House Hunters - General Discussion

[Dehumidifier]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

From a VA loan website: "Also, with a VA loan, you're limited to a primary home only; you can't use one to buy a vacation or investment property. However, you can take out a VA loan to finance the purchase of a home you occupy and then rent out a portion of to generate rental income.Apr 4, 2022"    However, their idea of buying the property #1 and building separate tiny houses doesn't sound legit. 

So, I guess property #3 was legal, but how long before someone slips on the big stairs to the income property part?   

I was referring more to the properties in Washington state that they owned and were living off of.  She said that, when they got together they decided  to combine their "superpowers" -- his construction ability and her VA loan taking ability and buy properties and renovate them. He said they owned a number of properties and didn't have to work. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Dehumidifier
Adding more to my original comment.

[Hedgehog2022]

55 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

Washington, DC:  I have nothing to add about the vocal fry, or whatever the hell you call it.  Those were some of the most annoying voices I've ever heard.  Makes the Kardashians sound like radio announcers.   I wonder how much food blogger Meghan (yaaaahhhhh) makes.  I didn't catch what her partner did.   That was quite a high budget.  

I grew up in DC, but wouldn't live anywhere there now, mainly because of crime.  The last rowhouse is in the Parkview neighborhood where I grew up, and it's sad what it's come to now.  The Trinidad neighborhood where house they chose is, isn't safe anymore either.   

I concur with everyone else about the Valley girl voices of the realtor and the food blogger...OY! Very hard to watch this...almost went to closed captioning! BTW I live just outside of DC...lots of gentrification going on in DC right now. Problem is that there may be a street with three quarters of it being gentrified and one quarter is not. I would suggest that anyone buying there get a good security system installed in their home and good outdoor lighting.

[CrazyInAlabama]

1 hour ago, Dehumidifier said:

I was referring more to the properties in Washington state that they owned and were living off of.  She said that, when they got together they decided  to combine their "superpowers" -- his construction ability and her VA loan taking ability and buy properties and renovate them. He said they owned a number of properties and didn't have to work. 

I bet they exploited a loophole, like they lived in the home for the specified period, and then rented it out,  I don't know about now, but it used to be you could get the VA loan in the veteran's name, they stay in the home for 30 days, and then rent it out.  It legally worked, but it was a ridiculous move.   However, VA changes their rules around, so what was legal 20 years ago, isn't what's legal now.   I was surprised that the VA properties were fixers, VA used to require everything was done up to appraisal value, or they wouldn't finance the house. 

Also, you can get VA loans on homes in U.S. states or territories only.   

I didn't like any of the PR properties, especially the first one that would have had husband doing septic and other work himself.      The second one was OK, but not anything but cookie cutter, and the third one was not my idea of an ideal family vacation place. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[edie3]

1 hour ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

Those were some of the most annoying voices I've ever heard

It was like 10,000 fingernails on a chalkboard.

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Washington, DC:  I have nothing to add about the vocal fry, or whatever the hell you call it.  Those were some of the most annoying voices I've ever heard. 

Vocal fry usually goes down in tone at the end.  It's part of what makes it so annoying for me--the anxiety waiting for that dive.  But HH Meghan made it worse by adding syllables and going up before going down, or down before going up--I can't remember.

I kept FFing it because all three were so annoying, but then I'd stop and check to see if they were still doing it, kind of like you do with a bad smell that you just can't stop sniffing.

[Crashcourse]

Yaaaaahhhhh 

[laredhead]

I hope when those 3 DC women view their episode, they all realize how annoying their voices are.

Edited August 19, 2022 by laredhead

[amarante]

I don't know if it is a loophole but legally you can rent out your VA financed home after you have resided there for a year.

You can have two or more VA loans but there is a certain maximum total that is allowed but if they haven't hit the ceiling on the first home then it wouldn't matter.

I would imagine they would refinance and use appreciated equity to refinance without needing the 0 down payment help and then use it for other homes.

