House Hunters - General Discussion

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, laredhead said:

The term "living off the grid" to me means living without public electric lines or water.  There is a TV series about people doing that.  You are dependent on solar panels or generators for electric power, wood stoves for heat and cooking, and a well for water. 

That’s what I think of too when I hear the term. That’s why I was wondering why she kept mentioning it. I was like, WTF, they aren’t in the middle of nowhere!

[txvoodoo]

On 9/6/2019 at 9:02 PM, amarante said:

I think Austin is a blue sea in what was once a very red State although now it seems to be trending purple in some areas :-).

More like everything urban in Texas is now blue. We moved to TX 20 years ago, to Austin, and at the time, it was the blue area you describe. We moved to Dallas in 2001 and it was pretty red. Now we're in Fort Worth, and it and Dallas are both blue. The more rural areas and some of the burbs are redder.

Re prices - Austin's gone up hugely. DFW was behind that for a while but is starting to catch up. Just as we're starting to look for a new house, of course! :) But compared to most of the rest of the large metroplexes, it's vastly cheaper. I'm from the East Coast, and would have to spend double to get what we're looking for now. 

[LizBug]

Downsizing in McKinney Texas.  I hate to see episodes like this ... gives Texans a bad rep.  Most of us don't downsize from 5000 square feet to 3500 square feet.  Nor do we pay $$$ to move a tree that our son grew from an acorn years ago.

That first house that the realtor showed was so obviously wrong for them.  What's the point of purchasing a house and then "bumping out" walls to get the room that you need? 

The wife was still playing the "breast cancer survivor" card 14 years after the fact.  So, she could get her vanity and her playroom for, as yet, non-existent grandchildren.  Fortunately, she's married to a guy who was willing to give up his media room for her (and those future grandchildren).

[Mittengirl]

Their “downsized” house is three times the size of my current home.  And there is plenty of room for me, my elderly mother and our two cats.  (Although, the cats do have to struggle by without a dedicated playroom.)  I just can’t deal with these people who act like 1500+ square feet per person is a giant sacrifice.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Mittengirl said:

Their “downsized” house is three times the size of my current home.  And there is plenty of room for me, my elderly mother and our two cats.  (Although, the cats do have to struggle by without a dedicated playroom.)  I just can’t deal with these people who act like 1500+ square feet per person is a giant sacrifice.

Not to mention needing a bedroom for each of their adult children as well as a guestroom when all of the kids live close enough to drop by when Househunters was filming.  I lived within 40 miles of my parents as an adult and never in 25+ years did I ever spend the night at their home.  Why would their adult kids each need their own room?. 

There was all that nonsense about how the wife was diagnosed with breast cancer just as they were moving into their previous house and how unfair it all was because she didn't get to participate in the joy of moving or some such baloney.  They lived there 14 years!  If she didn't like the house, why did she wait so long to say so?  If it wasn't decorated to her taste, she had more than enough time to change it.

I also did not understand how it is that hypothetical grandchildren, not one of whom have even been CONCEIVED let alone born, needed to have their own play room- with windows!  At the reveal, with the room, complete with baskets of toys, was shown, it was pathetic.  It seemed like their daughter had just gotten married and their son's wedding had not yet taken place.  What's the rush?

And, along with needing playrooms for nonexistent children, what is with the dog riding in the front seat with the husband while the wife rides in back?  The husband said it was because the dog likes to stick its head out the window but didn't explain why that couldn't happen in the back seat.  I have owned and dearly loved many dogs but the day I rip up my lawn and replace it with grass like they have on the local golf course because the dog prefers it is the day I will be ready for the butterfly net.

[NYGirl]

The McKinney couple infuriated me to no end.  Her with a vanity.  Ok you want one?  You don't need it built into your bathroom.  They do sell them you know?  Don't get me started on the faux grandchildren thing.

Him?  Oh I need a cabana with a 100 inch TV.  Ok.  Then at one house he wanted his backyard to have a stove and built ins and all that stuff that you put in yourself when you move in.  I looked at this show with a puzzled look on my face.

