House Hunters - General Discussion

[LittleIggy]

Nashville area: OMG, that mini horse and the donkeys were so adorbs! 😍

[debbie311]

21 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

My guess is that in that area the buyers, and their agents expect everything to go well above list price, so they don't even comment on it.  

And I think I heard correctly, that there were 30 offers on the house?

They were a good couple.  Liam is very cute.

[Grizzly]

Virginia Beach. I did like the style of that first Victorian. But my practical side agreed with him that old houses can hide big problems. Wouldn't a home inspection turn up that sort of thing? Hope they don't buy #2, that whole house was a gut job except the fireplace. I liked #3, those ceiling details were nice. She needs to outgrow the goth phase or is that her way of assuring the girls don't go goth. Of course contractor goes for total gut.

[LittleIggy]

Virginia Beach: I have never seen so much purple in a house! 😬 And all that wallpaper! Good thing hubby is a contractor. The wife’s picture of herself in her “goth phase” made me go 🙄. Her hair wasn’t even dyed black and no black or dark purple lipstick. I was never philosophically goth, but I dressed goth back in the day, and had the blue-black hair and dark lips and eyes.
On first glance, I thought the 15 yo was a thirty-something babysitter.

[jacksgirl]

Virginia Beach. Really liked that she, as their realtor saw positives in each place, it wasn't just all about her preferences. I liked their choice, lots of space for a big family.

[Crashcourse]

I liked the Virginia Beach couple and I figured they'd choose the house needing renovations.  I'd love to see the finished house.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

The wife’s picture of herself in her “goth phase” made me go 🙄. Her hair wasn’t even dyed black and no black or dark purple lipstick. I was never philosophically goth, but I dressed goth back in the day, and had the blue-black hair and dark lips and eyes.

I'm too old to have been a goth, but even I, when I saw that picture, thought, "That's a pretty weak goth game to be holding onto after all these years."  But maybe her parents wouldn't let her do it right.

 

44 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I liked the Virginia Beach couple and I figured they'd choose the house needing renovations.  I'd love to see the finished house.  

I was wondering if the third house they looked at was one that he'd done. 

And, a question:  He kept saying he wanted something move-in ready, but wouldn't that mean either new construction or a flip?  I assume it wouldn't be a lot of fun being the contractor on your own renovation, but surely he knows that in very very general terms, the quality of most new construction isn't top notch, and flippers do certain things very specifically to entice buyers and things that you can't see but are important to quality can get short shrift. 

It could be that there's a house out there where the owners remodeled it and didn't live in it very long for some reason, which could mean it was quality work and not terribly outdated already, but I would think such houses would be rare. 

But even then, he'd be essentially paying retail for what he could get wholesale as a contractor AND not buying someone else's taste.  I guess I'm just wondering why someone who can build his own house just like he wants, and pay wholesale for it, would choose otherwise.

[Crashcourse]

I thought what was strange about the Virginia Beach man was that, since he's a contractor, he'd never owned a house before, especially with three kids.  

[Rootbeer]

14 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Virginia Beach. I did like the style of that first Victorian. But my practical side agreed with him that old houses can hide big problems. Wouldn't a home inspection turn up that sort of thing? Hope they don't buy #2, that whole house was a gut job except the fireplace. I liked #3, those ceiling details were nice. She needs to outgrow the goth phase or is that her way of assuring the girls don't go goth. Of course contractor goes for total gut.

Home inspections are worth every dime, but nobody, not even an inspector, has Xray vision to see behind every single wall, ceiling and floor.  All they can do is point out the obvious stuff that they find.  And, of course, if you are considering buying a house where the visible things are poorly done or worn out; you can assume that things are even worse in the areas that you cannot see,

On the other hand, if things look to be in good repair, the work seems to have been done properly and the materials used were of good quality; there is the probability that the entire house has received good care; even the stuff behind the walls.

When you're looking at a house that has been around for decades, there are a lot of layers to consider and it is not always possible to get a handle on every single change that has been made over the years and how well the work was done.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I wonder if he remodeled the house they picked?  

[NYGirl]

Virginia Beach...all he talked about was his kids running around and riding scooters in the house.  They didn't look that young.

That being said he was a nice looking guy and his wife was no goth that I've ever seen. 

I definitely liked the 3rd house best.

[amarante]

4 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

 

But even then, he'd be essentially paying retail for what he could get wholesale as a contractor AND not buying someone else's taste.  I guess I'm just wondering why someone who can build his own house just like he wants, and pay wholesale for it, would choose otherwise.

