House Hunters - General Discussion

[Empress1]

20 hours ago, laredhead said:

Chessiegal, that is a huge pet peeve of mine about the buyers on HH.  They whine if the house is $10 over their "price point".  Only once in a while have I ever heard a realtor says prices are negotiable or even less, say it would add only a few dollars more a month to the note.  If you are so stretched to the max on budget and cannot afford say up to $50 a month more, then maybe you need to lower your price point, or save until you can afford what you really want, or cut out eating our or giving up the specialty coffee habit that you might have. 

That's a pet peeve of mine too, especially when the amount over the stated top end of the budget is small. "My budget is $500K." "This house is on the market for $502K." "WHOA WHOA WHOA, that's way over budget!" No it isn't!

[topanga]

I loved tonight’s Virginia couple. Their home preferences weren’t unreasonable, and even though the wife complained about the husband‘s notebook, I’m sure she loved having an engineer around to consider all of the structural aspects of the houses. 

I also enjoyed hearing their love story. She’s older than he is (by just a few years), but neither one made a big deal out of it. And they seemed to like each other, which is always a nice surprise on this show. LOL 

The house they chose was weird, though. One half of the house had absolutely no windows. I don’t get that architectural choice. I’d love to see what they eventually with that crawl space. 

Edited August 13, 2019 by topanga

[LittleIggy]

Strasbourg, VA: Did she really not know what a radiator was? Seriously? 

[txvoodoo]

2 hours ago, topanga said:

I loved tonight’s Virginia couple. Their home preferences weren’t unreasonable, and even though the wife complained about the husband‘s notebook, I’m sure she loved having an engineer around to consider all of the structural aspects of the houses. 

I don't think he was that kind of engineer - he's in systems engineering which I think is IT. He was questioning if the kitchen cabinets that looked like they'd been there since 1960 were in studs - pretty sure they'd have fallen down by now if they weren't! 

Also, she thought 1600 sq ft was huge? I'm confused. 

[Kenzie]

2 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Strasbourg, VA: Did she really not know what a radiator was? Seriously? 

If there are any radiators in Southern California (where I'm from) I've never seen one in person but even I have seen enough movies and TV shows to know what they are and how they work! How could she be that unaware?

[cameron]

Not sure if the whole notebook wasn't overplayed for tv.  While nice, they were extremely naive for their age.  When he thought that 1600 square foot house was large and she didn't know what radiators were, my thoughts ran to are they for real.  The neighborhoods didn't look all that great, especially at the first house.

[Kohola3]

6 hours ago, txvoodoo said:

Also, she thought 1600 sq ft was huge?

If you'd lived most of your life in a 900 square foot house like I did, 1600 seems huge.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Didn't the Strasburg couple say they were moving back to their home town?  Or at least her home town?     If so she must never have been in any other house but the one she grew up in, because it's an old town, and radiators would be fairly common.    Of course, that also means no air vents, and no air conditioning.       The house they bought is not going to be legal living space, unless they put in egress windows, so I call fake on that routine.   

[doodlebug]

7 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

If you'd lived most of your life in a 900 square foot house like I did, 1600 seems huge.

They were moving from DC, so I think they were right to think that 1600 was huge for their budget. In DC, it would've been.

[Ohwell]

I thought they said they had lived in the suburbs of DC, which I figured might be Arlington or Alexandria?  But yeah, close to DC, 1600 sf would be huge for their budget.

Edited August 13, 2019 by Ohwell

[CruiseDiva]

Wednesday night New Jersey househunter dude wants a fixer upper to save money because he's in construction and can do the work. He stands in front of a house and complains there are no gutters... but I noticed there are DOWNSPOUTS on both ends of the front facade of the house! Even I know that where there are downspouts, there are gutters.  They were even a darker color than the siding and really stood out. Duh.

[Pickles]

First time buyer in Connecticut bringing her parents along for their input. I thought all three places looked pretty grim. She probably chose the right one, since she didn't want to do yard work and outside maintenance but it was unappealing.

[laredhead]

Pickles, I agree about all of the places looking less than appealing.  Her budget wasn't very large for the type of place she wanted, IMO.  Isn't Connecticut expensive?  I liked the 3rd place the best, but she really didn't want to have any upkeep so a condo was the best choice for her.  I would have thought she could have found something nicer though.  That place was small, and the kitchen was miniscule.

[KLovestoShop]

The Conn mother was a major loud mouth.  Maybe that’s why they’re divorced.  It’s fine to bring parents along, but they should be there for support, and not trying to force their daughter to buy what they wanted.  And what was with the mother and a coat closet?

Edited August 16, 2019 by KLovestoShop

[pep4]

Really enjoyed the "Austin Suburbs" episode, those were some funky monkey houses.  The one they bought was great, then made even better with their changes.

