House Hunters - General Discussion

[StatisticalOutlier]

When the Chicago HH said her budget was $150,000, I became really intrigued.  I'm shocked that she could find a decent, livable studio for that in Streeterville.  I thought Chicago prices were a lot higher than that.

I noticed the mom said something about how the view of the brick wall in one of them would hurt resale value.  You hear that a lot, but they almost never say, "Of course you're paying less for it now because of that, too."

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Chicago episode was a 30 minute, minus commercials, ad for the woman's show business career.   I was surprised at what $150k to $200k would buy you in Chicago.    

[cameron]

21 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The Chicago episode was a 30 minute, minus commercials, ad for the woman's show business career.   I was surprised at what $150k to $200k would buy you in Chicago.    

Thought the same thing.  Streeterville is a very expensive area to live.  Also thought her voice and her writing ability were a little lack luster to me.

[buttersister]

Ok, it looks like the Chicago studio is in Streeterville on DeWitt, but it's old. Like 1957 old (not vintage). No central heating or a/c (radiant and window/wall units), no view, and while I can't recall her HOAs, currently a 1B/B on the 5th floor is nearly $700 a month (which seems high to me) and no mention of whether that paid for parking or not (just that there was an attached garage). Sounded like she got an appliance allowance and will want to redo the bathroom. 

Also, Streeterville is half Northwestern Memorial Hospital (and NW Law/Med Schools) and half tourists (gateway to Navy Pier). Traffic is a nightmare. But the lake is right there. So, walk over and welcome!

Edited February 10, 2023 by buttersister

[BAForever]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The Chicago episode was a 30 minute, minus commercials, ad for the woman's show business career.   I was surprised at what $150k to $200k would buy you in Chicago.    

Yep. I want to know each condo epi what HOA costs cover. If it's electric, maintenance,  WiFi, gym, security, etc. $400 is well worth it. But usually not all those are included. $400 HOA plus $200 to park monthly plus a mortgage is going to add up.

 

[cameron]

1 hour ago, buttersister said:

Ok, it looks like the Chicago studio is in Streeterville on DeWitt, but it's old. Like 1957 old (not vintage). No central heating or a/c (radiant and window/wall units), no view, and while I can't recall her HOAs, currently a 1B/B on the 5th floor is nearly $700 a month (which seems high to me) and no mention of whether that paid for parking or not (just that there was an attached garage). Sounded like she got an appliance allowance and will want to redo the bathroom. 

Also, Streeterville is half Northwestern Memorial Hospital (and NW Law/Med Schools) and half tourists (gateway to Navy Pier). Traffic is a nightmare. But the lake is right there. So, walk over and welcome!

Not sure about Dewitt being the address.  Just ran street view and didn't see anything that matched that building.

[rhofmovalley]

I'm speculating her parents are in fact "helping", just maybe not with the down payment.

I don't begrudge her either. Good for them if they are able to help. One of my "winning the Mega Millions" fantasies is paying off my son's and brother's mortgages for them. 

[Kimboweena]

On 2/9/2023 at 6:16 AM, cameron said:

What is with all those male home buyers having a need for a gaming room.  Are they Peter Pan or what?  Grow up already.

Well, my very grown-up, retired from the military husband has a gaming room. I enjoy sitting nearby, sometimes watching him play.

[CrazyDog]

I just happened to catch some of the Richmond episode tonight...which reminded me why I stopped watching, ha.

Is that couple even married? He seemed miserable and checked out, and I swear I wondered if one of them might be an actor. 

"It has 5 non-working fireplaces! How charming!"

Such a beautiful neighborhood though. And the pup is adorable.

[Cancun]

The Richmond couple did seem an odd match. At the end when the wife’s parents “invited themselves for a visit” or whatever she snarked, her mother commented on the matching coffee maker and toaster. The wife said, “it’s called stainless steel, it’s not that hard.”  Wow, show your mom some respect, lady!

The wife also would ask her husband’s opinion, and then immediately give her own before he had a chance to speak. I wonder if she will recognize herself when she watches this.

Edited February 12, 2023 by Cancun

[cameron]

14 hours ago, cameron said:

Not sure about Dewitt being the address.  Just ran street view and didn't see anything that matched that building.  Actually just found it.  One street over.

 

[cinsays]

1 hour ago, Cancun said:

The Richmond couple did seem an odd match. At the end when the wife’s parents “decided to drop in on us” or whatever she snarked, her mother commented on the matching coffee maker and toaster. The wife said, “it’s called stainless steel, it’s not that hard.”  Wow, show your mom some respect, lady!

The wife also would ask her husband’s opinion, and then immediately give her own before he had a chance to speak. I wonder if she will recognize herself when she watches this.

yeah, i found the wife to be a totally unlikable snooty person and didn't care what they picked.  missed the opening so did not know what their jobs were - hopefully not in customer service related things.

