House Hunters - General Discussion

[cameron]

3 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The Bentonville couple would be my idea of nightmare neighbors.     I can't believe the realtor actually went house hunting with them for four years, and I'm hoping that is a gross exaggeration.     When my house was for sale, the Bentonville people would have been awful to clear out for a showing, since they looked at so many houses for four years or more.     The husband saying the house they bought had a hilly yard was bizarre, and the wife was obnoxious.    The realtor's idea to spend the money to convert the screened porch to a fourth bedroom was stupid.    I guess he thought everyone going to the back yard would just go in and out through the bedroom?    The realtor was obviously desperate to get the home buyers to buy anything, and stop bothering him.      

And the way they decorated the new house left a lot to be desired.

[Empress1]

22 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

That picture of when the Bentonville couple were first dating was bizarre.    How old was he when they met?     He looked extremely young. 

I just watched this episode. I thought the guy's change in looks was really ... I don't know, weird? Drastic? Was he coloring his hair? And he wasn't wearing it curly either. He wasn't old (I'm guessing they were 32 at most since he said they met in undergrad ten years before), but he looked really different. He was much cuter when they met.

She was insufferable. You could tell the realtor hated them.

24 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I bet even if the realtor only showed them a few houses, that his commission wasn't worth it.  

Probably not since their budget wasn't very high, but I'm guessing it was worth it to be rid of them.

[LittleIggy]

Cocoa Beach: At the end, the wife said that the girls “rode their bikes to school.” The oldest daughter was 21. Is there a college/uni there?

[suebee12]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Cocoa Beach: At the end, the wife said that the girls “rode their bikes to school.” The oldest daughter was 21. Is there a college/uni there?

I lived in FL for years and really had no idea if there was a college there so I used Wikipedia to find out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Florida_State_College

[ByaNose]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Cocoa Beach: At the end, the wife said that the girls “rode their bikes to school.” The oldest daughter was 21. Is there a college/uni there?

I just assumed they meant the younger girls since they didn’t mention where the eldest went to college. The house was nice and the husband seems like a nice guy.

[Pickles]

The Charleston episode last night was listed as new, but had been shown previously. Must have been a beach episode before? 

[Lady J]

On 11/29/2019 at 11:36 AM, Empress1 said:

I just watched this episode. I thought the guy's change in looks was really ... I don't know, weird? Drastic? Was he coloring his hair? And he wasn't wearing it curly either. He wasn't old (I'm guessing they were 32 at most since he said they met in undergrad ten years before), but he looked really different. He was much cuter when they met.

She was insufferable. You could tell the realtor hated them.

Probably not since their budget wasn't very high, but I'm guessing it was worth it to be rid of them.

I hated them and I was just watching ! 🤣

[topanga]

On 11/29/2019 at 11:11 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

That picture of when the Bentonville couple were first dating was bizarre.    How old was he when they met?     He looked extremely young

They met 10 years ago. I know I’ve gotten some wrinkles and put on a few pounds in the last ten years, but sheesh. I’ll give the guy the benefit of the doubt and speculate that he’s on steroids or some other medication that made him gain a lot of weight and thinned out his hair because he looks like a totally different person now. 

[chessiegal]

A House Hunter from Birmingham was shot and killed by her current husband. She appeared on the show in 2016 with her former husband, with her father acting as their realtor.

Megan Montgomery killed by estranged husband,

Birmingham couple appear on House Hunters

Well, we often say we don't see a couple staying together.

[Pickles]

48 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

A House Hunter from Birmingham was shot and killed by her current husband. She appeared on the show in 2016 with her former husband, with her father acting as their realtor.

Megan Montgomery killed by estranged husband,

Birmingham couple appear on House Hunters

Well, we often say we don't see a couple staying together.

Terrible! This is just me, but if I had been married in 2016 there is no way I would already be remarried in early 2018. Not trying to judge anyone, but I am always amazed how people can get out of and back into marriages so quickly---or even have the desire to do so! 

