House Hunters - General Discussion

[Ohwell]

Ada, Oklahoma:  All I could think of was tornadoes, so I didn't really pay much attention to any of the houses.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/28/2019 at 8:36 AM, msrachelj said:

Yes! WTF, I am unfortunately for me, living rural. I see chickens all the time on the side of in just in the road. I am told they are free ranging it. Like that's ok. I guess they don't care if the "herd" needs to be thinned by a tractor trailer. What is wrong with people and their ideas that pets (usually cats) and farm animals can be left to their own devices.

I was in the parking lot of a grocery store in Yuba City, California, once, and noticed chickens walking around and thought, What the hell?  Turns out they're kind of famous. 

http://www.capoliticalreview.com/capoliticalnewsandviews/yuba-city-tries-to-be-like-kauai-chickens-in-the-streets/

Probably a good thing, because before that, the only thing I associated Yuba City with was Juan Corona. 

[amarante]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

So last night's new one was Ada, Oklahoma.     They went with the first house, over budget, with a master bath shower the husband couldn't stand up in?  My guess is after they pay for the massive amount of fencing (by the way, in tornado country, chain link is so much better than the wooden privacy fence), they're going to make the shower bigger, so the shower head won't be way too short, and have a ceiling that he's not hitting with his head?   My guess is that shower has probably been gutted already, and the entire bathroom is  redone.    

The one they chose was so vastly superior to the others that it wasn't even in the same league. The other houses on the show were truly dreadful and didn't really have much functional backyard. As soon as the mother's house was pointed out across the street AND the ability to stable her horse next door, I couldn't imagine it not being selected. The imaginary budget didn't seem to have anything to do with actual finances but only with her frugality which was trumped because the relatively small additional cost bought them everything they wanted.

I would imagine a large dog run could be done which would avoid having to fence in the entire backyard. And if the shower wasn't redone immediately, I would imagine there are other bathrooms in the house with normal height showers. The couple was refreshing in terms of not being compulsively critical of dated fixtures or huge master en suite bathrooms. Changing the height of the shower in the master bath might be more costly than it appears because of the weird roof.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think they could have built the walls of the shower out, moved the shower plumbing a couple of feet forward, and then put on a new door, and that would be it.   However, the wife hated the bathroom tile, so they could redo the tile, build out the shower, and if they chose wisely, have a new bathroom very quickly.   

If they make the shower more square, and put an extra two or three feet more into the room, then the roofline won't be an issue, and the shower head would be higher, and away from the roof.   I hope that makes sense, I'm not sure how to describe what I mean.     

They're going to need to fence the entire property for the horses, and so the other animals can't get out.    Unfortunately, Ada has a pretty big coyote population in some areas, so they need to watch out for them also.     I would fence the back half or full acre for the dogs with a tall chain link fence, and then fence the rest of the property too on the perimeter, and to keep the horse around the stable area. 

Edited October 30, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[topanga]

12 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I think they could have built the walls of the shower out, moved the shower plumbing a couple of feet forward, and then put on a new door, and that would be it.   However, the wife hated the bathroom tile, so they could redo the tile, build out the shower, and if they chose wisely, have a new bathroom very quickly.   

But the shower ceiling was angled. Was that because of the roofline?

I couldn’t decide if the wife was quirky or just annoying. I think it’s cool that she’s a veterinarian, and I like their interracial, international family. But she loved taking little jabs at her husband. And how many times did she brag about not being able to cook? We get it. We get it. You’re a modern woman with shit to do. You don’t have time to cook. 

But their daughter Sophie was adorable. And very verbal. I like that she spoke in complete sentences—you can tell that her parents actually talked to her instead of communicating with baby talk.

I did like house they chose. It was huge, too huge for them, but who am I to judge? 

[Ohwell]

I missed the first few minutes of the Ada, OK episode so I didn't hear what the husband did, although throughout the episode it was mentioned that the wife was a vet.

[AuntiePam]

52 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I missed the first few minutes of the Ada, OK episode so I didn't hear what the husband did, although throughout the episode it was mentioned that the wife was a vet.

