House Hunters - General Discussion

[doodlebug]

14 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Yes.  Yes, they were.

They were a weird pair and her constant shouting was really off-putting.  Glad they're not my neighbors.

[ByaNose]

I now watch the first 5 mintues to find out what their budget is. I then ffwd to the end to see the house they picked and how much they paid. Even with the little I watch I can see how annoying they are or are not. LOL!!!

Edited July 25, 2019 by ByaNose

[AuntiePam]

What was the deal with the slack line?  My recording cut off when he was putting a red rope or something between those two trees.  At first I thought he wanted two trees for a hammock. 

The Atlanta couple and their selfies -- my lord, can selfies stop being a thing, please? 

[CrazyInAlabama]

A slack line is the looser version of a tight rope.      

I thought both house hunters were bizarre.   I didn't like the Fairfield couple at all, and hated all three houses.    Their 'updates' were ridiculous if they were going for light and bright.    I think the house they picked (#1 Red) was lower than the road, which is going to be a big issue year round.  

[javajeanelaine]

I just knew there were going to be posts about the Fairfield couple.  They were both weird but she took the cake with the birdhouse and the screaming.

[txvoodoo]

9 hours ago, laredhead said:

I wonder how well that paint job is going to hold up on that woodwork, because it looked like the stained woodwork had been coated with a shiny polyurethane which would have to be stripped and sanded well before painting. 

I saw that too, and thought "well, that's gonna last less than a year." All of that should've been strippd first. 

[LittleIggy]

Atlanta: I laughed when one of them said that the lawn wasn’t big enough for the dogs... two little Yorkies!

[laredhead]

Dallas episode - Another HH couple who had their dog along to "approve" the house.  No one every takes their cat - lol.  The cat would be like whatever, just give me a quiet room and leave me alone.  I didn't think they were going to buy the house with the pool, but it did have an interesting floor plan.  I was thinking if they ever have major problems with the concrete pool surround or the pool itself, it is going to be a challenge to work on it since it looked like it was completely surrounded by the house.

What is it with these buyers who want gianormous bathrooms in houses that have only 1700 sf.  The first house was about that size, and they both griped about the bathroom sizes.  Do the math before they set foot in a house.  If they want a huge master bath, a huge master bedroom, an ever larger living room, and everything else their little spoiled hearts desire, then don't look at any houses less than 3,000 sf.  Might also want to adjust their ridiculously low budgets to reflect their champagne tastes.  I know this has been discussed before, but it's one of my pet peeves about the people on this show.

[Pickles]

The Naples couple last night. That was a big statement necklace the wife wore. I think she wore it with every outfit. I hope they put some kind of fence around that pool, if they don't cage it. They have that little boy and it would be dangerous for other kids in the neighborhood too. The wife didn't want a cage around it, because it would block the view. I would worry more about safety than blocking the view. This couple was on House Hunters for their other house too, right? They seemed very familiar.

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

The Naples couple last night. That was a big statement necklace the wife wore. I think she wore it with every outfit.

I think she was trying to hide her horrible, skin-damaged, chicken neck.  In reality, they had to be the grandparents of their little boy, right? They grated on me for no particular reason.  More like the type that thinks they have this big group of friends but in reality, no one likes them.  Maybe it was a subtle arrogance?  And her remodel that she kept crowing about seemed to consist of an excessive use of shiplap.  So original.  Yawn.  

Edited July 26, 2019 by Kiki620
Extra sentence wasn't needed.

[laredhead]

I found it hard to relate to some of the "problems" that the Naples wife kept finding with those houses.  I guess you have to have a high 6 figure income to understand and empathize.  They looked familiar to me as well, and may have been on an earlier episode in Atlanta where they said they had lived previously.  Trying to turn a contemporary or other style house into a country chic style seemed weird to me.  It's Florida, embrace the lifestyle and look.  The Tudor looking house looked so out of place to me.  

I did agree with the wife about the white pool area cage and how it stood out.  Another house they looked at had a black one and it didn't look as big, or as obvious, IMO.  Anyone on this forum familiar with how much those things cost?  We have lots of mosquitoes and bugs here in Louisiana, but pool cages are rare here.  Must be a Florida things because we see them on a lot of Florida episodes.  

