House Hunters - General Discussion

[Grrarrggh]

20 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Does anyone else feel like these recent shows have way too much chit-chat at the beginning of the show?  I want to see more of the houses/properties.

Since they see so many houses that look nearly exactly alike, I don't mind the chit chat. Now if they started seeing interesting places.... 

[CrazyInAlabama]

4 hours ago, amarante said:

The prohibition against eating dairy or meat together - and then by extension needing to keep plates, utensils as well as ovens and sinks separate is from the following 

Mixtures of milk and meat (Hebrew: בשר בחלב, romanized: basar bechalav, lit. 'meat in milk') are forbidden according to Jewish law. This dietary law, basic to kashrut, is based on two verses in the Book of Exodus, which forbid "boiling a (goat) kid in its mother's milk"[1] and a third repetition of this prohibition in Deuteronomy.[2]

I actually liked the third house the best as the paint could be easily changed although obviously it was never meant to be anyway.

I was curious about the family as the only aspect of Orthodox Judaism that was discussed was a kosher style kitchen. In general Orthodox Jews need to be in certain areas because of the need for a minyan as well as the ability to walk to a synagogue on Shabbos as well as other important holidays when one is not allowed to drive.

I wondered about that two.   No mention of anything but keeping a kosher kitchen, nothing about timers to prevent working on Sabbath, walking anywhere, or the location of a synagogue.      Maybe they only keep kosher, and ignore other requirements?   

I loved the third house.   It needed a paint job for the entire interior, but they could get a crew in, repaint in a week.   Then put a dairy/milk kosher kitchen with sink, dishwasher, stove/oven and fridge on one side.    It wouldn't take $25k the way she was saying.   Just get appliances, and cut the counter to fit the stove, and maybe take a few cabinets out for the range hood, and to fit the fridge in.   It's mostly going to be expensive for the plumbing, and electrical.   

Also, I bet since he's a mentalist for his profession, then I'm sure he travels a lot, either just making appearances, or cruise ships, so I'm betting he's away from home working constantly.    

Edited January 14, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[amarante]

44 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I wondered about that two.   No mention of anything but keeping a kosher kitchen, nothing about timers to prevent working on Sabbath, walking anywhere, or the location of a synagogue.      Maybe they only keep kosher, and ignore other requirements?   

Also, I bet since he's a mentalist for his profession, then I'm sure he travels a lot, either just making appearances, or cruise ships.    

I am not an observant Jew but my grandmother was Orthodox so I couldn't quite understand what was going on either.

You can actually make do with a regular kitchen as my grandmother did in a much smaller apartment sized kitchen but if you are Orthodox it is absolutely critical to live within walking distance of the synagogue. For the Orthodox Jews I know, the location is the absolute first criteria as everything else can be worked around but you have to live within walking distance of at least 10 adult males for the minyan - you don't need an actual building to house a synagogue but you do need 10 males for the observances to be "kosher". 

Based on the clothing she and her girls were wearing they also observed some relatively high levels of tzunias (modesty) as well since the girls and she were dressed in the typical long skirts that Orthodox girls wear and the mother had covered hair - although not completely covered as more stringent observers would have.

Of course everyone should feel free to observe differently at the level they want - I don't observe anything at all  - just interesting about the stress for the storyline on two sinks and two ovens to the exclusion of everything else that would normally be considered by an Orthodox Jew in terms of housing.

 

[Crashcourse]

Yeah, I don't need to hear them go on and on about how they met.

Edited January 14, 2023 by Crashcourse
Wrong quote

[StatisticalOutlier]

15 hours ago, mojito said:

Arlington Heights Area

For the entire program, I found myself being in disbelief of how much this couple had changed since their wedding picture. It was as though 25 years had passed.

I noticed the same thing.  I could very easily be persuaded that they weren't the same people as in the picture.

The brick house the couple in Chicago/Sauganash bought--I love that style.  It looks tidy and secure.

But I disagree with the couple--I liked the cinderblocks around the porch.

[buttersister]

5 hours ago, amarante said:

just interesting about the stress for the storyline on two sinks and two ovens to the exclusion of everything else that would normally be considered by an Orthodox Jew in terms of housing.

I'm chalking this up to HGTV's obsession with kitchens.

My Orthodox grandparents were observant (two additional separate sets of dishes, etc. for Passover), walked to services, didn't turn on the lights on Shabbat, etc. Grandma's kosher kitchen had one stove (maybe two oven drawers, can't remember), one sink, one fridge. Because nobody in those days had gigantic kitchens (nor did they in the shtetls, btw).