I don't begrudge their being able to take advantage of Vet benefits which reflect service to their country. And it isn't as if the are getting a free ride as they still had to fix up those places in order to make them viable as rental properties and I would imagine also fix them up to the extent they are flipping them. Better them than some anonymous corporation that takes advantage of tax loopholes or other government benefits - 

[Grrarrggh]

4 hours ago, laredhead said:

I hope when those 3 DC women view their episode, they all realize how awful their voices are.  They should run, not walk, to a good voice teacher who can teach them how to talk in a pleasant tone.  I would hate to have to work around any of them for more than 5 minutes.  I couldn't believe they found a realtor who also spoke like that - agh.  

Yikes. That's a bit harsh, almost like saying a black person shouldn't have an afro or a southern American should get rid of their accent. Who gets to decide what a "pleasant tone" is? Female politicians have been attacked for decades for being "shrill" when they are speaking in a perfectly acceptable way. I always side-eye anyone complaining about how females sound. 

If it involves what they're saying, then that's fine. Overuse of "like", "literally" etc deserve to be mentioned and bashed a bit. 

[Bastet]

I didn't see it, but if it's an affectation, that's fair game for criticism, but the policing of how women naturally sound is completely out of hand, so I hope this isn't one of those situations.

[cameron]

Greenville realtor  with the crocs is one scruffy looking agent.

I would be curious if this couple are still together in a few years.  Found them to be very immature and don't even get me started when they thought the first floor plan of the house they purchased was a maze.  It was a normal layout of a two story colonial built in that timeframe.

Edited August 19, 2022 by cameron

[Grrarrggh]

3 hours ago, cameron said:

Greenville realtor  with the crocs is one scruffy looking agent.

I would never hire that realtor. He was either saying "screw you I've got automatic privilege so it doesn't matter what I wear" or "I'm lazy and don't care about doing a good job for you". Or possibly, as this is HGTV, "I only play a realtor on tv and wardrobe dressed me this way so blame them".

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Greenville episode was so bizarre.    The husband saying he could take the wall down on the house they bought for $500, and then the contractor is charging $6,000 means it's probably load bearing. 

I'm just glad the husband/boyfriend, didn't just grab a sledge hammer, and start taking that wall down.   Who knows what supply lines, vents, or supports are in it. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Empress1]

On 8/17/2022 at 11:29 AM, rhofmovalley said:

I do too. But the husband came across as seriously codependent. He seems to feel like it's his responsibility to keep his siblings and parents from a life on the streets. He's likely wracked with guilt either from within himself or from his family members whining about how they have nowhere else to go. 

I hope he's in counseling. Their marriage is going to need it.

Yep. I was wondering if his family was pressuring him to take care of them now that he’s “made it.” I doubt the relatives will actually pay the mortgage - I hope the mortgage is in the relatives’ names so the couple isn’t on the hook for it, but I doubt it. Actually I think she said “having a second mortgage.”

19 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I wonder how much food blogger Meghan (yaaaahhhhh) makes.  I didn't catch what her partner did.   That was quite a high budget.  

The food blogger also had a job in ad sales, I think - her income wasn’t only from the blog. Her fiancée worked “in finance.” Plus they were selling their condo, so they likely turned a profit there.

[cameron]

5 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The Greenville episode was so bizarre.    The husband saying he could take the wall down on the house they bought for $500, and then the contractor is charging $6,000 means it's probably load bearing. 

He definitely talked the "talk", but don't think he could possibly deliver.

[CrazyInAlabama]

1 minute ago, Empress1 said:

Yep. I was wondering if his family was pressuring him to take care of them now that he’s “made it.” I doubt the relatives will actually pay the mortgage - I hope the mortgage is in the relatives’ names so the couple isn’t on the hook for it, but I doubt it. Actually I think she said “having a second mortgage.”

My guess is the relatives never paid a penny on the duplex, won't be paying on the other side the couple were moving out of, and will never pay anything.   I'm also guessing that the downstairs game room is now an apartment for a relative or several relatives too.   

[chessiegal]

40 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Or possibly, as this is HGTV, "I only play a realtor on tv and wardrobe dressed me this way so blame them".

He is a licensed real estate agent. I agree he was dressed casually. 