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

Anyone on this forum familiar with how much those things cost?  We have lots of mosquitoes and bugs here in Louisiana, but pool cages are rare here.  Must be a Florida things because we see them on a lot of Florida episodes.  

Of course, it depends on the size of the pool and the quality of the materials.  For an average sized pool, if you do it yourself, it will cost several thousand dollars for the basic stuff.  If you hire someone to do it for you, you're talking $6000-$8000.  And, of course, for larger pools or fancier enclosures, the sky's the limit.

I don't see any comments about the Naval officer looking in Hawaii. He was getting on my nerves with all the judgeyness and pickiness.  He was upset because the knobs on the drawers weren't installed well and the paint job in the kitchen was sloppy.  Those are the definition of trivial.  If you don't like the hardware, it can be replaced with nicer for $100 or so in the typical kitchen.  If you think the paint job is messy (it was), then drop $30 on a gallon of paint and fix it.  Otherwise, he was a cutie and obviously a smart, ambitious guy.  You don't get into the Naval Academy and train as a pilot unless you're exceptional.  But, let it go when it comes to messy paint jobs, buddy.  Of course, the outrageous cost of housing in Hawaii is part of the problem, I suppose.  When you have to spend 600 grand on a simple home, it's hard to accept that it is a fixer-upper.

Edited July 26, 2019 by doodlebug

[CruiseDiva]

19 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Of course, the outrageous cost of housing in Hawaii is part of the problem, I suppose.  When you have to spend 600 grand on a simple home, it's hard to accept that it is a fixer-upper.

I didn't consider any of those Hawaii houses fixer-uppers. They could use cosmetic changes like paint, but they all appeared to be in pretty decent shape and move in ready.

[Kohola3]

12 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

I didn't consider any of those Hawaii houses fixer-uppers. They could use cosmetic changes like paint, but they all appeared to be in pretty decent shape and move in ready.

I agree.  All of them looked absolutely fine.  And I'm always unclear as to why someone in the military would purchase a place when they get moved around all of the time. I suppose it could be considered an investment but it's hard to manage a place from halfway around the world.

[cameron]

4 hours ago, Pickles said:

The Naples couple last night. That was a big statement necklace the wife wore. I think she wore it with every outfit. I hope they put some kind of fence around that pool, if they don't cage it. They have that little boy and it would be dangerous for other kids in the neighborhood too. The wife didn't want a cage around it, because it would block the view. I would worry more about safety than blocking the view. This couple was on House Hunters for their other house too, right? They seemed very familiar.

Can't believe her hangup about privacy when she uses the toilet.  After all, they have a child together.  Was that a miracle conception.?

[laredhead]

Doodlebug, my DVR is set to record new episodes of HH, but it did not pick up on this one.  The TV Guide listed Christina On the Shore in that time slot.  I happened to catch the end of the Hawaii buyer episode, and knew I had not seen it, so I recorded it during the 2nd showing on HGTV later.  Maybe a lot of other people did not see it listed, or their DVR's did not show it as being first run, or even on the schedule.  Looking forward to watching it.

[CruiseDiva]

29 minutes ago, laredhead said:

Doodlebug, my DVR is set to record new episodes of HH, but it did not pick up on this one. 

Mine didn't pick up the multi-million dollar Naples episode. Not sure what's going on, but I saw it after being asked by the DVR if I wanted to "watch the next episode" and clicked on it.

Edited July 26, 2019 by CruiseDiva

[Angeltoes]

2 hours ago, cameron said:

7 hours ago, Pickles said:

Can't believe her hangup about privacy when she uses the toilet.  

You want privacy in the bathroom?  Shut the damn door and click the lock.  Voila!

[Empress1]

On 7/25/2019 at 3:16 PM, doodlebug said:

They were a weird pair and her constant shouting was really off-putting.  Glad they're not my neighbors.

I was like, why are you yelling at me? And the tone of her voice just annoyed me - I just didn't like listening to her talk. And the fucking birdhouse - just paint the damn thing and keep it moving.

I can't fault the husband (who, forgive me, I found to be pretty homely) for his spreadsheet though. I love spreadsheets.

