Anyone watch Propety Virgin on HGTV?

[onelilspark]

I have a bit of a vent for those who watch...

Have you noticed how the realtor always seems to take them to places that are above their wanted budget? It drives me bonkers! The past 2 episodes that I've caught (I'm watching one right now) she's been a good $10-15k above the wanted budget. This is a property virgin show...so if you're a first time homebuyer who doesn't know anything and keep watching this show...do you start thinking that it's normal to go above your budget?! UGH!

She doesn't even take them to a house in the proper budget.

Sorry, this just drives me nuts...is there anyone else out there who feels the same?? Or am I just crazy??

 

[suejai]

DH says the same thing whenever he sees the show, it happens on other real estate shows as well.

 

[onelilspark]

Can I also say...I'd like to find out where they find all these dumb people. If my realtor kept showing me those places when I started looking for my first place...well, I would have found a new realtor.

Also...now there's a guy on House Hunters whose plan is to buy a house so his acapella group can live there with him so they have a practice space. REALLY?! What happens when 4 of them move out and he can't afford the house anymore?

I don't know why I watch these shows...it just raises my blood pressure.

 

[JR6ooo4]

our realtor "friend" did the same thing. But as much as $20-50K over!!!

Boy was he upset when we dumped him... he couldn't understand why.

Mikeeee

 

[onelilspark]

DH says the same thing whenever he sees the show, it happens on other real estate shows as well.

I'm glad I'm not the only one!!!

our realtor "friend" did the same thing. But as much as $20-50K over!!!

Boy was he upset when we dumped him... he couldn't understand why.

Mikeeee

ohhhh that would have made me so mad!

 

[Doe]

When we bought our current home our realtor was very good about only showing us homes in our price range. Now when we bought our 1st home, my mil was our realtor and she kept showing us homes that were about $50,000 above what we could buy. Sooo frustrating!

 

[auntie]

I've only seen this a couple of times,... if its the show I'm thinking of that is. I've also seen her sort of brow beat the buyers as far as what they want and don't want in a home. Minimizing what's important to the buyers. If there is something that's important to them she's told them they aren't spending enough to be able to get that in a home and they should settle on less. The "less" is still usually still more than what the buyer wanted to spend..and they don't get anything they wanted in a home. Bad show.

 

[disykat]

I've noticed that too. However, they are usually asking for things they aren't going to be able to get in their price range. She shows them things above their price range that are still a sacrifice.

When we bought, our realtor didn't show us anything above our price range. We were clear about what our top was even though it was way less than what the bank would loan us. In the market we bought in you offered full price or lost out. Now you can look at things above what you want to pay and expect to lower their price a bit - but usually not 10's of thousands of dollars!

 

[Louise-Montreal]

The show is Canadian and here in Quebec and Ontario, houses are priced higher than what the seller is willing to accept. Because house prices are negotiated you ask for more because the initial offer will always be lower, and then you negotiate up.

Sometimes, but rarely, the seller will get the asking price. Therefore if Sandi is showing them houses over their budget, it is because she will negotiate for what they can pay.

Hope this makes sense!

That said, I prefer House Hunters because I am a nosy parker and I ilke to see the houses after the people have moved in!!

 

[travelbug]

Yeah, I've noticed the same thing. If the people are pre-approved for a certain amount but have the audacity to say they'd rather stay below that amount, she practically ridicules them for being tight-fisted. Hey, lady, ever heard of living within your means?

She comes across pretty arrogant in general, IMHO. But I still watch the show sometimes, because I live vicariously through other people looking for houses. I really like the show "House Hunters" on HGTV.

 

[M&N]

I didn't think the person showing them the houses was a real estate agent. I was going to say something like the last poster. For Property Virgins, I think she tries to make them get realistic with what they can afford.
As we all know, many people's wants far excede what they can actually afford.

 

[stitchlovestink]

I've noticed that too. However, they are usually asking for things they aren't going to be able to get in their price range. She shows them things above their price range that are still a sacrifice.

