House Hunters - General Discussion

[CrazyInAlabama]

With the San Diego house hunt, I hated that the second house had that big cage for a dog kennel, with the really tall wrought iron fence.    That's a big coyote defense, and I'm sure it was very necessary.     I wouldn't want to be in a location that had that much of a coyote problem.   

[Kiddvideo]

On 5/12/2022 at 3:23 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

Finally!  A HH reversed the handle on the refrigerator door!  I'm not sure which episode, but it was Wednesday night and I'm pretty sure it was a single woman HH.

The refrigerator was in a corner, along a wall on the left side (as you're looking at it).  The handle of the refrigerator was on the left side, which means every time you open it you have to walk around the door to get to the contents.

But I was thrilled to see that in the "after" scene, she'd moved the handle to the other side.  I wonder if the people who sold her the house saw the episode and thought, "Wait, we could have changed that?"

I was well into my 30’s before I learned doors could be reversed. My places were all fine as they’d been laid out, but I was gobsmacked when I learned.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I wouldn't want to be in a location that had that much of a coyote problem. 

There aren't many places in southern CA where coyotes aren't an issue to be accounted for by pet owners.  In Los Angeles, there are even urban coyotes.  The days of only those in the hills/foothills having to account for them, and only overnight, are gone.

[kirklandia]

On 5/13/2022 at 6:02 PM, Chicken Fingers said:

the realtor suggested she could see her clients in the outdoor space of the townhouse, where the neighbors could listen in.

Speaking of privacy, what about the "client" whose therapy session was wrapping up at the beginning of the episode, and who was shown clearly on screen.
Seems pretty unprofessional/unethical to me. Hopefully, more HH fakery.

[chessiegal]

I knew someone whose husband was a psychologist. He worked at home - his office was finished rooms over the garage with a separate entrance. Their property was on over an acre, all wooded. The house was at the end of a long driveway and had plenty of off-street parking. It never occurred to me about zoning regulations, so I looked it up. These are the requirements for my county, which seem easy enough to comply with.

Quote

• Uses are limited to Beauty salons, Professional offices, in home daycares and other* approved uses* • The use may be within the dwelling unit • Must not exceed 25% of floor area of the dwelling • The operator must be a resident of the dwelling • Only 1 employee who is a non-resident may be employed • The sale or rental goods not produced on the premises is prohibited • Outside storage is prohibited.

A townhouse seems less than ideal.

[Empress1]

9 hours ago, kirklandia said:

Speaking of privacy, what about the "client" whose therapy session was wrapping up at the beginning of the episode, and who was shown clearly on screen.
Seems pretty unprofessional/unethical to me. Hopefully, more HH fakery.

I’m sure that was staged.

[BAForever]

Liked the DC area HH and her sisters. She picked the right place, although one bath might be difficult. Lots of love in that family. 

[mojito]

Maryland 

I had to chuckle when the house hunter opened the door to a laundry closet and declared that the appliances needed to be updated. That really struck me as something she was coached to say once or twice, but she might've picked the wrong time to say it. 

Unlike many house hunters with family in tow, her sisters seemed to be pretty helpful and entertaining.

We see so many episodes where people are buying image houses, wanting to declare to the world that they made it. It was nice to see someone with a more modest life who wanted her former counselor to see how far she's come. In this case, the counselor was probably interested and satisfied. Not so sure others are as happy to see someone else's image house. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the D.C. house hunter, and her sisters too.    I really wish the townhouse she bought had a 1/2 bath on the other floor, but I liked the one she bought more than the first option with that hideous bathroom.    The first one's bathroom would be a nightmare to keep clean, and spot free.   The tile looked slick too.   

I love that she had a budget, and a monthly payment limit, and stuck to it.   

I grew up in that area, and it was so funny to see "Oxon Hill" spelled correctly.    

Edited May 19, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[javajeanelaine]

The DC episode was heartwarming. 

[Lady J]

10 hours ago, mojito said:

Maryland 

I had to chuckle when the house hunter opened the door to a laundry closet and declared that the appliances needed to be updated. That really struck me as something she was coached to say once or twice, but she might've picked the wrong time to say it. 

Unlike many house hunters with family in tow, her sisters seemed to be pretty helpful and entertaining.

We see so many episodes where people are buying image houses, wanting to declare to the world that they made it. It was nice to see someone with a more modest life who wanted her former counselor to see how far she's come. In this case, the counselor was probably interested and satisfied. Not so sure others are as happy to see someone else's image house. 

They seemed like really nice people !

