Author Topic: More House Hunters foolishness  (Read 33558 times)

paddedhat

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #100 on: June 04, 2017, 04:33:06 PM »
It takes a special person to live there and love it. We spent four summers there over the last fifteen years or so.  The prices are shocking, as is the amount of privately held land, which is pretty small. Lots of things you wouldn't expect, from housing shortages, to extremely high rents for remote homes without indoor plumbing or running water, and really long commutes for people that live way out of town and commute to places like Anchorage.  Occasionally, when somebody finds out that I've spent a lot of time there, the question of, "don't you just want to pack everything up and move there?"  No offense to any AK. residents out there, but my answer is, "Hell no!"  Great place to hang out and enjoy some of the most beautiful locations on earth, for about three months a year, I'll take a pass on the other nine. I'm not tough enough, and I would probably be ready for involuntary commitment is a psych ward by the end of February.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness - Living Alaska
« Reply #101 on: June 04, 2017, 07:17:00 PM »
Anyone watching Living Alaska? Jaw dropping beauty. The homes look great, but some are in very remote areas, even for Alaska. I've seen episodes with families moving to Alaska from Alabama, Texas, and California. The homes on the show are expensive - $585K. Many don't even seem to have garages or mudrooms which would seem to be a necessity. Most recent show did have a hot tub upstairs in front of a picture window so you could soak and look at the view. Not understanding the people buying homes on this show at all.
Those houses sound like they might be really awesome to rent for a week or two during the summer!  I'd hate to live there long-term, though.  Between the cold, the long nights, and the lack of a garage, that doesn't sound like fun.

Dicey

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness - Living Alaska
« Reply #102 on: June 05, 2017, 07:41:54 AM »
Anyone watching Living Alaska? Jaw dropping beauty. The homes look great, but some are in very remote areas, even for Alaska. I've seen episodes with families moving to Alaska from Alabama, Texas, and California. The homes on the show are expensive - $585K. Many don't even seem to have garages or mudrooms which would seem to be a necessity. Most recent show did have a hot tub upstairs in front of a picture window so you could soak and look at the view. Not understanding the people buying homes on this show at all.
I have two friends who are 92. One was born and raised in Alaska, the other worked there for many years. Periodically, I'll have them over for dinner and a binge watching session of this show. They both agree that even though parts of the show are silly and exaggerated, the main point is solid. Everything is exaggerated in Alaska.

Chris22

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness - Living Alaska
« Reply #103 on: June 05, 2017, 09:59:09 AM »
Anyone watching Living Alaska? Jaw dropping beauty. The homes look great, but some are in very remote areas, even for Alaska. I've seen episodes with families moving to Alaska from Alabama, Texas, and California. The homes on the show are expensive - $585K. Many don't even seem to have garages or mudrooms which would seem to be a necessity. Most recent show did have a hot tub upstairs in front of a picture window so you could soak and look at the view. Not understanding the people buying homes on this show at all.

I remember I watched one episode where they looked at 3 houses.  Of the 3, 1 had indoor plumbing.  2 had a hanger for an airplane.

Different priorities there. 

Dicey

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #104 on: June 05, 2017, 06:53:03 PM »
Whoops! Perhaps I wasn't fully awake when I read this. I guess there's Living Alaska and Building Alaska. The building one is the one my sweet old lady friends like.

Alim Nassor

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #105 on: June 08, 2017, 12:54:44 AM »
We were asked if we wanted to be on HHI while we were on a trip to Roatan to check out a couple of properties.   We put in a contract, but a day later financial sanity set in and I cancelled it.  This was pre-Mustachian days.

The part about bringing several changes of clothes is true, a few years back I was on one of the well known TV game shows, and I had to take several changes of clothes in case the taping went more than one episode.   It actually did.  I had to run what seemed like forever to get back to the changing room and change.  I told my handler I had to pee, and she said, well pee fast.   My wife was mildly amused because even though I changed clothes, every time they cut to her in the audience, she was wearing the same thing.  LOL.

aurora5

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #106 on: June 08, 2017, 05:45:58 PM »
Macmansion Hell - a blog devoted to tacky MacMansions. Lots of mockery and snark. Enjoy!
http://www.mcmansionhell.com/101

aurora5

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #107 on: June 09, 2017, 06:24:16 AM »
Regarding the "Living Alaska" comment I made . . . my comment came from a place of having lived in Brunswick, Maine for three years.
A good house in Maine needed a garage because the car's battery would have likely had an electric line attached to it, enabling it to start in the mornings when the temperature was below 0 Farenheit.
A good house in Maine also had a mudroom where everyone could leave their coats, mittens, boots, scarves.