[chessiegal]

The Richmond wife was a piece of work. I'm sure she was the one who wanted to be on HH. He seemed uninterested.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Richmond, he only wanted new build, not anything else.    He was ticked because he wanted to decide on the house, and didn't care what the wife wanted.  I like the house they picked, but the new builds left me cold.   

However, how will they cope with only one tight bath upstairs? Until they add another bathroom upstairs.    No closets downstairs is an issue, and the back porch needs major work. 

Edited February 11, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kemper]

I saw the Richmond episode last night. Geez, she was full-of-herself - so very unlikable. Him…I can’t decide if he resented being in the show; not having much voice in what houses they saw; was miserable being married to her. Or just a sullen guy.

I know I am in a minority, but I loved the upstairs bathroom. It had a vintage look that went with the house. And I liked the green paint (again, vintage look) that Wife hated. They both said another bathroom was needed (I can understand that) but I am so sorry that they seemed so very pleased to “gut it” …  She is an entitled princess and he is not a happy camper. And yes, I felt sorry for her parents. Daughter was a smug, disrespectful bitch to them. They laughed it off, so maybe they are used to it.

Edited February 11, 2023 by Kemper

[cinsays]

Watched the Lake Tahoe episode with the youngish couple (in their 30s) buying a place near the ski slopes. Looked at 3 pretty unattractive places in my opinion in a wide price range 580-800k, i think and then ended up with the cheapest but very convenient to the slopes.  makes sense.  

missed the beginning and wondered what they did for a living because her attitude was that cost was no issue.

[Empress1]

The only Richmond house I liked was the first one. I had a hard time with the Smurf blue exterior of the third.

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

The only Richmond house I liked was the first one. I had a hard time with the Smurf blue exterior of the third.

Not only did I love the blue aesthetically, but it's so functional! Just tell people it's the blue house on the corner, perfect when giving directions. 

[Empress1]

40 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Not only did I love the blue aesthetically, but it's so functional! Just tell people it's the blue house on the corner, perfect when giving directions. 

I have no issue with bright houses generally and I like that shade of blue generally (it looks great on me), but that was too much for me.

[javajeanelaine]

I thought Richmond HH was disrespectful to her parents.  Some day they won’t be around.

[Hedgehog2022]

Last night's episode with couple looking for a home in the Sacramento Valley was not a new episode even though it was listed as one. It was a repeat from 2022.

On 2/11/2023 at 10:22 AM, chessiegal said:

The Richmond wife was a piece of work. I'm sure she was the one who wanted to be on HH. He seemed uninterested.

She was awful...

[Crashcourse]

30 minutes ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

Last night's episode with couple looking for a home in the Sacramento Valley was not a new episode even though it was listed as one. It was a repeat from 2022.

I was stunned in the beginning when she said when she first met her husband, she thought he was "suavee."

[CrazyInAlabama]

When I realized they bought the house across from her parents' house with 20 acres for a vineyard, that was when I realized it was a rerun.  

[cameron]

11 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I was stunned in the beginning when she said when she first met her husband, she thought he was "suavee."

She was so full of herself.

 

[mojito]

Grosse Pointe, MI

Interesting, the husband's stated reason for wanting to move to Grosse Pointe: it's where his grandmother once worked as a maid. 

For once, I thought all three houses were decent, some with a bit of renovation. I particularly liked the one described as Tudor. 

She had more sense than he did. He seemed a bit selfish. Could've been my mood, but I felt he said "my" an awful lot. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Grosse Pointe Gold, moving from one Detroit suburb to Grosse Pointe.     He wants gold everything.    Alexa and Dan, he works for the car industry, and she's a social worker, this will be their second home purchase. 

He wants flashy, and gold, she wants character, and more subdued.    She wants 3 bedrooms, he wants more to have a home office.    He wants the fancy kitchen, she wants darker cabinets.     (I suggest white uppers, and darker lowers as a compromise).  Her budget is $450k, he wants to go $550k if necessary. 

House 1-Grosse Pointe Farms, mid-century, $525k, 2815 sq ft, totally remodeled. kitchen is white, but I don't see it as huge, and no upper cabinets.   There is no basement, but a 'bonus' area downstairs.    Walk in closet doesn't have organizers or shelves, main ensuite seems narrow.   Wife objects to the fireplace, for safety.   Back patio is 4 ft deep off the living space, and no stairs to get up to the yard or railing to keep kids, dog, from falling down into the patio.   I hate the 1/2 bath.

House 2-Grosse Pointe Woods, $495k, Cape Cod style, all brick.   2700 sq ft, 2.5 bath 4 beds, big living room, dining is painted puke green and yellow, she likes the kitchen cabinets, he doesn't, big kitchen and family room, play set in back yard.   finished basement, not tall ceilings though, a spare room for an office for him, or put in a closet and it's bedroom 5, main bedroom is decent size, with a great ensuite.   He would pass on the house because the dining room needs paint? 

