kind of natural to sit on the front steps of a brownstone (the yentas), where you're definitely very exposed, but it's somehow different on a porch more removed from the street.  Maybe it's the distance?  Like on the brownstone steps, you're part of what's going on on the street, but on a porch set farther back, you're not, and you're either being observed or doing the observing.

There's some house renovating show where I've seen them put an actual patio, with furniture and all, in the front yard, not behind a fence.  I don't think I'd like that at all. 

Or like the beachfront houses in Manhattan Beach, California, where people have their patios adjacent to the beachfront walkway, with its constant stream of pedestrians and bicyclists.  Sometimes they have glass walls, but sometimes it's just a low wall and it feels awkward to me.

You're either a porch person or not.

[jacksgirl]

12 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

 

Or like the beachfront houses in Manhattan Beach, California, where people have their patios adjacent to the beachfront walkway, with its constant stream of pedestrians and bicyclists.  Sometimes they have glass walls, but sometimes it's just a low wall and it feels awkward to me.

Sister lives in MB, and am always amazed at the amount of foot, bike, skating traffic on the strand so close to those multi million dollar houses. No privacy and noise all day long. Have seen some with an upper balcony, but still, lots of people.