House Hunters - General Discussion

[Orcinus orca]

7 hours ago, cinsays said:

yeah, i used to watch HH at the end of the day to relax but these entitled people just are so annoying it's annoying. 

These spoiled brats need to take a look at what a whole lot of folks out there have to go through to get even a tiny house with which to start to build equity and count their entitled blessings.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm watching some OWN reruns, and some of the house hunters are so infuriating.   The couple who visited L.A., and decided to move from NC and have a glamorous home was absurd.   Fortunately, they bought the one on a hillside, with no close back neighbors.   Good luck with the soil conditions, expansionist soil has been the downfall of many homes in the area.   

Then, the second decoy, was in Temecula, with homes on at least an acre each.   They had zoning for horses, and the wife was looking at the neighboring properties, with horses on them, and asked the realtor about stench from horse poo.    I can see her moving into a neighborhood with animals, or other preexisting conditions and complaining constantly about smells and noise.    

 There is a huge equestrian community in Temecula, with access to riding trails, but the couple couldn't afford the homes there. 

Edited July 16, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[StatisticalOutlier]

9 hours ago, laredhead said:

I thought the same thing about what type of towing vehicle she was using.  I think she was driving a Nissan Armada which is a big SUV, and it might have been able to tow a 32' travel trailer, but $60 a mile was a big stretch.

Apparently gas in South Carolina is about $500/gallon.  A little higher than I would have expected.

[Johannah]

On 7/15/2023 at 6:22 PM, buttersister said:

StatisticalOutlier, thanks again. This ep was recorded and will now be deleted.

I think you should watch and draw your own conclusions.  I didn't think she was that bad, in the grand scheme of things (some other HHers).  Or watch and mute the sound.  I liked looking at the houses - nothing flashy.  Sometimes it's nice to see "ordinary" homes.

Was this the one with a pass-through in the kitchen where the all the connectors for holding the wall to the counter were on the top and in clear view?  Weird.

21 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

I call BS on that whole scenario.  She needed an entire "glam" room for her belongings which clearly were not stashed anywhere in that RV.  I bet she parked it behind a relative's home for the sake of a storyline and lived elsewhere.

Of course, those OTT eyelashes pretty much took me out of the search so....

Didn't she also say one of the bedrooms wouldn't hold her king-sized bed?  That was in the RV?  (also, aren't they part of the RV and not removable - especially if she was planning on selling it?)

[BAForever]

Snooze thru HH some nights. Wasn't RV/Glam Room the one where she looked at an option of converted elementary school as a condo? It's worth watching just for that, love when an option isn't same-old, same-old. 

[chediavolo]

On 7/13/2023 at 4:14 PM, WI GIRL56 said:

We built our house 15 years ago.  We have a mound septic and a well.  We went deep with our well.  Water is fine and we never run out.

Last summer our septic system failed.  We have to replace it.  It will cost us 13,000.  The county condemned it.  We contracted last fall to have it replaced.  We live in Wisconsin so they won't do it in winter.    So hopefully in the next few weeks.

We have the 2nd newest house in the subdivision.  The 1st to have to replace it.  Two people.  We use single ply toilet paper.  Nothing else goes down there.  The septic guy thinks the original install did not drill big enough holes and did not set it on enough rock.  Our daughter is buying our house next summer.  Hopefully the new one last longer.

Our county requires us to pump every 3 years.

Sounds like whoever put in in did a shoddy job. This is unfortunately all too common in the last couple decades & only getting worse. We spent tens of thousands on a new roof & new hvac . Within a year had 2 leaks & very disappointed in air conditioning.  I feel bad for the younger people. No one takes pride in their profession any more & all the laborers seem to be fly by night guys who are clueless. 

6 minutes ago, BAForever said:

Snooze thru HH some nights. Wasn't RV/Glam Room the one where she looked at an option of converted elementary school as a condo? It's worth watching just for that, love when an option isn't same-old, same-old. 

Yes. 
I thought converting the school into condos, was a great idea. Except they really should’ve left more original details inside the apartments. 