[Ohwell]

Conn episode:  I thought the condo was the best choice.  Yes, the kitchen was tiny but she's single so it shouldn't be an issue.  

[twinks]

CT mom was so annoying! She LOVED both houses. why?  And mud room? I'm glad Allison picked the one she liked. She had more sense than her parents.

[laredhead]

The parents of the CT HH were shopping for what they wanted.  The HH didn't want a fireplace, didn't care about a mud room, and didn't want projects or upkeep.  The parents should just go buy what they want and let the daughter have what she wants.  I loved the realtor talking about using his psychology degree to referee. 

[LittleIggy]

Island near Seattle: Repackaged BFBH episode again. I wondered why they were so averse to stairs until I saw her kids. 

[LittleIggy]

Rahway, NJ: The girlfriend reminded me of Fran Drescher. If I were her, I would make him get rid of that ugly ginormous headboard! And the matching bedroom suite! 😆 I would like to see how the house turned out after the reno.

Edited August 17, 2019 by LittleIggy

[chocolatine]

On 8/10/2019 at 10:33 AM, cameron said:

Find it interesting the way some people  on HH obsess about buying a house like the one they grew up in.

I wish just once someone would say "I used to be homeless/a refugee/live in third world country, so I'm happy to be able to have a clean, comfortable home, and I don't give a hoot what style it is."

[Guest]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Rahway, NJ: The girlfriend reminded me of Fran Drescher.

Quite possibly, the most enjoyable couple in HH history.

[laredhead]

Well, HH slipped in another beachfront hunting episode last night.  At least the houses looked somewhat different, but I like it when realtors tour the houses with the clients.  It's a dead giveaway that it's a repackaged episode when the realtor isn't with them. 

[ECM1231]

Winston-Salem, NC. Another modest budget, $150,000, but the homes were cute, imo. The 1st choice, the brick home, was a good choice. I thought the kitchen layout was funky with the stove blocking one of the kitchen cabinets, but over time that could be changed. 2 smaller 1st floor bedrooms, but she was single with no kids. The attic bedroom was roomy with a 1/2 bath. She could eventually dormer with a doghouse to add a shower there. Nice hardwood floors and a fireplace. I always envy homeowners with fireplaces. I do have one but it is in the basement.

I chuckle when buyers or in her case her dad, think a home built in 1954 is too old. My childhood home was solidly built in the 1920s. My husband's childhood home, a lovely Victorian, was built in the 1890s...a gorgeous home with amazing high ceilings, wide woodwork, hardwood floors, pocket doors, and front and rear staircases. Give me an older home any day!

[KLovestoShop]

It drives me nuts when people with modest budgets want the world.  I can understand wanting the most for your money, but this very picky woman was so unrealistic, which probably contributed to her looking at 100 houses.  

[SpiritSong]

On 8/16/2019 at 11:48 PM, chocolatine said:

I wish just once someone would say "I used to be homeless/a refugee/live in third world country, so I'm happy to be able to have a clean, comfortable home, and I don't give a hoot what style it is."

The rerun they showed last night which airs at 8:30 my time had that exact scenario. A really nice couple who said they'd actually been homeless just a couple of years before, and were now living with his mom. They seemed like great people, and were so excited to buy a home of their own, specifically mentioning what a dream it was after being homeless. They didn't want the moon either. I liked both of them.

[Vivigirl10]

3 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

but this very picky woman was so unrealistic, which probably contributed to her looking at 100 houses.

Can you imagine having to be the realtor for a person like this?  What a waste of your professional time that could be spent showing homes to people who are actually going to make a decision and pull the trigger.  

I had to laugh, the home buyer was all about how fantastic and over the top her house was going to be to match her big and super special personality!  At the end....OMG, her decorating?  Some old brown furniture, rumpled sheets and a futon?  Ha!

I did like her parents and the friend she took to the last house.  Very reasonable folks. 

[edie3]

The Winston-Salem one was my hometown.  I wish I knew where those neighborhoods were.  Did you get a glance at our phallic building?

[topanga]

9 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

I had to laugh, the home buyer was all about how fantastic and over the top her house was going to be to match her big and super special personality!  At the end....OMG, her decorating?  Some old brown furniture, rumpled sheets and a futon?  Ha!

I did like her parents and the friend she took to the last house.  Very reasonable folks. 

It looks like most of her furniture came from her parents’ house. She was demanding and slightly annoying—but I suppose I liked her because of her parents. And her dogs. 

“This bathroom is basic.” Well, so is your budget. 

