House Hunters - General Discussion

[ECM1231]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

Unless I misheard, didn't the California couple say they'd rented the one bedroom for 20 years, then they had the option to buy but (understandably) didn't want to?   

I heard that they were renting with the option to buy but didn't hear whether or not they had chosen to buy their condo/co-op. I was wondering that as well, b/c without the equity built up over the years, they really had to save quite a bit for a sizeable down payment.

I was surprised that the husband eventually caved and decided to max out their budget. For a couple who had struggled for so long, I'd have thought that they'd be a bit more careful with how much they should spend. There was absolutely no reason that they needed a 6-bedroom home and not only was it at the very top of the loan amount approved for, but they also got themselves into a bidding war and went many thousands of dollars over. Wasn't it something like 20K over their top budget?

I think they should have gone for the least expensive home. I'm tired of folks who declare perfectly nice kitchens and baths as outdated and total gut jobs.  They lived for 20 years in a one-bedroom condo, so over time they can renovate the home to their liking and add a pool. I was happy for them, but at the same time annoyed at them b/c I just felt they were being irresponsible. 

[Orcinus orca]

7 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

I was surprised that the husband eventually caved and decided to max out their budget. For a couple who had struggled for so long, I'd have thought that they'd be a bit more careful with how much they should spend. There was absolutely no reason that they needed a 6-bedroom home and not only was it at the very top of the loan amount approved for, but they also got themselves into a bidding war and went many thousands of dollars over. Wasn't it something like 20K over their top budget?

I think there was some "shame" factor involved in the decision.   His kids had been sleeping together in a dining room for all of their lives, unable to have friends over.  No family gatherings.  So when a windfall came their way, they really blew it all at one time.

I sincerely hope they continue to do well and can keep their place.  But I doubt there was anything left over for the kids to go to college which, in their circumtances, should have been front and center. Those girls were not toddlers, the oldest one would be ready to fly the coop within a few years if off to college.

Of course we know that the homes have already been purchased so, while the decoys made more sense, it's not like they could undo what had been already done.

[Andyourlittledog2]

I think the first two houses were in Murrieta and the one they bought was in Temecula. I have been told that Temecula is the more desirable location so that may have played into it. Still, they were living in Irvine (very desirable and closer to the beach comparatively) and were moving to Temecula/Murrieta area which is far inland and soooooo hot. But a one bedroom condo in Irvine would probably be pricey and if they had bought it (my understanding of rent to own) twenty years ago and then sold in this market they probably had some good equity available for the down payment needed to get the Temecula home. What puzzled me was the work commutes. They didn't really touch on that. Perhaps the two new better jobs were closer to Temecula anyway. 

I liked them though. They seemed like a nice family.

[Notabug]

On 6/1/2023 at 5:14 PM, Andyourlittledog2 said:

The disconnect on this show for me as a life long middle class Los Angeleno is the househunters insistence on a particular type of house. I mean, obviously they have choices where they live. But in LA the idea of insisting on a colonial versus a cape cod versus a mid century modern versus a split level ranch etc is foreign to me. Two story versus one story, yes. But the primary search consists in questions such as is it in a neighborhood I can deal with, how far is the commute (in hours sometimes), is it sound, is it in a hot area or a cooler area or downtown versus suburb, etc... I watch these people fuss ocomparever what kind of architecture style and I am baffled at their choices. I just want a sound home, reasonable commute, safe as I can afford neighborhood, in an area that is not a furnace in the summer or subject to landslides/major flooding, etc.

It does make it kinda fun to choose what kind of home I would get if I were them though. Lately almost every home they show is horrible to me, though. When they get to the third nightmare home I realize these people actually bought one of these terrible houses and I marvel.

I live in the midwest and housing prices here are very affordable compared to much of the rest of the country.  But, I, too, wonder about the househunters who insist on getting a mid-century modern or craftsman. In the suburb where I live, anyone who was that fixated on the style of home could be looking a long, long time.  Most of the mid priced homes here are colonials with some ranches and split levels out there.  I've never known anyone looking to buy a house who wanted a specific style unless maybe they were building it themselves.  I get it that some people might prefer a ranch, others would like a second story; but, beyond that, not a lot of choice.

