House Hunters - General Discussion

[Notabug]

3 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Speaking of outfits:  Last night I saw an episode where a couple was looking for a beachfront house (I think somewhere in Florida?), and I really liked the two dresses the woman wore.  I'd love to know where she got them.  She also wore white slacks and a black top that looked nice.   It was a refreshing change from the outfits that some of these HHers wear. 

I noticed the same thing, she looked great; perfect for beachy weather while not too tight or revealing.  Both dresses were particularly flattering on her.

[Notabug]

3 hours ago, pdlinda said:

My thoughts in writing that post were centered around trying to comment on the clothes without specifically mentioning her "body type." 

You expressed my thoughts better than I did myself.  

The woman needed a complete "makeover," and, yes, I do regret that "What Not to Wear" was pulled from the air.  I LOVED that show.  Stacey and Clinton were quite a match-up and the show was informative and entertaining. 

I miss WNTW too.  I do agree that that particular HH's outfits did not flatter her and seemed a little juvenile for someone in their 30's.  The pleated cheerleader skirt and top seems too 'young' for anyone old enough to vote, IMO. In her case, it looked more like a costume than a fashionable choice.

[Empress1]

4 hours ago, debbie311 said:

All of the outfits she wore did her no favors.

She wore a red shirt with green pants (or maybe it was the reverse, I forget) that just looked awful.

[cameron]

HGTV executive house hunters.  Really thought that they would have been able to afford more than his $500K budget for a home.  Guess HGTV doesn't pay their executives that much or he isn't at that level.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Kariff and Shamion, house hunting in Atlanta, apparently new 7/14/2024.  

I love it when they have a big budget. $1.65 million On the first house, the main bedroom and ensuite are gigantic, with beautiful finishes, and the husband says it's not 'grand enough'.    The second house is older, but spectacular with a huge finished basement with big workout rooms, a gigantic office space for the wife. $1.8 million  However, the wife, she's a designer, wants to gut the main bath and kitchen.   The house has a tennis court and big pool and spa.   

Third house is spectacular, except wife wants the back yard trees gone. $1.885 million. Another lovely primary suite, with a sitting area, ensuite is lovely, and wife wants to rip the counter tops out.   They want a big room for both kids to share, but then say the biggest bedroom with ensuite will have to be for visiting relatives.   finsihed basement is huge with office space, and pool table and movie room.   The pool is really big.  

They bought #2 the huge French style house.   The house with the tennis court, gated driveway, completely fenced, with the huge pool and spa.   Of course they will gut the kitchen, and change other things in the house.  The size of the room that the wife will use for her client meetings, and design business is as big as my entire house.  

Unfortunately, her demand to gut the kitchen and main bath show her design taste is to replace nice rooms with her super expensive taste, not a good advertisement for her design business.

Edited July 15 by CrazyInAlabama

[Johannah]

I don't like the huge budgets because they buy these beautiful houses with great finishes and then want to gut everything right away.  Such a waste.  I think of all that perfectly usable (and envious things for most people) stuff in a landfill.  Makes me sick.  I'd like to think they donate it somewhere, but I don't believe it.

I prefer budgets that would reflect my own.  I can see what my money would buy elsewhere and which I would realistically choose.  But, then again, I do like to occasionally see what higher and lower budget options are out there.  And with some of the lower budgets, to see how compromising some buyers can be and how happy they can be on a restricted budget.

[snarts]

Northern New Jersey: HGTV executive? More like mid-level manager. If they met in college 9 years ago, he's not even 35. Did they say where they were moving from? Both broadcast journalism majors. He at HGTV and she's at a sports station. Her budget $550k; his $500k. He takes the train into the city while her office is in Secaucus.

Option 1: small bungalow in Scotch Plains $498k

Option 2: split level in Kenilworth $519k

Option 3: colonial in I forget where. Not yet on the market but expected to be priced quite a bit over their budget (so not sure why it was included). It had one of the ugliest newly remodeled kitchens I've ever seen. Off-white/eggshell cabinets with white marble look quartz countertops. To my eyes, it's like putting warm and cool lights next to one another. They clash!