Cousins with a huge remodel budget put in two of everything. Because they could.  (The layout is close to what these guys described what they will eventually do in that white kitchen.;-)

A quick check shows 14 Orthodox shuls in Jacksonville. I'm betting there's one nearby. They had me going for a sec with the pool table and pool at #3, but she was sold on #1 from the jump. Mentalist?

[pdlinda]

48 minutes ago, buttersister said:

A quick check shows 14 Orthodox shuls in Jacksonville. I'm betting there's one nearby

I agree that there probably is an Orthodox Jewish Community within the bounds of the house they bought and got a big "kick" out of his career (not sure why but found it interesting)!  I'm sure his new friends/neighbors will be intrigued with his profession, as well!

I thought the kids were so cute and delightful and the family as a whole seemed very compatible and caring toward each other. 

The house they bought seemed perfect for their needs and, hopefully, they will design other features to make it perfect for the long term.

 

[WI GIRL56]

On 1/14/2023 at 3:03 AM, mojito said:

Arlington Heights Area

For the entire program, I found myself being in disbelief of how much this couple had changed since their wedding picture. It was as though 25 years had passed. The wife wanted their son to have the same experiences she had when she grew up in Arlington Heights. I can already hear her future laments about how things have changed so much in that city since she was a kid--and not for the good. The husband wanted a basketball hoop over the garage door. He looked like he could easily get winded quite retrieving that first rebound.

She grew up next door to my cousin.  She is good friends with my cousin's  daughter.  The daughter posted a Christmas gathering at their house so I knew which house they pick. 

 Ironically-I grew up with her mom in Roger Park-Chicago.  And her dad and I went to college together-he played in the MLB for a few years. 

They have been married for 9 years.  

Edited January 15, 2023 by WI GIRL56

[CrazyInAlabama]

The woman moving to Boca Raton was interesting.    Since her mother was paying the down payment, why was she being so mean to her mother?   Telling her an air mattress on the floor would be her guest room wasn't nice, even if it was a joke.     I couldn't believe the almost $1000 HOA/condo fee on that one either.  Plus, I bet the insurance on something next to the beach would be higher than Florida's ridiculously high insurance. 

[amarante]

8 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The woman moving to Boca Raton was interesting.    Since her mother was paying the down payment, why was she being so mean to her mother?   Telling her an air mattress on the floor would be her guest room wasn't nice, even if it was a joke.     I couldn't believe the almost $1000 HOA/condo fee on that one either.  Plus, I bet the insurance on something next to the beach would be higher than Florida's ridiculously high insurance. 

I didn't think she was being mean - that was just their shtick - of course judging by the mother's suggestion of tchotchkes for the glass cabinets, I suspect I am just used to those kinds of mother daughter interactions. 

The maintenance is generally high in full service condos because of the services which require a lot of labor. Also the maintenance covered electricity which in Florida would be a huge amount just for air conditioning. 

The condo fee also covers insurance for the building as a condo owner only insures the contents of their individual unit.

[chediavolo]

Jacksonville. He’s pretty much a professional con man, she’s a traditional house wife with what? three or four kids? And they can afford a home upwards of $500,000. Dear God, what did I do wrong in my life ?!🤯😳I didn’t know mentalist was a job that paid so well. I did not understand that at all.  what was with the corporate stuff? I thought they were pretty much bullshit entertainers  . 

and the needing 2 sinks, and two refrigerators is total bullshit. They didn’t need them, they wanted them. I grew up near Jewish neighborhood and babysit for orthodox Jews. 

[chessiegal]

The kosher kitchen reminded me that many years ago I worked with a woman who kept one. What I remember is her having 2 sets of plates, utensils, and pots and pans, and thinking what a pain that must be. I don't remember appliances needing to be duplicated, but this was over 40 years ago.

[Notabug]

12 minutes ago, chediavolo said:

Jacksonville. He’s pretty much a professional con man, she’s a traditional house wife with what? three or four kids? And they can afford a home upwards of $500,000. Dear God, what did I do wrong in my life ?!🤯😳I didn’t know mentalist was a job that paid so well. I did not understand that at all.  what was with the corporate stuff? I thought they were pretty much bullshit entertainers  . 

and the needing 2 sinks, and two refrigerators is total bullshit. They didn’t need them, they wanted them. I grew up near Jewish neighborhood and babysit for orthodox Jews. 