[Grrarrggh]

The kitchen in the first NC house was a huge waste of space and badly laid out. They should have cut it in half and used the other part as a dining room or den/office. On a completely non house note, the HH guy had no butt. Either that or he was wearing some serious spanx and very large jeans.  

[Johannah]

Did the realtor really tell the psychologist that she could hold her therapy sessions outside or did I mishear?  on the patio that was right next to the neighbor's so they could listen?  That would be my last session.

I did like the HH and her sisters.

[mojito]

Chicago Suburbs

It felt as though HH wanted this couple to use the "growing their family" like for this episode. He stated that his biological clock was ticking and dropped some heavy hints about a future baby. The wife merely smiled noncommittally,  like she was just going along with the storyline. 

NJ to Charlotte area

That husband was sure looking out for #1, wasn't he? He didn't like the pool and its upkeep which is understandable. But he was fine with acreage, though, so he could run around with his motorized vehicles. Spending his time tending to the acreage and toys was worth his while, the pool was too much. Yet his wife and kids wanted a pool. I doubt that they used his motorized vehicles. 

She was funny with her worrying over the kids being upstairs. The youngest one was no baby, and he'd be upstairs with his two brothers. Having kids in her line of sight while she cooks? Growing up in the years when parents apparently neglected and even abused their children (compared to these helicopter parents), I never knew a single kid who died or burned down even part of the house, and few who even broke bones. Your mother checked on you when you were too quiet. Maybe.  If she wasn't elsewhere in the house reveling in a little peace and quiet. 

[chessiegal]

16 minutes ago, mojito said:

Your mother checked on you when you were too quiet.

That's my stepdaughter. One time when things got quiet, she found the kids in the bathroom merrily flushing everything they could find. 🤣

[Dehumidifier]

16 minutes ago, mojito said:

She was funny with her worrying over the kids being upstairs. The youngest one was no baby, and he'd be upstairs with his two brothers. Having kids in her line of sight while she cooks? Growing up in the years when parents apparently neglected and even abused their children (compared to these helicopter parents), I never knew a single kid who died or burned down even part of the house, and few who even broke bones. Your mother checked on you when you were too quiet. Maybe.  If she wasn't elsewhere in the house reveling in a little peace and quiet. 

Back then moms didn't brag about their wine consumption like they do now😜.

[dogdays2]

When I was growing up (age 2-6), our kitchen wasn't much bigger than a large closet.  It was at the end of the main hallway.  Island in the kitchen??  You have to be kidding me.  The kitchen was smaller than most of today's islands!

Standing in the kitchen, the only thing you could see was . . . the hallway.  The main room (combo living / dining area) was down the hall and around the corner.  You couldn't see into it if your life depended on it.  I had a small playroom -- it was upstairs.  I'm still alive to tell about it (no broken bones, no serious damage to house).  

I'm also tired of people complaining about how much work goes into pool maintenance.  There are companies that specialize in that very thing.  They're not super expensive and they will come every single week and do all of the pool maintenance for you.  If you want a pool, you can simply factor that into your financial equation just as you have to factor either a riding mower or lawn service if you have a large yard or the cost of a vet if you have a pet . . .

 

 

 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I feel sorry for the NC neighbors, their formerly quiet country homes now will have ATVs, motorcycles, and anything else the husband can buy to spoil his kids with.   I had to laugh when he said the house with the small suburban back yard could be used for some of his noisy toys, I'm guessing that neighborhood has a HOA, and probably rules about ATV used on streets, and ages to use them too.   

The Chicago couple actually bragged about being picky, and looking at over 100 houses in the last year.     I would have bought the one with the big main en suite, and the giant closet.   However, I've never looked at more than 10 houses before picking one to buy, so the couple just are people I can't relate to.  Their poor realtor certainly earned her commission. 

Edited May 19, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Hedgehog2022]

On 5/18/2022 at 11:42 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I loved the D.C. house hunter, and her sisters too.    I really wish the townhouse she bought had a 1/2 bath on the other floor, but I liked the one she bought more than the first option with that hideous bathroom.    The first one's bathroom would be a nightmare to keep clean, and spot free.   The tile looked slick too.   

I love that she had a budget, and a monthly payment limit, and stuck to it.   

I grew up in that area, and it was so funny to see "Oxon Hill" spelled correctly.    

I thought the home she chose was not a good choice at all. Older kind of rundown condo in a rundown neighborhood. The fence was awful and one small little bathroom? I hope she doesn't have to spend too much money fixing things and hope she got a security system installed. And BTW I would say that to any single woman living alone.

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The Chicago couple actually bragged about being picky, and looking at over 100 houses in the last year. 

