House Hunters - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

8 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

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.

I don't think there's a right or wrong. The switches are going to work no matter how the screws are pointing. 😅

I switched out most of our switch plates with decorative ones, and the screws are colored to match the designs on the plate, so you turn the screw to match the design.

[mojito]

16 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

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

This episode is from 2022, season 224 (current season is 228). Maybe it was never aired, though. I didn't have it as new, but found it in my library and it didn't look familiar to me, either.

[mojito]

On 2/20/2023 at 1:47 PM, 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. 

I'm going to take a stab at this one. I think she was okay with the heat, but when they were in the car, he was probably freezing her out with the AC blowing. Still cold when they got out of the car, she kept her jacket/sweater on. Just as she was getting warm again, back in the car they went with the AC blowing hard. 

I liked that they were fine with dark cabinets and darker countertops. Like the Baltimore lady, they weren't into the latest trends.

[stewedsquash]

9 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

 

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.

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!)

Ok I stand corrected on the microwaves. I assumed since all the ones I have ever had were hooked up to duct work and vented to the outside that it was the only option. Surely new builds are vented like mine for inspections? 
 

Outlet codes for my state changed years ago when we moved into a house down the road and did extensive remodeling. The plugs are now upside down to pass code. It took me forever to get that muscle memory to kick in and plug things in correctly the first try. I can’t imagine how that breaker situation you had would pass.

[laredhead]

Where I live there are no codes requiring outside venting of microwaves or vent fans over ranges in new builds.  Many new builds have a second story, and it would be difficult to run a vent to the roof in a situation like that.  Every apartment I ever lived in had recirculating vent fans over the range, and they never worked as well as the one I have in my house now that is vented to the outside.  I'm not a fan of the microwave over the range setup, no matter if it's vented to the outside or is recirculating.    

[CrazyInAlabama]

"House for a Queen in Georgia" Moving back to Atlanta, Kelichia, remote worker, with two grown sons, and three cute little dogs. 

House 1-Fayetteville, GA, $465,500, 25 miles from downtown Atlanta,  4083 sq ft,  15 foot kitchen island is spectacular, and a total pain to go around. plantation shutters, nice pool but needs to be screened to keep the crud out of the pool.   I don't like the screened gazebo.  The son keeps saying house needs a lot of work, I don't see it except for changing the carpets out, and maybe paint.  It's on a full acre.  

House 2-Atlanta, GA, $520k, 10 minutes from Atlanta, ranch, no pool, turnkey, 1773 sq ft, 4 bed 3 bath, nice kitchen, primary bedroom is lovely, sitting area, and ensuite.   guest bath and bedrooms are spectacular, floors are all complete.  guest room with another bath, huge backyard and front yard, plenty of room for a pool.   unfinished basement.

House 3-Snellville, 30 miles from downtown Atlanta, $500k, two story,  with a pool, over 3,000 sq ft, 5 bed 4 bath, first floor is all hardwoods.   kitchen is lovely, but not open enough for Kelichia, dual staircases, great covered deck, pool needs fence, main bedroom and ensuite are very nice, basement is finished, and rec room.  

She picks #1.   

"Moving Out in Memphis", he wants grand and new, she's fine with older. Errol and Charlotte, married for 26 years.   Grew up in Memphis, went to Dallas, then moved back to Memphis. His budget is $750k, hers is $1.5 million.  

House 1-Collierville, TN, $749,900, 2 story brick, new. 4 bed 4.5 bath 4377 sq ft. lovely first floor with hardwoods, open. great outdoor kitchen and patio with fireplace, no pool, main bedroom is nice, with a great en suite, great walk-in closet with a hidden extra closet, second floor bonus room, but she wants a media room, and he wants room for a pool table, move-in ready. Neighborhood pool. 

House 2-Built in 1971, with a pool. 5500 sq ft, single story, Shady Grove area, $949,900, 4 bed 3.5 bath.   Kitchen is totally remodeled, primary bedroom is nice size, ensuite isn't up to their standards, and have a sitting room.   main closet is huge, with a pool table already there.   Pool is pectacular.   3 guest rooms are big, and nice.   She wants to update the main bath, and open up a wall in the kitchen. 