Edited July 17, 2023 by chediavolo

[chediavolo]

On 7/13/2023 at 4:53 PM, ECM1231 said:

 

38 years ago, we contracted to build a chalet style vacation home in the mountains. I was pregnant with my first child. As it was on solid rock, we had to have a company come and blast the property, b/c we wanted a basement. Most of the homes in the development only had a crawl space and they smelled of mildew, which is one reason why we contracted to have a new build. We only had the shell built and over the space of 2 years my husband put in the electric, plumbing, laid hardwood floors, put in a bathroom and a half bath, put up sheetrock walls and ceilings, etc. I'm fortunate in that he can do it all.

Anyway, we had a well dug (not sure how deep) and over the years have had to replace the pump twice, as it was struck by lightning. When we bought the property, it was 3 parcels. One parcel was not for sale, but we inquired about buying it and the seller sold it to us. On one of the other parcels sat a septic system already in place, along with leaching field. This, at the time, saved us about 5 grand. But a few years later, as the development became more populated the laws were changed. The septic system with leaching field was no longer allowed as most of the soil could not pass the perk test. I think that's what it was called. And now, all the homes have the large mound system instead. The only negative about the mound system is that for some reason it has to be placed in the front of the home. At least in our area.  We went up frequently when our children were smaller but now, they are grown men and no longer visit there much. We've never had to do anything to our system, nor pump it out, but I'm wondering if that's b/c we're hardly there. 

Well, Yes, quite a bit of difference living in a house every day year to year and having a vacation home that you don’t frequent.

[snarts]

Glen Ellyn, IL aka Barbie Girl:  interesting couple. interesting stylistic choices. We complain that everyone wants white/black/grey farmhouses so they gave us something different.

First, they did mention Glen Ellyn at one point but were extremely vague with the locations of the houses. Why? I hate not knowing, especially when I'm familiar with the area. 

The one they chose was the most practical but man was it ugly.  The addition of barbie room and reddish kitchen will not help.

[cameron]

3 hours ago, snarts said:

Glen Ellyn, IL aka Barbie Girl:  interesting couple. interesting stylistic choices. We complain that everyone wants white/black/grey farmhouses so they gave us something different.

First, they did mention Glen Ellyn at one point but were extremely vague with the locations of the houses. Why? I hate not knowing, especially when I'm familiar with the area. 

The one they chose was the most practical but man was it ugly.  The addition of barbie room and reddish kitchen will not help.

The locations of all three places were all over the place, especially the one in Flossmor.  Long commute to work, etc

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 7/16/2023 at 11:58 AM, chessiegal said:

You have to use marine toilet paper. Regular single ply tp will muck it up.

I don't know what kind of toilets boats have, but Scott single ply toilet paper breaks down quickly enough to work in RV holding tanks.  But what's great for the plumbing isn't so great for the human.

18 hours ago, Johannah said:

Was this the one with a pass-through in the kitchen where the all the connectors for holding the wall to the counter were on the top and in clear view?  Weird.

I noticed that too--those little plastic L-brackets holding up a vertical piece of wood about 5" high in the pass-through.  It was that area she said she could put bar stools at, even though there was no overhang on the counter.

I think maybe stuff on that area of the counter kept getting shoved through the pass-through and fell down to the floor in the living room, so they (inelegantly) put up a little retaining wall. 

I harped on putting bar stools there because I had a similar pass-through with an overhang of just a few inches and quickly realized that you can't comfortably sit there on a bar stool AND be close enough to actually use the counter.

Quote

Didn't she also say one of the bedrooms wouldn't hold her king-sized bed?  That was in the RV?  (also, aren't they part of the RV and not removable - especially if she was planning on selling it?)

I caught that too.  Some RVs can accommodate a king bed, but her trailer is not among them.  So obviously she had a bunch of stuff in storage, or was living somewhere else and not in the trailer at all.

BTW,  in RVs the mattress sits on a platform, not on a frame.  So the "bed" isn't removable but the mattress part of the bed is.

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I don't know what kind of toilets boats have, but Scott single ply toilet paper breaks down quickly enough to work in RV holding tanks. 

I'm not risking what would be an expensive and stinky repair by using anything but marine toilet paper.

[buttersister]

Quote

   I think you should watch and draw your own conclusions.

