House Hunters - General Discussion

[Crashcourse]

I'll be glad when House Hunters Ho Ho Ho is over because I cannot stand that "Santa Claus."  I stopped watching after the first episode.  Also, the Christmas decorations are so over the top that if I were the owners I'd be worried about a house fire. 

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

I'll be glad when House Hunters Ho Ho Ho is over because I cannot stand that "Santa Claus." 

Yep, it's not bad enough that we are unindated with Christmas starting in October, they introduce this ridiculous theme in HH.  Enough already.

[Grrarrggh]

9 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

That's not pizza - it's freaking casserole.  (I hate Chicago deep-dish pizza, can you tell? lol)

I'm right there with you hating Chicago style pizza. I'm New York pizza all the way, nice and thin with lots of cheese. White pizza, the kind without any tomato sauce at all, is also great. I used to love fictional Kevin McCallister from Home Alone as a kid because he also would only eat cheese pizza, so finding out there was a pizza that was pretty much only cheese was a wonder. 

I didn't mind the "accent" on the NW Arkansas hunter (though how many times could she say she was hunting in North West?) because she actually was a Valley girl. And anything she does to get back at her parents for giving her that horrible name is alright in my books.

6 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Burn that belt.  What was she thinking??

The BELT was fine, it was how she was wearing it that wasn't. It needed a Ramones t-shirt or something. And to be worn as an actually holding-up-your-trousers belt. Not an odd hula hoop thing.

[edie3]

9 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

NW Arkansas hunter

Was she from LA? I did not catch that.

[BrownBear2012]

7 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I'll be glad when House Hunters Ho Ho Ho is over because I cannot stand that "Santa Claus."  I stopped watching after the first episode.  Also, the Christmas decorations are so over the top that if I were the owners I'd be worried about a house fire. 

Me Too!!!! He gives me the heebie jeebies...and those decorations are just so over the top it's just gaudy and crass. The electricity bill must be through the roof...I watched the first episode also and didn't record it anymore after that.

3 hours ago, edie3 said:

Was she from LA? I did not catch that.

Yes but she grew up in Encino...

[BrownBear2012]

On 12/15/2021 at 11:24 PM, buttersister said:

Racing to the refuse truck with her bins (because the schedule isn't something she can remember?) is not putting her big girl pants on. 

I missed half of it--did her mother live nearby? 

This girl made me crazy...what a spoiled brat...quite the princess. I just don't see her fitting in NW Arkansas. Too much of a Valley Girl.

[mojito]

On 12/15/2021 at 10:02 PM, Grizzly said:

Arkansas. The mother was aware she'd be on tv when she picked out her clothes? Lose the belt, lose the shorts. Kind of agree with what mom is saying but not with how she says it. And the Valley girl accent of the daughter is driving me crazy. Why does she want a huge backyard? If she wants to meet other young people, she has to live near a city, which won't have a big yard. I can't believe she picked that one.

Correction. NORTHWEST Arkansas. She's apparently well aware of how just about all the rest of Arkansas is considered really, really horrible (poor, rundown, dangerous in some places) except the northwest portion of the state, which is really nice. They probably wouldn't mind seceding from Arkansas.

I laughed when she the woman stated that she wanted an older home with character, like something built in the nineties. Bless her millennial heart.

I can understand wanting land, but she didn't strike me as the type who would be firing up the (riding) lawn mower and mowing once a week during the warm months.  Snakes are exactly the reason that I wouldn't want a home that was not in a development, at least down in this region. At least when a snake finds its way there (I live across the street from 800 acres of park land), you'll be able to see it because everything is nicely manicured. Unless, of course, it's chilling out in your shrubs. But that yard of hers looks like a good place to find slithering surprises. More power to her. Maybe she'll get used to snakes and grow to like them. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The one house the woman looked at in the NW Arkansas episode that was so big, and had a downstairs suite almost ready to live in, would only need a door at the top or bottom of the stairs.   I would put the door at the top, locked though.   That one was so big, the buyer was talking about living downstairs in the two bedroom one bath apartment, with a separate entrance, and then renting the main floor out to a family.   It would have to be either a family, or multiple roommates, and a family would be better.     I think one reason she wanted a roommate, even in a separate attached apartment was some companionship.   

