House Hunters - General Discussion

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 10/20/2022 at 7:53 AM, stewedsquash said:

@CrazyInAlabama Oh, okay about the Utah question. The way they presented it, or the way I took it?, was that they were rental apartments. Even the realtor always presented it that way, not as the other options. I guess it was for their story. After watching, if I were to ever be in a position to purchase in a new home development that would be one of my questions if there were an HOA or from the code board, Is this a neighborhood that is also a rental neighborhood? I am wording this poorly but it seems like it would be a detriment to have so many rentals if everyone was doing it that way. I am overthinking what is probably as I stated above just a plot point. But it did stand out to me. 

There are at least four states that made it illegal to regulate short term or vacation rentals.  Indiana is one of them, Utah is another state that did that also.   

The basement or walkout rental apartments are popular also.   The HOA or other subdivisions I've heard of that restrict short term rentals, allow six month or longer leases only.   That avoids the short term rental restrictions.  

Edited October 21, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Empress1]

On 10/19/2022 at 12:22 AM, Thumper said:

The couple from Appleton, WI ( my home state!) were so hard to watch.  Did they agree on anything?   🤯

I thought she was horrible. Steamrolled him at every turn. She did come across as a bully, and like she couldn’t stand him.

[badgerwoman]

On 10/18/2022 at 11:22 PM, Thumper said:

The couple from Appleton, WI ( my home state!) were so hard to watch.  Did they agree on anything?   🤯

I was more amused when they said he worked for a major sports team and wouldn't say who - they are in Appleton, it has to be the Packers, right?  but they sure as heck didn't like each other. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I thought Packers at first, but there's also baseball, basketball, ice hockey, and other pro teams around too.   (I'm not a sports fan, so I had to ask a friend about the teams), and all of the college teams too.   I don't remember if he said pro team or not.   

I was so fascinated with the fact that the couple seemed to have no common ground about anything.   I'd like to see an update in a couple of years, and wonder if that nasty looking mud wallow in the backyard was really very minor or not.  

New one (Thursday one episode runs early, 7 p.m. Central), Greenville, SC.    An artist husband, Michael, who I need to say I'm sick of his whining already. and don't know what Carly does.   Michael wants something to show they've made it. 

His budget is up to $500k, her budget is $350k to $450k, they are upsizing from 1600 sq ft, They paid off $68k in student debt, and credit card debt in two years.   His art business is doing well.  He wants older for character, she wants nicer, and turnkey.  He does faux comic books (no, I have zero clue about what that is)

House 1 -Fountain Inn, south of  Simpsonville, $339k , 4 bed,  bath, just under 2000 sq ft, on a corner lot, very little back yard.    Lovely kitchen, LVP floors, 1 bedroom down, 3 bedrooms upstairs.   An upstairs walk in closet is nice, but they want to turn it into a playroom. 

House 2-Simpsonville. HOA neighborhood, about $500 a year HOA for the amenities,  $408,500, 3 bed (an a bonus room), 3.5 bath, Tennis courts, clubhouse and pool.  Double the size of their current house, so at least 3200 sq ft.  Michael dislikes the neutral walls.   lovely kitchen, plantation shutters, great deck. backyard needs a fence, great main suite, and en suite. another bed and bath, I guess the bedrooms each have a bathroom, all bedrooms are upstairs.   

House 3-Simpsonville, newer house, $390k, built in 2017, 4 bed 2.5 bath, 2600 sq ft, nice kitchen, backyard is fenced, bedrooms are upstairs, main bedroom is huge, ensuite is great, big closet.  guest room, and 2 more bedrooms.   

They pick #2, I'm surprised, I really thought they would pick #3 for the 4 bedrooms, and humongous main suite. 

I'm watching the Miami episode from yesterday.   $800k to $1 million is a healthy budget.   Dana and Nate. Nate family is in building, and his father had every house they lived in custom built.    

First house is downtown, $900k,  and  is a quirky vintage house, almost no yard,  third bedroom is tiny, and is the staircase bottom and a tiny bathroom, upstairs bedrooms are small, with the bathroom vanity sink is on the upstairs landing of the stairs.  

Second is further from downtown.  45 minutes to downtown Miami, older home, totally redone to flipper trendy.  $699k, 2200 sq ft, Huge gray tile floor, ensuite, and main are great. Backyard is nicely landscaped, big patio, fenced. in MIami this home would be over $1 million,  4 bed 3 bath, great kitchen,

Third is a fixer, 5 min. to downtown, $849k, same family owned house for 60 years, 1696 sq ft, 4 bed 3 bath, living room and dining are open, original wood floors.   Kitchen is small, needs to be gutted and enlarged.   3 bed 2 bath in the main house, plus a 1 bed 1 bath guest house.   Main suite is nice size, but not the en suite.    Location is excellent, with his connections, house remodel might not be that slow. 

They chose #3 , I would have chosen #3 with his connections to redo it.   I bet they finished it very quickly with help from his family's company. 

Edited October 21, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grrarrggh]

The Miami couple came off as quite spoiled. The house they chose seemed great yet they were whining over it like they'd been ordered to live in a landfill. 

[Thumper]

I liked the episode with the single mom of 4 looking for her first house in Virginia Beach(?).  She was just so appreciative of all the space.  Her boyfriend seemed like a sweetheart, too.    I just wonder how her dad, who was going to come live with them, is going to manage those stairs.  Was there a lower level bedroom that I’ve forgotten?

