House Hunters - General Discussion

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/25/2023 at 3:40 AM, Mediocre Gatsby said:

I'm old and set in my ways and would in no way want any kind of community around me, but I admire their vision and how practical and low-key they were about it.

You know those small apartment complexes that have two rows of apartments perpendicular to the street, facing each other across a common walkway/courtyard?  Like eight or ten apartments, total?

I've always thought it would be fun to live in one of those with my friends occupying all the units.  You could stay holed up in your apartment sometimes or all the time, or if you wanted to socialize you leave your door open or present yourself outside to see if anybody else is wanting the same. 

Interestingly, I was looking up my parents' previous addresses recently, and the apartment they lived in in the 1940s, when they first moved to the town they settled in, was in one of those complexes.  It's decrepit now, but it has some architectural elements that make me think it was probably pretty cute back then. 

Which makes me wonder if there's always been something subliminal about my attraction to those complexes, although I don't remember either one of them ever talking about it--I found the address in a census.

Anyway, it's probably all bogus.  Like how riding the bus always seems like a great idea, until I actual do it.

 

 

 

[pdlinda]

22 hours ago, Bastet said:

Most public defenders would specify that, but of course most does not mean all.

My belief is that he practiced criminal defense for a public defense office.  He seemed on the young side so his wages (unlike more seasoned defense attys in that field) are more meager than the dollar amt would indicate because of the STEEP RISE IN PRICES across the board.  Also, the wife who did Probate/Trust work, also would not necessarily earn a high income unless she was with a prestigious firm.  I gathered she was in her own practice.

[chessiegal]

My stepdaughter was a public defender in Florida when she first got out of law school. This was over 15 years ago, and she started at over $40K. That was entry salary for a newbie. I don't remember what her salary was 7 years later when she quit. One thing she really liked was the health plan.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/28/2023 at 8:05 AM, snarts said:

Anyhoo, moving from NJ after visiting and falling in love with CO. He's an auditory school something and I "think" she said she's a probation clerk?

He said he's a "clinical sleep education coordinator." 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/28/2023 at 9:57 AM, Book Junkie said:

He immediately made me mad by claiming his wife was a spoiled brat because she's an only child. As an only child, I'm so tired of people automatically assuming we're all spoiled brats who have to have our way at all times. He said it really mean too.

She didn't help the stereotype when she said she doesn't compromise.

On 9/29/2023 at 2:16 AM, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Lawyers in Tampa: Those two. Miss "I don't compromise" and "glam room" and Mr. "putting green" and "sports memorabilia." I couldn't get over how tiny the second house was, with no living room and no screened room. Like someone must have split a lot in two or something.

There was a fence on both sides of it, about 3 feet from the structure.  And there was a similarly sized lot next door, so is somebody going to slot another house into that, six feet from their house?  Although the back of the empty lot opened into the back yard of the next house down, so maybe it belongs to them and won't be built on.  Or maybe the people in that house were just spreading their backyard crap that direction until somebody builds in that slot?

I thought all their choices were awful.  The first house had a closet all along a wall, with shelves and hanging rods, and no doors.  Weird.  Then those rags substituting for cabinet doors in the kitchen of the house they bought.  And a converted garage, although at least it still looks like a garage from the outside, which I appreciate because I've never liked driveways that end in a wall with a window that is obviously a converted a garage.

But I don't think there's a window in it, and it looked like there was a playpen set up in the middle.  That's where they're going to do most of their hanging out, in a barely converted garage?

And was that the house with the filthy carpet that he said didn't need to be replaced.  I feel like a total loser because I like carpet, but even I couldn't defend that mess.  I suppose it would be a worth a try to have it cleaned, but lord it was gross.

On 9/29/2023 at 8:14 AM, laredhead said:

He said he was a criminal defense attorney, and I don't think they make very much $$ unless they get a few high profile cases and win.  He also might be a public defender, and in my area, those don't make very much money either.  Many have another practice on the side to supplement their income.  

He said he was a criminal defense attorney, and she said when they met at the courthouse in Lakeland, he was a public defender.  So I'm gathering he was working for the public defender's office, and is now in private practice.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

16 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

You know those small apartment complexes that have two rows of apartments perpendicular to the street, facing each other across a common walkway/courtyard?  Like eight or ten apartments, total?

Like Melrose Place! 