 The third house would have been awful to heat and cool, and all for one person.   I think she would like to have someone around, even in their own space.     Plus, the money would be nice too.    

[Jess14]

19 hours ago, amarante said:

Moving to Arkansas in order to have a large bug infested back yard is way down on my list of wants. I don't have any kind of interest in gardening but doing that kind of yard work in the hot steamy summer with gnats and other bugs flying around my eyes is beyond not. appealing.

I also have no desire to buy a home as a 30 year old and have a roommate.

Yeah. Everyone has their own wants and needs, but nothing about her situation seemed particularly appealing. I’m not familiar with the area, but it seems like it would be difficult to meet people in her age range since she is working remotely and bought a house that seemed isolated. Also, that yard that she got does not seem like it would be fun to maintain at all.

I could better understand wanting a roommate if she was living in a high cost area (like LA - how mushy times did she mention LA ?), but she wasn’t in one. Also, with the house she bought, it seemed like the space was more amenable to a family renting out the upstairs section, not necessarily another single person in their 30s that she could hang out with. Just very strange, but hey, to each his own.

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

I'm New York pizza all the way, nice and thin with lots of cheese.

I don't particularly like New York style pizza either - the crust is too flimsy and the sauce too sweet.

[StatisticalOutlier]

4 hours ago, Jess14 said:

I’m not familiar with the area, but it seems like it would be difficult to meet people in her age range since she is working remotely and bought a house that seemed isolated.

I know about northwest Arkansas because of mountainbiking--it positioned itself to become a destination (and did a good job).  And now it's becoming popular as a place to actually live, among the people who work remotely.  The same thing happened with Bend, Oregon, although Bend is closer to Silicon Valley and burgeoned a little earlier, and is therefore more ruined already. 

I do wonder about the remote working HHs and their social lives.  I'm sure it will all magically happen via social media somehow. 

16 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

And anything she does to get back at her parents for giving her that horrible name is alright in my books.

Aargh.  I can't remember her name.  What was it?

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 12/17/2021 at 11:38 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I know about northwest Arkansas because of mountainbiking--it positioned itself to become a destination (and did a good job).  And now it's becoming popular as a place to actually live, among the people who work remotely.  The same thing happened with Bend, Oregon, although Bend is closer to Silicon Valley and burgeoned a little earlier, and is therefore more ruined already. 

I do wonder about the remote working HHs and their social lives.  I'm sure it will all magically happen via social media somehow. 

Aargh.  I can't remember her name.  What was it?

Shanelle, pronounce like Chanel.    

I'm wondering if the Arkansas house was a property to flip.    Make the downstairs separate, and repaint a little, change out window treatments, or any flooring that needs to be changed, and resell it with an income property, or separate apartment for live in help, or relatives. 

Edited December 18, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Jess14]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I know about northwest Arkansas because of mountainbiking--it positioned itself to become a destination (and did a good job).  And now it's becoming popular as a place to actually live, among the people who work remotely.  The same thing happened with Bend, Oregon, although Bend is closer to Silicon Valley and burgeoned a little earlier, and is therefore more ruined already. 

I do wonder about the remote working HHs and their social lives.  I'm sure it will all magically happen via social media somehow. 

Oh, interesting. This explains the move more than the show did. If she loves outdoor stuff as much as she indicated, maybe she is a part of some mountain biking groups, etc and will meet people that way. I’m moderately social, but I think I would struggle in a new city where there wasn’t a natural avenue to meet people (work, school, family, etc). I admire those who can just go to a bar and leave with multiple friends, but that’s never been me lol. Perhaps she is that type though. 