I don't think we have ever seen that on HH - i.e. a contractor not buying the home that needs extensive repairs.

All of their bitching about not having the time to do it is just supposed to throw people off the obvious final choice.

For all the rational reasons you wrote, someone in the business is going to deliberately look at something that needs to be fixed up - especially this guy who made a living flipping homes as part of his GC skills.

Good GC's are busy but it is absolutely ridiculous for them to pretend that they are actually coming home to do the work on weekends and at night. They will have people they generally use to the work just as they do for any project. And the irony is that because they are professionals, their stress level at having to do with extensive renovations is considerably less than a civilian who generally still has to supervise the GC and probably has no experience making any kind of construction or aesthetic decisions. 

[cameron]

1 hour ago, NYGirl said:

Virginia Beach...all he talked about was his kids running around and riding scooters in the house.  They didn't look that young.

That being said he was a nice looking guy and his wife was no goth that I've ever seen. 

I definitely liked the 3rd house best.

That wouldn't have been my child riding a scooter inside a home.  No way.

[pdlinda]

11 minutes ago, cameron said:

That wouldn't have been my child riding a scooter inside a home.  No way.

I was wondering if the 3 girls were in his custody all of the time or if he shared custody with their mother? 

I noted his wife made innumerable references to them wanting to have children of their own so that's why my question arose.

[Grrarrggh]

I couldn't believe how stupid the VA Beach hunter was to want young children riding scooters around the kitchen while people are cooking. Yet another reason open concept isn't smart. 

[MooCat Pretzel]

Virginia Beach.  I was too busy trying to analyze their intro to pay attention to the houses.  They said they have been together for three years (after meeting at a real estate networking event) and then said the youngest daughter was three?  And the youngest daughter isn’t the female HH’s? Hmmmm. I am going to need more information about these people… 

Edited July 30, 2021 by MooCat Pretzel

[Dehumidifier]

1 hour ago, MooCat Pretzel said:

Virginia Beach.  I was too busy trying to analyze their intro to pay attention to the houses.  They said they have been together for three years (after meeting at a real estate networking event) and then said the youngest daughter was three?  And the youngest daughter isn’t the female HH’s? Hmmmm. I am going to need more information about these people… 

I was wondering how his first wife let him go. You may have found the answer...

[pdlinda]

41 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

I was wondering how his first wife let him go. You may have found the answer...

My thoughts matched your probable conclusion about him and first wife.  My question was, under such circumstances, why the 3 children were apparently in HIS custody so much of the time??

[Dehumidifier]

8 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

My thoughts matched your probable conclusion about him and first wife.  My question was, under such circumstances, why the 3 children were apparently in HIS custody so much of the time??

I wondered if that was true or they wanted it to appear that way.

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

I wondered if that was true or they wanted it to appear that way.

Yeah, we don’t know how much they are with him. The kids will probably be with their mom (or moms since there was a big gap between the 15 yo and the two younger ones) during the reno.

[BrownBear2012]

The house they picked was a dump. OMG! I doubt they will ever live there. He'll flip it and they'll move into a new build. She seemed a lot younger than him and didn't seem to have any concerns about what her husband and his kids would need in a home...it was all about her wanting to be a Goth teenager again. And from the looks of her photo from high school she wasn't much of a Goth at that. Just some eye liner was all I saw. the repairs and reno will take months to complete and a lot of $$$. Good luck with all that!

[BrownBear2012]

On 7/28/2021 at 1:17 PM, ByaNose said:

I really liked them. And, they met on a app. Who knew? It was a very old mid century modern from the front but the inside turned out great with all the painting and the backyard is awesome. The asking was $599,000 and they settled on $680,000. Gulp! Meanwhile, I hoping to sell my house for $280,000 and I would be thrilled with $290,000. LOL!!!! Location! Location! Location!

This is a sellers market right now and it's absurd. Around where I live (outside D.C.) homes have sometimes 10 or 11 counter offers and the price of houses is ridiculous. Our home that we puchased 30 years ago for 240,000 is now appraised at $750,000!!! How can young couples just starting out ever afford to buy anything at this rate...even townhomes and condos are $500,000 plus with multiple bids. They were lucky to get that house at all considering the market in LA being what it is...still too pricey, IMO. And yes, Liam was cute 🥰

[Grizzly]

New Jersey. House #1 is cute, I did love the blue and the front porch. But yeah, Ian didn't fit in it. #2 was ok but didn't have some things they wanted. #3 seemed their best bet but in a couple of years, they will not want their bedroom on a different floor from the bathroom. Won over by a basement, they weren't the worst musicians we've heard on this show.