The "Living Alaska" shows I watched, some of the houses offered only street parking. No mud rooms seen so far. Some of them were also quite remote from any town, store, doctor's offices - very hard to understand the long term appeal of that. But maybe I'm missing that Alaska gene :-)

A Definite Beta Guy

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #108 on: June 09, 2017, 11:51:45 AM »
Macmansion Hell - a blog devoted to tacky MacMansions. Lots of mockery and snark. Enjoy!
http://www.mcmansionhell.com/101
Off-topic, but I'd like that blog a lot more if the author wasn't an honest-to-god Marxist....

Fomerly known as something

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #109 on: June 17, 2017, 03:32:00 PM »
I'm in the process of selling my house and just had what I'll call my first "House Hunters comments."  Yes, I know I choose not to upgrade 4 years ago to stainless steel appliances for the kitchen.  Why you ask I refuse to pay an extra $1,000-1,500 for a decoration on my appliances.  I also personally hate granite and didn't have the time to figure out what solid surface I liked when buying so I just went with the standard option of Laminate in a neutral color.  Plus I recall thinking again the cost of the builder installing something better was way more than anything I'd do later.  Yup I know the neighbor down the street has these two things but they also have a crap layout and other items in the house such as the cabinets are cheap. 

paddedhat

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #110 on: June 17, 2017, 05:43:35 PM »
I'm in the process of selling my house and just had what I'll call my first "House Hunters comments."  Yes, I know I choose not to upgrade 4 years ago to stainless steel appliances for the kitchen.  Why you ask I refuse to pay an extra $1,000-1,500 for a decoration on my appliances.  I also personally hate granite and didn't have the time to figure out what solid surface I liked when buying so I just went with the standard option of Laminate in a neutral color.  Plus I recall thinking again the cost of the builder installing something better was way more than anything I'd do later.  Yup I know the neighbor down the street has these two things but they also have a crap layout and other items in the house such as the cabinets are cheap.

Well the unfortunate reality is that you made choices that are now biting you in the ass. No different that hunting down a new car with manual window cranks and no AC( if that's still possible, LOL) It might be  what you want, but don't expect to sell it easily, or not take a huge hit on a trade-in.  In reality, Granite is roughly $1-1.5K  more than laminate on a typical builder grade kitchen, and SS is worth about $75 per appliance. Unfortunately there is no shortage of buyers who surf Zillow, look at a four year old house with cheap appliances, and laminate counters, and click right past. You might want to get an honest opinion from your realtor as to how this is impacting your marketability, and if it's worth addressing? In some markets it's meaningless. In my market, houses last for a few days, to weeks, and many kitchens are horrendous, often 4-6 decades old, and repainted with shitty countertops, so it is meaningless. In other areas it's a deal breaker. Good luck with the sale.

Fomerly known as something

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #111 on: June 17, 2017, 06:12:38 PM »
I'm in the process of selling my house and just had what I'll call my first "House Hunters comments."  Yes, I know I choose not to upgrade 4 years ago to stainless steel appliances for the kitchen.  Why you ask I refuse to pay an extra $1,000-1,500 for a decoration on my appliances.  I also personally hate granite and didn't have the time to figure out what solid surface I liked when buying so I just went with the standard option of Laminate in a neutral color.  Plus I recall thinking again the cost of the builder installing something better was way more than anything I'd do later.  Yup I know the neighbor down the street has these two things but they also have a crap layout and other items in the house such as the cabinets are cheap.