And I changed the channel after that because I didn't think it was anything to brag about.  

11 minutes ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

I thought the home she chose was not a good choice at all. Older kind of rundown condo in a rundown neighborhood. The fence was awful and one small little bathroom? I hope she doesn't have to spend too much money fixing things and hope she got a security system installed. And BTW I would say that to any single woman living alone.

Yeah, given her budget I figured she wasn't going to wind up in a nice neighborhood.  

[amarante]

I liked the Chicago woman and her sisters but I agree that her choices were all pretty terrible.

And as a single woman security is really critical. Not to be too sexist but I think single women are far better off in a condo and NOT on the ground floor. It is way to vulnerable to have access through ground floor windows and for security you have to keep them locked all the time.

Better a smaller apartment in a more secure location. 

[Pine]

NC couple with the new saltwater pool.  At the very end, you can see the entire backyard beyond the pool is flooded, and the next door neighbors have it flooded up to their house.  Eeeekk.  I don't know how the ATV guy is even going to use his back 5, hahaha.  Of course it could be brown blurring....   

[nb360]

I'm watching the episode tonight with the family from upstate NY in Canandaigua.

Is it just me or is one person's voice incredibly... nasal?

 

[Grizzly]

13 minutes ago, nb360 said:

I'm watching the episode tonight with the family from upstate NY in Canandaigua.

 

I loved the stonework in #1.

[LittleIggy]

On 5/18/2022 at 8:06 AM, BAForever said:

Liked the DC area HH and her sisters. She picked the right place, although one bath might be difficult. Lots of love in that family. 

I liked them too. I shook my head when I heard her ex was a pastor then heard that she and their son ended up in a homeless shelter after the divorce. 🤦‍♀️ 
That bathroom was hideous. Who thought it was a good design choice to put that tile on the walls and the floor? 😬

[LittleIggy]

12 hours ago, mojito said:

Your mother checked on you when you were too quiet. Maybe. 

Or yelled up the stairs if you were too noisy.

“Judy Miller, what are you doing?!”

”Nothing!” 
If you get the reference: 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😉

[Kiddvideo]

The Indianapolis episode had a different feel than most with the father dying suddenly and the newborn still in NICU after 2 months. I kinda felt they were still in shock or mourning. They didn’t seem to be enjoying themselves or wanting their 15 minutes. Were they hoping to get publicity for the restaurants or clothing line?

[CrazyInAlabama]

6 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

The Indianapolis episode had a different feel than most with the father dying suddenly and the newborn still in NICU after 2 months. I kinda felt they were still in shock or mourning. They didn’t seem to be enjoying themselves or wanting their 15 minutes. Were they hoping to get publicity for the restaurants or clothing line?

That was a very odd episode, since it seemed like the HH couple were only going to stay in the house sometimes.    I'm wondering if the Indianapolis businesses had managers in place, and the couple were only going to live there for visits, after the baby was stronger and could travel.    

[Dehumidifier]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I liked them too. I shook my head when I heard her ex was a pastor then heard that she and their son ended up in a homeless shelter after the divorce. 🤦‍♀️ 
That bathroom was hideous. Who thought it was a good design choice to put that tile on the walls and the floor? 😬

Had to be free leftovers from a business renovation. Definitely not tile meant for a home.

[mojito]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

If you get the reference: 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😉

Well now I just feel left out. 😒

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, mojito said:

Well now I just feel left out. 😒

Reference to a character Gilda Radner did on SNL. You can probably find one of the sketches online. Very funny!

[proserpina65]

18 hours ago, amarante said:

And as a single woman security is really critical. Not to be too sexist but I think single women are far better off in a condo and NOT on the ground floor. It is way to vulnerable to have access through ground floor windows and for security you have to keep them locked all the time.

I guess it depends on your location.  Where I live, a security system would be a huge waste of money.  And I refuse to live above about the 2nd or 3rd floor for fire escape reasons.  But then, I live in a semi-rural area, although when I lived in an apartment, I lived just down the road from the county detention center.  Never felt unsafe, though.  I always figured any escapees would at least go as far as the bar at the intersection with the main road.

 

[Grrarrggh]

23 hours ago, amarante said:

And as a single woman security is really critical. Not to be too sexist but I think single women are far better off in a condo and NOT on the ground floor. It is way to vulnerable to have access through ground floor windows and for security you have to keep them locked all the time.

Yet as a woman she's getting paid less and condos on higher floors are more expensive. A bit of a Catch-22 eh?