One thing for sure...he really loves her and seemed like a nice guy.  She's lucky

[cameron]

The Amelia Island couple.  He was a complete jerk.  She should dump his asap.  I have had both Viking , GE monogram and Wolf professional gas cooktops and never saw a flame go that high.  Definitely makeup for the show.

[irisheyes]

At least the TX couple knew that all of their “must haves” were going to come with a price tag. Better than the HH”s who want four beds, three baths, an office, and a finished basement (all turnkey) for less than $200K. 

[Kenzie]

6 hours ago, NYGirl said:

One thing for sure...he really loves her and seemed like a nice guy.  She's lucky

Yes, she is.

[amarante]

The McKinney couple didn't bother me - they liked each other and their wish list was appropriate for their budget and their needs.

I understand why they wanted bedrooms for their married children as I assume they were anticipating that the kids would come over for holidays or whatever and it would make sense for each couple to have a bedroom and then one bedroom for all the cousins. 

The decorated room for the grandchildren was a bit bizarre but I am assuming that she was just moving furniture and toys from their old house and so they might as well decorate a room rather since there really wasn't any other use for the room - I think the whole shtick about televisions and such was just a shtick since the room wasn't really a "media room" - it was just a relatively small secondary bedroom. 

Speaking as someone who just finished remodeling and got rid of the second sink so I could have a sit down vanity area, I understood her need for that completely and I presume production is going to mandate some kind of "interesting" wish list. There have been far far more idiotic fixations such as hidey holes or the need for a space for a hot dog machine which turned out to be a tiny little machine that could have been plugged in anywhere.

[swissair100]

For those who watched HH in its early years, sad news that former host Suzanne Whang has passed away (per her FB page)

Edited September 20, 2019 by swissair100

[topanga]

4 hours ago, cameron said:

The Amelia Island couple.  He was a complete jerk.  She should dump his asap.  I have had both Viking , GE monogram and Wolf professional gas cooktops and never saw a flame go that high.  Definitely makeup for the show.

I liked the wife’s focus on budget and saving money. Although they still went with the most expensive house that she’d said all along was too big for them. I liked the couple overall.

At first I chided them for getting all of those bedrooms, but then I considered that they might have children together in the future. 

Will the little girl ever play in their backyard? I don’t know how far south they are, but my friend who lives in Miami says that 80% of the time, it’s too hot for her boys to play outside  

[edie3]

32 minutes ago, swissair100 said:

For those who watched HH in its early years, sad news that former host Suzanne Whang has passed away (per her FB page)

I hate to hear that, I always liked her.

[juliet73]

Lansing NY:  I guess I'm in the minority here, but I thought the husband seemed like a complete jerk.  I got a really bad vibe off of him when they were in the car and he was irritated because her parents saw the house first.  He didn't seem any better throughout the rest of the episode either.  I wasn't a fan of any of the homes and I have a feeling the house they chose is going to be a money pit.

McKinney:  I can't believe the wife wouldn't let the husband have a theater room because she wanted a playroom for the grandchildren who weren't even conceived yet!  And she totally shut him down when he suggested the room can be changed in the future.  She was very selfish, IMO.

Murrieta:  The wife was something else. EVERYTHING was about HER and what SHE (and her mother) wanted.  The apple does not fall far from the tree.  When the mother said should couldn't live without a walk in closet, I rolled my eyes so hard!  I can't take these people who can't survive with normal everyday things.  Like the McKinney wife who couldn't cook in the kitchen without an island!  Really?! My food tastes exactly the same if I prepare it on an island or on the regular counter.  I see no difference in my clothes when they are hung in a walk in closet or a standard closet.  

Sad to hear about Suzanne Whang's passing.  She was so young 😞

[txvoodoo]

10 hours ago, DallasGypsy said:

 Fortunately, she's married to a guy who was willing to give up his media room for her (and those future grandchildren).

Man, no kidding. And me, I'm superstitious. My family didn't even have baby showers before the birth, just in case. Superstitious Sicilians.  So planning your house for children that aren't even thought of as ovum yet? Yeahhh no. 

I saw the Suzanne Whang thing today too, and dang. I'll just sayin it: f*ck cancer. It's taken too many of my friends lately. 

