House Hunters - General Discussion

[Grrarrggh]

24 minutes ago, rhofmovalley said:

I liked the Charlotte son. When his mom talked about being worried having him on a separate floor because he could sneak out and he tried to defend himself and even the REALTOR said "He's a good boy!" and the mom came back with "But he's 16!!" Yeah, I would have been mad at mom for making me seem like a delinquent on national TV. I agree with the realtor; he did come across as a good boy.

Not a delinquent. Mom just has a basic understanding of neuroscience and child psychology.

[Grizzly]

Philly. Good thing this is a young couple, all they're looking at is townhouses with a lot of stairs. Wonder what kind of wedding they'll have, if there's any money left. I'm not crazy about the facade of any of these. The roof space is pretty cool. Don't like how dismissive she was of his opinion. Really like Paul's dad. Wish he was the episode.

[Grrarrggh]

13 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Philly. Good thing this is a young couple, all they're looking at is townhouses with a lot of stairs. Wonder what kind of wedding they'll have, if there's any money left. I'm not crazy about the facade of any of these. The roof space is pretty cool. Don't like how dismissive she was of his opinion. Really like Paul's dad. Wish he was the episode.

Considering that he didn't really have an opinion.... I mean the second and third house were nearly identical style wise yet he loved one and hated the other. I did scream at her to just propose to him if she wants to be married though. 

[Kiddvideo]

Charlotte, NC: He kept talking about more expensive houses maintaining their value — does he not understand the sweat equity in house 1 will add value in addition to growing with inflation? That backyard was hideous, Mikey. Patchy scrub grass and poor drainage? Yuck.

I laughed that locals have a containment neighborhood for relocated Yankees, but she made it sound like they’re the only ones who want restaurants and breweries, etc. nearby.

[LittleIggy]

Philly: The “living in a steak house” thing cracked me up. Who was going to paint the horse racing mural? 😆

[Pine]

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Philly: The “living in a steak house” thing cracked me up. Who was going to paint the horse racing mural? 😆

I loved it.  A local restaurant owner had his race horse's standing in their stalls looking out on a wall in his place.  It was cute.  A good friend bought one of the horse's and we would go eat there and see the horse painted on the wall looking at us.  :) 

If the husband wants the steak house look, he should have it in his space.  When Mr Pine and I were looking at a much bigger home, we had already divided which rooms we were responsible for decorating.  Kitchen was co owned, formal living, dining and powder room are mine.  Bonus room and family room, Mr Pine's.  It works.  

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

For the wall mural, I bet they can custom produce a wall mural from photos now.    There are also a lot of wall murals available too.

[chessiegal]

39 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

For the wall mural, I bet they can custom produce a wall mural from photos now.    There are also a lot of wall murals available too.

Yes they can. I've seen it done or reno shows.

[BrownBear2012]

On 8/11/2021 at 3:49 PM, pdlinda said:

Yes, she was very clear about not needing day care because the grandparents would all be close by.  That is a big PLUS on many levels!!  

Also, Seeing the dynamic between that couple made me uncomfortable because it was so obvious who "ran the show" in that household and the husband seemed very intimidated by the wife. 

HOWEVER, I know several long-term married couples with children whose marriages work exactly that way and it's "normal" for them.  

I felt the same way about the hubby...he was passive and could easily be persuaded to her side of any argument. I knew by the way she was pushing the first house when they were touring it, that she would push hard for it...she could care less about what her husband wanted and that he didn't want to do a renovation again...she was going to get her way and she did. The outside of the house was unattractive and had zero "curb appeal"...she wanted that Downer's Grove address and needed to be near her mommy and daddy. 

Edited August 13, 2021 by BrownBear2012

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, BrownBear2012 said:

I felt the same way about the hubby...he was passive and could easily be persuaded to her side of any argument. I knew by the way she was pushing the first house when they were touring it, that she would push hard for it...she could care less about what her husband wanted and that he didn't want to do a renovation again...she was going to get her way and she did. The outside of the house was unattractive and had zero "curb appeal"...she wanted that Downer's Grove address and needed to be near her mommy and daddy. 