[ehall1052]

Re: Naples couple. I’m so glad that I’m not a millionaire and have to deal with the same problems Mrs. Blondie had to face.(rip this out, rip that out, it’s only 1.4 million dollars!)

Our friend was part of the production team for this episode, so I’ll have to ask him if this chick was for real. I’ll report back if he tells me anything interesting.

[LittleIggy]

13 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

I think she was trying to hide her horrible, skin-damaged, chicken neck.  In reality, they had to be the grandparents of their little boy, right? They grated on me for no particular reason.  More like the type that thinks they have this big group of friends but in reality, no one likes them.  Maybe it was a subtle arrogance?  And her remodel that she kept crowing about seemed to consist of an excessive use of shiplap.  So original.  Yawn.  

Aemon (same name as my blind cat although it’s probably spelled Eamonn) certainly was a late in life kid for those HHs. The wife annoyed the 💩 out of me. Shiplap and subway tiles! How original! 🙄

[Babalooie]

On 7/26/2019 at 1:54 PM, cameron said:

This couple was on House Hunters for their other house too, right? They seemed very familiar.

Yes, I knew I had seen them before.  Not very likeable at all.

[ByaNose]

7 hours ago, Babalooie said:

Yes, I knew I had seen them before.  Not very likeable at all.

They must have been on before because they before & after video which obviously wasn’t done by the homeowners. I always love the person who doesn’t work saying money doesn’t matter. The eye roll he gave and sound affect that was given spoke volumes. I couldn’t deal with her on a daily basis. They said they’ve been married for 10 years. God bless him. He seemed like a nice guy and sort of normal. 

[laredhead]

Is House Hunters burning off episodes of beach rentals for the week?  I have no interest in looking at beach rental houses.  They all look alike, or so similar that the episodes become boring very quickly.

[cameron]

Last night's episode featuring Miramar Beach, Florida couple who wanted a place to chill (think they were a little old to do that) picked a 900 square foot one bed condo with one bedroom even they have two grown teenage boys still living at home.  Place didn't even look large for a pull out sofa.  But it has good rental history.  Another couple pimping their rental property.

[topanga]

9 hours ago, laredhead said:

Is House Hunters burning off episodes of beach rentals for the week?  I have no interest in looking at beach rental houses.  They all look alike, or so similar that the episodes become boring very quickly.

Same. I find myself skipping these episodes. 

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, cameron said:

Last night's episode featuring Miramar Beach, Florida couple who wanted a place to chill (think they were a little old to do that) picked a 900 square foot one bed condo with one bedroom even they have two grown teenage boys still living at home.  Place didn't even look large for a pull out sofa.  But it has good rental history.  Another couple pimping their rental property.

Another 4 member family buying a one bedroom condo. I will never understand people doing that. I don't care if it's a deal. Unless, you are single it's dumb to buy a one bedroom condo.

[CruiseDiva]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

Same. I find myself skipping these episodes. 

Thank goodness for the DVR and fast forward. I watch for the house porn and really don't want to see people frolicking on the beach.

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Another 4 member family buying a one bedroom condo. I will never understand people doing that. I don't care if it's a deal. Unless, you are single it's dumb to buy a one bedroom condo.

I doubt they have any intention of spending much time there.  They bought it as an investment and went on the show in hopes that potential renters would be watching and look them up.

No way would I want to sleep with 4 adult sized people, two of them teen boys, in the same room.  Can you imagine how stanky that would be?  The fact that they weren't going to be going down there and staying often was confirmed when the wife said they could install bunk beds in the single bedroom so more people could use it.

No mature adult couple thinks that 4 adults occupying a small 1 BR/1Ba condo is going to make for a relaxing getaway.

[ByaNose]

19 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I doubt they have any intention of spending much time there.  They bought it as an investment and went on the show in hopes that potential renters would be watching and look them up.

No way would I want to sleep with 4 adult sized people, two of them teen boys, in the same room.  Can you imagine how stanky that would be?  The fact that they weren't going to be going down there and staying often was confirmed when the wife said they could install bunk beds in the single bedroom so more people could use it.

No mature adult couple thinks that 4 adults occupying a small 1 BR/1Ba condo is going to make for a relaxing getaway.

