House Hunters - General Discussion

[Mediocre Gatsby]

On 6/24/2023 at 9:01 PM, Kimboweena said:

Wife lost her apartment because of a stove fire.  Living apart from her husband until they get a house ( not sure if it was clear why they had to live apart).

I just watched this one. They've only known each other for 8 months, and I'm not sure if they were living together at the time of the fire - he might've still been living with his roommates. She was now with friends in a tiny room. I wasn't surprised when she said she was pregnant and expecting in a few months; I thought that might be why they eloped (maybe saving money for the house). 

I haven't had HGTV for a long time, so now that I do I have a big backlog of episodes. So I don't mind turning one off right away if the couple bugs me. This one barely made it with the woman's uptalking. 

Edited June 28, 2023 by Mediocre Gatsby
typo

[South]

On 6/22/2023 at 8:35 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

The girl HH even mentioned the mattresses in that yard.  I've had the notion that if I were interested in a house, I'd go by there at all hours of the day and night for a little while to see if a neighbor does something that would drive me bats.  And then I realized all it takes is one new neighbor to ruin an idyllic situation, or that dog that barks all day could die the day after I buy the house.  So you can never be sure.

I wonder how much a privacy fence along that back yard would cost, because having the hoard so visible has got to hurt House 3's sales price.

I just thought there must be rats living in that mess.

[CousinAmy]

Some of these repetitive lines - like the one about eventual prom pictures of preschoolers- don't seem serious, unless the Dad was really very shallow. Perhaps the producers give them talking points that help define their "characters"? Which leads to the question, are these shows scripted? Are the house hunters actors? Thinking about both the writers' strike and possible actors' strike; how does this fit with a "reality" show?

[Andyourlittledog2]

I just saw one, a repeat, of a young couple I think in Philly. They both had terrible childhoods, were in foster care I think, and they found each other and seemed like an adorable couple. The story was they bought a low cost townhouse but his family moved in with them and was affecting their relationship - she couldn't take it any more. Since the mother and brother had no where else to live I guess her solution was to buy second place for her and her husband - no one else was permitted to move in there. They were looking for really cheap homes and one of her demands was that it not be very big, two bedrooms only, or she was sure someone would wind up moving in with them again.

I really liked the couple. I worried when he kept saying he that extra room is where Izzy can stay the night if he's here late playing video games with me and she would immediately say 'one night only!'. I got the feeling that he was the reason his family moved in and might again. And I also got the feeling that she'd toss them all out if they tried it again.

The whole thing could be an entirely made up HH story but even if so it was very original and I liked them a lot.

I wish more episodes were as down to earth and interesting as these two. I get sick of of the people whining about pools or cabinet colors or grand entries etc. And the word 'charm' has got to go.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I watched the episode where the two Olympians moved from Ohio to Kansas City. The lady did want a lot of specific things, but she was following my House Hunters rule which is that if you have to move for your spouse's job, you get EVERYTHING YOU WANT. I thought they were a fun couple and chose the right house. I looked them up because I thought it might be an old episode and I wanted to see how they were doing, and I found Tiffany's instagram. Even though they kept calling the new baby a girl, it turns out she had a boy. And she showed them watching their episode on TV, which made me laugh. https://z-p3.www.instagram.com/p/Ct4UIK2AbRB/

[cameron]

Colorado Springs family:  while they seem practical and well grounded, thought that the younger daughter was way too old to be using a baby bottle.  If she can use a scooter, get rid of that bottle.

[Orcinus orca]

18 hours ago, CousinAmy said:

Perhaps the producers give them talking points that help define their "characters"?

I picture a big bowl of pieces of paper (like in a fortune cookie) that are all "demands" for the various house hunters.  Each person gets to pick two or three and that's what they have to repeat over and over for each house. 

Some of their must-haves bear no resemblance to any of the houses they are being shown even the one that they supposedly end up with (which they have already purchased before the filming anyway).

Edited June 29, 2023 by Orcinus orca

[chessiegal]

8 hours ago, CousinAmy said:

Some of these repetitive lines - like the one about eventual prom pictures of preschoolers- don't seem serious, unless the Dad was really very shallow. Perhaps the producers give them talking points that help define their "characters"? Which leads to the question, are these shows scripted? Are the house hunters actors? Thinking about both the writers' strike and possible actors' strike; how does this fit with a "reality" show?