That’s ok. I’m familiar with many of the posters here as to the accuracy of their descriptions—this is right up my hard-pass alley.

I record all the new eps, but see no point in viewing the (imo) clunkers. YMMV.

[Pi237]

Barbie couple were quirky and cute. But I wasn’t impressed with her collection. They all looked new and not unique. Almost like they needed a gimmick, so bought out Walmart’s Barbie section and voila! 
 

I also don’t understand the love of exposed beams-at least, not the ones they usually show on here. Every time, they’re badly painted, haphazardly spaced or the ceiling is too low, and the ceiling paint is usually splattered on them where them meet. Ick. 

[chediavolo]

6 hours ago, Pi237 said:

Barbie couple were quirky and cute. But I wasn’t impressed with her collection. They all looked new and not unique. Almost like they needed a gimmick, so bought out Walmart’s Barbie section and voila! 
 

I also don’t understand the love of exposed beams-at least, not the ones they usually show on here. Every time, they’re badly painted, haphazardly spaced or the ceiling is too low, and the ceiling paint is usually splattered on them where them meet. Ick. 

Yes her Barbie collection looks like a pile of junk. I would like to see what it looked like when she had it set up in the other room because it look like all new crap and it just made her look like a immature, juvenile person and not a grown woman who is collecting Barbies.

7 hours ago, Pi237 said:

Barbie couple were quirky and cute. But I wasn’t impressed with her collection. They all looked new and not unique. Almost like they needed a gimmick, so bought out Walmart’s Barbie section and voila! 
 

I also don’t understand the love of exposed beams-at least, not the ones they usually show on here. Every time, they’re badly painted, haphazardly spaced or the ceiling is too low, and the ceiling paint is usually splattered on them where them meet. Ick. 

Some exposed beams look beautiful and others  look like they are foam painted to look like wood and just stuck up there and look cheap and cheesy.  It all depends on the craftsmanship.

[rhofmovalley]

I really like the purple dress the sister/agent was wearing during the first house tour in tonight's episode. 

[Grizzly]

Vacation house in Orlando, FL. I like Monique simply because she's against granite counters. 

[cameron]

8 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Vacation house in Orlando, FL. I like Monique simply because she's against granite counters. 

Thought that whole family were really nice.  

[buttersister]

Hilarious when her sister and realtor freaked out thinking she was letting the cabinet handles dictate her choice. "Not a dealbreaker," she said, reminding them they had asked her what she thought of them and she said, meh.

Hope she loves her place. (I'm not much for "gold" but I don't live there!)

[mojito]

10 hours ago, buttersister said:

Hope she loves her place. (I'm not much for "gold" but I don't live there!)

Agreed. But those handles were striking, though, and they looked expensive (not because they were gold but because they were large and looked fairly hefty. 

I really can't say that I care if the handles in the kitchen match the handles in the upstairs bathroom, but then, I kind of like to mix things up and think of each room as a new place.

 

[Johannah]

1 hour ago, mojito said:

Agreed. But those handles were striking, though, and they looked expensive (not because they were gold but because they were large and looked fairly hefty. 

I really can't say that I care if the handles in the kitchen match the handles in the upstairs bathroom, but then, I kind of like to mix things up and think of each room as a new place.

 

Yeah, what's with the counters/cabinets have to match in each room?  I can understand if you can see into the other room, but otherwise, I don't get it.  Hell, in some kitchens, the upper cabinets don't match the lower, and that's a design choice.  Not one that I care for...

[Orcinus orca]

7 minutes ago, Johannah said:

Yeah, what's with the counters/cabinets have to match in each room?

Honestly, if I am visiting someone, I have no recollection of counters and cabinets (let alone faucets and door handles) when I go from room to room.  Who cares?

[javajeanelaine]

Also it seems silly to spend over your budget because you like the cabinet hardware.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, mojito said:

I really can't say that I care if the handles in the kitchen match the handles in the upstairs bathroom, but then, I kind of like to mix things up and think of each room as a new place.

Yeah, each of my rooms is a different color, so I very much like variety.  My kitchen and bathrooms all have brushed nickel hardware, but they're different styles.