House 3-Collierville, TN, with a pool, $1.285 million, she calls it French Tudor, 5 bed 4.5 bath, move in ready, kitchen is stunning, pool covered patio with a fireplace are lovely, bedrooms are big, main has 2 big closets and on the first floor, huge upstairs bedroom with ensuite for son, bonus room for pool table is huge and another media room possible. 

They buy #3  . I would have bought #2.

 

[Empress1]

On 2/22/2023 at 5:43 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I wonder how parking is near the row houses?   And if any were on a road section where you have to move for plowing?   

Winter parking is annoying. You have to wait until the street is plowed to dig out your car because otherwise you’ll get plowed back in. 

I liked the Baltimore couple too, though the wife said she was from Lancaster, PA and liked city life. Lancaster isn’t what I’d call urban. That first house was laid out very strangely. I liked the wife calling out all the trends in the second house - barn doors, gray vinyl floors.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 2/22/2023 at 5:43 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I wonder how parking is near the row houses?  

I'm always thinking about parking, and I've noticed that sometimes they have parking behind them, off an alley.

They had one shot looking down the long row of little porches and I find that very appealing, but then realize all it will take is one person who smokes on his porch instead of inside to ruin my porch idyll. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

"Searching With My Ex" Chicago. Shelby, she's looking at condos, but with her ex-boyfriend.   She wants vintage, and mid-rise, he says high-rise is the way to go. SHe's been looking at condos with the ex for six months now. 

Condo 1- Lincoln Park.  13 minute wal to the lake, midrise, 1920's era, 2 bed 1 bath,  $349k, hardwoods, HOA $340 a month, 12 unit building, street parking only, parking at other buildings $350 a month, common laundry room.   window units air conditioning. bathroom is lovely, guest and main bedroom are really nice.  kitchen is updated, but small, small shared deck.

Condo 2-Old Town, $425k, 5 min walk to Lincoln Park, brick mid-rise, built in 1889, 1258 sq ft, hardwoods and lots of molding, kitchen is updated, street parking only, but rental spaces available, french doors to the guest bedroom, 2nd bedroom has a full bath, but room is small. primary bedroom is decent, with a stackable laundry in the big closet, full ensuite, outdoor space off the bedroom, balcony/deck not shared. HOA $153 a month. 

Condo 3-Lake View East 5 min. walk to lake, $365k, 2 bed 2 full bath, with washer/dryer hookups , high rise with lots of amenities,  HOA $750 with rooftop deck, gym, and doorman, 1300 sq ft, corner unit with great views, window air conditioning, kitchen looks great to me but she wants quartz, and white cabinets, lake view, she wants hardwoods in the main,  second bedroom so another $7k gone. ensuite in guest and another in main bedroom.  Garage space inclued in the price, roof top deck is spectacular. 

She picks # 3 , I would have picked #3. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

The budget in this episode was a lot higher than the $150,000 the recent HH in Chicago had, but I'm surprised again--$400,000 can get you 1,300 square feet in a good area.

BTW, the $150,000 HH ended up in Streeterville, and the other day on the Bob Newhart Show, the one where he was a psychologist, Emily said their zip code and I looked it up and it's in Streeterville (although the building they showed in the intro wasn't).

[buttersister]

On 2/24/2023 at 9:29 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Garage space included in the price, roof top deck is spectacular. 

 #3 was the good choice for her--as her ex knew. It's not a new building (hence the price), but very close to the lake and (he knew) had all of the amenities--including parking!--she really wanted. 

[Grizzly]

Philadelphia,  PA. 239k seems like a good price for #1. What are property taxes like on a rowhome since there's not much "property"? Serrano didn't seem too excited about #2 even though it had everything he wanted. Based on the numbers they're showing, rental income would totally pay his mortgage.  So he should get the largest home.

[laredhead]

Last night's episodes were billed as new, but I think the 2nd one (Dallas) might have been a rerun.  The first one in Salem, Mass. had some interesting, very old houses.  I agreed with the husband on his issues with maintenance, and especially the design of the 3rd house which really did look dark and creepy.  What was with the wife's desire for hidden rooms, bookcase doors, etc.  None of the houses looked appealing to me.