As someone who grew up in the 70s/80s with cultured marble vanities everywhere, I hate the marble look quartz. That said, it can look nice in some settings. But. definitely not with off-white antiqued cabinets. Ugh, my eyes have still not recovered.

They chose option 2, paying over ask at $550k. They pulled up the carpet and refinished the wood floors. 

Edited July 15 by snarts

[BAForever]

7 hours ago, snarts said:

Deleted too much of your post @snarts, but wanted to say how you were so right about the egg shell cabinets and the bright white everything else in the 3rd house in Northern NJ. It looked awful. The couple seemed nice and they picked the right place. 

 

[rhofmovalley]

As soon as I saw the wannabe Real Housewife and her outfits that were designed for women 20 years younger I changed the channel. Sorry, can't do it. 

[Empress1]

 

On 7/15/2024 at 2:40 PM, snarts said:

Northern New Jersey: HGTV executive? More like mid-level manager. If they met in college 9 years ago, he's not even 35. Did they say where they were moving from? Both broadcast journalism majors. He at HGTV and she's at a sports station. Her budget $550k; his $500k. He takes the train into the city while her office is in Secaucus.

Option 1: small bungalow in Scotch Plains $498k

Option 2: split level in Kenilworth $519k

Option 3: colonial in I forget where. Not yet on the market but expected to be priced quite a bit over their budget (so not sure why it was included). It had one of the ugliest newly remodeled kitchens I've ever seen. Off-white/eggshell cabinets with white marble look quartz countertops. To my eyes, it's like putting warm and cool lights next to one another. They clash!

As someone who grew up in the 70s/80s with cultured marble vanities everywhere, I hate the marble look quartz. That said, it can look nice in some settings. But. definitely not with off-white antiqued cabinets. Ugh, my eyes have still not recovered.

They chose option 2, paying over ask at $550k. They pulled up the carpet and refinished the wood floors. 

The marble on the floor in the “dream kitchen” was killing me. It was blindingly white.

Small square footages for the houses the NJ couple looked at. The over budget house was the biggest but they didn’t end up there. I think the house they bought was like 1200 square feet, which might feel tight if/when they have kids.

Speaking of small, Denver woman buying solo bought a place that seemed too small for me - I think it was 750 square feet. I wondered how big her previous place was.

[BAForever]

On 7/16/2024 at 10:04 PM, rhofmovalley said:

As soon as I saw the wannabe Real Housewife and her outfits that were designed for women 20 years younger I changed the channel. Sorry, can't do it. 

Her mature, appropriately dressed daughter made up for her. HH was an aging Barbie. 

[cameron]

Austin Texas homebuyer should be told that those lanterns that she loved in New Orleans are gas burning, not kerosene.  Would have expected better than that from a lawyer.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Older HGTV rerun, Season 187 Episode 13 "Rigid Wish List in Virginia", in Midlothian, VA.  Gordon, the husband has to mention his recent high functioning autism diagnosis in every scene.   

His demands over exactly what kind of house, and the specific zipcode are getting on my last nerve.   He doesn't want one story, she does.   He wants split level, but whines when the main suite is on the same floor as the living and kitchen.    And horror of horrors, house is a mile from his favorite zip code.   He wants ping pong area in the second living space off the living room.    Last house is totally redone, and he's still whining.    He's actually mad about the lovely huge shower walls not being smooth enough.  They buy the first house, everything Gordon demands.   Except the driveway has some issue where his car will scrape, so they're getting a driveway specialist to look at it and give them an estimate.   Bet Gordon hit the roof at the estimate, and if the driveway could be fixed. 

Realtor is right, they need separate houses.    My condolences to the neighbors of whichever house they pick, because I bet he's a big pain to live next to.    