[Empress1]

On 5/19/2022 at 5:26 PM, amarante said:

And as a single woman security is really critical. Not to be too sexist but I think single women are far better off in a condo and NOT on the ground floor. It is way to vulnerable to have access through ground floor windows and for security you have to keep them locked all the time.

I lived in a first floor apartment for years and only opened the windows (with screens) when I was there during the day. At night they were closed and locked, always. When I looked for a new place I vetoed anything on the first floor. I was just saying to someone that as a single woman you can’t live just anywhere if you can help it. 

Just watched the Maryland sisters. I liked them a lot! You can tell they all really love each other.  I liked the house she chose although I’d want a second bathroom.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I remember one HH in Chicago, and she was remarking about the safety of having the fire escape outside her window, but the condo was at least on the 15th floor,(apparently it wasn't that high, but still not a problem for me),    So it would be one tired burglar by the time they climbed that high or climbed down from the roof.     I'm sure that was a producer scripted line though.   

Edited May 21, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[amarante]

31 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I remember one HH in Chicago, and she was remarking about the safety of having the fire escape outside her window, but the condo was at least on the 15th floor, so it would be one tired burglar by the time they climbed that high.       I'm sure that was a producer scripted line though.   

Actually they would come from the roof but it is unlikely that such a high building has fire escapes because generally the construction for high rise buildings is different and they have internal fire stairs.

 
 

 

[LittleIggy]

12 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

But then, I live in a semi-rural area, although when I lived in an apartment, I lived just down the road from the county detention center.  Never felt unsafe, though.  I always figured any escapees would at least go as far as the bar at the intersection with the main road.

I live downtown in an apartment building across the street from the county lock-up. I figure any escapee will try to get as far away from the detention center as possible as quickly as possible!

[Hedgehog2022]

On 5/19/2022 at 6:13 PM, Pine said:

NC couple with the new saltwater pool.  At the very end, you can see the entire backyard beyond the pool is flooded, and the next door neighbors have it flooded up to their house.  Eeeekk.  I don't know how the ATV guy is even going to use his back 5, hahaha.  Of course it could be brown blurring....   

It's so important to find out if the land you're buying has had water issues...especially in flood zones or low lying areas near water. This couple were too focused on their individual wish lists. Her with the pool and him with his need for a large piece of land. I always wonder if these couples think about their kids and what should be important for them like good schools, a neighborhood where they can have a group of kids to play with the minute they walk out of their house. 

[Grrarrggh]

7 hours ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

I always wonder if these couples think about their kids and what should be important for them like good schools, a neighborhood where they can have a group of kids to play with the minute they walk out of their house. 

Not every child needs, or wants, a neighborhood full of children. 

[Empress1]

11 hours ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

It's so important to find out if the land you're buying has had water issues...especially in flood zones or low lying areas near water. This couple were too focused on their individual wish lists. Her with the pool and him with his need for a large piece of land. I always wonder if these couples think about their kids and what should be important for them like good schools, a neighborhood where they can have a group of kids to play with the minute they walk out of their house. 

Hunters sometimes mention wanting neighborhoods for kids (often framed as one person wanting a neighborhood and one person wanting land) but I don’t think I’ve ever heard them mention schools. I guess because the show is staged and the kids aren’t going to change schools, but for hunters who are relocating like the NC couple, you’d think they’d mention it. I know lots of people who have built their home searches around school districts.

I grew up in Philly in a neighborhood with lots of kids and I loved it - we were always in and out of each other’s houses.

I think houses with main bedrooms on the first floor like the one that couple got isn’t uncommon in NC. My best friends lived outside of Charlotte for a couple of years and their rented house had that. It was when their first kid was like 18 months - 3 years old and they just put up a baby gate and got on with it. There are as something about the NC wife that annoyed me; maybe her flat affect.

[amarante]

12 hours ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

It's so important to find out if the land you're buying has had water issues...especially in flood zones or low lying areas near water. This couple were too focused on their individual wish lists. Her with the pool and him with his need for a large piece of land. I always wonder if these couples think about their kids and what should be important for them like good schools, a neighborhood where they can have a group of kids to play with the minute they walk out of their house. 

There have actually been a number of episodes where schools and neighborhoods with children have been a storyline.

It often comes up when one HH wants a neighborhood with children to play with - or a cul de sac (which is often viewed as very kid friendly) or having neighborhood amenities like a pool where the kids can socialize.

With schools it is typically more that they want the kids to remain in their current school district.

I think that a lot of what people actually look for isn't generally addressed because it isn't as quirky because it is a given. Almost any parent with kids takes schools into consideration when considering where to buy - good schools are very often a significant factor in terms of the FMV of a home. Even in places like NYC with large school districts particular small neighborhoods where the neighborhood public elementary school is particularly good will have a higher FMV. 