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

I liked the wife’s focus on budget and saving money. Although they still went with the most expensive house that she’d said all along was too big for them. I liked the couple overall.

At first I chided them for getting all of those bedrooms, but then I considered that they might have children together in the future. 

I wanted to know why they couldn't just keep their money separate and have him add a bigger chunk if he was the one so interested in a huge house. 

[KLovestoShop]

Insufferable McKinney woman.  She had to have ALL her things, but limited TV’s to two?  What a bitch.  But the husband insisting the dog sit in the front seat was just wrong.  The dog could sit in the back seat and stick his head out the window——-but any responsible dog owner knows dogs should never be allowed to stick theirs heads out of a moving car.  That notion drives my vet insane.

I could not stand the realtor’s voice.  She sounded like she inhaled helium, or copies the Kartrashian vocal fry. 

I have the feeling the wife is the mother-in-law from hell 

Edited September 20, 2019 by KLovestoShop

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

The dog could sit in the back seat and stick his head out the window——-but any responsible dog owner knows dogs should never be allowed to stick theirs heads out of a moving car.  

And no responsible dog owner would allow a dog in the front seat.  It's like little kids belong in the back - an expanding air bag will seriously injure or kill them.

They were both insufferable.

[ByaNose]

Suzanne Whang has died:

https://people.com/home/house-hunters-host-suzanne-whang-dead-at-56-after-13-year-cancer-battle/

[CruiseDiva]

So sad to hear about Suzanne.

[Motor City]

I liked House Hunters better when Suzanne Whang was the host.  RIP Suzanne

[foxfreakinmulder]

53 minutes ago, Motor City said:

I liked House Hunters better when Suzanne Whang was the host.  RIP Suzanne

I did too. She had such a nice voice. Sad to hear she lost her battle :-(

My niece lost her battle with breast cancer last year at the age of 37 and left 4 young kids all under the age of 17. Cancer is the most evil and takes the most beautiful souls.

[WendyCR72]

Suzanne Whang, House Hunters host, dies at 56.

Apparently, she had a long battle with breast cancer. May she RIP.

[ECM1231]

6 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

I did too. She had such a nice voice. Sad to hear she lost her battle 😞

My niece lost her battle with breast cancer last year at the age of 37 and left 4 young kids all under the age of 17. Cancer is the most evil and takes the most beautiful souls.

Oh my. I am so sorry for your loss.

RIP Suzanne.

[ECM1231]

Kure Beach NC: A couple ( Daniel and Jessica)  wants an investment property that will also be used for family vacations. 500K budget.

At first I thought this was a rerun. This couple was on a Nashville show. I remember the wife was from Chicago when she met her now husband and then relocated. They are both tall and very attractive. They wanted a home with an accessory apartment. I guess they are doing well enough to afford a beach vacation home. Off to Google how far Kure Beach NC is from Nashville.

Edited September 21, 2019 by ECM1231

[chessiegal]

1 minute ago, ECM1231 said:

I guess they are doing well enough to afford a beach vacation home.

She said the apartment they rented at their Nashville home allowed them to save up enough money to buy the beach house.

[ECM1231]

15 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

She said the apartment they rented at their Nashville home allowed them to save up enough money to buy the beach house.

Thanks, CHESSIEGAL. I missed the very beginning. It's an almost 10 hour drive from Nashville, so not exactly a weekend getaway.

[El maestro]

Please, no more Palm Spring couples.... they want the classic...but then they are always bitching about how they need more modern rooms.

[LittleIggy]

NC beach house: The husband was very good looking. Those Polynesian genes!

[SpiritSong]

It was good to see someone actually considering the possible consequences of hurricanes when buying beach property. But I am with the wife; if I'm going to have a beach vacation I want to stay on the beach. I would never rent the house they bought, with it's tiny sliver of an ocean view. I know they said they already had bookings but I still would have chosen the beachfront condo. Really high HOA, though, considering the pool seemed to be the only amenity.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I swear I learned a few years ago that Suzanne Whang left HH and HGTV hired someone who sounded just like her to do voiceovers.  Does anyone else remember that?

[chessiegal]

6 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I swear I learned a few years ago that Suzanne Whang left HH and HGTV hired someone who sounded just like her to do voiceovers.  Does anyone else remember that?