Of course they have writers. Someone has to write what the voice over Dunker says. The people aren't actors. They usually give the first and last name of the real estate agent. I've looked them up out of curiosity a few times. If you look at the production company's web site, you see a link for if you want to be on the show.

[BAForever]

On 6/21/2023 at 4:29 PM, debbie311 said:

Exactly! It looks so uncomfortable.

This was NJ to Orlando epi I think. Woman was Eboni with honking big nails. Ended up on water in semi-monstrosity.  Barely paid attention to the episode, but in the very end you get to see hubby's mom. I screamed that he married a woman who looked exactly like his mom. Same sausage dress, same wig.

[Orcinus orca]

NM

Edited June 29, 2023 by Orcinus orca
double post

[amarante]

I don't understand how people who aren't married buy a house together. 

The Oregon couple didn't want to get married because they wanted to spend money on the house and not a wedding. Just go the courthouse.

I am not coming from a moral point of view but just a practical one. If you buy a house with a spouse, the laws are in place in terms of protecting each spouse if there is a divorce. The parties could theoretically sign a prenup but you don't need one as the default because division of property is covered.

If you buy a house with a non-spouse, you are just entering into a business relationship with a partner and you need a contract in place that covers every contingency in the event that you no longer want to live in the same house. 

[mojito]

On 6/17/2023 at 9:27 AM, rhofmovalley said:

Corporate finance could be more "conservative" though, as they don't want to offend potential clients.

In places I've worked, corporate finance people merely handled the internal finances of the corporation. They had no external clients, just fellow employees. 

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, amarante said:

If you buy a house with a non-spouse, you are just entering into a business relationship with a partner and you need a contract in place that covers every contingency in the event that you no longer want to live in the same house. 

That's why there are real estate lawyers. 

[amarante]

22 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

That's why there are real estate lawyers. 

Well yes of course.

That was my point that if you buy with someone who isn't a spouse, then you need to have a contract which spells out in detail every contingency and how it will be handled.

I have my doubts as to whether everyone buying a home with someone who isn't their spouse thinks through every scenario. 

Just the most basic - generally most married couples believe they are an economic partnership while many unmarried couples keep separate finances. How do they handle it if one person loses their job or has unexpected financial problems?

[pdlinda]

2 hours ago, amarante said:

The Oregon couple didn't want to get married because they wanted to spend money on the house and not a wedding. Just go the courthouse.

Of course you're right!  How naive to purchase real property on that basis.  I took it that they were equating getting "married" to some expensive "wedding."  One thing has little to do with the other.  You can have the "wedding reception" at a later date.  

Personally, I always thought (not that anyone should care) that the BIG WEDDING should be held after about 10 yrs of being married (or at least 3 years) as by the time you spend all that $$$ on a reception the couple should know if they are getting along (with or without children).  By being "married" you can see how things evolve and if successful and loving, THEN you can spend the big bucks on another ceremony and reception.

[chessiegal]

I don't think people who aren't married buying real estate together is a big deal. I'm sure there are boiler plate contracts. We have parents buying with children. Siblings buying together. Unrelated people buying together. Even when you are married, there are different types of deeds a married couple can have.

Probably the bigger consideration is how a mortgage company will lend the money. 

[topanga]

10 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

I watched the episode where the two Olympians moved from Ohio to Kansas City. The lady did want a lot of specific things, but she was following my House Hunters rule which is that if you have to move for your spouse's job, you get EVERYTHING YOU WANT. I thought they were a fun couple and chose the right house. I looked them up because I thought it might be an old episode and I wanted to see how they were doing, and I found Tiffany's instagram. Even though they kept calling the new baby a girl, it turns out she had a boy. And she showed them watching their episode on TV, which made me laugh. https://z-p3.www.instagram.com/p/Ct4UIK2AbRB/

Thanks for the link.

They were a cute couple. I don't mind that they wanted a large house to entertain and have room for guests, but I HATE, HATE, HATE when people want their house to say, "I made it." Why? Have a home that reflects your taste and meets your needs, but why are you trying to impress random people? 

 

On 6/21/2023 at 8:44 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

Our family did that!  Or, we didn't even have a separate dining room, but a dining room table in 1/3 of the big living area (open concept in the 1960s!).  When the youngest of the kids were in high school, two of whom were boys, my parents replaced the eating table with a pool table.

Thank you for mentioning that. It's something you hear people say on shows like House Hunters, but I always wondered if real people had pool tables in their homes. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 6/24/2023 at 11:01 PM, Kimboweena said:

First one, in Tampa, was new.  Wife lost her apartment because of a stove fire.  ...  Anyway, they weren't too picky and so positive about each place. They were likable.