[mojito]

23 hours ago, chessiegal said:

My stepdaughter was a public defender in Florida when she first got out of law school. This was over 15 years ago, and she started at over $40K. That was entry salary for a newbie. I don't remember what her salary was 7 years later when she quit. One thing she really liked was the health plan.

Yikes. Hopefully, she didn't get into too much debt.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I'm still thinking about that super skinny house in Tampa with no living room.  Now I see why tall skinny houses often have a bedroom on the ground floor, and the main living area one level up--because the garage takes up so much space on the ground floor there's hardly room for anything else.

That one in Tampa reminds me of 200-square-foot apartments in New York City, and that's not a good thing when you have more than 200 square feet to work with. 

Also, the Tampa house had that loooong hallway to get back to the living area, presumably going along the side of the garage.  That's an enormous amount of square footage that isn't available for living.  Even if they didn't have any dining table at all, that would still be a teeny space for a living room.

[Grizzly]

Charleston, WV. Wonder what effect homeschooling will have on the kids' activities. I liked house #2. I would keep the monkey and gorilla. #3 seemed to need the most work. Guess it worked for them.

[cameron]

9 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Charleston, WV. Wonder what effect homeschooling will have on the kids' activities. I liked house #2. I would keep the monkey and gorilla. #3 seemed to need the most work. Guess it worked for them.

Not sure why she was worried about having children on a different floor than the master. They weren't toddlers or very young.

[snarts]

Charleston, WV: Admittedly, I always side-eye families who want to more land with zero neighbors. Throw in homeschooling and I fully expect to see them on a future Dateline episode.

Wasn't a big fan of their options. #3 being the worst of the bunch and the most expensive.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Brother and sister buying together in Chicago, I liked them although it was weird how the brother was walking around like every part of every property was going to be his, when two of them were duplexes. I'm amazed at every kid needing their own bedroom in almost every episode nowadays. I think they chose well for their needs. 

Charleston, WV: Eh, I didn't really care what they bought. I did feel for the older girl sharing a tiny bathroom with two younger brothers. 

[Pine]

I really liked the brother and sister in Chicago.  They were not demanding, and were realistic, at least the sister was steering it that way.   I hope that this will be a wonderful venture for the entire family, and living separate, yet next to your cousins would be dreamy in my world.  :)

[buttersister]

Oh my. St. Louis family. Nice people, right house, best of luck. Not without entertainment, though.

The looks on her parents’ faces when the GC/pastor husband expressed his preferences that differed from their cancer survivor daughter’s. 

Alvin the listing agent for the historical home? LOL! That was Alvin, the homeowner, ensuring his home was treated right.

#3, their house. He described it as peaceful (what they wanted), it had 4 beds (what the needed), and was in great shape with 2 acres they could keep. Heh, and he’ll have that wall she didn’t love down in no time!

Edited October 5, 2023 by buttersister
Autocorrect

[ECM1231]

1 hour ago, buttersister said:

The looks on her parents’ faces when the GC/pastor husband expressed his preferences that differed from their cancer survivor daughter

I caught that too, but I thought they were the husband's parents. Wasn't his name Casey? I thought I heard "Casey's parents", but I am not 100% sure.

 

Shouldn't a real estate agent know what Craftsman style is? That was not a Craftsman. I think they chose the best house for them. They seen like a lovely couple and I hope the worst is behind them .

[Thumper]

I think it was his parents, too.

Although there was a lot of wood in the house they ended up choosing, I was so hoping she would not paint over or get rid of it.  The floors looked unique and the kitchen cabinets especially looked beautiful.

Edited October 5, 2023 by Thumper

[laredhead]

Re the St. Louis HH's last night - I appreciated his comments about unpainted wood, and the quality of construction.  When he pointed out that the closet doors in one house were not wood, and she said "but they're pretty", I thought that sums up what so many home buyers want - "pretty" - at the expense of quality.  If I was spending $500,000 on a long term investment, I would want as much quality as that would buy.  Yes, I know that $500,000 doesn't buy what it used to.  I was on team hubby for this episode because he was the one looking at quality.  I wish them well, and as another poster said, I hope the worst is behind them.

The Victorian house was beautiful, but since the first 2 houses were furnished and the 3rd one wasn't, there was no suspense about which house they would choose.    

