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South Florida: cute Jamaican couple. The three houses were alarmingly similar, but I guess that’s what you get in Florida. I just hope the wife gets her pool soon. 

Oklahoma City: This young couple was adorable. They got along well and didn’t do much fake arguing. They actually flirted with one another. How often do we see that on this show? Uh, never. I’m glad they didn’t choose the home on the the 5 acres, although the house itself was my favorite of the three. These are two busy optometrists. They would not have had time for the chickens, goat, and cow that the husband wanted.

ETA: the OKC real estate agent looked like a black Scarlett Johansson. 

 

Edited by topanga
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The new episode in Oklahoma was predictable.   He wanted acreage, how would he find time to maintain five acres?    She wanted a short commute.     The there was the vintage home that would never be what they wanted, it had a great first floor, but the second was awful. 

Of course, they ended up with the third house, with the short commute for the wife, and a manageable size property.    There is no way the husband would have been able to manage the five acres, the animals, and all of the maintenance that place would need.    I'm guessing a well, and septic, so that requires a lot of work and expense over the years.    The house they picked was perfect for them, for right now, and for quite a few years to come.     I'm glad they decided to stay in Oklahoma, instead of moving to the East coast, and probably a high cost area.   I think their quality of life will be better, they're around relatives, so I think they'll be glad they didn't relocate.    

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17 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The new episode in Oklahoma was predictable.   He wanted acreage, how would he find time to maintain five acres?    She wanted a short commute.     The there was the vintage home that would never be what they wanted, it had a great first floor, but the second was awful. 

Of course, they ended up with the third house, with the short commute for the wife, and a manageable size property.    There is no way the husband would have been able to manage the five acres, the animals, and all of the maintenance that place would need.    I'm guessing a well, and septic, so that requires a lot of work and expense over the years.    The house they picked was perfect for them, for right now, and for quite a few years to come.     I'm glad they decided to stay in Oklahoma, instead of moving to the East coast, and probably a high cost area.   I think their quality of life will be better, they're around relatives, so I think they'll be glad they didn't relocate.    

I was highly depressed that the OKC buyer fell to open concept in the end. And it was the worst kind of open concept. Shame. Shame!

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2 hours ago, LucindaWalsh said:

I have a few episodes to watch and I am not sure if I even recorded this one. Just in case I have, what is the worst kind of open concept? (no snark) I hate all open concept but for me the worst is when they have the kitchen in a corner with an angled counter facing outwards with the sink on that counter. It enrages me (just a smidge of hyperbole)!

The worst kind, in my humble opinion, is the single room (made even worse if it's a single room you enter from the front door), with a white on white, or on occasional grey, kitchen (shaker cabinets of course) made even worse by grey hardwood floors. 

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Not that the Charlotte (Uptown seeker) was especially unique in her stated wishes but she seemed to be especially at clueless - or maybe I was just not in the mood.

Why would a single person without immediate prospects care about whether a home is suitable for expanding into a family home. Presumably unless she marries a complete deadbeat, they would have dual incomes and could then think about buying a more expensive home and both might have equity in homes purchased as single people

I have absolutely no issues with a single person wanting to live in a neighborhood that is "happening". It is very real that your lifestyle as a single person generally does involve being out and about with friends and it isn't fun to have to deal with driving home. The term GU - (geographically undesirable) also is a factor in dating since many people don't want to go outside the pool of single people who are living an urban lifestyle

If you are single, why do you need a she-cave (or man cave). Isn't your whole house your own? I do understand why even a single person would want a closed off room that is not a public space but why the need to call it a she cave as opposed to using a second bedroom or den as the place to have your computer and be able to close off from public view.

Of course the continued incapacity to accept fair market value based on location was also absurd - especially for one who claimed to be employed in the finance industry. Although that could be anything her ability to finance a relatively expensive home on her own income indicates that she holds some sort of executive level position.

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9 minutes ago, amarante said:

Not that the Charlotte (Uptown seeker) was especially unique in her stated wishes but she seemed to be especially at clueless - or maybe I was just not in the mood.

She was definitely clueless and arrogant as well. Her real estate agent looked like she was ready to bitch slap her at any moment if she didn't shut up.

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To me it was obvious that Charlotte shopper would buy the townhouse.     The first house was small, had no closet space, and only a half bath in the master.      The split third house was not in the right neighborhood, and even though it was a lovely rehab, the rooms weren't big enough, and the master closet wasn't big enough either.  

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7 minutes ago, alexa said:

This Ohio couple on right now are very annoying.  I mean if you are that picky why did you sell the house you built for yourselves?