[CrazyInAlabama]

7 hours ago, Thumper said:

I liked the episode with the single mom of 4 looking for her first house in Virginia Beach(?).  She was just so appreciative of all the space.  Her boyfriend seemed like a sweetheart, too.    I just wonder how her dad, who was going to come live with them, is going to manage those stairs.  Was there a lower level bedroom that I’ve forgotten?

The house they chose in N.C. didn't have a first floor bedroom and bath.   I hope the father is OK doing those stairs.       I was suprised she moved to NC, I know a lot of people do commute in that area, but it uprooted the kids, and I bet she'll be regreting having traded a huge house for convenience.    I wonder how the kids reacted to moving away from their schools and friends?

Single mother of 4, wants house for the kids, and her older father.   Boyfriend will be in his own house with his own three kids in NC for now. Budget, is $ ,  she's the first in her family to buy a house.   She works from home, in HR, so works remotely full time.     Boyfriend of nine months, not father of any of her kids, he has three kids, and lives in NC (bet he can't take the kids out of state on visitation).     She's lived in Virginia Beach for three years.   

House 1     

I would have picked the Chesapeake house, but she would have had to change the kid's schools anyway.   

House 1 Virginia Beach, $425k, 5 bed 3 baths, 2448 sq ft, kitchen is totally redone, bet they change the living room to the dining room (there's a family room).    Primary bedroom and guest rooms on first floor, with en suite for her, upstairs room for father is nice, but stairs are a problems for him,    I don't care about the boyfriend's commute to visit, or eventually move in, but I bet 

House 2-Elizabeth City, NC house,  Huge house with a bizarre spiral staircase from second floor, to third, hanging over the family room.    Her father's room will be a long flight of stairs.    House is on big lot, 25 minutes to Bryon.    $450k, raised first story, 2 car garage, 3500 sq ft, 4 bed 3 bath, FROG (finished room over garage,) on the second floor, it needs closet to be a 5 th bedroom), living room, and dining are huge, kitchen is bid, nice family room attached, house is on .5 acre. Back yard is only fenced on one side, and that's the neighbor's house.   Primary bedroom and en suite on first floor, 2nd floor has 3 bedrooms, and FROG, that needs a closet to be the 5th bedroom. 3rd floor is a bonus family room space with wet bar.   her office would be on the third floor.  HOA is $55 a month.   1st floor family room is big.  I didn't see a first floor half bath either.    No mention of HOA rules either.   

House 3-Chesapeake, VA, $385,900 6 bed 3 bed with a first floor bedroom and bath for her father, his whine is built in in living room is too small for his desired TV size (you take the upper part of built in out, and TV fits fine, no matter how big).   First floor is bedroom and full bath, upstairs are bedrooms, a perfect office, primary bedroom with en suite is huge.    The updates it needs are tiled bathroom and kitchen floors, (I would do LVP everywhere), 

She picks House #2, in NC.   Father's room is upstairs, with long stairs.    The house in Chesapeake would have been my choice, with a few updates for flooring, and new vanity tops in bathrooms, it would have been a better choice for the father moving in.     She's kidding herself if she thinks the HVAC replacement will cost $5,000 on the house she picked.   Property taxes, etc. will be cheaper in NC I hope, and that's a huge house, but I question the maintenance and utilities, and if she ever has to go back to the office, the commute will get old.   She didn't say where the company she works for is actually located.   Lots of people who work in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area commute to Elizabeth City.    I bet the upstairs bonus rooms will turn into boyfriend's kids space when they visit, or if he  moves in.   

Edited October 21, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[ECM1231]

10 hours ago, Thumper said:

I liked the episode with the single mom of 4 looking for her first house in Virginia Beach(?).  She was just so appreciative of all the space.  Her boyfriend seemed like a sweetheart, too.    I just wonder how her dad, who was going to come live with them, is going to manage those stairs.  Was there a lower level bedroom that I’ve forgotten?

I liked the woman and her boyfriend, too. I believe there was a primary first floor bedroom,iirc. I was hoping that she'd give her dad the first floor bedroom, so he wouldn't have to do the stairs. I realize that's a big ask. Maybe they can get one of those chair lifts. She got a lot more house for the money in NC than in the Virginia Beach area.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/19/2022 at 11:08 PM, edie3 said:

Quote

The couple from Appleton, WI ( my home state!) were so hard to watch.  Did they agree on anything?

And they all were so loud!

I always watch TV with the sound on, with captions.  But for this episode, Mr. Outlier was trying to concentrate on something so I turned the sound off and just used captions.  And I was surprised to read so many negative comments about the couple, because they didn't seem to be more conflicty than most couples on the show.

It makes me think/realize/acknowledge that tone (and volume) are such an important part of communication.  Because really, they seemed pretty typical to me.

[edie3]

On 10/20/2022 at 4:10 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

An artist husband, Michael, who I need to say I'm sick of his whining already.

I wanna see his precious art!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Ph.D. student at Statesboro GA.    First one is a ranch that mostly needs cosmetic changes, with lots of parking, rooms to rent to roommates, and close to the college.   

Second is a 2 bedroom townhouse, very little parking, and I doubt her big game nights with 20 people, cornhole games on the back yard, and other activities will be all that popular with the neighbors.   Nice place, but not big ehough for two roommates. 