Well when it comes down to it, if he's that passive that's on him not her. And I bet he cares a lot when it comes to paying for childcare or giving up his own time. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

18 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

I did scream at her to just propose to him if she wants to be married though. 

She started out attributing various characteristics to their astrological signs, which always bugs me, and then she went into the getting him to propose thing.  I agree--if you want him to marry you, propose.

I almost turned it off, but then I would have missed that narrow house surrounded by vacant lots, which looked so strange.  It had no windows on either of the sides, so I wonder how close other houses will be built. 

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I almost turned it off, but then I would have missed that narrow house surrounded by vacant lots, which looked so strange.  It had no windows on either of the sides, so I wonder how close other houses will be built. 

I thought that was odd as well. I wonder if a bunch of them were torn down and that was the last one standing.

[Dehumidifier]

45 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

I thought that was odd as well. I wonder if a bunch of them were torn down and that was the last one standing.

I'm sure that is exactly what happened. I find the row house neighborhoods in Philadelphia to be incredibly unattractive, with no front yards and the doors right on the street. 

[cameron]

On 8/12/2021 at 12:04 AM, buttersister said:

Caught the end. Liked the son, glad he got a separated space and cracked up when he said how not easy any of his mom’s bringing home friends would be for him.

And she sure has lost her pageant body big time.

 

[Grrarrggh]

8 hours ago, cameron said:

And she sure has lost her pageant body big time.

 

And she's no doubt much more healthy for it. 

[cameron]

2 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

And she's no doubt much more healthy for it. 

Don't think so..  Heart attack maybe.

[Cetacean]

12 minutes ago, cameron said:

Don't think so..  Heart attack maybe.

Those girls in pagents have terribly unhealthy lifestyles just as female athletes do.  They have poor nutrition to the point where there bodies even stop the menstrual cycles.  One cannot be healthy on lettuce leaves and 800 calories a day.  Yes, she was not stick thin but could hardly be considered obese.

I thought her son was a little on the entitled side, I can't imagine demanding my own space in my parent's home but then I 'm old and that's not something that would have ever been an option. And I was so badly mistreated that I didn't even have a separate playroom!

[Crashcourse]

She certainly didn't need a stick thin beauty pageant body; however, she kept yammering on about her social life and meeting someone so I would think she'd want to get in shape and lose a little weight.

[Grrarrggh]

33 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

She certainly didn't need a stick thin beauty pageant body; however, she kept yammering on about her social life and meeting someone so I would think she'd want to get in shape and lose a little weight.

Being "overweight" often doesn't mean someone's not in shape and healthy. 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Grrarrggh

[kirklandia]

On 8/10/2021 at 1:20 PM, Crashcourse said:

I liked the Takoma, WA couple and I figured they'd take the first house.  It was old and needed some repairs, but it was cute and it seemed perfect for them.   

I like them too, although I was distracted by their cat playing with a bird's feather under the table.

I am dating myself, but for many years "Hilltop neighborhood" in Tacoma was synonymous with high crime, drugs and gang violence.  I am hoping/assuming that conditions have improved there. The house was sweet.

[amarante]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

She certainly didn't need a stick thin beauty pageant body; however, she kept yammering on about her social life and meeting someone so I would think she'd want to get in shape and lose a little weight.

There are different standards of desirable body shapes in different cultures - as well as personal preferences of course. But not every culture finds the very slender Anglo-American body type to be the ideal. 

[BrownBear2012]

On 8/13/2021 at 7:10 PM, Cetacean said:

I thought that was odd as well. I wonder if a bunch of them were torn down and that was the last one standing.

That's exactly what happened there. Looks like a lot of gentrification going on in Philly. One of those places looked like it was right across the street from old poorly taken care of houses that probably will be renovated at some point...still, it would give me pause to live there. 

[BrownBear2012]

On 8/13/2021 at 5:18 PM, Grrarrggh said:

Well when it comes down to it, if he's that passive that's on him not her. And I bet he cares a lot when it comes to paying for childcare or giving up his own time. 