[chessiegal]

54 minutes ago, Pickles said:

Terrible! This is just me, but if I had been married in 2016 there is no way I would already be remarried in early 2018. Not trying to judge anyone, but I am always amazed how people can get out of and back into marriages so quickly---or even have the desire to do so! 

And the fact that her estranged current husband had already hurt her twice - shooting her in the arm and assaulted her, is a total failure by the police (estranged husband was a cop).

[DonnaMae]

I really like the Iowa couple who were moving to Gulf Shores, Alabama.  They were a nice down-to-earth couple who really wanted the same thing, didn't make the same old comment about the wife needing most of the closet space, and she actually cooked, unlike a lot of recent women.  They seemed like really nice people.  I hope their  diner is a big success.

[Grrarrggh]

2 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

she actually cooked, unlike a lot of recent women.  

Uh, seriously? It was 2019 last I looked. 

[Andyourlittledog2]

4 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

6 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

she actually cooked, unlike a lot of recent women.  

Uh, seriously? It was 2019 last I looked. 

Quote

I took that remark to mean that lately there have been a string of house hunters, mostly women, who demand these huge perfect kitchens but seem to insist that they of course don't really cook (or their partners remark about it). Having a HH who appreciates the kitchen and who actually intends to use it is refreshing.  Anyway, that's what I've been noticing in the HH and HHI episodes I've been watching lately, many reruns and new episodes.  Those HHrs who seem to view the kitchen as not more than an art piece in the home kind of irritate me. YMMV.

[DonnaMae]

Yes, that's what I meant.  It just amazes me the number of women on HH who say they don't cook, and lots of them have children.  Either dad does the cooking, they eat every meal out (except cold cereal) or live on frozen dinners.  And, of course, there's pizza delivery every week. 😏

[chessiegal]

I'm amazed at the variety of fresh food in the "Grab and Go" section of my grocery stores these days. I can pick up a 3 course meal that just needs to be heated. I knew someone who didn't cook because she said it made her kitchen dirty. Wanting a showplace kitchen just for show is the height of vanity.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

Either dad does the cooking,

Why not?  It's not her job to feed the family, it's theirs, and how they divvy up that task should be based on interest, time, and skill, not gender. 

I agree it's ridiculous how many HHs demand a kitchen that was just renovated five minutes ago, with the requisite stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, when apparently all they do in it is slice vegetables for their move-in party.  But that applies to all such HHs, not just the women among them.

[rhofmovalley]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Why not?  It's not her job to feed the family, it's theirs, and how they divvy up that task should be based on interest, time, and skill, not gender. 

I agree it's ridiculous how many HHs demand a kitchen that was just renovated five minutes ago, with the requisite stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, when apparently all they do in it is slice vegetables for their move-in party.  But that applies to all such HHs, not just the women among them.

They usually only show the women demanding the showcase kitchens (and huge closets for all their shoes) while they show the man demanding a man cave and a 3 car garage.

I'd love to go on the show and report back how they fired me because I refused to follow their script. 

[buttersister]

South Haven! Loved going there as a kid. Yes, you’d live in town near the beach, not in the boonies, and I knew Angela would get what she wanted. Realtor was put off by their fake fighting, but not as much as I was put off by her voice.

Edited December 5, 2019 by buttersister

[Empress1]

On 12/3/2019 at 3:47 AM, Andyourlittledog2 said:

I took that remark to mean that lately there have been a string of house hunters, mostly women, who demand these huge perfect kitchens but seem to insist that they of course don't really cook (or their partners remark about it). Having a HH who appreciates the kitchen and who actually intends to use it is refreshing.  Anyway, that's what I've been noticing in the HH and HHI episodes I've been watching lately, many reruns and new episodes.  Those HHrs who seem to view the kitchen as not more than an art piece in the home kind of irritate me. YMMV.

I can think of a bunch of episodes in which the wife has said she wants a gourmet kitchen and does not cook, and her partner/spouse has called her on it. (I remember one where she was like "I don't cook but I take stuff out of takeout containers and I need space to do that!" It was all in good fun though; she was laughing at herself.) I can also think of people who say they want an island or a particular kitchen "needs" an island, but when you actually look at the kitchen in question, an island would be totally wrong for the space. Or people who want stainless steel appliances because they think they're higher-quality, when it's purely a cosmetic thing. Lots of fashion over function when it comes to kitchens on HH.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Empress1

[topanga]

On 12/3/2019 at 5:15 PM, rhofmovalley said:

They usually only show the women demanding the showcase kitchens (and huge closets for all their shoes) while they show the man demanding a man cave and a 3 car garage.

