House Hunters - General Discussion

[Grrarrggh]

The Amazing Carpet owner could have been blind. If so maybe it was a joke on everyone who visits. 

[edie3]

I cant believe that carpet!

[ByaNose]

I will say if the carpet was a joke it was an expensive one. I remember in the 90’s people having area rugs with that design. I never seen in person or on tv wall to wall to stairs to wall to wall carpet of that design. That was crazy. It was so clean that it looked like it was new which is even scarier. I couldn’t believe that the bedrooms had it, too. That’s a weird carpet fetish. 

[edie3]

Can you imagine that the original home owner paid to have them professionally cleaned? 

[Grrarrggh]

2 hours ago, edie3 said:

Can you imagine that the original home owner paid to have them professionally cleaned? 

Can you imagine being a professional carpet cleaner, spending most of your day monotonously going over beige, white, grey, brown. Then coming to this house? Wowsers. Professional Carpet Cleaners of America must talk about this place at their conferences. 

[Cetacean]

4 hours ago, edie3 said:

Can you imagine that the original home owner paid to have them professionally cleaned? 

Why would you need to clean it? You can have blood and spaghetti sauce and ink on there and it wouldn't ever show up.

[laredhead]

I got tired of the whining of both mother & daughter in the Atlanta (bad carpet) episode.  If the daughter was so determined to make the house buying her own "journey", then she should have done it alone, and engaged a realtor who was not an old family friend, and was obviously in her mother's corner.  Yes, it was nice that she was able to live with her parents for 2-1/2 years to save to buy a house, but that doesn't mean her mother had to be with her on every tour.  I agreed with the dad in the few scenes he was in, and trying to give his daughter some space.  Having said that, the mother did have some good comments about the single family house with her remarks about yard upkeep, gutter cleaning, etc.  All the HH was concerned about was where to put a Christmas tree and her nutcracker collection.  The condo she chose was the best of the 3, but I wasn't wild about any of the choices. 

[Dehumidifier]

The crazy carpet house was a townhouse in a row of townhouses. I wondered if there was some kind of neighborhood association where the rules were that a house must be kept and sold fully carpeted to reduce noise between units. Maybe the seller was po'd and put that carpet down as a protest. Or maybe the unit was rented out carpeted, the carpet got messed up, and the tenant was forced to replace it. 

[Rootbeer]

1 hour ago, Dehumidifier said:

The crazy carpet house was a townhouse in a row of townhouses. I wondered if there was some kind of neighborhood association where the rules were that a house must be kept and sold fully carpeted to reduce noise between units. Maybe the seller was po'd and put that carpet down as a protest. Or maybe the unit was rented out carpeted, the carpet got messed up, and the tenant was forced to replace it. 

If the seller installed that carpet as a form of protest, they were shooting themselves in the foot.  Everyone knows that, if you're looking to sell a property; you need to choose neutral colors for carpet and walls.  If a tenant was careless enough to ruin the carpet throughout the house. I doubt the landlord would allow said negligent tenant to choose the replacement without input.

I think that whoever owned the unit really, really liked that carpet and didn't care that it would affect resale value.  Maybe they weren't planning on selling so soon when they had it installed. No way their listing agent didn't warn them that that carpet was going to make it harder to sell that townhome.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Rootbeer

[debbie311]

I agree, that carpet was hideous!! I thought it was funny her mom driving her to the house showings. So much for independence. Clearly the buyer was looking for a home/neighborhood where she could find "Mr. Right." They both said it enough times.

[pdlinda]

3 hours ago, debbie311 said:

Clearly the buyer was looking for a home/neighborhood where she could find "Mr. Right." They both said it enough times.

I would say that was the phrase that annoyed me the MOST! 

To think that in 2021 a respectable, professional, dignified woman would be drawn into that very dated "cliche" is disappointing to say the least.

 

[Grrarrggh]

17 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

I would say that was the phrase that annoyed me the MOST! 

To think that in 2021 a respectable, professional, dignified woman would be drawn into that very dated "cliche" is disappointing to say the least.