Third close to Savannah area, 50 minutes drive each way, and that's the realtor's estimate, which is usually a gross understatement.    Nice place, but too far away from campus, she'll get roommates from Savannah, and not from the college. 

They didn't mention HOA, or other costs either.   I knew the house hunter who kept talking about biking to school, and saving the environment, and carbon footprints would never go for #3. 

No surprise she went with #1, where she could have two roommates, close to school, and lots of parking and party space. 

[ScorpioSoul]

The young grad student-annoyed me with constant harping about the environment. 

Husband that looks liked he had a black eye, I thought that too. However, in the pictures they showed at the beginning of the episode, he had the same mark though, so looks like an unfortunate birth mark or something.

Edited October 26, 2022 by ScorpioSoul

[WI GIRL56]

On 10/20/2022 at 2:41 PM, badgerwoman said:

On 10/18/2022 at 11:22 PM, Thumper said:

The couple from Appleton, WI ( my home state!) were so hard to watch.  Did they agree on anything?   🤯

I was more amused when they said he worked for a major sports team and wouldn't say who - they are in Appleton, it has to be the Packers, right?  but they sure as heck didn't like each other. 

I am 90 minutes from Appleton.  We do our big shopping there once a month.   Sports teams could also be semi-pro.  Appleton has that in baseball.  

[CruiseDiva]

8 hours ago, ScorpioSoul said:

The young grad student-annoyed me with constant harping about the environment. 

Good thing she didn't pick the house close to Savannah. Depending exactly on its location that drive to Statesboro could not only be long, but the roads are through the countryside and not the best. One year my husband and I had an accident when a deer ran into our car when we were between Savannah and Statesboro. It's not an uncommon occurrence, There's a lot of open space in that part of Georgia and no interstate along that route.

[buttersister]

Kudos to Carly in Chicago. The 1B/1B in Andersonville (top floor, balcony, outdoor storage and IN UNIT washer/dryer) was so the way to go.

Her mother probably has some big place in wherever Indiana, so a small condo wasn't for her. Sorry not sorry about her not getting second bedroom (roommate my ass, Mom doesn't want to drive home after dinner). Also, give me a break on being afraid of downtown. Carly can't buy a 1B/1B downtown for $150K .

And, realtor? The purple line runs to Evanston. Pink line goes from the Loop south to Midway Airport. Evanston was obviously a ringer. And a garden apartment in Albany Park? No. No. No.

[cameron]

Carly in Chicago HH, please comb your hair.  Looks like a rat's nest.  Guess she doesn't realize that Chicago gets really hot there in the summer.  Lived there for 10 years and can attest to that fact.

[Dehumidifier]

3 hours ago, cameron said:

Carly in Chicago HH, please comb your hair.  Looks like a rat's nest.  Guess she doesn't realize that Chicago gets really hot there in the summer.  Lived there for 10 years and can attest to that fact.

She was rocking her natural curls. You wash it, comb it in place, let it dry, and try not to touch it. Oh, and avoid wind.

10 hours ago, buttersister said:

Her mother probably has some big place in wherever Indiana, so a small condo wasn't for her. Sorry not sorry about her not getting second bedroom (roommate my ass, Mom doesn't want to drive home after dinner). Also, give me a break on being afraid of downtown. Carly can't buy a 1B/1B downtown for $150K .

That's what I thought too.

[cameron]

1 hour ago, Dehumidifier said:

She was rocking her natural curls. You wash it, comb it in place, let it dry, and try not to touch it. Oh, and avoid wind.

That's what I thought too.

Her's didn't look like it was combed in place; just a tangled mess in my opinion.

[CrazyInAlabama]

It was so easy to guess what Chicago condo the woman was going to buy.    Mom certainly planned on having a place to stay when she came to town, and you could see how ticked she was.  $175k certainly was a small budget for Chicago, especially since the HOA fees will come with the condo. 

Orlando from Nashville.  $500k budget for her, $400k for him with DIY possible.  The wife is another one who wants to spend more to impress other people. He wants one story, she wants two story.   She's a trainer, so wants a big garage to run a fitness center out of it.   I guess HOA rules never crossed her mind. 

 First house- two story, but only bare concrete floors, not finished concrete.   No pool, but HOA community pool and tennis courts. Upstairs floor is tile, and LVP. main bedroom has popcorn ceiling, and ugly carpet.  I love the husband's statement about being open to DIY was a lie when he sees the main suite and bathroom. 

Second house-better location, on the west side.  $480, 4 bed 3 bath, 1 story, pool screened room.   Tile floors, several chandeliers, lovely kitchen.   main bedroom and ensuite are great. 

Realtor tells the wife about his sold houses that were shown with alligators in the front yard during the showing, and they did sell. 

Third house- 1 story, 4 bed 2 bath, est $3k to get rid of the popcorn ceilings.   screen pool, only concrete around the pool, so he wants to put in fake grass.   ensuite counter is a strange color choice for the rest of the bathroom.   split bedroom plan. kitchen isn't huge, but very updated.   

They chose #1, bought at list price of $400k. 

L.A. area, new, "Trading Up to a House in Los Angeles" Ricky the realtor and his adorable wife Shaquinta (sorry if I misspelled her name).     

First house-nice family room for an office.   

 The second house needed to be restuccoed immediately.  5 bedrooms.  Lots of interior room, but back yard is awful. 

Third house looked nice 

They bought #2, $749k list, $785k purchase price. 