I chose my house because of its proximity to work, the quality of the schools and city services and because homes in this area tend to appreciate faster than in other areas.  When I chose this town, I essentially chose a colonial simply because most of the homes on the market were that style.  I looked at about 20 homes before I bought, all but 2 or 3 were colonials.

I think the show thinks it is more interesting to hear the buyers argue about the style of home they want than talk about real estate values, city services and school systems.

[Bastet]

I am also a life-long resident of Los Angeles, and I do know people who are really set on a Spanish style house or a Craftsman.  (Those are my two favorites, but I by no means only looked at those styles and, indeed, I wound up with neither one.)  Occasionally a mid-century modern.  But, yes, for the most part, style is pretty far down the list here, given all the other considerations involved in finding a house you like and can afford in a neighborhood of the same that's a decent commute from work (and is in a decent school district if you have kids and are going to go the public school route).

So, yeah, the plethora of I must have a [specific style] house storylines are as silly to me as the rest, especially when it's because that's the style of house in which they grew up.

[Andyourlittledog2]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

I am also a life-long resident of Los Angeles, and I do know people who are really set on a Spanish style house or a Craftsman.  (Those are my two favorites, but I by no means only looked at those styles and, indeed, I wound up with neither one.)  Occasionally a mid-century modern. 

Yes, those are common enough to aspire to. I would not want a mid century modern or a Spanish style but if a house met my needs as you listed I would have to grit my teeth and begrudgingly get it. And I would kill for a Craftsman (the bungalow kind, not the kinda barely if you squint kind).

I don't think I could stretch to one of those brown/beige Mediterranean style homes (in terms of decor) though. When I see a house decorated like that I can relate to the househunters who demand a gut of a perfectly fine kitchen. I just cannot with that style I really cannot. And a house with ivy or with entry pillars/posts/bushes too close together on either side of a walkway/entrance. Walked through too many spider webs early morning on my way to school as a kid. And spiders love ivy. Nope. I'd be remarking on that as well.

I guess I am just like the HHs but just with different problems.  lol

[snarts]

So it's not just Monday episodes...

Temecula, CA couple moving from a one bed condo to the six bed house originally aired in April 2022.  Lots of discussion on it when it first aired.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, the double Monday episodes are reruns, plus at least one of the Sunday 30 minute ones.   Also, a lot are renamed Beachfront Bargain Hunt episodes, you can tell because the realtor never tours the house with them.    They've also used HHI episodes for Mexico and Caribbean or Bahamas renamed, and called new.  

I think on the Temecula/Murrietta episode, the couple wanted to show they made it, by buying a huge house, and having people over.   I think buying a home that big was a mistake.   In their place, I would have bought a 4 bedroom or less, without a pool, but with a community pool.    Also, much cheaper.

They're showing a marathon on OWN, including "Three Bedrooms and a Basement in D.C.", from 2012, with the woman who doesn't want trees around the house, because of birds.   (I think there was another woman, looking at homes near Atlanta (?) who said no trees around her home, because the birds might attack, or some other ridiculous claim.  I don't think it was just one who used that storyline). 

 That was preceded by the Racine, Wisc. couple where the wife thinks the Children of the Corn will be coming to get her.   They picked the house with the red dumpster in the driveway, easy guess. 

The Detroit teacher with the adorable son, but her father demanded three exit doors on the house to escape if some intruder came in another door.    

The tiny house student in Kentucky made me wonder how much he researched Tiny houses, and the issues with them?  You can't go to campgrounds, RV parks etc., you can't park them in the city limits.   

Like others suggested, a travel trailer, or a 5th wheel would have been a much better idea, and they usually have insulation, and heating and cooling too, and are made to be towed.   They aren't even a real trailer you can hook up and tow either.  Travel trailer or 5th wheel trailers have real plumbing you can either use a dump station, or hook up to sewer systems, and are accepted at RV and trailer parks.   