[pdlinda]

8 minutes ago, Jess14 said:

Oh, interesting. This explains the move more than the show did. If she loves outdoor stuff as much as she indicated, maybe she is a part of some mountain biking groups, etc and will meet people that way

I got the feeling that she was interested, first and foremost, in making $$$ from a real estate investment that would not be possible in the impossibly over-inflated housing market in L.A.  She stated clearly that she wanted to become a "landlord" to offset her mortgage payments each month. 

Whether she ever considered that renting to people who turned out to be highly undesirable (believe me, it happens) living under her same roof, seemed short sighted to me and not well thought out on her part. 

She projects thinking that she can ensure herself having tenants who check all her boxes for amiability and financial responsibility; however, that doesn't always happen and getting into landlord/tenant disputes in the courts is not something that a reasonable person would ever want to become entangled in, especially a young person, like she is, living alone.

From what I gather, in the US today, there are very similar social opportunities for singles to meet (including, of course, online) so I don't believe she'll lack for social interaction with the various sporting activities she favors.

[LittleIggy]

People actually want to move to Arkansas?

[Grrarrggh]

30 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

People actually want to move to Arkansas?

To the "nicer" i.e. richer parts, sure. Fixer to Fabulous is in NW Arkansas isn't it? And at this point anywhere you can get three bedroom two bath for under $800k doesn't sound that bad.... 

[buttersister]

NW Arkansas, corporate home to Walmart.

[Spunkygal]

Coincidentally, we just spent a long weekend in Bentonville last week and it is a beautiful area. I have never been to Arkansas and have wanted to go to the Crystal Bridges Museum (a brainchild of Alice Walton’s) for many years after hearing people rave about it. The museum did not disappoint. The architecture and setting of the museum alone were just as impressive as the art. I would definitely go back. We assumed that since Fixer to Fabulous is based there that the charming town square would have lots of cute boutique shops. While the square did have lots of wonderful restaurants, there were few boutiques. But there were quite a number of shops related to cycling gear! The cute boutiques are several streets away from the square. This picture of the square with Christmas lights does not do it justice:

https://www.visitbentonville.com

The area is so lovely and has challenging cycling terrain. We rented a cute VRBO and the house binder had tons of cycling trail info. Anyways, it looked like a cute place to raise a family. I didn’t really understand the HH’s motives for moving there, but whatever! 

[laredhead]

Re the Arkansas episode, Pdlinda brings up some good points about becoming a landlord. The buyer's mother said several times that being a landlord involves more than just cashing the renter's checks each month, that is if they pay on time.  The house she bought would be large enough for a family or more than two people to live in as renters, but was it built for that purpose.  Do the lower and second levels have soundproofing so that the person living below doesn't hear noises from upstairs all the time?  If renters damage the property, does this woman have reserve funds to make repairs?  Is she prepared to deal with a situation where she wants the renters out, but can't evict them for legal purposes immediately?  Would she want to share a residence with them if that situation arises?  I know that some people are cut out to be landlords, but I can think of 10 reasons why I would never do that.

BTW, the buyer said she likes to compete in triathlons so that part of the country probably has great appeal for her.       

Edited December 18, 2021 by laredhead

[rhofmovalley]

NW Arkansas: One reason I always chose the top floor in an apartment building is because I can't stand the sound of people walking around above me.   And a family with children will be non-stop little feet running around or teens clomping around.  Even if the floors are carpeted you'd still hear it. As the homeowner why would she subject herself to that? 

I'm going to guess there's more to the story than we were told.  Maybe she and her mom were purchasing the property as an investment or to use as an Air BnB or a VRBO.

[StatisticalOutlier]

10 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I have never been to Arkansas and have wanted to go to the Crystal Bridges Museum (a brainchild of Alice Walton’s) for many years after hearing people rave about it. The museum did not disappoint. The architecture and setting of the museum alone were just as impressive as the art. I would definitely go back.

Not me.  The museum guards acted like Walmart greeters, roaming around and chatting everybody up.  Then I saw a teenager lean on a big painting--he extended his arm and put his hand on the painting and leaned his body weight on it.  I was standing nearby, as was a guard (who was asking me what I thought about the architectural model I was looking at), and there was a staff person at the entrance desk right there, too.  I blurted out, "Don't touch the art!" without even thinking.  The employees did nothing, and the kid's family gave me a dirty look. 

