House Hunters - General Discussion

[deirdra]

Chicken sh!t stinks and their food attracts mice.  Coops on a large property may not affect neighbours with cats, but my city had a pilot project where some placed coops less than 10 feet from neighbours' windows with the stench wafting in.  I think you'd need restrictions like no coop within 50 feet of neighbouring buildings.

Edited January 2, 2022 by deirdra

[LittleIggy]

Near Atlanta: I hope that house doesn’t end up on Jasmine Roth’s “Help! I Wrecked My House!”

[rhofmovalley]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Near Atlanta: I hope that house doesn’t end up on Jasmine Roth’s “Help! I Wrecked My House!”

I don't buy the story that he's doing most of the work himself after watching some online videos. 

That "move in ready" house looked like a cheap flip.

[pdlinda]

19 minutes ago, rhofmovalley said:

I don't buy the story that he's doing most of the work himself after watching some online videos. 

That "move in ready" house looked like a cheap flip.

Their goal of being debt (mortgage) free sounded great in theory.  I wonder how it played out in "practice" REAL LIFE?

 I wonder how much profit they were planning on getting from the sale of their present home? 

Somehow, the numbers simply don't "crunch" properly for me! 

As a matter of fact, I wonder if, in the end, they may have ended up with no mortgage, but no cash either.😊

[MooCat Pretzel]

Orlando.  Gah!  Screech much?!  I am getting annoyed at wives who use their House Hunters TV opportunity as an audition for a Bravo or VH1 reality show.  Let’s show everyone how loud and sassy I am!  

[Dehumidifier]

He said he just retired from law enforcement and was now a stay-at-home dad. I have a feeling he is experimenting with flipping, and not planning to move into that house at all.

[pdlinda]

5 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

He said he just retired from law enforcement and was now a stay-at-home dad. I have a feeling he is experimenting with flipping, and not planning to move into that house at all.

I SO HOPE YOU ARE RIGHT!!😄

When I thought of those lovely children being uprooted from their present, comfortable home and thrust into that construction zone (who knows how many "construction loans" and "delays" would probably have occurred where the family was in limbo), I got sick!!  

Edited January 5, 2022 by pdlinda

[Pj3422]

Tennessee couple: He had previously purchased a “money pit” historic home without her knowledge and was still looking for a historic home with character. I HATED him SO much! Dude, she had to put up with all your renovation. It’s. Her. Turn. Give her what she wants. 

[Cetacean]

5 minutes ago, Pj3422 said:

Dude, she had to put up with all your renovation. It’s. Her. Turn. Give her what she wants. 

And yet they went with the one that will need a complete kitchen renovation.

[rhofmovalley]

Tennessee wife got completely shut out with those kids. All three of them look EXACTLY like their father.

I don't blame her for wanting a kitchen remodel. That kitchen was butt-ugly. Depending on how much they want to get done it shouldn't be too expensive or time-consuming unless they're doing a complete gut including removing walls.

[pdlinda]

38 minutes ago, rhofmovalley said:

Tennessee wife got completely shut out with those kids. All three of them look EXACTLY like their father.

I don't blame her for wanting a kitchen remodel. That kitchen was butt-ugly. Depending on how much they want to get done it shouldn't be too expensive or time-consuming unless they're doing a complete gut including removing walls.

Did anyone catch what she did for a living?  He seemed to have a very good job in the hot Nashville area so maybe a bonus or other financial "perk" will finance the kitchen😉

[LittleIggy]

4 hours ago, Pj3422 said:

Tennessee couple: He had previously purchased a “money pit” historic home without her knowledge and was still looking for a historic home with character. I HATED him SO much! Dude, she had to put up with all your renovation. It’s. Her. Turn. Give her what she wants. 

Sounds like grounds for divorce to me!

[topanga]

On 12/29/2021 at 10:32 PM, Grizzly said:

Loveland, CO. She wants brand new, modern home st a low price. He wants to spend on an older home that has the latest in tech. Hazel was cute.

On 12/30/2021 at 12:46 AM, LittleIggy said:

One night, two “mayors”! 🤔

I liked the Colorado couple, and I liked all three of the homes they toured. They chose my favorite, so yay!