When we bought, our realtor didn't show us anything above our price range. We were clear about what our top was even though it was way less than what the bank would loan us. In the market we bought in you offered full price or lost out. Now you can look at things above what you want to pay and expect to lower their price a bit - but usually not 10's of thousands of dollars!

bolding is mine...
I agree completely with the above statement. I think she takes them to the higher priced houses first to show them what the market is dictating price wise for what it is they 'want' vs. need. While I don't agree w/ everything she does, I also don't think that the buyers have realistic expectations either. Depending on area/ammenities/wants, many buyers (not all) really haven't researched what to expect. They just go in saying, I want this area, this # of bedrooms/bathrooms, and this square footage. Oh yeah, and make that move in ready too w/ currently updated kitchen/baths. Here where we are, the school district can make the same house $100k different just by where it is in the county. So if you want our school district, and your budget is $250k, you might as well look at a townhouse. Because in general, you're going to have to get a smaller, older fixer upper if you want a single family. Now if you are willing to go w/ the less desirable schools in the county, you could get a really nice new/newer home for than same price. So it just depends on your priorities. I think it's realistic to know you're going to have to compromise and prioritize your wants/needs. but that's just my .02.

 

[mnrose]

And, that can easily mean 10-20K less than asking. It's what the current market dictates. Now, I know from experience that in some markets, offering below listing or significantly below listing just isn't done and would be viewed as an insult, but in some markets, it's the norm. We recently purchased a rental property for almost 15% below listing. The seller took our offer AND paid for a new roof (hail damage).

 

[Shyvioletisme]

this happens ALL the time on House Hunters too and it annoys me so much...and it seems nearly everytime that they are shown a house well out of their price range by the agent on there, they end up picking that one! I just can't believe it...

 

[PaulaSue]

I always thought that was becasue they offer less for the contract so they ahve that wiggle room?

 

[auntie]

I wonder also when these shows were actually filmed, as they seem outdated as far as the real estate market is concerned. Personally if I had a realtor like this lady..I'd get another one. What a snot.

 

[DianeV]

I agree that on Property Virgins she is actually showing them how much the houses with all the stuff they want, in the neighborhood they want, costs. Then its back to reality

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I really like the Property Virgins show. I like how Sandra tries to reel in unrealistic expectations. Our joke when watching that show is that every single buyer wants granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Even if their budget is next to nothing, they want it, no exceptions! They act like any house that doesn't have those 2 things needs to be torn down or be condemned as uninhabitable or something!

I like watching the buyer's come crashing down to Earth in their expectations!

 

[minniecarousel]

See, I think Sandra shows these property virgins what they really can afford. For instance, on a recent show, this couple had set a $140,000 top price. Yet, they were paying $1100 in rent. So she showed them that they needed to look at the monthly mortgage payment, instead of focusing on the asking price. And the asking price is higher than the price you're going to pay.

And yes, some of these episodes were filmed in 2007 & 2008. I like the shows (Househunters) that show the angst of buying a foreclosure! (so much more realistic!)

 

[MrsPete]

I understand what you're saying . . . but the show is about their INEXPERIENCE in the world of real estate.

When my husband and I were engaged and were looking for a house, we had NO CLUE how much our money would buy. We started out thinking very, very conservatively and we looked at tiny, tiny houses. Fortunately, our relator helped us understand that we would outgrow those houses very quickly, and that those houses would never appreciate in value.

So we looked into "what we could afford" to buy, and we saw some really nice houses! Thank goodness we had the sense to realize that we couldn't afford "what we could afford" -- much less more!

Finally we settled down in the middle, and we bought a good basic starter house. However, we must've looked at 30 houses before we bought. I think what's most unrealistic about that show is that everyone looks at THREE HOUSES and then chooses one. It gives the impression that you should be able to pick a house in a week.

Here's an entirely different gripe about that show: They don't do a thing to help people understand anything about closing costs, interest rates, etc. For example, I was watching it tonight and the couple couldn't get a loan . . . they did'nt have enough downpayment . . . so they called every number in the book until someone gave them a loan. The show didn't say, but I guarantee you that was a BAD IDEA! If all those other places wouldn't loan them money, I'm sure the one who finally agreed gave them a HIGH interest rate -- but the show made it out to look as if these folks were so determined and smart to keep looking (after multiple places had turned them down).