Well the unfortunate reality is that you made choices that are now biting you in the ass. No different that hunting down a new car with manual window cranks and no AC( if that's still possible, LOL) It might be  what you want, but don't expect to sell it easily, or not take a huge hit on a trade-in.  In reality, Granite is roughly $1-1.5K  more than laminate on a typical builder grade kitchen, and SS is worth about $75 per appliance. Unfortunately there is no shortage of buyers who surf Zillow, look at a four year old house with cheap appliances, and laminate counters, and click right past. You might want to get an honest opinion from your realtor as to how this is impacting your marketability, and if it's worth addressing? In some markets it's meaningless. In my market, houses last for a few days, to weeks, and many kitchens are horrendous, often 4-6 decades old, and repainted with shitty countertops, so it is meaningless. In other areas it's a deal breaker. Good luck with the sale.

Actually they aren't deal breakers.  And my realtor's opinion is that they don't need to be worried about.  I just found it funny that it was my first and only feedback that was so typically house hunters.  I know my area, they are not issues.

Rowellen

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #112 on: June 17, 2017, 07:38:15 PM »
Having lived with stainless steel appliances for 9 years now, next time I'll be going back to white. It's a complete PITA to upkeep. We didn't pay much extra for ours though. We got our fridge on clearance as it was a display model and opened on the opposite side to the majority of fridges.

It amazes me how so many people on those shows make comments about things like that as if they are deal breakers, when these things are so easily changed.

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #113 on: June 17, 2017, 08:43:16 PM »
I'm in the process of selling my house and just had what I'll call my first "House Hunters comments."  Yes, I know I choose not to upgrade 4 years ago to stainless steel appliances for the kitchen.  Why you ask I refuse to pay an extra $1,000-1,500 for a decoration on my appliances.  I also personally hate granite and didn't have the time to figure out what solid surface I liked when buying so I just went with the standard option of Laminate in a neutral color.  Plus I recall thinking again the cost of the builder installing something better was way more than anything I'd do later.  Yup I know the neighbor down the street has these two things but they also have a crap layout and other items in the house such as the cabinets are cheap.

Well the unfortunate reality is that you made choices that are now biting you in the ass. No different that hunting down a new car with manual window cranks and no AC( if that's still possible, LOL) It might be  what you want, but don't expect to sell it easily, or not take a huge hit on a trade-in.  In reality, Granite is roughly $1-1.5K  more than laminate on a typical builder grade kitchen, and SS is worth about $75 per appliance. Unfortunately there is no shortage of buyers who surf Zillow, look at a four year old house with cheap appliances, and laminate counters, and click right past. You might want to get an honest opinion from your realtor as to how this is impacting your marketability, and if it's worth addressing? In some markets it's meaningless. In my market, houses last for a few days, to weeks, and many kitchens are horrendous, often 4-6 decades old, and repainted with shitty countertops, so it is meaningless. In other areas it's a deal breaker. Good luck with the sale.

You can get adhesive film that looks like stainless, and also granite. I'm 100% sure that few people would even notice it wasn't genuine, because I have the granite film on my laminate countertop. It's sealed with marine epoxy. People always comment on the expensive looking tops. One day I'll put the stainless stuff on my fridge. Even my bathroom glazing isn't genuine frosted glass, I'm afraid.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #114 on: June 17, 2017, 10:10:29 PM »
Having lived with stainless steel appliances for 9 years now, next time I'll be going back to white. It's a complete PITA to upkeep. We didn't pay much extra for ours though. We got our fridge on clearance as it was a display model and opened on the opposite side to the majority of fridges.

It amazes me how so many people on those shows make comments about things like that as if they are deal breakers, when these things are so easily changed.
It also astonishes me that people pay $4-5k on kitchen appliances (stove, fridge, dishwasher only!).

TomTX

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #115 on: June 18, 2017, 09:19:15 AM »
It amazes me how so many people on those shows make comments about things like that as if they are deal breakers, when these things are so easily changed.

I have watched these shows in hotels. It's amazing how many people act like single dated overhead fixture is a dealbreaker on a $400k house!

I mean, guys. Go to Home Depot and spend $30 for a new fixture. Get out a screwdriver and swap 'em. Should take like an hour for your very first time ever.

paddedhat

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #116 on: June 18, 2017, 09:26:50 AM »
Having lived with stainless steel appliances for 9 years now, next time I'll be going back to white. It's a complete PITA to upkeep. We didn't pay much extra for ours though. We got our fridge on clearance as it was a display model and opened on the opposite side to the majority of fridges.

