House Hunters - General Discussion

[BAForever]

Snoozing while watched live. So House 1 had a room with a door that only opened sometimes? #Deal-breaker 

[Notabug]

On 10/17/2023 at 3:13 PM, ksutton625 said:

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? 

Having done a residency myself, where 80 hour work weeks are part of the deal, I was wondering when it was he expected to do all of the renovations and improvements that he claimed he wanted to do himself.  

Since he's an ER guy, he is also going to be working lots of overnight shifts because that is when a lot of the action happens in an ER and when the unusual stuff comes in.  I don't blame her for not wanting to be alone in the house with tenants above and below her many nights where she would be the one who would have to respond if there was a flood or a power outage.  He sounded like he wanted them to do it all and wasn't planning on hiring a management company to field calls from the tenants.

[amarante]

13 hours ago, Notabug said:

Having done a residency myself, where 80 hour work weeks are part of the deal, I was wondering when it was he expected to do all of the renovations and improvements that he claimed he wanted to do himself.  

Since he's an ER guy, he is also going to be working lots of overnight shifts because that is when a lot of the action happens in an ER and when the unusual stuff comes in.  I don't blame her for not wanting to be alone in the house with tenants above and below her many nights where she would be the one who would have to respond if there was a flood or a power outage.  He sounded like he wanted them to do it all and wasn't planning on hiring a management company to field calls from the tenants.

With that kind of rental situation, the tenant is always going to contact the landlord who lives in the same building. I guess it is theoretically possible to use a management company but most people in two family homes self manage - especially if they live in the same building as their tenant. I grew up in a block where it was two family homes and no one had a management company. 

I think the rental was just something that was there for a story line. Typically a resident doctor is not thinking about increasing their wealth by buying a two family home. As you wrote, they are thinking about increasing their wealth by enduring 80 hour work weeks during their residency and coming home to crash and survive to make it through the next shift. 

Edited October 19, 2023 by amarante

[Crashcourse]

I liked the St. Paul, MN couple because they were nice and not annoying.  I liked house #1 with the beautiful wood finishes, but I guess the new build #3 was the best choice because it had more room for a future family.  

[laredhead]

The hubby in the St. Paul couple seemed very anxious to begin having children, while the wife was less enthusiastic.  She thought they should probably get another dog first - lol.

[CalicoKitty]

They have lived in MN before, right?  All I could think of was MOSQUITOS.  I hope they didn't buy this house because they think they can sit outside and enjoy the view in the evening.  (I have been chewed up in Minnesota.  Beautiful for a vacation, and I really like spending time in Minnesota, but I personally would not like to live full time on water.)

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Couple buying their first home together in Worcester MA. I kind of hate Meg right off the bat, with her introduction including such hits as "I think it's so fun to bother my husband when he's trying to work at home" and her teeny-tiny chopping of onions (to be fair, people chopping fruits and vegetables into teeny-tiny pieces during their introduction is a pet peeve of mine) and her slooooooowly peeling a squash (?) and her "only MY family knows the value of a dollar."

She had to have a dining room and for some reason it had to be BIG, even though they will never have people over. For me she just sucked the joy out of the whole show. I laughed out loud at house 3 when she said "I'm trying to be open-minded to this process." Heaven forbid I ever meet Meg in a closed-minded mood.

I loved the house they bought and its nice flat yard. 

[cameron]

4 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Couple buying their first home together in Worcester MA. I kind of hate Meg right off the bat, with her introduction including such hits as "I think it's so fun to bother my husband when he's trying to work at home" and her teeny-tiny chopping of onions (to be fair, people chopping fruits and vegetables into teeny-tiny pieces during their introduction is a pet peeve of mine) and her slooooooowly peeling a squash (?) and her "only MY family knows the value of a dollar."

She had to have a dining room and for some reason it had to be BIG, even though they will never have people over. For me she just sucked the joy out of the whole show. I laughed out loud at house 3 when she said "I'm trying to be open-minded to this process." Heaven forbid I ever meet Meg in a closed-minded mood.

I loved the house they bought and its nice flat yard. 

And she kept on dragging her dead father into the scenario.  Can't see this marriage lasting.