They definitely had modest desires.  Good thing, because I thought all three choices were pretty awful.  

My ears perked up when they looked in Lakeland.  I spent last winter east of Tampa and went over to Lakeland about once a week.  I kind of like it, and at one point I actually said I could see myself living there if I had to live somewhere in Florida, and the very next day I heard a story on the radio about how Lakeland is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S.  Sigh.  I have a knack.

The "single family house" in Lakeland with the really low ceiling on the first floor looked like it started life as a garage, and actually still looks like a garage apartment, although I can't figure out where the house it belonged to was.  I couldn't tell for sure but it looked like it might be a block from one of the several lakes in the city (a pretty cool feature, along with the college campus that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright).

In the second house, I noticed a window unit and a cord for a window unit.  Ugh.

And on the townhouse they bought with the screened in porch in back, the good news is it had central air.  The bad news is that there are three air conditioner condensers right next to the porch--the neighbors on both sides had their units on the line between their units and the HHs' unit, and the HHs' air conditioner was of course on their own property.  That's a lot of whirring air conditioners in close proximity to the screened-in porch. 

Plus each apartment had an electric meter right next to the front door.  Yuck.

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I don't think people who aren't married buying real estate together is a big deal. I'm sure there are boiler plate contracts. We have parents buying with children.

Beware boiler plate contracts.  There's a significant capital gains tax issue that can present itself when a parent puts a kid on a deed, whether upon the initial purchase or later, if it's possible that otherwise the parent owns the property and the kid inherits it when the parent dies.  When it comes to capital gains taxes on the sale of real estate, it's better to have inherited it than to have owned it all along, because inherited real estate gets a step-up in basis, which reduces capital gains tax.

The current exemption is $250,000, and with real estate markets these days, it's not hard to have a $250,000 increase in the value of a house someone has owned for a while.  But I bet the vast majority of people don't understand the benefit of inheriting real estate over co-owning it.

As for unmarried couples owning property together, Mr. Outlier and I have been together for 25 years and aren't married.  We don't own real estate, but we're co-owners of the motorhome we live and travel in, and when we stop traveling we'll probably buy a house somewhere. 

But we're careful about how we do things.  Unlike a friend of mine who bought a duplex (2-residence house) with her sister; my friend lived in one side and her sister and her sister's husband lived in the other side.  All three of their names were on the deed, and when the sister and her husband inevitably divorced, the husband claimed he owned 1/3 of the duplex, which was not my friend's or my friend's sister's intention.  Or probably his, even...until he got divorced.

[buttersister]

Tonight's couple gave me a moment. Because they moved for his career, he'd promised her she'd get a place with enough land for chickens and goats. Whatever. But deal.

Then he practically has orgasms over a facsimile of the 2-story colonial he grew up in (what is it with grown men and their childhood homes?). Oh, and a bar in the basement. Which he promptly hugged upon seeing it.

The next place was out in the country with plenty of land for animals. But when the VO said, oh, but it has issues, I changed the channel and didn't (forgot to) come back until they were moved into the country home he'd promised her and she'd gotten. Because deal. So she loves him. So she says. What is it with women who have to reassure strangers (us) they love their really-a-good-guy husbands after said husbands acted like assholes on TV?

Sorry I forgot some details and I'm too lazy to switch to the rerun from my calming YT video. Blame another day of avoiding red alert air I'm not supposed to breathe in.

[laredhead]

Buttersister, I got so tired of the wife whining about "the animals" she was promised she could have.  The final scene where all of them were outside eating hamburgers standing at different places on the deck/porch looked so awkward.  In the first scene they counted off how many living creatures were in their house, and she said she is the unorganized one of the couple.  I can only imagine what adding outside animals is going to be like.  Actually, I don't want to imagine that.  At least one of them can now shut up about what they want or were promised in the house hunt. 

I'm also going to claim excessive heat for my lack of patience with this episode.

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by laredhead

[Kemper]

The “animals” couple. I missed the backstory and first house but the one they bought that looked like it had a pool in the backyard…not a pool but some sort of open septic thing? They were maybe going to put a high fence around it? What was that and is it still operating? And yes, the family  eating on the deck was one of the more uncomfortable looking HH gatherings I have seen.

[chessiegal]

That poop pool was a new one for me. They said if they added chemicals they could control the smell. Also, they were planning on adding a fence to hide it. WTH?