Good point! Plus, HH give the viewers some credit. Inventory is low so the real estate agent says she's going to do social media fishing. Low and behold, a house not yet listed gets a hit. They go see it and it's empty! How is a house that isn't on the market yet empty? BS.

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I hope a lot of the whining with the Ohio couple was for the show.      That is the way you rehab quickly, you get a huge crew, do everything in order, and finish it all in a week or two.     

There is no way the country house would have worked.   I'm betting it was on septic, so to increase the number of bathrooms, it would have needed a much bigger septic tank, and field, and that would have cost a bundle.   Rehabbing that garage upstairs to an apartment would have taken forever, and cost a lot.   That house would never have been what they wanted, and would have been way over budget. 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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I just watched the 7'2" guy in upstate NY.  I loved this couple!  She was worried about him fitting into the home being so tall...and deservedly so!  They did pick the best house for them.  They both got what they wanted and he fit comfortably with the high ceilings and the shower.  There was no arguing or whining!

Oh and I wanted to punch the realtor... "I know the ceilings are low but it's a great buy and he can work around it".  Really??????

Now I'm watching bride and groom to be in Columbus (again!!!) and they saw a new build with an office but they said.."oh we can't make this a bedroom..no closet".  But really?  You can't put a bed in there and make it your guest room?  It CAN BE. bedroom...just put some furniture for clothes storage.

Edited by NYGirl
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I didn't like the new build house in Ohio at all.   Over their price, no garage, HOAs, and a yard smaller than the office/bedroom.     I liked the first house that they bought, but I bet they won't stay in it long after they realize how much it will cost to fix the things they don't like about it.    I think they bought it for the garage, and the first floor.    I bet they moved in, and started hunting for the next house, with the equity from the first house since the market prices were going up so much.   There is no way I would have put a kid in the bedroom with the stair case to the attic.   Unless they can bump the attic ceiling up to make it usable, I don't think it was livable space.    My guess is the second bedroom is now a closet, and the out of season stuff is up in the attic.        

 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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The Ohio couple were possibly the most annoying, obnoxious couple I've seen this season...and that's saying a lot. First off...maybe I'm just old school but I don't understand people with four kids uprooting their children and moving in and out of homes just for the thrill of it? Building homes, buying dumps and rebuilding and remodeling them, selling them and then moving again...it's ridiculous. The husband is a jerk. Needling her to live in the country again when she specifically stated that she did not want to live in the country any longer. And the farmhouse was unlivable...would need a ton of work and was not even adequate to house their family. This guy seemed to think he was god's gift to house flipping. For her part, the wife seemed inconsistent in her wish list...wanting "move in ready" but seemingly would be OK with a house that had outdated bathrooms and small kitchens. How long before they put this house on the market? The realtor was more than patient with these two...especially with the arrogant, know it all husband. 

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OK, Lancaster CA, and they want a two story for a day care, with the second floor for the family.       The husband wants a single story, but in expensive areas, that is going to be a huge ranch to accommodate the family, and the day care, and it will be way over budget.   So they picked the less than 2,000 sq ft ranch new build.  

They are living in temporary housing, and still running a small day care.   Their previous house was a rental also.   Since when do residential rentals allow a home day care?  Or any other kind of business requiring zoning, inspections, and lots of car traffic?     Especially since the wife seems to be the only employee of the day care.       I'm wondering if that's a licensed day care?    And if there's an HOA, or it's permitted with the zoning?   

Apparently she is licensed, and legal where she lives.   I hope there is at least one other person working there.   How can one person watch kids all day?   If I was looking at homes, and found out the people next door were opening a daycare, I would run far away from that house. 

 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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And, exactly how many kids attend this day care? They nice I guess but it looks like. More make shift day care versus an actual business. I guess if the parents of the kids are happy who am I to judge. The house they chose was okay. It wasn’t anything fancy and where everyday working folks love. I hope it bring them much happiness. That said, the husbands fang teeth totally turned me off. 

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I remember reading (or hearing) a new story about how there are a lot of "at home" daycares in California. I think it had to do with how Covid was effecting them. Anyhow, it makes sense if she charges less that a normal daycare and they all live in the same neighborhood. I'd imagine she'll have to get new clients now though.

Edited by blueray
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It's a quirk of zoning law in Los Angeles - and I think other areas in California - that you can open a day care facility in an area that is theoretically zoned only for residential. You can even open a day care facility in an apartment building or a condo (even if the CCR's forbid). Can you imagine living somewhere with day care facilities around you?