[Dehumidifier]

The woman in New Jersey must be a bat. She was always looking for a place to hang out.

[Grrarrggh]

I liked the Jersey couple a lot. They both had great sense of humour. And they want to adopt!!! 

[LittleIggy]

New Jersey: Knew it would be the first house since it was unfurnished. Got sick of hearing about the “glam room.” 🙄

[Texasmom1970]

Best part of the New Jersey episode the realtor. His “I got a guy for that,” he needs a shirt with that on it.

[LittleIggy]

9 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

Best part of the New Jersey episode the realtor. His “I got a guy for that,” he needs a shirt with that on it.

“You need to bury a body? I got a guy for that!” 😆

[chessiegal]

As my husband says, a friend will help you move. A true friend will help you move a body.

[Grrarrggh]

2 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

“You need to bury a body? I got a guy for that!” 😆

Bury a body? I was getting Soprano flashbacks and thinking a step before. 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Grrarrggh

[chocolatine]

On 7/28/2021 at 10:17 AM, ByaNose said:

I really liked them. And, they met on a app. Who knew? It was a very old mid century modern from the front but the inside turned out great with all the painting and the backyard is awesome. The asking was $599,000 and they settled on $680,000. Gulp! Meanwhile, I hoping to sell my house for $280,000 and I would be thrilled with $290,000. LOL!!!! Location! Location! Location!

 

On 7/31/2021 at 11:26 AM, BrownBear2012 said:

This is a sellers market right now and it's absurd. Around where I live (outside D.C.) homes have sometimes 10 or 11 counter offers and the price of houses is ridiculous. Our home that we puchased 30 years ago for 240,000 is now appraised at $750,000!!! How can young couples just starting out ever afford to buy anything at this rate...even townhomes and condos are $500,000 plus with multiple bids. They were lucky to get that house at all considering the market in LA being what it is...still too pricey, IMO. And yes, Liam was cute 🥰

I live in Seattle, and a few months ago I made an offer on a townhouse for $150,000 above asking price. I didn't get it, because someone else outbid me. A lot of single family homes sell for $250,000 or more above asking price.

I eventually caught a break by buying a townhouse that's still under construction. I have to wait several months before I can move in, but at least there was no bidding war and I don't have to worry about any major projects because everything is brand-new.

New Jersey episode: they seem like a nice couple, and I love that they want to adopt, but I couldn't get over the husband's knuckle tattoos spelling out "Iris," knowing the wife's name is not Iris.

Edited August 5, 2021 by chocolatine

[Grrarrggh]

14 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

New Jersey episode: they seem like a nice couple, and I love that they want to adopt, but I couldn't get over the husband's knuckle tattoos spelling out "Iris," knowing the wife's name is not Iris.

I wondered about that. Maybe it's Mum or a Grandmother?

[LittleIggy]

DC: Chester the dog was adorbs.

[StatisticalOutlier]

16 hours ago, chocolatine said:

New Jersey episode: they seem like a nice couple, and I love that they want to adopt, but I couldn't get over the husband's knuckle tattoos spelling out "Iris," knowing the wife's name is not Iris.

Maybe it's Siri.

[chocolatine]

15 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

DC: Chester the dog was adorbs.

I had the same reaction to the spiral staircase that he did.

[amarante]

The Washington couple were reasonable and the dog was adorable.  I think they chose the best house for their current situation. It was perfectly adequate and I think given the location will increase value. And certainly making the cosmetic fixes always makes sense since you get exactly what you want and aren’t paying a premium for someone else’s taste. 

I don’t know who would buy a home in which the bedroom is reached by a small spiral staircase and the only bathroom is on the lower level. And the actual living area was quite small. 

The choice of the San Francisco area couple even more peculiar. They chose a fairly mediocre home that was flipped using the most inexpensive choices. Tiling over the fireplace? Nothing was particularly high end but the flipper certainly knew how to snooker his target buyers with a disproportionately large master bath with current trendy features and a kitchen that was trendier but builder grade. Of course the woman was an idiot and exposed her ignorance by asking whether marble or quartz was better. 🤡🤡  

Edited August 5, 2021 by amarante

[drafan]

On 7/30/2021 at 10:53 AM, Crashcourse said:

I liked the Virginia Beach couple and I figured they'd choose the house needing renovations.  I'd love to see the finished house.  