He probably has a comedic mentalist act that he does for corporate groups as a break during big meetings.  There are a lot of corporate entertainers. It's an actual thing you can do for a living. If you google it, you will find at least a dozen as well as multiple talent agencies that specialize in corporate work.

I agree, the first house I ever bought was less than 2 blocks from an Orthodox synagogue.  Many of my neighbors were orthodox, the previous owners of my house were.  It was a nice, middle class suburban environment.  Nobody had duplicate kitchen appliances or even sinks.  Sure, they would put their dishes in separate cupboards, mainly to be sure they used them correctly and some might put meat and dairy on separate shelves in the refrigerator; but nobody found it necessary to duplicate the appliances and plumbing.

 

Edited January 18, 2023 by Notabug

[chediavolo]

1 minute ago, chessiegal said:

The kosher kitchen reminded me that many years ago I worked with a woman who kept one. What I remember is her having 2 sets of plates, utensils, and pots and pans, and thinking what a pain that must be. I don't remember appliances needing to be duplicated, but this was over 40 years ago.

Same. 2 sets of dishes & utensils. 

1 minute ago, Notabug said:

He probably has a comedic mentalist act that he does for corporate groups as a break during big meetings.  There are a lot of corporate entertainers. It's an actual thing you can do for a living.

I agree, the first house I ever bought was less than 2 blocks from an Orthodox synagogue.  Many of my neighbors were orthodox, the previous owners of my house were.  It was a nice, middle class suburban environment.  Nobody had duplicate kitchen appliances or even sinks.  Sure, they would put their dishes in separate cupboards, mainly to be sure they used them correctly and some might put meat and dairy on separate shelves in the refrigerator; but nobody found it necessary to duplicate the appliances and plumbing.

 

It just seems a strange occupation for an orthodox Jewish man. At least any of them I’ve ever been around,  I didn’t see a lot humor. Have to be a lot of jokes you can’t make too. 

[amarante]

6 hours ago, chessiegal said:

The kosher kitchen reminded me that many years ago I worked with a woman who kept one. What I remember is her having 2 sets of plates, utensils, and pots and pans, and thinking what a pain that must be. I don't remember appliances needing to be duplicated, but this was over 40 years ago.

Some Orthodox Jews have become much more stringent in how they interpret kosher. So having two sinks and two ovens and two dishwashers really makes life much easier in the same way as most people want at least two bathrooms in their home

 Can you survive without? Yes but everything is much more complicated in terms of keeping milk and meat cooking and utensils separate and making sure they aren’t treifed.

My grandmother was an Orthodox Jew and had one sink and one oven. She had one stove. She baked butter cookies in the same oven that she cooked chicken - I don't know anyone of that generation of Orthodox Jews who had separate ovens or didn't use them for both meat and dairy.

She had immigrated from Eastern Europe and I very much doubt anyone had two ovens back there - they were lucky if they had ONE indoor sink that ran cold water. The only stringency would have been to carry the cholent to the communal bakery on Friday night so it could be eaten the next day - the sheltl version of the crock pot :-).

I think this Orthodox couple was a bit out of the box as they say. He would be family entertainment or clean corporate entertainment. Nobody is making raunchy jokes at the kind of gigs he would be working at.

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by amarante

[CalicoKitty]

I know my stove has a Sabbath mode that can be set one day to turn on the next.  I've never used it, but I think it is a common setting on stoves made in the last 10 years or so.  I don't think the kitchen is really that much of a problem if they do a few modifications.  They seemed pretty easy going.  I liked that family.  They did not want to gut everything.

[ECM1231]

Do other sects of Judaism keep kosher? My college roommate grew up in a home where they kept kosher, but the family was NOT Orthodox.

[buttersister]

6 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Do other sects of Judaism keep kosher? My college roommate grew up in a home where they kept kosher, but the family was NOT Orthodox.

Yes, I was (also?) raised in a conservative, kosher home. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

19 hours ago, amarante said:

Also the maintenance covered electricity which in Florida would be a huge amount just for air conditioning.

I lived in a condo (not high-rise) where the only electricity I paid for directly was what came out of the outlets, because the whole complex was on some sort of central air conditioning system and used gas for heat.  The HOA fee was (obviously) a whole lot higher than for similar condos that had individual air conditioners, yet for-sale listings rarely indicated that the HOA included air conditioning in Texas, which to me was an important distinction.