I liked that the couple mentioned they made decisions to save money for a down payment.  One of my stepdaughters and her now husband started setting aside money before they were married with home ownership in mind.

[Crashcourse]

I liked the Greenville, SC couple, and the fact that they wanted to purchase a home at such a young age.  

I rolled my eyes at the hippy dippy realtor who thought he was so cool......🙄

[chessiegal]

The Greenville agent is a native. His RE profile says he is 40, and has been working as an agent for 1 year. I wonder if he's doing it part-time.

[cameron]

8 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

The Greenville agent is a native. His RE profile says he is 40, and has been working as an agent for 1 year. I wonder if he's doing it part-time.

Don't think he will ever make the "top producing agent list" anytime soon.

[ECM1231]

I had the impression that the Greenville, SC couple were not married yet. The female kept pushing for a larger home, while the male was happy to buy a home large enough for "just now", saying one never knows when one's circumstances might change. I thought the female home buyer was hinting about their future and was thinking about one day needing a larger home for the family they might have.

I may be off-base, but I never heard that they were married.

Edited August 19, 2022 by ECM1231

[cameron]

3 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

I had the impression that the Greenville, SC couple were not married yet. The female kept pushing for a larger home, while the male was happy to buy a home large enough for "just now", saying one never knows when one's circumstances might change. I thought the female home buyer was hinting about their future and was thinking about one day needing a larger home for the family they might have.

I may be off-base, but I never heard that they were married.

That was my take also.  Noticed no rings either.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

My guess is the relatives never paid a penny on the duplex, won't be paying on the other side the couple were moving out of, and will never pay anything.   I'm also guessing that the downstairs game room is now an apartment for a relative or several relatives too.   

I hope they at least keep relatives out of their current house because the wife seemed through - she was very clear that they were a strain on the marriage.

[rhofmovalley]

27 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

I hope they at least keep relatives out of their current house because the wife seemed through - she was very clear that they were a strain on the marriage.

The husband mentioned during the episode having his brother stay overnight in the guest room. The wife looked extremely displeased. I know from personal experience once you allow certain relatives or friends to stay over "for a couple of days" it's very difficult to get them to leave. Especially when one of the homeowners is an enabler.

I truly feel for the wife in that situation. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

13 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

If it involves what they're saying, then that's fine. Overuse of "like", "literally" etc deserve to be mentioned and bashed a bit. 

Vocal fry isn't much different from using "like" constantly--it's something people just start doing and often don't realize they're doing it, and could stop doing it if they wanted.

I'll die on the vocal fry hill, because it annoys me in both women and men, to the point where I literally will change the radio station to avoid whichever person on NPR is doing it.

[rhofmovalley]

There's a Progressive Insurance commercial where one of the normally background characters is the main focus. In other commercials where she has only a one or two word line her voice sounds normal. But in the commercial where she's the main character she uses a supreme vocal fry voice. It's most definitely an affectation. Or maybe the director told her to try to sound sexy.

I think these young women think it's cute, like when they post on Instagram and add additional letters at the end of wordddddddssss.

In this instance, I didn't even notice the vocal fry. I just noticed the food she was taking pics of didn't look particularly appetizing to me. Sorry, Influencer!

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I'll die on the vocal fry hill, because it annoys me in both women and men, to the point where I literally will change the radio station to avoid whichever person on NPR is doing it.

I appreciate Ira Glass being, well, vocal about the fact he has vocal fry, too, but the emails NPR get complaining about vocal fry are only about female broadcasters.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 8/19/2022 at 4:26 PM, Bastet said:

I appreciate Ira Glass being, well, vocal about the fact he has vocal fry, too, but the emails NPR get complaining about vocal fry are only about female broadcasters.

He is indeed among the people on NPR who I change the station away from.  I'm guilty of not emailing NPR about him, but I haven't emailed NPR about any of the women, either, many of whom seem to be local reporters. 

And actually, it's not really vocal fry on Glass that bugs me; it's more the syncopated cadence that grates. 

