House Hunters - General Discussion

[deirdra]

15 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

My idea of moving forward would have been to call an auction company, and have them haul everything away that I didn't want to keep, and let them handle the moving, and selling.  If the buyers were handling the estate sale themselves, that would be tough to do, watch items you think are valuable get criticized or sell for almost nothing.   

Unless you have lots of valuables, most auction companies won't want to move everything, but there are companies that will run the estate sale from the house. That's what we did with our parents' house since none of us lived less than 6 hrs away.  We were surprised to learn that there are people out there (landlords?) who buy up stuff like the contents of a broom closet, including half-bottles of furniture polish etc., beds & mattresses, and someone bought the ~15 yr old washer & dryer. So we just removed the things we wanted to keep and the estate sale company did the rest (they kept 15%, but that was worth it to us). What nobody bought after 2 days they donated and carted the rest to the dump and cleaned the whole empty house. 

Edited October 22, 2021 by deirdra

[Texasmom1970]

8 hours ago, cameron said:

They must be thinking of adopting or fostering.  Would be a difficult pregnancy due to both her age and weight.

I agree. I know women that do get pregnant in their 40's but its harder on you and riskier for the baby. Wish them the best. Also loved her husbands accent.

[amarante]

7 hours ago, deirdra said:

Unless you have lots of valuables, most auction companies won't want to move everything, but there are companies that will run the estate sale from the house. That's what we did with our parents' house since none of us lived less than 6 hrs away.  We were surprised to learn that there are people out there (landlords?) who buy up stuff like the contents of a broom closet, including half-bottles of furniture polish etc., beds & mattresses, and someone bought the ~15 yr old washer & dryer. So we just removed the things we wanted to keep and the estate sale company did the rest (they kept 15%, but that was worth it to us). What nobody bought after 2 days they donated and carted the rest to the dump and cleaned the whole empty house. 

For what could be seen, there was nothing of any kind of value that was left behind.

I dealt with the sale of my parents' retirement home after they died and had to deal with moving everything out when I did a gut remodel of my own place relatively recently.

My parents' had moderately nice middle class furniture and a LOT of tchotchkes. Not casting shade on the Oakland sellers, but there was no stuff that looked remotely desirable to anyone - including charities - at least based on my experience in terms of the parameters of what they will accept now. 

There was nothing that would remotely interest an auction company but there was enough stuff so that a company that handled estate sales did it for 15% of the proceeds. First they sell everything in an advertised sale that lasted for two days. Anything left that had any value was sold to a second hand store that just negotiated a flat fee for a bunch of stuff. They handled donation of stuff to a charity and threw out all of the crap.

However with the pandemic as well as changing tastes as well as the glut of stuff as baby boomers die, there is almost no market for stuff. When I was trying to get rid of relatively nice vintage/antique furniture just before the pandemic, charities didn't want them. Used furniture places were offering ridiculously low amount or didn't want them. I just wound up giving everything away to my neighbor's brother who needed furniture and was okay with it being Victorian or 19th century "brown" vintage furniture that is no longer fashionable.

My understanding is that charities received so much stuff from people "organizing" during the pandemic that they have gotten even more selective in what they will accept. They don't want to be used as a free hauling place for items that will cost them money to warehouse and that will sell for low prices.

 

Edited October 23, 2021 by amarante

[amarante]

On 10/21/2021 at 11:09 AM, cameron said:

If I were a guest; wouldn't want to stay in a RV.

Why not? Assuming it has heat and A/C and a good bathroom, it would be much better to me than a bedroom in the house or a pull out sofa in the office or living room. More privacy for the guest and the host.

I don't see it as that much different than having a small guest house in the backyard although obviously a guest house denotes "class" versus an RV but functionally they are the equivalent.

