House Hunters - General Discussion

[topanga]

19 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

So a family with five kids (I think five) moving from Houston to Atlanta, and the wife wants land so she can have farm animals?      Bet within six months of move in, she found out running a farm meant she did all of the work, and the animals were rehomed.  

I felt sorry for their realtor, who had another couple of buyers who had ridiculous differences between their budgets, their list of must haves were total opposites, and even if it was just for the show, were awful.  

With that huge house and 5 kids, does this couple really think they can take care of farm animals? They’ll probably hire help wherever they can, but do they really need goats and chickens?

Those donkeys were adorable, though. 

[LittleIggy]

40 minutes ago, topanga said:

With that huge house and 5 kids, does this couple really think they can take care of farm animals? They’ll probably hire help wherever they can, but do they really need goats and chickens?

Those donkeys were adorable, though. 

I love donkeys! They are totes cute.

[cameron]

Regarding Pennsylvania family.  The father was really physically out of shape for being a physician and so was the mother.  Wonder if the house was going to be used for summers only.  The budget of under $600,000 seem really low given their jobs.

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, cameron said:

Regarding Pennsylvania family.  The father was really physically out of shape for being a physician and so was the mother.  Wonder if the house was going to be used for summers only.  The budget of under $600,000 seem really low given their jobs.

They said it was their beach house, i.e. second home.

[Dehumidifier]

3 hours ago, cameron said:

Regarding Pennsylvania family.  The father was really physically out of shape for being a physician and so was the mother.  Wonder if the house was going to be used for summers only.  The budget of under $600,000 seem really low given their jobs.

I think the woman said she is a psychologist or therapist. Considering that I thought it was weird that she was participating in what we know is a fake show.

[cameron]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

They said it was their beach house, i.e. second home.

Thanks.  I was wondering about that.  They are probably going to use it as an investment property.  They live on the far western edge of Pennsylvania.  Not an everyday kind of drive.  It's like a 7 1/2 drive one way.

Edited January 14, 2021 by cameron

[Crashcourse]

Where they were house hunting in Pennsylvania?  Thanks

[Dehumidifier]

15 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

Where they were house hunting in Pennsylvania?  Thanks

They were in Brigantine, NJ.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think the ones who are buying investment property are smart for coming on this show.    They get a huge amount of publicity, and if they do a good job remodeling, and marketing the property at Brigantine, they'll get a really good occupancy rate for their property.   

[Crashcourse]

4 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

They were in Brigantine, NJ.

Thanks!

[Dehumidifier]

9 hours ago, cameron said:

Thanks.  I was wondering about that.  They are probably going to use it as an investment property.  They live on the far western edge of Pennsylvania.  Not an everyday kind of drive.  It's like a 7 1/2 drive one way.

I had it recorded. They said they live in Royersford, PA, which is 32 miles NW of Philadelphia . One hour and 41 minutes to Brigantine, the internet tells me.

Edited January 15, 2021 by Dehumidifier
Correction of detail.

[chessiegal]

1 minute ago, Dehumidifier said:

I had it recorded. They said they live in Royersford, PA, which is 32 miles NW of Philadelphia . One hour and 41 miles to Brigantine, the internet tells me.

I went to high school in Royersford, grew up in the neighboring town of Spring City. My mother loved Atlantic City. We used to take day trips to Atlantic City, which is next door to Brigantine, It was an almost a 2 hour drive.

[Dehumidifier]

2 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I went to high school in Royersford, grew up in the neighboring town of Spring City. My mother loved Atlantic City. We used to take day trips to Atlantic City, which is next door to Brigantine, It was an almost a 2 hour drive.

Ooops, I should have written one hour and 41 MINUTES. I'll fix it.

[KLovestoShop]

What is it with people and their chickens?  Is it just something that people think is cool, but they have no idea how much work it takes?

Didn’t like the Atlanta couple, and the wife’s voice made me stabby.  Bet the whole farming thing got old real quick.  And I don’t know how anyone else feels, but crowing poultry would drive me crazy—-not to mention the smell. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Some places let you have chickens anywhere in town, no size yard required.   Some don't let you have roosters either, but hens still make a lot of noise, especially that victory song after they lay an egg.        I lived out in a suburb that had been farmland, and still had some farms.    Someone I knew had a flock of chickens, but not close to any houses.   That was about 3/4 mile from my house, and I could hear his rooster, and it wasn't just at sunrise either.    Chicken poop isn't pleasant to be around either.      One town I lived near, you had to have two acres to have chickens, and that was so much better than people who knew nothing about chickens, and getting their own flock.   