In theory, 2 adults and 2 kids/teens could survive in a 1 bedroom condo for a week. That said, when those said kids get married and have kids of their own all bets are off. LOL!!! I guess overall I would just buy a condo. That said, I don't even have a second home. I would love one but 2/2 condos are expensive at the NJ shores and in Florida.  I can't recall where they were buying. It might have been Myrtle Beach but I think event here a 2/2 is pricey. I guess maybe I should just suck it up and buy a 1 bedroom condo on the beach. It's better then nothing.

[doodlebug]

31 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

In theory, 2 adults and 2 kids/teens could survive in a 1 bedroom condo for a week. That said, when those said kids get married and have kids of their own all bets are off. LOL!!! I guess overall I would just buy a condo. That said, I don't even have a second home. I would love one but 2/2 condos are expensive at the NJ shores and in Florida.  I can't recall where they were buying. It might have been Myrtle Beach but I think event here a 2/2 is pricey. I guess maybe I should just suck it up and buy a 1 bedroom condo on the beach. It's better then nothing.

It was Miramar Beach in the Florida panhandle near Destin. 

[Kohola3]

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

No mature adult couple thinks that 4 adults occupying a small 1 BR/1Ba condo is going to make for a relaxing getaway.

That's why it was probably just a getaway for two and with rental capability.  Singles or couples without kids hate to get dinged for renting a place with two bedrooms, one of which they will never use.  

[cameron]

The single mom bartender from New Jersey.  Besides her really low cut top, wondering where she was going to come up with the $600,000 for a house.  Maybe the mother that she talked into moving down is footing the bill.

[ECM1231]

5 hours ago, cameron said:

The single mom bartender from New Jersey.  Besides her really low cut top, wondering where she was going to come up with the $600,000 for a house.  Maybe the mother that she talked into moving down is footing the bill.

Maybe the boyfriend shown will move in with her and her son. Boy she was really selling Key West hard with her young son!

I missed the part about her mom.

[LittleIggy]

6 hours ago, cameron said:

The single mom bartender from New Jersey.  Besides her really low cut top, wondering where she was going to come up with the $600,000 for a house.  Maybe the mother that she talked into moving down is footing the bill.

Maybe she makes really good tips by showing off her girls like that! 😆 I was wondering how she was able to afford that too.

[El maestro]

I liked the couple from Miami, one of the few ones whose comments were kind of professional and they knew what they wanted... except when they wanted to convert a garage in a media room for his daughters.🤔

Edited August 3, 2019 by El maestro

[cameron]

The Putnam NY couple buying on the beach in North Carolina seemed very nice.  Think that they are actually going to use that place instead of looking at it from a rental outlook.  Thought they made the right choice in their home selection.

[PrimeTuner]

On Thu Jun 13 2019 at 6:40 PM, rainsmom said:

The problem is $1.2M isn't a big budget in Seattle. That will get you a nice-but-normal house, and almost no existing houses there have air conditioning.

(We lived there 20 years, did some traveling, and now are trying to move back. We will not consider a house that doesn't have A/C, which almost certainly means we have to buy a new build BEFORE it's built, so we can add A'C to the plans. )

Is it true that Seattle has stopped approving the construction of new single family homes in favor of apartments and condominiums? Or does it only apply within a certain radius of downtown? Have heard this mentioned somewhere. 

As far as property prices in Seattle go, it's like the Vancouver or Sydney of America. Same ridiculously high property prices and you don't necessarily get much for your money. 

Edited August 3, 2019 by PrimeTuner

[LittleIggy]

Key West: Did anyone else notice the shot of the polydactyl cat strolling along? One of those Hemingway cat descendants. I remember seeing those cats when I was a kid on a family vacation to Key West.

[Johnny Dollar]

My take on the Jersey Girl bartender is that the boyfriend was really the one buying the house but he didn’t quite fill out his shirt as well as she did. 

Her comment to her son about being able to go to the beach everyday in FL was odd considering she came from Toms River, NJ which is literally ten minutes from the ocean. 

[doodlebug]

14 minutes ago, Johnny Dollar said:

My take on the Jersey Girl bartender is that the boyfriend was really the one buying the house but he didn’t quite fill out his shirt as well as she did. 

Her comment to her son about being able to go to the beach everyday in FL was odd considering she came from Toms River, NJ which is literally ten minutes from the ocean. 