Just like that one HH--she added some flourishes to her vocal fry that sent me over the edge

Edited August 22, 2022 by StatisticalOutlier

[amarante]

10 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The Greenville episode was so bizarre.    The husband saying he could take the wall down on the house they bought for $500, and then the contractor is charging $6,000 means it's probably load bearing. 

I'm just glad the husband/boyfriend, didn't just grab a sledge hammer, and start taking that wall down.   Who knows what supply lines, vents, or supports are in it. 

In fairness the HH estimated that it would cost $2500 per the closed captions. 

Of course that is besides the point because taking down a load bearing wall is not something that an amateur should even think about doing because you can wind up with the second floor on the first floor. 

Goes in the category of HH who say that they will be able to redo the bathroom because it is just cosmetic. Which is why I shudder to think of all of the horrors that might be lurking in homes where DIY wannabees did structural work. A tiled shower is potentially one of the most *dangerous* things if not done properly because if not done properly it will leak and cause mold and even structural damage to the beams and joists. Neither tile or grout are waterproof and so the shower has to be properly waterproofed and the shower floor needs to be properly sloped before the tile is installed. My shower had to be inspected three times by the City including a 24 hour test in which the drain is stopped up and the shower floor is filled and the level of water is checked to make sure that no water leaked during that period. 

And most homeowners don't think about the cascading series of things which must be done when even a non-load bearing wall is taken down starting with replacing the flooring since the floor was installed originally with a wall in place.

I also don't understand the issue of paint color. When someone moves out of a home, it has been my experience that it needs to be painted - there are holes, smudges and color fades - and that is not even taking into consideration that you might not like the color. 

[Crashcourse]

I think a lot of the male HHers on this show like to talk about renovations they'll be doing, just to show how "manly" they are for tv purposes, but in real life they probably leave the work to the contractors.

[Kimboweena]

Greenville, SC - another HH that wants a house like the one she grew up in, with stairs and a farmhouse look.  I grew up in a one-story ranch. I was so tickled to live in so many different houses over the years with my Marine husband, especially when we had stairs for the first time!  I had a happy childhood and all, but did not want the same old house to live in once I married and moved out.

[CrazyInAlabama]

New episode, couple moving to Philadelphia, her new job is volleyball coach at Temple University.    Her husband is a stay at home dad, to their daughter.   She wants to be close to work, 25 minutes max.    The realtor is a former volleyball coach turned realtor.   3 beds, all on one floor, $550k his budget, her budget is $450k.   In this market, they'll be lucky if her $450k doesn't end up closer to his $550k. He wants a charging station for his car. 

House 1-in town, on street parking, and a charging station nearby.  Realtor parks on sidewalk, hope the PPA gives her a ticket.   Rowhouse, narrow, no charging station on the home.   $455k, rowhouse, 2 bed 2 bath, about 16 ft wide.  Nice, modern kitchen.  Outdoor space/back yard is a tiny patio, overlooked by many neighbors.   Guest bath is nice, bedrooms are nice, main bedroom is on third floor, it's an entire ensuite/main bedroom suite on the third floor.   Laundry room is on third floor too. There's a roof deck too. 

House 2-burbs, two story, 3 bed 1.5 bath, backyard and driveway, $450k, 1782 sq ft, fanstastic kitchen, 1/2 bath off of kitchen, family room and living room on first floor, fantastic, fenced yard.   3 bedroom and 1 full bath on second floor.  

House 3-townhouse, closer to city.  Just from the outside, I love this one.   20 minutes to work, Stone front, wide rowhome, It was a duplex, made into a single home.  2766 sq ft,   4 bed 3.5 bath, $550k, great first floor living, dining , and wonderful kitchen, 2nd floor bedrooms are big and nice, guest bath on 2nd floor is nice, next bedroom has it's own shower/bathroom en suite, third floor are 2 bedrooms, with a great shower bathroom ensuite, they could use the second bedroom for a giant closet.   basement is finished, and great storage, and laundry.  4 car parking behind house, and a place to plug in the car.  

They buy #1 , I would have bought #3.   