In the Dallas episode, it was interesting that the couple wanted separate bedrooms, but I can understand that.  My parents had separate bedrooms once my brother and I moved out of the house and my mom took over my room.  My dad was a very loud snorer and it was the subject of many an argument between them over the years.  The wife's mention of the percentage of bankruptcies among NFL draftees was true.  I've read articles about how many teams now have $$ management classes for new players.  Does anyone know what team the husband played for?  I think the house they bought was nice, but the back yard was small.    

[Grrarrggh]

29 minutes ago, laredhead said:

Last night's episodes were billed as new, but I think the 2nd one (Dallas) might have been a rerun.  The first one in Salem, Mass. had some interesting, very old houses.  I agreed with the husband on his issues with maintenance, and especially the design of the 3rd house which really did look dark and creepy.  What was with the wife's desire for hidden rooms, bookcase doors, etc.  

She was awesome. Hidden doors and passageways is so cool in a house. The place they got looked fantastic. Maintenance of an older house, especially once things like HVAC, electrical, roof are newer isn't any worse than of a new build. 

[buttersister]

48 minutes ago, laredhead said:

Last night's episodes were billed as new, but I think the 2nd one (Dallas) might have been a rerun

Both reruns. HGTV is grouping similarly themed episodes (or creating one;-) and labeling them as new on Monday nights. I've been going in and manually canceling those on my DVR. 

I was happy for the Philadelphia guy--and his family. It was a smart choice and besides the rental income (no small thing), he lit up when he saw that staircase.

[mojito]

The Philadelphia episodes was listed for the current season (228), and recorded as new. Nothing on Monday. But a new one on Sunday. Seems kind of odd, but I guess it doesn't matter as I don't watch live anyway.

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, laredhead said:

Does anyone know what team the husband played for?

If it was the Geneo Grissom episode, he played for the Patriots.  If it was K.J. Wright, he played for the Seahawks.  Those are the only two NFL players I can recall being on HH.  If it was set in Dallas, that has to be Grissom, because Wright was still playing when he appeared (meaning he'd have been buying in Seattle).

8 hours ago, laredhead said:

In the Dallas episode, it was interesting that the couple wanted separate bedrooms, but I can understand that. 

Same.  Everyone I know who's consulted a doctor about sleeping issues has been advised to - among other things - sleep alone.  One of my friends, upon receiving this advice, told her doctor she had no problem sleeping separate from her husband, but no way was she shutting the cats out of the room.  He told her that would probably be enough, since the cats make less noise and less movement.  So she (and the cats) sleep in the guest room most of the time, and she does indeed sleep better.

[Grizzly]

Rockford, IL. I don't understand, why does her mom have to live with them? His voice is very soothing while hers, not so much. I'm amazed at what 150 can get them. The neighborhoods seem nice. The duplex, I'd take the top floor so mom wouldn't have to do so many stairs.

[Grizzly]

Seattle, WA. I dont think the 3 cats will appreciate them getting a dog. #1 was cute and quirky but not practical. The bathrooms were in the wrong places. #2 was nice but not enough space for their work/hobbies. #3 had all that space but wasn't quirky. Yes, they realized they can make the house funky.

[twoods]

Yeah, the amount of house for 150K was shocking. I’m sure her mom had to live with them for either health reasons or maybe because she couldn’t afford to live alone. Some elderly people are scared to live alone (like my mother in law). 

[rhofmovalley]

10 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Rockford, IL. I don't understand, why does her mom have to live with them?... The duplex, I'd take the top floor so mom wouldn't have to do so many stairs.

She said housing in Bozeman, where her mom lives, is getting increasingly expensive. That leads me to believe that the mom either rents or her property taxes have gone up considerably. 

[laredhead]

Bastet, thanks for the info on the Dallas episode.  I looked up Grissom, and one of the articles about him said he and his wife appeared on HH back in January 2021. I with HGTV would stop listing old episodes as new ones.

Rockford, Illinois sure has low/reasonable house prices.  $150,000 for a house is almost unheard of these days.  I wonder if the neighborhood is a factor.  As for the mother living with them, yes, many parts of Montana are becoming unaffordable for long time residents, both renters and home owners.  I was also wondering why the buyers didn't take the upstairs unit, and let the mother have the downstairs one because of having to climb stairs.  Mobility might not be an issue now, but it could be in the near future depending on her age and health.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I've spent some time catting around Rockford in the last year or so, and I was shocked at the prices these HH's were seeing.  I had no idea housing was that cheap.