Edited August 11 by CrazyInAlabama

[sskrill]

I  would never be able to put up with Gordon.  Them talking about having kids (and him already having one), wonder how he handles the messiness of children?

 

The Colorado wife was awful.  What a shrew. 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

13 hours ago, sskrill said:

I  would never be able to put up with Gordon.  Them talking about having kids (and him already having one), wonder how he handles the messiness of children?

 

The Colorado wife was awful.  What a shrew. 

 

Was that the one that was worried about snakes?    if so if they get anything with open space, or backing onto a park area, or anything else that's not built on, snakes will be close by.  They claim the snake repellant, Snake Away works, but I doubt that.  Also, the privacy fences are easy for snakes to climb over.

Also there you can run into mountain lions, bears, and the occasional moose or Elk or deer.   Leave food in your car, and a bear will rip into your car to get it.  They often like to go swimming in pools or hot tubs too. 

Edited August 11 by CrazyInAlabama

[BAForever]

Glad others saw Gordon- it was my 2nd go round, but still bugged.

Hey buddy, having a diagnosis of autism doesn't mean you always need to get your way. Long time teacher and his symptoms seemed to be more in the area of obsessive compulsive disorder (not diagnosing him, just an observation). That driveway would have been a deal breaker for me.

[Pine]

I feel like there are a lot less HH's on during the week now.  Summer hiatus?

[CrazyInAlabama]

They weren't going to air anything new to compete with the Olympics.    Only Million Dollar Listing LA, Great Food Truck Race, and a few others were doing new stuff.       This week will show if they're showing new stuff or not.    

To get back on topic, Gordon in Midlothian VA?   Insufferable.    He whines until he gets everything his way.    That's just being a jerk who claims to compromise, but never does. 

Monday night's 'new' one Family Feud or something like that, is simply two old episodes shown as a theme, so they're old.  

Edited August 13 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

I doubt HH was concerned about going up against Olympic coverage. I only watched events I was interested in. Since NBC Prime coverage aired the same time (10 pm ET), I'd already seen Olympic events during live coverage during the day. I laugh at HH advertising there will new HH Tuesdays through Thursday, and then air new episodes of HHI!

Oh George. Being diagnosed as being on the spectrum is not a license to be a PITA.

[CrazyInAlabama]

"Austin Agent Acquires Abode" new, 08/21/2024.    He's an agent, in Austin where the market is stagnating.  Wants a pickle ball court.    He wants a deal, and is going to low ball everything.  He also wants a craftsman, in Texas.   

First house on the market almost 200 days less than 1200 sq ft, small gallery kitchen. Lots of cracks in drywall, probably foundation issues.  Lots of neighboring houses have cluttered yard, $350k. 

Second house-in Round Rock. HOA $50 a month, $339.750, 1433 sq ft., sort of craftsman.   Kitchen is bigger than house 1.  Big lot.  Wonder if HOA allows a pickleball court, and back yard is too small anyway. He wants to reno the ensuite for $10k (try $20k).  3 bed 2 bath.  Guest bath is lovely.   

Third house-fixer, no HOA.  #310,000. Neighborhood isn't all well maintained homes.   He wants to replace vinyl siding, for $30k, ugly wallpaper in living room.  popcorn ceilings. Primary is decent size, closets aren't walk ins, bathroom has awful wallpaper, needs work.  guest bath has wallpaper, also hideous.  guest bedrooms are small, needs flooring and paint and wallpaper removal almost everywhere.  Kitchen is smaller, and needs work. Back yard is big enough for pickleball, and a garden.   Amusing that agent and buddy says the renos will total $20 to $30k, try two or three times that.  

He buys #3. So, he can have his pickleball court, and a big garden.    I'm guessing it's more like bought cheap, fix up, and resell the second two years is up.   Or sell the second he finishes the house, and just pays the capital gains tax.    I would have loved to see his application to the HOA on the second house, for his own pickleball court on that small back yard.   Or how much foundation work on the first house would have cost him.   