Yes, a 30 minute commute when the realtor says 30 minutes is a long commute.   The realtors never give an accurate distance/time estimate, it's always a lot longer, just like they always have laughably inadequate remodeling prices. 

Edited August 25, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[cameron]

8 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

New episode, couple moving to Philadelphia, her new job is volleyball coach at Temple University.    Her husband is a stay at home dad, to their daughter.   She wants to be close to work, 25 minutes max.    The realtor is a former volleyball coach turned realtor.   3 beds, all on one floor, $550k his budget, her budget is $450k.   In this market, they'll be lucky if her $450k doesn't end up closer to his $550k. He wants a charging station for his car. 

House 1-in town, on street parking, and a charging station nearby.  Realtor parks on sidewalk, hope the PPA gives her a ticket.   Rowhouse, narrow, no charging station on the home.   $455k, rowhouse, 2 bed 2 bath, about 16 ft wide.  Nice, modern kitchen.  Outdoor space/back yard is a tiny patio, overlooked by many neighbors.   Guest bath is nice, bedrooms are nice, main bedroom is on third floor, it's an entire ensuite/main bedroom suite on the third floor.   Laundry room is on third floor too. There's a roof deck too. 

House 2-burbs, two story, 3 bed 1.5 bath, backyard and driveway, $450k, 1782 sq ft, fanstastic kitchen, 1/2 bath off of kitchen, family room and living room on first floor, fantastic, fenced yard.   3 bedroom and 1 full bath on second floor.  

House 3-townhouse, closer to city.  Just from the outside, I love this one.   20 minutes to work, Stone front, wide rowhome, It was a duplex, made into a single home.  2766 sq ft,   4 bed 3.5 bath, $550k, great first floor living, dining , and wonderful kitchen, 2nd floor bedrooms are big and nice, guest bath on 2nd floor is nice, next bedroom has it's own shower/bathroom en suite, third floor are 2 bedrooms, with a great shower bathroom ensuite, they could use the second bedroom for a giant closet.   basement is finished, and great storage, and laundry.  4 car parking behind house, and a place to plug in the car.  

They buy #1 , I would have bought #3.   

I really liked the husband.

[Thumper]

I liked house #3 too, but I think the price was an issue for the wife, at least!  

[MooCat Pretzel]

Philadelphia:  I totally get the wife’s wish to not overspend. Having worked in college athletics in a previous life, the coaching life can be a roller coaster, sometimes hired and fired within a year, other times coaches are someplace for 20+ years.  With her husband not working, spending more would have been a big gamble.  I liked that they stayed in their optimal price range.  I don’t have to be stressed for them. 😂

Edited August 24, 2022 by MooCat Pretzel

[Crashcourse]

The husband said he was stay at home, but he also said he was some kind of sports consultant, so it was unclear whether he made any money.  

I just watch the beginning again and he says he's been a stay at home dad the last seven years but he's also served as a consultant for collegiate sports entities.  I was curious because I wondered how much volleyball coaches made, and if they were buying the house just on her salary.      

Edited August 24, 2022 by Crashcourse

[Empress1]

So many episodes in Philly lately!

11 hours ago, cameron said:

I really liked the husband.

When he said his wife was his favorite person, I said “awwww.”

Temple U. is in north Philly. It’s not a great neighborhood- Temple has gentrified it but not totally. Brewerytown, where the first house was, is another gentrified neighborhood in north Philly (that house they looked at had been redone; that facade screamed gentrification). It was once home to many breweries, as the realtor said, but the majority of them closed and the neighborhood was pretty blighted for a while. It’s been built back up although I think the crime rate is still high. The second was in Abington, a northwest suburb - your basic suburb. #3 was in Manayunk, in northwest Philly, which we’ve seen before. $550K is high for that area. It’s safer than Brewerytown. I’d have picked it for that reason alone (though maybe they didn’t know that), plus it had a lot of space.

[amarante]

I thought the New Rochelle episode was a bit odd in terms of their choices.

They loved Brookyn but wanted to move to New Rochelle. They could have stayed in Brooklyn and bought in one of the many residential neighborhoods and had the advantage of living in the city.