The neighborhood right near downtown, where the Victorians are, is kind of variable.  As you go farther out, it gets more consistent.

I couldn't figure out where the 1958 house that is 7 miles from downtown would be.  Usually that era of houses would be closer in than that in a city that size (I've found that house styles are often like tree rings as a city gets developed).  I wonder if it was in one of the towns that used to be its own little town but has gotten kind of folded in to Rockford, although there aren't really that many of them in that area.  Unlike, say, Chicago, where you go through original downtown after original downtown in the suburbs, and the tree rings of house styles reset with every downtown.

[chessiegal]

About 3/4 of the way through the Rockford episode, my husband, usually a passive viewer, said to the tv - okay, woman, enough with the "I'm not loving it". 😅

[rhofmovalley]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

About 3/4 of the way through the Rockford episode, my husband, usually a passive viewer, said to the tv - okay, woman, enough with the "I'm not loving it". 😅

A few years ago a female house hunter kept repeating "Ooooohhh, me likey!!" I wanted to punch her through the TV screen. And I'm not a violent person. 

[Grizzly]

5 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

She said housing in Bozeman, where her mom lives, is getting increasingly expensive. That leads me to believe that the mom either rents or her property taxes have gone up considerably. 

So if she's renting, she has an income and could rent in cheaper Rockford. If the issue is property taxes, she has property to sell and could give them a bigger budget. That's why I'm not buying their story.

[Chicken Fingers]

1 hour ago, rhofmovalley said:

A few years ago a female house hunter kept repeating "Ooooohhh, me likey!!" I wanted to punch her through the TV screen. And I'm not a violent person. 

There was an HH years ago with a British couple who gave us something we quote to this day. The wife was a tall blonde with a little-girl voice, and every room they went in, she'd say in her little sing-song British voice, "It's a bit small, Peter!"  

[chessiegal]

1 minute ago, Chicken Fingers said:

There was an HH years ago with a British couple who gave us something we quote to this day. The wife was a tall blonde with a little-girl voice, and every room they went in, she'd say in her little sing-song British voice, "It's a bit small, Peter!"  

Hee! I wish I could give that a thousand LOLs.

At the end of the Rockford episode the wife said her Mom wouldn't be moving in with them soon, so I'm guessing they are using the second living space as a rental.

[Empress1]

On 3/1/2023 at 10:18 AM, buttersister said:

I was happy for the Philadelphia guy--and his family. It was a smart choice and besides the rental income (no small thing), he lit up when he saw that staircase.

House Hunters producers: Germantown and West Oak Lane are neighborhoods in Philly. The screen said “Germantown, PA,” and “West Oak Lane, PA,” which is not a thing.

House #1 had gorgeous bay windows in the main bedroom. House 2 was blindingly white - my eyes hurt! I liked the third house most because I didn’t love the finishes in the second. He seemed like a really sweet guy. I was happy for him too. Loved all his plants!

[CrazyInAlabama]

So couple move to Fargo, ND, and his dream is a mid-century modern?    That's not happening.     And first house is a two story for $365k over both of their budgets.   He wants a three stall garage for their two cars, and two motorcycles. 

House 1-$365k, 3 bed 3 bath, with a huge deck/porch off the main bedroom, hope they love shoveling it off all winter.   And the yard is full of leaves and trees, but fenced.  Oversized 2 car garage.   Third bedroom is small. 

House 2-cheaper but a fixer, $229,900, ranch, 1 car garage, 3 bed 2 bath, siding looks rough, 1904 sq ft, Realtor says with the low price they can hire a contractor to make the 1 car garage a tandem.   kitchen is small, they want to take out a wall, and redo the kitchen.  Big back yard, only 1 bath on main floor, and 1 bedroom. basement has another bath, and two bedrooms, but needs egress windows. 