Most tiny homes require a bigger tow vehicle, commercial and expensive.    All of a sudden a bunch of these new tiny house episodes have been running.  I wonder if they decided not to have separate tiny home titled series?   

Edited June 6, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[cameron]

On 6/1/2023 at 12:09 PM, chessiegal said:

Not sure why, but the Memphis buyer calling exposed air ducts "pipes" bothered me.

And she thinks that a "craftsman" style house is southern.  Guess she doesn't know that they got their start in California.

[amarante]

1 hour ago, cameron said:

And she thinks that a "craftsman" style house is southern.  Guess she doesn't know that they got their start in California.

Craftsman style homes didn't "originate" in California. They were part of the Arts & Crafts movement which was a reaction to both Victorian design as well as the Industrial Revolution.

It was particularly popular in California and the Midwest but that might also be because of the type of homes that were being built at the turn of the twentieth century.

Stickley who is probably the most famous of the Arts & Crafts furniture designers had his factory in upstate New York. 

What would be correct is that the bungalow - also an early 20th century architectural design was particularly popular in Southern California because of the nature of the housing market. In Los Angeles, it was originally built for blue collar workers as relatively modest inexpensive housing. In more traditional cities of the Northeast like NYC land was more expensive and so workers either lived in apartment building or in very narrow row attached homes. If you are familiar with the blue collar neighborhoods of Brooklyn there are a lot of this style of home versus free standing homes which were a step up. 

[cameron]

3 hours ago, amarante said:

Craftsman style homes didn't "originate" in California. They were part of the Arts & Crafts movement which was a reaction to both Victorian design as well as the Industrial Revolution.

It was particularly popular in California and the Midwest but that might also be because of the type of homes that were being built at the turn of the twentieth century.

Stickley who is probably the most famous of the Arts & Crafts furniture designers had his factory in upstate New York. 

What would be correct is that the bungalow - also an early 20th century architectural design was particularly popular in Southern California because of the nature of the housing market. In Los Angeles, it was originally built for blue collar workers as relatively modest inexpensive housing. In more traditional cities of the Northeast like NYC land was more expensive and so workers either lived in apartment building or in very narrow row attached homes. If you are familiar with the blue collar neighborhoods of Brooklyn there are a lot of this style of home versus free standing homes which were a step up. 

Stickley was famous for his furniture designs and not known as a builder of "craftsman" style houses.  The most famous early designs started in California along with the Oregon area.

[cinsays]

just watched the one with the 18-year old guy who wanted a tiny house and he was planning to park it on his parents' farm for now and then move it elsewhere at some point, maybe after college.

he initially borrowed $30K from his parents/mother to do this 

the one he decided on was several thousand over that amount and it seemed to me that his mom was going to let him have the rest of what he needed too, though that wasn't clear.  

maybe she felt it worth it to get him out of the house. 

i'm sure he thinks this makes him look smart and mature, didn't seem that way to me, just seemed obnoxious.

[chessiegal]

My question of the kid with the tiny house - where were the water, sewer, electric hookups? He might as well have pitched a tent.

[laredhead]

If his intention was to travel, he would have been better off buying a travel trailer, and probably could have gotten a nice used one for about the same amount as he paid for the tiny house.  Plus, travel trailers are built for moving around frequently, and you don't have to climb a ladder to get to the bed.  Count me among the people who don't understand the appeal of the tiny house fad.  

[chessiegal]

Makes me wonder if that was a Tiny House retread.

[Orcinus orca]

56 minutes ago, cinsays said:

just watched the one with the 18-year old guy who wanted a tiny house and he was planning to park it on his parents' farm for now and then move it elsewhere at some point, maybe after college.

I thought it was amusing that they showed it parked a few feet from his mom's house.  I bet it's a glorifed kid cave and he still eats and does laundry at the big house.