It's good that they're fiscally-minded, but the husband's fears were slightly dramatic. I'm sure they both have a boatload of student loans, but salaries for interventional cardiologists in the Loveland area start between $350-$550K. A pediatrician's salary is lower, but this couple is starting out childless, and they didn't purchase a million dollar home. So they'll be fine.

What I didn't like is that the host and the husband talked about the wife's introversion like it was a character flaw, rather than a personality trait. This show does that a lot, I've noticed. 

"He's nice and friendly and wants to make friends with the neighbors! But, aww, she's an introvert." Oh, bite me! LOL

 

 

On 12/30/2021 at 4:15 PM, Crashcourse said:

The wife is a CPA and the husband jokingly said he was a retired mailman.  He seemed so laid back but I think there's more to his story and maybe he was in management? 

Management, you think? With the ponytail and the hippy vibes? 

[CattyK]

7 hours ago, pdlinda said:

Did anyone catch what she did for a living?  He seemed to have a very good job in the hot Nashville area so maybe a bonus or other financial "perk" will finance the kitchen😉

She said she’s a digital marketing analyst.  
 

am I the only one who was irritated by his constant grinning?  
 

i thought the third house looked strange, with the brick, the trim, and the roof being almost exactly the same shade of brown.  

[Kimboweena]

St. Augustine, FL - they picked the smallest house, but talked about renovations to make closets bigger, bigger garage, etc.  It was a similar size and age as the house I grew up in, in Jacksonville, FL.  Couldn't believe they paid $433,000 for that -guess because of the location, near the beach and the river, but still!

The one house with a pond/lake in the back, she was complaining about the cage over the pool.  I was saying, "Lady, that's what's gonna keep the gators out of your pool!"

In one house, the man mentioned solid counter tops in the kitchen. What?  Are there liquid and gas counter tops available?

 

 

 

[Cetacean]

8 hours ago, Kimboweena said:

In one house, the man mentioned solid counter tops in the kitchen. What?  Are there liquid and gas counter tops available?

In all fairness, I think he meant solid surface countertops.  Corian is referred to as "solid surface" as opposed to granite or quartz.  It's a builder term.

[Crashcourse]

11 hours ago, Kimboweena said:

The one house with a pond/lake in the back, she was complaining about the cage over the pool.  I was saying, "Lady, that's what's gonna keep the gators out of your pool!"

I yelled "gators, you idiot!" 

[cameron]

Wolfeboro NH house hunters.  Someone should explain to the lady house hunter what a arts and craft style house is, certainly not house #1 which is clearly a modern day approach to colonial with the garage stuck on the front of the home.

[pdlinda]

6 hours ago, cameron said:

Wolfeboro NH house hunters.  Someone should explain to the lady house hunter what a arts and craft style house is, certainly not house #1 which is clearly a modern day approach to colonial with the garage stuck on the front of the home.

On another note, it seems likely that with the active social life envisioned by the agent's parents, with them living in the area for 27 years, many other prospective sales in the $1M range should come flowing to her😄 

On that basis alone, I think she made a wise career decision! 

[Grizzly]

NH. I didn't like the house they chose. Was glad that having the daughter be the agent didn't rip the family apart.

[CoppersMom2021]

On 1/5/2022 at 10:37 PM, Kimboweena said:

St. Augustine, FL - they picked the smallest house, but talked about renovations to make closets bigger, bigger garage, etc.  It was a similar size and age as the house I grew up in, in Jacksonville, FL.  Couldn't believe they paid $433,000 for that -guess because of the location, near the beach and the river, but still!

The one house with a pond/lake in the back, she was complaining about the cage over the pool.  I was saying, "Lady, that's what's gonna keep the gators out of your pool!"

In one house, the man mentioned solid counter tops in the kitchen. What?  Are there liquid and gas counter tops available?

 

 

 

The “cage” comment sent me over the edge. Do these people not research the areas theyre moving to? The screens are to protect you from the elements so you can enjoy a personal pool & outdoor space. Ive never lived in Florida and I know that!

[CoppersMom2021]

Atlanta- “Debt Free” couple

I would love a “Where are they now?” Episode in about a year to see how many of those online video tutorial projects have been completed by the husband and how much debt they are in after an entire house renovation. 