House 3-new build, have to wait until the house is finished, but would be their choice of colors and finishes.  They go to Moorhead, MN to see a model home, but the builder has lots in Fargo available.  $250k plus $30k to $40k for the lot, and they want the 4 bedroom floor plan.     3 bed 3 bath 2 car on the model. For $21k he can have a 3 stall garage. Deck and Sod for the yard is $15k to $30k extra.  ensuite is smaller, but good for the couple.   2 more bedrooms in the basement with full egress windows, and garden style with the windows above ground.

They choose #3.   I think the final price was $351k, but they used a lot in Fargo, the builder had them available.     The special assessments on new subdivisions are to pay for the extra infrastructure the city or county will need, for schools, utilities, and streets, etc.    They're standard a lot of places. 

 

Edited March 6, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[PamPamPam]

While prices have dropped some since a year or two ago when inventory was low from people trying to take advantage of low interest rates, property taxes and special assessments in Fargo and West Fargo are ridiculously high and only slightly less so in Moorhead. It's common for special assessments on new builds to be $40-50K or more.  I don't know what city they built in, but property tax alone on their 4 bed 3 car garage is likely around $5000 per year plus another $3000 (or more) annually on the special assessment balance. And the interest rate on unpaid specials is not low. Five years ago, we bought a place in Fargo that was built in 2003. Remaining specials were $12K (that's considered "low specials") and the interest rate was around 7% so we decided to pay them off. 

Homeowners pay so developers can rake in big $$.  Taxes put home ownership out of reach for many and force elderly out of their homes.

https://www.inforum.com/newsmd/fargo-couple-gets-relief-from-sky-high-specials-but-still-plans-to-sell-house

[PamPamPam]

5 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

So couple move to Fargo, ND, and his dream is a mid-century modern?    That's not happening.     

 

I must be missing something?  It's my understanding mid-century modern refers to a style typical to a particular time period, and there's quite a few such houses in the Fargo-West Fargo-Moorhead area and ND in general. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

They may have mid-century, but it should have a higher pitch on the roof for the snow load.     I think he meant he wanted updated, and modern, not a true lower pitch roof mid-century style.     The house they bought was modern, but more traditional.    I think it was just another story line for the show.    

[laredhead]

Many people interchange mid-century with mid-century modern, and it can be confusing.  MCM houses have lower pitch roofs, expanses of windows, sliding glass doors, etc - think Palm Springs, Pacific northwest, etc. Mid-century just means a house built in the middle years of the 20th century.  The modern part comes in with the style of the house as previously mentioned.  HH's many times mix up the terms they use when describing what they want, and the show producers just let them run with it.  I'm waiting for someone to say "I want a Victorian, you know, like the ones built in 1940".  Any day now. . .

[PamPamPam]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

They may have mid-century, but it should have a higher pitch on the roof for the snow load.     I think he meant he wanted updated, and modern, not a true lower pitch roof mid-century style.     The house they bought was modern, but more traditional.    I think it was just another story line for the show.    

Snow didn't stop flat roofs from being utilized in ND during that style period. My husband's parents lived in one.

[letusprocrastinate]

Fargo episode.  I'm a bit familiar with the Fargo-Moorhead area so watched it with interest. 

First observation:  This certainly wasn't filmed recently (it was last fall).

House #1:  I know this show is pre-determined but it was easy to tell from their facial expressions that it was a no-go.  The voiceover said, "Close to downtown in an area busier than they'd like" but their faces were screaming, "No, no, no!" and it for sure wasn't due to that rather flimsy voice-over excuse.  The house obviously stands out from the rest of the neighborhood; it's either one heckuva flip or a tear-down and rebuild.

Her:  "The location of the house isn't my favorite".  No kidding.

House #2:  West Fargo, but it's West Fargo just by 1 block.  In that area of town the north-south border between Fargo and West Fargo runs along a street which is 22nd on the Fargo side and 47 1/2 on the West Fargo side, so it's easy to tell you've gone from one to the other.

Once again, their driving-up-to-the-house enthusiasm is rather muted.  Just like House #1 there's a big backyard, although they'd need to use part of it to expand the single-car garage.  There's baseboard heating.  Even if only half of their "wants" were true there would be a lot of renovating going on to get the house to that point, especially the garage thing since they have 2 cars and several motorcycles and there are only 2 seasons (winter and construction).