Yes, true. Her name is Andromeda Dunker and she is still doing the voiceovers for both HH and HHI.

[cameron]

7 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

It was good to see someone actually considering the possible consequences of hurricanes when buying beach property. But I am with the wife; if I'm going to have a beach vacation I want to stay on the beach. I would never rent the house they bought, with it's tiny sliver of an ocean view. I know they said they already had bookings but I still would have chosen the beachfront condo. Really high HOA, though, considering the pool seemed to be the only amenity.

Smart man.  Wilmington NC beaches have really taken the brunt of the hurricanes the past few years.

[Kohola3]

2 minutes ago, cameron said:

Smart man.  Wilmington NC beaches have really taken the brunt of the hurricanes the past few years.

Anybody that buys beachfront on the Atlantic coast is nuts.  Might as well just set fire to the money.  And people building and rebuilding in those vulnerable areas are the cause of the increase in everyone's insurance rates.  Hurricanes are becoming increasingly fierce and long lasting and that' snot going to change so give up that dream and look for something on water inland. 

Even the Great Lakes (hurricane free) are experiencing higher and higher lake levels that are swamping places right on the shoreline with the worsening, sustained NE and SE winds.  I know, I live on Lake Huron.

[chessiegal]

We have a friend whose mother owns a cottage on the beach in Atlantic Beach, NC. It was built around 1945 and is still standing, having weathered every storm. It does have fairly high dunes between the cottage and water.

[Ottis]

The Wilmington Beach woman has a problem with reality. It’s a vacation house. You’re what, 30? 34? You want a big house, on the beach, with a layout that resembles what you liked as a kid, for an affordable price? Think about it, lady. “And I have wanted forever” a beach house. Yeah, forever.

The husband was trying so hard to be realistic, including flood insurance costs, though given they want a place by the ocean, yeah, you’ll have to have some, dude. I feel sorry for the guy. 

Edited September 21, 2019 by Ottis

[SpiritSong]

On 9/21/2019 at 6:07 AM, Kohola3 said:

Anybody that buys beachfront on the Atlantic coast is nuts.  Might as well just set fire to the money.  And people building and rebuilding in those vulnerable areas are the cause of the increase in everyone's insurance rates.  Hurricanes are becoming increasingly fierce and long lasting and that' snot going to change so give up that dream and look for something on water inland. 

Even the Great Lakes (hurricane free) are experiencing higher and higher lake levels that are swamping places right on the shoreline with the worsening, sustained NE and SE winds.  I know, I live on Lake Huron.

I agree that buying beachfront is crazy. But beachfront is the only place I will rent. So if they want to buy rental property, they should consider that a place 6 blocks from the beach is not going to give them the income they're looking for. And 6 blocks from the ocean is hardly out of the hurricane danger zone.

[jcbrown]

The tiny house hunters in Boulder seemed to be a bit of an odd couple, no?

[amarante]

1 hour ago, jcbrown said:

The tiny house hunters in Boulder seemed to be a bit of an odd couple, no?

I was wondering whether this was an old one and hence the paucity of comments on it. Is it horrible for me to whisper "green card"? My evil self was thinking that the reason they opted for the first one was that there were essentially two separate but fairly equal sleeping quarters.

I don't understand why anyone would want to live in a tiny home versus a corporate rental. I don't think people need to 2000 square feet for each inhabitant but most of these places don't seem to have particularly comfortable places to hang out. There was a HH a month or so ago who bought a very small home in Palms Springs on a small budget but at least it felt like a home in which one could actually be comfortable. I don't want to climb down a tiny staircase in the middle of the night if I have to pee for starters and I would like to be able to read or watch television in a comfortable roomy chair that I can curl up in.

I think of RV's as a separate category than a tiny house because they seem suited specifically for people who are traveling around. Obviously the tiny homes are "cuter" on the exterior but RV's seem to be set up to be more comfortable to actually live in.

[SpiritSong]

2 minutes ago, amarante said:

I was wondering whether this was an old one and hence the paucity of comments on it. Is it horrible for me to whisper "green card"? My evil self was thinking that the reason they opted for the first one was that there were essentially two separate but fairly equal sleeping quarters.