[Orcinus orca]

All I could think of was contaminated groundwater from that septic lagoon.  If I  had a well nearby I would be testing it daily.

Apparently these are allowed in Missouri.  The whole thing sounds weird to me.

[Thumper]

I missed the very beginning of that episode too, but the wife’s constant “goats and chickens” annoyed me.  It will end up being a lot of work for the husband, having to build fences and shelters.  At least they are out in the country and not my neighbors.

The septic lagoon!  I had to look it up to find out it is a real thing.  Yuck.  

That was an awkward family gathering at the end! 😂

 

[Thumper]

Probably another old episode, but last night I saw one with a woman from MN looking to buy her first home after her children were grown.  It was a nice episode, and she was appreciative of everything except for definitely wanting a dining room to have her family over.  The thing that caught my eye, however, was that this was winter and no one took their shoes off before touring the homes.  😳😳.   That’s just common practice here in Minnesota!  😂. Definitely producer-driven, I’m sure. 😁

 

 

[Crashcourse]

The kids of the goats and chickens mom didn't look that happy out on the balcony eating those burgers.  I wonder how close they are to friends to hang out with?

[javajeanelaine]

I think central air in Florida is a must.  Window units simply cannot keep up.  I retired to Florida five years ago so I know whereof I speak.  Today the high was 93 degrees with a “feels like” temperature of 118.

[ECM1231]

3 hours ago, Thumper said:

Probably another old episode, but last night I saw one with a woman from MN looking to buy her first home after her children were grown.  It was a nice episode, and she was appreciative of everything except for definitely wanting a dining room to have her family over.  The thing that caught my eye, however, was that this was winter and no one took their shoes off before touring the homes.  😳😳.   That’s just common practice here in Minnesota!  😂. Definitely producer-driven, I’m sure. 😁

 

 

My DVR recorded this as new. I'd never seen it of it was a rerun. I really enjoyed this episode as the homeowner was so lovely and very smiley. I found myself smiling throughout the entire episode. I liked the cape she chose and hopefully she'll have enough money to put in at least a 1/2 bath. The townhouse was nice too, but I just knew she'd choose the one she did.

[edie3]

3 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

didn't look that happy out on the balcony eating those burgers

How close were they to the lagoon? I can't even imagine.

[Crashcourse]

4 minutes ago, edie3 said:

How close were they to the lagoon? I can't even imagine.

They didn't look that far away from it.  What a view to have every time you come out on the deck.  😬

[CalicoKitty]

1 hour ago, ECM1231 said:

My DVR record. ed this as new. I'd never seen it of it was a rerun. I really enjoyed this episode as the homeowner was so lovely and very smiley. I found myself smiling throughout the entire episode. I liked the cape she chose and hopefully she'll have enough money to put in at least a 1/2 bath. The townhouse was nice too, but I just knew she'd choose the one she did.

She was one of the most enjoyable house hunters ever.  I wish her true happiness in her chosen home.

[cinsays]

watched the one with the wife wanting a house in temekula.  i hope she was putting on a show with her bitchiness, otherwise, i pity her poor husband. ugh

and watched the one with a lovely older woman wanting a home with enough room for having the grandkids over. 

the house she chose had some kind of hole in the basement floor that had to do with sewage (she asked if she was supposed to keep it clean). seems to me there should have been some kind of cover on that hole or the kids would be putting their hands in that nasty thing. hope i just got the wrong idea on what that was.

[chessiegal]

3 hours ago, cinsays said:

the house she chose had some kind of hole in the basement floor that had to do with sewage (she asked if she was supposed to keep it clean). seems to me there should have been some kind of cover on that hole or the kids would be putting their hands in that nasty thing. hope i just got the wrong idea on what that was.

I thought it did have a cap on it - she was just asking what it was. I don't care enough to go back and check.

[StatisticalOutlier]

18 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

The kids of the goats and chickens mom didn't look that happy out on the balcony eating those burgers.

I noticed that, too.  I don't think they had enough chairs for all of them, and I noticed an older one standing there holding his burger loosely in one hand just kind of teething at it.  "All right...you can make me stand on this deck eating a burger but you can't make me do it right."

[chediavolo]

On 6/29/2023 at 10:28 AM, chessiegal said:

That poop pool was a new one for me. They said if they added chemicals they could control the smell. Also, they were planning on adding a fence to hide it. WTH?