And I loved her friend Corey: “This kitchen looks a lot better than the kitchen you DON’T have right now.”  LOL 

9 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

The rerun they showed last night which airs at 8:30 my time had that exact scenario. A really nice couple who said they'd actually been homeless just a couple of years before, and were now living with his mom. They seemed like great people, and were so excited to buy a home of their own, specifically mentioning what a dream it was after being homeless. They didn't want the moon either. I liked both of them.

One of my favorite episodes. That family brought tears to my eyes. 

[crimsongrl]

Is anyone watching 'Roommate Hunters' (Tues.@10p Central)? I saw a piece of an episode after House Hunters International and found the first 3 episodes On-demand. It's so ripe for snark I need all of you to watch it with me! 😁 

Edited August 21, 2019 by crimsongrl

[topanga]

9 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

I had to laugh, the home buyer was all about how fantastic and over the top her house was going to be to match her big and super special personality!  At the end....OMG, her decorating?  Some old brown furniture, rumpled sheets and a futon?  Ha!

I did like her parents and the friend she took to the last house.  Very reasonable folks. 

It looks like most of her furniture came from her parents’ house. She was demanding and slightly annoying—but I suppose I liked her because of her parents. And her dogs. 

“This bathroom is basic.” Well, so is your budget. 

And I loved her friend Corey: “This kitchen looks a lot better than the kitchen you DON’T have right now.”  LOL 

9 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

The rerun they showed last night which airs at 8:30 my time had that exact scenario. A really nice couple who said they'd actually been homeless just a couple of years before, and were now living with his mom. They seemed like great people, and were so excited to buy a home of their own, specifically mentioning what a dream it was after being homeless. They didn't want the moon either. I liked both of them.

One of my favorite episodes. That family brought tears to my eyes. 

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, topanga said:

And I loved her friend Corey: “This kitchen looks a lot better than the kitchen you DON’T have right now.”  LOL 

And he was cute! I liked him too. I also liked her dad and his hats.

11 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

The rerun they showed last night which airs at 8:30 my time had that exact scenario. A really nice couple who said they'd actually been homeless just a couple of years before, and were now living with his mom. They seemed like great people, and were so excited to buy a home of their own, specifically mentioning what a dream it was after being homeless. They didn't want the moon either. I liked both of them.

I think I remember them - that episode was on fairly recently, no? I think they had a fairly small budget but they were still delighted to be buying. IIRC the husband got teary.

[LittleIggy]

4 hours ago, crimsongrl said:

Is anyone watching 'Roommate Hunters' (Tues.@10p Central)? I saw a piece of an episode after House Hunters International and found the first 3 episodes On-demand. It's so ripe for snark I need all of you to watch it with me! 😁 

Start a forum! 

[crimsongrl]

Roommate Hunters!

[TVForever]

Watching Mr Handlebar Moustache and Mrs Blue Hair in Austin, TX right now:

I didn't mind them as a couple, and I enjoyed the house choices. But I swear, if he says "Brutalist" one more time...

[chessiegal]

I was wondering if the Austin couple thought they were part of "the keep Austin weird scene."

Hated her blue hair; not a fan of his haircut or mustache. Guess I'm not edgy enough.

[ECM1231]

Wow, Austin couple really were strange-looking! Was it just me or did the wife look quite a bit older than her husband? I liked the 2nd mid century modern home.  Not having an en suite bath would not be that bad except the bath was all the way down the hall. Idk why the wife felt that kitchen was a gut job as it looked nice to me. They wound up going over the 450K with the new build as they added over 100K in upgrades.

[Pickles]

The new build the Austin couple chose. Yikes! What a hideous kitchen with the multicolored cabinetry---primary colors, no less. Awful bathroom tile too. They were certainly a different couple.

[KLovestoShop]

46 minutes ago, Pickles said:

The new build the Austin couple chose. Yikes! What a hideous kitchen with the multicolored cabinetry---primary colors, no less. Awful bathroom tile too. They were certainly a different couple.

Different couple?  That’s an understatement. They looked like they’d be employed in a circus. 

I absolutely hate when anyone climbs into a tub or a bed that’s not theirs.  And when freaky mustache man climbed into the tub with his dirty boots, I wanted to kick his butt. It’s just disrespectful.  

What the hell is brutalist?  Some stupid made up word.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, KLovestoShop said:

Different couple?  That’s an understatement. They looked like they’d be employed in a circus. 

I absolutely hate when anyone climbs into a tub or a bed that’s not theirs.  And when freaky mustache man climbed into the tub with his dirty boots, I wanted to kick his butt. It’s just disrespectful.  

What the hell is brutalist?  Some stupid made up word.

Haven’t watched this episode yet, but brutalist is a style of architecture. I first heard the term in the movie “Dark Water” (Am. remake) referring to Roosevelt Island, NY buildings. 