At any rate, I grew up in New York City where real estate was at a premium and no one I knew had a room that was dedicated to housing overnight guests. Even my friends who lived in the suburbs didn't generally have a extra room if they had children because even the suburbs in metropolitan areas were expensive so most people have just enough bedrooms for their children for the most part. When family visited there would be some shifting around of children so that adults might sleep in a kid's bedroom and the children would double up in one of the other bedrooms.

Edited October 23, 2021 by amarante

[Crashcourse]

I'd say it's simply a matter of one's preference.  Nothing wrong with that.

[Bastet]

On 10/21/2021 at 11:13 AM, pdlinda said:

OMG!! Same here!!  I cringed when he kept saying that was for "guests."

Any time someone is offering guests a place to stay, the guests can take it or leave it.  If the RV is what's offered, and any given guest isn't interested, they can get a hotel room instead and there's nothing wrong with that.  But there's nothing wrong with an RV being what the HHs have to offer guests, either.

I'll generally opt for a hotel, but if I was staying at someone's house instead and they offered me their guest room or their RV, I'd take the RV, for the privacy.  I grew up motorhome camping, so I'm well aware of their limitations and am not bothered by them for the length of a vacation (I wouldn't want to travel full time in one, but we routinely did three weeks when I was a kid, and that was in a motorhome nowhere near as nice as the one my parents have now, so for a long weekend or week, no problem). 

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

Quote

If I were a guest; wouldn't want to stay in a RV.

My daughter and son in law have a very large nice camper.  When they aren't camping, they use it as extra housing for visitors.  My son in law has a very large family and sometimes it's difficult with so many people in the house (and only two bathrooms).  Along with regular camper stuff, they have A/C in the camper along with a king size bed with a regular mattress and a TV. 

[LittleIggy]

Livermore: The two sons were given the living room for their bedroom. What were they going to use as a living room?

[ECM1231]

On 10/21/2021 at 1:22 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I just couldn't believe they were spending almost $1 million on a house, and with the expansion they plan I'm sure it will be over that price, plus an RV for guests too.   I would have bought the second house with room to park the RV, and room to add on to the house and still have a big lot.   

Plus, that house, iirc, had a gorgeous lot/ property. But I think they rejected it because it was in the downtown area, nowhere near the schools.

I hadn't realized that the home they bought had an additional family room. I wondered where they were going to entertain since they gave their sons the living room for a bedroom. Now it makes more sense.

[Dehumidifier]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Livermore: The two sons were given the living room for their bedroom. What were they going to use as a living room?

The family room in the back, off the kitchen. They talked about expanding the back of the house. Also, at the very end* the dad said (unless I misunderstood) that they had now abandoned the RV for guests idea. They still had the smallest bedroom available for guests -- master bedroom for parents, largest bedroom went to the daughter and living went to the two sons. That left the smallest bedroom open. (*I think that was in the part that got attached to HHI by my DVR.}

[slasherboy]

17 hours ago, ItsHelloPattiagain said:

My daughter and son in law have a very large nice camper.  When they aren't camping, they use it as extra housing for visitors.  My son in law has a very large family and sometimes it's difficult with so many people in the house (and only two bathrooms).  Along with regular camper stuff, they have A/C in the camper along with a king size bed with a regular mattress and a TV. 

If I were visiting someone at their home, I would be thrilled to stay in their camper as you describe it. I would have privacy, could sleep nakey, and watch what I want on TV. Sounds ideal to me.

[CrazyInAlabama]

It could be that the zoning on the house they bought didn't allow RV parking, or living in an RV.    

[Grrarrggh]

10 hours ago, slasherboy said:

could sleep nakey, and watch what I want on TV. 

Nakey? I've slept naked but it sound like I'm missing out on some fun. I want to sleep nakey!

[Grizzly]

Houston, TX. House #1 must have had a great location because the price wasn't due to the amount of land you got. The houses were too close together. House #2, all of a sudden Seema is spending money left and right on knocking out walls. House was ok. #3 is way too expensive for what you're getting. #1 had more of a yard. Dogs need more than fresh air. After seeing the others, #1 made the most sense.