Of course there might be issues in terms of licensing requirements so even if you could theoretically do it, you might not have the physical facilities to do so. But there are more lenient requirements for small day care facilities which this woman might have run.

I can't imagine having a day care facility in my personal home unless there was truly a dedicated area that was completely separate from the personal space.

As I recall Lancaster is called the meth capital of Southern California - the high desert has always been a completely unappealing place to live. During the years just before the housing bubble burst, people were buying homes way way out and then when it collapsed the hosing developments in those areas became completely abandoned because the people who had moved in were completely marginal in terms of housing. Many of them had to commute insane distances and so there was a lot of trouble with the kids who were essentially raising themselves. I guess the market has somewhat come back the way that the collapsed market of Las Vegas came back - at least prior to COVID.

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You can have an in-home daycare in an apartment.  Here in Wisconsin that is common.  I had one in my home for 15 years.  Licensing allows up to 8 kids with 1 provider.  But if one is under 2 you can only have 6. Your kids do count in the numbers.  You can watch 3 kids without a license,  I stopped because of the wear and tear on my home.  We had a lower level with a bathroom and 2 bedrooms and a huge family room that we used.  Eventually I opened a center for 100 kids.  That was 12 years ago and I opted out to my partner about 6 years ago.

I knew they would go with the new build.

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The couple looking for a retirement place in Beaufort, SC at the beach for $600k amaze me.    They want something right on the beach, no view of neighbors, and huge.      

First house, not big enough.   Second house was in town, and horror of horrors, you can see a home across the street, and not all that close either.  

Then the third house at the top of the budget, that is nice, and 'is sold fully furnished', it the third isn't the one they get I'll fall over in a faint.   The kitchen was a wide galley kitchen, the dining room wasn't that big either.    What a surprise pick the one they bought wasn't, when, they bought the one with the furniture included.   

So another couple buying their dream home, but it's really a rental all of the time. 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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Yeah, when the SC wife said it felt like home as soon as she walked in, I said, of course it did - it's your house. They seemed like a nice couple. I'm surprised he can make a living painting based on what they showed of his work. Not that it was bad, it just looked like common beach theme stuff you can buy anywhere.

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8 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Yeah, when the SC wife said it felt like home as soon as she walked in, I said, of course it did - it's your house. They seemed like a nice couple. I'm surprised he can make a living painting based on what they showed of his work. Not that it was bad, it just looked like common beach theme stuff you can buy anywhere.

Noticed that the house is now in the rental pool, so much for moving in.  Also after studying all the pictures; I think that it's a duplex.  Too big for just  2,400 feet.

8 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The couple looking for a retirement place in Beaufort, SC at the beach for $600k amaze me.    They want something right on the beach, no view of neighbors, and huge.      

First house, not big enough.   Second house was in town, and horror of horrors, you can see a home across the street, and not all that close either.  

Then the third house at the top of the budget, that is nice, and 'is sold fully furnished', it the third isn't the one they get I'll fall over in a faint.   The kitchen was a wide galley kitchen, the dining room wasn't that big either.    What a surprise pick the one they bought wasn't, when, they bought the one with the furniture included.   

$600,000 would never buy direct beach front in the Beaufort area.

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2 hours ago, cameron said:

Noticed that the house is now in the rental pool, so much for moving in.  Also after studying all the pictures; I think that it's a duplex.  Too big for just  2,400 feet.

I thought it was a duplex as soon as they showed the first shot. 2 sets of stairs leading to a door and 2 garages not close to one another. But that was never mentioned. I'm not surprised it's a rental. Most of the folks looking for a beach property are looking for investment properties. At least on some of the beach hunter shows they are upfront about it.

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2 hours ago, Grizzly said:

The grandchildren were absolutely adorable.

I felt sorry for the baby girl (and the parents were desperate for us to know she is a GIRL). Poor thing has to wear stupid looking bows bigger than her head. Hope she grows up to either be transgender or to hate pink/super girly stuff. 

19 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Yeah, when the SC wife said it felt like home as soon as she walked in, I said, of course it did - it's your house. They seemed like a nice couple. I'm surprised he can make a living painting based on what they showed of his work. Not that it was bad, it just looked like common beach theme stuff you can buy anywhere.

He obviously did other work to pay for things, with how much they talked about his renovation skills. It was a bit ridiculous of them to call him an artist and try to claim he was professional. 

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38 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

I felt sorry for the baby girl (and the parents were desperate for us to know she is a GIRL). Poor thing has to wear stupid looking bows bigger than her head. Hope she grows up to either be transgender or to hate pink/super girly stuff. 