You seem awfully defensive...I was merely making an observation of their different personality types. She was bossy (he even said that and she agreed) and he was passive. Maybe at some point he'll grow a pair and tell her shove it. And as for "free child care" there really is no "free child care"...having your parents watch your kids comes with a lot little problems that arise...I know because I watched my grandson for a year. The way you do something with a grandchild might not be the way the parents prefer and then it can be dicey. It's not all peaches and cream...the grandparent can feel exhausted at the end of the day and then has to do it all over again the next day. It's hard work if you're over 60. And as for the parents, while technically it's "free", they still might have to find someone to watch the kids if the grandparents get sick or have appointments that can't be rescheduled. With COVID I'm sure this was not an easy year for any of them. 

 

 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

With the Philadelphia isolated house, I would have turned it down because someday a developer will build on that block again.    Depending on the set backs from the lot lines, I wonder how long the home owner will have to put up with building right next door?    Also, it could be attractive for a developer, and they won't want to build without owning the townhouse, razing it, and building on the whole area.  

[Grrarrggh]

3 minutes ago, BrownBear2012 said:

You seem awfully defensive...I was merely making an observation of their different personality types. She was bossy (he even said that and she agreed) and he was passive. Maybe at some point he'll grow a pair and tell her shove it. And as for "free child care" there really is no "free child care"...having your parents watch your kids comes with a lot little problems that arise...

How was my responsive defensive while yours is what? I just pointed out that she wasn't the automatic bad guy because she dared to be the more outspoken one. And free childcare does exist. It is childcare the child's "owner" does not pay money for. I never said it was perfect. 

[BrownBear2012]

2 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

How was my responsive defensive while yours is what? I just pointed out that she wasn't the automatic bad guy because she dared to be the more outspoken one. And free childcare does exist. It is childcare the child's "owner" does not pay money for. I never said it was perfect. 

[Crashcourse]

15 hours ago, amarante said:

There are different standards of desirable body shapes in different cultures - as well as personal preferences of course. But not every culture finds the very slender Anglo-American body type to be the ideal. 

I'm not even talking about "very slender Anglo-American body," (and many Anglo-Americans aren't slender, by the way).  I'm just saying that, based on her comments about wanting to meet someone, she might want to get in better shape.  Same thing could go for a guy looking to meet someone.

[pdlinda]

13 hours ago, BrownBear2012 said:

You seem awfully defensive...I was merely making an observation of their different personality types. She was bossy (he even said that and she agreed) and he was passive. Maybe at some point he'll grow a pair and tell her shove it. And as for "free child care" there really is no "free child care"...having your parents watch your kids comes with a lot little problems that arise...I know because I watched my grandson for a year. The way you do something with a grandchild might not be the way the parents prefer and then it can be dicey. It's not all peaches and cream...the grandparent can feel exhausted at the end of the day and then has to do it all over again the next day. It's hard work if you're over 60. And as for the parents, while technically it's "free", they still might have to find someone to watch the kids if the grandparents get sick or have appointments that can't be rescheduled. With COVID I'm sure this was not an easy year for any of them. 

 

 

 

I completely agree with you and personally know several situations where grandparent "child care" turned into a nightmare for all parties. 

Coupled with that, I distinctly recall him wincing when she kept hammering home the concept of being very near both sets of parents.  While he didn't start arguing with her, he seemed cool to that idea. 

In any event, my belief is that he generally "walks on eggshells" around her and tries to keep "peace at any price", a very treacherous dynamic in a marriage (I know from personal experience going "the other way!") 

P.S.  I eventually got "liberated" from that marriage after my kids were over 18.

[BrownBear2012]

29 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

I completely agree with you and personally know several situations where grandparent "child care" turned into a nightmare for all parties. 

Coupled with that, I distinctly recall him wincing when she kept hammering home the concept of being very near both sets of parents.  While he didn't start arguing with her, he seemed cool to that idea. 

In any event, my belief is that he generally "walks on eggshells" around her and tries to keep "peace at any price", a very treacherous dynamic in a marriage (I know from personal experience going "the other way!") 

P.S.  I eventually got "liberated" from that marriage after my kids were over 18.