[laredhead]

Houston episode - I like that the builder had incorporated a space for a future elevator.  With land becoming more scarce, and houses having up to 3 & 4 stories, an elevator makes sense for people who want to live in the house for many years beyond their ability to climb a lot of stairs.  In the meantime, you have 2 nice sized closets.  House #1 seemed like the best choice, but I wasn't thrilled with any of them.  Houston has gotten very expensive, somewhat like New Orleans.

[amarante]

The Montrose new builds show what the lack of appropriate zoning will do.

Three tall thin homes squeezed into a lot where one older home had been. 

I get why people are going for the "modern" look and finishes but I don't think those homes are going to age well as they really don't seem to be comfortable for raising a family.

I am in Los Angeles where there were those kinds of ultra-modern homes built in a family neighborhood where older more modest homes had been torn down because they didn't reflect the current land values. However, the trend now is to build large traditional style homes instead of those hulking monstrosities. Those sell very well because they reflect how people want to live versus the ones that were out of character for the neighborhood and don't make comfortable family homes. Not that these are modest homes as they are selling for $6 million and up but they are like Leave It To Beaver on steroids - modern farmhouse traditional with beautiful finishes. 

These are the new builds that are selling well when the older modest homes were torn down

https://www.dirt.com/gallery/showbiz/producers/josh-heald-jon-hurwitz-house-los-angeles-1203432896/#recipient_hashed=5e494def505aadce6ac0a6f2c14db5f6737e311f83dab225cf3d52810ce6c5dc

Edited October 27, 2021 by amarante

[Grrarrggh]

I don't think the male Houston hunter knew what the word "unique" means. The second house seem the best option to me long term. The third house situation was horrible! It's a serious feud in the waiting with that shared drive. But at least you can retreat to the third floor when the floodwaters come in, I guess. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Good point about the driveway being shared between three houses.    I bet the rules are that you have to park in the garage.    So, no visitor parking, unless there's street parking.   A big selling point in Houston, after Hurricane Harvey, and other tremendous flooding, is the statement "Never Flooded" in the listing.    

I agree that there was nothing unique about the first, or third house, they were just big white boxes, and I don't think they'll look nice or modern within a few years.   I would have bought the second house, and updated what it needed changing a little at a time.    There was nothing that they couldn't live with until they could update the bathrooms, or whatever else they wanted to change, and the separate apartment for the husband's shoe collections, and sports watching parties looked great.  

I'm guessing if they do any major parties, they'll use the parents' house, with lots of parking, lots of room, and big enough for the family and friends to gather. 

Edited October 28, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Cetacean]

13 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I agree that there was nothing unique about the first, or third house, they were just big white boxes, and I don't think they'll look nice or modern within a few years. 

They were both awful.  Like concrete bunkers.  They will not age well.  

Don't architects ever look at timeless designs, things that still look nice after 100 years?  Colonial, Federalist, Craftsman, Brownstone come to mind.  Look at some of those featureless buildings from, say, 1970 that look old and dated today and those monstrosities in Houston look worse!

[pdlinda]

3 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

They were both awful.  Like concrete bunkers.  They will not age well.  

Don't architects ever look at timeless designs, things that still look nice after 100 years?  Colonial, Federalist, Craftsman, Brownstone come to mind.  Look at some of those featureless buildings from, say, 1970 that look old and dated today and those monstrosities in Houston look worse!

I agree.  It surprised me that such a delightful couple who were seemingly compatible, savvy and stylish in many ways, were stuck with 3 such dull choices!  I understood the realtor was the husband's buddy from school (I think).  Couldn't he have come up with more appealing choices in the Houston area where they were interested in buying?  It seemed to me that they had a sufficient budget to have more land, curb appeal and function in a house than what they were shown. 

The parents' impressive home was an example of what I was expecting them to end up with (on a more modest scale, of course).

[Texasmom1970]

Houston house hunters, I agree all three choices were blah. Modern does not appeal to me so home number two was the only one with any appeal to me.