He obviously did other work to pay for things, with how much they talked about his renovation skills. It was a bit ridiculous of them to call him an artist and try to claim he was professional. 

I thought that his art work looked liked a paint by numbers project.

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I wonder how much the Compton couple spent on renovations. I swear the one bedroom had mold on the walls. 😬

Just watched the International couple with Norman the wine dog. How long ago was that shot? Norman’s instagram is gone and the founders are now in DC. Guess Spain was short term? I should do an instagram for my cat. He’s always judging my choices too...

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5 hours ago, dbell1 said:

I wonder how much the Compton couple spent on renovations. I swear the one bedroom had mold on the walls. 😬

Just watched the International couple with Norman the wine dog. How long ago was that shot? Norman’s instagram is gone and the founders are now in DC. Guess Spain was short term? I should do an instagram for my cat. He’s always judging my choices too...

It’s not gone she just said it wrong. https://instagram.com/winedognorman?igshid=1gk0jkcmohy02

It was filmed in early Feb (Spain’s first case was on January 31st and didn’t go into lockdown until Mid March) so it looks like they moved back due to uncertainty about Covid. 

Edited by biakbiak
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I was watching an episode from a few weeks ago about the Nashville young woman who is a circus performer, and buying her first house.  This is the type of person who should never own a single family home, unless they have someone on speed dial for every problem that a homeowner will encounter.  She freely admitted that she didn't bother herself with thoughts about roofs, yard maintenance, etc.  The mother, while giving some good advice on most of the houses, was also enabling her daughter's continuing fantasy trip of home ownership by offering to do everything for her, including sending the woman's father over to mow that one acre yard once a week.  At some point it's time to cut those apron strings.  I'm sure that buying the small condo was giving her a mortgage payment cheaper than an apartment rent, and it certainly was more convenient to her work studio.  Advice to the mother - if the daughter wants to use a bedroom for a closet, so what?  It's not your house, and other than kitchens and bathrooms, most rooms can be used for whatever purpose a homeowner desires.  One of my 3 bedrooms is what I call my climate controlled in-house storage unit because I don't have an attic, or a garage, and Christmas decor, and other stuff has to go somewhere.  I keep it neat with cabinets and shelves, and the door stays closed so the contents are out of sight.  When I sell the house, I'll remove everything and stage it as a bedroom.

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That Compton house was small for a couple with that many kids.  Didn't she say that between them they have six kids?  Apparently only two at home full time.    However, there wasn't any room for visitors either. 

 I wasn't too thrilled with the back entry garage for the second house, an hour out of town.  To use the garage, you would have to get everyone out of the way, and you better not miss a turn either.   Like hell it was only an hour out of town in Rialto, maybe an hour at 3 a.m. on Sundays or something, I hate when realtors make statements like that, some really think all home buyers are stupid.         I bet that was either owned by the realtor, or he was listing it. 

The house in Compton they bought scared me, and should have scared them.      I saw what looked like mold in the the one bedroom, or maybe it was from a small fire.    I noticed that there was a no entry notice on the front door too.  

Just wait until the home buyers find out how much of a problem adding another bathroom for the master will be.  You know the extra bath will turn into a huge walk-in closet, plus a much bigger bedroom, so if they spend under $100k I'd be shocked.  

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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8 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

That Compton house was small for a couple with that many kids.  Didn't she say that between them they have six kids? 

I thought the same thing when the realtor showed them the first house with like two bedrooms and one bathroom.  But I ran it back and they said that between them they have six kids, two of whom live with them.  Kynneddye and someone else.

I know housing prices in the Los Angeles area are insane, but that much money for a house in that condition, in Compton?  Jesus.

 

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I wasn't too thrilled with the back entry garage for the second house, an hour out of town (like hell it was only an hour out of town).

Rialto is almost all the way to San Bernardino.  It might be an hour from Compton, if there's literally zero traffic, like in the middle of the night and there's no construction going on.  But otherwise?  Not a chance, and good luck with that commute if their jobs are near where they're already living, even if she works weird hours for the post office. 

It does seem like an odd choice to go way the hell out there just for a decoy house. 

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4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

That Compton house was small for a couple with that many kids.  However, there wasn't any room for visitors either. 

They don't need room for visitors since they live near all their family and friends. Smart move, just send them home 😉

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17 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Compton: I saw mold on the floors and walls, too! 🤭 That house needed to be on “Flip or Flop.” It looked like a gut job to me.