I don't understand why anyone would want to live in a tiny home versus a corporate rental. I don't think people need to 2000 square feet for each inhabitant but most of these places don't seem to have particularly comfortable places to hang out. There was a HH a month or so ago who bought a very small home in Palms Springs on a small budget but at least it felt like a home in which one could actually be comfortable. I don't want to climb down a tiny staircase in the middle of the night if I have to pee for starters and I would like to be able to read or watch television in a comfortable roomy chair that I can curl up in.

I think of RV's as a separate category than a tiny house because they seem suited specifically for people who are traveling around. Obviously the tiny homes are "cuter" on the exterior but RV's seem to be set up to be more comfortable to actually live in.

Agree with all of this. What cracks me up is the house hunters who want a tiny house on wheels so they can move it around. The wheeled houses invariable have open shelving in the kitchen for storing dishes, etc. Can you imagine the mess after taking one of those houses on the road? At least RV's are equipped to be moved regularly. And yes, some of them are quite comfortable and have more of a homey feel than these spartan tiny houses.

[jcbrown]

And he kept going on about where his giant TV and subwoofer would go. I would think turning on a subwoofer in a space that size would blow you out the side of it. I kept saying, "maybe in a bigger place"?

[msrachelj]

On 9/18/2019 at 1:44 PM, chessiegal said:

We have well water and septic. We've had the water tested more than once, and it is fine. The only problem is if the power goes out, the pump doesn't work. That rarely happens. We've never had to ration water. We have propane - tank buried in the yard. I never thought of us living "off the grid".

True. Girl is just a spoiled brat. Plenty of people outside of cities, in the country, what ever you want to call it, have wells, springs, septics etc. It's not living off the grid! She isn't as smart as she thinks she is.

[Andyourlittledog2]

There have been a few tiny house HH repeats recently and they drive me nuts. I have no problem with tiny houses but the list of 'must haves' these people want are just ridiculous. I want a simple tiny house and scaled back living, they say, but I want room for an office, a dishwasher, entertaining space, future babies, the five kids I already have, the six foot five husband who fits in none of them comfortably, several animals, etc. Me, I want to scream at them, 'then get a real house you idiot!' but sadly they can't hear me.

[izabella]

We have seen master bathrooms that are bigger than those tiny houses.  They should try moving into the master bath for a few weeks and see how that works out.  That might be better, since it at least has a flushing toilet.

I also think the homeowners should tape a rectangle on the floor of their current living room to see exactly how small the square footage of those tiny houses is. 

[LittleIggy]

Tiny House in Boulder: They seemed like an odd couple, didn’t they?

[laredhead]

Hoping someone who is familiar with the military can enlighten me about the housing situation/compensation of off base living. Last night's episode feature family of 8, plus his parents, moving to east coast where the husband had been relocated.  Does the family receive some off base housing allowance that would make a $425,000 affordable?  His rank was never stated. 

First the wife, was being demanding and very picky given her stated budget, and even the realtor was being snarky about her.  I wish they had shown their former house which they sometimes do, to compare what she had previously lived in so we could see what she was expecting in what was obviously a more competitive and expensive market.  I found it odd that his parents were moving from their own house and were going to be living with the family, but having only a bedroom as their personal space.  Would have thought that an attached or detached MIL space would have been nice, because I bet those parents will be expected to provide child care many times.  At least there was no demand that each child have their own room, and I thought the lone girl was lucky because she was the only one not going to have to share a room.

When they first walked through the house they ultimately chose, no mention was made of that huge porch like room at the back of the house, and I wondered why they didn't show it.  At the reveal, you could see it again just off the kitchen area, but nothing was said about it.  Wonder if it was a porch, or a finished room?  It looked really big.  The only house that stood out to me was the Victorian which I knew was a no go, and just tossed in to fill the need for 3 houses to be shown.  Did they choose the house with the large bathtub where the wife was planning to spend a lot of time?           

[TVForever]

16 hours ago, izabella said:

We have seen master bathrooms that are bigger than those tiny houses.  They should try moving into the master bath for a few weeks and see how that works out.  That might be better, since it at least has a flushing toilet.