And for the umpteenth time, these are not meant for traveling nor are they built tor that.  You can't drag those from campground to campground behind a car.

[Thumper]

4 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

I thought it was amusing that they showed it parked a few feet from his mom's house.  I bet it's a glorifed kid cave and he still eats and does laundry at the big house.

And for the umpteenth time, these are not meant for traveling nor are they built tor that.  You can't drag those from campground to campground behind a car.

I wondered the same thing about him still showing up for meals at mom’s house!

I do think it was a Tiny House retread, but I can’t see original air dates now that I have You Tube TV, so I don’t know for sure. 

Edited June 5, 2023 by Thumper

[Grizzly]

If he wanted to get out of the house, why didn't he just live on campus? No mention of what kind, if any, vehicle he had to pull the trailer. I liked the house he picked the best.

[chediavolo]

On 5/31/2023 at 8:34 AM, snarts said:

Worchester, MA: Quirky doesn't even cut it.  They were weird. Countng possessions, continually referring to herself as a "townie".  What does that even mean?  That she likes to live in town?  The new cat names were over the top as well. Glad they found each other.

Orange County, NY: I wish they'd have showed the city names, I was curious where exactly they were looking. They chose the right place for them, with the extra acreage and huge outbuilding, and it was obvious choice since they'd already started the remodeling. 

Well, they are OK in my book just for the fact that they ran out and adopted two grown cats. So, good people. 🥰

I would’ve picked the house with all the wood. 

that POS square blob of a house that used to be a store is absolutely disgusting. How dare somebody try to sell that as a home?  I hope no one buys it & has to  be subjected to living an ugly box in a parking lot..

On 6/1/2023 at 12:09 PM, chessiegal said:

Not sure why, but the Memphis buyer calling exposed air ducts "pipes" bothered me.

Because stupidity bothers you as it does me. 😄

[CrazyInAlabama]

Some locations do call things other names than the majority of the rest of us do.  For example, I was looking at houses a few years ago, and they almost all said they had 'barns'.    They were small lots, and I wondered about that, until I realized the realtors were calling storage sheds Barns.      So, I consider the house hunter calling vents pipes, quirky and different. 

Edited June 5, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Lady J]

On 5/25/2023 at 1:07 PM, Johannah said:

And they are always standing around the kitchen island.  Do people actually eat that way?  My eyes almost rolled out of my head at one episode where a bunch of people in Maryland were eating steamed crabs around the island.  NEVER in my many years have I ever seen that.  90% of the time, it's on a picnic table out in the yard or on a porch.  It can get messy.

And maybe because I've never wanted to live in or near a city, I'm getting tired of those shows.  I like the mid-size homes with some land.  

Even when the people are annoying, I'll still watch because I like looking at houses.  I just mute the sound.

I wish there would be more single house hunters. I’m tired of the same old back and forth between couples . The dialog never changes. 

[chessiegal]

Just now, Lady J said:

I wish there would be more single house hunters. I’m tired of the same old back and forth between couples . The dialog never changes. 

But if it's single house hunters they bring along a mom or friend, and they supply the stupid dialogue.

[rhofmovalley]

35 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

But if it's single house hunters they bring along a mom or friend, and they supply the stupid dialogue.

Or they contribute the stupid comments and their mom/dad/sibling/friend is decreed to be the voice of reason.

My faves are the siblings/friends/parents who are scripted to push hard for a big single family home "for your future husband/wife and zillions of kids". 

[Orcinus orca]

2 hours ago, Lady J said:

I’m tired of the same old back and forth between couples . The dialog never changes. 

I think the producers have run out of ideas. We could probably come up with something different.  We know they won't talk about taxes or schools. How about the deal breaker being a city allowing chickens?  Or walking distance to a yoga studio.  Or it must be X number of miles from a railroad track or a big box store?  Or it must be certified to be ghost free?

[snarts]

I just wish there was less "story" and more real estate. Show 4-5 houses per episode and skip the staged discussion in their current place or the stupid clips of them out drinking/eating. The show's called house hunters, I want to see them hunt for houses.