Also, they said the condo in Florida came with beach access.  Not long ago I drove along the beach from Miami up to Boca Raton and was looking at what someone who didn't live right along there would do for beach access, especially if they had to drive and park a car somewhere, and it was pretty slim pickings.

So having beach access is probably pretty valuable.

[CrazyInAlabama]

New moving to Durant OK, or Atoka, OK       This is the first time he hasn't been flying or deployed, and the first joint house hunt for them.     Totally boring, I knew whatever she wanted they would get.     They bought the fancy one she wanted with a pool, and they're painting all of the walls, including an accent wall in the bedroom that looks like every other dark accent wall on HGTV.      Gutting two baths, the kitchen, redoing the carpet, and removing most of the kitchen.   The only funny part is she says all of that will only cost about $60k.   

Then couple who live in Boca Raton, she demands they stay there, and he will move further out for the country club lifestyle he wants.   Budget is $1 million to $1.3 million.   He wants the country club lifestyle but doesn't want to pay for it. 

First house $1.25 mil, with over $700 a month HOA. Has a big pool, not screened, and a small yard otherwise.   The only two story part is the office over the garage with separate stairs.

Second house Golf community in Parkland, 4100 sq ft $1.6 Million, two story sort of Spanish looking.   HOA $822 a month. 

Third house, very nice, but they want to change everything, and it's next to the golf course community he wants to live in.   That means he has to pay a much higher membership fee.  $1.085 Million, and he complains the houses look cookie cutter. 4088 sq ft., screened room around pool, with more green space out back.   Windows are inpact resistant.   He wants to reno the bathroom, she wants to reno the kitchen, Since the mower marks are larger lawn mowers, and no one has fences, then my guess is lawn mowing is part of the HOA, and no fences allowed.  HOA $325 a month. 

They picked #2 so he gets his golf course home.   They bought for $1.5 million.   

Out of both episodes, I didn't like any of the houses. 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

5 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Gutting two baths, the kitchen, redoing the carpet, and removing most of the kitchen.

I hope that was all talk. There was nothing wrong with the kitchen and baths. I'll give her new carpeting, but I'd put in hardwood floors. That's what we did when we moved into our current home.

[Thumper]

52 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

New moving to Durant OK, or Atoka, OK       This is the first time he hasn't been flying or deployed, and the first joint house hunt for them.     Totally boring, I knew whatever she wanted they would get.     They bought the fancy one she wanted with a pool, and they're painting all of the walls, including an accent wall in the bedroom that looks like every other dark accent wall on HGTV.      Gutting two baths, the kitchen, redoing the carpet, and removing most of the kitchen.   The only funny part is she says all of that will only cost about $60k.   

Then couple who live in Boca Raton, she demands they stay there, and he will move further out for the country club lifestyle he wants.   Budget is $1 million to $1.3 million.   He wants the country club lifestyle but doesn't want to pay for it. 

First house $1.25 mil, with over $700 a month HOA. Has a big pool, not screened, and a small yard otherwise.   The only two story part is the office over the garage with separate stairs.

Second house Golf community in Parkland, 4100 sq ft $1.6 Million, two story sort of Spanish looking.   HOA $822 a month. 

Third house, very nice, but they want to change everything, and it's next to the golf course community he wants to live in.   That means he has to pay a much higher membership fee.  $1.085 Million, and he complains the houses look cookie cutter. 4088 sq ft., screened room around pool, with more green space out back.   Windows are inpact resistant.   He wants to reno the bathroom, she wants to reno the kitchen, Since the mower marks are larger lawn mowers, and no one has fences, then my guess is lawn mowing is part of the HOA, and no fences allowed.  HOA $325 a month. 

They picked #2 so he gets his golf course home.   They bought for $1.5 million.   

 

 

Florida couple.  One of those homes (maybe #2?) had the high HOA plus $1000/month  golf membership!!!!  Yikes!   

Edited January 19, 2023 by Thumper

[WI GIRL56]

Both shows yesterday Oklahoma and Boca.  I get so sick of hearing people say they want an impressive/grand house.  Honestly, I don't care what anyone thinks of my house.  I like it and it fits our lifestyle.

In all honesty I did not care for any of the houses either couple were looking at.  

[amarante]

23 hours ago, chediavolo said:

Same. 2 sets of dishes & utensils. 

It just seems a strange occupation for an orthodox Jewish man. At least any of them I’ve ever been around,  I didn’t see a lot humor. Have to be a lot of jokes you can’t make too. 