There was a comment (from the realtor?) that the husband had two jobs.  This was in response to him saying that he'd have time to do some renovations, and wife saying maybe not.

I really liked this couple, even though I have an irrational bias against women who wear the blouses with the hole in the upper sleeve, just under the shoulder.  What is the point of that?  Can't figure it out and glad that (apparently) those blouses are going out of style.

[Ohwell]

57 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

There was a comment (from the realtor?) that the husband had two jobs.  This was in response to him saying that he'd have time to do some renovations, and wife saying maybe not.

I really liked this couple, even though I have an irrational bias against women who wear the blouses with the hole in the upper sleeve, just under the shoulder.  What is the point of that?  Can't figure it out and glad that (apparently) those blouses are going out of style.

Ok thanks, I guess he wouldn't have much time to do renovations. 

I hate hate hate those blouses with the holes exposing the shoulders, and can't wait for them to go out of style. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, topanga said:

I did like house they chose. It was huge, too huge for them, but who am I to judge? 

Surely you're not serious.  I assume that's the mission statement of every person here:  Judge.

[Babalooie]

Lucinda Walsh, the Oklahoma vet didn't appear to me to be a meticulous housekeeper and I wonder if that grand house still looks grand.  I liked the husband.  He seemed like a nice guy.

Edited October 31, 2019 by Babalooie
added content

[amarante]

The cold shoulder blouses are cheap to manufacture because it is more expensive to set in a sleeve than to have no shoulder - no fooling. A lot of current "cheap" clothing is driven by the economics of manufacturing - e.g. lots of cheap clothing is S, M and L because that's cheaper than having more fitted clothing in sizes.

As I recall the horses were next door in a separate stable area. The comment she made was how she could keep her horse next door.

The husband had some kind of screen transfer process business - the only thing I could think of was t-shirts but I'm sure there must be a more high class use for the process as well.

The house was beautiful but their furniture was godawful. That hideous lumpy brown sectional looked so out of place in the elegant living room. 

I thought the cooking or lack thereof was a bit over the top. When they were all huddled around the take out breakfast stuff, I thought that it is way more difficult to go out for breakfast than it would be to make it at home. Even if one doesn't cook, there are frozen waffles and pancakes and much easier to scramble or fry an egg - toast some bread or whatever else than physically shlep food home. 

Edited October 31, 2019 by amarante

[amarante]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I think they could have built the walls of the shower out, moved the shower plumbing a couple of feet forward, and then put on a new door, and that would be it.   However, the wife hated the bathroom tile, so they could redo the tile, build out the shower, and if they chose wisely, have a new bathroom very quickly.   

If they make the shower more square, and put an extra two or three feet more into the room, then the roofline won't be an issue, and the shower head would be higher, and away from the roof.   I hope that makes sense, I'm not sure how to describe what I mean.     

They're going to need to fence the entire property for the horses, and so the other animals can't get out.    Unfortunately, Ada has a pretty big coyote population in some areas, so they need to watch out for them also.     I would fence the back half or full acre for the dogs with a tall chain link fence, and then fence the rest of the property too on the perimeter, and to keep the horse around the stable area. 

They could definitely redo the bathroom to make it more functional AND aesthetic.

However, redoing a bathroom is the most expensive component of a bathroom remodel. I just finished gut remodels of two bathrooms LOL. A shower needs to be very carefully constructed so that it is waterproof and has the correct slope of the floor so that it doesn't drain. An improperly constructed shower will leak and that will cause structural damage which means the poorly constructed shower will have to be redone AND any damage to to the structure will have to be repaired.

My shower had to pass three inspections to verify that it was done up to Code and was waterproof including the 24 hour flood test when they block the drain and check to see that the pan (i.e. floor) of the shower is water proof.

I love my new showers so they were worth it but lots of people really underestimate what the cost of a new shower is and/or hire people who don't know what they are doing. Neither tile nor grout are waterproof - the waterproofing is underneath the tile of the shower.