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

But if it's single house hunters they bring along a mom or friend, and they supply the stupid dialogue.

Yeah, they don't let single HH's appear alone, they have to bring someone along so the producers can get the same inane disagreements.

When my best friend was house hunting upon returning to CA, her budget meant she was going to wind up with a house that needed some work (not a complete overhaul, but there wasn't going to be anything "turn-key" in her area within her budget), so she asked me to come along as I was able to say "This one, you could just do X, Y, and Z, very manageable, and then do some bigger projects five or ten years down the road" or "What you're going to want/need to do to this one before even moving in is more than you have the time and money for". 

Since days can get long looking at houses, we would sometimes entertain ourselves by pretending we were on HH (not punking the real estate agent, just stuff we'd say when walking through a house on our own), especially if it was a house we knew was going to require more work than she could afford to have done -- I'd make breezy proclamations about "Oh, well this one is $15,000 under your budget, so you can just gut the kitchen and bathroooms, knock down half the walls, and add on a new bedroom; in fact, there's room for an en suite".

Edited June 5, 2023 by Bastet

[buttersister]

HH: I love this house, I don't care if it's above my budget! 
Buddy: Lemme explain what house poor means.

[amarante]

1 hour ago, Orcinus orca said:

I think the producers have run out of ideas. We could probably come up with something different.  We know they won't talk about taxes or schools. How about the deal breaker being a city allowing chickens?  Or walking distance to a yoga studio.  Or it must be X number of miles from a railroad track or a big box store?  Or it must be certified to be ghost free?

There have been a few chicken centric episodes. 😂😂🐓🐓🦃🦃

[CrazyInAlabama]

They also featured a couple, around San Francisco I think, but it's been several years that the husband was worried about someone dying in the house, or near a cemetery.  Of course, they bought right next to a cemetery.    

There was a couple where she wanted chickens, and their current area didn't allow them, the Boise episode from 21 May or about then.   And the second home had a lot of acreage, and a huge barn, and she started talking about goats, donkeys, chickens, and whatever else she could think of. 

Tonight's new episode "The Queen of Connecticut" where they buy a split or bi-level, and wife calls it a ranch is mind-boggling.  And they're building a tiny house in the back yard for his mom.   I'm hoping it's more like a one bedroom, single level, not some ladder / loft true tiny home.  

Edited June 6, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grizzly]

47 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Tonight's new episode "The Queen of Connecticut" where they buy a split or bi-level, and wife calls it a ranch is mind-boggling.  And they're building a tiny house in the back yard for his mom.   I'm hoping it's more like a one bedroom, single level, not some ladder / loft true tiny home.  

In CT, we'd call house #1 a raised ranch. Not sure what #3 was. Their commute is not going to be fun but on the bright side, they're really close to the highway.  🙂  Wonder how mom feels about her future daughter in law not wanting to be under the same roof? Said emphatically. Several times. On national TV. Once mom sells her house, she'll have enough money to build whatever she wants.

[Kenzie]

6 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Tonight's new episode "The Queen of Connecticut" where they buy a split or bi-level, and wife calls it a ranch is mind-boggling. 

Glad to know I'm not the only one that thought calling a two-story house over a basement that was reached by a tall flight of front steps being called anything close to a ranch was very odd. 

Here, in the West a ranch-style home always means a single-story home with one or two steps up to the front door. One of the main perks of a ranch is the avoidance of steps and staircases.

[Orcinus orca]

"I got my ranch".

No, you didn't.

[pdlinda]

15 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Once mom sells her house, she'll have enough money to build whatever she wants.

That was my immediate first thought!!☺️

[amarante]

Technically the Queen of Connecticut said she wanted a "raised ranch" which I think is a specific North Eastern term for that kind of home.

I would call that house a split level because there is no level where you don't have to go up or down.