I can’t believe that’s a thing. No way would I have chosen that house. They sure have lax rules about open Sh** pits on your property in Kansas😬 and it’s going to smell 🤢

[Andyourlittledog2]

A poop pond.  When you think you've seen it all on this show. 

Couldn't stand her.  There was just something so offputting about her entitlement. I hate when people are so dismissive of their spouse's opinions and wants and needs. 

[Crashcourse]

Also, was she going to be the only one taking care of the chickens and goats?  The husband sure didn't seem interested, and I doubt the kids would want to as they get older and want to hang out with friends.  I couldn't stand her.

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, chediavolo said:

They sure have lax rules about open Sh** pits on your property in Kansas😬 and it’s going to smell 🤢

Actually, the rules about sewage lagoons are quite strict.  Thanks to this show, I now know about Pittsburgh toilets AND sewage lagoons.  That University of Missouri article on residential sewage lagoons, linked to upthread, is really interesting.

Millions of people live on property with septic tanks, which have to release the treated water somewhere.  I've always known about leach fields, but apparently in areas where the soil isn't appropriate for a leach field, a lagoon is an alternative. 

I'm guessing the HH didn't know much about lagoons, either, when he threw out the idea of a 20-foot fence around it.  Sunlight and breezes are essential to the operation of the lagoon, so you don't want anything that will block that--even vegetation around the edge of the water.  It's actually a pretty cool system--using sunlight and air to break down household effluent. 

Leach fields from septic tanks have the advantage of being out of sight and therefore out of mind, but to me there's something to be said for a lagoon being out there in the open so you can see what's going on.  Then again, I've always preferred to DOS to Windows.  😀 

[CalicoKitty]

13 hours ago, cinsays said:

watched the one with the wife wanting a house in temekula.  i hope she was putting on a show with her bitchiness, otherwise, i pity her poor husband. ugh

and watched the one with a lovely older woman wanting a home with enough room for having the grandkids over. 

the house she chose had some kind of hole in the basement floor that had to do with sewage (she asked if she was supposed to keep it clean). seems to me there should have been some kind of cover on that hole or the kids would be putting their hands in that nasty thing. hope i just got the wrong idea on what that was.

That Temecula woman was awful.  I was feeling very, very sorry for her husband. I can't imagine living with that attitude and facial expressions every day.  The lovely woman was a pleasure to watch.  That pipe in the basement was a clean out pipe, so it wouldn't be used unless there was some kind of clog.  I have never had the pipe inside the house, but I know where mine is outside. It was sealed with a cap.

[laredhead]

2 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

That pipe in the basement was a clean out pipe, so it wouldn't be used unless there was some kind of clog.  I have never had the pipe inside the house, but I know where mine is outside. It was sealed with a cap.

Yes, only to be used in case of a sewer clog.  Just put a piece of furniture in front of it, a box over it, or knit a cozy to cover it, and no one will ever know it's there until you need a plumber.

[buttersister]

I don't know, not sure I could accept a shithole in the backyard, no matter if it's big enough for the chicken and goats I wanted. Of course, hard to imagine me wanting them to begin with.

She was tough to take, but if he got her to move with the promise of some big-ass property and these animals, then he needed to deliver. (Which he did, the other properties may or may not have attracted him--he had a script.)

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 6/30/2023 at 10:06 PM, laredhead said:

Yes, only to be used in case of a sewer clog.  Just put a piece of furniture in front of it, a box over it, or knit a cozy to cover it, and no one will ever know it's there until you need a plumber.

The cleanouts I've had in older houses were in the laundry room or something like that, for access, but were in the wall, and had a secure cap.   The newer houses have had cleanouts outside, and all had caps (they were PVC cleanouts), and you can push a connector on the PVC pipe with a screw on top, they're standard sizes in case of lawn mower accident. 

The woman with her college bound son was fun.   She kept to her budget, and I think picked the right house for her.   However, the first home's back yard was ridiculously small, would need a ton of maintenance for leaves and branches, and probably trimming over-hanging branches.  The realtor saying she could have a garden out there was ridiculous, I bet no part of that tiny bare yard gets any sunlight. 

The second with the big HOA (almost $400 a month), was ridiculously expensive.   The realtor and son didn't even mention what the huge HOA fees covered.  Also, son claiming that living in a townhouse, or condo and paying HOA fees means all maintenance is covered is wrong.   It depends on the actual complex, and what the fees actually cover. The son telling her that the HOA wasn't so bad was bizarre.    I like the 2 suite townhouse she bought, but I bet the steep, long stairs will get tiring very quickly.    The son originally claimed he would only live there for a year, so after that who's paying the HOA fees?  