One of the things which HH almost never discuss is the difference in tax rates which effectively drives up the actual net cost of a house significantly. Tax rates in the NYC/NJ metropolitan area suburbs are extremely high because the tax base is largely residential and has to support each individual school system since each town or municipality has its own system. The tax rates in NYC for home owners is relatively low because NYC has a large commercial and industrial tax base which is taxed at a much higher rate as well as significant income from sales tax and even income tax so the net cost of home ownership for someone in NYC could be lower. 

And yet another realtor tossing out delusional costs for renovating kitchens, baths and other stuff. New Rochelle and the entire area is a high cost of living area with high labor costs so remodeling costs are among the highest in the country. A lower end modest size kitchen would run about $50,000 - a bathroom - $30,000 and that would be for relatively modest finishes and not anything vaguely aspirational. Start knocking down walls to open it up and you run into serious costs in terms of replacing structural beams and the flooring which will have a gap where the wall used to be. So two bathrooms - minimum of $60,000 and a modest kitchen at $50,000. I can't even begin to imagine the cost of sanding down all the walls so they are smooth because it is so labor intensive. And forget about getting all of that work done in 30 days - it can be months to get a good reliable GC available because of. the shortage of good labor - not to mention supply chain issues which delay everything. 

Edited August 25, 2022 by amarante

[Empress1]

This is the hunter from the most recent Philly episode.

[ECM1231]

Re the Philly volleyball coach episode: is a 30-minute commute really that long of a commute?  That always surprises me when home buyers say that. Living on Long Island and commuting into the city whether by train or car, some folks have triple the commute as that.

If it were me, I'd have chosen the house, b/c I'd rather live in a house and 30 minutes is not that far out in my opinion. But if the house was definitely a no, I'd go with #3, but I understand if the wife just didn't want to go to the max budget.

Also, another pet peeve is that homeowners MUST have an en suite bathroom. They had one child. ONE! Three people cannot share a single bathroom?  That was the wife's main concern about the house, along with the distance. I was 50 before we finally added on, and my husband and I had an en suite bathroom.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Chicago, vintage vs. new.  

House 1-single family, 4 bed 3 bath.  $659k,He wants to redo the stacked stone fireplace with a brick exterior, because it doesn't look vintage.  kitchen is nice, House is totally redone, and husband wants to close rooms off. The half bath is right next to the dining table.  second bedroom is tiny.  Main is big, but no ensuite. no handrail on the very steep narrow, twisting stairs. 

House 2-$675k, lake view, big porch, 1885 vintage house, 5 bed 3 bath, 2850 sq ft, big lot, extra wide, all fenced in, first full bath has gold tub and sink, Realtor points out that a turnkey house in Logan Square will be over $1 million, nice kitchen already, but of course wife wants to rip it out.   Hardwoods everywhere, 4 bedrooms on second floor and a full bathroom, no ensuite.   It's a huge house, but not turnkey enough for the wife.

House 3-$680k, Mostly brick bungalow, 5 bed 4 bath, 4295 sq ft, now wife is whining about the color of the hardwood floors and trim.    1 bath and 1 bedroom on the first floor, she hates the perfectly usable kitchen, with new windows and roof everywhere, Just reface the kitchen cabinets and drawers, and then redo the counters and back splash.    They don't want the paver patio all over the back yard, and a koi pond,.   2 bed and 2 baths on the second floor, with a huge primary bedroom, primary bathroom tub with jets needs to be ripped out and redo the primary bath.   

They buy #2 , I would have bought #2.   

Ravenswood, WV, he wants a fix and flip, she wants long term.  They're 23 and 24.  Ben and Allie.    They both live with parents before they get married.   They're using a first time home buyer program with zero down payment.  He's a special assistant at the state treasurer's office, and she's a second grade teacher.  3 bed, 2 bath.  SOrry, if you can't buy except with zero down payment, then how can you afford a house payment, and everything with it. $170k budget. 