Born and hour outside Houston and living in Houston I have never liked the style of homes. So many of the same look alike brick styles. Sorry if I offended any Houstonians.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/27/2021 at 7:55 AM, laredhead said:

Houston has gotten very expensive, somewhat like New Orleans.

While watching the episode, I was taken by how cheap Houston is, but realized I was comparing it to Austin.

22 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

I don't think the male Houston hunter knew what the word "unique" means.

And he said it as he walked through the original arched openings.  (Is it a doorway if there's no door?)

[Pine]

Spoiler

The house they chose is next too her parent's vineyard home. 

Just watched the San Francisco to Lincoln, CA HH.   I love that area of California.  

Edited October 28, 2021 by Pine

[CruiseDiva]

19 minutes ago, Pine said:

  Hide contents

The house they chose is next too her parent's vineyard home. 

Just watched the San Francisco to Lincoln, CA HH.   I love that area of California.  

I'm amazed that such a young couple with rather ordinary jobs could spend more than a million dollars on a home. How are they qualifying for a mortgage? Maybe her seemingly well-to-do wine producing parents are bankrolling them by providing a hefty down payment. Interestingly, the house hunter wife got her "land" but there was no vineyard on it, which was what she kept saying she wanted. Her poor husband may never get his swimming pool until she stocks that land with goats and miniature horses.

The house on the cul-de-sac with a pool that the husband really wanted would have been the most practical option for a young couple, but the way the wife acted I just knew she'd prevail. Sheesh. She was quite the Princess.

[izabella]

2 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

Her poor husband may never get his swimming pool until she stocks that land with goats and miniature horses.

The house they bought did have a pool, although it was small.  He was cleaning leaves out of it at the end.

I wonder about their income, too.  That is a big house, and they want to do some renovations at some point.  I guess they have plenty of time for that.

[Grizzly]

Charlotte, NC. Grandeur and Cape Cod/Craftsman don't really go together. Don't like the won't compromise attitude. But at least they are both seeing things they like in the homes. So tiresome when one is determined to be negative. And they did compromise with no pool or guest house.

[BrownBear2012]

5 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

I'm amazed that such a young couple with rather ordinary jobs could spend more than a million dollars on a home. How are they qualifying for a mortgage? Maybe her seemingly well-to-do wine producing parents are bankrolling them by providing a hefty down payment. Interestingly, the house hunter wife got her "land" but there was no vineyard on it, which was what she kept saying she wanted. Her poor husband may never get his swimming pool until she stocks that land with goats and miniature horses.

The house on the cul-de-sac with a pool that the husband really wanted would have been the most practical option for a young couple, but the way the wife acted I just knew she'd prevail. Sheesh. She was quite the Princess.

I missed it...what were their jobs? And spot on about the wife being a princess...yikes! Seemed like she wanted the same set up her rich parents have. Did they realize how much work it is going to take to maintain that property? Talk about a money pit...I couldn't help but be concerned about the fire situation with all those trees and dry brush on the property. I know that the Sacramento area did have wildfire issues this last summer..I could see that property with all the trees and wooden buildings basically being kindling. And as far as the vineyard thing...I can only imagine during a drought how much water is needed to keep the vines growing and producing grapes. 

[CruiseDiva]

3 hours ago, izabella said:

The house they bought did have a pool, although it was small.  He was cleaning leaves out of it at the end.

I wonder about their income, too.  That is a big house, and they want to do some renovations at some point.  I guess they have plenty of time for that.

Thanks for correcting me, For some reason I thought the house they bought had a hot tub. Duh! I was pretty tired while watching and didn't pay a lot of attention at the end after hearing which one they decided to buy.

Edited October 29, 2021 by CruiseDiva

[kirklandia]

3 hours ago, izabella said:

I wonder about their income, too.  That is a big house, and they want to do some renovations at some point.  I guess they have plenty of time for that.