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[cinsays]

11 hours ago, laredhead said:

Yes, only to be used in case of a sewer clog.  Just put a piece of furniture in front of it, a box over it, or knit a cozy to cover it, and no one will ever know it's there until you need a plumber.

but why was it IN the house? this has not been mentioned/noticed in any other houses on this show. do all houses on a sewer line have one of these somewhere?

[Orcinus orca]

25 minutes ago, cinsays said:

do all houses on a sewer line have one of these somewhere?

If they don't, they should.  How else can you clean out an obstruction?

Mine was in the basement in my old home. I had to have tree roots cleaned out on a regular basis.  Now I am on a septic and it's outside.

[laredhead]

1 hour ago, cinsays said:

but why was it IN the house? this has not been mentioned/noticed in any other houses on this show. do all houses on a sewer line have one of these somewhere?

When it was installed, it was in an unfinished basement.  The basement was finished for a former owner, and they did not move the sewer clean out access.  Moving plumbing is expensive, and the former owners probably took the least expensive alternative of leaving it where it was, and figuring that they would seldom have to access it.  I have 2 clean out access points at my house, both outside, and they have needed to be used once in the 20 years I have lived here.  They have a secure cap on them, and no leakage has happened during the one backup I had.    

[Mediocre Gatsby]

7 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The woman with her college bound son was fun.   She kept to her budget, and I think picked the right house for her.   However, the first home's back yard was ridiculously small, would need a ton of maintenance for leaves and branches, and probably trimming.  The realtor saying she could have a garden out there was ridiculous, I bet no part of that tiny bare yard gets any sunlight. 

The second with the big HOA (almost $400 a month), was ridiculously expensive.   The realtor and son didn't even mention what the huge HOA fees covered.  Also, son claiming that living in a townhouse, or condo and paying HOA fees means all maintenance is covered is wrong.   It depends on the actual complex, and what the fees actually cover. The son telling her that the HOA wasn't so bad was bizarre.    I like the 2 suite townhouse she bought, but I bet the steep, long stairs will get tiring very quickly.    

The son was home from college and planning to save money by living with his mother for a year or so until he got his own place. I really liked their relationship. She said he'd be paying the HOA fee, which I did think was very large for the third one (paying for the pool, I guess - the second one, the one she bought, was $75 a month). 

Her friend the realtor said that she thought the steep stairs in the townhouse would be therapeutic, so maybe the house hunter was recovering or rehabbing from some kind of injury, and the stairs will be an issue only for a while. Because you're right, they were steep. 

I thought it was odd that there was still no furniture in the townhouse they chose (they were standing up eating pizza) but maybe it was taking extra long to be able to get the carpet pulled up, so they hadn't moved any furniture. She'd said her lease was almost up at her rental, but I guess all of her furniture was still there. 

I also wondered how far any of the places were from her work, which they usually mention.

[Johannah]

I can't remember which episodes because I tend to watch a bunch at a time, but there have been a few HHs lately that just seemed to like almost everything, It was refreshing to watch a show where they weren't demanding that everything more than 20 minutes old had to be gutted and updated or the entire kitchen redone because the cabinets were the wrong shade of white.

And why do people want an old house with character and then want to update everything?  Or expect current trends (large walk-in closets) to be present in old homes?

[mojito]

3 hours ago, Johannah said:

I can't remember which episodes because I tend to watch a bunch at a time, but there have been a few HHs lately that just seemed to like almost everything, It was refreshing to watch a show where they weren't demanding that everything more than 20 minutes old had to be gutted and updated or the entire kitchen redone because the cabinets were the wrong shade of white.

I think the reality of soaring home prices, the lack of availability of homes selling for less than $350K, and the realization that home ownership is beyond the reach of more and more people these days have made an impression on buyers and they're grabbing what they can right now. They have more realistic expectations and are more grateful to find homes they can afford that aren't being gobbled up by over-asking cash-paying investors.

[pdlinda]

On 6/27/2023 at 1:36 PM, laredhead said:

Could it have possibly been the use of the phrase "I like" about 25 times?  Also, the massive amount of overtalk of each other by the 3 women made some parts of the episode hard to understand.

Most definitely!!!

[Orcinus orca]

I wonder if the participants get paid by how many times they say "I can see myself...." in an episode.  Sitting in a particular place "drinking my morning coffee" is another one repeated ad nauseum.