[Crashcourse]

Meg was such a sourpuss.  I couldn't stand her. 

[pdlinda]

11 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

I kind of hate Meg right off the bat, with her introduction including such hits as "I think it's so fun to bother my husband when he's trying to work at home"

I'm unsure what the seemingly congenial husband ever saw in Meg, but I understand that personal tastes vary in whom people choose to marry.

He certainly "has his work cut out for him" in trying to live with such a controlling and manipulative person as he selected.  

She mentioned being an RN in home health care.  I think that's a perfect career for her as those who depend on her care at home will likely conform to whatever directives she gives them with little dispute.

The house they chose offered a lot of potential for them to do the reno work necessary to make their investment grow.

Good Luck to both of them.  

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I saw the end again today when I was starting my next show, and I'd forgotten that Meg was smiling and happy on the riding lawn mower at their house. It occurred to me to wonder why she was so sour (h/t Crashcourse) at the other houses even though they were never contenders. (I was too busy rage watching to think of that during the show.) What was that all about? She just really got into what she saw as the concept of the show? Usually the HHunters just breezily disregard the things in the unchosen houses that go against what they said they want. But she seemed actively offended.

Anyway, I'm willing to concede that Meg might be fun when she's gotten what she wants, though I wonder how often that happens. 

[BAForever]

Repeat tonight- Bentonville to Nashville. Was shocked again (get it?) when they chose the house right by a power station. No way I'd want that eyesore right outside my door.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

New Orleans: Last night we had Dead Dad Lady and tonight it's My House Burned Down Lady. Do you really need a "hook" to be on House Hunters? She talked about safety measures the most at the third house (his childhood home) so I knew that's the one they picked. 

He seemed a little immature. I wish the grandfather had also brought a tree to plant for the woman's daughter. But he said at the beginning that things wouldn't get "serious" until his son's kid was born, so maybe they're not that close to the daughter (maybe she has other grandparents nearby - I hope so). 

[cameron]

5 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

New Orleans: Last night we had Dead Dad Lady and tonight it's My House Burned Down Lady. Do you really need a "hook" to be on House Hunters? She talked about safety measures the most at the third house (his childhood home) so I knew that's the one they picked. 

He seemed a little immature. I wish the grandfather had also brought a tree to plant for the woman's daughter. But he said at the beginning that things wouldn't get "serious" until his son's kid was born, so maybe they're not that close to the daughter (maybe she has other grandparents nearby - I hope so). 

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by cameron

[cameron]

New Orleans couple sure had a less than happy marriage.  Looks pretty shaky to me.  Each person sure came with a lot of hangups.

 

[Grizzly]

12 hours ago, BAForever said:

Repeat tonight- Bentonville to Nashville. Was shocked again (get it?) when they chose the house right by a power station. No way I'd want that eyesore right outside my door.

He came off as a jerk wanting to be downtown to be able to walk to bars. You have a newborn, you are no longer going to bars! And he kept wanting prime rooms for his office. If he can work from home, why do they keep moving for his job? I didn't see much of the city from that house.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

31 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

He came off as a jerk wanting to be downtown to be able to walk to bars. You have a newborn, you are no longer going to bars! And he kept wanting prime rooms for his office.

He also said something like, if he got that bigger room for his office, then the wife could put the crib and the baby's toys in the smaller room and "I'd have what I want and you'll [wife] have what you want," so her "wants" are entirely aligned with the baby's. Nice. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

Seems to me someone who's so fixated on smoke alarms in a house would know you can buy your own smoke alarms and stick them anywhere you want, in any numbers you want. 

Maybe the producers got tired of everybody making fun of HHs who can't see past paint colors, and jumped on the chance to feature something that is even more easily remedied than paint on a wall or a light fixture.

 

[ECM1231]

I did feel some sympathy for the NOLA homeowner because it must have been traumatizing to have your home burn to the ground while still a child. All I kept fixating on was why neither husband nor wife had any type of Southern accent, since they were both born and raised in Louisiana. I did love the city shotgun house but the home they chose was nice, too. Probably much better to have that lovely yard for the children and the dog. 