[laredhead]

Amarante, my mouth fell open when I realized they had ordered breakfast to be delivered.  It doesn't take much time to make breakfast, and you can make a healthy one with just a little planning.  The other plus is that you can do it together and work in some family time, instead of sitting around waiting for the delivery.  As I have gotten older, I like my own cooking better, and it's a heck of a lot less expensive than eating out all the time. 

[Grrarrggh]

53 minutes ago, laredhead said:

Amarante, my mouth fell open when I realized they had ordered breakfast to be delivered.  It doesn't take much time to make breakfast, and you can make a healthy one with just a little planning.  The other plus is that you can do it together and work in some family time, instead of sitting around waiting for the delivery.  As I have gotten older, I like my own cooking better, and it's a heck of a lot less expensive than eating out all the time. 

I doubt it was delivered totally by their choice... I smell a producer... 

[Empress1]

13 hours ago, topanga said:

I couldn’t decide if the wife was quirky or just annoying. I think it’s cool that she’s a veterinarian, and I like their interracial, international family. But she loved taking little jabs at her husband. And how many times did she brag about not being able to cook? We get it. We get it. You’re a modern woman with shit to do. You don’t have time to cook. 

I found her annoying. Her insistence on being steps away from her parents was irritating (ten minutes is not far by any definition), and the way she brushed off his concerns about that with "you know you love it" bugged me. I'm not married to her so if he can deal with it, that's their business, but I found her off-putting.

[laredhead]

I just rewatched the Ada episode because I wasn't paying it full attention the first time.  So, the listed price of the house was $399,000, and they said they bought it for $362,000.  In one of the outdoor scenes where they were looking at the backyard, the house was in the background.  There was a huge crack running diagonally up the back of the house.  I paused the video because at first I thought it was a vine.  No, it was a crack that had to be 10' or more.  I have a feeling they got the house cheaper because of structural issues. 

The wife bugged me the second time even more than the first time I watched it.  Since when is it cute to brag that you don't cook, you don't clean, your don't declutter, etc.  I get that she has a full time job, and those things probably don't interest her.  Stop bragging about not doing them, and hire someone to help with keeping the house clean.  If you can't afford that, then maybe you shouldn't be buying such a huge house that will need a lot of maintenance.  Wonder if the husband works from home?  He sounded like he was the "adult" in the pair. 

[topanga]

13 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Surely you're not serious.  I assume that's the mission statement of every person here:  Judge.

LOL. I was being a bit facetious. But in all seriousness, some of the few times I've seen posters on this thread attack someone is when a commenter said, "Why do they need such a big house?"

13 hours ago, Babalooie said:

Lucinda Walsh, the Oklahoma vet didn't appear to me to be a meticulous housekeeper and I wonder if that grand house still looks grand.  I liked the husband.  He seemed like a nice guy.

The husband mentioned that there is pet hair all over the house and that it smelled. 

The wife is probably nose-blind at this point, but the husband obviously is not. 

Maybe in they can get a housekeeper for that huge home if none of them is willing to keep it clean. Or maybe they can solicit the vet's mom, WHOSE HOUSE THEY CAN SEE FROM THEIR OWN. Eck. That would drive me crazy, whether it was my own mother or my mother-in-law. There's close, and there's too close. One block away is too close. 

[Ohwell]

38 minutes ago, topanga said:

The husband mentioned that there is pet hair all over the house and that it smelled. 

The wife is probably nose-blind at this point, but the husband obviously is not. 

Interesting you should mention that, because I think that some people who own pets really don't realize that their house might smell.  I've visited friends' homes who owned dogs, and as soon as I walked in I could smell the bad odor, but my friends seemed to be happily oblivious.  I just try to act like I don't smell anything.   

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

LOL. I was being a bit facetious. But in all seriousness, some of the few times I've seen posters on this thread attack someone is when a commenter said, "Why do they need such a big house?"

The husband mentioned that there is pet hair all over the house and that it smelled. 

The wife is probably nose-blind at this point, but the husband obviously is not. 