 

What is wrong about wanting to meet Mr or Ms Right?

[Cetacean]

37 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

To think that in 2021 a respectable, professional, dignified woman would be drawn into that very dated "cliche" is disappointing to say the least.

It's like every insipid Hallmark movie - no woman can be fulfilled unless she hooks up with a guy.  God forbid she should be successful on her own.

[deirdra]

4 hours ago, debbie311 said:

Clearly the buyer was looking for a home/neighborhood where she could find "Mr. Right." 

Often they look in areas where any "Mr. Right" they meet is already someone else's husband. NOT a good strategy.

Edited August 9, 2021 by deirdra

[debbie311]

58 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

What is wrong about wanting to meet Mr or Ms Right?

The fact that she and her mom said it a few times made her look rather desperate.

[Grrarrggh]

5 minutes ago, debbie311 said:

The fact that she and her mom said it a few times made her look rather desperate.

That's more on the editors than the hunter I'd think. 

[Dehumidifier]

9 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

I think that whoever owned the unit really, really liked that carpet and didn't care that it would affect resale value.  Maybe they weren't planning on selling so soon when they had it installed. No way their listing agent didn't warn them that that carpet was going to make it harder to sell that townhome.

I would think that too, except that it looked like it was new. The red on the stairs and the beige in the closet looked like the old carpet, The red on the stairs wasn't very close in shade to the red in the patterned rug like you would pick if you were trying to break up the non-monotony. 

[buttersister]

5 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

That's more on the editors than the hunter I'd think. 

I dunno. Unless the editors reran the same scene multiple times, the Hunters gave them the material to work with. My motto for being on reality shows: You don't say/do it, they can't show it.

Those phrases may be a little much these days, but they did lead, in the olden days, to the frequently heard, Mr. Right Now.😉

[Kiddvideo]

Kansas City: Fuck off, Princess who grew up well-off in a huge house. And fuck-off, Husband who grew up in a more modest home.

[MsTree]

That was carpet only a casino mogul could love 😁

[Cetacean]

6 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

Kansas City: Fuck off, Princess who grew up well-off in a huge house. And fuck-off, Husband who grew up in a more modest home.

I had to turn that off. Those two were disgusting but she was the worst.  Since when is 2700 square feet "way too small" for two people?

[chessiegal]

9 hours ago, buttersister said:

I dunno. Unless the editors reran the same scene multiple times, the Hunters gave them the material to work with. My motto for being on reality shows: You don't say/do it, they can't show it.

Those phrases may be a little much these days, but they did lead, in the olden days, to the frequently heard, Mr. Right Now.😉

Not the editor, but the producer. Back in TWoP days, a couple who was on the show dared to violate the confidentiality agreement, and posted that they made them do multiple takes until they got what they wanted, to the point of tricking them into saying things they vowed they would never say. These days, it seems like the HH buy into the whatever ridiculous schtick the producer is going for.

I was surprised to see new HH on a Monday night. And 2 new ones back to back.

[StatisticalOutlier]

22 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

If the seller installed that carpet as a form of protest, they were shooting themselves in the foot.

Yes!  Although I thought, "Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face."  Maybe the people on HHI who teach English can use the carpet to teach these sayings.  It's the only redemption I can come up with.

15 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

What is wrong about wanting to meet Mr or Ms Right?

The phrasing.  Nowadays, it's "find my person."

9 hours ago, buttersister said:

I dunno. Unless the editors reran the same scene multiple times, the Hunters gave them the material to work with. My motto for being on reality shows: You don't say/do it, they can't show it.

Unless they go the Frankenbite route, which I don't think HH does.  Maybe because it's just too much trouble. 

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

I had to turn that off. Those two were disgusting but she was the worst.  Since when is 2700 square feet "way too small" for two people?

I normally don't like to watch people look for big houses so I was going to skip this one, or just watch the summary at the end.  But I hated her so much I made an exception and watched the whole thing. 