Edited August 22 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

OMG - the Austin agent buyer. He's the reason you want HOAs. A pickleball court? NOOOOO!!!!!

Worst neighbor ever! 

[surfgirl]

Just watched this young couple where the wife, who looks like she just graduated HS and has one of those cutsie wootsie voices, and is apparently a cleaning freak, and her husband is whipped. OMG. She is a Loon! And he is the neighbor from hell 'I want to be able to mow the lawn all day Saturday'. Yeah dipshit, tour neighbors don't want to listen to that shit all day every Saturday, WTH is wrong with you?!? And his wife with her hygiene obsession with buying a two year old home? Sweet baby Jesus I would hate to live near these morons!

This episode was flowed by the Lakeland, FL morons. Again, OMG. Thr woman, 'that pool is definitely  Olympic sized.' No you twit, itnis definitely NOT Olympic sized. I suggest you call Michale Phelps for a consult and he'll tell you it's not an Olympic sized pool. Where do these people come up with this random stuff? 

Edited August 22 by surfgirl

[Crashcourse]

Couldn't stand that Austin dude wanting to build a pickleball court.  He had no consideration whatsoever for his neighbors.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

There was also a new version of Pickleball on Shark Tank last season.   It took much less room for four players, but would be equally noisy.  

It was a central goal, and four players were standing around it, it was called Paddlesmash.   https://paddlesmash.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooj_ZkzlL8xfOnUG7ng44pRLM9CwuOg2IlzMbjcrDcGzE4SZEEw

The mow tiny lawns for hours people are very irritating (I live behind one), but pickleball or Paddlesmash players would be pretty irritating, not equal to the constant shrieking from the pool. 

I'm guessing the Austin buyer isn't going to make the huge profit he thinks he's going to make.   It's all about location, and he picked neighborhoods with some pretty neglected looking homes around it.   I'm just glad he didn't buy the first house with all of the cracks, probably foundation issues.   

Edited August 23 by CrazyInAlabama

[surfgirl]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

There was also a new version of Pickleball on Shark Tank last season.   It took much less room for four players, but would be equally noisy.  

Yes but would it be less noisy than that asshole who wants to mow his lawn all day every Saturday?

[ECM1231]

I was excited to watch the Austin episode because my son lived there for 7 years. The low prices quoted here confused me, though, because my son sold his home there 3 years ago and prices were much higher than that. Once I saw the episode, I realized why because the home buyer was looking in Round Rock. Yes, it's considered a suburb of Austin, but it's not a part of the city. It's at least a half- hour away, and probably takes longer with Austin traffic. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

21 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

"Austin Agent Acquires Abode" new, 08/21/2024.    He's an agent, in Austin where the market is stagnating.  Wants a pickle ball court.    He wants a deal, and is going to low ball everything.  He also wants a craftsman, in Texas.  

I hadn't watched the episode and was just reading the discussion, and was going to point out that in the old neighborhoods around downtown Austin and the university, lots of craftsman houses were built.  Many are being torn down, of course, but I guess Austin grew at just the right time to have a bunch of them. 

Then I watched the episode and it turns out he's looking in Round Rock, not Austin.  And the guy got on my last nerve for some reason, so I'll dump on him and his friend.

The friend hated the galley kitchen, and opened the oven door to show that when it's open, there's almost no walkway around it.  So???  How many hours per day is the oven door open?  Hell, how many seconds per day is the oven door open?  And what does the venn diagram look like of time when the oven door is open and time when there's someone else in this single person's kitchen with him?

This is so typical of the inane dialogue on this show.  He has a valid point--a cramped galley kitchen.  But then expands on it in a nonsensical way.  Quit while you're ahead.

And the HH was just as idiotic.  In the first house, he pointed out what he called, in what he admitted wasn't a craftsman house, a "craftsman detail" in the bathroom.  It was one piece of bullseye trim, not original to the house.  The vanity and the mirror didn't line up, so somebody put a piece of vertical molding along the side of the vanity and the bullseye at the top.  It served to accentuate the sin it was trying to hide.