Maybe in they can get a housekeeper for that huge home if none of them is willing to keep it clean. Or maybe they can solicit the vet's mom, WHOSE HOUSE THEY CAN SEE FROM THEIR OWN. Eck. That would drive me crazy, whether it was my own mother or my mother-in-law. There's close, and there's too close. One block away is too close. 

My closest work friend at a previous job had grown up across the street from her grandparents. She and her siblings thought it was great; her mother apparently did not. I can't remember why - I'm pretty sure the grandparents were there first and then her family moved in. (It came up because we were talking about how we both hate the show Everybody Loves Raymond and she was like, "that's kind of my life except we're a lot nicer than those people.") I grew up about 20 minutes from my paternal grandparents; we spent a lot of time together but there were no drop-ins, on either side.

I'm sure the wife is nose-blind - she spends her days around animals so their smells probably don't register. I don't think it's cute to brag about not knowing how to attend to basic household duties either, and it's really not cute to just not do them. Like, if you have a lot of animals, dander is to be expected, but ... clean it up. If your house smells, figure out how not to have it smell. Or outsource it. But if your house is covered in pet hair and it smells, that's something you need to resolve.

[topanga]

48 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

I'm sure the wife is nose-blind - she spends her days around animals so their smells probably don't register. I don't think it's cute to brag about not knowing how to attend to basic household duties either, and it's really not cute to just not do them. Like, if you have a lot of animals, dander is to be expected, but ... clean it up. If your house smells, figure out how not to have it smell. Or outsource it. But if your house is covered in pet hair and it smells, that's something you need to resolve.

Did they mention entertaining? I'm so used to every HH bragging about how often they have people over for dinners parties and sleepovers. If so, they need to clean up their effing house. 

Slightly off topic, but does anyone watch the NBC show Emergence? In my mind, the wife on this episode kinda looks like Jo on Emergence. I'd have to re-watch this ep to confirm, but eh, I don't care that much.

Lastly, was there a new episode on Wednesday night? I DVR the episodes, and I'm always a day behind. 

[debbie311]

On 10/24/2019 at 11:54 PM, topanga said:

Arkansas: That couple was a bit annoying, especially the wife. If she wants two toilets, that’s fine. But don’t get pissy when you don’t see two toilets in the houses you tour. When have two toilets ever been a standard feature in a home? Ever? 

Actually we have two toilets (water closets) in our master bath and they were standard with our model. New house.  I had never seen such a thing.  Let me tell you - it is wonderful. Love it.

[izabella]

I couldn't believe that Chicago couple decided to buy the loft with the busy highway right outside their front window.  It's not just the noise, kids!  The dirt and grime and tire rubber will coat those windows in no time.  They are never going to use that balcony. 

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, izabella said:

I couldn't believe that Chicago couple decided to buy the loft with the busy highway right outside their front window.  It's not just the noise, kids!  The dirt and grime and tire rubber will coat those windows in no time.  They are never going to use that balcony. 

Oh, but she had to be where the action is! 🙄

[KLovestoShop]

The Kansas City wife was a little too picky. The kitchen in the first house was beautiful , but she wanted to gut it?  Sheesh.   She needs a huge closet so she can open her packages?   Or hide packages from her husband?   He can’t be that stupid to not know his wife has a shopping habit?  And what to stop him from going into her closet?  If she’s that dirt phobic, they need to buy a new build or build themselves. 

[sheetmoss]

3 hours ago, izabella said:

I couldn't believe that Chicago couple decided to buy the loft with the busy highway right outside their front window.  It's not just the noise, kids!  The dirt and grime and tire rubber will coat those windows in no time.  They are never going to use that balcony. 

 I think the place was located  next to the Ohio Feeder ramp in downtown Chicago which is a popular access ramp to get on/off I90/94

41 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Oh, but she had to be where the action is! 🙄

Well she was right - the area does have a lot to offer - it's about a half-mile-ish  due west of North Michigan Ave, if not familiar, it's a major tony shopping area.

Load of restaurants/bars/clubs in that area too.