I found his website and as people have said he performs for corporate gatherings and also some specifically Jewish gatherings are in his list of events including fundraising type events, parties etc.

I doubt he holds himself out to be anything other than a magician type of performer. My friend’s husband who is Jewish actually made money as a teenager performing as a magician for parties. He is now a lawyer but he would make an appearance at his kids’ birthday parties between Pin the Tail and Simon Says. 😂

[pdlinda]

34 minutes ago, amarante said:

I found his website and as people have said he performs for corporate gatherings and also some specifically Jewish gatherings are in his list of events including fundraising type events, parties etc.

Well, all I can say is:  "Good for him." 

He seemed like a delightful guy who was a great husband and dad so however his talent and skill coincide with his ability to make a decent living is proof that Orthodox Jewish men don't have to conform to a stereotype.

I definitely can see how his "act" would be a great success on the event circuit!

[amarante]

3 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

Well, all I can say is:  "Good for him." 

He seemed like a delightful guy who was a great husband and dad so however his talent and skill coincide with his ability to make a decent living is proof that Orthodox Jewish men don't have to conform to a stereotype.

I definitely can see how his "act" would be a great success on the event circuit!

Just wanted to clarify that I thought it was great - I had no problem with this rather unique way to earn a living. 

Some people upthread were questioning whether a religious person could be a mentalist or implying that in some way he was a con man. I just think he was putting on a fun show and not claiming that he was communicating with the dead or whatever.

They seemed like a lovely family - just looking for a comfortable home.

 

3 hours ago, Thumper said:

Florida couple.  One of those homes (maybe #2?) had the high HOA plus $1000/month  golf membership!!!!  Yikes!   

In perspective it is most likely in lieu of having a huge upfront country club fee so the $1000 monthly fee would be less expensive than someone not in that community joining the club and then also having monthly dues.

[StatisticalOutlier]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Second house Golf community in Parkland,

Grok!  I thought Parkland sounded familiar but not until I read this did I realize it's the Parkland of the Parkland school shooting.  I never really thought about where exactly that happened.  Inland from Boca Raton.

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Windows are inpact resistant.  

I always pick up those free magazines that have real estate listings in them.  I'm in Florida right now, and impact windows appear to be a selling point.  I finally noodled out that CBS means concrete block stucco, and it too appears to be a selling point.

2 hours ago, WI GIRL56 said:

Both shows yesterday Oklahoma and Boca.  I get so sick of hearing people say they want an impressive/grand house.  Honestly, I don't care what anyone thinks of my house.  I like it and it fits our lifestyle.

In all honesty I did not care for any of the houses either couple were looking at.  

I always FF through the second and third houses on episodes like this, maybe glancing at the pool.  I know big houses like this aren't all the same because the kitchens can be significantly different, but somehow they're all indistinguishable to me and I can't remember actively liking any of them, ever.

And why does it bother me so much that people want an impressive/"grandiose" house?  It's their money, their house, not my business.  But it bugs nevertheless.

Then again, I'm on record as favoring the little (not tiny™) brick house in the fireman neighborhood in Chicago. 

12 minutes ago, amarante said:

In perspective it is most likely in lieu of having a huge upfront country club fee so the $1000 monthly fee would be less expensive than someone not in that community joining the club and then also having monthly dues.

And unlike the HOA dues, the golf membership was optional (although apparently not as far as he was concerned). 

I know almost nothing about golf club memberships, and I assume the $1,000 just allows you to play on the course, and you have to pay green fees.  And I'm guessing they're a lot more than the $10 we paid to play nine holes the last time we hit the links a few years ago.

BUT!  There's an outfit these days where you can join and be allowed to stay overnight in your RV in the parking lot at various golf courses around the country.  Sounds like as close to golf course living as I'd ever get.

[Hedgehog2022]

3 hours ago, WI GIRL56 said:

Both shows yesterday Oklahoma and Boca.  I get so sick of hearing people say they want an impressive/grand house.  Honestly, I don't care what anyone thinks of my house.  I like it and it fits our lifestyle.

In all honesty I did not care for any of the houses either couple were looking at.  

Yes! This whole "grand" this and "grand" that thing is just annoying. OMG! I get couples wanting to upgrade to a larger, newer kind of home but to purposely look for homes that have "grand" staircases, "grand" foyers or "grand" entrances just sounds so bougie. For once  would like to hear a couple say they want  a bigger house with updated kitchens and finishes in a good school district. That I can relate to! I mean the way these people talk about "grand" this or that sounds like they want to buy a Scarlett O'Hara "Tara" plantation home. 