And then in the second house, which did have some craftsman design elements on the outside, he was talking about the craftsmanship.  Dude.  The craftsmanship isn't there because the style of the house is craftsman; the craftsmanship is in houses that were built 100 years ago.

Quote

He buys #3. So, he can have his pickleball court, and a big garden.  

In the little thing at the end, he said something about putting the pickleball court where the garden currently is, so probably not both at the same time. So he'll have to choose between pickleball and "farm to table" (his words). 

But one of his friends pointed out the slope of the back yard, which I'm sure makes a great location for a pickleball court.  So hopefully no pickleball at all.  Can you imagine living anywhere near that pock pock pock pock pock sound?

And, really, I don't think he was as interested in having a pickleball court as he was in nobody being able to tell him he can't. 

[snarts]

Austin, TX: immediate, strong dislike for the house hunter. I see I'm not alone.

Hard to pinpoint what I found so off-putting, I think it was nearly everything. The comment about dating and how he had to scale back a bit because it's so expensive. I think that was an attempt at bragging yet I'd hazard they're all first dates where the women immediately block him right after :)

[surfgirl]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

In the first house, he pointed out what he called, in what he admitted wasn't a craftsman house, a "craftsman detail" in the bathroom.  It was one piece of bullseye trim, not original to the house.  The vanity and the mirror didn't line up, so somebody put a piece of vertical molding along the side of the vanity and the bullseye at the top.  It served to accentuate the sin it was trying to hide.

And then in the second house, which did have some craftsman design elements on the outside, he was talking about the craftsmanship.  Dude.  The craftsmanship isn't there because the style of the house is craftsman; the craftsmanship is in houses that were built 100 years ago.

Oh man, do NOT get me started on this shite! I just can't with all these people who say they're looking for a Craftsman style home and they walk into a straight up colonial style and theyr'e calling it a Craftsman, I mean, do they know what a Craftsman style actually is? I don't think they do! The idiots on the episode where the husband wanted a huge lawn so he could mow it all day every Saturday, they bought a colonial home that he called Crarftsman style at one point. That stuff makes me feel very stabbity!

[chessiegal]

3 hours ago, snarts said:

Austin, TX: immediate, strong dislike for the house hunter. I see I'm not alone.

Hard to pinpoint what I found so off-putting,

Not hard for me to pinpoint what was so off-putting. He came across as an entitled twit.

[qtpye]

On 8/21/2024 at 10:39 PM, chessiegal said:

OMG - the Austin agent buyer. He's the reason you want HOAs. A pickleball court? NOOOOO!!!!!

Worst neighbor ever! 

I predict that the HOA will say no to the pickleball court and tell him to invest in a Ping Pong table.

[chessiegal]

3 minutes ago, qtpye said:

I predict that the HOA will say no to the pickleball court and tell him to invest in a Ping Pong table.

He bought the house with no HOA so he could have his pickleball court.

[BAForever]

Late to the party, I half-watched and thought no way in hell I'd want HH or his realtor friend to be my agent. Not good advertising IMO.

[sskrill]

Tonight must be Old Men With Hoop Earrings night.

[Empress1]

Kansas Dan was on The Real World Miami first. I recognized him immediately. Travel nurses make good money (no benefits though); I’d think his budget would have been a bit higher, but $300K seems to get you something decent in Overland Park, Kansas. It seemed like his dad had passed away (he referenced his dad in the past tense) so I thought it was nice that he wanted to be close to his mom.

Second house was too small, IMO. I did like how airy the kitchen was in the house he chose. I hope he paints those bathrooms though.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love watching the old reruns on OWN, people demand the same features (dark cabinets, dark floors, stainless steel, and granite) that current house hunter claim are outdated, and all of it needs to be gutted.  

Edited August 26 by CrazyInAlabama

[surfgirl]

Or people who are obsessed about living in New build because they don't want to live where other people have lived before. It's called a cleaning service, look into it. 