[ECM1231]

6 hours ago, CoppersMom2021 said:

Atlanta- “Debt Free” couple

I would love a “Where are they now?” Episode in about a year to see how many of those online video tutorial projects have been completed by the husband and how much debt they are in after an entire house renovation. 

Something just didn't add up with this couple. Did no one else wonder if perhaps they were in pre-foreclosure with their home, and that's why they wanted to downsize to a smaller, cheaper home?

[Rootbeer]

1 hour ago, ECM1231 said:

Something just didn't add up with this couple. Did no one else wonder if perhaps they were in pre-foreclosure with their home, and that's why they wanted to downsize to a smaller, cheaper home?

I figured there was some sort of financial issue that made their current home too expensive for them.  Otherwise, it seemed a strange point in time to consider downsizing when they had multiple young kids.  Most people with kids those ages would be looking for separate bedrooms, often with separate baths, for all of them, at least on this show anyway,  They repeatedly talked about kids sharing a room which usually sends at least one of the buyers into apoplexy on this show where the rule seems to be that children cannot possibly survive without a bedroom to themselves.

They must've had quite a bit of equity in their previous home if they were able to pay off that mortgage and then pay cash for the next house.  Of course, if they were in trouble with the lender on that home, they probably wouldn't be able to qualify for a mortgage for the next one which could also be part of the reason the husband kept plugging the idea of being debt-free.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I do know people who had an unsellable house, so they would buy the next, cheaper house, and then walked away from the unsellable house.      They tank their home buying possibilities for at least seven years, but they do get rid of houses they can't sell.    Or else the Atlanta house was a flip, and they weren't really moving there.  

I watched the OWN reruns of HH, and some were 10 years old.   It's hysterical to see the HH participants demand dark cabinets, dark floors, beige walls, and everything they now demand must be replaced now.   

[Jess14]

Count me in as also thinking something was off with the Debt free Atlanta couple. Given that the husband wasn’t working and none of the kids were babies, I didn’t necessarily get the sense that finances were a huge issue. I also found it very believable that they could sell their house for a big profit given how hot the market has been everywhere, including Atlanta. However, they lost me after that. It didn’t seem like they were actually downsizing. They seemed to want an extra bedroom than what they currently had. It just seemed like they were moving into a cheaper, nowhere-near-as-nice home and then planning for the husband to renovate, which I imagine would be shoddy if his only experience is internet videos. Very odd. And they had bought the new house to renovate before they sold their other one, so did they already have $120k and then another $40k in cash (renovation) laying around even without the sell of their home? Something was just missing.

Real estate investment is something that so many people want to get into, so I thought maybe he was looking to start flipping a bunch of homes, and wanted to get rid of the family mortgage for more room to finance some of the flips that he wants, but that kind of goes against the “debt-free” thing. 

[Grizzly]

Charlotte, NC. Wonder where the dad is and what was her job in the navy? Keeps complaining about the mess kids make and all the work she has to do. Train them to pick up and help out.

[cameron]

7 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Charlotte, NC. Wonder where the dad is and what was her job in the navy? Keeps complaining about the mess kids make and all the work she has to do. Train them to pick up and help out.

I wonder what she does now to support herself and the children.  Her expectations on home choices were unrealistic to say the least (like the large dining room in house #2 and did a complete flip flop on that same dining room concept in house #3 and let's not forget those plants).  Wondering if the whole issue with the children's mess and fighting was made up for the show.  In the one scene the little girl was clearing her own dishes and the rental house didn't look trashed. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Charlotte, NC.   I was totally confused when the kids said they wanted their own rooms at the beginning, and then in the third house the house hunter kept saying the kids needed to share, because none of them liked a single room.    I suspect it was sharing to free up a bedroom for her plants.     She kept talking about having an entire room for plants, and claimed she wanted to put them everywhere, including on a window high on a stairway.    I'm wondering if that was just a storyline?   

I also was wondering if the extra bedroom was really for a live-in nanny?   In that case a bedroom that's first floor level would make sense.  

Edited January 12, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[snarts]

3 hours ago, cameron said:

I wonder what she does now to support herself and the children.

She was retired from the Navy and studying to be a midwife. If she cashed out California real estate in addition to her military pension, she's likely in decent shape financially.