I like it when someone actually knows how to care for chickens, but I don't think the Atlanta area family had a clue.   I'm sure they didn't know about the proper way to care for donkeys, or mini donks either.  Unfortunately, since the 'house hunters' already own the place, they already had the donkeys, and chickens. 

Edited January 19, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[cameron]

9 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

I had it recorded. They said they live in Royersford, PA, which is 32 miles NW of Philadelphia . One hour and 41 minutes to Brigantine, the internet tells me.

My bad.  The captioning on my tv said Waterford, PA which is the 7 1/2 hour drive.

[Dehumidifier]

13 hours ago, cameron said:

My bad.  The captioning on my tv said Waterford, PA which is the 7 1/2 hour drive.

They were a bit mumble-y at points. I had to play that part a few times to get it.

Edited January 16, 2021 by Dehumidifier

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 1/11/2021 at 7:58 AM, laredhead said:

I agree with Amarante in her supposition that some of these units were originally built as apartments and converted to condos when that became a profitable thing to do years ago.  I lived in 2 developments like that before they were converted to condos, and I would have never bought one to live in.  Renting one on a temporary basis was fine, but not to invest in and for me to live in.

I can tell by looking at some of them that they were originally apartments.  Dallas has big swaths of apartment complexes just like that; I always associated them with single people, a step up from college apartments.  Or, in Los Angeles, a lot of the condos people look at on the show look just like my student apartment in LA; I know those are conversions.

That said, I lived in a condo complex that was converted from apartments.  It was a step above, because the buildings were made of brick, but otherwise seemingly nothing special--built in 1968 and turned into condos a few years after that.  BUT it turns out that the quality you don't see was amazing.  There was a fire in a downstairs unit that completely destroyed that unit and killed the woman inside.  The apartment above it suffered only some smoke damage.  The burned-up apartment shared its back side with another unit, and that unit suffered only very mild smoke damage, and the people moved back in a few days later.  I compare that to most apartment complex fires I see, where every unit in a building is destroyed if one catches on fire. 

Actually, the unit that caught fire was very near mine--the one it shared its back wall with shared my walkway.  My unit was up for sale at the time, and the stench was unbelievable for weeks, and I thought that and the police tape you had to walk by would be a real turn-off for prospective buyers.  But I used it as a selling point:  "See that burned up unit there?  Notice that the one above it is fine, with only some scorch marks on the outside."

I found out later that these units all had fire walls that went up into the attic, to the roof.  I'm not sure how someone looking at a condo would even be able to know that, but it's something I'd be very interested in knowing if I ever look into buying any attached unit again.  And knowing how a lot of apartment complexes completely burn down, I get the feeling it's not a common feature.

[cameron]

12 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

They were a bit mumble-y at points. I had to play that part a few times to get it.

Same here.  Not being familiar with the PA area, I rewatched it with the captioning on to try to figure out where they were living.  It's hilarious what the captioning comes up with some time.

[chessiegal]

Maybe it's because I went to high school in Royersford, PA, I picked it up right away.

[Jeanne222]

The Atlanta couple with five kids wanting the million dollar house with acreage!  What does he do to command that kind of salary!  Wow.  I know she's a stay at home mom!

That's a lot of moolah!  

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, they said on the Atlanta episode that the donkeys were leaving, but they also faked house hunting.     So I don't believe anything they say.   However, for the sake of the donkeys, I hope they did go elsewhere. 

Edited January 20, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grizzly]

Ft Lauderdale. Glad they chose the place with the most space. No sense getting a house that's too small. Who was dying to take a pair of scissors to his hair? Loved the dogs.

[Empress1]

Was this the first rent vs buy episode?

[DonnaMae]

20 hours ago, Grizzly said:

 Who was dying to take a pair of scissors to his hair? 

Why?  It's pretty common for guys these days to have long hair.  At least it was neat.  Her voice was annoying.

 

[LittleIggy]

I know what Astro-turf is, but what is “pet turf”? Does it neutralize the smell of dog urine? 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Here's a description of Pet Turf, from the sellers:

"Pet Turf Our special brand of synthetic grass is designed specifically for use with dogs of all sizes and breeds, in back yards, kennels or veterinary clinics. It's a monofilament blend of field and olive green polyethylene yarns, tufted to a 1-inch pile that facilitates drainage "

However, this was in Florida.   Just wait until the fire ant hills start growing under the turf. 