I think that gigantic room housed a former indoor pool. I saw a brief overhead shot and it was not snugged up against the main house....it was kind of set back and had a separate roof and a room or hallway connecting it.

20 hours ago, chocolatine said:

New Jersey episode: they seem like a nice couple, and I love that they want to adopt, but I couldn't get over the husband's knuckle tattoos spelling out "Iris," knowing the wife's name is not Iris.

 

Maybe he's a big Goo Goo Dolls fan???

[Grrarrggh]

35 minutes ago, drafan said:

Maybe he's a big Goo Goo Dolls fan???

Goo Goo Dolls!!!! Wow, I haven't thought of them in ages! Off to play one of my CDs. (Yes, I was born in 1981). 👵💿

[chocolatine]

40 minutes ago, drafan said:

Maybe he's a big Goo Goo Dolls fan???

I'm sure that's what he told his current wife to explain the tattoos.

[Dehumidifier]

The building the DC guys bought in looked like it was a former school or convent. My first thought was convent but I didn't spy any churches nearby in the aerial shots.

[CrazyInAlabama]

It might have been a converted apartment building too.    

[StatisticalOutlier]

That carpet in the Atlanta townhouse!  I was wondering why they would even manufacture it, never mind someone buy it.  But I bet it would be okay in a dance club or some place like that.  I'm really curious about someone who would put it in their entire house.

 

[LittleIggy]

22 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

That carpet in the Atlanta townhouse!  I was wondering why they would even manufacture it, never mind someone buy it.  But I bet it would be okay in a dance club or some place like that.  I'm really curious about someone who would put it in their entire house.

 

Here is that person: 🤪 

It was incredibly hideous, wasn’t it?

[BrownBear2012]

On 8/4/2021 at 12:35 AM, LittleIggy said:

New Jersey: Knew it would be the first house since it was unfurnished. Got sick of hearing about the “glam room.” 🙄

Must be the newest thing...this is like the fourth or fifth HH I've seen where the wife/girlfriend wants a"glam" room with a huge chandelier. I'm going to blame the Kardashians for this.

[Grrarrggh]

9 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

That carpet in the Atlanta townhouse!  I was wondering why they would even manufacture it, never mind someone buy it.  But I bet it would be okay in a dance club or some place like that.  I'm really curious about someone who would put it in their entire house.

 

They must have got that CHEAP! $1 per yard or even free. I swear I've seen it in a cinema or children's indoor play area. But wow. I want to know too! 

Top 5 HH Mystery. 

[Cetacean]

11 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

That carpet in the Atlanta townhouse!  I was wondering why they would even manufacture it, never mind someone buy it. 

I think I would have vertigo walking on that!

[Crashcourse]

2 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

They must have got that CHEAP! $1 per yard or even free. I swear I've seen it in a cinema or children's indoor play area. But wow. I want to know too! 

Top 5 HH Mystery. 

NO WAY would I have installed that hideous crap even if it was free! 😱🤣

[Kenzie]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

NO WAY would I have installed that hideous crap even if it was free! 😱🤣

With carpet that revolting to the eye it made me wonder what the previous owner's furniture and décor must have looked like.

[StatisticalOutlier]

14 hours ago, BrownBear2012 said:

 I'm going to blame the Kardashians for this.

Always a safe bet.

5 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

They must have got that CHEAP! $1 per yard or even free. I swear I've seen it in a cinema or children's indoor play area. But wow. I want to know too!

Yes!  It looks like what they have in the game room at movie theaters.

When I thought it was just one room, I was thinking if I bought the house I might keep it just for the hell of it, because it's so insane.  But then I saw it was the entire house, and thought Nooooooo. 

3 hours ago, Cetacean said:

I think I would have vertigo walking on that!

Maybe that's why they had the more subdued solid red on the stairs--to lessen the carnage.

[amarante]

When I first spotted the carpet in the dining room, I thought hmm okay - not my taste but I could imagine a very Hollywood Glam type of dining room with lacquer furniture but then I saw that it extended throughout the house and that none of the other fixtures in the house reflected that kind of "fabulous" ironic style.

Even at $1 or free I wouldn't install it in a house I was trying to sell because no one in their right mind would look at it and think hmm okay I could live with that :-). If the previous flooring was in bad shape, give a credit or reduce the price to reflect the fair market value.