House #3:  As mentioned by @CrazyInAlabama, it's a model house in "nearby" (right across the river!) Moorhead, MN, but they could get the custom build on the south end of Fargo, where there is a lot of new construction going on.  Hemming and hawing about waiting for a new build to be finished and cost of customizing (ie. upgrading to a 3-car garage instead of the 2-car included in the base price).  He notes the quartz countertops in the kitchen; at the start of the show he mentioned quartz countertops as something he'd like to have.

In segment showing them in the new construction house, I liked the olive green cabinets in the kitchen.  They also upgraded the flooring and tacked on that much-desired 3rd garage. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by letusprocrastinate

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, letusprocrastinate said:

In that area of town the north-south border between Fargo and West Fargo runs along a street which is 22nd on the Fargo side and 47 1/2 on the West Fargo side, so it's easy to tell you've gone from one to the other.

I was like, whaaat?  A street has one name if you're on the east side of it and one name if you're on the west side of it?  How does that even work?

And why is there a north-south border between towns that, given their names, are presumably east and west of each other?  But I looked at a map and realized I misinterpreted what you said, and noticed there's a little jutting out square where all hell breaks loose.  Looking at this intersection makes my head hurt:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/46°52'09.3"N+96°52'20.4"W/@46.8692496,-96.874521,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x52cf34bb7797e871:0xb83bd0531febdbda!2sWest+Fargo,+ND!3b1!8m2!3d46.8769487!4d-96.8999057!3m5!1s0x0:0xf561437f4048fc99!7e2!8m2!3d46.869246!4d-96.8723274

7th Avenue runs east-west, and if you're driving east on it it turns from 7th Avenue East to 7th Avenue South where it intersects 17th Street East from the north and 52nd Street South from the south.

4th Avenue runs east-west just north of 7th Avenue, which makes sense, but it's 4th Avenue East on both sides of north-south 17th Street East, while 7th Avenue changes from 7th Avenue East to 7th Avenue South where it intersects that street. 

And just south of 7th Avenue you have 10th Avenue, which makes sense, but it's 10th Avenue East on the west side of 52nd Street South and 10th Avenue Southwest on the east side of 52nd Street South.

One of the things I like to do when I'm in a town I haven't been to before is ride around slowly on my bike, looking at downtown and neighborhoods and houses.  And here I thought Salt Lake City was tough to figure out the street naming, but I obviously have never been to Fargo. 

Kudos to Denver, where streets running north-south as you head west from downtown are in alphabetical order!  Acoma, Bannock, Cherokee, through Wyandot, Yuma, Zuni, then starting again with Alcott, Bryan, Clay, through Xavier, Yates, and Zenobia, then major road Sheridan, but then starting again with Ames, Benton, Chase, through Wadsworth, Yarrow, Zephyr (and Wadsworth is a huge street and still fits into the scheme, unlike Sheridan), and then for the next batch they started having two streets with each first letter, but still alphabetical even between the two: Allison, Ammons, Balsam, Brentwood, Carr, Cody, major street Kipling which fits in the scheme, and by the time it gets to Z it gets tricky because the streets aren't as grid-like this far west, and streets start and stop a lot, but you still have Ward, Wright, Xenon, Youngfield, Zang, Zinnia.  And a final valiant effort in a very non-grid area, with Alkire, Beech, Braun, through Ulysses and Utah, and then the Rocky Mountains intercede, which is good for the street namers because I think they shot their X wad with Xenophon for a couple of little stubs in the penultimate batch.

This alphabetical scheme is no Manhattan above 14th Street, which is the gold standard, but at least they tried, and it's immediately understandable to a non-local (assuming they notice, of course). 

Then again, Denver can bite me with its downtown grid being 45 degrees off of north-south-east-west, like the rest of the city, because streets downtown orient with the river that inconsiderately runs at an angle right there, resulting in a dreaded intersection of 20th Avenue and 20th Street, and not even at a 90-degree angle.

 

[letusprocrastinate]

41 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I was like, whaaat?  A street has one name if you're on the east side of it and one name if you're on the west side of it?  How does that even work?