It amazes me how so many people on those shows make comments about things like that as if they are deal breakers, when these things are so easily changed.
It also astonishes me that people pay $4-5k on kitchen appliances (stove, fridge, dishwasher only!).

My son is buying a $200K house. The current owner bought it as a $70K foreclosure, and dumped $200K +  into it, over the decade he occupied it. It includes a $35K custom built hickory kitchen with a $5K range, and a $75k  pole barn that I could fit my house in.  Sometimes it's nice to be able to reap the benefits of other's extraordinarily bad choices.

Dicey

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #117 on: June 18, 2017, 09:58:24 AM »
Here's another example of that:

http://www.estately.com/listings/info/1316-rudgear-rd--2

This house was purchased in 7/07 for $1,399,500. It's currently on the market for $1,475,000. What the photos can't completely convey is that the owner redid the entire house, using an expensive high-end, custom builder with top quality materials and finishes. DH estimates that they spent a cool half million on upgrades over the last decade.  The setting is beautiful, but the decor is somewhat taste-specific and it's located on a busy road.

For the right buyer, this is an amazing deal. For the seller, meh. They got to live the way they wanted and the money spent is not going to derail them financially. (They are mid-50's and FIRE, just not mustachian.)

From the a mustachian perspective, wow, we can't even imagine... oh, the reason for the sale? The owner's ready to downsize.

Broadway2019

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #118 on: August 11, 2017, 08:18:58 AM »
So I had to post because I just watched 'Island Hunters' and what is more ridiculous than buying an island house? Going on a vacation to search for the perfect vacation!!

In this particular episode, the couple is looking for a luxurious vacation and looks to be in their 30's. The agent takes them to Bora Bora and they tour the St. Regis. The price tag he quotes is $34,500 for a week! ONE WEEK!

Also, have these people never heard of credit card hacking?

Jrr85

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #119 on: August 11, 2017, 09:12:21 AM »
So I had to post because I just watched 'Island Hunters' and what is more ridiculous than buying an island house? Going on a vacation to search for the perfect vacation!!

In this particular episode, the couple is looking for a luxurious vacation and looks to be in their 30's. The agent takes them to Bora Bora and they tour the St. Regis. The price tag he quotes is $34,500 for a week! ONE WEEK!

Also, have these people never heard of credit card hacking?

I think I actually saw that episode.  Usually they are actually looking to buy an island.  I have seen several episodes and I think that is the only one where they are looking for a place to vacation, which is sort of a ridiculous concept.  I'm guessing some tourist organization from there threw some money at them to spotlight the area so they did that?  Or else the show's producers wanted to visit Bora Bora and there weren't really any islands for sale, so they changed the concept for one show?

Laura33

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #120 on: August 11, 2017, 09:27:33 AM »
So I had to post because I just watched 'Island Hunters' and what is more ridiculous than buying an island house? Going on a vacation to search for the perfect vacation!!

In this particular episode, the couple is looking for a luxurious vacation and looks to be in their 30's. The agent takes them to Bora Bora and they tour the St. Regis. The price tag he quotes is $34,500 for a week! ONE WEEK!

Also, have these people never heard of credit card hacking?

I think I actually saw that episode.  Usually they are actually looking to buy an island.  I have seen several episodes and I think that is the only one where they are looking for a place to vacation, which is sort of a ridiculous concept.  I'm guessing some tourist organization from there threw some money at them to spotlight the area so they did that?  Or else the show's producers wanted to visit Bora Bora and there weren't really any islands for sale, so they changed the concept for one show?

No, I've actually seen several where the couple is looking for a honeymoon/vacation.  I share your thoughts on the tourist organization -- all of the "vacation" ones that I have seen have been in the South Pacific.