[amarante]

22 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

 

And unlike the HOA dues, the golf membership was optional (although apparently not as far as he was concerned). 

I know almost nothing about golf club memberships, and I assume the $1,000 just allows you to play on the course, and you have to pay green fees.  And I'm guessing they're a lot more than the $10 we paid to play nine holes the last time we hit the links a few years ago.

BUT!  There's an outfit these days where you can join and be allowed to stay overnight in your RV in the parking lot at various golf courses around the country.  Sounds like as close to golf course living as I'd ever get.

FWIW the initial membership to one of the better country clubs in Los Angeles ranges from $185,000 to $275,000. The greens fees are $55 on weekdays and $75 on weekends. The one I am somewhat familiar with in Los Angeles  requires you to provide a tax return as part of the application because they want members who donate a significant amount to charities - which is actually a nice way of enforcing philanthropy. There is also a significant monthly membership fee although I an not sure of the current amount.

[mojito]

18 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But it bugs nevertheless.

I hear ya. Lately, I've been rolling my eyes at "doable", "absolutely love", "cozy", "'wow' factor". And the word slash must be used in a sentence where a room has a dual purpose because if you just say "office guest room" no one would know what you were talking about. Does HGTV give people a vocabulary list?

In the Hudson Valley episode, there was concern that one of the girls would have to give up her bedroom temporarily when the father came to visit. That's what you did back in the Dark Ages when "company" stayed over (you didn't "entertain") and it was usually a fun change from routine.  

People seem more averse to sharing or economizing or sacrificing than ever. Is this a good thing?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I didn't like the Hudson Valley episode.  FIrst of all, how did the couple qualify for $500k in house, they haven't been in the U.S. in years, and were teachers?  Unless the father is paying a lot.   I didn't like any of the houses.    If they're moving back to the U.S., they picked one of the most expensive areas to move to.  

My guess is the father will be moving in permanently, even if the wife doesn't know that yet.   So, they really needed four bedrooms, or one big enough for the kids to share.    But, if they were so concerned about access for the father, why insist on Cape Cod and other multiple story homes?  

Edited January 20, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[BAForever]

Rural OK couple. She was a lot! Surprised me she talked about how long it was to her "office". Every principal I've ever had would refer how long it takes to get to "school"or "work". If she's a good elementary principal, she won't be spending much time in her office, she'll be around the building. Thought they'd pick Atoka with the short commute. Durant is home of a small college and a huge Choctaw Nation Casino. Not going to be much inventory in Durant.

[WI GIRL56]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

I hear ya. Lately, I've been rolling my eyes at "doable", "absolutely love", "cozy", "'wow' factor". And the word slash must be used in a sentence where a room has a dual purpose because if you just say "office guest room" no one would know what you were talking about. Does HGTV give people a vocabulary list?

In the Hudson Valley episode, there was concern that one of the girls would have to give up her bedroom temporarily when the father came to visit. That's what you did back in the Dark Ages when "company" stayed over (you didn't "entertain") and it was usually a fun change from routine.  

People seem more averse to sharing or economizing or sacrificing than ever. Is this a good thing?

On Andy Griffith, Opie was always excited when they had company-he got to sleep on the ironing board.

[Bastet]

Kids temporarily losing their room when family came to stay was just the norm back in my day.  We had a sofa bed in the office, so I slept on that and whoever was staying with us slept in my room.  Thankfully, we rarely had overnight guests - although, as a teenager, I slept in there for a month when my grandpa stayed with us to recuperate from bypass surgery - but it wasn't a big deal when we did.  They were only ever in there to sleep, so I still had use of my room during the day, I just had to sleep on the shitty bed.

[Notabug]

On 1/19/2023 at 3:46 PM, amarante said:

Just wanted to clarify that I thought it was great - I had no problem with this rather unique way to earn a living. 

Some people upthread were questioning whether a religious person could be a mentalist or implying that in some way he was a con man. I just think he was putting on a fun show and not claiming that he was communicating with the dead or whatever.

I agree.  Most mentalists do stuff like mind reading and card tricks.  It's more a magic act than any sort of supernatural experience.  

Uri Gellar is an Israeli mentalist.  He does stuff like bend forks by touching them.  I think he also does some psychic stuff/predicts the future.  He did a lot of TV appearances back in the 70's and 80's on talk shows. Don't think he's Orthodox, but don't actually know.