Edited November 1, 2019 by sheetmoss

[Jeanne222]

4 hours ago, izabella said:

I couldn't believe that Chicago couple decided to buy the loft with the busy highway right outside their front window.  It's not just the noise, kids!  The dirt and grime and tire rubber will coat those windows in no time.  They are never going to use that balcony. 

Was that condo on the ground floor or below?  I didn't like that at all but she seems to wear the pants!  All three choices were not appealing!

[Andyourlittledog2]

I can hardly wait a few years until all the HH'rs are walking in kitchens and sniffing snootily about the white shaker cabinets and subway tile and white quartz countertops and declaring that of course it'll have to be gutted! Who could possibly live with that?!

That is the thing that really aggravates me about many of these HHr's:  they tour a beautifully kept and often renovated home and declare the previous owners clearly had no taste, were tacky, etc. They could instead say that it is a lovely home but their style is different so they would rather do X and Y but no, they have to practically call the previous owners tasteless and tacky. I wonder how the previous owners feel when they watch these people diss their homes on TV. There was one recent episode (or rerun) where the home was absolutely amazing well kept - the owners clearly had great pride in their home and it was just perfect but not the current style. The HHr's were really awful in their comments because it wasn't white shaker cabinets and a warehouse style open concept etc. I kept wishing they would at least compliment the owners on how beautiful the home was kept (I don't mean clean I mean the actual house was just perfect) but they couldn't even see that. It was all about the white kitchen.

Funny thing, I've seen some episodes where African American HHr's have been annoyed by white kitchens and were hoping for darker cabinets etc.

I always tell people there is no right or wrong answer to 'what do you like?' I wish folks would remember it's a big universe. We don't all have to like white kitchens and grey washed hardwoods and warehouse living.

[laredhead]

The Chicago wife was talking about having a baby soon, and I guess it will be parked in that small, windowless room.  Children come with stuff - toys, high chairs, etc. and that 1400 sq foot space is going to get crowded.  She mentioned wanting to be near a good "support system", and I figured she wants built in baby sitters for when she wants to be out going to to all those bars and restaurants that were so important to her.  She said her parents live in the city, so I figure she will be leaving the kid when them a lot.  Life changes when you have children, and all of the things that come with them.  

I liked the house in the suburbs more, and of the city places I would have chosen the 3rd one.  The loft was a no go for me.

[suebee12]

51 minutes ago, laredhead said:

I liked the house in the suburbs more, and of the city places I would have chosen the 3rd one.  The loft was a no go for me.

I agree 100%. The house was wonderful. A backyard and not 4 flights of stairs! The third condo wasn't too bad either but a house with room to grow is much better. One thing, I am pretty sure she said his parents were in the area so she can let them watch the kids...😕

[amarante]

I am not that familiar with Chicago but it seems as though Chicago has some lovely residential neighborhoods within the City. I understand the urge to want to stay within an "actual" city especially if one's parents, friends and other family are in the city. 

Of course the condo they picked was pretty terrible and living directly across from a major highway is insane. Aside from the noise, the pollution would be terrible. I don't understand some of these choices - in all of Chicago that was the best option?

I grew up in one of the boroughs of New York City and it was a great compromise between the suburban lifestyle and the density of Manhattan. My childhood home was a single family residential home on a tree lined block where we played with the other kids on the block. The advantage was that there was public transportation which enabled my family to very easily take advantage of what the City offered. And this was especially nice when I was a older and didn't have to rely on parents driving me all over to do anything. I even went to school in Manhattan from seventh grade and took the subway. My parents didn't have lengthy commutes especially since they were lucky enough to have jobs in the borough we lived in.

I am sure that in episodes of HH there have been neighborhoods pretty similar to the one I grew up in. Aside from the older row houses, there seem to be homes that are the classic bungalow style which would be in their price range. Of course some of the hipper neighborhoods are more expensive but extrapolating that to NYC boroughs, I would imagine that is the difference between Park Slope and Kensington.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Kansas City house hunters were so out of touch with reality.     The new build was very far from town, in snow country.     I really don't think they realize how difficult that will be for everyday living.   So I'm glad they passed on that one, especially since the wife still wanted to change things, and the basement had no outside access. 