I bet the couple will just run the hose over that turf a couple of times a week, and then argue about who picks up the poop.     The problem with the fake stuff is it has to be perfectly installed, or it doesn't stay down.    Also, when they go to sell, the back yard will be a nasty, smelly mud pit, because any grass in the yard will die off under the turf.    

 

Edited January 23, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[cameron]

Regarding the Kauai couple.  She works and he sits on the beach strumming his ukulele and maybe paints.  Is he a left over hippie or what?  Man it up and get a job.  He can't even sing.

[LittleIggy]

17 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Here's a description of Pet Turf, from the sellers:

Pet Turf Our special brand of synthetic grass is designed specifically for use with dogs of all sizes and breeds, in back yards, kennels or veterinary clinics. It's a monofilament blend of field and olive green polyethylene yarns, tufted to a 1-inch pile that facilitates drainage 

However, this was in Florida.   Just wait until the fire ant hills start growing under the turf. 

I guess you would still have to hose it down regularly. I’d stick with good ol’ real grass.

[Grizzly]

3 hours ago, cameron said:

Regarding the Kauai couple.  She works and he sits on the beach strumming his ukulele and maybe paints.  Is he a left over hippie or what?  Man it up and get a job.  He can't even sing.

I was wondering what they were living on. She was only going to substitute teach. His paintings couldn't sell for that much. Glad she finally learned how to pronounce Kauai.

[Crashcourse]

Kauai couple looked old enough to be retired, especially the husband, so maybe the sold their home in California and have retirement savings.  I think selling the paintings is extra income, just like her substitute teaching, but not their primary income source.  I liked them just having fun and being relaxed.

[CruiseDiva]

2 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Kauai couple looked old enough to be retired, especially the husband, so maybe the sold their home in California and have retirement savings.  I think selling the paintings is extra income, just like her substitute teaching, but not their primary income source.  I liked them just having fun and being relaxed.

That's the impression I got as well. She was a "school administrator" in California and probably earned upwards of $100,000 a year. She's likely getting one of those inflated retirement incomes that "educators" are known for out there. They got a pretty good deal on that unfinished condo, but the $1000+ per month assessment was really high on top of a mortgage, unless they made a killing selling a house in California.

[javajeanelaine]

Did anyone else notice the repeating of "all right" by the Kauai husband?  I thought about starting a drinking game but I'd be drunk by now.

[DonnaMae]

I'm sure I've seen that Kauai episode, and I don't think it was on House Hunters.  There used to be a series that I believe was called Hawaiian Life.  I remember them.  I'd never be happy in such a small living space.  

[chessiegal]

7 minutes ago, DonnaMae said:

I'm sure I've seen that Kauai episode, and I don't think it was on House Hunters.  There used to be a series that I believe was called Hawaiian Life.  I remember them.  I'd never be happy in such a small living space.  

The series was called Hawaii Life, and they'd have to do a whole lot of editing to make that appear as a HH show. The Hawaii Life shows were all introduced by one of the owners of the brokerage, which is called Hawaii Life, and then followed by one of the agents who works for Hawaii Life showing them homes. Maybe HH recruited the same couple to appear again, but I don't think there is any way that was originally shown as an episode of Hawaii Life.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think some HH shows were set in Hawaii, over the years.   Then they had the one real estate agency Hawaii Life, and then they had a few with another agency.         They really do like to reuse.     I know a lot of the Mexico Life ones were HHI, or Beachfront, or another show, and they just moved it around.    

[chessiegal]

Well, I will eat my words on the Kauai house. The show identified the full name of the real estate agent as Lauren Pingree. She is indeed an agent with Hawaii Life. I found the property that sold for $385,000 as the show said. When the unit sold, it had a gutted kitchen. I'm not seeing what year the sale took place, but it's listing shows property taxes for 2015. That's a whole lot of editing they did. My apologies @DonnaMae.

ETA: The house sold on May 4, 2012.

Edited January 23, 2021 by chessiegal

[cameron]

9 hours ago, javajeanelaine said:

Did anyone else notice the repeating of "all right" by the Kauai husband?  I thought about starting a drinking game but I'd be drunk by now.

Drove me crazy.

[chessiegal]

The Kauai HH episode was originally Episode 1 Season 11 of Hawaii Life. Not sure of the original air date but I'm seeing an air date of November 12, 2017.

[DonnaMae]

"My apologies @DONNAMAE."  No problem.  Thanks for the info.  I knew I'd seen them, and I remember that last scene with the husband doing a painting while in the beach chair. 