There were five kids so even with a five bedroom house, some of them were going to have to share, likely the twins. 

I didn't much care for any of the houses and I think she'll regret not choosing one with a community pool. I was surprised, I thought every neighborhood in Charlotte suburbs built in the last 25 years had them, especially those 3-5 bedroom brick front, vinyl sided Mcmansions.

Edited January 12, 2022 by snarts

[rhofmovalley]

I don't recall how long the former Navy woman served, but if it was a full 20 years she would have a very nice pension. She has small children, so it may have been fewer years. But her pension could still be considerable.

I didn't think she would take the third house mainly because it only had 2.5 bathrooms. So only one full bath for 5 children unless she shared her en suite with some of the kids (she would almost have to).

Kids were super cute.

[stewedsquash]

I don't think the Navy/navy(?) lady looked at any McMansions. I think all the neighborhoods she looked at showed normal although slightly larger houses with average finishes. I liked her and her house plant talk. I think the joking going down the steps was This obsession with plants were you raised in a forest in another life? I was a tree. They were both funny and seemed like happy people and I am glad she was able to develop a friendship like that from the get go after starting a completely new life across the country. They both looked well put together but I did hate the white purse she carried around. Her kids were wonderful looking and seemed to be full of contained personality. I do love also that she was This is the war room/ over the dining room area and acknowledging that they would be banging on the bathroom doors. I think she will probably put in an above ground pool (if allowed) and have a bunch of neighborhood kids in her back yard while she enjoys the back porch with her friends. 

I love this site for McMansion fun:

https://mcmansionhell.com/

Edited January 12, 2022 by stewedsquash
Navy vs navy

[mojito]

San Diego to Charlotte

I liked how she made her decision to move to Charlotte because it was a good place to raise black children.

I wondered, is she really so independent, or is she actually from NC and has family there, including maybe the children's father. Hard to fathom moving 5 kids to a place where you have no roots.

I'm was afraid she'd pick the place with the neighborhood pool because the back yard was sectioned off with a lot of what looked like large mulch beds. Not a good romping space. 

[edie3]

Charlotte buyer...was she a single mom?

[Grizzly]

Tampa. Sad back story, can't imagine how you pick up and move on. But I wanted to start a drinking game every time she said "For sure." Hope they are happy with their home. 

[Grizzly]

Sea Cliff, NY. Her voice is annoying. I get what she saw in the kitchen cabinets in house #1. But the rest of the kitchen needed to be gutted. I like the wide staircase in house #2. Not quite sure if #3 was a Victorian. His crack about the ax was funny. There was a lot left to do in it. Hope their choice doesn't turn into a money pit.

[Texasmom1970]

Tampa was the first episode of house hunters I couldn't watch. My youngest daughter passed away in 2018; she was twelve years old. As soon as the said their son died I started tearing up.

[cameron]

7 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Sea Cliff, NY. Her voice is annoying. I get what she saw in the kitchen cabinets in house #1. But the rest of the kitchen needed to be gutted. I like the wide staircase in house #2. Not quite sure if #3 was a Victorian. His crack about the ax was funny. There was a lot left to do in it. Hope their choice doesn't turn into a money pit.

Ditto about her voice.  Her take on a victorian house was a little vague.  The house that was pictured as her family home was certainly not a victorian and that third house's only victorian feature were the brackets on that front porch.  Of course, that house looked like a hodge lodge of add-ons.  Who knows what it might have originally looked like.  And don't even get me started on couples who are very late or don't send out thank you notes for gifts that they so eagerly grabbed.

[Spunkygal]

4 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

Tampa was the first episode of house hunters I couldn't watch. My youngest daughter passed away in 2018; she was twelve years old. As soon as the said their son died I started tearing up.

I’m so sorry for your loss. I have no children and couldn’t watch it. I wouldn’t have been able to summon the strength to be on the show. I hope they find some comfort and peace in whichever house they chose.

[GrannySmith]

I missed the beginning. How old was the son and what happened to him?