I'm very tired of people like Ricky wanting 'Grandeur" which he keeps calling "Grand".     For under a million, or better $2 million, in L.A. you get grand, but not for less than $800k.  

New, "From Homelessness to Queen of Her Castle"   Mother and daughter buying a home in Atlanta. 

Amber, and daughter. Knightley.  I already like the friend, Brandi, and the realtor, Tonia.   She rented a townhouse, and now she's looking for a house.  

Wishlist-$325k, and she doesn't want a fixer.   She wants a single family, and a townhouse for the better value.  Her little daughter wants an ensuite, and a fireplace for Santa.  

House 1 3 bed 2.5 bath, $335k, $38 a month HOA, with a pool and playground in the community.  Unfortunately with popcorn ceilings. kitchen is nice, lots of granite counter tops, yard is fully fenced.   Est, $2k to scrape the ceilings.   With washer and dryer. There's a hall bath for Knightley.   main bedroom is big, ensuite is nice, closet is big.  I don't like the idea of going over budget, and wanting to change bathroom counters, mirrors, etc. 

House 2-Townhouse, $310k, Amber hates the shutter colors, there's a swimming pool and playground, 1891 sq ft, 4 bed 2 full baths, and 2 half baths. HOA is $95 a month , 1 car garage, kitchen is nice but laminate counter tops.   gas stove, Second floor is en suite for daughter, and main bedroom, ensuite is nice. She's getting picky over wooden face plates on the outlets, they're a dollar each at the hardware store. 

House 3-Single Family, Woodstock GA, 1104 sq ft, $324,000 , $55 a month HOA, 2 bed, 2 bath, no pool in the community,  Kitchen is smaller, but efficient, fenced back yard. HOA takes care of front and back yard maintenance. main bedroom is nice, with good closets.

She picks # 2

Edited October 28, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grrarrggh]

Why do people hate popcorn ceilings so much? Who spends so much time staring at their ceiling? 

[kirklandia]

I got a little nostalgic seeing those Chicago area condos.  Love the style of those old buildings. When I was a college student in Evanston, I lived in four different apartment buildings that had that look.  I am pretty sure they are all condos now.

One of our apartments was a small garden unit. I slept on a pull-out couch in the living room.  My roommate had the bedroom, a friend of hers used to visit by climbing through her ground level window. We were too foolish back then to worry about safety. 

[amarante]

12 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Why do people hate popcorn ceilings so much? Who spends so much time staring at their ceiling? 

They are objectively awful. 

I had a popcorn ceiling and got rid of it when I remodeled and you don’t realize how much it influences the look of a room even if you aren’t conscious of it. The smooth ceilings are lighter and brighter looking and the room looks much better. 

They are awful dust catchers and not as clean as a smooth ceiling. If you paint them it is impossible to remove. 

Also most of them have asbestos so removing them has to be done by a licensed hazmat company. 

Edited October 28, 2022 by amarante

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

Why do people hate popcorn ceilings so much?

They're unattractive and hard to clean.  Removing them is something most buyers will want to do, but isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of home ownership, so that project is something to be noted on a potential home's "con" list but not something to blather on about as a deal-breaker for dramatic effect. 

(I've done it; with no asbestos, it was straightforward, but a literal pain in the neck, an obnoxious project I was glad I only had to do once.  On par with removing ancient wallpaper.)

[Dehumidifier]

I'm under the impression that builders started doing popcorn ceilings to cover up less than perfect workmanship. 

People who removed the popcorn -- how was the ceiling underneath?

[cameron]

19 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

It was so easy to guess what Chicago condo the woman was going to buy.    Mom certainly planned on having a place to stay when she came to town, and you could see how ticked she was.  $175k certainly was a small budget for Chicago, especially since the HOA fees will come with the condo. 

Orlando from Nashville.  $500k budget for her, $400k for him with DIY possible.  The wife is another one who wants to spend more to impress other people. He wants one story, she wants two story.   She's a trainer, so wants a big garage to run a fitness center out of it.   I guess HOA rules never crossed her mind. 

 First house- two story, but only bare concrete floors, not finished concrete.   No pool, but HOA community pool and tennis courts. Upstairs floor is tile, and LVP. main bedroom has popcorn ceiling, and ugly carpet.  I love the husband's statement about being open to DIY was a lie when he sees the main suite and bathroom. 

Second house-better location, on the west side.  $480, 4 bed 3 bath, 1 story, pool screened room.   Tile floors, several chandeliers, lovely kitchen.   main bedroom and ensuite are great. 

Realtor tells the wife about his sold houses that were shown with alligators in the front yard during the showing, and they did sell. 

Third house- 1 story, 4 bed 2 bath, est $3k to get rid of the popcorn ceilings.   screen pool, only concrete around the pool, so he wants to put in fake grass.   ensuite counter is a strange color choice for the rest of the bathroom.   split bedroom plan. kitchen isn't huge, but very updated.   

They chose #1, bought at list price of $400k. 

L.A. area, new, "Trading Up to a House in Los Angeles" Ricky the realtor and his adorable wife Shaquinta (sorry if I misspelled her name).     

First house-nice family room for an office.   

 The second house needed to be restuccoed immediately.  5 bedrooms.  Lots of interior room, but back yard is awful. 

Third house looked nice 

They bought #2, $749k list, $785k purchase price. 