[laredhead]

1 minute ago, ECM1231 said:

All I kept fixating on was why neither husband nor wife had any type of Southern accent, since they were both born and raised in Louisiana.

Not everyone in Louisiana has a Southern accent.  Many people from certain areas in New Orleans actually have an accent that sounds somewhat like Brooklyn, NY.  If you are from the Acadiana area of south & west Louisiana,people  there will have a Cajun accent.  The Southern accent that most people identify with can be found in more rural areas of eastern Louisiana towards Mississippi, and northern Louisiana which borders east Texas, Arkansas & Mississippi.  We are a "gumbo" of accents here.  I grew up in Baton Rouge, and do not have an accent, or much of one.  My parents were from a rural area of Louisiana, and had somewhat of a country/Southern accent.  I think TV has had a big effect on people losing their accents in all parts of the country in the past 50 years.  I do still say "y'all".     

[amarante]

I also couldn't understand why she was fixated on smoke detectors since those are inexpensive and easy to install. It is like fixating on light bulbs.

I wonder if the Southern accent is also indicative of class to some extent.

I went to school in Virginia and the educated classes didn't have much of a traditional Southern accent - a bit of a drawl would show up but nothing stereotypical.  My good friend who grew up in Virginia had complete control of her accent and would turn it and off depending on which accent would serve her best under the circumstances. 

I grew up in Brooklyn but don't have a Brooklyn accent. Partly because my mother didn't have an accent and also because the high school I went to had speech clinic to wipe out any vestige of a New Yawk accent :-). If someone is very versed in accents, they can pick up twinges of my accent in words like horror - an old boyfriend used to be merciless in terms of teasing me about going to see a harrah movie :-)

[chessiegal]

My SIL was born and raised in NOLA and does not have a Southern accent.

[CrazyInAlabama]

6 hours ago, Grizzly said:

He came off as a jerk wanting to be downtown to be able to walk to bars. You have a newborn, you are no longer going to bars! And he kept wanting prime rooms for his office. If he can work from home, why do they keep moving for his job? I didn't see much of the city from that house.

A friend used to live in that area of Nashville.  There are a lot of empty areas, like the field across from the house for a reason.   They didn't mention flood or homeowner's insurance, but that would be a big factor for me.     I also didn't like the view of the power station either.   Or his demand to get the biggest room for himself, and the smaller room for the baby.  

Edited October 21, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[MooCat Pretzel]

NOLA:  Nothing house related, but when  the mother took a drink of wine, this question occurred to me:  Why must everyone on this show drink their wine from the biggest wine glasses known to man?!  

[chessiegal]

1 minute ago, MooCat Pretzel said:

NOLA:  Nothing house related, but when  the mother took a drink of wine, this question occurred to me:  Why must everyone on this show drink their wine from the biggest wine glasses known to man?!  

If it's red wine, the big glasses with a modest amount of wine gives the wine a chance to breath.

[Gam2]

My niece and her husband moved to LA (outside of NO) when she was pregnant with their first child. He grew up there and by the time he was 3 years old, he talked like he’d lived in Brooklyn his entire life. We laughed about that all of the time because his parents were southern born and bred.

[amarante]

My DVR captured what I think was a new episode - or at least new to me.

Fascinating couple - she was selling the ranch she had inherited from her parents I assume where she had lived for almost 50 years. This was a real working ranch worth several million dollars.

She and her husband both had weird sleeping disorders so they needed two master suites. She had night terrors and woke up screaming and he walked in his sleep.

They were moving to Bozeman for the "culture" and entertainment with a budget of about $1 million dollars.

I can't say I would want to be perched on a hill up a LONG dirt road 20 miles from Bozeman but I could respect their choice. I would have definitely gone for the 6 acre plot closer to Bozeman and a paved road which had neighbors you could see in the distance 🤷🏼‍♀️

Edited October 23, 2023 by amarante

[chessiegal]

10 minutes ago, amarante said:

My DVR captured what I think was a new episode - or at least new to me.

I remember that episode - definitely not new.

[Thumper]

2 hours ago, amarante said:

My DVR captured what I think was a new episode - or at least new to me.

Fascinating couple - she was selling the ranch she had inherited from her parents I assume where she had lived for almost 50 years. This was a real working ranch worth several million dollars.

