House Hunters - General Discussion

[javajeanelaine]

I definitely wouldn’t want to be one of her patients. She doesn’t seem to like her husband at all.

[Hedgehog2022]

Recent couple of shows were about people looking to turn a new purchase into an ARBNB...is this a new trend?

[rhofmovalley]

2 hours ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

Recent couple of shows were about people looking to turn a new purchase into an ARBNB...is this a new trend?

I don't know about Air BnB, but in my area (California), it was nearly impossible for my brother to find a home to purchase because so many "investors" were buying up all the houses and condos to turn them into rentals. Lots of people lost their homes due to the pandemic, so the banks were selling them at low prices for all cash offers from companies like Zillow (I'm sure you all heard about THAT debacle). And when I was searching for a rental, most properties were owned by management companies who required you to fill out an application and consent to a credit check before even allowing you to view the property. And people were offering a full year's rent in cash up front. I couldn't compete with that.

So I would imagine that's what was happening with these buyers, except they aren't big conglomerates with dozens of properties. They were just jumping on the bandwagon, so to speak.

This also happened in the previous recession, except in that case I was able to find a dirt cheap rental because there was such a glut. Now inventory is super low, which is driving up the prices. It's insane.

[laredhead]

I finally watched the Atlanta rural vs. city episode, and yes many times over to everyone who said the wife is weird.  If I were her husband I'd buy a house in Atlanta, and send her to live with her mother where she said was perfect in her opinion.  How can you want a rural setting with views of the mountains and not realize it will probably come with a lot of land, or at least more than a postage stamp of a yard that can be cut with a weed trimmer?  Her parting statement that her husband wants children, but she's still on the fence should give him fair warning that if he thought buying a house with her was a difficult event, wait till they have that serious discussion.  The realtor had the patience of Job with that woman.  The house they bought is nice, and maybe the husband enjoys the long drive twice a week to have some quiet time by himself.     

[Jess14]

I watched the Atlanta/rural GA episode this morning, and my goodness, the wife was one of the most annoying people ever on this show. She was insufferable. There’s no way in hell I would have agreed to that commute if I was the husband. Anyone who thinks it’s no big deal for their spouse to be in the car for 4 hours (for no reason) seems like a pretty shitty person. I don’t even care that it’s only a couple of days a week. That’s terrible. It’s not even like they were out in the country to save money, given that they spent $700k+.

I also didn’t fully understand their options. There are several cities and towns between Clarkesville and Atlanta (Duluth, Lawrenceville, Suwannee, Buford, etc) where they could’ve gotten a big house for their budget and at least cut his commute down some. It seemed strange that they weren’t looking in any of those places, but perhaps the wife shot that down. She didn’t seem to be into compromises.

[Grizzly]

West Hartford, CT. Or WEHA as the locals call it. The house Gary was currently in looked great,  don't know why he needed another one. Especially a 2 bed, 1 bath. That's supposed to be the house where he has a family? And he was so worried about not seeing the return on this investment for a while. In this market, just sell one of the other properties to make bank. At least Gary and his dog were cute.

[LittleIggy]

Gary was hot! I’m sure he has plenty of women interested in him.

[pep4]

Dude needs to take his shoes off inside all the time, not just when mom visits.  An undervalued custom I heartily endorse.

With so many layoffs at ESPN the last couple of years I was wondering if he's still employed since filming.  Looks like it:

 

Edit:  Gotdam, twitter is annoying!  Removed the link.  Last night when I posted it was only showing up as a short, single post, today when I come back it's a mile long version of War and Peace.  Sorry about that.

 

Anyway, he apparently still works at ESPN.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by pep4

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the episode and really thought he'd go for #3, but then I have no clue about the location and neighborhood.   I didn't like the look of the neighborhood on the third house, and the rental prices for half of that one seemed very low.     

I hate that he'll have to spend so much on the asbestos removal, and I bet there's lead paint too.     Was that house the one with the water in the basement?   I hope not, because my deal breaker is water in the basement, since it's expensive to fix, and may not fix forever anyway.   