I think a *true* raised ranch is one in which you enter on the main level where there is the living room, dining room and kitchen. The bedrooms are only a half a story up and typically if you enter through the garage you go into the family room which is a half a level down from the kitchen. This is because the bedrooms are over the family room portion whereas there is typically nothing over the living room/kitchen dining area.

But technically a range is ONE level and is literally inspired by the simple one level homes built by ranchers in the West. 

[Andyourlittledog2]

But if they don't have married/engaged/dating/hopeful couples house hunting together then how will I have fun deciding which ones are doomed and which ones seem destined for relationship happiness?  Giving odds on how long that marriage lasts is one of the things I watch this show for.

[pdlinda]

25 minutes ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Giving odds on how long that marriage lasts is one of the things I watch this show for.

You speak FOR ME!!!

I'm blissfully and blessedly divorced and always confirm my heavenly status (to myself) when I watch the show😄

 

I'

[chediavolo]

On 6/5/2023 at 4:00 PM, snarts said:

I just wish there was less "story" and more real estate. Show 4-5 houses per episode and skip the staged discussion in their current place or the stupid clips of them out drinking/eating. The show's called house hunters, I want to see them hunt for houses.

YES!. my husband and I say this all the time. They waste 10 minutes in the beginning with babbling on about BS. And then when you see the three houses, you don’t see half of the rooms or they go by so quickly. Stop the incessant gabbing and show more home..

On 6/5/2023 at 11:13 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Some locations do call things other names than the majority of the rest of us do.  For example, I was looking at houses a few years ago, and they almost all said they had 'barns'.    They were small lots, and I wondered about that, until I realized the realtors were calling storage sheds Barns.      So, I consider the house hunter calling vents pipes, quirky and different. 

Then some locations need to get a dictionary out at the local library. 

[chediavolo]

4 hours ago, pdlinda said:

That was my immediate first thought!!☺️

Same. Why wasn’t the mother selling the house and pooling the money so they could’ve bought something that was better suited for all of them. What’s going to happen when grandma sells the house and she already has a place to live is she just giving the money to her son and his wife? And I wouldn’t wanna live with her either. I’d hightail myself to a retirement home.

[Orcinus orca]

6 minutes ago, chediavolo said:

YES!. my husband and I say this all the time. They waste 10 minutes in the beginning with babbling on about BS. 

And then after every commercial they summarize everything they just said in the past 5 minutes.

[kirklandia]

2 hours ago, amarante said:

think a *true* raised ranch is one in which you enter on the main level where there is the living room, dining room and kitchen. The bedrooms are only a half a story up and typically if you enter through the garage you go into the family room which is a half a level down from the kitchen. This is because the bedrooms are over the family room portion whereas there is typically nothing over the living room/kitchen dining area.

You're describing my 1960s Midwest suburban childhood home. We called it a "tri-level". I think it's a much superior floor plan to a "split level". 

[kirklandia]

29 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

And then after every commercial they summarize everything they just said in the past 5 minutes.

Don't forget the part before the commercial where they show you what's coming up.

Reminds me of how we were taught to write the three paragraph essay in high school.

Paragraph one - tell the reader what you are going to tell them. Paragraph two - now tell them. Paragraph three - tell them what you just told them.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Until the show is over.

Edited June 6, 2023 by kirklandia

[chessiegal]

9 minutes ago, kirklandia said:

Reminds me of how we were taught to write the three paragraph essay in high school.

Paragraph one - tell the reader what you are going to tell them. Paragraph two - now tell them. Paragraph three - tell them what you just told them.

I know the principle, and that is exactly what they are doing.

[javajeanelaine]

Maybe the house hunter’s mom doesn’t want to live in the same house as the semi Valley Girl fully entitled wife!