[Orcinus orca]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

Yeah, each of my rooms is a different color, so I very much like variety

Ditto.  The Realtor was horrified the first time she looked at my place.  "But, but, but, they are all a different color!!"  

Yepper.  Not bright or anything but I am not a one-tone woman.

[cameron]

Houston area couple.  That place they picked looked to be in a very industrial area when they drove up.  Actually found it on the internet and they are just around the corner from the county jail.  Hope they are happy with their choice of location.

Edited July 22, 2023 by cameron

[Johannah]

20 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

Ditto.  The Realtor was horrified the first time she looked at my place.  "But, but, but, they are all a different color!!"  

Yepper.  Not bright or anything but I am not a one-tone woman.

I am.  I'm very monochromatic.  And I don't like bright colors in decorating.  Or dark walls.  Or accent walls.  FOR ME.  I have no problem when I visit others and they have design choices that are different than mine.  It annoys me when people on this show says someone else's taste is horrible or ugly.  If they liked it, I hope they were happy with it.  Different tastes are fine.  Just say it isn't your taste.  Also, my pet peeve, don't like something JUST because it is in style, or some decorator says it's the new thing.  Think for yourself.  If it IS something you like, go for it.  Don't get or not get something because someone else likes/dislikes it.

I hope I don't fall off this soapbox.  It's kind of high.  And soapy, for some reason.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

7 hours ago, cameron said:

Houston area couple.  That place they picked looked to be in a very industrial area when they drove up.  Actually found it on the internet and they are just around the corner from the county jail.  Hope they are happy with their choice of location.

Yeah, that was strange. I noticed that there was some kind of bridge/narrowing of the road right after their driveway. I wonder if maybe not every area allows tiny homes? Though Houston is pretty laissez-faire about zoning. 

I found myself not caring about their need for storage for everything they get "gifted." 

And once again, how are two self-employed people getting such a huge loan? 

Their kids were extremely cute. It was interesting that there was no talk about needing to be close to schools.

I found Shay's website. https://shaymone.com/

[CrazyInAlabama]

Shay, Content creator, and owns an online decor shop, and husband, Ahmad,  is a lifestyle photographer, with a budget of $700k to $1 million.   Moving to a home in Houston, from Rosenburg TX,  with their four adorable kids.  Home has to hold all of their stuff, and her home decor inventory too.  They can forget HOA neighborhoods, no running a business with endless delivery trucks there.   The couple wants rooms/apartments for their parents, maybe with tiny homes in the back yard.  Another reason they pick the home in the industrial area.   I hope they considered the flood potential of the home.   I'm assuming his photography studio will be in the home too.   Realtor is Ahmad's cousin. 

First home is obviously a decoy, HOA neighborhood, 5 bed 4 bath, just over $700k. No way this is their pick, too many restrictions. 

Second home 4100 sq ft, on 2.7 acres, Spanish look, giant carport, with a covered pool, I would screen it in for safety, with gates and a fence.   4 bedroom.  area for his studio, and her storage in a huge outbuilding. $850k

Third home colonial, $649k, two story brick, on 2 acres.  Needs a lot of work to get rid of wallpaper, panneling everywhere.  Shay wants the kitchen gone, the wall gone. She wants to reno every single room. first floor bedroom with ensuite for visiting parents, and another ensuite with bedroom on the first floor too. second floor holds the primary suite, and kids' bedrooms.  

They chose #3, it's the only real possibility for them, no real neighbors.   They bought for $640k. I'm guessing that after reno, they will have spent the $1 million they claimed would be too much.   

[Crashcourse]

I thought the oversized outfits on her small frame were terrible.  I went to the website and I wonder how well she's doing.  I guess she gets paid from the companies whose stuff she shows?  And the husband must be one helluva photographer.

[Christine]

At one point Shay mentioned she had 50K followers, and I thought ... that equates to a $1M house??

Looked at her Insta and it's 48.8K followers.

[mojito]

2 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Though Houston is pretty laissez-faire about zoning. 

I don't know if it's still true, but  that was once Houston's claim to fame. 

5 minutes ago, Christine said:

At one point Shay mentioned she had 50K followers, and I thought ... that equates to a $1M house??