That is one show that I basically need to stop watching because it makes me feel bad.  We were watching the other night, and these guys were looking for a $10M island in the South Pacific to start their own private resort, and then the next guys were looking for a $15-25M island in the South Pacific to start *their* own private resort.  And DH looked at me and said, "What do these people DO that they can afford that?  We've done something wrong." :-)

I'm a red panda

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #121 on: August 11, 2017, 09:41:30 AM »
Is it two different shows? I thought there was one where they bought an island, but another one where they tour 3 different vacation rentals and then buy the one where they go on vacation (I think like, immediately following the show- it's like "shop for your hotel room"- so I imagine that is super duper fake.)

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #122 on: August 11, 2017, 10:44:46 AM »
So I had to post because I just watched 'Island Hunters' and what is more ridiculous than buying an island house? Going on a vacation to search for the perfect vacation!!

In this particular episode, the couple is looking for a luxurious vacation and looks to be in their 30's. The agent takes them to Bora Bora and they tour the St. Regis. The price tag he quotes is $34,500 for a week! ONE WEEK!

Also, have these people never heard of credit card hacking?

That's the exact show that was playing in the clinic where I just went for my allergy shot. They constantly have some kind of reality-TV house hunter nonsense on their TV in the waiting room. It makes me itch. I've built up an immunity to the pollen but not to stupidity.

I'm a red panda

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #123 on: August 11, 2017, 10:46:13 AM »
So I had to post because I just watched 'Island Hunters' and what is more ridiculous than buying an island house? Going on a vacation to search for the perfect vacation!!

In this particular episode, the couple is looking for a luxurious vacation and looks to be in their 30's. The agent takes them to Bora Bora and they tour the St. Regis. The price tag he quotes is $34,500 for a week! ONE WEEK!

Also, have these people never heard of credit card hacking?

That's the exact show that was playing in the clinic where I just went for my allergy shot. They constantly have some kind of reality-TV house hunter nonsense on their TV in the waiting room. It makes me itch. I've built up an immunity to the pollen but not to stupidity.

I greatly prefer this to the places that play either CNN or FOX News constantly.

Laura33

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #124 on: August 11, 2017, 11:08:35 AM »
Is it two different shows? I thought there was one where they bought an island, but another one where they tour 3 different vacation rentals and then buy the one where they go on vacation (I think like, immediately following the show- it's like "shop for your hotel room"- so I imagine that is super duper fake.)

Nope, same one.  Trust me, I know my real estate porn.  ;-)

Nate R

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #125 on: August 11, 2017, 11:32:27 AM »
Too small kitchen (or bathroom) is the premise of like 80% of the episodes.

Everytime my husband and I are in the kitchen and get into each others way we say we need a new house.

:-D We do that too.

kaypinkHH

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #126 on: August 11, 2017, 11:33:37 AM »
I used to be a HUGE HGTV fan, but since cutting cable hadn't tuned in in a while. A few months ago while on vacation we tuned into Beach Front Bargain Hunt. Every day. (Ironically we were on a beach vacation but by mid afternoon needed a break from the sun).

Now this show could be almost mustachian! It has bargain hunt in it's name!!! The premise is that the house (or condo) needs to be under 300k, and most are reasonable sized properties. No McMansions here...but the people who are looking for these houses drive me insane.

For "budget" shoppers they are ridiculous with their must haves. The thing that killed me the most was the DOUBLE VANITY. This was always the deal breaker. House 1 is NEXT TO THE OCEAN, but has 1 sink in the bathroom. House 2 is a 15 minute walk from the ocean but has a double vanity. They always pick house 2.

While we were watching this an add for Home Depot came on, advertising their new DOUBLE VANITY. The add showed two kids brushing their teeth at a SINGLE SINK and one of them accidentally knocks something into it...and mom and dad looking at each other in a state of despair. Voice over comes on: "What do you do when you've out grown your bathroom?" Cut to parents shopping at home depot, and then cut to kids peacefully brushing their teeth with TWO SINKS. Voice over "Home depot, fixing families since XXXX" (or whatever the cheesy slogan is).

And don't get me started about the interior cosmetic 1 weekend fixes that are deal breakers...ugh!

robartsd

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Re: More House Hunters foolishness
« Reply #127 on: August 11, 2017, 03:19:59 PM »
What does "needs updating" mean?
  • HGTV - out of style (sometimes only just), but perfectly servicable
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