That was a nice house she grew up in, but she said they had an olympic-sized pool.  Really?  100 meters long?  13,000 square feet?  So she seems a bit prone to exaggeration.

[Texasmom1970]

16 hours ago, Cetacean said:

It's like every insipid Hallmark movie - no woman can be fulfilled unless she hooks up with a guy.  God forbid she should be successful on her own.

I'm 51 and seriously want to live in a Hallmark movie. Lovely little town, friendly people, meet Mr. Perfect and we fall in love in a week. All while saving a local landmark, store bakery; whichever you choose. 😁

[buttersister]

Quote

 "find my person."

Wasn't that from Grey's Anatomy? Wasn't a fan. 🤮

[Grrarrggh]

5 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

I'm 51 and seriously want to live in a Hallmark movie. Lovely little town, friendly people, meet Mr. Perfect and we fall in love in a week. All while saving a local landmark, store bakery; whichever you choose. 😁

Never more than one Black person, Jews are always there just to help Christians, LGBTQ don't exist, women can only be fulfilled by moving to a small White town and marrying. 

Edited August 10, 2021 by Grrarrggh

[Cetacean]

35 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Never more than one Black person, Jews are always their just to help Christians, LGBTQ don't exist, women can only be fulfilled by moving to a small White town and marrying. 

No AAP or indigenous people either. Or any places of worship except Christian.  Welcome to Stepford.

[Crashcourse]

I liked the Takoma, WA couple and I figured they'd take the first house.  It was old and needed some repairs, but it was cute and it seemed perfect for them.   

[Texasmom1970]

Tacoma couple seemed so nice and happy. Think they house they chose is a good fit for them both. Hope he stays healthy as well!

[Dehumidifier]

I think the Tacoma couple would have liked the crazy carpet. Can we get them to move to Atlanta? 😉 Seriously, I liked their style.

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, Texasmom1970 said:

Tacoma couple seemed so nice and happy. Think they house they chose is a good fit for them both. Hope he stays healthy as well!

I also like them very much.  They seemed so sincere and authentic.  They also seemed to "mesh" in relating to the other, not foregoing their individuality while communicating with caring and understanding of the other.

Also, I think I glimpsed some of his paintings (I think one was an oil of her) and was quite impressed. 

May both of them thrive in their new home!!

[Crashcourse]

I forgot to add, I also liked that red table and seating area in their previous apartment.  It looked like something out of a 50's diner.

[Cetacean]

3 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

Tacoma couple seemed so nice and happy. Think they house they chose is a good fit for them both. Hope he stays healthy as well!

Ditto.  It's been a long time since there was such a seemingly sincere, normal, happy couple. 

Maybe it takes an illness like that to make people understand that a gigantic walk in closet that will fit an orchestra plus 1000 pairs of shoes and an Olympic sized swimming pool are not the keys to happiness.

[chocolatine]

I really liked the Tacoma couple as well, though I think they overdid it with having a Seattle street sign in every single room. But it's nice to see a couple with a smaller budget be able to get a house in the metro area in this market. Notice that they paid $400k a for house that was listed at $330k, i.e. 21% over the asking price. In Seattle proper you'd also have to overbid by at least that much, percentage-wise, but a house of that size and style would be listed at $850-900k, so the final price would be well over $1M.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The realtor and husband in the Chicago suburbs, at last someone with a big budget, and who will get a big house.

House #1 was OK, but too much work.   

House #2, I agree with getting rid of the brass fixtures, and fittings in the main bathroom.  I love that the house has a fully finished walk out basement.  Basement has tiled and hardwood floor.  But price is high, and will probably get multiple offers on top of that.    Minimal updates, mostly the main bathroom fixtures, and maybe some paint.  It's on a couple of acres.  Lots of maintenance. 

House #3, cheaper, and backs to a golf course, nice size yard, but not acres.  Basement is carpet.    Hardwoods through out first / main floor.   They can do updates over time.  

They pick #1, in Downer's Grove.   They picked for location near to family, price, and they have the construction crew to do the renovation.