[buttersister]

Thanks, guys. It’s funnier to me that those looks were his parents. On one hand, did we raise you? Otoh, 100% producer driven! 😏😂

[StatisticalOutlier]

Volleyball player in Dallas who moved in with her mother when she found out she was pregnant, and is now looking for a house for her and her little boy, with her boyfriend of four months who is also a handyman along for the hunt:

I wish they'd clarify whether a garage with the door closed is actually a garage or has been converted.  I'm not good enough with spatial relationships to figure out just from watching them walking from room to room, and I suspect the existence of a garage is often a pretty important "amenity."

But two things:  Her mother's house where she was living with the little boy had an unfenced pool in the back yard, which often bothers a lot of viewer. 

And viewers often wonder why people want to live in the same kind of house they grew up in, but I have to say--one of the houses they looked at had pinkish-red brick with seafoam (?) green wood (like for the door), and I instantly liked it, and remembered that my grandparents had a house with those exact same colors. 

[Crashcourse]

Her son, little Lawson, was such a cutie!

Edited October 5, 2023 by Crashcourse

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Single mother in Dallas: I figured she'd take the third place; she wasn't feeling the townhouse and the first house had that big step down from the deck and was a little bit more expensive (but with a beautiful yard). 

St. Louis family: I definitely think they chose the right house; that yard was amazing. I figured the selling agent wouldn't have shown up to a house they had already purchased, and that second lot would be weird to sell since it was zoned commercial. Why would you want a business to set up behind you, for only a $60k reduction in the cost?

It did seem weird that the St. Louis family didn't mention wanting to be near a school or the husband's church; maybe they didn't care about school districts and maybe he doesn't have a church. 

On 10/4/2023 at 8:43 PM, buttersister said:

Alvin the listing agent for the historical home? LOL! That was Alvin, the homeowner, ensuring his home was treated right.

Ha! That makes sense. 

[Flip Flops]

 

Did anyone see the episode with the couple buying in Beaufort, SC? Was the house they bought (the pink one) a condo or a house? It looked huge on the outside but the inside wasn't that big.

 

[chessiegal]

8 hours ago, Flip Flops said:

 

Did anyone see the episode with the couple buying in Beaufort, SC? Was the house they bought (the pink one) a condo or a house? It looked huge on the outside but the inside wasn't that big.

 

I think they said it was a condo.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Orlando: couple moving from Colorado to be near the theme parks and his parents. It was obvious which house they'd pick: closest to the theme parks, the only one with a pool, the only one the realtor drove them to, and the ever-popular "this furniture can stay if you want." I loved the second house near the water, except for all the pink, but it was by far the most expensive. 

I thought the woman was goofing on the guy when she told him he'd have to choose the right shade of black to paint his man cave (even though I know there are shades of black) but I guess not. 

My cats would be in that screened-in room all day. 

[cameron]

Orlando couple.  Another Peter Pan syndrome:  had to have space for his gaming room and close proximity to the amusement parks.  Thought he would have aged out of this by now.

[MooCat Pretzel]

Orlando:  Babies!  Babies!  Babies!  Sometimes having children is an arduous journey whether it be naturally or through adoption.  I hope it’s an easy path for them because I got the impression that the wife wants to snap her fingers and have it happen. 

Thought they picked the right house and their cats were beautiful! 😸

[Grizzly]

Charleston. Is it me or is there something funky going on with her eyes? Like one pupil is bigger than the other. Did they not have a mortgage on their previous house? After 6 years of ownership they are now rolling in money. House #2 was very nice. So was #3. Is she drawling and uptalking at the same time? They seem like nice people but I find them to be annoying. So they did base buying a home on a golf cart. If I knew that was the real price, I'd have known that was a contender.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Charleston: Her eyes were distracting to me, too; maybe one was a little larger or one was lazy (I have a lazy eye, myself) and the drawling-uptalking combination was a little grating. 

I wondered if they were looking for more of a neighborhood for when their little boy started school. I'm always interested in commute times to work or school. It was a very pretty house. 

I think I would have left the jail screens up until they were sure their son would not try to jump, and then put the half wall back up. Bookshelves are great, but I'm betting that area will be pretty dark when it's walled up. 

[rhofmovalley]

5 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Bookshelves are great, but I'm betting that area will be pretty dark when it's walled up. 

They could incorporate some lighting into the bookshelves. I've seen that done very well. 