[CruiseDiva]

2 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

Different couple?  That’s an understatement. They looked like they’d be employed in a circus. 

I absolutely hate when anyone climbs into a tub or a bed that’s not theirs.  And when freaky mustache man climbed into the tub with his dirty boots, I wanted to kick his butt. It’s just disrespectful.  

What the hell is brutalist?  Some stupid made up word.

It was difficult to watch Mr Handlebar Moustache and Mrs Blue Hair or take them seriously. They looked like they were auditioning for jobs in a carnival.

The kitchen cabinets in primary colors were an eyesore. I hope the wife got her dishwasher. From what I understand about the way the ground settles and moves in parts of Texas that have a lot of clay in the soil I doubt that terrazzo floors were a practical choice.

The husband acted so snippy when it was obvious they were going with his wife's preferred "style" that I was afraid he was going to hit her. He had a look of pure disgust on his face that he wasn't getting his way. Maybe that was part of his brutalist routine. Yet HE was the one who insisted on a bathtub so he could soak. He was kind of a sissy boy yet wanted to appear to be a manly man. Brutalist! Yeh, sure.

[laredhead]

The Austin development, Starlight Village, was featured in an episode this past spring. it's about 30 minutes north of Austin.  I love MCM, so this was eye candy for me.  The choices the couple made in their new build were not what I would have done, but it's their $$ and their house.  Will be interesting to see if those choices help or hinder it's resell if they ever move.   

[amarante]

Some of the Austin choices were nice and added to the functionality but others really had absolutely nothing to do with MCM finishes and were really hideous. 

There was furniture made in the primary colors she chose for the kitchen cabinet but those were wall units and would never have been used for cabinets. An MCM kitchen would have walnut slab cabinets with a formica counter - orange was a really popular accent color. While I don't think someone needs to do a slavish recreation of the period and I am the last person to want people to make design choices based on what is popular at Lowes - (white or gray Shaker cabinets ha ha) she could have introduced the look she wanted by having a wall unit done in the primary colors. 

And that chandelier was just wrong - though cliche a vintage Sputnik chandelier would have been more tasteful and true to the period

And my eyes in terms of what she did with the bathroom had nothing to do with MCM and was just wrong - speckled blue counter with some kind of ungodly tile wall?

[twinks]

While Mrs Blue Hair may have liked MCM, she certainly wasn't a purist. Everything was so fake. I suppose those Mondrian inspired cabinets were an effort  to create a style even though the house was a new build. I liked the 2nd house.

[CruiseDiva]

Just now, twinks said:

While Mrs Blue Hair may have liked MCM, she certainly wasn't a purist. Everything was so fake. I suppose those Mondrian inspired cabinets were an effort  to create a style even though the house was a new build. I liked the 2nd house.

I liked that second house as well, but whoever renovated it made a big mistake not putting in a dishwasher. Unless maybe there was a dishwasher hidden behind a faux cabinet front and Mrs Blue Hair wasn't bright enough to realize it? A lot of designers are putting those matching cabinet fronts on appliances these days.

[amarante]

5 minutes ago, twinks said:

While Mrs Blue Hair may have liked MCM, she certainly wasn't a purist. Everything was so fake. I suppose those Mondrian inspired cabinets were an effort  to create a style even though the house was a new build. I liked the 2nd house.

Thanks I had forgotten the correct term for them. The vintage Mondrian inspired wall units are quite collectible but would never have been used for kitchen cabinets. Yves St. Laurent had mini dresses that were Mondrian inspired and were widely knocked off in the 1960's.

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

Was it just me or did the wife look quite a bit older than her husband? 

I thought so - for sure!

That mustache - gack.  How absolutely pretentious. 

The best part of the episode was the adorable cat on the leash!  

[ECM1231]

6 hours ago, laredhead said:

The Austin development, Starlight Village, was featured in an episode this past spring. it's about 30 minutes north of Austin.  I love MCM, so this was eye candy for me.  The choices the couple made in their new build were not what I would have done, but it's their $$ and their house.  Will be interesting to see if those choices help or hinder it's resell if they ever move.   

Thanks for that information. My son lives in South Austin and we've only visited twice since he's been there the past 5 years so I don't know the neighborhoods well at all. But 30 minutes north of Austin is NOT Austin. I live in the suburbs of New York City, actually about 30 minutes from the easternmost borough of Queens. It's like night and day. I wish they'd be more specific and say it's in Round Rock or wherever; it seems disingenuous to say it's Austin. JMHO

[edie3]

19 hours ago, Pickles said:

What a hideous kitchen with the multicolored cabinetry---primary colors, no less.

Dating myself, but it remind me of the Patridge Family.

[laredhead]

ECM 1231, Starlight Village is in Leander, Texas.