He was definitely not on board for being so close to their parents...he liked the idea of being 20 minutes away from them. I agree about the "walking on eggshells" around her. Someday he'll just snap and tell her STFU.

[amarante]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

I'm not even talking about "very slender Anglo-American body," (and many Anglo-Americans aren't slender, by the way).  I'm just saying that, based on her comments about wanting to meet someone, she might want to get in better shape.  Same thing could go for a guy looking to meet someone.

Not to belabor but why does she have to "get in shape" in order to start dating. As per my original post not every culture or ethnicity would find her current body shape to be unattractive.

I used the Anglo-American ideal because slender is pretty much the prevalent ideal of body shapes currently among white women versus other ethnicities in which other body shapes are prized.

If it weren't prevalent why are there comments that she needs to get "in shape" in order to be date - e.g. that unless she lost weight she wouldn't be able to find men who found her to be attractive as a partner.

[NYGirl]

Just saw the Philly episode.  Where is Center City?  I never heard of it.  I thought they were talking about the city center.

So somebody tell me what the "Italian vibe/finishws" is?  I'm Italian and I have no idea.  The agent mentioned it at every house.

I can't believe he didn't want to mention what he didn't like to the agent at the first house.   He said it was between him and his fiancé.

I'm glad they bought the row house.  House 2 was suspect due to the construction and House 3 was ...unexplainable...in the middle of a lot although it looked like a parking lot next door.

 

[stewedsquash]

On 8/10/2021 at 6:59 PM, Crashcourse said:

I forgot to add, I also liked that red table and seating area in their previous apartment.  It looked like something out of a 50's diner.

They took it with them to their new home. It was in the corner of the room that they were decorating.

[Crashcourse]

1 minute ago, stewedsquash said:

They took it with them to their new home. It was in the corner of the room that they were decorating.

Ok, I didn't notice it in their new home.  I'm glad they kept it.

[Empress1]

13 hours ago, NYGirl said:

Just saw the Philly episode.  Where is Center City?  I never heard of it.  I thought they were talking about the city center.

They are. Center City is the name for the neighborhood that is the downtown city center that includes the central business district, where I assume she worked.

The third house they looked at was in Northern Liberties, which is north of Center City. It's not very far from downtown; when she said it was "far out," I chuckled. It isn't. Very much the city, very urban, shops, restaurants, all that, maybe 15 minutes from Center City. She said she's a transplant who doesn't leave her bubble, and I could tell. 

[buttersister]

LOL, the wife's a realtor, he's another one of those contractor-type move-in ready bs artists. House that needs the most work? You betcha. Otoh, they weren't insulting to each other and clearly got the house they can remodel to meet their needs--so at least we won't see them on Property Brothers Forever Home.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 8/14/2021 at 9:30 PM, kirklandia said:

I am dating myself, but for many years "Hilltop neighborhood" in Tacoma was synonymous with high crime, drugs and gang violence.  I am hoping/assuming that conditions have improved there. The house was sweet.

In an opening shot of the Tacoma episode, there was a bridge in the foreground.  In 2012, we lived in our motorhome under that bridge, across the bay from downtown.  (The city department Mr. Outlier was doing some work for let us stay there.) 

I checked out the Hilltop neighborhood a few times.  When they named it Hilltop, they weren't kidding.  You go straight up heading west from downtown.  I remember going to Ezell's Chicken, and maybe they were having a bad day, but the parking lot and that corner in general were pretty dispiriting.  I assume the housing stock is cheap, and it really is well located right by downtown, so I bet it's ripe for gentrification. 

Actually, it reminds me of East Austin (Texas), which used to be really rough in the 1980s but is now unrecognizable.  I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing is happening in Hilltop in Tacoma--historically minority community located close to downtown.  Appearing on House Hunters would tend to confirm.

[jacksgirl]

19 hours ago, Empress1 said:

The third house they looked at was in Northern Liberties, which is north of Center City. It's not very far from downtown; when she said it was "far out," I chuckled. It isn't. Very much the city, very urban, shops, restaurants, all that, maybe 15 minutes from Center City. She said she's a transplant who doesn't leave her bubble, and I could tell. 