I'd love to go on the show and report back how they fired me because I refused to follow their script. 

16 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

I can think of a bunch of episodes in which the wife has said she wants a gourmet kitchen and does not cook, and her partner/spouse has called her on it. (I remember one where she was like "I don't cook but I take stuff out of takeout containers and I need space to do that!" It was all in good fun though; she was laughing at herself.) I can also think of people who say they want an island or a particular kitchen "needs" an island, but when you actually look at the kitchen in question, an island would be totally wrong for the space. Or people who want stainless steel appliances because they think they're higher-quality, when it's purely a cosmetic thing. Lots of fashion over function, when it comes to kitchens on HH.

Don't forget about the bloggers/influencers who want nice kitchens as a backdrop for their pictures of food (that they might or might not have cooked) , flowers, children, pets, etc.

I suppose it's okay if someone doesn't cook, but I don't understand how you can brag about never cooking but still demand a state-of-the-art chef's kitchen, all in the same breath.* 

I have seen men ask for 5-6 burner chef's stoves, but they are usually the main cooks for the family. 

*Serious question: many of the non-cooking HHs (men and women) have young children. So does this mean the kids eat take out food every single night? Or do the parents simply mean they don't cook much from scratch, but they'll bake chicken nuggets or cook simple pasta recipes for their kids? 

Edited December 5, 2019 by topanga

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

Serious question: many of the non-cooking HHs (men and women) have young children. So does this mean the kids eat take out food every single night? Or do the parents simply mean they don't cook much from scratch, but they'll bake chicken nuggets or cook simple pasta recipes for their kids? 

The grab and go sections in my grocery stores have fresh meals already made that you just need to heat - for example, meatloaf/veggies/potatoes, taco kits - the meat is cooked and chopped, includes shredded lettuce, cheese, sauces, tortillas. If I lived by myself, I'd probably get dinner from Whole Foods hot bar almost every day.

[DonnaMae]

I wouldn't have chosen any of the three houses that were offered in the Michigan episode.  Don't remember the name of the town, but it was on Lake Michigan.  I guess there weren't any better houses for sale. I would never choose a house with one bathroom if I had three sons.  

Edited December 6, 2019 by DonnaMae

[amarante]

If someone can afford a beautiful kitchen, I have no problems with that anymore than I have issues with someone wanting an aesthetic bathroom or other living spaces. 

My issue are the idiots with a tiny budget who expect their small budget will get them a kitchen that belongs in a million dollar home. Of course there are also the idiots who wants four bedrooms and are shocked that the rooms are small in that 1500 square foot home.

Of course the real idiocy is that most of the homeowners have no real idea what constitutes a high quality kitchen. The standard builder grade kitchen is now white Shaker style cabinets but the configuration of the cabinets (with no lower drawers) is still a builder grade kitchen - albeit one that was built to suit the mass market tastes of 2019 versus golden oak or faux Tuscan from previous builder grade homes.

[chessiegal]

I laugh at the need for white kitchen cabinets. To me, it's so 1990s. I bought a new house in 1992 and white kitchen cabinets were all the rage, and were in the house I bought. I'd rather have solid cherry, maple, or oak.

[Bastet]

43 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I laugh at the need for white kitchen cabinets. To me, it's so 1990s.

My house was built in 1938, and the kitchen cabinets were always painted.  The last time before I took ownership in 2004 seems to have been in the '70s, and before that the '50s!  Various shades of white, and I went with another shade of white ("white corn" to pick up the yellow wall color I went with).  I won't have painted wood furniture, only stained, but I simultaneously don't like stained trim, cabinetry, doors, etc.  (There are houses in which original stained trim/doors/cabinetry shouldn't be replaced with painted, because of how it screws things up for purists, and I rejected those in my hunt -- I wouldn't "ruin" a house that way, but I also wouldn't live surrounded by grain and darkness I didn't want, so they just weren't for me.)