And don't get me started on the idiots who write off a house because they don't like the paint or flooring, then they see a house they love and go on and on about some trivial aspect like the door knobs. 

And my biggest pet peeve is the constant refrain of 'open concept'. It's a concept if its in your head or on paper. If it's a house already done up  it's an open floor plan. How hard is that to remember?!?

Edited September 9 by surfgirl

[Grizzly]

Denver, CO. For someone with a live in boyfriend, Dad seems overly involved in the maintenance of the prospective place. I get that he's fronting some money. Is the boyfriend not handy? Did house #1 have stucco on the inside walls? The condo was too small. I'd say go for #3 if it had another bath. Ryan does exist.

[BAForever]

Repeat, but felt compelled to comment. Newly divi-ed nurse in Scottsdale with $750,000 budget. Her friend " ____ has champagne taste on a beer budget". For the vast majority of Americans,  $750,000 is not a beer budget. 

[Grizzly]

52 minutes ago, BAForever said:

Repeat, but felt compelled to comment. Newly divi-ed nurse in Scottsdale with $750,000 budget. Her friend " ____ has champagne taste on a beer budget". For the vast majority of Americans,  $750,000 is not a beer budget. 

Was she the one who kept saying "I like"? I did not like her.

[laredhead]

The Houston episode last night where the husband didn't want to live in an HOA community because he wants to build a stage in the backyard, have a live music band, and entertain lots of friends all the time made me cringe every time he said that.  His wife tried to soft pedal that idea, but he seemed pretty adamant.  I cannot imagine having to live next door to that.  Unless you have a lot of acreage surrounding your house to guarantee some peace and quiet, it's always iffy as to what type of neighbors you will get if the adjoining property sells.  They bought the most expensive, largest house, and it's in an HOA community.  I moved on to wondering how they were going to react to a summer electric bill in Houston in that big house.        

[snarts]

Houston, TX: 100% @laredhead. I cringe at the thought of having him as my neighbor. A stage, a band?  Just no.

Also agree on why they needed a 5-6 bedroom home. She's a nurse and he's a sound engineer. She has a 16 year old daughter who will theoretically be out of a house in a few years. She sold her previous home but he's a first time homeowner.

$678k is a lot of $$ for a house in Texas. Heck, option #3 was in the same town and only $460k-ish. It wasn't much different in terms of amenities and even space. With a 7% interest rate, that's an incremental $1300/mo for the larger house. Not even taking into account insurance, utilities, etc.

Just don't understand why they wanted and needed that much space. Didn't even mention entertaining/hosting friends & family!! :)

[buttersister]

LOL, the HOA will step in when the neighbors file a noise violation. Depending on how the declaration is written, the stage may not be allowed either. Who knows? Maybe the producers needed a hot point?

[pdlinda]

6 hours ago, laredhead said:

he wants to build a stage in the backyard, have a live music band, and entertain lots of friends all the time made me cringe every time he said that.  His wife tried to soft pedal that idea, but he seemed pretty adamant.  I cannot imagine having to live next door to that.  Unless you have a lot of acreage surrounding your house to guarantee some peace and quiet, it's always iffy as to what type of neighbors you will get if the adjoining property sells.  They bought the most expensive, largest house, and it's in an HOA community.  I moved on to wondering how they were going to react to a summer electric bill in Houston in that big house.        

I reacted the exact same say as you did to the "party boy husband."  IS HE NUTS??  That was an expensive home BUT IT WAS NOT AN ESTATE IN AN ESTATE AREA with acres of land surrounding each home.  From what I saw, it was a typical subdivision with homes close by AKA a suburban "neighborhood".

He was very firm on pricing and yet indulged her insistence that they buy a big, grand house.  Her daughter is 16 and will, presumably, be "leaving the nest" to go to college in the near future.  

Did she think about the 3 things that drive the expense on a home (other than the mortgage and taxes):  Furnishings, cleaning help, and utilities.