And why is there a north-south border between towns that, given their names, are presumably east and west of each other?  But I looked at a map and realized I misinterpreted what you said, and noticed there's a little jutting out square where all hell breaks loose.  Looking at this intersection makes my head hurt:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/46°52'09.3"N+96°52'20.4"W/@46.8692496,-96.874521,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x52cf34bb7797e871:0xb83bd0531febdbda!2sWest+Fargo,+ND!3b1!8m2!3d46.8769487!4d-96.8999057!3m5!1s0x0:0xf561437f4048fc99!7e2!8m2!3d46.869246!4d-96.8723274

7th Avenue runs east-west, and if you're driving east on it it turns from 7th Avenue East to 7th Avenue South where it intersects 17th Street East from the north and 52nd Street South from the south.

4th Avenue runs east-west just north of 7th Avenue, which makes sense, but it's 4th Avenue East on both sides of north-south 17th Street East, while 7th Avenue changes from 7th Avenue East to 7th Avenue South where it intersects that street. 

And just south of 7th Avenue you have 10th Avenue, which makes sense, but it's 10th Avenue East on the west side of 52nd Street South and 10th Avenue Southwest on the east side of 52nd Street South.

One of the things I like to do when I'm in a town I haven't been to before is ride around slowly on my bike, looking at downtown and neighborhoods and houses.  And here I thought Salt Lake City was tough to figure out the street naming, but I obviously have never been to Fargo. 

Kudos to Denver, where streets running north-south as you head west from downtown are in alphabetical order!  Acoma, Bannock, Cherokee, through Wyandot, Yuma, Zuni, then starting again with Alcott, Bryan, Clay, through Xavier, Yates, and Zenobia, then major road Sheridan, but then starting again with Ames, Benton, Chase, through Wadsworth, Yarrow, Zephyr (and Wadsworth is a huge street and still fits into the scheme, unlike Sheridan), and then for the next batch they started having two streets with each first letter, but still alphabetical even between the two: Allison, Ammons, Balsam, Brentwood, Carr, Cody, major street Kipling which fits in the scheme, and by the time it gets to Z it gets tricky because the streets aren't as grid-like this far west, and streets start and stop a lot, but you still have Ward, Wright, Xenon, Youngfield, Zang, Zinnia.  And a final valiant effort in a very non-grid area, with Alkire, Beech, Braun, through Ulysses and Utah, and then the Rocky Mountains intercede, which is good for the street namers because I think they shot their X wad with Xenophon for a couple of little stubs in the penultimate batch.

This alphabetical scheme is no Manhattan above 14th Street, which is the gold standard, but at least they tried, and it's immediately understandable to a non-local (assuming they notice, of course). 

Then again, Denver can bite me with its downtown grid being 45 degrees off of north-south-east-west, like the rest of the city, because streets downtown orient with the river that inconsiderately runs at an angle right there, resulting in a dreaded intersection of 20th Avenue and 20th Street, and not even at a 90-degree angle.

 

DC also does the alphabetical thing on the east-west streets, but then there are the diagonal state-named streets and the quadrants.  Knowing the quadrant is important; for example 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE puts you next to the Anacostia River and near a McDonalds vs. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW which is the location of a certain famous building.

House #2 was 4 blocks east and a bit north of the intersection you mention.

The whole Fargo/West Fargo thing quite something.  Besides the street naming issues, one part of Fargo (including the area immediately to the east of House #2) belongs to West Fargo Public Schools and it's all because of the West Acres shopping mall; at the time it was built in the early 70s there wasn't much, if anything, around there and Fargo refused to pay for the infrastructure that was needed (water, sewer, etc) for the area so the much-smaller municipality of West Fargo stepped up and paid for it.  Ergo, the mall and the area around it are physically located in Fargo but for property tax and school purposes are in West Fargo.  Fargo even went to court years later to try to get those sweet, sweet tax dollars to come their way but was told too bad, so sad, you should have ponied up the infrastructure money back then. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by letusprocrastinate

[rhofmovalley]

My city has "Streets" and "Places" that are nowhere near one another and where there's a VAST difference between Street and Place.  For example, 65th Place is in a highly desirable, pricey area on the bay.  65th Street is near the freeway in a, let's just say, much less desirable area.  If someone wasn't clear when giving directions the poor person following their directions would be hopelessly lost.

And no, I have no idea why the city planners did this.