[Andyourlittledog2]

This post I wrote was in response to a different episode than the Queen of Connecticut. I saw a recent rerun of a similar episode where both husband and wife were white and it was the wife's mother who was young and coming to live with them.  This is the couple I was describing. The Queen of Connecticut couple I really really liked. And I thought it was mean of the producers to call her 'the queen' because I thought her complaints and choices were no different than those we usually see on this show. And considering that the mother coming to visit was her husband's and was also pretty young and healthy her desire to have a separate quarters for her outside the house but on the property was not unreasonable. If the mother was disabled or elderly that would be different but she was simply coming to be closer to them, not to necessarily live in the same house with them. Anyway, I liked both husband and wife in the Queen of Connecticut episode and thought they were a really good couple.

-----------------

Origianl post:

I just felt terrible for the husband. Now he has two of the same woman living with him and controlling every thing about his life.  They smile a lot but you know there's hell to pay if he doesn't fall in line.  That's my narrative for them and I'm sticking with it.

I also put myself in Grandma's place and thought no way in hell would I live with my kids at that young an age. I don't even understand the impulse that would cause that to happen.

Edited June 7, 2023 by Andyourlittledog2

[Andyourlittledog2]

8 hours ago, pdlinda said:

8 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Giving odds on how long that marriage lasts is one of the things I watch this show for.

You speak FOR ME!!!

I'm blissfully and blessedly divorced and always confirm my heavenly status (to myself) when I watch the show😄

My people!  😁

[amarante]

15 hours ago, kirklandia said:

You're describing my 1960s Midwest suburban childhood home. We called it a "tri-level". I think it's a much superior floor plan to a "split level". 

I agree as I think that is a really comfortable livable floor plan.

My aunt in New Jersey lived in that style home which was built in the mid 1960's. 

[snarts]

20 hours ago, kirklandia said:

You're describing my 1960s Midwest suburban childhood home. We called it a "tri-level". I think it's a much superior floor plan to a "split level". 

Michigan girl here and the neighborhood I grew up had both tri-levels and quads (although for some reason they were also called bi-levels).  The quads/bi-levels would have four distinct floors with the front entrance and back door on different levels. Often the small basement was finished adding a fourth bedroom/suite. 

The floorplans allowed two living areas, formal & family. So many of  my childhood days were spent in the garden level family rooms of friends. The windows were at ground level so you could easily see anyone coming up to the house on their bike (or parents coming home from work) so we could quickly turn off Sk(cinemax) :)

Edited June 7, 2023 by snarts

[amarante]

Quote

 

This is actually my aunt's house built in that era. Garage is to the left - which would lead to a semi-submerged "family" room. There was a basement which could be entered from the family room but I never ventured down there. The three bedrooms were above the family room and the kitchen, formal living room and dining room were to the right and there was a screen in three season room at the far right. 

This floor plan also had an intermediate small level which had the back door as well as a small bathroom, laundry room and tiny bedroom.

I think this would be correctly called a raised ranch because it essentially is one level more or less except for the bedrooms which are only a half flight up and so aren't as "remote" as a standard two story home.

ETA - Also it is aesthetically much more pleasing than the current tract homes which have the garage front and center because the entrance to the garage faces front. With this style, the garage is effectively designed to look like a house complete with matching windows instead of the front being dominated by garage doors. This probably is more expensive because of land since you need a driveway that enables you to turn into the garage as opposed to entering from the street directly. A lot of newer developments don't have that much plot so it would be impossible - hence the ubiquitous front facing garage monstrosity. 

Edited June 8, 2023 by amarante

[Lady J]

On 6/5/2023 at 12:47 PM, chessiegal said:

But if it's single house hunters they bring along a mom or friend, and they supply the stupid dialogue.

At least it’s different stupid.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The people house hunting in Iowa were fun.    I didn't like the first house, so of course they chose that one.  The second one, the new build did nothing for me, I wish they would use LVP everywhere, especially in a place that gets a lot of snow.   Waterproof, looks like wood, scratch resistant, and easier to clean than carpet.     The converted church needed work, but it was livable for now.    It also was a lot of room, with a manageable 2 acres.    Living next to the cemetery would mean only the occasional daytime funeral.    I would have picked the converted church.    They picked the one that I think will be a money pit.  Is that the basement that had brown asbestos tiles too?