House 3-lower price for Alexa, Grosse Pointe Park, $450k, 4 bed 3 bath Tudor sort of, brick, There are two cats in the house, and Alexa is very allergic.   I hope husband and realtor realize that cleaning the cat dander out of the house will take a lot.    kitchen is smaller.   husband says tear a couple of walls to expand the kitchen and make it open, back yard is small.    finished basement is OK. no ensuite, back yard is small.    Needs a lot of work to meet the couple's needs.  

They picked #2, and painted the dining room later Listed for $495k, and purchased for $468k

[buttersister]

Heh, painting. It fixes so much. And is always a hilarious reason to not "like" a house. #2 for the win.

I'm old enough to recall when Grosse Pointe homeowners were white AF. (As long as you weren't Jewish.)

Edited February 17, 2023 by buttersister
Demographics

[Grrarrggh]

Going to rewatch the film Grosse Pointe Blank to celebrate that nice couple and their new house. 

[Grizzly]

36 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Going to rewatch the film Grosse Pointe Blank to celebrate that nice couple and their new house. 

Love John Cusack!

[CruiseDiva]

That Grosse Pointe Farms house was described as mid-century, but I thought it was a typical 1960s style tri-level. Not at all mid-century modern.

[laredhead]

The Canada to Arizona couple episode was interesting.  He was very emotional about moving, and getting settled.  Not sure that Arizona would have been his first choice after listening to his comments about the heat, and the perspiration on the back of his shirt in one scene.  I am assuming that the COVID travel restrictions played a part in the long length of time it took for him to be able to come to the U.S.  Would be interesting to see what they did to the landscaping in one of those "where are they now" episodes, if we ever see those again.  I do wish those would return.

[cinsays]

2 minutes ago, laredhead said:

The Canada to Arizona couple episode was interesting.  He was very emotional about moving, and getting settled.  Not sure that Arizona would have been his first choice after listening to his comments about the heat, and the perspiration on the back of his shirt in one scene.  I am assuming that the COVID travel restrictions played a part in the long length of time it took for him to be able to come to the U.S.  Would be interesting to see what they did to the landscaping in one of those "where are they now" episodes, if we ever see those again.  I do wish those would return.

I missed the opening so didn't see what her occupation was and why Phoenix was their choice.  How would she even consider having her home gym in the garage? Did they have that fully air conditioned? Otherwise, no way.

The large house was the only one that seemed at all possible as their choice and I didn't quite get what their big concern was about the look of the pool and what they needed to do about it.

 

[chessiegal]

8 minutes ago, cinsays said:

I missed the opening so didn't see what her occupation was and why Phoenix was their choice. 

She said she was a communications professional 🤷‍♂️, he owned a landscaping company. She has dual Canadian/ US citizenship. He was waiting for his residency in the US to be approved. The only explanation for Phoenix was they wanted someplace warm.

[amarante]

20 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

She said she was a communications professional 🤷‍♂️, he owned a landscaping company. She has dual Canadian/ US citizenship. He was waiting for his residency in the US to be approved. The only explanation for Phoenix was they wanted someplace warm.

Her parents owned homes in Phoenix so I would imagine that logistically it was easier for her to move there. She said her parents spent the winter in Phoenix so I imagine proximity to her family was also a factor.

 

[laredhead]

Cinsays, I believe his comment was not about the pool, but the area around the pool which was a blank, desert scene.  He was talking about improving that with some plants.

[cinsays]

5 minutes ago, laredhead said:

Cinsays, I believe his comment was not about the pool, but the area around the pool which was a blank, desert scene.  He was talking about improving that with some plants.

well, then that's not much of a big deal to me

at least the pool was there already;

[CruiseDiva]

4 hours ago, laredhead said:

The Canada to Arizona couple episode was interesting.  He was very emotional about moving, and getting settled.  Not sure that Arizona would have been his first choice after listening to his comments about the heat, and the perspiration on the back of his shirt in one scene.

Interestingly, the wife was always wearing a sweater and talked about setting up her home gym in the garage, which I doubt is air conditioned. 

[laredhead]

CruiseDiva, I also noticed that she was wearing a weather in every scene, and at the bottom of the screen there were posts about the outside temp being 110+ degrees.  They are going to have fun with the thermostat settings if he likes it cold.

 

[CruiseDiva]

4 minutes ago, laredhead said:

CruiseDiva, I also noticed that she was wearing a weather in every scene, and at the bottom of the screen there were posts about the outside temp being 110+ degrees.  They are going to have fun with the thermostat settings if he likes it cold.