That convinced me that a free museum in Arkansas might not be a great idea.

Edited December 18, 2021 by StatisticalOutlier

[amarante]

Just saw an unmarried couple moving to somewhere in North Carolina. They had four "adult" children who didn’t live with them.

The woman was raised by her grandmother who was 85 so a ground floor guest room was needed. Since the woman had been raised in what I think was the San Francisco Bay Area, I am not sure how many trips an 85 year old woman is going to be making. It would have been more realistic if they had mentioned she was moving in with them as a few of the HH have done with an aging mother.

God bless them but why does a couple with no children living at home need a six bedroom home? I guess they are buying it for a fantasy of having all of the adult children back for Christmas/Thanksgiving with the grandchildren but it just seems as if the heating and cooling costs for that kind of space are very high - even leaving out the obscene waste of natural resources. Also the thought of cleaning all of those spaces is exhausting - even rooms that don't get used frequently have to be maintained as dust and grime settle.

The woman also had a weird complaint about a stair visible when you walk in forces her to make a choice. I have heard that stupidity a few times on the show and I wonder how schizophrenic people are if they feel they might decide to go upstairs when they get home just because they see the stairs. 🤣🤷🏼‍♀️

Edited December 19, 2021 by amarante

[etexlady]

Was the North Carolina couple the ones who had just "reconnected" after 20 years and got married?  They kept mentioning "starting a family" and my thought was they were a little advanced in age to think about having babies.

[rhofmovalley]

On 12/20/2021 at 11:30 AM, etexlady said:

Was the North Carolina couple the ones who had just "reconnected" after 20 years and got married?  They kept mentioning "starting a family" and my thought was they were a little advanced in age to think about having babies.

Maybe they plan to adopt or foster.

[cameron]

1 hour ago, rhofmovalley said:

Maybe they plan to adopt or foster.

Thought they were too old to do either.

[Grizzly]

Orange County, NY. Picky people. But if you're spending 700k, I guess you should get what you want. Except what you want is closer to 900k in today's market. Don't understand how house #2 looked huge but only had 4 bedrooms. There's got to be space somewhere. At #3, 21 acres plus that big a house seems like a good investment.

[Kimboweena]

Why do we Americans not understand bidets?  They are wonderful for getting clean.  I can see why some wouldn't want a separate one, but mine is an attachment on the toilet.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm wondering at the upkeep on 21 acres, that looked like woods surrounding the huge yard for the house and driveway?     I wonder if they realized the things that living on that huge acreage is going to require?       

However, I really liked the couple, and those adorable kids, and hope they love the house they picked.   

Edited December 22, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[cameron]

7 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Orange County, NY. Picky people. But if you're spending 700k, I guess you should get what you want. Except what you want is closer to 900k in today's market. Don't understand how house #2 looked huge but only had 4 bedrooms. There's got to be space somewhere. At #3, 21 acres plus that big a house seems like a good investment.

  Between the magenta hair/wig and the elaborate hand motions and not to forget the cloffice; think they were really playing to the tv audience.   They were really into themselves.  Probably thought good publicity for their jobs.   

Edited December 22, 2021 by cameron

[pdlinda]

6 hours ago, cameron said:

  Between the magenta hair/wig and the elaborate hand motions and not to forget the cloffice; think they were really playing to the tv audience.   They were really into themselves.  Probably thought good publicity for their jobs.   

Agree.  I wasn't sure what they did for a living?  They were using what I considered to be a "word salad" to describe their careers that apparently are booming!! 

I hope their success continues because that house (and land) is going to require a LOT OF $$$$ to maintain (outside and inside) AND the cost of utilities and taxes in NYS (have family there) is very high.  Good Luck to Them!!

[Pine]

I liked the Orange, NY couple.  They are living the dream, and working hard to get it.  No arguments or outstanding demands either.  I wish them the very best. 