She's a NP and makes a decent living.  She owned homes before so obviously has cash from previous home sales.  He's an "audio engineer" (whatever that is) and never owned a home before. To run that house in Houston, they better have a very robust CASH FLOW on an ongoing and consistent basis.  I "get" she has a salaried position; however, he mentioned "clients" so, who knows if he's on someone's payroll or is in business for himself.

Anyway, I'm glad he's not my neighbor and can understand WHY he was so desirous of avoiding an HOA.  He quipped that he'd solve the "party noise" problem by "inviting the neighbors to the party."  LOLOL... if it were me and my family, it would be an instant NO...NO THANK YOU!

[CrazyInAlabama]

I can't believe Mr Party til you Puke in Houston thought anyone would be OK with a live band and a huge outdoor party.  He should have been looking at a huge amount of acres, way out of town.  He also should have been looking at places he could afford as an equal financial partner.   

I'm guessing her income and what she made on her two previous houses is what was financing his party lifestyle.   

Edited September 14 by CrazyInAlabama

[pdlinda]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I can't believe Mr Party til you Puke in Houston through anyone would be OK with a live band and a huge outdoor party.  He should have been looking at a huge amount of acres, way out of town.  

And, even WORSE, he consistently said that the parties would be the dominant FEATURE of their lifestyle in this new house!!  Like his interests were primarily ENTERTAINING.

Quite frankly, I got a peculiar "vibe" from those two.  She seemed to be a serious professional who was called upon to treat medical problems all day in a hospital. From what I could gather, she wanted "peace and quiet" when she arrived home.  

He, on the other hand, seemed geared to spend his time in this home-based "recording studio" with a lot of LOUD NOISE (as opposed to "music"....just my opinion) being generated at all hours.

I think he hooked up with her for financial reasons as he, apparently, could not afford a house like they bought with his income and cash reserves.

In other words, my prognosis for this marriage, is guarded, at best.  I say that because many of the wife's facial expressions were dour as he bloviated constantly about PARTIES AND ENTERTAINING.

[rhofmovalley]

I had neighbors who were constantly throwing loud parties with dozens of guests.  Someone (not me) called the police on them.  The parties immediately stopped.

I hope that was for storyline purposes only and the husband was just willing to look like an asshat for the $300 or whatever HH pays them.

[chessiegal]

We have a neighbor who is divorced, lives alone, and is in her 70s. She has a small pool in her backyard. One of the first things she told us when we moved in was, here is my cellphone number, call me, not the police. During summer months, 20 or more of her friends and children, grandkids, and so on come for the weekend, and I mean overnight. Her house is a one-level 3 BR, 2 BA. And bless her heart, there are speakers to a radio at the pool that point toward her house, and ours. I got up once at 2:30 am to tell some drunken guests to pipe down. They told me to close my windows! My windows were closed! They did lower the volume. If you call our neighbor, her phone goes directly to voice mail. She never answers it. It's taken years and some harsh words, but she and guests no longer blast the radio. The late-night drunken parties have also stopped. But we still have to put up with cars parked everywhere starting on Friday through Sunday until cooler months.

[surfgirl]

Yeah at this point I'd just call the cops because you've given your neighbor too many chances. 

[laredhead]

Many years ago, my next door neighbor dug up a beautiful back yard to install a nice pool.  Her children were gone & it was just her and her husband.  Then they sold the house, and I held my breath that someone who loved to party in the pool would not buy it.  Next buyers were childless couple who were quiet, but once in a while had company over to use the pool.  I have insulated windows, and even though the pool is only about 75' from my living area, I seldom heard them.  That couple sold the house, and again I held my breath.  New neighbors are another childless couple, and they like quiet.  So far I have lucked out, and hope this couple stays until I finally sell my house and move to "the home".  Pools are nice, but I would never buy a house next door to one because you never know how loud the parties will be.  Of course, a pool less yard doesn't always guarantee quiet, considerate neighbors either.  Maybe I just need to move to a wilderness cabin.