[amarante]

57 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

s of kids and I loved it - we were always in and out of each other’s houses.

I think houses with main bedrooms on the first floor like the one that couple got isn’t uncommon in NC. My best friends lived outside of Charlotte for a couple of years and their rented house had that. It was when their first kid was like 18 months - 3 years old and they just put up a baby gate and got on with it. There are as something about the NC wife that annoyed me; maybe her flat affect.

I think master bedrooms on the first floor are a relatively new housing feature. 

I have never been in an older home that has a master bedroom on the first floor unless some kind of den was modified or there was a small maid's room. Of course the ranch style single story homes have all the bedrooms on the same level

There is a kind of hybrid style home which has various levels with short steps but isn't what they call a split level as you enter at the front and the main living/kitchen areas are on that level. If you enter from the garage there is typically the family room at the level with a half flight up to the main level.

It seems like master on the first floor would be common in areas like North Carolina where the housing stock is newer just as those homes would be more typically built as open concept.

Maybe it has to do with the likelihood that these kinds of homes would be typically bought by more affluent people whose kids are not babies and so proximity to an infant on the same floor isn't necessary and separation of kids and adults is desirable. Or maybe it has to do with the ubiquity of baby monitors. Everyone has a baby monitor now whereas no one having a baby monitor when I was a baby so parents really needed to be able to be close to hear a crying baby in the night.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm watching the marathon on OWN, and some are fairly recent.   

One from 2019 was appalling.   They were deciding between Kansas and Missouri side of Kansas City, but they took their Golden Retriever through the houses with them.    I know they own one house already, but who owns the other two?      Also, since the other two were decoys, or short term rentals, were they homes that allowed pets? 

I have a friend where her entire family have varying degrees of allergies to pet dander.  Her brother was lied to by a realtor about a condo being pet free, and when he walked in to tour it, he had a bad reaction.   When he went outside, gasping for air, a neighbor came to his aid, and asked what was going on, the neighbor told him that the previous owner had a bunch of cats.  The realtor was one of those people who doesn't believe people can be that allergic.   

Edited May 22, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[amarante]

47 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm watching the marathon on OWN, and some are fairly recent.   

One from 2019 was appalling.   They were deciding between Kansas and Missouri side of Kansas City, but they took their Golden Retriever through the houses with them.    I know they own one house already, but who owns the other two?   

Years ago there was a realtor who appeared on a few episodes who carried around her little dog in a tote. I think the dog was named Birkin. 

I would hope that they get permission to bring a dog into the decoy houses. I love dogs but I wouldn't want to have a strange dog roaming around my home. Perhaps I am traumatized because years ago my friend visited with his Italian Grayhound who went to the back of my home - ignored the tile kitchen floors and hallways - found my master bedroom - ignored the wood and the en suite bathroom and defecated on my area rug. I didn't discover it until that evening and luckily I didn't step on it. 

[chessiegal]

33 minutes ago, amarante said:

Years ago there was a realtor who appeared on a few episodes who carried around her little dog in a tote. I think the dog was named Birkin. 

Yes, her purse was a Birkin bag. A Birkin in a Birkin. 🤣

I'm sure all these homes have permissions for whatever.

[amarante]

36 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Yes, her purse was a Birkin bag. A Birkin in a Birkin. 🤣

I'm sure all these homes have permissions for whatever.

Not to be snarky ha ha but I suspect it was a Birkin in a FAKE Birkin 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 5/19/2022 at 7:43 AM, Grrarrggh said:

The kitchen in the first NC house was a huge waste of space and badly laid out.

It was so poorly laid out that even I noticed it.  The stovetop was on an island at least 10 feet from the sink.  Do people want to sit at an island that has pots of boiling water on it?  And carry the big pot of pasta 10 feet to the sink to drain it?  And the refrigerator was over there by the island, far away from where I assume people would be prepping stuff.

I actually crossed that one off the list of possibilities when I saw that kitchen, only to find out that's what they bought. 

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

The stovetop was on an island at least 10 feet from the sink.

AND.....it had no venting!!  

[cameron]

Finger Lakes couple.  For being a bridal florist; that arrangement she was working on was really sad looking.  Might think of looking at another vocation.

[pdlinda]

7 hours ago, cameron said:

Finger Lakes couple.  For being a bridal florist; that arrangement she was working on was really sad looking.  Might think of looking at another vocation.

It was the WOMAN'S VOICE that was unbearable! 

Turned the remote to MUTE immediately.