[Grizzly]

15 hours ago, Kimboweena said:

Why do we Americans not understand bidets?  They are wonderful for getting clean.  I can see why some wouldn't want a separate one, but mine is an attachment on the toilet.

I will confess to not understanding how a bidet works. Unless you only use it while you're naked, how do your pants not become soaked?

[chessiegal]

27 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

I will confess to not understanding how a bidet works. Unless you only use it while you're naked, how do your pants not become soaked?

Your bottom is naked just like it is when you sit on a toilet. It sprays water on your nether parts to clean.

[izabella]

3 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Your bottom is naked just like it is when you sit on a toilet. It sprays water on your nether parts to clean.

How do you get dry after?  Does this create lots of washcloths and towels laundry?

And how do you sit on one?  Do you sit on one?  They don't have seats, so do you hover over them?  And this doesn't spray water everywhere? 

16 hours ago, Kimboweena said:

Why do we Americans not understand bidets?  They are wonderful for getting clean.  I can see why some wouldn't want a separate one, but mine is an attachment on the toilet.

An attachment like a handheld shower spray?  Also sounds messy.  How do you keep the toilet seat from getting all wet?

I am thoroughly confused on bidets, lol.

[mojito]

Orange County NY

The wood floors had “that modern farmhouse feel”. And there I thought they merely had that new wood floor feel. Clearly something is lacking in my modern farmhouse education. 
 

To each his own, of course. I’d be too embarrassed to have so many clothes and shoes to need extra space for them or announce that I wanted a house to make a statement for me.

Trying to imagine the lady doing handstands or cannon balls in the swimming pool she had to have. No, that ‘do ain’t ever getting wet.

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by mojito

[laredhead]

Milwaukee single, but wanting to date, mom - that first house was going to be a money pit after the charm of a couple of rooms on the first floor.  The upkeep on that house would have been time consuming, and she admitted that she doesn't keep of the yard of the house where she was presently living.  The 3rd house was the one I would have chosen based on upkeep, convenience, and her wanting to be near restaurants, bars, and places to find a date.  I figured the 2nd house would be her choice since it was empty, and there were a lot of unpacked boxes in one room.  Her obsession with dating and finding a house that fit her idea of one that a man would be comfortable in became old hat after the first 5 references to it.   

[WI GIRL56]

Milwaukee mom.  I live right outside of Wausau.  Milwaukee is 3 hours away.  They split custody 50/50.  So are the kids going to school one week in Wausau the next week in Milwaukee?

I knew it was the 2nd house when I saw all the boxes in the one room.  

She was determined to date and have a man.  Wow.

[cameron]

1 hour ago, WI GIRL56 said:

Milwaukee mom.  I live right outside of Wausau.  Milwaukee is 3 hours away.  They split custody 50/50.  So are the kids going to school one week in Wausau the next week in Milwaukee?

I knew it was the 2nd house when I saw all the boxes in the one room.  

She was determined to date and have a man.  Wow.

Wonder how her daughters are going to react to that.  Mom is on the prowl!!

[snarts]

3 hours ago, WI GIRL56 said:

Milwaukee mom.  I live right outside of Wausau.  Milwaukee is 3 hours away.  They split custody 50/50.  So are the kids going to school one week in Wausau the next week in Milwaukee?

50/50 doesn't always mean a week on/week off.  She likely has them during the school year and he has weekends, school holidays and over the summer.  I was curious how long they'd been divorced since she mentioned going back to work full time (which made me think recent) but also that he's already remarried, so ??.  She's was obnoxiously man-crazy for someone her age/situation.  The clothing choices made by both of them were interesting. 

[laredhead]

Snarts, I think she said she has been divorced 5 years.

[Dehumidifier]

56 minutes ago, snarts said:

...The clothing choices made by both of them were interesting. 

Even people on whom off-the-shoulder and cold-shoulder tops look good are never flattered by them on TV. Something about not being able to see the whole body in most shots just makes them look odd, odd, odd. I've even see a few newscasters wearing them and wondered what their bosses thought.  

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, snarts said:

The clothing choices made by both of them were interesting. 