House 1-Ravenswood, 2 bed 1 bath, turnkey, 50 min. commute for him, $159900, flat yard, lots of parking, detached, huge garage, kitchen is nice.   smaller dining room, looks like a modular, or started with a trailer.     sunporch is OK, primary bedroom has a huge closet,   It was a 3 bedroom, and 1 bedroom became part of main bedroom, ensuite is 1/2 bath.  (I wouldn't touch this house, it's a mobile home).

House 2-Ripley, 40 minutes from his work, 25 minutes from her work, turnkey, $179,900, dead end street, 1980 sq ft, mid entry (bi-level_, kitchen is bigger, nice yard, fully fenced, but on a hill.   2 bull baths, 1-half bath, main bedroom is huge, ensuite only has a shower, guest bedrooms are nice size.  Nice finished basement.  The projects she want aren't necessary, or 

House 3-Millwood,  commute for him, 15 min commute for her,  ranch $150k, 1266 sq ft, 3 bed, 1.5 bath, some paneling, big yard and flat, no fence, kitchen will be redone, guest bath is blue tile, 2 guest bedrooms, main bedroom is decent size, and a pink half bath.  decent closet.   realtor suggests cutting the entry coat closet, and putting the main bath shower in there. 

They buy # 3, I would have bought #2.  I think they'll find that the renos they want to do will cost a lot more than they think. 

Edited August 25, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

Young couple in West Virginia. They seemed likeable enough. As soon as I saw House #1, I said, that's a double wide! Husband says, well, it is WV. Meaning no disrespect to the fine residents of WV, but you do have a stereotype. House # 3 - it was obvious that's the one they bought. I cracked up at the quick shot of the back porch with an upholstered love seat on it - WV! At the end, it was obvious production had moved that one piece of sectional that was part of what was already in the living room. I hope they are enjoying their new home.

[Thumper]

They were a cute young couple.  I agree that her need to redo some things in house #2 was a stretch.

Painting the paneling in house #3, though!  I’m not sure which is worse — paneling or painted paneling.   Lightened up the look for a short term (I hope) solution.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

1 hour ago, Thumper said:

They were a cute young couple.  I agree that her need to redo some things in house #2 was a stretch.

Painting the paneling in house #3, though!  I’m not sure which is worse — paneling or painted paneling.   Lightened up the look for a short term (I hope) solution.  

Two houses ago, my front to back living room was paneling.    I painted it, and it was a total nightmare.   I had to do each seam individually (deep seams), and then roll the flat, wide parts, and had to do two coats of primer, and two of regular paint.     After my attic fire (air conditioner was hit by lightning), they ripped the paneling out and put up drywall, I loved that drywall. )    I know some people who put a skim coat on the paneling, but it was a nightmare too. 

I think house #3 was the right location, and if she ever switched school districts, then she could still take the kids to school, since you could choose which district schools for your kids.  

Edited August 25, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

When I saw them painting the paneling, I thought - no! I did that once and the result was horrible.

[CruiseDiva]

23 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

When I saw them painting the paneling, I thought - no! I did that once and the result was horrible.

We covered paneling with canvas backed wallpaper that was textured to look like corduroy. It turned out really nice and the ivory color really brightened up our family room and kitchen.

[Crashcourse]

I liked the WV couple, but I was cringing at the end watching them paint the paneling.  That didn't look good at all.

[buttersister]

I was LOL at the Chicago couple and their house #2. Glad they saved a few bucks, because they'll spend their budget and more. That kitchen will be totally redone (have to agree with her, how many different tiles were there??) and she gave side eye to everything with plumbing. 

Looked like the Rogers Park area, north end of the city, near the lake. The realtor was right, they couldn't touch a place like that in Logan Square. 

[WI GIRL56]

I grew up in Chicago-Rogers Park.   Also in a 4 square.  I know where this house is.   I loved growing up with Lake Michigan as my playground.  Made me homesick.  It was  a good choice for them.

[Soapy Goddess]

12 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I liked the WV couple, but I was cringing at the end watching them paint the paneling.  That didn't look good at all.

Not only didn't it look good, it's not going to stick because they didn't sand it first. Even if that was a primer they were using, I still don't see it turning out well.