Well, that plus operating the guard gates at the prison, Uber driving, GrubHub deliveries, teaching English on line, mystery shopping, writing self-help e-books, and baby and pet sitting all round out their income. At least until they run the plumbing and electricity to their back yard for their rental trailers. 😏

[amarante]

2 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I thought the oversized outfits on her small frame were terrible.  I went to the website and I wonder how well she's doing.  I guess she gets paid from the companies whose stuff she shows?  And the husband must be one helluva photographer.

I went to the website and I still don’t understand how she generates income. 

I assumed she would actually be selling an extensive line of home decor items as well as offering design services. There was literally only a few items of clothing which seemed to be actually sold by other websites 

There just be some source of money that isn’t mentioned. The husband said he was a life style photographer and I can’t imagine that is a huge niche. 

[CalicoKitty]

3 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I thought the oversized outfits on her small frame were terrible.  I went to the website and I wonder how well she's doing.  I guess she gets paid from the companies whose stuff she shows?  And the husband must be one helluva photographer.

It looked like she was wearing her husband's jacket.  That was so large on her it was very distracting.  It made me question her design taste.

[Crashcourse]

4 minutes ago, CalicoKitty said:

It looked like she was wearing her husband's jacket.  That was so large on her it was very distracting.  It made me question her design taste.

And she wore an oversized denim jacket with big holes all over it.  🙄 

[BAForever]

2 hours ago, Christine said:

At one point Shay mentioned she had 50K followers, and I thought ... that equates to a $1M house??

Looked at her Insta and it's 48.8K followers.

Am sure she's hoping to get a bounce in followers from being on HH. Influencers and content creators usually annoy the **** out of me, but they didn't too much. Adorable kids. Agree about neighborhood, to each their own though.

[Crashcourse]

For me, the kids were the best thing about that episode.

[laredhead]

The Houston couple reminded me of a couple in my city.  A publication in my city just did a feature on a couple who have built their "forever" house, and I went down the rabbit hole that is her Instagram account.  It never gave her job as a content creator or influencer, but that's what I figured from just reading the first few postings.  They have 4 children, and her Instagram account details the house building process, and I swear every item in that house has the manufacturer mentioned, as well as the builder, the architect, the pool installer, etc.  All of the kids are dressed alike (4 girls) and the clothing brand names are given, she shows off her pantry and talks about many products there, and everything just looks 100% picture perfect in her world.  They drive a very high end SUV, take nice vacations, and live an expensive lifestyle, that frankly sounds exhausting to me.  What I took away from the article is that they get tons of free stuff, but she has to constantly post about it, keep the kids looking perfect all the time, she has to dress up in the latest styles to go anywhere so she can photograph herself and the kids, and so on and so on.  I guess some people want to be the Kardashians or something similar now.  What happens if she gets tired of that, and sponsors stop sending her stuff?  Will she & her husband be able to afford that lifestyle?  I also think that all of that exposure, and managing the children like that is a bit much because they seem to always be posing for some product, and she's always smiling & happy. It's a fantasy world,sounds exhausting, and not something I would want to do with my life, but to each his/her own.

[Orcinus orca]

That whole world of influencers is a total mystery to me.  I don't follow a single one because, well, why?  Why would I do anything a total stranger recommends?  

[pdlinda]

18 hours ago, mojito said:

I don't know if it's still true, but  that was once Houston's claim to fame. 

Well, that plus operating the guard gates at the prison, Uber driving, GrubHub deliveries, teaching English on line, mystery shopping, writing self-help e-books, and baby and pet sitting all round out their income. At least until they run the plumbing and electricity to their back yard for their rental trailers. 😏

I'm trying to wrap my head around all those "businesses."  All I'm left with is how "steady, reliable and continuing" their income is.  I'm wondering what the monthly mortgage payment is on the house they picked,

[mojito]

@laredhead, sounds like  the movie "The Joneses".

 I have a feeling that if the movie had been released 10 years later (2019 instead of 2009), it might've had more impact on people, and been higher rated.