[laredhead]

I just watched the Wolfeboro, NH episode.  Yes, living right on the lake is nice, but I would not choose an island.  What if there's a medical emergency, and your only way to get help is by boat or, during the winter, by snowmobile?  Guess there's no running to the store for milk on a late night snack run.  I wonder if they are going to figure out a way to remove the spiral staircase and replace it with a more conventional staircase?  The kitchen area is miniscule, even with expanding it into the "pantry".  So many questions about how they are going to make this house fit their planned lifestyle.  To me, it looked more like a summer vacation house rather than a place to live in full time.  I like house #3 best.

BTW, Jimmy Fallon and his wife named their first child Winnie, after the name of the lake.  Her parents have a house on that lake and they spend a lot of time there.     

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by laredhead
Correcting spelling

[Pj3422]

For those who couldn’t watch the Tampa episode, there was one funny moment. The realtor with the purple hair said they could paint the island “a fun color… like grey.”

[stewedsquash]

@Texasmom1970  Heartfelt shoulder pat to you. I hope you are finding comfort wherever you can and I hate that you were surprised by an episode that caused you to tear up. I saw the description and I couldn't watch it so I can't even imagine being in your situation and coming across it without knowing. Grief is a process and I wish you well in it. 

 

 

 

 

[rhofmovalley]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

I just watched the Wolfeboro, NH episode.  Yes, living right on the lake is nice, but I would not choose an island.  What if there's a medical emergency, and your only way to get help is by boat or, during the winter, by snowmobile?  Guess there's no running to the store for milk on a late night snack run.  I wonder if they are going to figure out a way to remove the spiral staircase and replace it with a more conventional staircase?  The kitchen area is miniscule, even with expanding it into the "pantry".  So many questions about how they are going to make this house fit their planned lifestyle.  To me, it looked more like a summer vacation house rather than a place to live in full time.  I like house #3 best.

BTW, Jimmy Fallow and his wife named their first child Winnie, after the name of the lake.  Her parents have a house on that lake and they spend a lot of time there.     

 

I'm presuming that will not be their primary residence. I'm almost certain they bought it as a retirement investment property and plan to rent it out as a vacation home.

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, GrannySmith said:

I missed the beginning. How old was the son and what happened to him?

According to the father (quoting from memory), "Our four-year-old son decided to unexpectedly depart from this world." 

The "decided to" was so...odd.  Usually people deal with uncomfortable things by making them passive--"mistakes were made," or even "the flight path intersected the ground"--but this put it right on the kid.  I thought maybe he just got tongue tied a little, but usually people eventually come up with pat response for questions like this, and it had been two years.  And he didn't seem tongue tied. 

[WI GIRL56]

3 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I missed the beginning. How old was the son and what happened to him?

I creeped on their Facebook page.  He went to bed, dad checked him in the middle of the night he was fine.  Found him in his bed the next morning.  They said Medical Examiner said he was healthy.  

I guess one of those things that you will never understand why it happens.  They are very Christian which might have helped them get through this tragedy.

[mojito]

Tampa

She wanted a fireplace. Really?

Her dead 4-year old son is telling her that this is where his brothers should be raised.  Wow.

Sea Cliff, NY

Agree with previous comments about the "Victorian" house. I'm no architect, but...That looked like a few boxes stitched together. I liked the split level the most. 

[Hedgehog2022]

On 1/6/2022 at 10:53 AM, Crashcourse said:

I yelled "gators, you idiot!" 

and don't forget the snakes....

[Hedgehog2022]

9 hours ago, cameron said:

Ditto about her voice.  Her take on a victorian house was a little vague.  The house that was pictured as her family home was certainly not a victorian and that third house's only victorian feature were the brackets on that front porch.  Of course, that house looked like a hodge lodge of add-ons.  Who knows what it might have originally looked like.  And don't even get me started on couples who are very late or don't send out thank you notes for gifts that they so eagerly grabbed.

This woman's voice was annoying but even more annoying was her bossy, princess "tude"...this guy wasn't nearly as forceful as he should have been since she wanted her way on everything. Ugh...I'm so tired of hearing people on these shows say they want the same kind of house they grew up in. Grow up already! And her family house was not a Victorian...it had some architectural features that mimicked the Victorian look but it was essentially a large Colonial/"farmhouse" style house. I was just appalled at what they paid for the fixer upper they got...wow. What a rip off.

[Crashcourse]

17 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Sea Cliff, NY. Her voice is annoying.

Yup.  I bailed halfway through the episode.