I don't care about the finishes HHs want, other than being bored by the repetition, just objecting when they want something out of step with a home's era and act like it's a personal affront that they'll have to make the change if they want to go in a different direction.

[buttersister]

Re: finishes--file under: Make it our own, so much natural light, and this would be great for entertaining.

[Grrarrggh]

2 hours ago, buttersister said:

Re: finishes--file under: Make it our own, so much natural light, and this would be great for entertaining.

Yet their own looks like almost everyone else's. And what kind of crappy friends/family do you have if they'll only be properly entertained in a certain environment?

[cameron]

I had all types of kitchen cabinets having moved 12 times.  Still prefer off white cabinets over stained wood.  Don't care if it's in or out.  It what I prefer.  I decorate for myself not what's in.

[laredhead]

DonnaMae, I was also disappointed in the houses that were supposedly available in that lake side Michigan town that was so memorable to me that I can't remember the name now.  It looked like some of those were for summer rentals.  The wife kept harping on wanting a pool, and not compromising on the area where she would live.  Another person who wants to constantly relive their childhood.  Could someone tell me exactly how many months a pool is really useful on the shores of a great lake in Michigan if it's not heated?  The wife kept talking about being able to walk to the beach all the time.  I live in the deep south, and that doesn't sound like something I would be doing year round.

Having one bathroom, or even 1.5 bathrooms, would have been a deal breaker for me with a family of 5 and 3 of them are teenage boys.  There was no yard, only a giant pool that was overlooked by all of the surrounding neighbors.  The final reveal scene was noisy, and unless those are vacation rentals, I bet the neighbors were thrilled to see a family of teenagers with lots of friends in tow being the new owners heavy sarcasm there.  When the husband said he and the boys had enjoyed a midnight swim, I wondered how the neighbors enjoyed the noise of that when it looked at if their bedrooms were only a few feet from the pool.  Of course, if you live next to someone who has a pool, that's a chance you take if you like peace and quiet in your own yard.  That's a nope for me. 

I liked House #3 the best, but even with 2200 sf, it was chopped up, no closets, and a bunk room that really made me think that was a vacation rental.      

[javajeanelaine]

laredhead, South Haven, Michigan.  And yes, a pool in Michigan or anywhere it snows is a luxury, in my opinion.

[cameron]

South Haven, Michigan and Topsail, North Carolina ladies, those fixtures are brass, not gold.  Wish people would learn to call it by their right name.

[LittleIggy]

Michigan: I can’t imagine two parents who work outside the home and three teenagers sharing one bathroom, especially on a weekday.

[doodlebug]

20 hours ago, javajeanelaine said:

laredhead, South Haven, Michigan.  And yes, a pool in Michigan or anywhere it snows is a luxury, in my opinion.

On 12/6/2019 at 6:59 AM, laredhead said:

DonnaMae, I was also disappointed in the houses that were supposedly available in that lake side Michigan town that was so memorable to me that I can't remember the name now.  It looked like some of those were for summer rentals.  The wife kept harping on wanting a pool, and not compromising on the area where she would live.  Another person who wants to constantly relive their childhood.  Could someone tell me exactly how many months a pool is really useful on the shores of a great lake in Michigan if it's not heated?  The wife kept talking about being able to walk to the beach all the time.  I live in the deep south, and that doesn't sound like something I would be doing year round

South Haven is on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and it is, indeed, an area that abounds with vacation rentals as it is just a couple hour drive from Chicago.  It is a pretty little town and the beaches on that part of Lake Michigan are particularly nice.  I think at least 2 of the houses they looked at, maybe all of them, were meant to be vacation rentals; anything near the water is going to be very expensive and most folks buying them would be counting on rental income to pay the mortgage.

As for the swimming pool, that area has very mild summers, highest temps maybe low 80's in mid-summer.  At best, an outdoor pool would get about 4 months of use a year.  Bad use of money, IMO.