[Fostersmom]

On 7/9/2020 at 12:17 AM, ByaNose said:

Firehouse: The only thing good about that house was the front door and possibly the garage. The only thing bad about the show itself was the daughter who tagged along. Good god! That voice was the worst. The father seems like a nice guy with a large family. I would really love to see the finished renovation of the house. It seems like he has the money to put into the house for a good return on his investment. 

I've been watching HH all day today and just saw the firehouse episode. I was reading the comments here about some of the episodes, but didn't read thru all the pages, so I don't know if this has been mentioned, but the firehouse turned out beautiful, albeit a bit over decorated, and has already been sold again.  The guy was a contractor, so I'm guessing he made himself a bit of a profit. Not huge, but nice enough, I'm sure. 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Today on OWN network, they are doing reruns of House Hunters, apparently today's theme is "the husband wants to do a fixer upper", and wife doesn't.     Some of these fixers are beyond the skill of weekend warriors.   

 I'm not sure where the house was, but one house had a basement bedroom, with a window that was definitely too small for egress, and therefore not legal.   But the real estate agent lied and said it was a bedroom, when the home buyer asked. I think that house hunt was Ohio, but the house they bought was bizarre.    It's the one where to get to the basement, and the laundry, and other rooms, you had to go to the garage, and go down the stairs in there.    Bet that's fun in the winter.   Also, the open stairs down to the basement, from the garage is going to be a loss of heat and cooling year round. 

Edited January 24, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[KLovestoShop]

I get the feeling that the Ft Lauderdale husband was not only a commitment phobe but lazy.  He didn’t want to be responsible for taking care of the property, which screams lazy, as he kept talking about all the responsibilities. Yeah, I know he was “burned” by the sale of their previous house, but if you have the money to buy a house and pay a mortgage, why throw good money after bad?  And I also didn’t get his whole “we’re going to be stuck here for a long time”. Well yeah, that’s what happens when you purchase a home.  Really, I just didn’t get the husband’s thought process. 

[ByaNose]

On 1/23/2021 at 7:38 PM, KLovestoShop said:

I get the feeling that the Ft Lauderdale husband was not only a commitment phobe but lazy.  He didn’t want to be responsible for taking care of the property, which screams lazy, as he kept talking about all the responsibilities. Yeah, I know he was “burned” by the sale of their previous house, but if you have the money to buy a house and pay a mortgage, why throw good money after bad?  And I also didn’t get his whole “we’re going to be stuck here for a long time”. Well yeah, that’s what happens when you purchase a home.  Really, I just didn’t get the husband’s thought process. 

The “stuck” part really cracked me up. Um, yeah that’s what a mortgage and buying a house is. You live there potentially for a long time. It’s not death sentence either. You can always, um, like move. 

[ByaNose]

On 1/23/2021 at 10:42 AM, chessiegal said:

The Kauai HH episode was originally Episode 1 Season 11 of Hawaii Life. Not sure of the original air date but I'm seeing an air date of November 12, 2017.

I knew it wasn’t OG HH and kind of figured it was an old Hawaii Life episode. The couple seemed nice enough and the wife thought a lot of the husband and need for space with his painting. At least, they went in looking for a one bedroom. Usually, the show has the couple looking for a 2/2 and they always end up with a one 1/1. That always annoys me. They never looked at two bedrooms which I appreciated. That said, one bedroom is small but it had a great view. 

[lgprimes]

Ugh! Once again I fell asleep right before the reveal. Can somebody help me out? Two-female married couple looking for a place in Long Beach Ny.

 I’m rooting for the second house, which overlooked the bay.

 Thanks in advance!

[chessiegal]

6 minutes ago, lgprimes said:

Ugh! Once again I fell asleep right before the reveal. Can somebody help me out? Two-female married couple looking for a place in Long Beach Ny.

 I’m rooting for the second house, which overlooked the bay.

 Thanks in advance!

Not sure which house it was, but they picked the modern one with the elevator.

[Olliesmom]

Just now, chessiegal said:

Not sure which house it was, but they picked the modern one with the elevator.

They bought the third one, the modern, new build. 

[lgprimes]

Ahh okay thanks! I fell asleep in the middle of that one so can’t criticize the decision completely- I know I didn’t like that one’s curb appeal

[StatisticalOutlier]

The Long Beach, NY, one--is that episode actually a Beach Hunters or something?  Isn't there a beach show where they name all the houses they look at, and the realtor doesn't walk through the house with them?  My online guide says it's from 2021, but the copyright thing at the end of the episode said 2019.  Are they recycling old episodes of another series as new episodes of this one? Like the Hawaii one upthread?