I also think the homeowners should tape a rectangle on the floor of their current living room to see exactly how small the square footage of those tiny houses is. 

You just reminded me of Tiny House Nation (the original Tiny House show), where the host did exactly that. In order to get the family to get a real sense of what they were downsizing to, he taped an area in the driveway and made the family (2 parents and 2 very young children) spend some time in it. In another episode, he taped off an area of the room and let that family know that everything they wanted to bring to the new tiny house HAD to fit in that space. Everything else they owned had to go. In both cases, it was a nice reality check.

[doodlebug]

50 minutes ago, laredhead said:

Hoping someone who is familiar with the military can enlighten me about the housing situation/compensation of off base living. Last night's episode feature family of 8, plus his parents, moving to east coast where the husband had been relocated.  Does the family receive some off base housing allowance that would make a $425,000 affordable?  His rank was never stated. 

First the wife, was being demanding and very picky given her stated budget, and even the realtor was being snarky about her.  I wish they had shown their former house which they sometimes do, to compare what she had previously lived in so we could see what she was expecting in what was obviously a more competitive and expensive market.  I found it odd that his parents were moving from their own house and were going to be living with the family, but having only a bedroom as their personal space.  Would have thought that an attached or detached MIL space would have been nice, because I bet those parents will be expected to provide child care many times.  At least there was no demand that each child have their own room, and I thought the lone girl was lucky because she was the only one not going to have to share a room.

When they first walked through the house they ultimately chose, no mention was made of that huge porch like room at the back of the house, and I wondered why they didn't show it.  At the reveal, you could see it again just off the kitchen area, but nothing was said about it.  Wonder if it was a porch, or a finished room?  It looked really big.  The only house that stood out to me was the Victorian which I knew was a no go, and just tossed in to fill the need for 3 houses to be shown.  Did they choose the house with the large bathtub where the wife was planning to spend a lot of time?           

At the beginning of the show, he said his rank, but I can't remember it except that he wasn't an officer; it sounded like an enlisted type rank.  I, too, was surprised by their budget, although, they'd been married at least a decade, presuming they'd bought houses all along, they could have enough equity for a decent down payment.  They might also have inheritance/family money from someplace.  The wife specifically said that she wasn't working, so she couldn't be contributing to the mortgage payments.  Maybe the grandparents are helping.  He would have a housing allowance, but not enough to afford what they needed. The allowance varies based on the location, the number of dependants and the soldier's rank, but it wouldn't cover a $400K house for a non-officer.  It looks like housing allowances for military based in Virginia with dependents start at about $1000/month and go up to around $2500 based on rank.

Prior to this, the wife said she and the kids were living with the grandparents in their home; so maybe the husband was deployed overseas for a stretch.

The wife was kind of annoying with her insistence that they needed 6 bedrooms, no matter what.  So, in addition to her bedroom and the grandparents, two of the boys were apparently getting their own rooms in addition to the daughter.  Not sure why that was needed.  I also found her attitude, that she wanted 6 bedrooms and NO renovations whatsoever for $375000 to be a bit much.  Houses that size are few and far between and, even in areas where real estate is reasonably priced, getting that much house is going to cost something and $375k seems like the bare minimum.  She was also pretty snarky about the realtor, acting like the woman wasn't doing her job because she couldn't find her dream home under budget.  She snotted about how she was able to find all sorts of wonderful options in their price range online and implied that the realtor didn't know her job.  Apparently, she doesn't understand how real estate sales work and that the realtor wasn't going to be paid unless they bought a house so, of course, she was trying to find them a place they'd like.

The Victorian was my favorite, too, but it would take a lot of money and time to renovate it properly so I understand why they didn't choose it (aside from the fact that they chose long before filming anyway).

Edited September 24, 2019 by doodlebug

[LittleIggy]

The husband mentioned being tired of “living on the ship.” 

[chessiegal]

The Navy husband said he was a Chief Gunner's Mate. My husband tells me that's near the top of the enlisted heap. I have no idea what that translates into as far as a housing allowance.

ETA: My husband said with 6 kids they probably get $2,000 - $2,200/mo.

Edited September 24, 2019 by chessiegal