That part of Lake Michigan is also the recipient of lake effect snow which makes for very snowy winters.  A lot of people out there get snowmobiles and spend a significant amount of time in the winter enjoying them. Cross country skiing and  ice fishing are pretty popular, too.  But, unless the wife was talking about those sorts of activities, there is no way she was going to be spending time hanging out on the lake in the winter.

[DonnaMae]

They'd get more use out of a sauna and hot tub than that pool.

[ByaNose]

Topsail with 3 bedrooms. It looks like such a vacation home but it’s their primary home. That’s pretty tight with 3 girls and a baby boy. The view was amazing but it still feels like a vacation location to permanently live. Hopefully, the next door neighbors with the adjoining front deck are permanent residents, too. 

[msrachelj]

On 12/5/2019 at 11:16 PM, Bastet said:

My house was built in 1938, and the kitchen cabinets were always painted.  The last time before I took ownership in 2004 seems to have been in the '70s, and before that the '50s!  Various shades of white, and I went with another shade of white ("white corn" to pick up the yellow wall color I went with).  I won't have painted wood furniture, only stained, but I simultaneously don't like stained trim, cabinetry, doors, etc.  (There are houses in which original stained trim/doors/cabinetry shouldn't be replaced with painted, because of how it screws things up for purists, and I rejected those in my hunt -- I wouldn't "ruin" a house that way, but I also wouldn't live surrounded by grain and darkness I didn't want, so they just weren't for me.)

I don't care about the finishes HHs want, other than being bored by the repetition, just objecting when they want something out of step with a home's era and act like it's a personal affront that they'll have to make the change if they want to go in a different direction.

OH! I envy you for your 1930's kitchen cabinets! So many vintage kitchen have been horribly "renovated".  Have any other original kitchen features been left intact?  I 100% agree, don't ruin a vintage home that has usable/doable features with modern updates. These assholes need to go out and just purchase a newer crappy home and redo it the way they want. I freak out when I see some of these HH talking about ripping out and gut jobs on vintage bathrooms, etc. 

[auntjess]

Here's a strange update.  A woman in Alabama was murdered, and the story includes information on when she was on House Hunters, with a previous husband.
https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/12/woman-found-dead-in-mountain-brook-was-selfless-servant-leader.html?fbclid=IwAR3A1AKLmNm3vUIziHIu1j4Z3OUn70q3oDckH_jI-sCjHXRgaHjpxbAz1rs

[chessiegal]

9 hours ago, auntjess said:

Here's a strange update.  A woman in Alabama was murdered, and the story includes information on when she was on House Hunters, with a previous husband.
https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/12/woman-found-dead-in-mountain-brook-was-selfless-servant-leader.html?fbclid=IwAR3A1AKLmNm3vUIziHIu1j4Z3OUn70q3oDckH_jI-sCjHXRgaHjpxbAz1rs

I posted on that a few days ago. I'm sure HGTV will pull that episode from reruns.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 12/3/2019 at 3:15 PM, rhofmovalley said:

I'd love to go on the show and report back how they fired me because I refused to follow their script. 

They wouldn't fire you.  They'd just frankenbite you into saying you need a huge closet for your shoes.

.

On 12/5/2019 at 4:04 PM, topanga said:

*Serious question: many of the non-cooking HHs (men and women) have young children. So does this mean the kids eat take out food every single night? Or do the parents simply mean they don't cook much from scratch, but they'll bake chicken nuggets or cook simple pasta recipes for their kids? 

My mother, who had five kids, used to say that she couldn't cook, but could prepare a meal. 

.

On 12/8/2019 at 8:52 AM, msrachelj said:

OH! I envy you for your 1930's kitchen cabinets! So many vintage kitchen have been horribly "renovated".  Have any other original kitchen features been left intact? 

On 60 Minutes last night, they interviewed Adam Sandler and they went to his parents' house, where he grew up.  I couldn't believe the kitchen--a little square with wood cabinets that had those really thin pointy hinges and pulls that look like hammered metal (not good at describing them), I'd guess from the 50s.  It was kind of refreshing, since it didn't appear that Sandler hated them and just refused to give them the dough to redo it.  Maybe they just like it.