You must have been trained in the diplomatic corps😄

[BrownBear2012]

On 12/22/2021 at 2:58 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm wondering at the upkeep on 21 acres, that looked like woods surrounding the huge yard for the house and driveway?     I wonder if they realized the things that living on that huge acreage is going to require?       

However, I really liked the couple, and those adorable kids, and hope they love the house they picked.   

Owning the 21 acres insures that no future development will be going in there...no strip malls, office buildings or condos. Seems like smart move on their part.

[Dehumidifier]

6 hours ago, BrownBear2012 said:

Owning the 21 acres insures that no future development will be going in there...no strip malls, office buildings or condos. Seems like smart move on their part.

They will probably sell some of it. The realtor even mentioned the possibility.

[kirklandia]

Not-really Milwaukee househunter.  Must have a "date-me" kitchen and a "date-me" shower.  Ugh.

Shared custody can be a challenge. Been there, done that.

I get that criteria are different for a (weekday) mommy and an on-the-prowl single (weekends and school vacations).

She seemed so desperate to be partnered, and confident that she would be. I think focusing on the life she's living right now is a more realistic approach. Fortunately, at the end, she did seem to be thinking about her kids, so maybe it was producer shenanigans. 

Although I thought that house was a snooze. The other two were very appealing, although perhaps less practical.

[Grizzly]

D.C. suburbs. Sorry Bill, we don't feel sorry for you. You married her. And the zingers he sends her way. Very entertaining. Love Teddy. Someone needs to tell Alex after the baby comes, she'll have no energy to go to restaurants. Stay further out so your money gets you more. Guess that's too practical.

[ByaNose]

D.C. couple. Yikes! She was a real pill, wasn’t she? Good lord! How did he make it through their first date???? I don’t feel sorry for him at all if she was like this through their whole courtship. I can’t imagine his parents looking at this show and saying I’m so glad he married her. Maybe, that’s why his father didn’t show up for the final reveal. The father was probably like, Even I can’t fake it for the camera. LOL!!!!!

[Grrarrggh]

11 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

Even people on whom off-the-shoulder and cold-shoulder tops look good are never flattered by them on TV. Something about not being able to see the whole body in most shots just makes them look odd, odd, odd. I've even see a few newscasters wearing them and wondered what their bosses thought.  

You mean you've seen women wearing them. I'd personally love to see the male newscasters I watch in that style lol. 

[Kiddvideo]

20 hours ago, laredhead said:

Milwaukee single, but wanting to date, mom - that first house was going to be a money pit after the charm of a couple of rooms on the first floor.  

The 1st house’s basement had an Exit sign and the artwork around the basement fireplace seemed child-friendly. I wonder if it’d been used as a daycare center. The main room seemed updated and well kept, but the other basement rooms were raw.

The 2nd house was the only real option for now. If she could’ve waited a few years until the kids were old enough to not want to play outdoors, she could’ve bought that 3rd house downtown where the small backyard was beautifully landscaped but had no play area.

I was disappointed that she viewed everything in terms of “will this house help me create my fantasy of an ideal relationship.” She’s a freaking doctor who can afford a $500,000 house on her own. If he’s into you he will cook you breakfast, lunch, and dinner in any of those kitchens.

[cameron]

11 hours ago, Grizzly said:

D.C. suburbs. Sorry Bill, we don't feel sorry for you. You married her. And the zingers he sends her way. Very entertaining. Love Teddy. Someone needs to tell Alex after the baby comes, she'll have no energy to go to restaurants. Stay further out so your money gets you more. Guess that's too practical.

Calling producer shenanigans on this.  Falls Church has a restaurant/bar life of its own. No need to go to DC.  Someone should tell the female house hunter that the 3rd house was a raised ranch with a newly attached front little porch.  This was certainly not a craftsman by any stretch of the mind.  And depending on where you live in the Midwest, $500,000 doesn't buy you much house.  He needs to get off that band wagon and I think he is a little old for a game room.

Edited December 24, 2021 by cameron