She and her husband both had weird sleeping disorders so they needed two master suites. She had night terrors and woke up screaming and he walked in his sleep.

They were moving to Bozeman for the "culture" and entertainment with a budget of about $1 million dollars.

I can't see I would want to be perched on a hill up a LONG dirt road 20 miles from Bozeman but I could respect their choice. I would have definitely gone for the 6 acre plot closer to Bozeman and a paved road which had neighbors you could see in the distance 🤷🏼‍♀️

It was new to me too, and I had a giggle about the house that they didn’t like because the neighbors were “too close!”  It definitely wasn’t remote, but just because they could see other houses they thought it was too close.   They were an interesting couple!

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Dating couple in Minnesota: I was very interested in them, considering the little discussion we had here about unmarried couples linking their finances for a house. Two engineers (analytical thinkers, I bet!) who'd been dating for a year and a half decided to move in together. And whichever person liked a potential house more would be the sole name on the mortgage, while the other paid rent. They ended up with "her" house, which I thought was the best choice for them right now, since it was close to everything they like to do. 

The guy had some good ideas about putting sweat equity into houses, and getting more house for their money by moving away from the city. But I was thinking that if they stay together, they'll probably ultimately end up buying something together that meets more of both of their needs. This seemed like the time to be close to the things they like to do. 

[cinsays]

single real estate guy in chicago wanting a high rise.  i think he and his friend just did the show for exposure of his real estate business and i was not impressed with him or his choice.  no outdoor space, awful views. but he thought it had that magic wow factor.  i guess.

[chessiegal]

Just now, cinsays said:

single real estate guy in chicago wanting a high rise.  i think he and his friend just did the show for exposure of his real estate business and i was not impressed with him or his choice.  no outdoor space, awful views. but he thought it had that magic wow factor.  i guess.

I'd say quite a few HH episodes are because the real estate agents want exposure. Nothing wrong with that.

[Thumper]

25 minutes ago, cinsays said:

single real estate guy in chicago wanting a high rise.  i think he and his friend just did the show for exposure of his real estate business and i was not impressed with him or his choice.  no outdoor space, awful views. but he thought it had that magic wow factor.  i guess.

He was a LOT.  He wanted a place to impress his friends.  I had a giggle about him “seeing a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace.”  I did love that he and his friend definitely bundled up in big coats for the Chicago winter.

[amarante]

On 10/22/2023 at 11:52 PM, Mediocre Gatsby said:

 

The guy had some good ideas about putting sweat equity into houses, and getting more house for their money by moving away from the city. But I was thinking that if they stay together, they'll probably ultimately end up buying something together that meets more of both of their needs. This seemed like the time to be close to the things they like to do. 

The fallacy about sweat equity is that the return on investment isn't actually profitable unless you are in the business of construction and so are able to do it cheaply - or are an extremely talented DIY with loads of time.

There was a relatively recent episode in which the couple wound up with a fixer and it made no economic sense. The real estate agent was giving them low ball figures for renovating kitchens and bathrooms but the actual cost of doing those things would have brought the cost up to homes that already had what they needed.

As I recall one suggestion was that they could install a master bath in the upper level and turn it into a master suite which would cost them about $5000 when the reality is that it would cost at least $20,000 - and probably more for the kind of upgraded bathroom these people want - since they reject bathrooms and kitchens that are functional, clean but "dated".

And the woman really had misplaced confidence in her abilities. She looked at a bathroom that had the original yellow tile and said that it would be an easy thing for her to replace the tile. And I thought boy do you not know what you don't know because you are going to have to do a complete waterproofing system including new shower floor and any amateur attempting this is going to wind up with a leaking moldy mess. 

Edited October 24, 2023 by amarante

[Mediocre Gatsby]

1 hour ago, amarante said:

And I thought boy do you not know what you don't know

The Dunning-Kruger School of Home Renovation!