Quote

21 hours ago (edited)

I didn't like the Hudson Valley episode.  FIrst of all, how did the couple qualify for $500k in house, they haven't been in the U.S. in years, and were teachers?  Unless the father is paying a lot.   I didn't like any of the houses.    If they're moving back to the U.S., they picked one of the most expensive areas to move to

I figured her father must've provided the down payment which is why they needed to make sure there was a designated room for him.

Other words/phrases you hear on this show.  Rooms are not small, they 'feel tight'.  When seeing a room that is suitable for their purposes; 'we can make this work'.   Rooms are not bright or sunny, they have 'natural light'.

Edited January 21, 2023 by Notabug

[cameron]

On 1/19/2023 at 3:46 PM, amarante said:

Just wanted to clarify that I thought it was great - I had no problem with this rather unique way to earn a living. 

Some people upthread were questioning whether a religious person could be a mentalist or implying that in some way he was a con man. I just think he was putting on a fun show and not claiming that he was communicating with the dead or whatever.

They seemed like a lovely family - just looking for a comfortable home.

 

In perspective it is most likely in lieu of having a huge upfront country club fee so the $1000 monthly fee would be less expensive than someone not in that community joining the club and then also having monthly dues.

Thought that the Boca's youngest was too old to be sporting a pacifier in his month.

 

[chessiegal]

7 minutes ago, cameron said:

Thought that the Boca's youngest was too old to be sporting a pacifier in his month.

 

I'm sure he'll get over it by the time he gets to college. 😉

[pdlinda]

8 hours ago, Notabug said:

I figured her father must've provided the down payment which is why they needed to make sure there was a designated room for him.

AGREED!!☺️

[Tess23]

I'm positive that HH producers read these posts, so for all that is good and entertaining, will you please cease and desist featuring these ridiculous social influencers? I'd love to see the demographics of HH's viewers. Are there more of them or more of me (60 year old grandma with <I think> some sense of fashion and style? My guess is that it's somewhere in between.

The last few episodes of influencers had me rolling my eyes to the point where I could hear my mom, circa 45 years ago, telling me that they were going to get stuck if I kept doing that. 

[buttersister]

I'm starting to skip episodes if influencer is in the description. 😛

[chessiegal]

It's Monday! The day HGTV bundles 2 old shows and labels them new. Tonight, they are pairing 2 different shows with the theme of a waterfront search. The show is one hour long starting at 10 pm ET.

[stewedsquash]

11 hours ago, chessiegal said:

It's Monday! The day HGTV bundles 2 old shows and labels them new. Tonight, they are pairing 2 different shows with the theme of a waterfront search. The show is one hour long starting at 10 pm ET.

On a weekly basis I manually set my dvr to record HH instead of doing it as a series. The reason is because of the above (once I learned they were reruns I stopped recording) and that on either Wed or Thurs there are two new episodes each week but they are not denoted as new. 
Since about last summer my guide has been obnoxious (cable) (I also have roku and all the tv channel options guides are perfect there). It even goes so far as listing wrong shows. I thought cool an old show was being shown (metv) and when I recorded it was something else. I have called but the lady said they post what is sent to them.

[Kenzie]

On 1/20/2023 at 9:14 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I didn't like the Hudson Valley episode.  FIrst of all, how did the couple qualify for $500k in house, they haven't been in the U.S. in years, and were teachers?  Unless the father is paying a lot.

😄

[stewedsquash]

Last night’s episode of a young lady working in Manhattan as a therapist(?) while living in Brooklyn(?) looking for a home across the line in NJ was really nice. I love her and her sister’s backstory and both of them along with their realtor were fantastic hunters. I am really glad she picked the new build and I almost never say that. Those other two looked to be money pits which made me think they would attract complain/report renters.  
The realtor was very clear that she could not turn the bottom level into a third rental, unless she got more permits on her own. And approval of that was not necessarily an option. That made sense but also had me wondering if she could legally see patients at the home as she planned with that bottom level. Wouldn’t she have to get it zoned if it wasn’t already. The realtor seemed on top of things since the hh said at the end that she was going to help her with her rentals which I thought meant being her rental manager or at minimum helping her with rental agreements so I would guess that she wouldn’t let her purchase a home she couldn’t use for her business.

Seriously those were some nice fun ladies.

eta I don’t want to diminish what the lady’s occupation is. She said she worked at a medical school in Manhattan in a medical degreed job and I guess also saw patients as a side gig?