Re Philly "Center City" couple. Watched epi with hubby. Found them both to be pretentious. He wanted an Italian or Tuscan vibe? What the heck? And she was all about her. Knew they'd pick the most expensive one, but agree it was the best choice of the 3. Wonder if they'll ever get married. 

[Dehumidifier]

On 8/15/2021 at 12:48 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

With the Philadelphia isolated house, I would have turned it down because someday a developer will build on that block again.    Depending on the set backs from the lot lines, I wonder how long the home owner will have to put up with building right next door?    Also, it could be attractive for a developer, and they won't want to build without owning the townhouse, razing it, and building on the whole area.  

That could be a reason for some people to buy that house, figuring they will get big bucks from a developer.  Unless they get eminent-domained and get poor value.

[Crashcourse]

I hate it when the show description says an episode is in "Washington, DC" instead of the suburbs, like the one last night in Maryland.  Very few episodes are actually in DC, they're either in suburban MD or VA. 

They could just say the episode is in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

[cameron]

3 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I hate it when the show description says an episode is in "Washington, DC" instead of the suburbs, like the one last night in Maryland.  Very few episodes are actually in DC, they're either in suburban MD or VA. 

They could just say the episode is in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

The second in Jessup is a long way from DC, much closer to Baltimore.

[Crashcourse]

2 minutes ago, cameron said:

The second in Jessup is a long way from DC, much closer to Baltimore.

Yes, I forgot about Jessup.  I think they said it was a 50 minute drive?  Make that 90 minutes.

[cameron]

3 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Yes, I forgot about Jessup.  I think they said it was a 50 minute drive?  Make that 90 minutes.

Traffic on the BW is horrible most of time and it always has a lot of accidents.

 

Edited August 17, 2021 by cameron

[Grizzly]

Another "Washington DC". The baby is cute. Glad they were smart enough to get a neutral realtor. 2700 square feet isn't big enough to expand their family? Are they going for a baseball team? (Because their kids probably won't be tall enough to play basketball.) New build was a good choice.

[chessiegal]

Didn't the wife in the "DC" episode say she had to go into DC a few days a week? If that's true, the stretch of I-95 between DC and Fredericksburg is the absolute worst when it comes to traffic. It is always congested. 

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Another "Washington DC". The baby is cute. Glad they were smart enough to get a neutral realtor. 2700 square feet isn't big enough to expand their family? Are they going for a baseball team? (Because their kids probably won't be tall enough to play basketball.) New build was a good choice.

The single mom near DC from the night before got a five bedroom house, didn’t she? Must be a thing!

Tonight: The husband was way too skinny! I wanted to give him a 🥪 sandwich! 😆

[Cetacean]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Tonight: The husband was way too skinny! I wanted to give him a 🥪 sandwich! 😆

It was shocking to see how thin he was!  I wondered if he is ill.  The camera adds pounds so I can't imagine what he looks like in "real" life.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I knew someone who lived in Fredericksburg, and commuted to D.C., and some days it was a five hour round trip, but some days were worse. 

I think a lot of people around D.C. get the biggest house they can afford, even if it's out of town like Fredericksburg.     I know it sounds ridiculous, but I know a lot of couples who want the huge main bedroom, each has another bedroom for an office, a guest room or two, and it's great for resale.      

[Grrarrggh]

15 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Another "Washington DC". The baby is cute. 

Why do parents put that headband thing on girl babies? It looks mighty stupid and pretty much screams "SHE'S A GIRL!!! THE PINK LACY OUTFIT I HAVE HER IN ISN'T ENOUGH!!! SHE'S A GIRL!!!!!"  Yikes. 

[Crashcourse]

Yeah, another "DC" episode, this time in Virginia. 🙄  I thought the new build looked like another cookie cutter house in a cookie cutter neighborhood and I didn't like the outside at all.  But, hey, it's their choice.  

I did wonder if the husband was ill but I guess he's just that thin?  His neck was so skinny it's a wonder it can support that head.

[Dehumidifier]

Did anybody else's 10:00 EST House Hunters start mid-episode at 10:20?