[Kimboweena]

On 10/10/2023 at 8:48 AM, cameron said:

Another Peter Pan syndrome:  had to have space for his gaming room and close proximity to the amusement parks.  Thought he would have aged out of this by now.

My almost 60 year old hubby is a gamer.  I don't consider him childish at all.  His physical therapist even says that playing video games is good for him.  They keep your mind sharp, no different than crossword, word search and similar puzzles.

[Crashcourse]

I don't see gaming as being any different than a guy sitting on his fart trapper sofa watching football or basketball games.   People have to have some fun and enjoyment.   

[rhofmovalley]

I waste time playing Candy Crush 🤷‍♀️

I do side eye people who go to theme parks every single freaking day or even every week. Nothing much changes at the theme parks from day to day so why would one need to keep going back over and over? Special side eye goes to the grown ass adults who interact with the "characters", asking them "how are you?" like Winnie the Pooh is going to respond and discuss his 401k or the Dodgers' lousy showing in the playoffs. 

[amarante]

4 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

I waste time playing Candy Crush 🤷‍♀️

I do side eye people who go to theme parks every single freaking day or even every week. Nothing much changes at the theme parks from day to day so why would one need to keep going back over and over? Special side eye goes to the grown ass adults who interact with the "characters", asking them "how are you?" like Winnie the Pooh is going to respond and discuss his 401k or the Dodgers' lousy showing in the playoffs. 

I think it depends

Theme parks aren't my thing although I have gone quite a bit because I live in Los Angeles so Disneyland is close and more than doable for a day.

However, I know people who live very close to Disneyland who have a season pass and will just pop in for an hour or two. They seem to also coincide with Disney Adventure which is more of an adults upscale type of place.

[CalicoKitty]

10 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

I waste time playing Candy Crush 🤷‍♀️

I do side eye people who go to theme parks every single freaking day or even every week. Nothing much changes at the theme parks from day to day so why would one need to keep going back over and over? Special side eye goes to the grown ass adults who interact with the "characters", asking them "how are you?" like Winnie the Pooh is going to respond and discuss his 401k or the Dodgers' lousy showing in the playoffs. 

My 69-year-old SIL and my 43-year-old niece just went to Disneyland IN COSTUME.  I don't get it.

 

[chessiegal]

I saw an ad today with Cindy Crawford hawking some miracle skin care product, and said to my husband that sounds like Andromeda Dunker who narrates House Hunters. He listened for a few seconds and said, yep, that's her.

[kirklandia]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

that sounds like Andromeda Dunker who narrates House Hunters

She sounds so much like Suzanne Whang, I still have a little 😞 moment whenever I hear her.

[Pine]

The young Chicago Doctor and his girlfriend of 6 months were an interesting couple.  I think that all their children will be beautiful gingers.  :)  

Edited October 17, 2023 by Pine
booboo

[Mediocre Gatsby]

1 hour ago, Pine said:

The young Chicago Doctor and his girlfriend of 6 months were an interesting couple.  I think that all their children will be beautiful gingers.  :)  

I think I might have gone with house #1. They wouldn't have HAD to rent out all three floors (the woman was anxious about that and I would've been, too) just to bring their mortgage down to $500 a month. They could have left the top part for themselves to use with the middle floor, used that big bedroom and bath as a master for themselves, and just rented out the bottom floor and had a $2k mortgage payment. Probably the two of them were paying that much in their individual rentals. 

It did seem a little strange to me that they'd buy property together after knowing each other for only 6 months and, as the realtor said, not being sure where the guy would end up for his residency. But I guess it's much more common these days for people to own property together, regardless of the legal status of their relationship, so it's all accounted for in the paperwork. 

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

It did seem a little strange to me that they'd buy property together after knowing each other for only 6 months and, as the realtor said, not being sure where the guy would end up for his residency. But I guess it's much more common these days for people to own property together, regardless of the legal status of their relationship, so it's all accounted for in the paperwork. 

Yeah, people - whatever the length/status of the relationship - still make astoundingly stupid choices that create at least the implication of joint finances, but at least some are smart enough to sign a contract specific to their circumstances where the default law would instead create, or at least not protect them from having to prove against, an ownership situation they don't want.

[amarante]

I thought the Chicago couple purchasing a house together only six months after meeting was just astounding.

Most rational people would not move into a rental with someone after only six months let alone bind themselves into a legally entangling financial arrangement after knowing someone six months.

Yes I realize that there are ways to project oneself by drawing up contracts covering contingencies but again I ask why? 