I'm very tired of people like Ricky wanting 'Grandeur" which he keeps calling "Grand".     For under a million, or better $2 million, in L.A. you get grand, but not for less than $800k.  

New, "From Homelessness to Queen of Her Castle"   Mother and daughter buying a home in Atlanta. 

Amber, and daughter. Knightley.  I already like the friend, Brandi, and the realtor, Tonia.   She rented a townhouse, and now she's looking for a house.  

Wishlist-$325k, and she doesn't want a fixer.   She wants a single family, and a townhouse for the better value.  Her little daughter wants an ensuite, and a fireplace for Santa.  

House 1 3 bed 2.5 bath, $335k, $38 a month HOA, with a pool and playground in the community.  Unfortunately with popcorn ceilings. kitchen is nice, lots of granite counter tops, yard is fully fenced.   Est, $2k to scrape the ceilings.   With washer and dryer. There's a hall bath for Knightley.   main bedroom is big, ensuite is nice, closet is big.  I don't like the idea of going over budget, and wanting to change bathroom counters, mirrors, etc. 

House 2-Townhouse, $310k, Amber hates the shutter colors, there's a swimming pool and playground, 1891 sq ft, 4 bed 2 full baths, and 2 half baths. HOA is $95 a month , 1 car garage, kitchen is nice but laminate counter tops.   gas stove, Second floor is en suite for daughter, and main bedroom, ensuite is nice. She's getting picky over wooden face plates on the outlets, they're a dollar each at the hardware store. 

House 3-Single Family, Woodstock GA, 1104 sq ft, $324,000 , $55 a month HOA, 2 bed, 2 bath, no pool in the community,  Kitchen is smaller, but efficient, fenced back yard. HOA takes care of front and back yard maintenance. main bedroom is nice, with good closets.

She picks # 2

She should be so picky in her wardrobe choices.  Thought she was something else.  Glad she has her room for twerking.

[laredhead]

Dehumidifier, the condition of the ceilings under the popcorn texture depends on the skill of the person who did the original sheetrock installation.  I had all of the popcorn ceilings removed in a house that I sold earlier this year. The house was built in 1975, and popcorn ceilings in new construction were standard then.   I will add that they would have been removed years ago, but it's a real mess when you are living in the house and there is furniture to be covered and moved.  Better to do it before moving in. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

They're showing recent reruns on HGTV this morning.    

The New Rochelle couple who both claimed they were going to compromise this time didn't.  The wife got exactly the house she demanded, with all kinds of improvement and changes before they even moved in.     

The psychologist in Charlotte who demands room in the kitchen for dancing while she cooks is strange.     The fact she claims she wants to have her psychology counseling practice in the middle of a HOA townhouse subdivision is going to irritate the neighbors from day one.   She should have bought the single family home. 

[amarante]

3 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

I'm under the impression that builders started doing popcorn ceilings to cover up less than perfect workmanship. 

People who removed the popcorn -- how was the ceiling underneath?

Popcorn ceilings were done because they were cheaper and didn't require as much skill as a smooth ceiling.

Most popcorn ceilings from homes built prior to the 1980's do contain asbestos because asbestos was commonly used in construction until it was banned. My ceilings had asbestos. Old vinyl tiles also commonly had asbestos

Asbestos is fine as long as it remains intact and isn't disturbed but is a huge health hazard when disturbed so no one should remove a ceiling without having it tested for asbestos. And of course beyond health risk to yourself and workers, you are also creating an ecological hazard since asbestos should be sent to a hazmat site where it can't pollute versus a standard trash facility.

My ceiling now looks perfect although I had to pay to have what was called "skim coat" so that it is smooth. The real expense was hiring a licensed asbestos removal company as that cost about $5 per square foot for removal plus tests which are done before and after.

[Empress1]

I fell out when the Orlando husband said “I don’t know why you want a pool. You can’t swim, Marquisha!” It was the delivery. That pool was awesome.

For some reason I found it odd that the Chicago buyer had a dog named Denise. Many of the pets owned by people I know have human names, but Denise struck me as an odd choice.

[cameron]

Think that the Atlanta home buyer's very young daughter shouldn't have a say in getting an ensuite at that age.  Get real mother.

[Grrarrggh]

8 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I fell out when the Orlando husband said “I don’t know why you want a pool. You can’t swim, Marquisha!” It was the delivery. That pool was awesome.

For some reason I found it odd that the Chicago buyer had a dog named Denise. Many of the pets owned by people I know have human names, but Denise struck me as an odd choice.

I found it sad that two adults couldn't swim. It should be a skilled learned right along with reading, though I know it can be next to impossible for people to find a pool. 

I love Denise for a dog. Right up there with Kevin. 

[Notabug]

14 hours ago, cameron said:

Think that the Atlanta home buyer's very young daughter shouldn't have a say in getting an ensuite at that age.  Get real mother.

I thought the same thing.  The kid was 7 years old, if I remember correctly.  A kid wanting a house with a fireplace for Santa is one thing, expecting her own private attached bath is another.