The description from IMDb: 

"The Joneses", a social commentary on our consumerist society. Perfect couple Steve and Kate Jones, and their gorgeous teen-aged children Jenn and Mick, are the envy of their posh, suburban neighborhood filled with McMansions and all the trappings of the upper middle class. Kate is the ultimate trend setter - beautiful, sexy, dressed head-to-toe in designer labels. Steve is the admired successful businessman who has it all: a gorgeous wife, big house and an endless supply of high-tech toys. Jenn and Mick rule their new school as they embody all that is hip and trendy - cool clothes, fast cars and the latest gadgets. But as the neighbors try to keep up with the Joneses, none are prepared for the truth about this all- too perfect family.

Edited July 24, 2023 by mojito

[laredhead]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

sounds like  the movie "The Joneses".

I've never seen the movie, or heard of it.  Thanks for the info on it.

Now, no one has discussed (or at least I don't think they have), the mother/daughter house buyers recently.  The mother was a nurse, and her daughter is going to nursing school.  They were looking for a house that would have room for relatives visiting from her home country in Africa, and for her daughter to live with her for a few more years.  The mother said that when relatives come they stay as long as they want, and that could be for months at a time.  I think the house they chose will meet all of her needs.  I would like to see her vegetable garden.  Another one for the HH Where Are They Now episodes if HGTV ever brings those back.   

Edited July 24, 2023 by laredhead
Spelling correction

[Mediocre Gatsby]

11 hours ago, laredhead said:

Now, no one has discussed (or at least I don't think they have), the mother/daughter house buyers recently.  The mother was a nurse, and her daughter is going to nursing school.  They were looking for a house that would have room for relatives visiting from her home country in Africa, and for her daughter to live with her for a few more years. 

I saw the rerun of this the other day. I had to laugh when the mother just handwaved off the price of one house that was like $100k over what she wanted to spend. I knew right then that they hadn't chosen that house. 

[buttersister]

Tuning into the replay of the rerun from LA to NW Arkansas (job at Walmart?). She told her mom she wanted a house with character, like an older home. From the 90s! STFU, I’m out.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On the Arkansas house, the mother was worried about daughter living out in the country, because of snakes.   However, at the end the mother was waltzing around in the overgrown backyard, where I would expect to find snakes and other critters,and didn't seem worried at all. 

[chediavolo]

10 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

On the Arkansas house, the mother was worried about daughter living out in the country, because of snakes.   However, at the end the mother was waltzing around in the overgrown backyard, where I would expect to find snakes and other critters,and didn't seem worried at all. 

Triathlon woman was quite annoying to watch. pose for the camera much? and that voice, she didn’t stop talking. It would drive me crazy.

[BAForever]

Back to Boston with baby- way to go HH! A nice couple who didn't snark at each other and respected the other person's opinion. Now was that so hard? More like them please.  Wife did look like she was gonna pop any second. I guessed their choice correctly, it made sense. 

[Chicken Fingers]

I liked the house they picked, too. Medford is very nice. And come on, two miles from her parents, who were itching to babysit. They were a pleasant couple.

I loved the big rock in the backyard and the stone walls. I have fond childhood memories of playing on big rocks when visiting Massachusetts relatives.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I definitely thought the Massachusetts couple made the right choice. I grew up in the town right next to the first town, Revere, and it blows my mind that that first house was $875k. It's true that many towns around there are multifamily. They will NOT regret being so close to relatives who want to help with baby care, especially with the husband working fairly far away, it sounds like. 

Edited July 26, 2023 by Mediocre Gatsby
The first house was $875k, not $875.

[cinsays]

On 7/25/2023 at 6:29 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

On the Arkansas house, the mother was worried about daughter living out in the country, because of snakes.   However, at the end the mother was waltzing around in the overgrown backyard, where I would expect to find snakes and other critters,and didn't seem worried at all. 

yeah, and she didn't just waltz around, she sat right at the edge of all that brush, so couldn't easily and quickly get away if a critter approached her

[cameron]

11 hours ago, BAForever said:

Back to Boston with baby- way to go HH! A nice couple who didn't snark at each other and respected the other person's opinion. Now was that so hard? More like them please.  Wife did look like she was gonna pop any second. I guessed their choice correctly, it made sense. 

Not a fan of the skin tight dresses that she was wearing.  Find them very unattractive.  Look like stuffed sausages in those outfits.