Edited January 25, 2023 by stewedsquash
Clarify

[mojito]

As far as I know, a certified clinical psychologist is a Ph.D., not an MD.

Just about everyone from that area of NJ is a New Yorker who never wanted to move to NJ. 😏

Edited January 25, 2023 by mojito

[amarante]

6 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Last night’s episode of a young lady working in Manhattan as a therapist(?) while living in Brooklyn(?) looking for a home across the line in NJ was really nice. I love her and her sister’s backstory and both of them along with their realtor were fantastic hunters. I am really glad she picked the new build and I almost never say that. Those other two looked to be money pits which made me think they would attract complain/report renters.  
The realtor was very clear that she could not turn the bottom level into a third rental, unless she got more permits on her own. And approval of that was not necessarily an option. That made sense but also had me wondering if she could legally see patients at the home as she planned with that bottom level. Wouldn’t she have to get it zoned if it wasn’t already. The realtor seemed on top of things since the hh said at the end that she was going to help her with her rentals which I thought meant being her rental manager or at minimum helping her with rental agreements so I would guess that she wouldn’t let her purchase a home she couldn’t use for her business.

Seriously those were some nice fun ladies.

eta I don’t want to diminish what the lady’s occupation is. She said she worked at a medical school in Manhattan in a medical degreed job and I guess also saw patients as a side gig?

Generally - especially with the whole working from home thing - people can have home offices even if not zoned for commercial establishments like store front stores and restaurants. Generally it is for businesses like this woman's which don't have signage - don't attract significant number of people or cars etc.

I live in a high rise condo which doesn't permit people to run businesses from their units. But no one objects to someone running their business from their unit - i.e. a lawyer or accountant who doesn't see many clients and doesn't advertise as a business to the public. Often having employees is an issue - i.e. having people coming every day for a full work day as that is much more of a commercial use that impacts other residents - or with OP would change the tenor of the neighborhood.

I also thought the renovated older homes would have been a poor choice for a first time homeowner with tenant - although obviously the location in Jersey City is trendier. I think there is a train from Newark that gets to midtown fairly directly via Penn Station.

And obviously having the large finished basement with separate entrance was a no-brainer. I would think that the actual value of having it was just as much as having an additional apartment. There was an episode which my DVR picked up last night - not sure if it was new but it was a Delaware couple who owned a food truck and wanted parking for the truck. They were also a delightful pair with realistic aspirations and they essentially liked all of the homes even though they weren't super trendy. However, they needed a basement room for their niece and NONE of the basements have window egresses which is super dangerous. I was surprised that the realtor didn't mention that/

I understand the concept of purchasing a home as a way of accumulating assets. For most people - of whatever race - it represents their most valuable asset when it comes time to retire. If you have paid down the mortgage, your living expenses are lower - you can obviously sell it and downsize and worst case scenario - you can get a reverse mortgage which enables you to stay in your home but have the benefit of the equity.

However the specific term "generational wealth" seems to be much more prevalent among POC - at least on HH. I think it's great and I wonder if there are basic finance courses that are being taught in Black Churches or other similar community groups because it seems to targeted - at least on HH.

[chessiegal]

46 minutes ago, mojito said:

As far as I know, a certified clinical psychologist is a Ph.D., not an MD.

Here's what's showing for House Hunters tonight on YouTubeTV. It's the only HH episodes being shown. The homes are in Texas and Massachusetts.

 

 

Yes, a psychologist would have a PhD (think Bob Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show). Psychiatrists are MDs (think Niles and Frasier Crane on Frasier.)

The 2 episodes for tonight are the same as the ones that will be showing on Verizon Fios cable tonight.

Edited January 25, 2023 by chessiegal

[stewedsquash]

Thanks @amarante for the business/ home info and @chessiegal for the degree info. She mentioned at the beginning what her title was and that she worked at an important medical school. I heard it then tucked it away but knew she was not just an internet degrees r us person and wanted that to come through in my post. 

[Thumper]

33 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Yes, a psychologist would have a PhD (think Bob Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show). Psychologists are MDs (think Niles and Frasier Crane on Frasier.)

The 2 episodes for tonight are the same as the ones that will be showing on Verizon Fios cable tonight.

I think you mean Psychiatrists are MDs? 

[chessiegal]

1 minute ago, Thumper said:

I think you mean Psychiatrists are MDs? 

Yes, old brain. Fixing it.