      Demanding that all baths have to be gutted because someone used the tub, or toilets is bizarre.   It's not the first time on this show someone made that a house hunting demand, but it's so over the top anyway.     Where does the wife think the workers will go to the bathroom during remodeling?      Plus, having to have separate closets so the wife can hide her endless purchases is ridiculous.      Instead of ripping an entire kitchen out to make a flat island just have a carpenter even it out, and replace the granite.    

Edited November 1, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[topanga]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The Kansas City house hunters were so out of touch with reality.     The new build was very far from town, in snow country.     I really don't think they realize how difficult that will be for everyday living.        And demanding that all baths have to be gutted because someone used the tub, or toilets is bizarre.   It's not the first time on this show someone made that a house hunting demand, but it's so over the top anyway.     Plus, having to have separate closets so the wife can hide her endless purchases is ridiculous.      

Yes, I worry about that couple. If she gets so many "packages" that she has to hide them from her husband, and they don't have a clear budget for their spending, I see financial problems in their future. Unless one or both of them is independently wealthy. But then she wouldn't be so concerned about the housing budget. 

Was that Will's mom that went with the wife to see House 3? If so, she looks amazingly young. 

I hate the fake trope of a HH being grossed out at the thought of having a "used bathroom." Don't they live in an apartment now? Unless that's a new build apartment, other asses have sat on those toilet seats, and plenty of dead skin cells have touched the bathtub. 

And didn't they meet in college? How many layers of old jiz were caked on their dorm room mattresses? Not trying to be gross, I just-- okay, yes I am.  

[Empress1]

14 minutes ago, topanga said:

Yes, I worry about that couple. If she gets so many "packages" that she has to hide them from her husband, and they don't have a clear budget for their spending, I see financial problems in their future. Unless one or both of them is independently wealthy. But then she wouldn't be so concerned about the housing budget. 

Was that Will's mom that went with the wife to see House 3? If so, she looks amazingly young. 

No, it was the wife's cousin. (The husband was handsome.) I think the family they lived near was hers; her mom appeared on camera at the beginning (and she did look young, but not peer-to-her-daughter young).

I thought the shopping thing was weird - he obviously knows she does it since they were talking about it on camera, but she was still talking about hiding it. And needing a separate space for it ... how much shit is she buying?

[sheetmoss]

1 hour ago, amarante said:

I am not that familiar with Chicago but it seems as though Chicago has some lovely residential neighborhoods within the City. I understand the urge to want to stay within an "actual" city especially if one's parents, friends and other family are in the city. 

Of course the condo they picked was pretty terrible and living directly across from a major highway is insane. Aside from the noise, the pollution would be terrible. I don't understand some of these choices - in all of Chicago that was the best option?

I grew up in one of the boroughs of New York City and it was a great compromise between the suburban lifestyle and the density of Manhattan. My childhood home was a single family residential home on a tree lined block where we played with the other kids on the block. The advantage was that there was public transportation which enabled my family to very easily take advantage of what the City offered. And this was especially nice when I was a older and didn't have to rely on parents driving me all over to do anything. I even went to school in Manhattan from seventh grade and took the subway. My parents didn't have lengthy commutes especially since they were lucky enough to have jobs in the borough we lived in.

I am sure that in episodes of HH there have been neighborhoods pretty similar to the one I grew up in. Aside from the older row houses, there seem to be homes that are the classic bungalow style which would be in their price range. Of course some of the hipper neighborhoods are more expensive but extrapolating that to NYC boroughs, I would imagine that is the difference between Park Slope and Kensington.

The 'feeder ramp' I believe they live near is more like a busy street with ebb and flow congestion depending on time of day or an event going on. I've gotten on/off the ramp at various times and there was only a handful of cars on both ramps/lanes

At around the 5;00 mark you can see their bldg on the left to get a feel of the area.