[Kimboweena]

Just watched Columbia, SC house hunters.  Don't know if it's producer-driven, but it makes a house hunter look so stupid to say they're going to bump into the low-hanging light fixture.  It's supposed to have a dining table under it, idiot!  This time, I think they even discussed how they could shorten it to make it higher, SMH.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

The thing about the South Carolina house for me was their plans to have a winery onsite. I thought they'd take the last house, which had no HOA and big trees that would be great to sit under. The house they picked DID have an HOA, so I'd be surprised if they can have a business right there on the premises. And the back yard was bare. 

I would have picked the third house (of course we don't know if they even saw it). 

[Thumper]

Even without an HOA, I wondered how the neighbors would feel about the traffic and people a winery in a residential area would bring.

[ehall1052]

11 hours ago, Kimboweena said:

Don't know if it's producer-driven, but it makes a house hunter look so stupid to say they're going to bump into the low-hanging light fixture.

And the realtor was just as bad, telling them they could get a light attached to the ceiling. Why didn’t he tell the house hunter it was supposed to be centered over a table?! This hurts my brain.

[chessiegal]

We have a light that goes over our kitchen table. One year we decided to put a Christmas tree in the corner of our breakfast nook, moving the table off to the side. The third time my husband bumped into the light, we moved a chair under the light to remind us the light was there. 😅

[amarante]

I don't understand how you have a home winery if you aren't in wine country.

Do you use grape juice? 

I thought a huge factor in the quality of the wine product is the grapes that are used which is why some years are better than others.

I know that some large commercial wineries do buy grapes but those are still grapes being grown under specific conditions.

Who is the market for these kind of homemade wine?

Is bathtub gin the next thing?

[chessiegal]

7 minutes ago, amarante said:

Who is the market for these kind of homemade wine?

Is bathtub gin the next thing?

Making wine for your own consumption is legal. Making distilled spirits is not. Says this retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives employee.

[amarante]

16 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Making wine for your own consumption is legal. Making distilled spirits is not. Says this retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives employee.

But they are making wine for sale to the public - that is their business.

Not to be snarky but I once read a prison cookbook and I am not sure learning how to make wine from a convict would result in a sought after wine except perhaps as a novelty.

How do you make prison wine?

Prisoners fill baggies with fruits, fruit cocktails, water, sugar, and whatever else they can get, warm it up, and let it ferment for a while. Within a few days, the reaction is complete, and the noxious homemade brew can contain anywhere from 2% to 14% alcohol.

[snarts]

2 hours ago, amarante said:

I don't understand how you have a home winery if you aren't in wine country.

Do you use grape juice? 

It looked to me like they were making strawberry wine. Sounds terrible but maybe there's a big market for it in South Carolina? Heck, there's an actual song about it.

I was surprised he was seemingly so open to a fixer upper when he's about to begin a residency. Guess it was just a storyline since they ended up in the new build. 

[amarante]

1 hour ago, snarts said:

It looked to me like they were making strawberry wine. Sounds terrible but maybe there's a big market for it in South Carolina? Heck, there's an actual song about it.

I was surprised he was seemingly so open to a fixer upper when he's about to begin a residency. Guess it was just a storyline since they ended up in the new build. 

Makes me nostalgic for college and Boone’s Farm Apple Wine. 😂😂😂😂

I can’t imagine a viable business selling strawberry wine. Maybe elderberry wine 😂🤷‍♀️

[CalicoKitty]

3 hours ago, amarante said:

Makes me nostalgic for college and Boone’s Farm Apple Wine. 😂😂😂😂

I can’t imagine a viable business selling strawberry wine. Maybe elderberry wine 😂🤷‍♀️

This reminds me of one of my favorite old movies.

[amarante]

2 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

This reminds me of one of my favorite old movies.

Arsenic and Old Lace perhaps?  😂😂😂🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

[chessiegal]

I hated the kitchens in the townhouses the 2 women bought last night. The problem with those open kitchens is they don't have enough cabinet space for me. So cheap for the builders to put in barely 2 walls of cabinets. I suppose if you don't cook that's enough space to store dishes and pots and pans.

[CalicoKitty]

10 hours ago, amarante said:

Arsenic and Old Lace perhaps?  😂😂😂🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

Got it in one.

[Notabug]

56 minutes ago, CalicoKitty said:

Got it in one.

"I'm the son of a sea cook!"  Great movie!