I got the impression she was talking about going to the beach and swimming, which, of course, can't be done year round in NJ.  She talked about how much warmer the water was in Key West.

I agree, there was something fishy about her story.  She said they'd lived with her mother in NJ but now she had enough money to spend $600g on a house?  There has to be more to the story.

[NJMom]

7 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I got the impression she was talking about going to the beach and swimming, which, of course, can't be done year round in NJ.  She talked about how much warmer the water was in Key West.

I agree, there was something fishy about her story.  She said they'd lived with her mother in NJ but now she had enough money to spend $600g on a house?  There has to be more to the story.

This was not a new episode. I remember seeing it quite a long time ago. Knew as soon as she walked into the first house that was the one she picked.

Edited August 4, 2019 by NJMom

[chessiegal]

Talking about TVs and electronic devices, my husband has 2 married daughters - oldest has 7 kids, youngest 4, all aged 13 to 2 years old. Not a single one has an electronic device. His oldest daughter doesn't have a TV. The youngest strictly enforces TV time. All of the kids love to read or have someone read to them. They play with each other and their friends.

[chocolatine]

On 8/3/2019 at 7:52 AM, PrimeTuner said:

Is it true that Seattle has stopped approving the construction of new single family homes in favor of apartments and condominiums? Or does it only apply within a certain radius of downtown? Have heard this mentioned somewhere. 

As far as property prices in Seattle go, it's like the Vancouver or Sydney of America. Same ridiculously high property prices and you don't necessarily get much for your money. 

There are still plenty of single family homes being built here: https://www.themlsonline.com/seattle-real-estate/search/map/8ce9d9bdd4b50cfcde9002e8ed2c129#/brlo_1/coord_47.62863132704066,-122.47215270996094,47.73264711438816,-122.07252502441406/zoom_12/act_1/st1_511/tnc_1/

They're exorbitantly priced though (and not that attractive IMO), so it's almost always a better deal to buy an older home and renovate it to one's taste.

While Seattle has gotten expensive, you still get much more for your money here than in NYC or SF, and the public schools and overall quality of life are much better here as well. It's also relatively easy to get out of the city and be at the beach, in the mountains, or in the rainforest within 2-3 hours. After trying out several cities in the US and in Europe, I've made Seattle my home base.

[Ohwell]

I've only been to Seattle a couple times but the thing I remember most was the great coffee I had in various coffee shops.  They don't mess around with the coffee!   

[Grrarrggh]

5 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Talking about TVs and electronic devices, my husband has 2 married daughters - oldest has 7 kids, youngest 4, all aged 13 to 2 years old. Not a single one has an electronic device. His oldest daughter doesn't have a TV. The youngest strictly enforces TV time. All of the kids love to read or have someone read to them. They play with each other and their friends.

Are they homeschooled? Because those kids from aged ten on and missing out on key social interactions if they don't have the same opportunities their peers do. 

[chessiegal]

The oldest home schools, but the 13 year old twins are going to high school this month. The younger ones have friends they interact with.

[Kohola3]

Liked the guy and his friend/Realtor on Maui.  I thought they both had a good sense of humor and the made up angst was pretty low key.  Anyone who has ever been on Maui knows you can't possibly get what he was asking for at the price he could afford so it was obviously all for show.  When he was adding on things like a pool it was obvious he was joking.

[ByaNose]

Maui, Hi: Were the two bald guys best friends? I don’t think they mentioned it enough and I might have missed it. LOL!!!! Once again Hawaii never fails to show how little you get and still pay a lot of money. I think he made the best choice. You really need that second bedroom for yourself but really for guest. Although, I did like the unit with a pool but that was way too small. Overall, it was a good episode and they homeowner seems like the nicest guy. 

[PrimeTuner]

On Mon Aug 05 2019 at 10:28 AM, Grrarrggh said:

Are they homeschooled? Because those kids from aged ten on and missing out on key social interactions if they don't have the same opportunities their peers do. 

That's a common argument made in favor of traditional schooling but even if you home school, there are plenty of opportunities for children to interact with other children. There are home school co-ops, camps, outside tutoring and of course all sorts of social clubs. There are many valid reasons why families choose to home school including concerns about bullying, as well as what children are being taught at school.