 

Wait until they get their first power bill for A/C! Maybe then he'll get used to being a bit warmer inside. 🤣

[stewedsquash]

As others noted things felt off with the Arizona episode. She had one of those normal/odd faces that changed between the two even during conversations. And they both aged back and forth at least 10 years during all the scenes. Also funnily to me, I understood what she meant when she said dark or white it doesn’t matter as long as it looked new for the cabinets and kitchen stuff. They were nice seeming though and I hope they fix up that house in a nice way.

I wonder if he will be shocked at the completely different landscaping he will have for his business now?

Several times, most recently the single Asian lady in an Atlanta episode that was looking for a home for her, her two young daughters and her 80 year old mother, it is brought up by  the realtor about changing the microwave above the stove for a hood so there would be ventilation.  All the microwaves I have had above a stove are hooked up for ventilation to the outside so I don’t see their point, unless it is for looks. It happens a lot on different episodes. I would think a realtor would know these things. I get it if it were just a counter type place above on a shelf but these are obviously the kind that are ventilated. I take out the vent screens and clean them once a month. 

Edited February 21, 2023 by stewedsquash

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Phoenix episode looked familiar, but it was listed as new.    I guess everything looks familiar after the hundreds of episodes I've watched. 

 

 

[pdlinda]

On 2/20/2023 at 12:54 PM, CruiseDiva said:

Wait until they get their first power bill for A/C! Maybe then he'll get used to being a bit warmer inside. 🤣

I thought I saw a pop-up on the screen stating that they could expect an electric bill in the neighborhood of $500 each month during the summertime.

Having lived here for 30 yrs, I agree that's probably "in the ball park."

Edited February 22, 2023 by pdlinda

[kirklandia]

Canada-to-Phoenix wife had to have an extra room for her home office, an extra room for her home gym, a short commute.

All hubby wanted was for all the screws in the outlet covers to be pointing in the same direction.

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, kirklandia said:

All hubby wanted was for all the screws in the outlet covers to be pointing in the same direction.

I want that, too, but fully expect to adjust them myself.  Was he expecting the places they toured to already be that way, like that's something people should do before putting their home on the market? 

[rhofmovalley]

Baltimore husband seems nice enough, but he's wearing man-pris. Fashion don't. 

[twoods]

I liked that couple a lot. Whatever I was thinking about the house, the wife said the same thing (like the first house having weird fireplaces that didn’t match), and not making a big deal about fixtures since they can be changed out easily. They were practical, and it made sense that they picked the new construction home that was already furnished. I love the way East Coast homes look, with all that beautiful brick contrasted with the white paint.

Edited February 22, 2023 by twoods

[CrazyInAlabama]

I liked the second Baltimore house, the foursquare.     The rowhouses didn't do anything for me.    I guess it really depends on neighborhood, how many restaurants, and other amenities the area has.      I wonder how parking is near the row houses?   And if any were on a road section where you have to move for plowing?   

[laredhead]

The row houses always make me feel claustrophobic.  I guess I don't feel the appeal and charm that others do.  I lived in an attached townhouse for several years, but it was 24' wide with many windows, so I never had that closed in feeling.  I also would not want to deal with street parking, and I was lucky during my townhouse living years to have an attached carport with storage. 

[Seelouis]

Baltimore couple won my eternal love when they said they wanted to add color to the all white kitchen. How refreshing. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

I want that, too, but fully expect to adjust them myself.  Was he expecting the places they toured to already be that way, like that's something people should do before putting their home on the market? 

The other day on Ask This Old House the electrician changed a dimmer switch and I noticed that when he screwed it in, he reversed the screw a little to make it be vertical.  My man!  But I do mine horizontal and now wonder if I'm doing it wrong.

But your point made me realize that if I were looking at a house and noticed the screws on outlets were all oriented the same, it would give me the impression the seller paid attention to detail, which would give me some confidence the seller was picky about things in the house.

I'm thinking it's the sort of thing that wouldn't leave an unfavorable impression, so why not do it.  But now that the secret is out, people will no doubt decide to just line up the screws instead of, say, fixing the furnace.

15 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

All the microwaves I have had above a stove are hooked up for ventilation to the outside so I don’t see their point, unless it is for looks.

I used to rent a condo that had a microwave installed above the stove.  After living there for seven years I decided to buy it and hired an inspector.  He pointed out that the microwave didn't actually vent to the outside.  The air got sucked into the screens underneath and came out the vent things at the top, right back into the kitchen.  He didn't seem surprised but I sure was.

(He was real proud of revealing the lack of an outside vent, but somehow didn't notice (or didn't bother to tell me) that the wall outlets were wired so that the upper half of each outlet in the condo was on one breaker and the lower half of each outlet was on a different breaker--an unusual scheme I hadn't encountered before, evidenced by the fact that when I was switching them out, I confirmed which breaker an outlet was on by plugging something into the top half, turned off that breaker and went about my work and when I touched the bottom half--ZAP!)