I found Amber, the mother, to be majorly annoying and was amazed that she had friends at all.  It is a tremendous accomplishment to have gone from homeless to home ownership in just a few years; but her constant whining that the houses were painted the 'wrong' color because they weren't painted white brick with black shutters (how original-not!) was just annoying.  Not to mention her constant refrain that she was stressed and starting to sweat which was the signal for her friends to step in and tell her it was going to be ok.  Perhaps she does have an anxiety disorder and is prone to panic anytime her exacting specifications are not met; but it wasn't fun to watch and makes me wonder why she'd apply to appear on TV to showcase her overwhelming issues for the world.  If nothing else, there are multiple resources for a first time homebuyer, online or local classes, to educate them about the ins and outs of buying a first house.  That might've prevented her meltdown when she found out one of the houses exceeded her budget by 10 grand.

That being said, her budget was quite modest and I thought she got a lot for her money with the townhouse she chose.

[amarante]

14 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

I found it sad that two adults couldn't swim. It should be a skilled learned right along with reading, though I know it can be next to impossible for people to find a pool. 

I love Denise for a dog. Right up there with Kevin. 

For a variety of cultural reasons, swimming is a skill that many POC don't acquire.

Part of it is economic as middle class kids typically get swimming lessons of some kind as a kid. We didn't grow up with backyard pools but I did go to a day camp which had Red Cross lessons - I remember getting my "Tadpole" button which signified some level of ability.

Suburban schools in more affluent areas often have better recreational stuff like an indoor pool and swimming might be part of the physical ed requirements. I went to school in an old high school building with no pool but oddly when I got to college there was a swimming test you had to take as a freshman and if you couldn't tread water and swim the length of the pool you had to do a semester of swimming. PE was a requirement - four semesters of PE of your choice.

Some cities have municipal pools but those are very crowded and not necessarily where parents send their kids. 

ETA - I found this very sad statistic illustrating the ramifications of low rates of swimming among POC. Not that Caucasian children don't drown sadly in pools as well

Between 2005 and 2009, the fatal unintentional drowning rate for African Americans was significantly higher than that of whites across all ages.  The disparity is widest among children 5-14 years old. The fatal drowning rate of African American children ages 5-14 is almost three times that of white children in the same age range.

The disparity is most pronounced in swimming pools; African American children drown in swimming pools at rates 5.5 times higher than those of whites.  

Also hair is a potential issue for many WOC because getting hair wet is more of a potential issue than for many Caucasian women. Obviously hair type varies but hair exposed to chlorine needs to be washed because it is damaging and it is generally easier for Caucasian hair to be wash and wear after it is immersed in a pool

ETA Hulu and OWN just dropped a documentary featuring Oprah and other WOC. The subject is the history and cultural significance of black hair care

ETA Further - Oddly the Talmud (which is an adjunct to the Old Testament for Jews) requires that a father teach his son to swim and teach him a trade. The trade seems self explanatory but the specific requirement to learn to swim seems strange as this requirements is at least a thousand years old and so far predates any swimming pools although there must have been lakes and rivers.

Edited October 29, 2022 by amarante

[Thumper]

Yeah, I’m an old white woman who took swimming lessons as a kid many summer at the local pool (just making, but never passing, “beginners”)  but otherwise didn’t have many opportunities to practice.  I can float and swim a few strokes, but certainly am not comfortable in water over my head other than jumping in and heading to the edge of the pool. 😁

[amarante]

On 10/27/2022 at 7:21 AM, cameron said:

Her's didn't look like it was combed in place; just a tangled mess in my opinion.

Her hair was really styled well for curly hair - not a tangled mess at all.

It's a look and requires a good cut and the correct products.

FWIW you don't "comb" curly hair into place because that produces an unattractive frizzy mess. You rely on the cut and coaxing the curls and a correct drying technique.

2 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Yeah, I’m an old white woman who took swimming lessons as a kid many summer at the local pool (just making, but never passing, “beginners”)  but otherwise didn’t have many opportunities to practice.  I can float and swim a few strokes, but certainly am not comfortable in water over my head other than jumping in and heading to the edge of the pool. 😁

That is about my level of expertise but we mostly went to the shore and ocean swimming is a whole other level.

I remember desperately holding out on the five minute tread because the alternative was a horrible walk down to the gym in the dead of winter and then being wet with wet hair and having to walk back. I just about made it.

[StatisticalOutlier]

17 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

I found it sad that two adults couldn't swim. It should be a skilled learned right along with reading, though I know it can be next to impossible for people to find a pool.

@amarante explained what the deal is with not being able to swim.  As for college, a handful of schools still have a swimming test (although I'll note that even though this article is only three months old, it's not current because Dartmouth recently dropped their swim test requirement):

https://web.archive.org/web/20220809064042/https://www.hercampus.com/life/college-swim-test/

I agree that swimming should be a skill that everyone has, and that's why I support the Swim Safe program at my local YMCA.  They provide free swimming lessons to kids.  I like it because (1) the kids learn to swim and don't ever have to feel lesser-than when their Ivy League college roommate invites them to go yachting, and (2) there's no way their parents are going to pay for the swimming lessons otherwise, which means providing them to the kid isn't freeing up money that they'll just use on cigarettes or meth.  

On 10/28/2022 at 11:35 AM, Empress1 said:

For some reason I found it odd that the Chicago buyer had a dog named Denise. Many of the pets owned by people I know have human names, but Denise struck me as an odd choice.

I think one factor is how common the name is.  If it's something like Rupert, it might not seem remarkable because it's not a very common human name, but I remember like 40 years ago, I ran across a guy who had a German Shepherd named Martha, and it obviously left an impression.  When I was little, a friend's family had a German Shepherd named Max, but that somehow fit.  Martha?  Not so much. 