Well, they are off to a good start – they changed the hell out of those lightbulbs!

[CruiseDiva]

31 minutes ago, BrownBear2012 said:

I missed it...what were their jobs? And spot on about the wife being a princess...yikes! Seemed like she wanted the same set up her rich parents have. Did they realize how much work it is going to take to maintain that property? Talk about a money pit...I couldn't help but be concerned about the fire situation with all those trees and dry brush on the property. I know that the Sacramento area did have wildfire issues this last summer..I could see that property with all the trees and wooden buildings basically being kindling. And as far as the vineyard thing...I can only imagine during a drought how much water is needed to keep the vines growing and producing grapes. 

II think she said she was a school teacher and he mumbled something that I took to be software sales.

I think the husband was aware of the labor involved in maintaining so much property and he really didn't want to be responsible for more than an average yard. His princess bride probably grew up with "help" taking care of a lot of her parents' property and vineyard and she's clueless. Not likely that she'll be helpful. 

You're so right about wildfire possibilities in that area.

[Texasmom1970]

3 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Charlotte, NC. Grandeur and Cape Cod/Craftsman don't really go together. Don't like the won't compromise attitude. But at least they are both seeing things they like in the homes. So tiresome when one is determined to be negative. And they did compromise with no pool or guest house.

They seemed to do very well working together to choose the home that was good for their large family. And bonus for her, no ghosts. 👻

[laredhead]

SF to Lincoln, CA, I thought the husband said something about making a SF salary, but could work remotely, so they decided to move where a lot of $$ would get them more than in SF.  Maybe I'm wrong about that being the episode.  Not surprising they bought the house close to the parents.  I have no idea how much work 20 acres with grapes vines would involve, but I do know that animals are a full time job.  This would be an interesting one to see on an episode of HH Where Are They Now if HGTV ever produces any more of those.

I liked the realtor in the Charlotte, NC ep.  His use of the 80-10-10 formula was pretty good.  I laughed at the end when the youngest child was seen scrambling up the stairs on his own, and doing very well with that "skill".  So many parents on past episodes have expressed horror at their children not being able to navigate stairs.  Not a peep out of these parents about stairs and children.  Also, no griping about one wanting stairs and the other one wanting a multi-story house. 

 

[Crashcourse]

Yeah, that kid looked so cute scrambling up the stairs at the end of the episode.  No problem at all.

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

Yeah, that kid looked so cute scrambling up the stairs at the end of the episode.  No problem at all.

Very cute!

I recall the wife saying she was a Nurse Practitioner.  Did anyone catch what the husband did for a living?

[Crashcourse]

5 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

Very cute!

I recall the wife saying she was a Nurse Practitioner.  Did anyone catch what the husband did for a living?

I had trouble understanding him because he kind of mumbled and talked fast, but I think it had something to do with IT.

[pdlinda]

43 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I had trouble understanding him because he kind of mumbled and talked fast, but I think it had something to do with IT.

I thought I may have heard him mumble "singer" with other things following? 

I was curious only because he was intent on that "guest house" that he kept insisting would get him away from the family for some time to himself so I was wondering if he was on the road a lot or worked from home?

[Crashcourse]

21 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

I thought I may have heard him mumble "singer" with other things following? 

Ahh, you might be right.  I couldn't understand a damn thing out of his mouth. 😄

[pdlinda]

4 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

Ahh, you might be right.  I couldn't understand a damn thing out of his mouth. 😄

Ditto!

[izabella]

57 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

I was curious only because he was intent on that "guest house" that he kept insisting would get him away from the family for some time to himself so I was wondering if he was on the road a lot or worked from home?

He said he would be able to work remotely for his San Francisco job, so he would be continuing to get a San Francisco salary-level.

[laredhead]

Izabella, the husband who wanted the guest house was the Charlotte, NC buyer.  His job was IT support or something like that. The wife wanted a pool.  They bought a house w/o either.