A lease after a breakup is difficult. 

[cinsays]

1 hour ago, amarante said:

I thought the Chicago couple purchasing a house together only six months after meeting was just astounding.

Most rational people would not move into a rental with someone after only six months let alone bind themselves into a legally entangling financial arrangement after knowing someone six months.

Yes I realize that there are ways to project oneself by drawing up contracts covering contingencies but again I ask why? 

A lease after a breakup is difficult. 

yeah, they seemed llike cute, nice people, but that does not seem like a wise move to me

[Katie W]

20 minutes ago, cinsays said:

yeah, they seemed llike cute, nice people, but that does not seem like a wise move to me

Yeah I really was not understanding what the hurry was for them. I also couldn't believe he was wanting a place with potential for renters. He's going to be starting residency; how the heck would he be able to manage acting as a landlord for a property? 

[laredhead]

The Bossier City, La episode was on last night, and I do wish that the narrator would learn to pronounce names of cities correctly.  Her pronunciation of Bossier City was awful.  I really didn't know it could be mispronounced until I heard her version.  

I guessed correctly as to the house they chose, but none of them made my heart flutter.  If the wife cut her hair in a more flattering style, she could look years younger.  I hardly ever comment on the HH looks, because it's about the houses, but I really wanted to give her some hair advice. 

[buttersister]

Resident and the hopeful future Mrs. Doctor? That’s all I got. 
 

Other than that #1 place’s story had more holes than a lace curtain. The ED at the Hyde Park hospital is a trauma center, so he’ll be beyond busy. Tacking on 90–120 RT daily commute? 🤥

Trying to sleep night or day with renters above and below your bedroom? 🥱🥱😵😵‍💫🤡 Never mind leaving your anxious work-@-home girlfriend with tenants and rotating ab&b renters to deal with? Shut it. South Loop with nice office and amenities. Uh-huh. No kidding.

Edited October 17, 2023 by buttersister
Autocorrect sucks.

[Grizzly]

Indianapolis. I agree with Paul, I loved the wood features at #1. The backyard was good. Also liked the modern space of #2. Not sure why he's buying for a future family. His future partner will want to put their own stamp on it. I do agree with him (again, this must be a record) on the raised sinks. I hate those, feel like I'd be knocking my hands/wrists into them all the time. Will he do location or cozy?

[Thumper]

Raised sinks look cool, but I wouldn’t want them either.  You have to clean the inside and the outside of the sinks. 
 

 

[chessiegal]

We had a large vessel sink in a hotel once. I remember liking it. I don't remember the underside getting dirty,

[Mediocre Gatsby]

14 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Not sure why he's buying for a future family. His future partner will want to put their own stamp on it.

Yeah, the way he kept talking about how his future partner would react to every little thing was putting me off by the end. I've seen so many shows where people say "I moved into THEIR house, and now we want something that can be OURS." I guess it didn't matter, since he found a big place right where he wanted to be (so he wasn't giving up location for this hypothetical future partner). 

I'm not sure how much parking is going to be available for his friends to all park at his house and then go into the city for events. That street was packed. 

[Crashcourse]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

We had a large vessel sink in a hotel once. I remember liking it. I don't remember the underside getting dirty,

Well, that's probably because you didn't have to clean it. 😁

[amarante]

3 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Yeah, the way he kept talking about how his future partner would react to every little thing was putting me off by the end. I've seen so many shows where people say "I moved into THEIR house, and now we want something that can be OURS." I guess it didn't matter, since he found a big place right where he wanted to be (so he wasn't giving up location for this hypothetical future partner). 

I'm not sure how much parking is going to be available for his friends to all park at his house and then go into the city for events. That street was packed. 

I also have no idea why a single person without a significant other would ever consider whether their home would make a good home for a partner or family.

For starters, why would a single person want to be the same size home as someone who has a family - besides costing more money to buy, it generally is more expensive to run just in terms of utilities. 

And what works in terms of location might not work for another person or school districts might be a more important issue than living close to downtown. With the Indianapolis guy, I would assume that school districts might be very important as I imagine the Indianapolis school district is not the greatest - or it might be important to live in certain areas that have better schools within the city.

Also, the economics of what one can afford would change if one has a spouse or partner - or children. Down or up :-). At this point the reality is that a couple who are both working are often making at least twice the salary of a single person