[Pine]

Fargo, I think the agent is auditioning for The Real Housewives of Fargo.

[ECM1231]

Did the new build in Fargo have a basement? I don't recall seeing one, but imagine if it did have, it would be unfinished, which is another expense.

 

[letusprocrastinate]

28 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Did the new build in Fargo have a basement? I don't recall seeing one, but imagine if it did have, it would be unfinished, which is another expense.

If you're talking like the basement House #2 had, no.  The new build is a split level and the lowest of the 3 levels, where some of the bedrooms are located, is partially underground.   If you watch the drive to House #3 and when they look through the windows to the backyard area you'll see a bunch of houses in the same style. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by letusprocrastinate

[Grrarrggh]

I live in an area where streets start in one place, then continue miles away in another direction. The same street! 

[blondiek237]

Where I live, the streets change names at the city line.  A street I take to work is West St in one town , when you cross the town line it is Lincoln St

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/6/2023 at 10:06 AM, letusprocrastinate said:

In segment showing them in the new construction house [in Fargo], I liked the olive green cabinets in the kitchen. 

I did, too.

Although maybe it's just the avocado green cabinets in the house I grew up in talking.

I'm on the fence about the trend of white cabinets on top and a color below, usually blue or gray.  When I first saw a kitchen like that I really liked it and thought, Why didn't anybody think of that before?  But I wonder if it's going to age well.  When I like something at first glance, I always try to remember that I loved the PT Cruiser when it came out, and just maybe a year later was wondering what the hell I was thinking every time I saw one.

 

[mojito]

Atlanta

Lady wanted 6 bedrooms: one, a glam room so she could put on her makeup; two, a workout room; three, an office, although she remarked once about having a media room. And three more for guests. Her budget was $800K. After looking at homes that partially fulfilled her wants, she ends up getting the three bedroom with no garage and street parking for $599K. 🙄

Dear HH/HHI:

Please, more shows with house hunters who like to think of themselves as divas or influencers or media stars, particularly in Atlanta and Mexico. And for good measure, throw in Americans in the UK who want old world charm with back yards, large kitchens and closets, and open concept, particularly in a $1500/month budget. I just can't get enough of these. 

[Notabug]

54 minutes ago, mojito said:

Atlanta

Lady wanted 6 bedrooms: one, a glam room so she could put on her makeup; two, a workout room; three, an office, although she remarked once about having a media room. And three more for guests. Her budget was $800K. After looking at homes that partially fulfilled her wants, she ends up getting the three bedroom with no garage and street parking for $599K. 🙄

Dear HH/HHI:

Please, more shows with house hunters who like to think of themselves as divas or influencers or media stars, particularly in Atlanta and Mexico. And for good measure, throw in Americans in the UK who want old world charm with back yards, large kitchens and closets, and open concept, particularly in a $1500/month budget. I just can't get enough of these. 

She was nothing if not impressed with herself, being a 'reality TV star' and all.  I'd never heard of the show she'd supposedly been on.  Her friend was nice and seemed down to earth, however, every time they showed her onscreen, she was blinking rapidly, probably due to the massive pair of fake eyelashes she was wearing, very distracting.

If the hunter said 'Brazilian hardwood floors' one more time, I was going to lose it.  Sounds like there was a prenup and the major assets belonged to her husband and she was having a hard time accepting that she couldn't have everything she'd had in their old house now that he wasn't around to pay the mortgage.

[pdlinda]

42 minutes ago, Notabug said:

If the hunter said 'Brazilian hardwood floors' one more time, I was going to lose it. 

I'll join you and in addition we can add  "cute" "super cute" and "really cute to the list.  UGH!!

[Dehumidifier]

On 3/2/2023 at 12:56 PM, chessiegal said:

About 3/4 of the way through the Rockford episode, my husband, usually a passive viewer, said to the tv - okay, woman, enough with the "I'm not loving it". 😅

The constant repetition of "mom" "mom" "mom" was driving me crazy. The producers should have told her to mix it up a bit -- mother, mama, mommy, female parent, the woman who gave birth to me, your mother-in-law. Something else.

[Pine]

Denver,  isn't this a repeat?  Guy with Bull Terrier, looking for 3 bedroom in Uptown...