.

On 12/8/2019 at 8:52 AM, msrachelj said:

I 100% agree, don't ruin a vintage home that has usable/doable features with modern updates. These assholes need to go out and just purchase a newer crappy home and redo it the way they want. I freak out when I see some of these HH talking about ripping out and gut jobs on vintage bathrooms, etc. 

But if you want to be in a particular neighborhood, like close to downtown, the choices are to renovate the house that's there or to tear it down and build a new one.  I think many many neighborhoods are being ruined by tear-downs that for a while were replaced by McMansions and are now being replaced by boxes.  They very rarely fit in with the rest of the houses on the street.

If somebody wants a modern house in an old neighborhood, I'd prefer they renovate and mangle the inside, so the neighbors don't have to be subjected to it.

[rhofmovalley]

3 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

They wouldn't fire you.  They'd just frankenbite you into saying you need a huge closet for your shoes.

That reminds me of South Park, when they fired Chef and spliced together words he'd said to make a quote. It sounded so laughably obvious, which of course was the point.

I would try very hard to not even say the words "shoes", "bright, white" or "gut job".

Edited December 10, 2019 by rhofmovalley

[Johnny Dollar]

Any episode where they are buying on water is most likely not a House Hunters original but a retread of one of the fifteen “Hey! Let’s Buy a Beach House!” knockoffs. For some reason, these shows never have the realtor walk the couple through the property. 
 

[topanga]

14 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Any episode where they are buying on water is most likely not a House Hunters original but a retread of one of the fifteen “Hey! Let’s Buy a Beach House!” knockoffs. For some reason, these shows never have the realtor walk the couple through the property. 
 

On 12/8/2019 at 2:00 AM, ByaNose said:

Topsail with 3 bedrooms. It looks like such a vacation home but it’s their primary home. That’s pretty tight with 3 girls and a baby boy. The view was amazing but it still feels like a vacation location to permanently live. Hopefully, the next door neighbors with the adjoining front deck are permanent residents, too. 

Some of those homes were scarily close to the water. Are hurricanes a concern in that part of North Carolina?

I usually skip the beach house episodes, but I liked this family. 

[chessiegal]

7 minutes ago, topanga said:

Some of those homes were scarily close to the water. Are hurricanes a concern in that part of North Carolina?

There are homes on the beaches in NC that have survived decades of hurricanes. We have a friend who has a house in Atlantic Beach NC built in the 40s, and is still standing.

[Empress1]

I thought the first house the Bloomington couple looked at was so cute and I loved the neighborhood, but I saw the guy's point about being able to afford more space so wanting more space. I did think "OMG, just paint your damn house!" a bunch of times when he kept saying he didn't want to lift a finger. Their little Ginsburg was SO CUTE.

Edited December 11, 2019 by Empress1

[cameron]

Coming from the LA area the prices of homes they were looking at were a drop in the bucket compared to what you pay in the LA area unless you live in a hovel and even those aren't cheap.

[ByaNose]

The Bloomington kitchen cabinets looked great. I wonder if they had them professionally painted or they painted it themselves?! Because they turned out great and looked like brand new cabinets. Also, the quartz countertops were a big improvement, too.

[Empress1]

9 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

The Bloomington kitchen cabinets looked great. I wonder if they had them professionally painted or they painted it themselves?! Because they turned out great and looked like brand new cabinets. Also, the quartz countertops were a big improvement, too.

Yeah, a little work went a very long way in that kitchen. I assumed the cabinets had been professionally painted.

[amarante]

All of those homes close to the water will be impacted by climate change within the next 20 years.

It's already an issue in terms of some places. There was a recent article on how the cost to keep a road in one of the barrier islands above water would exceed $170 million.

The other issue is insurance as the costs of insuring homes within flood zones (and flood zones are expanding) is becoming increasingly expensive. And do we as taxpayers want to subsidize people who willingly choose to live on ecologically untenable land?

[LittleIggy]

OMG, Ginsburg the puppy was so adorbs! Nope, I’m not getting in that crate! 😆