Edited August 11, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[buttersister]

She wanted that Downers Grove address! Although I can’t say why, beyond proximity to babysitters. Greater Chicago area? 😂😂🤣

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I really liked the Tacoma couple as well, though I think they overdid it with having a Seattle street sign in every single room. But it's nice to see a couple with a smaller budget be able to get a house in the metro area in this market. Notice that they paid $400k a for house that was listed at $330k, i.e. 21% over the asking price. In Seattle proper you'd also have to overbid by at least that much, percentage-wise, but a house of that size and style would be listed at $850-900k, so the final price would be well over $1M.

Didn’t like the “feature wall” they made in the house either. 

[Cetacean]

8 hours ago, buttersister said:

She wanted that Downers Grove address!

Prestigious address in Chicago area.

[Grrarrggh]

I was especially disappointed in Tamara because I expect more from our name. She needs to get her priorities in order. She constantly talked about seeing the children from the kitchen but wasn't worried about the drowning hazard at that one house?! And the big house was not a Georgian. 

[CruiseDiva]

5 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Prestigious address in Chicago area.

Prestigious? Really? Downers Grove isn't Oak Brook or Naperville... when I lived up there those two were far more prestigious.

[cameron]

2 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

Prestigious? Really? Downers Grove isn't Oak Brook or Naperville... when I lived up there those two were far more prestigious.

Thought the same thing.  Oak Brook or Hinsdale were the big ones in that area when we lived there, plus North Shore and Barrington in the Northwest suburbs. Downers Grove, not so much.  Maybe its changed. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I bet she just wanted to be near the parents, and guess they live in Downer's Grove, or close by. 

[CruiseDiva]

29 minutes ago, cameron said:

Thought the same thing.  Oak Brook or Hinsdale were the big ones in that area when we lived there, plus North Shore and Barrington in the Northwest suburbs. Downers Grove, not so much.  Maybe its changed. 

I forgot Hinsdale. Very old money 😎 

When we lived in Lisle, Illinois we used to pass by the Naperville K-Mart  and go shop at the one further down on Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove because the prices were cheaper. Back then K-Mart set their prices according to the financial demographic of nearby residents.

[pdlinda]

18 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I bet she just wanted to be near the parents, and guess they live in Downer's Grove, or close by. 

Yes, she was very clear about not needing day care because the grandparents would all be close by.  That is a big PLUS on many levels!!  

Also, Seeing the dynamic between that couple made me uncomfortable because it was so obvious who "ran the show" in that household and the husband seemed very intimidated by the wife. 

HOWEVER, I know several long-term married couples with children whose marriages work exactly that way and it's "normal" for them.  

[Crashcourse]

Charlotte, NC:  I'm sick of her and her 16 year old son.  I changed the channel before seeing her/their selection.

Edited August 12, 2021 by Crashcourse

[Grizzly]

Charlotte, NC. I feel sorry for the son that they made his mom's storyline all about dating. First house would have them on top of each other. Funky place though. She wants to learn to live with less? She can start with her car. And how many pairs of glasses does she own? I just ordered 1 new pair since mine are 61/2 years old. $700! But I am blind as a bat. The townhouse could be customized to how they want it. $12,000 more for him to have some yard, I would say no.

[Grrarrggh]

I liked the Charlotte Mom and son. He reminds me of me when I was a teen. If that first place had had one more bedroom it would have been perfect. 

[buttersister]

Caught the end. Liked the son, glad he got a separated space and cracked up when he said how not easy any of his mom’s bringing home friends would be for him.

[Texasmom1970]

The Charlotte Mom with the 16 year old son. Poor thing knowing his Mom would be seen on television talking about dating. His cringing; I felt his embarrasement.

[rhofmovalley]

I liked the Charlotte son. When his mom talked about being worried having him on a separate floor because he could sneak out and he tried to defend himself and even the REALTOR said "He's a good boy!" and the mom came back with "But he's 16!!" Yeah, I would have been mad at mom for making me seem like a delinquent on national TV. I agree with the realtor; he did come across as a good boy.