Little Iggy, that is EXACTLY what I was thinking when they chose the 3rd house.  After watching Tarek and Christina for years now, all I could picture is this couple finding all kinds of plumbing, electrical, water and termite damage in that derelict home, and paying a fortune for repairing it, thereby wiping out any savings they got on the sales price - and then some.  And the husband said he wasn't much of a handyman!  

I really would like to see an update on this episode, showing how they made it livable, IF they did at all.  

Edited by mousegirl
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Chicago rerun -- I couldn't help but watch it thinking about Covid.  I knew they wouldn't get the Old Town place, but they are lucky they did not.  I was rooting for Old Irving Park (I like that neighborhood, historic houses, and think the larger lots are great, although I also like North Center), but figured they'd stay in the neighborhood they preferred.  The Queen Anne would have been better for both of them working from home and trying to have the kids do school from home, and the renovation would have been easier, but looking at both on Redfin, it seems like they did do lots of renovations on the North Center place (which I bet cost much more than $150K), and it's probably workable now (vs the terrible office situation before even with just him there). I hope they finished the basement.

Neither of the houses seems to have had a garage.

I'm mainly posting because I didn't notice when I watched it before, but it's hilarious when she says "it looks like a Doll House.  Nora will love it."  I know she was talking about her daughter, but of course my mind went to Ibsen.

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There is not any way that the Compton house can be remodeled for less than what it would have cost to buy the one that was already flipped.

Compton and the areas south of the Santa Monica Freeway have in fact become gentrification targets because they are geographically relatively easy commutes for many people.

However, the cost for the kind of remodel that home would need can only economically done by a flipper who has a crew of people and essentially does the work for "wholesale". This is not something that an inexperienced handyman could do.

And adding a second bathroom doesn't even figure into my estimate of it costing a minimum of $100,000 to get it to the level of the flipped home that was selling for $475,000 - not to mention the aggravation plus the carrying costs while the remodel is done.

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35 minutes ago, amarante said:

There is not any way that the Compton house can be remodeled for less than what it would have cost to buy the one that was already flipped.

Compton and the areas south of the Santa Monica Freeway have in fact become gentrification targets because they are geographically relatively easy commutes for many people.

However, the cost for the kind of remodel that home would need can only economically done by a flipper who has a crew of people and essentially does the work for "wholesale". This is not something that an inexperienced handyman could do.

And adding a second bathroom doesn't even figure into my estimate of it costing a minimum of $100,000 to get it to the level of the flipped home that was selling for $475,000 - not to mention the aggravation plus the carrying costs while the remodel is done.

ITA 100%.  I wonder if the couple who bought the house had someone "behind the scenes" who was going to provide financing/flipping help to assist them in getting this filthy, run-down home in livable shape.  As I posted above, I'm dying to know how this particular HH project turned out.  C'mon, HGTV.  Give us an update episode as soon as you can.

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That Compton episode made me so happy to be living in an area of the country where the housing prices aren't out of reach of most people who don't earn a 6 figure income.  First thing I would do is remove all of the bars on the windows of the house they bought.  I'd be more afraid of being trapped in a fire, than of someone breaking into the house.  The house in Rialto was much nicer, but location, location, location (to quote realtors) won out, and I understand why since they both worked in Compton.  I would be a terribly depressed house hunter if those were my choices in finding a house.  I agree with others who have commented that it looked like mold in a couple of places in that house.  I hope they have competent help with the renovations, and don't find any hidden, expensive problems along the way.  

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I'm betting that the Compton house is old enough to have asbestos floor tile/linoleum, and possibly ceiling and wall texture with that mixed in.  

They do make burglar bars with locks you trigger from the inside of the house, to escape in a fire.   

I wonder if the Compton house was actually going to be a flip, and the talk about adding a bathroom, and other changes was just a decoy?  

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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5 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm betting that the Compton house is old enough to have asbestos floor tile/linoleum, and possibly ceiling and wall texture with that mixed in.  

They do make burglar bars with locks you trigger from the inside of the house, to escape in a fire.   

I wonder if the Compton house was actually going to be a flip, and the talk about adding a bathroom, and other changes was just a decoy?  

I had the same idea, that maybe this couple planned to flip the house - but it just didn't seem feasible mostly because they were crammed in with family and kept saying they needed to get their own space.  

I'm wondering if some civic agency in Compton provides special financing help for people who purchase badly run-down properties for rehabbing - a sort of "clean-up our community" incentive for buyers.  Compton has for a long time been a marginal neighborhood, to say the least.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I really do think this couple is getting  extra help with the project from someone behind the scenes.  

Edited by mousegirl
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