I suspect if he does get married, and starts a family, then he'll rent out the entire house, and move.      If he keeps looking I bet he will find a two flat, with three or four bedrooms, and an equally big upper floor apartment, and can still get a lot of the mortgage paid.  I think a lot of the marriage and children talk from Mom was a storyline.          

I loved his adorable dog. 

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[cameron]

1 minute ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I loved the episode and really thought he'd go for #3, but then I have no clue about the location and neighborhood.   I didn't like the look of the neighborhood on the third house, and the rental prices for half seemed very low.     I hate that he'll have to spend so much on the asbestos removal, and I bet there's lead paint too.     Was that house the one with the water in the basement?   I hope not, because my deal breaker is water in the basement, since it's expensive to fix, and may not fix forever anyway.   

   I suspect if he does get married, and starts a family, then he'll rent out the entire house, and move.      If he keeps looking I bet he will find a two flat, with three or four bedrooms, and an equally big upper floor apartment, and can still get a lot of the mortgage paid.   I think a lot of the marriage and children talk from Mom was a storyline.          

 

I think the whole thing was a storyline.

[rhofmovalley]

Gary's Twitter feed is annoying. He's one of those who uses extra consonants at the end of words (I mean "wordsss") and deliberately misspells words like "tho". I guess it's supposed to be hip or cool or cute? I presume all the kids are doing it and I'll get told "OK, boomer". 😆

For sure that was an "investment property". You don't put a wife and kids in that small a house when you have other options.

[cameron]

59 minutes ago, rhofmovalley said:

Gary's Twitter feed is annoying. He's one of those who uses extra consonants at the end of words (I mean "wordsss") and deliberately misspells words like "tho". I guess it's supposed to be hip or cool or cute? I presume all the kids are doing it and I'll get told "OK, boomer". 😆

For sure that was an "investment property". You don't put a wife and kids in that small a house when you have other options.

We use to call these type of people "media sluts".  He really wants to be on national tv.

[Grrarrggh]

On 2/10/2022 at 12:59 AM, pep4 said:

Hahaha, I can.  The craziest woman (by far) that I ever dated was a psychologist.

Well, there's the old saying about the cobblers' children have no shoes.... it extends to all careers I guess. 

[rhofmovalley]

Pittsburgh...I can't believe no one mentioned (let alone stopped to pet) the fluffy white cat sitting on the front porch at house #2. That would have been the first thing I did. 

That Pittsburgh Potty! Holy cow. I would never, ever use that, no matter how badly I needed to go.

As for the Allentown house, all I could think about was the Billy Joel song from the 1980s. And that wasn't a happy song. Has there been a big turnaround in that city since then? Maybe that's why the price was better.

[Grizzly]

Cleveland. This woman just complained that the ranch house was ugly while wearing that sweater and headband?!

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

Pittsburgh...I can't believe no one mentioned (let alone stopped to pet) the fluffy white cat sitting on the front porch at house #2. That would have been the first thing I did. 

That Pittsburgh Potty! Holy cow. I would never, ever use that, no matter how badly I needed to go.

As for the Allentown house, all I could think about was the Billy Joel song from the 1980s. And that wasn't a happy song. Has there been a big turnaround in that city since then? Maybe that's why the price was better.

That song popped in my head too! 
I went to grad school in Vermont. I can’t imagine wanting to leave VT!

[CrazyInAlabama]

The second toilet in the basement was pretty common for that era.     My grandparents had a nicer one in their basement, and it had a floor length curtain blocking it off.      I wasn't thrilled with any of the choices.   The third is too small if they do have or adopt kids, with that second bedroom right on ground level.    

The first house would have been my choice, nice yard, needed work, but still pretty nice.  The kitchen could have been redone to be better.     The second house lack of parking was concerning, and that house needed a ton of work, and another bathroom on the third floor.  However, I wonder if the first two houses would need new plumbing, electric, and how much asbestos, or lead paint they have? 

[LittleIggy]

Pittsburgh: Did Alison Victoria do a drive-by and paint that house black? 😆 I thought the black was awful. 
This first house was nice except for that hideous exposed ductwork. That kind of stuff is only for industrial lofts, IMO. 

[pdlinda]

2 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Pittsburgh: Did Alison Victoria do a drive-by and paint that house black? 😆 I thought the black was awful. 
This first house was nice except for that hideous exposed ductwork. That kind of stuff is only for industrial lofts, IMO. 

I thought ALL the houses were awful but maybe that's what you get in that price range??

If they sold their VT house instead of making it a vacation rental they would have had more $$$ to buy a more costly house in Pittsburgh; however, that was their decision.  

I wonder how much property mgt companies charge to act as agents to rent these "vacation homes?" 

In my head, the dollar signs are whirling with the condition people might leave the house in and what I'm imaging are constant repairs/maintenance. 

But, I admit, that's just ME😊

[chessiegal]

59 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

In my head, the dollar signs are whirling with the condition people might leave the house in

That's what security deposits are for. And if you really trash a place, I'm sure your name goes on a blacklist.

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

That's what security deposits are for. And if you really trash a place, I'm sure your name goes on a blacklist.

OK...good info!  Thanks!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, if you rent on VRBO or Airbnb, and trash the place, you will be paying for it, and you'll also be on the list of people who will never be rented to again.

I looked online, and in the same area of South Pittsburgh, there were a ton of 3 and 4 bedroom houses, with at least two full bathrooms, and big kitchens, for under $300k.     The Pittsburgh couple just wanted to be in a trendy area, and walk to coffee shops, restaurants, etc.     I bet in five years they'll either move back to Vermont, or get a bigger house in the same area.   

I bet a lot of the workers with the basement Pittsburgh Potty were from the steel mills.    The basement open space toilet might not be elegant, but it was a spare toilet in what was probably a one bathroom house.  

Edited February 19, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grizzly]

Decatur, GA. How long are we giving this relationship? They do seem to get each other so maybe it could work. Nice home choice.

[LittleIggy]

Decatur, GA: Dude needed to borrow some hair care products from his girlfriend. 😬

[Hedgehog2022]

On 2/16/2022 at 10:31 PM, rhofmovalley said:

Pittsburgh...I can't believe no one mentioned (let alone stopped to pet) the fluffy white cat sitting on the front porch at house #2. That would have been the first thing I did. 

That Pittsburgh Potty! Holy cow. I would never, ever use that, no matter how badly I needed to go.

As for the Allentown house, all I could think about was the Billy Joel song from the 1980s. And that wasn't a happy song. Has there been a big turnaround in that city since then? Maybe that's why the price was better.

I'm not sure that the Allentown that Billy Joel was talking about is the same thing as the Allentown neighborhood in Pittsburgh. There is an Allentown, Pennsylvania which is in a different part of PA...it went through a rough time in the 70'and 80's. 

[Kiddvideo]

Decatur, GA: The agent kept mentioning it was a pocket listing, and I understand that means it hasn’t been listed, but is it kind of a “buy it now” option from EBay? Was she the seller’s agent as well as the buyer’s? 
If she’s the seller’s agent, why would she keep up with the “cheaper, cheaper, cheaper” if she’s trying to get top dollar for the seller? And if she’s the buyer’s agent, why would the seller give her a pocket listing when she’s just going to turn around and push it for “cheaper cheaper cheaper”?

How much money would you sacrifice to avoid going on market?

Or is this just more artificial drama?

[chessiegal]

9 hours ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

I'm not sure that the Allentown that Billy Joel was talking about is the same thing as the Allentown neighborhood in Pittsburgh. There is an Allentown, Pennsylvania which is in a different part of PA...it went through a rough time in the 70'and 80's. 

Yes, the town Billy Joel was singing about is Allentown, PA.

Quote

The song's theme centers around the resilience of Allentown, Pennsylvania and the region as it coped with the decline of the American manufacturing industry and the emergence of the Rust Belt in the latter part of the 20th century, including the depressed, blue-collar livelihood of Allentown residents following Bethlehem Steel's decline and eventual closure.

 

[Rootbeer]

22 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The second toilet in the basement was pretty common for that era.     My grandparents had a nicer one in their basement, and it had a floor length curtain blocking it off.      I wasn't thrilled with any of the choices.   The third is too small if they do have or adopt kids, with that second bedroom right on ground level.    

The first house would have been my choice, nice yard, needed work, but still pretty nice.  The kitchen could have been redone to be better.     The second house lack of parking was concerning, and that house needed a ton of work, and another bathroom on the third floor.  However, I wonder if the first two houses would need new plumbing, electric, and how much asbestos, or lead paint they have? 

My sister bought an older house in Cleveland with the basement potty.  They're not unusual around here, either.  As the realtor said, a lot of folks in Pittsburgh (and Cleveland) worked in factories during the day and got very dirty.  It was very common for the man of the family to return from work and immediately head to the basement to wash up and change, so their dirt wouldn't get tracked through the house and so their work clothes weren't mixed in with the regular wash.  My uncle was a coal miner in PA, not far from Pittsburgh and built a house in the 70's with a full bath including shower off the garage and next to the laundry just for that purpose.

My sister ended up finishing her basement into a family room.  She had the potty and sink replaced with new fixtures, added a stall shower and had the whole thing framed out into its own room with a door.  It's nice to have for guests and also for hanging out in the basement watching sports and drinking beer.

[rhofmovalley]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Decatur, GA: Dude needed to borrow some hair care products from his girlfriend. 😬

His hair kept changing from one scene to the next. One minute it was all over the place and in the next it was smoothed out. I presume the producers stopped filming and had his hair brushed.

And I feel his pain because I too have coarse, unruly hair that tends to frizz and have flyaways. Especially when it's humid.

That house was lovely. The outdoor area was divine.

[Kimboweena]

Decatur, GA: had to laugh when the woman freaked out over the harmless, long-legged spider outside.  Wait until she sees her first palmetto bug in the house, especially if it flies!

[StatisticalOutlier]

11 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

How much money would you sacrifice to avoid going on market?

Or is this just more artificial drama?

I've always wondered about pocket listings, and this episode prompted me to look into them.  Turns out they're exploding.

Here's an article from the New York Times that explains it pretty well, and the comments provide more insight.  (Yes, I actually suggest reading the comments to a news story.  I never thought I'd do that.)  As you'd expect, greed (the agent keeps the entire commission) and racism (telling buyers who would fit in the best in the neighborhood about the listing) are implicated.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/29/realestate/private-home-sales.html

But further muddying the waters:  Personally, I'd be tempted to buy a pocket listing in particular if it meant there aren't pictures of the interior of my house on the internet for all eternity, at the click of a mouse.  Even if it's a staged version of what I'm living in now, I still find it incredibly intrusive.

Obviously people on HH don't have that issue, but at least it's their choice to put that out there for all eternity, at the click of a mouse.  I like the olden days, when if people wanted to see what my house looked like on the inside, they had to wait for it to go up for sale and pick up a flyer, or take the initiative to peep in the windows.

3 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

My uncle was a coal miner in PA, not far from Pittsburgh and built a house in the 70's with a full bath including shower off the garage and next to the laundry just for that purpose.

That's a good idea.  What I don't understand is having just a sink (and toilet) to deal with a coal miner's dirt.  I assume it isn't usually all over his body, but if you have the plumbing there anyway, put in a shower so he doesn't have to "wash up" in one place and put on different clothes just to have to take a shower in another part of the house.

[Grrarrggh]

Anyone have guesses at how old each person in the Decatur GA couple was? Or any proof? We have a bit of a bet going on lol. What ugly new builds. She annoyed me, but I automatically dislike anyone who thinks those houses are stylish. 

[Dehumidifier]

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

Anyone have guesses at how old each person in the Decatur GA couple was? Or any proof? We have a bit of a bet going on lol. What ugly new builds. She annoyed me, but I automatically dislike anyone who thinks those houses are stylish. 

My guess: 45 for him, 33 for her. 

[pdlinda]

3 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

My guess: 45 for him, 33 for her. 

Oh, WOWWWW, you think he was only 45??  I thought more like 50?? 

I agree with 33 (at least) for her.

I tried to get the "tempo" of how they related to each other but was unable to do so except to conclude that there was a lot of "chemistry" between them ("beauty is in the eyes of the beholder", I understand).

The houses, however, at that price point (as compared with other places we're seen in the U.S.) were absolutely beautiful!

[Grrarrggh]

20 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

The houses, however, at that price point (as compared with other places we're seen in the U.S.) were absolutely beautiful!

Really? Aside from the first what was beautiful about them? White/grey flip/new build boxes churned out by the thousands with no thought or design. Nothing special imo, let alone "absolutely beautiful". 

[StatisticalOutlier]

38 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

Oh, WOWWWW, you think he was only 45??  I thought more like 50?? 

I'm trying not to let the gray hair influence me.  He didn't appear to have a lot of lines around his eyes. 

[Hedgehog2022]

On 2/16/2022 at 10:44 PM, Grizzly said:

Cleveland. This woman just complained that the ranch house was ugly while wearing that sweater and headband?!

She was very whiny...

[Jess14]

8 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Really? Aside from the first what was beautiful about them? White/grey flip/new build boxes churned out by the thousands with no thought or design. Nothing special imo, let alone "absolutely beautiful". 

Different strokes…..if everyone liked the same type of houses, life would be boring. I’ve bought an older home (not 1920s old, but older) and two newer homes (one brand new where we were able to monitor the construction). I’ll take the new build every single time….. less issues, and it’s not difficult to add your own thought or design to a home. But that’s just been my experience. With crap builders out there, I’m sure many people have had bad experiences with new construction.

Im curious about where the house that the Atlanta/Decatur house actually was. When they threw out a $550k budget and wanted to be in walking distance of restaurants in Decatur, I knew that wasn’t happening lol. I think the realtor said the one that they chose was 5 miles from the center of Decatur, which doesn’t sound all that close to me. Regardless, it seemed like the best choice for them. I wouldn’t want my partner’s students walking all through my house. The detached space was clearly the best for that. 

Edited February 19, 2022 by Jess14

[rhofmovalley]

I've found that while vintage homes are absolutely lovely to look at and have some cool elements like built-ins and original tile work, actually living in them is an entire different story.  I lived in a vintage 1920s apartment that was a converted former single family home, and there were TWO electrical outlets for the entire living room (which I think isn't up to current code but the building was "grandfathered" in) and they were both two prong so I had to buy adapters, and the faucets in the bathroom sink were separate...there was a faucet for hot water and a faucet for cold water but no joining faucet.  So when I washed my hands I had to switch back and forth between the hot and cold faucets.  There was a very tall vintage bathtub but I'm short and have a bad knee so climbing in and out to take a shower was very difficult.  Oh and only one electrical outlet in the bedroom so I had to buy battery operated EVERYTHING.  I ended up hating that apartment and moved out as soon as I could.

I'm now living in a newer-ish vintage building (built in the 1960s) but it's been completely modernized inside.  I like living here much better even though it's considerably smaller.

So I guess I'm in the vintage exterior/modernized interior camp.  No need to "rip out" or "gut" the place, just make it modern to today's standards regarding electrical and plumbing.

[Cetacean]

29 minutes ago, rhofmovalley said:

So I guess I'm in the vintage exterior/modernized interior camp.  No need to "rip out" or "gut" the place, just make it modern to today's standards regarding electrical and plumbing.

Yes, the old places are charming but not only lacking conveniences like multiple three prong outlets but the are certainly less safe because of lack of the more modern items like GFCI outlets in kitchens and baths.  With one or two two-prong outlets per room you see all kinds of unsafe things like mutliple extention cords cobbled together to run lamps and electronics!

In a perfect world it would be easy to upgrade a vintage home with safe electricity and plumbing but sadly it's not.

[rhofmovalley]

7 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

Yes, the old places are charming but not only lacking conveniences like multiple three prong outlets but the are certainly less safe because of lack of the more modern items like GFCI outlets in kitchens and baths.  With one or two two-prong outlets per room you see all kinds of unsafe things like mutliple extention cords cobbled together to run lamps and electronics!

In a perfect world it would be easy to upgrade a vintage home with safe electricity and plumbing but sadly it's not.

I used to work for an electrical company so I knew not to "daisy chain".  So I was on Amazon ordering a ton of appliances and devices that were battery powered such as a lamp and an electric kettle.

I also used to live in a 1940s apartment that had screw in fuses!  That was interesting lol.

[Hedgehog2022]

On 2/18/2022 at 12:38 PM, Kimboweena said:

Decatur, GA: had to laugh when the woman freaked out over the harmless, long-legged spider outside.  Wait until she sees her first palmetto bug in the house, especially if it flies!

Or a snake or two crawling out of the wooded area.

[Hedgehog2022]

Decator, GA couple....I wished Joe didn't acquiese to his girlfriend so much. He seemed to be trying to make her happy but she could care less about the things he wanted/liked in a home. Speaking of his girlfriend, LeAnn, it seemed to me that she might have been a former stripper. She was very vague about her "dancing" and needed a stripper pole put in to practice her "dancing". No judgements from me but I just thought it was odd to require a pole for dancing...most dancers use a railing kind of pole that is attached to the wall. Also, she was very bratty in regards to the houses they saw. He seemed to not want to argue with her about certain complaints she had. I give this relationship a year at the most. Also, he'll probably get stuck with the mortgage when she packs her stuff and goes. They should have stayed at the rental.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Hedgehog2022

[Dehumidifier]

16 hours ago, pdlinda said:

Oh, WOWWWW, you think he was only 45??  I thought more like 50?? 

I agree with 33 (at least) for her.

He would look a lot different (and younger) without the grizzled gray beard and with a short haircut, even if gray.

[LittleIggy]

@Hedgehog2022 I thought maybe she used the pole for exercise. There is/was a fad for doing pole dancing as an exercise with classes and all.

[MsTree]

Ignorant young girl in Ohio (and a few others): It's not "wainscoating". Try "wainscotting".

Also, a single basin sink is NOT a farm sink. It's simply a single basin sink. Many of us grew up in houses with single basin sinks. A farm sink is just another name/description for an apron sink. Get it right, otherwise don't walk around with your nose up in the air dumb ass, thinking you're oh, so smart and know everything there is to know just because you hate white cabinets and gray walls. Maybe read design magazine and get a clue.

[deirdra]

On 2/20/2022 at 2:15 AM, MsTree said:

Ignorant young girl in Ohio (and a few others): It's not "wainscoating". Try "wainscotting".

The panels are called wainscot.  Pronounced like Scott.

Edited February 21, 2022 by deirdra

[ECM1231]

11 hours ago, MsTree said:

Ignorant young girl in Ohio (and a few others): It's not "wainscoating". Try "wainscotting".

Also, a single basin sink is NOT a farm sink. It's simply a single basin sink. Many of us grew up in houses with single basin sinks. A farm sink is just another name/description for an apron sink. Get it right, otherwise don't walk around with your nose up in the air dumb ass, thinking you're oh, so smart and know everything there is to know just because you hate white cabinets and gray walls. Maybe read design magazine and get a clue.

YES, to the bolded!  So many house hunters make the same mistake. Was this the Cleveland engaged couple, who had been living with her mom for a year after selling their home?  I think they bought the impressive colonial that needed work, but I would have gone with choice #1, the Tudor-like colonial. It was the largest and had the most gorgeous landscaping, both front and back. I don't think it needed much work, either, but can't quite recall.  The only negative shown was that it was on a somewhat busy street, although the house hunters said that once inside, they didn't hear any outside noise. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Where it snows a lot, being on a busy road mean your street gets plowed sooner than a quiet side street.  

I saw the recent rerun of the single mother, looking for a two bathroom house with her picky daughter, in Zion, IL.    The second house was over 100 years old, and pretty updated, except for the basement.    One window in the basement had some kind of vine growing through it, and was the window was falling apart, plus it looked like dirt was over the window.   I think that was the basement with water running across the floor, and a dehumidifier, or that might have been the third house.     When a seller has a dehumidifier in the basement, that's a sign to run far away from it.     I hope the househunter claiming she was going to finish the attic so her daughter would have her own suite was just a storyline.     I can't imagine spending $10k to finish a suite for the daughter.   

[Cetacean]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

 When a seller has a dehumidifier in the basement, that's a sign to run far away from it. 

I'm not sure that's true. I have a brand new house with all of the bells and whistles but I do have a damp basement because it's built in heavy clay.  I have a dehumidifier down there.