On one eppy of the show the couple looked in the Beverly neighborhood on the far south side of Chicago, they kept calling it the burbs,  Oy!

Edited November 1, 2019 by sheetmoss

[topanga]

12 minutes ago, sheetmoss said:

On one eppy of the show the couple looked in the Beverly neighborhood on the far south side of Chicago, they kept calling it the burbs,  Oy!

Is that area gentrified, or in the process of being gentrified? Sometimes people like to think they're in the suburbs, but they're really in the inner city -- it's just that people of color don't live there anymore. 

[izabella]

I don't know when that expressway video was taken because it never looks that empty.  Never.  Maybe 6am on a Sunday.  It's a million times more crowded during rush hour, which lasts from 6am to 8pm.  And where were the thousands of trucks??

If that was the Ohio feeder, that ramp is very busy and backs up during rush hour, as well as backing up the expressway for miles during rush hours.  I would not ever want to live anywhere near it.

Beverly is not a bad neighborhood, but it is on the south side so it is not appealing to people who want to be where all the action is in the city.  It is not cool, and most people have never heard of it, certainly not these River North hipsters.   It's also a more diverse neighborhood near some not so great neighborhoods, so it's not appealing to others for those reasons, too.  On the other hand, there are a lot of cops and firefighters in the neighborhood.  I wouldn't call it gentrified.

Edited November 1, 2019 by izabella

[CruiseDiva]

7 minutes ago, izabella said:

I don't know when that expressway video was taken because it never looks that empty.  Never.  And it's a millions times more crowded during rush hour, which lasts from 6am to 8pm.

I've never seen that expressway as empty as that, except for the time they closed it down for a presidential motorcade.

[amarante]

That expressway or on ramp looked as if it was on eye level and pretty close to their apartment.

Personally that would be a deal breaker for me. Apart from the noise, there is a significant health hazard that has been shown in people living close to major thoroughfares. 

I realize that everybody has to compromise when choosing a home but I sometimes find it difficult to believe that the HH's choice actually represented the best place they could find when they were looking. If it were me, I would keep on looking.

The Chicago place just didn't seem to have some fabulous features that offset the horrendous location next to the freeway. 

[LittleIggy]

On 10/31/2019 at 8:53 AM, Empress1 said:

I found her annoying. Her insistence on being steps away from her parents was irritating (ten minutes is not far by any definition), and the way she brushed off his concerns about that with "you know you love it" bugged me. I'm not married to her so if he can deal with it, that's their business, but I found her off-putting.

Me, too! She seemed to think she was the cutest thing. Most people I know would think parents being 10 minutes away is super close. That poor German Shepard looked as if his entire hind quarters didn’t work. I’ve seen three legged dogs get around fine, but he just dragged that remaining hind leg. I liked the house they picked although I liked the bookshelf doors in that other house.

Edited November 2, 2019 by LittleIggy

[izabella]

Did the Chicago couple also have a dog with 3 legs?  He was a cutie.  Both their dogs were.

[msmarjoribanks]

14 hours ago, izabella said:

I don't know when that expressway video was taken because it never looks that empty.  Never.  Maybe 6am on a Sunday.  It's a million times more crowded during rush hour, which lasts from 6am to 8pm.  And where were the thousands of trucks??

If that was the Ohio feeder, that ramp is very busy and backs up during rush hour, as well as backing up the expressway for miles during rush hours.  I would not ever want to live anywhere near it.

Beverly is not a bad neighborhood, but it is on the south side so it is not appealing to people who want to be where all the action is in the city.  It is not cool, and most people have never heard of it, certainly not these River North hipsters.   It's also a more diverse neighborhood near some not so great neighborhoods, so it's not appealing to others for those reasons, too.  On the other hand, there are a lot of cops and firefighters in the neighborhood.  I wouldn't call it gentrified.

I agree with this.  Beverly is really far out, and feels quite suburban, so I can see calling it that, and that's one reason it's appealing for those who would otherwise be in the burbs but need to live in the City (i.e., City employees).  I like the neighborhood, I have friends who live there, but as I live on the north side it's a hassle to get there.  There's a decent train line for commuting.

I would not call it gentrified either -- it's actually an area that did a better job defending against block busting vs most of the city, so it never turned over like some areas and has been basically a middle class neighborhood.  It's majority white but integrated.

Regarding the 3 places in this episode, they have this annoying habit of not saying what suburb it was, which makes a difference.  The housing stock looked like that in some parts of the City for sure, and the lot size.  It could be Berwyn maybe?  But not enough to tell.  Of the places in the City, I would have taken the Logan Square one, especially if they are thinking about having a baby soon. 

[sheetmoss]

Re Beverly

It's located in an area of the highest points in Chicago  and has mansions on a hill above Longwood Rd.

Edited November 2, 2019 by sheetmoss

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/30/2019 at 8:01 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I assume that's the mission statement of every person here:  Judge.

I can't believe this.  A mere 48 hours after I said that, I screwed up recording Graham Norton and inadvertently got the last 30 seconds of a HH International episode and exclaimed, "I know them!"

Now I feel guilty about green-lighting the judging.

[msrachelj]

17 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Me, too! She seemed to think she was the cutest thing. Most people I know would think parents being 10 minutes away is super close. That poor German Shepard looked as if his entire hind quarters didn’t work. I’ve seen three legged dogs get around fine, but he just dragged that remaining hind leg. I liked the house they picked although I liked the bookshelf doors in that other house.

The dogs were making me cry, although at least she is taking care of them and is an animal lover. I was hoping once the german shepard gets through doggie therapy he will get around on 3 legs. 

On 10/29/2019 at 1:16 PM, Grrarrggh said:

What are you doing in your shower?!?! 😮

Steam will make it go off. 

[msrachelj]

On 10/25/2019 at 5:07 PM, chessiegal said:

I don't believe those Arkansas people stayed in the travel trailer other than for filming the show. It was plopped in a field with no utilities hooked up to it.

Wife telling us she had a Masters in Food Science, like that made her so special, and therefore needed a fabulous kitchen - sorry, not seeing the connection. Now if she had graduated from culinary school, maybe.

I don't understand why they had a rooster. Were they planning on breeding chickens? If all you want are eggs, just have chickens.

I believe the rooster keeps some of the chicken killing varmints away! 

[msrachelj]

On 10/18/2019 at 12:02 PM, LittleIggy said:

Gallatin: How would a hoop over its head keep the pug from bumping into things. My cat Aemon Targaryen is totally blind and gets around with no problems. It’s amazing really. BTW, I found the couple “meh.”

It's really plain as day. And the dog was deaf too. It needs all the help it can get. I found the couple refreshingly fun and likable. Grateful.  Not like most of the people on this show who are entitled pieces of shit who don't know how lucky they are to be able to afford the houses they live in. 

[awaken]

Kansas City woman’s obsession with dead skin cells of other people was unhealthy. Has she not heard of cleaning and sanitizing?  Does she stay in hotels?  

[chessiegal]

15 minutes ago, awaken said:

Kansas City woman’s obsession with dead skin cells of other people was unhealthy. Has she not heard of cleaning and sanitizing?  Does she stay in hotels?  

Wouldn't it be fun to watch the Kansas City woman have to stay with the Arkansas woman who didn't like to clean? She'd probably run out of the house screaming after 1 minute or less. 🤣

[Grrarrggh]

15 hours ago, awaken said:

Kansas City woman’s obsession with dead skin cells of other people was unhealthy. Has she not heard of cleaning and sanitizing?  Does she stay in hotels?  

Those jets are a bacteria trap. I wouldn't want to use a tub that someone else has used either. And I wouldn't want one that only I or my family would use. It takes ages to clean and sanitize them. Not worth it. 

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Those jets are a bacteria trap. I wouldn't want to use a tub that someone else has used either. And I wouldn't want one that only I or my family would use. It takes ages to clean and sanitize them. Not worth it. 

I didn't see the episode but if it was a tub with jets I wouldn't want to use it either.  A plain ol' regular tub is fine with me.