And I think it's becoming more prevalent these days when people treat their dogs like people, so they give them very people names.  Like the Kevin that @Grrarrggh mentioned.

(And TOTALLY off topic--I was behind an 18-wheeler once that had a sign on the back that said something like "Our drivers are skilled and courteous."  The trailer was really dirty and someone had used their finger to etch below it, "Except Kevin.")

[Empress1]

5 hours ago, amarante said:

Oddly when I got to college there was a swimming test you had to take as a freshman and if you couldn't tread water and swim the length of the pool you had to do a semester of swimming. PE was a requirement - four semesters of PE of your choice.

My university was similar: you had to pass a swimming test at some point between the first day and graduation and two semesters of PE were required. I took lap swimming as a PE course so I didn't have to do the swim test. If you knew you couldn't swim, there was an intro swim class as an option.

I'm Black and a very good swimmer (I do short-distance triathlons as a hobby, and see lap swimming above - I was in GREAT shape that semester, swimming two miles a week plus regular working out, plus, you know, being nineteen), my middle-to-upper-middle-class family grew up swimming at the Y, and swimming lessons were never a question. My parents, especially my dad, LOVED the water. My Black godmother, however, can't swim. She grew up in the same city I did but grew up in a much bigger family (she's one of 7 or 8, I forget), and there was no money for swimming lessons. She's long past money being a barrier but she just never learned. My grandmother couldn't swim; she'd only go in up to her ankles (we'd tease her because her parents were from the islands - "you have island blood and you can't swim?"). Jay-Z said he didn't learn to swim until his daughter was born. Everything @amarante said is true, and I'd also add that like most things, swimming and swimming access is rooted in racism in America - Black people were intentionally kept out of public pools for a long time. Anybody see Introducing Dorothy Dandridge where she defiantly dipped her toe in the hotel pool and then later, they were shown draining it? (Skip to 3:56). It's also why private pools are a thing - when public pools were desegregated, whites who could afford to built pools at home so they didn't have to swim with Black people. Ditto private swim clubs.

I agree that swimming is a life skill because you need to be safe in water but it's not surprising to me when I come across people who can't, especially Black people of a certain age (though these house hunters were much younger than that age).

Edited October 29, 2022 by Empress1

[amarante]

8 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Everything @amarante said is true, and I'd also add that like most things, swimming and swimming access is rooted in racism in America - Black people were intentionally kept out of public pools for a long time. Anybody see Introducing Dorothy Dandridge where she defiantly dipped her toe in the hotel pool and then later, they were shown draining it? (Skip to 3:56). It's also why private pools are a thing - when public pools were desegregated, whites who could afford to built pools at home so they didn't have to swim with Black people. Ditto private swim clubs.

I will just add that in the sad sad history of racism in America, many places shut their public pools rather than integrate which also was a hardship for poor white children.

But take a listen to Dylan's Only A Pawn In Their Game which is as relevant now for different reasons as it was in 1964

But there are always exceptions like @Empress1. Tennis and golf aren't traditional sports for POC but you have the Williams sisters and Tiger Woods who are prodigious talents. But they had parents who for whatever reason recognized their prodigious talents and were able to nurture them.

I think one of the tragedies of bigotry and bias is all the potential wasted or stunted because of lack of just having the ability to see if one enjoys or is good at something.

Edited October 29, 2022 by amarante

[cameron]

13 minutes ago, amarante said:

I will just add that in the sad sad history of racism in America, many places shut their public pools rather than integrate which also was a hardship for poor white children.

But take a listen to Dylan's Only A Pawn In Their Game which is as relevant now for different reasons as it was in 1964

But there are always exceptions like @Empress1. Tennis and golf aren't traditional sports for POC but you have the Williams sisters and Tiger Woods who are prodigious talents. But they had parents who for whatever reason recognized their prodigious talents and were able to nurture them.

I think one of the tragedies of bigotry and bias is all the potential wasted or stunted because of lack of just having the ability to see if one enjoys or is good at something.

14 minutes ago, amarante said:

I will just add that in the sad sad history of racism in America, many places shut their public pools rather than integrate which also was a hardship for poor white children.

But take a listen to Dylan's Only A Pawn In Their Game which is as relevant now for different reasons as it was in 1964

But there are always exceptions like @Empress1. Tennis and golf aren't traditional sports for POC but you have the Williams sisters and Tiger Woods who are prodigious talents. But they had parents who for whatever reason recognized their prodigious talents and were able to nurture them.

I think one of the tragedies of bigotry and bias is all the potential wasted or stunted because of lack of just having the ability to see if one enjoys or is good at something.

Think you forgot Althea Gibson from the mid 1950's who was a famous black  golf and tennis star.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm watching the OWN HH reruns, and one couple are shopping in South Orange County, want the pool, 5 bedrooms, big back yard, and their budget is $1.5 million.   Then when I checked the cable guide, it says it's from 2011, so 11 years old.   I bet the same house would be at least a million more than their budget was then. 

[amarante]

On 10/28/2022 at 4:39 PM, cameron said:

Think that the Atlanta home buyer's very young daughter shouldn't have a say in getting an ensuite at that age.  Get real mother.

I doubt that a five year old actually had heard of an en-suite. They had bought the townhouse before this was shot so the kid had seen her bedroom and was essentially describing her bedroom and expressing it as a want for the camera. 