The SF to Lincoln, CA wanted less land than his wife did.  They bought the 20-acre place.

 

 

[izabella]

Thank you!  I was getting them confused!

[Grrarrggh]

Too bad the Charlotte couple didn't get that second house, because it was amazing. I hope the Nurse Practitioner is going to learn to swim though. While I'm sure she's up to date on CPR, being able to swim is just as important. I loved the word she made up when they were in the car. Though I was a bit sad the husband didn't mention "Indian burial grounds" when she was saying a new build wouldn't have ghosts lol. 

Edited October 29, 2021 by Grrarrggh

[chessiegal]

20 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Though I was a bit sad the husband didn't mention "Indian burial grounds" when she was saying a new build wouldn't have ghosts lol. 

My husband's cousin built a new house on the shores of Lake Martin, AL with an old cemetery on the lot. They swear the house is haunted. Footsteps on stairs, lights going on and off, sights of a figure in windows. I always look side-eyed at HH who don't want ghosts, but then I wonder....

[StatisticalOutlier]

9 hours ago, laredhead said:

SF to Lincoln, CA, I thought the husband said something about making a SF salary, but could work remotely, so they decided to move where a lot of $$ would get them more than in SF.  Maybe I'm wrong about that being the episode.

I heard the same thing, and it makes me wonder how these remote working things are going to shake out when it comes to salaries.  Hey, let's pay EVERYONE what it would take to live in San Francisco, regardless of where they actually live.  Me first!

[BrownBear2012]

23 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Too bad the Charlotte couple didn't get that second house, because it was amazing. I hope the Nurse Practitioner is going to learn to swim though. While I'm sure she's up to date on CPR, being able to swim is just as important. I loved the word she made up when they were in the car. Though I was a bit sad the husband didn't mention "Indian burial grounds" when she was saying a new build wouldn't have ghosts lol. 

The ghost thing was absurd...I felt sorry for the realtor. They wanted  "grand entrance" on top of five bedrooms, pool and guest house??? Then they took the new build that had no pool or guest house or grand entrance because there would be no ghosts? He said they would build a pool and guest house??? I wonder how the neighbors feel about that. Some neighborhoods have HOA's that won't allow all that building...also, they can afford to build add ons like that? She's a nurse practioner...not a cardiac surgeon. He's IT..not Bill Gates. 

[LittleIggy]

On 10/28/2021 at 5:03 PM, Pine said:

  Reveal spoiler

The house they chose is next too her parent's vineyard home. 

Just watched the San Francisco to Lincoln, CA HH.   I love that area of California.  

It looked so dry and parched there. I loved their puppy Ruby who just wanted to go inside and stretch out on the cool tile floor.

[LittleIggy]

On 10/29/2021 at 6:42 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I heard the same thing, and it makes me wonder how these remote working things are going to shake out when it comes to salaries.  Hey, let's pay EVERYONE what it would take to live in San Francisco, regardless of where they actually live.  Me first!

I’ve heard about companies adjusting salaries down for people who now work remotely and live elsewhere (not in the expensive area they used to when they went into the office).

[amarante]

15 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I’ve heard about companies adjusting salaries down for people who now work remotely and live elsewhere (not in the expensive area they used to when they went into the office).

I think that is long range theoretical at this point as no one is reducing salaries for people they hire who are able to work remotely. 

It would be administratively difficult to administer because you would have to keep tabs on where someone is living as well as cost of living in various areas. 

And for what since companies actually save money if they don’t have to spend on costly office space. Also some jobs are not 100% remote as people might still need to come in occasionally. 

[Crashcourse]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2021/02/17/will-remote-work-lead-to-salary-adjustments/?sh=44902da4b687

[CrazyInAlabama]

It's so funny to watch the five year or older reruns on Saturdays on OWN, and see the house hunters love the granite, darker cabinets, etc. and claim they love the kitchens, and finishes, but on the new shows it's everything the house hunters called dated, and gut job.   

Edited November 1, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama