House Hunters - General Discussion

[amarante]

20 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

With flips I know it will be the most trendy finishes, but what worries me more is the quality of the wiring, plumbing, HVAC, etc. that's behind the drywall.    I really worry about updated wiring being attached to old unsafe wiring, galvanized pipes, etc.  

I did a gut remodel of my home relatively recently and I realized all the ways that one can ignore the non-obvious and structural stuff and just put in the cheapest "flashy" trendy stuff. 

I mean on the most obvious people ooh and aah about stainless steel which is ridiculous because there is very cheap stainless appliances available now. Also very obvious to me because I spent so much time thinking about configuring my kitchen is that the kitchens are often badly designed - the lower cabinets don't have drawers because they are more expensive and there aren't that many cabinets at all because any cabinet is expensive - but it looks good to a naive person.

[Tess23]

Mother of Pearl. Who told this newest generation of adults that saying 'Like' every other word like a demented Kardashian is cute and attractive? Looking at you, Lancaster and South LA HH. I subconsciously subtract 10 IQ points every time they use it. I'll see myself off the lawn now.

Edited April 29, 2022 by Tess23

[Hedgehog2022]

2 hours ago, pdlinda said:

I completely agree with you.  I thought ALL THREE choice were horrendous and the one she bought was a true "money pit."

OMG! These "homes" were not only awful but the neighborhoods looked like neighborhoods that were in the midst of being gentrified but were just in the beginning stages of it. I was shocked that a single woman would even contemplate living in such a home that was surrounded by homes that were either not lived in anymore, homes that were being remodeled for flipping or homes that were still occupied by long time residents that were holding out for more $$$ from flippers. Sketchy neighborhoods that made me scared for her. Hope she gets a good security system put in...yikes!

[Spunkygal]

3 hours ago, Tess23 said:

Mother of Pearl. Who told this newest generation of adults that saying 'Like' every other word like a demented Kardashian is cute and attractive? Looking at you, Lancaster and South LA HH. I subconsciously subtract 10 IQ points every time they use it. I'll see myself off the lawn now.

Yes! A friend of mine went through Toastmasters in order to be more comfortable with public speaking and he said that using “like,” “you know,” and “uh” are called conversational crabgrass. In fact, one of their first group assignments was to stand up and talk for X minutes on any subject. During that talk, the group leader would ring a bell (like you see on a counter to summon someone) every time those crabgrass terms were used. He said you learned pretty quickly to stop leaning on those terms. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

On today's OWN marathon of HH, they have some older ones, 2010 to 2015.  Today's theme seems to be people who you hope are just saying what the producers want them to say.   

A couple in Baltimore from 2014 are hysterically funny.   She claims to be a germaphobe, and wants the tubs ripped out, and the toilets.    Can you imagine someone who really expects to spend thousands ripping out and replacing entire tubs?   With toilets, change the toilet seat for a new one, and bleach the toilet thoroughly, and bleach the tub.   

[amarante]

On 4/30/2022 at 12:12 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

On today's OWN marathon of HH, they have some older ones, 2010 to 2015.  Today's theme seems to be people who you hope are just saying what the producers want them to say.   

A couple in Baltimore from 2014 are hysterically funny.   She claims to be a germaphobe, and wants the tubs ripped out, and the toilets.    Can you imagine someone who really expects to spend thousands ripping out and replacing entire tubs?   With toilets, change the toilet seat for a new one, and bleach the toilet thoroughly, and bleach the tub.   

I think the HGTV type of shows makes people under-estimate the cost and complexity of home renovation - especially kitchens and bathrooms. 

You can't just paint cabinets the way one might paint a wall. You either have to hire a professional (best) who takes the doors off site and sprays with special paint in a "clean" room with no dust OR you laboriously clean and prime and prime and paint extremely carefully - and the results are going to be less durable than the original wood finish.

If you start disturbing tubs and showers and tiles you have to hire skilled labor to make sure that the new stuff is completely waterproofed because otherwise you will have mold and possibly rot out your home.

A middle of the road bathroom (not high end finishes) will cost at least $25,000 and a kitchen can be at least that as well - that is a kitchen that doesn't resemble their aspirational kitchen either. 

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by amarante

[StatisticalOutlier]

The conversational crabgrass I find most annoying on this show is starting sentences with "I mean."  It's relentless.

A couple of years ago I suddenly noticed I was doing it.  Right then, I vowed to stop.  Especially with "I mean," you can hear yourself doing it because it's at the beginning of a sentence and there's usually a short pause after it.  It's much more obvious to the person doing it than the peppering they do with "like"s.

So every time I did it, I would stop my comment dead in its tracks, acknowledge I'd started with "I mean," and resume my comment. 

It worked great.  I still do it every once in a while, but I let myself get away with it because I'm so trained that it happens only once.  If it happens more than once, you can bet I'll go back on my rigorous eradication regimen.

If the HHs want an assist, they just need to wire me up to a microphone when I'm watching, because I audibly groan every time one of them starts with "I mean."  Just like dinging the bell.

[rhofmovalley]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

The conversational crabgrass I find most annoying on this show is starting sentences with "I mean."  It's relentless.

A couple of years ago I suddenly noticed I was doing it.  Right then, I vowed to stop.  Especially with "I mean," you can hear yourself doing it because it's at the beginning of a sentence and there's usually a short pause after it.  It's much more obvious to the person doing it than the peppering they do with "like"s.

So every time I did it, I would stop my comment dead in its tracks, acknowledge I'd started with "I mean," and resume my comment. 

It worked great.  I still do it every once in a while, but I let myself get away with it because I'm so trained that it happens only once.  If it happens more than once, you can bet I'll go back on my rigorous eradication regimen.

If the HHs want an assist, they just need to wire me up to a microphone when I'm watching, because I audibly groan every time one of them starts with "I mean."  Just like dinging the bell.

A recent trend I've noticed is the elongated "I". They'll say "Iiiiiiiiiii..." at the beginning of a sentence. There's a commercial that plays frequently on YouTube where a woman does that. Drives me bananas.

[Empress1]

On 4/29/2022 at 4:37 PM, Hedgehog2022 said:

OMG! These "homes" were not only awful but the neighborhoods looked like neighborhoods that were in the midst of being gentrified but were just in the beginning stages of it. I was shocked that a single woman would even contemplate living in such a home that was surrounded by homes that were either not lived in anymore, homes that were being remodeled for flipping or homes that were still occupied by long time residents that were holding out for more $$$ from flippers. Sketchy neighborhoods that made me scared for her. Hope she gets a good security system put in...yikes!

Cobbs Creek is not a good neighborhood - she’d be gentrifying it, most likely, and it’s not gentrifying that fast. I wouldn’t live there alone. Manayunk, where she bought, is fine for safety. If she wants a house that’s not on a hill though, that was the wrong choice - Manayunk is all hills and narrow streets and is indeed a nightmare in snow. However, the Main Street, which is literally named Main Street, is next to the river (like, right next to - there was a story a few years ago about a kid who stumbled home from the bars, fell in the river and drowned) so it floods with heavy rain - there was horrible flooding last summer. So hills are a better option there. Parking sucks though. It’s a fine neighborhood in terms of safety and there’s much more to do - Main Street has bars, restaurants, shops, gym, yoga, running/biking/walking path, a movie theater, etc. and it’s more walkable and closer to downtown. I couldn’t tell where the third house was - maybe West Oak Lane? If so, it’s ok for safety but there’s not much to do.

Manayunk is a good choice for a single 20something -a lot of single 20somethings live there. I have a family friend who grew up in the suburbs, left for college, came back in his … mid-20s, maybe, and lived there in his single days and then moved back to the suburbs to settle down. That’s a common path for that neighborhood. If she wants to trade up and rent out that house, she won’t have a problem doing it.

Edited May 1, 2022 by Empress1

[ECM1231]

22 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

A couple in Baltimore from 2014 are hysterically funny.   She claims to be a germaphobe, and wants the tubs ripped out, and the toilets.    Can you imagine someone who really expects to spend thousands ripping out and replacing entire tubs?

I wonder where these germaphobes stay when traveling? 

[CruiseDiva]

20 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

A recent trend I've noticed is the elongated "I". They'll say "Iiiiiiiiiii..." at the beginning of a sentence. There's a commercial that plays frequently on YouTube where a woman does that. Drives me bananas.

Another trend I've noticed is that House Hunters all seem to be "hosting"--never inviting friends over or having a get-together or party. They don't even use the cliched "entertaining" word anymore. Now they all need space to "host." That's a term I've never heard anyone actually use in real life.

[Grrarrggh]

11 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

Another trend I've noticed is that House Hunters all seem to be "hosting"--never inviting friends over or having a get-together or party. They don't even use the cliched "entertaining" word anymore. Now they all need space to "host." That's a term I've never heard anyone actually use in real life.

So long as they insist that only in open concept can one do any of these things (and anything else involving living) I ignore everything they say. They could claim they need to détente with their contingents and I couldn't care less. With the open concept obsession they've already proved a lack of brain power.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 5/1/2022 at 3:10 PM, CruiseDiva said:

Another trend I've noticed is that House Hunters all seem to be "hosting"--never inviting friends over or having a get-together or party. They don't even use the cliched "entertaining" word anymore. Now they all need space to "host." That's a term I've never heard anyone actually use in real life.

That's because they over spend on the house, and they're having sales parties for all of the MLM stuff they're now selling.     That's why they all want the finished basement or bonus rooms, it's really for the workout gear, cosmetics, and everything else they're now selling to their acquaintances.   So, they call it hosting.   I knew someone who got into several of the skin care, and other multi level marketing stuff, and they called everything 'hosting'.  They also needed ginormous rooms for inventory.  

Edited May 4, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Empress1]

I watched an episode over the weekend with a gay couple looking in the DC area, $1M budget. They had a beautiful golden retriever named Graham. All three houses (one in Silver Spring, one in DC proper, and one in Alexandria, I think) were gorgeous; they chose the one in Alexandria. I really liked them - one of them joked “you still want to marry me, after this house hunt?” and the other said “absolutely” emphatically, which was sweet. I’d have lived in any of the ones they looked at.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Empress1

[shapeshifter]

On 5/1/2022 at 4:10 PM, CruiseDiva said:

Another trend I've noticed is that House Hunters all seem to be "hosting"--never inviting friends over or having a get-together or party. They don't even use the cliched "entertaining" word anymore. Now they all need space to "host." That's a term I've never heard anyone actually use in real life.

On 5/1/2022 at 5:52 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

That's because they over spend on the house, and they're having sales parties for all of the MLM stuff they're now selling.     That's why they all want the finished basement or bonus rooms, it's really for the workout gear, cosmetics, and everything else they're now selling to their acquaintances.   So, the call it hosting.   I knew someone who got into several of the skin care, and other multi level marketing stuff, and they called everything 'hosting'.  

Assuming there's some truth to your jest, I wonder if calling it "hosting [Tupperware or whatever] parties" is a way around zoning laws or HOA regulations that prevent using the property for a business?

Just "asking for a friend" who might want to "host" art lessons in her condo.

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by shapeshifter

[CrazyInAlabama]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Assuming there's some truth to your jest, I wonder if calling it "hosting [Tupperware or whatever] parties" is a way around zoning laws or HOA regulations that prevent using the property for a business?

Just "asking for a friend" who might want to "host" art lessons in her condo.

 

I think hosting is trying to hide that you're going to be guilting your family, and friends (who probably won't be your friends any longer) into buying your stuff, and trying to get them to join the MLM cult you're running. 

Kansas City, new episode.  A family with five kids, moving back to KC, and arguing about Kansas or Missouri side.   He's going to be a teacher in Missouri, with a combined program where he does student teaching, and a Master's program, so why are they even thinking about moving to the Kansas side?   

Her budget is $400k, and he wants $300k.   She only wants to stay for four years until he gets his Master's, some experience, and then move back around Dallas, Ft. Worth (Texas school districts pay great benefits, and salaries to master's level experienced teachers, however, the costs in Dallas / Ft. Worth are escalating a lot).   He wants to stay in Missouri.   She says she wants a starter home, but nothing they can easily afford is big enough. 

House 1-Move-in ready, really nice house. 3 bedrooms. already has a home office for her two remote jobs, short a bedroom.   Main en suite is kind of small, and the main closet is smallish.   House is $239k but there is a huge hillside, with a big and deep canyon behind it.   Wife wants to build a pool, I hope that's just a story line.  Independence, Missouri. 

House 2-Kansas $350k, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, Olathe, big fenced yard.   She wants to ad a basement bathroom, ridiculous.  I think the commute will be an issue with this one. 

House 3- $355k, 3 bed 2 bath, back yard has a big deck, smallish back yard, they have a neighborhood pool.   huge family room. I'm concerned about the many cracks in the basement floor slab, it's in Lee Summit, Missouri. 

They buy #2, for $355k.  (I would have bought #3). 

Edited May 4, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Hedgehog2022]

On 4/27/2022 at 11:03 PM, Grizzly said:

California-not Bakersfield. They are buying this potentially million dollar house with land for grandkids that don't exist yet? Gee, no pressure on their son and his wife. DIL even looked away when Carrie mentioned grandkids. Maybe they should look in a different area since all the properties were hilly. Oh course the contractor bought a fixer. I liked Gary.

I thought all the properties sucked. But the house they picked had zero appeal to me. Dark, kitschy, needed a ton of updates and the property was not kid friendly or dog friendly. Despite the hubby's protestations that he didn't want a fixer upper, he decided on buying one anyway? And this one needed ALOT of work...just putting two garages in will cost alot of $$$$$. The woodburning stoves for heat would be a big no for me...the smoke, the constant feeding the stove with wood...ugh. And no air conditioning? Even if it's not so hot in the summer there, as we all know with climate change that you can expect the unexpected in terms of temperatures in the summer. Wonder how much the leak they found out about cost to fix...even fixing up the "barn" for the hens was going to cost $$$ and we haven't even hit on the pottery studio or Gary's shop.

[CrazyInAlabama]

New episode of couple moving from Utah to Pittsburgh.   He's a nurse, she's a transportation analyst (whatever that is).    He's from Chile originally.   I like both of them.  Budget is

They say they have a couple of days to choose, but in this housing market that's reality.   Where I live, houses have gone up 20% in two years, and turn key houses are selling in two or three days at most, and this isn't even a hot market.   Low inventory. 

Her budget is $ , his is $, and he's open to a fixer (he won't have time to do this).   She needs a home office, two days a week remote.   They want to get something they could eventually rent out.   She hates grout, and tile. 

House #1 just outside the city, 10 miles isn't 'just outside the city' in snow country.  3 bed,  no garage, $173k, 3 bed nice entry, with a weather buffer.     Great deck, huge lawn.  Basement is a nightmare in old tile, looks like all asbestos to me.   There's an older bath in the basement.  Full bath is upstairs and really green,  The teeny 3rd bedroom will never work for a real bedroom, or even an office  I didn't notice a bath or half bath on the first floor either. 

House 2-   $160k, 3bed 2 bath it looks like an older bungalow or sort of craftsman style with the big front porch, unfortunately there are a lot of stairs to the porch, I think maybe 20 steps.    lovely stained glass windows on the first floor.   Kitchen is big, but old and ugly, back yard is a nice size, with a bigger 1 car detached garage from the alley access.   basement has lower ceilings.    nice woodwork.   probably  hardwoods under carpet on the first and second floor.   3 bedrooms all upstairs, are all decent sized.    renovated rental price would be $1200 or maybe more.   If they pull up the carpet, removed the wall paper (not full rooms, just a wall or two), paint everything and that house would be fantastic.  It's a real fixer.   

House 3-  $239K , 3 bed, 1 full  bath on 2nd floor, with main bedroom and bath on 3rd floor a converted attic.   I think at least 25 steps to the front porch, lovely restored house, original woodwork, the only ugly part are the awnings on the front porch, kitchen is lovely, totally redone, basement is nice, looks dry, seems to have central air. basement isn't totally finished,  Detached 2 car garage, with a 1 bed 1 bath over the garage (garage apt. rents for $500 a month with a tenant already in place), they say it's too expensive, but with the tenant in place for $500 a month that should make it affordable.   nice yard. 

They pick #1, I bet they'll hate driving to work in the winter from there.   He says the gigantic back lawn will only take 10 minutes to mow.    That's funny, it will take hours to mow it with a huge riding mower.  

[Kiddvideo]

I thought the Pittsburgh couple blew the chance to get that 2nd house. None of the updates involved tearing down walls. The kitchen will be expensive and an inconvenience, but the rest are simple enough. Instead they took one of the generic flips with a longer commute. Another person who wants to paint real wood cabinets because they want a white kitchen. They’re going to hate that yard with its steep hill. I foresee them pricing out landscapers after the first summer.

[LittleIggy]

Pittsburgh and Savannah: After LA and other SoCal places, it was weird to hear people talking about $250,000 being too expensive.🤪

[Chicken Fingers]

I couldn't believe how cheap Pittsburgh is. 

They're giving us a lot more pleasant buyers lately, which is what we need. 

[cameron]

Please someone, buy that male house buyer looking in Savannah area some shampoo for his hair.

[rhofmovalley]

9 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

I thought the Pittsburgh couple blew the chance to get that 2nd house. None of the updates involved tearing down walls. The kitchen will be expensive and an inconvenience, but the rest are simple enough. Instead they took one of the generic flips with a longer commute. Another person who wants to paint real wood cabinets because they want a white kitchen. They’re going to hate that yard with its steep hill. I foresee them pricing out landscapers after the first summer.

Well, that house wasn't really available as it was one of the decoys. 

Also the storyline of only having a couple of days to find a house while filming is false as they have already purchased the house before even applying to be on the show.

I did think they were a nice couple. Her hair was pretty although a bit too long IMO. And wow did they look young!

Edited May 5, 2022 by rhofmovalley

[snarts]

1 hour ago, cameron said:

Please someone, buy that male house buyer looking in Savannah area some shampoo for his hair.

I thought his might be more product related but I was so distracted by the wife's obviously unwashed hair. 

I also hated the house they chose.

[Dehumidifier]

9 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

I thought the Pittsburgh couple blew the chance to get that 2nd house. None of the updates involved tearing down walls. The kitchen will be expensive and an inconvenience, but the rest are simple enough. Instead they took one of the generic flips with a longer commute. Another person who wants to paint real wood cabinets because they want a white kitchen. They’re going to hate that yard with its steep hill. I foresee them pricing out landscapers after the first summer.

That was the show where the man mentioned a riding mower? I remember thinking a riding mower would tip over backwards on the hill.

[CrazyInAlabama]

6 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

That was the show where the man mentioned a riding mower? I remember thinking a riding mower would tip over backwards on the hill.

I bet they called a landscaper when they priced riding lawnmowers that could handle the power needed for that hill.    I know they have blizzards in Utah, but depending on exactly where they moved from, the Pittsburgh weather might still be a shock.    I hope if he even tried mowing that hill, that he realized you don't mow across with a riding mower, but straight up and down the hill.    

Edited May 5, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Crashcourse]

I liked the Pittsburgh couple, and I guess the house they chose was best for them.

I only watched about five minutes of the Savannah episode.  I couldn't stand looking at his greasy hair, and he looked unwashed.

[Empress1]

17 hours ago, Chicken Fingers said:

I couldn't believe how cheap Pittsburgh is. 

They're giving us a lot more pleasant buyers lately, which is what we need. 

Me neither. For some reason I thought it was pricier. It looks like a fairly nice city. I have a friend who grew up there and just moved back, but I’ve never been.

I guess since Felipe is a nurse, he can find work anywhere (nurses are quitting in droves), so relocating wasn’t a big deal for him.

[Kiddvideo]

11 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

Well, that house wasn't really available as it was one of the decoys. 

Well, obviously, but if we pull that thread every time someone has an observation there’s no use watching the show or playing along. For all we truly know the 2nd house could be valued at $350,000 if it were actually put up for sale and the producers only said $160,000 to make it seem like a good value.

Edited May 5, 2022 by Kiddvideo

[Empress1]

The third Pittsburgh house had a 1BR apartment that rented for $500 a month. I have quite literally never seen an apartment of any size that costs $500 a month that wasn’t subsidized housing or family renting to family and giving them a break. Just a regular market-value apartment for $500 in the 2020s? Pittsburgh really is cheap. Maybe I should move!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Only move to Pittsburgh if you like snow.    

Canadians, now living in Atlanta, she's a realtor, and he's a real estate broker.    They were surprised to see that the U.S. and Canada credit systems don't communicate.  They have three kids living here, (one is older and lives in Canada), one daughter wants a craft room, one son wants a game room.   Like everyone else, low inventory, and huge prices are an issue.  They want 6 to 7 bedrooms, for $650k to $750k.  

House 1-$630k, not on the market yet, Suwanee, starnge kitchen island T-shaped, she wants to move the cook top from the island, wouldn't it be easier to get a down draft cooktop? almost 5,000 sq ft.   The house has 3/4 acre, and she wants to put in a skateboard ramp, and a pool.    I would hate to be her neighbor with a skate ramp going all of the time.  I'm hoping there's an HOA that doesn't allow skateboard ramps.   House is a neighbor's and is not listed yet.  The skate ramp is for the father, not the kids.  

House 2-$650k, turn key house, 5283 sq ft, 5 bed 4 bath, huge basement, downstairs wet bar is as big as most kitchens, it has a big pool, no room for a skateboard ramp.

House 3-7 bedrooms, 6,000+ sq. ft., $735k, massive rooms, with hardwoods.   kitchen has a downdraft vent.   she wants to rip out the kitchen.   Tiny back yard so no pool or skate ramp.  they keep saying they have to redo the bathrooms, but I don't see that much that they need, 

They choose #1, so he can have a skateboard ramp in his yard, and she can have a pool.  Bought at the possible list. They're going to gut the kitchen, and put in the skate board ramp, and pool.  

[Grizzly]

Canada to Georgia. His hair, omg why? And there was nothing wrong with house #1. I don't think updates were needed. House #2, he didn't need to build a ramp, just skateboard down the driveway. I wasn't into #3 at all. She rubbed me the wrong way.

[CrazyInAlabama]

1 minute ago, Grizzly said:

Canada to Georgia. His hair, omg why? And there was nothing wrong with house #1. I don't think updates were needed. House #2, he didn't need to build a ramp, just skateboard down the driveway. I wasn't into #3 at all. She rubbed me the wrong way.

I agree with you on everything.    I wonder if the HOA will really allow a skateboard ramp?   I hope not.   I didn't like either one of them.   And having to get two huge bedrooms for each kid was so ridiculous.     Claiming the #3 house needed so much renovation was ludicrous.   #2 was lovely.   

[Dehumidifier]

10 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Only move to Pittsburgh if you like snow.    

Canadians, now living in Atlanta, she's a realtor, and he's a real estate broker.    They were surprised to see that the U.S. and Canada credit systems don't communicate.  They have three kids living here, (one is older and lives in Canada), one daughter wants a craft room, one son wants a game room.   Like everyone else, low inventory, and huge prices are an issue.  They want 6 to 7 bedrooms, for $650k to $750k.  

I find it impossible to believe that an American lending institution cannot get a credit report from Canada. More likely their credit report sucked because of her "need" to rip out perfectly good features of their prior properties in order to imitate her "entrepreneurial' father.

[mojito]

Canada to Atlanta

The wife's size demands, specific tastes, and immediate declarations of how things needed to be torn out and changed made me wonder what kind of impression she thought she was making with the viewing audience. Three kids, 4800+ square feet. Enough space for an indoor skateboarding ramp, I guess. The kids weren't very young and I doubt they planned to grow the family; that seems like an awful lot of unused rooms in a few years.

I wonder what it will be like trying to unload this mini-mansion when they move into their downsizing/one story home phase, which doesn't seem too far off for this couple. 

[rhofmovalley]

WHY does HGTV think we tune in to see people behaving like this? Why is the message not getting across to them that we don't want to see fake drama "reality" TV but just enjoy seeing houses in different locations in different styles? We don't watch to see some entitled acting twit declare a perfectly lovely kitchen or bathroom a "must gut job" or insist there isn't enough room in the massive closet for all of her shoes or watch him declare he needs a man cave to get away from the family I presume he willingly created.

Houses, HGTV. Locations. Not fake drama.

[dogdays2]

Atlanta woman also rubbed me the wrong way.  Those kitchens were nice.  Maybe they weren't entirely to her taste, but they weren't something out of the 1970s.  The way she immediately declared them as total losses made me think she either:  (1) thought saying that made her look somehow sophisticated; or (2) likes to find problems with everything.  

The cost to completely redo a kitchen that size with the high-end stuff she wants is around $100,000.  If they have so much money, why didn't they buy a more expensive house with a kitchen she liked.  Alternatively, they could probably have found a cheaper house with a kitchen that needed to be gutted.  Here, they are starting with a recently redone kitchen and putting more money into it just to change it.  

Most people WANT built-ins in their family rooms.  Almost everyone has standing pictures, books, or mementoes that they want to display.  If she doesn't like the small curves at the top, that would take a handyman 15 minutes to address.  

If the producers are orchestrating this nonsense, PLEASE STOP!!  At a time when many people are scrambling to find homes and many others can't afford to buy one, listening to whiners and complainers doesn't go over well at all.  It's one thing to say, "This isn't totally my style . . . but it's very nice and certainly will work for now" and another to say, "This is terrible and has to be totally gutted" when most viewers would be thrilled to have it.

 

[Thumper]

Good to see that I’m not the only one who thought the Canada to Atlanta woman was OTT about gutting perfectly good kitchens.  I was really surprised she was so adamant! 

[chessiegal]

Dimes to donuts, that Atlanta woman didn't touch the gut job kitchen and is living with it just fine.

[Pj3422]

I hated the Canada to Atlanta couple SO much. Between her wanting to gut perfectly good spaces and his needing room for a skate ramp, I was screaming at the screen. What a couple of entitled twits. 

A game room and a craft room, too? I mean, Candy Spelling had a gift-wrapping room and even she realized she needed to downsize. 

Edited May 6, 2022 by Pj3422
To further express my incredulity.

[CrazyInAlabama]

45 minutes ago, Pj3422 said:

I hated the Canada to Atlanta couple SO much. Between her wanting to gut perfectly good spaces and his needing room for a skate ramp, I was screaming at the screen. What a couple of entitled twits. 

A game room and a craft room, too? I mean, Candy Spelling had a gift-wrapping room and even she realized she needed to downsize. 

But it was justified (sarcastic) because the son demanded a separate game room, and the daughter demanded a craft room, so that's two bedrooms gone.   I'm sure the middle daughter will need another room too.   Plus, that place probably had a big bonus, and family room too.    

I'm really hoping the skateboard ramp for the husband was nixed by the HOA.   I doubt there is any way if he's allowed to build it, that it won't turn into an attractive nuisance for the neighborhood kids, and friends of the kids.     I wonder if anyone explained that if someone gets hurt on your property that you'll get sued?    By the way, those liability waivers are useless, even if the custodial parent signs them.   

I'm just glad I live very far from Atlanta, and will never be around either one of them.  

[Kiddvideo]

Unanimous on the Canadians. Do a new build if you’re going to gut high end kitchens and bathrooms. Those are expensive rooms, and you already paid for those finishes in the original price of the house.

I missed the first few minutes — was he a professional skateboarder back in the day or a hobbyist? Having the same ramp would get boring fast. He builds it and then it sits empty after 6 months. 

I have no idea what the underground around a house looks like. How easy is it to put in a pool without running into some cables or tubes or whatever?

[amarante]

I didn't find the Canadian to Atlanta couple outrageous in terms of what they were looking for and what they got.

They have three teenage children living at home who will need bedrooms for at least a decade. Even if they go to college, chances are they will come home as will the kid living in Canada for visits.

Unlike most of the house hunters who complain about kitchens this woman knew what she was talking about in terms of why the kitchen should be gutted if one is a serious cook. There is no worse place for a cooktop than the island because it can't be vented well. It also is stupid functionally since it limits the ability to use the island for any kind of casual gathering or seating. 

Also that kitchen was old - probably at least 15 or 20 years and the configuration reflected that. None of the lower cabinets were deep drawers which are more functional and desirable for anyone who actually cooks and uses a kitchen.

The woman wasn't one of those idiots who claimed she couldn't learn to cook if the appliances weren't stainless - based on her assessment and requirements she knew her way around a kitchen and used it. Once you moved the stove top to an exterior wall so it could be properly vented there was no point in attempting to salvage old cabinets which probably also lacked Blum hardware.

Also from a purely aesthetic kitchen it was ugly with the 20 year old dated backsplash. If the configuration had been good in terms of function, that would have been different but she was mostly commenting on the functional issues of the kitchen.

Her other comments were essentially functional - she didn't mind the shelves on the side of the fireplace. Easily changed to eliminate the arches. In the house she didn't lack, she had remarked that the dated round pillars could be changed to square pillars - again a relatively easy inexpensive fix.

Also the husband indicated that he was in construction as well as being a broker. Any upgrades they made to the property would be done more economically than the average homeowner who doesn't know anything about construction and has to pay a lot in order to guarantee the work is done properly.

ETA - I never thought he was going to actually put in a skate board ramp. He just talked about it so that he would have something memorable and a way to show the pictures on the screen of him in action. As he said, there were lots of skate board parks in the area. No one sane would have a skate board ramp in their back yard because it is a sure way to get sued when neighborhood kids sneak in and are injured - I can't imagine the kind of cost for an insurance rider if one has it.

 

Also you can’t transfer your credit history from Canada to the USA so they weren’t trying to hide a history of profligacy in Canada but stating the realty of having to build a new USA credit history. 

Edited May 6, 2022 by amarante

[CrazyInAlabama]

6 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

Unanimous on the Canadians. Do a new build if you’re going to gut high end kitchens and bathrooms. Those are expensive rooms, and you already paid for those finishes in the original price of the house.

I missed the first few minutes — was he a professional skateboarder back in the day or a hobbyist? Having the same ramp would get boring fast. He builds it and then it sits empty after 6 months. 

I have no idea what the underground around a house looks like. How easy is it to put in a pool without running into some cables or tubes or whatever?

They claim to be in real estate.  She's a realtor, and he's a broker, and skateboarding is his hobby. 

With the underground, it depends on if the house is on septic, or sewer.   Also, with underground utilities, and a lot that big, the locator service would have to locate everything before digging.     Also, some HOAs have strict rules about extra features, like that skateboard ramp, and I bet he was told to forget it.    I didn't see a lot of fences on neighboring properties, so it might be a development that restricts fences, but a pool would have to have a big fence.  

[Hedgehog2022]

On 5/5/2022 at 8:14 AM, snarts said:

I thought his might be more product related but I was so distracted by the wife's obviously unwashed hair. 

I also hated the house they chose.

YES! To everything you said! His hair was just a greasy unkempt mess...her hair looked unwashed also. I agree...the house they chose sucked...BIG money pit.

[Dehumidifier]

38 minutes ago, amarante said:

Unlike most of the house hunters who complain about kitchens this woman knew what she was talking about in terms of why the kitchen should be gutted if one is a serious cook. There is no worse place for a cooktop than the island because it can't be vented well. It also is stupid functionally since it limits the ability to use the island for any kind of casual gathering or seating. 

I had the impression that she is a bad cook. She mentioned generating a lot of smoke and they sort of giggled about it.

[amarante]

2 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

I had the impression that she is a bad cook. She mentioned generating a lot of smoke and they sort of giggled about it.

I took it to mean that she cooked certain foods like seared steak which generated fumes. 

I recently did a gut remodel of my kitchen and I would also have had issues with the kitchen for the reasons she mentioned. 🤷‍♀️ I don’t burn foods but proper venting whatever you cook is really necessary especially in an open plan home where all the effluents float all over the living area and onto the furniture s8nce they aren’t contained in a closed kitchen. 

[Hedgehog2022]

37 minutes ago, amarante said:

I didn't find the Canadian to Atlanta couple outrageous in terms of what they were looking for and what they got.

They have three teenage children living at home who will need bedrooms for at least a decade. Even if they go to college, chances are they will come home as will the kid living in Canada for visits.

Unlike most of the house hunters who complain about kitchens this woman knew what she was talking about in terms of why the kitchen should be gutted if one is a serious cook. There is no worse place for a cooktop than the island because it can't be vented well. It also is stupid functionally since it limits the ability to use the island for any kind of casual gathering or seating. 

Also that kitchen was old - probably at least 15 or 20 years and the configuration reflected that. None of the lower cabinets were deep drawers which are more functional and desirable for anyone who actually cooks and uses a kitchen.

The woman wasn't one of those idiots who claimed she couldn't learn to cook if the appliances weren't stainless - based on her assessment and requirements she knew her way around a kitchen and used it. Once you moved the stove top to an exterior wall so it could be properly vented there was no point in attempting to salvage old cabinets which probably also lacked Blum hardware.

Also from a purely aesthetic kitchen it was ugly with the 20 year old dated backsplash. If the configuration had been good in terms of function, that would have been different but she was mostly commenting on the functional issues of the kitchen.

Her other comments were essentially functional - she didn't mind the shelves on the side of the fireplace. Easily changed to eliminate the arches. In the house she didn't lack, she had remarked that the dated round pillars could be changed to square pillars - again a relatively easy inexpensive fix.

Also the husband indicated that he was in construction as well as being a broker. Any upgrades they made to the property would be done more economically than the average homeowner who doesn't know anything about construction and has to pay a lot in order to guarantee the work is done properly.

ETA - I never thought he was going to actually put in a skate board ramp. He just talked about it so that he would have something memorable and a way to show the pictures on the screen of him in action. As he said, there were lots of skate board parks in the area. No one sane would have a skate board ramp in their back yard because it is a sure way to get sued when neighborhood kids sneak in and are injured - I can't imagine the kind of cost for an insurance rider if one has it.

Your points are well taken...however...to the average viewer, one who might be struggling to make ends meet or might be needing a single family home but the over the top prices of homes and the ensuing bidding wars that follow make it impossible for them to purchase a home at this time, the wife's "need" to gut a kitchen that had perfectly good counter tops and cabintry seems frivilous. If not having an island stovetop was a huge negative for her, then why did she look at several homes that had one? Surely there were many other homes in the Atlanta area that would have had a regular range and all the other things they were looking for...so why waste your time looking at two homes that had an island range??? I got the feeling this wife/mother was just wanting to do updating and gut jobs no matter how seemingly perfect each house was.

I grew up as one of three children and we didn't need "craft rooms" or special gaming rooms...a finished basement was just fine for us. Before my parents could blink we were all in college and then out on our own... suddenly our house was too big for them and they downsized. Personally, I found both husband and wife to be annoying...a grown middle age man wanting to put a skate park in the back yard and her with her "But I want a pool!" was just a bit much for me. However...it was refreshing to see that Canadians can be jerks too.

[rhofmovalley]

3 minutes ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

why did she look at several homes that had one

I presume they couldn't find any decoy homes that met her requirements. Which isn't surprising.

I assume she would want to "gut" any home they found, because she can. Disposable income and all that.

[Dehumidifier]

58 minutes ago, amarante said:

Also you can’t transfer your credit history from Canada to the USA so they weren’t trying to hide a history of profligacy in Canada but stating the realty of having to build a new USA credit history. 

There's no way a lender can get a credit history from Canada? How do people who move from one country to another buy a house then? It must happen sometimes, do they all have to wait years?