Edited October 30, 2022 by amarante

[Soapy Goddess]

The humanization of pets is out of control. It's one thing to name your dog Denise, but when folks start putting Charlie and Lisa in a baby carriage, stroller, or even a baby carrier, that's going a bit beyond IMO. Plus, it's probably not the best thing for them either. Before we know it, some "fur baby mama" is definitely going to try breast feeding 🤢

[javajeanelaine]

I found amber very annoying. You’re buying a house after being homeless and you need it to be GRAND? Please. Also move-in ready doesn’t mean mirroring your taste. That only happens if you have it built to your specifications and that doesn’t happen in your price range. My mother

[Notabug]

On 10/29/2022 at 11:03 AM, amarante said:

For a variety of cultural reasons, swimming is a skill that many POC don't acquire.

Part of it is economic as middle class kids typically get swimming lessons of some kind as a kid. We didn't grow up with backyard pools but I did go to a day camp which had Red Cross lessons - I remember getting my "Tadpole" button which signified some level of ability.

I'm a white kid who grew up in the inner city in the midwest.  I didn't learn to swim because there was no place to learn.  No one in my neighborhood had a pool, not in-ground, not above ground.  Maybe a baby pool for the toddlers, but nothing else.  We did have a public pool in our neighborhood which often opened late in the summer, closed early in the season or was not open 7 days a week because the city was broke and couldn't afford it.

The pool itself was 3 feet deep in the DEEP end, so no diving.  Even if we'd known how to swim, on hot summer days, the pool was so jam packed with kids that it was virtually impossible to get horizontal in the pool, let alone swim a few strokes.  We mainly kinda stood in water up to our waists to keep cool.  Everyone I knew lived in a poorly insulated house that was 100+ years old, had no insulation and nobody had AC in their houses back then, so the pool was virtually the only place to cool off though I do remember going to the supermarket and wandering around to cool off, too.

When I was 15, we moved to the 'burbs where there was a nice local pool with a deep end, lanes for swimming laps and real Red Cross swimming lessons.  I was babysitting some kids for the summer who were taking beginner lessons.  I got to talking to the life guard who was teaching the class and she let me join in with the preschoolers and I finished Advanced Beginner by the end of the summer.  Thanks, Mary Ellen!

I have no trouble at all believing that there are adults out there who've never had the opportunity to learn to swim.

Edited November 1, 2022 by Notabug

[Empress1]

On 10/29/2022 at 10:31 AM, Notabug said:

I found Amber, the mother, to be majorly annoying and was amazed that she had friends at all.  It is a tremendous accomplishment to have gone from homeless to home ownership in just a few years; but her constant whining that the houses were painted the 'wrong' color because they weren't painted white brick with black shutters (how original-not!) was just annoying.

I wanted to like her because homeless to homeowner is indeed impressive, but I just … didn’t. I liked her realtor (who I thought was beautiful - the color yellow was made for her). Her insistence that she not have to do any work to the house at all was driving me nuts. 

Her daughter was cute and seemed sweet - I liked her relationships with her play-aunties. I do not like the name Knightley at ALL, however.

[Notabug]

6 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I wanted to like her because homeless to homeowner is indeed impressive, but I just … didn’t. I liked her realtor (who I thought was beautiful - the color yellow was made for her). Her insistence that she not have to do any work to the house at all was driving me nuts. 

Her daughter was cute and seemed sweet - I liked her relationships with her play-aunties. I do not like the name Knightley at ALL, however.

Not only did she not want to do any work AT ALL; she had very, very specific wishes for colors and finishes.  She seemed to expect that the previous owners should redecorate to her preferences before handing over the keys or that they somehow would've had her exact taste and preferences.  Even in a well maintained home with good quality finishes aimed at mainstream tastes, there is bound to be something or other that a buyer might wish had been done differently.

Knightley was really kind of a bad name, IMO.  I kept thinking of nightly, like Nightly News.  Not good.

[cameron]

42 minutes ago, Notabug said:

Not only did she not want to do any work AT ALL; she had very, very specific wishes for colors and finishes.  She seemed to expect that the previous owners should redecorate to her preferences before handing over the keys or that they somehow would've had her exact taste and preferences.  Even in a well maintained home with good quality finishes aimed at mainstream tastes, there is bound to be something or other that a buyer might wish had been done differently.

Knightley was really kind of a bad name, IMO.  I kept thinking of nightly, like Nightly News.  Not good.

Amber kept pronouncing Knightley with two syllables like that made it so big time while her friends pronounce Knightley with only one syllable.  Think it was all part of Amber's personna shtick.

[chessiegal]

How do you pronounce Knightley with one syllable?

[cameron]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

How do you pronounce Knightley with one syllable?

Should have said she used three syllables instead of two.  Everyone else on this segment pronounced it losing the "k" and going right to the "n".

[Lady J]

5 hours ago, Notabug said:

Not only did she not want to do any work AT ALL; she had very, very specific wishes for colors and finishes.  She seemed to expect that the previous owners should redecorate to her preferences before handing over the keys or that they somehow would've had her exact taste and preferences.  Even in a well maintained home with good quality finishes aimed at mainstream tastes, there is bound to be something or other that a buyer might wish had been done differently.

Knightley was really kind of a bad name, IMO.  I kept thinking of nightly, like Nightly News.  Not good.

I thought maybe she just watched Emma. 🤷‍♀️