House Hunters "Top of Price Range"

[Kathi OD]

"Space to entertain" is what kills me. Buy a house you need for your family. I know I'd never buy a house just because it would be great for my once a year party. Jeez.

And "Natural Light" as opposed to all the homes that I have toured with the big theatrical lights shining into the rooms.

I House Hunters, but seriously think me and DH are the only people in the country who are not entertaining every weekend. It works for me, we go to other people's places and they do all the preparation and cleanup!

 

[Janepod]

I House Hunters, but seriously think me and DH are the only people in the country who are not entertaining every weekend. It works for me, we go to other people's places and they do all the preparation and cleanup!

Don't worry about it! Our realtor always tells us that the people who choose a house "because it's great for entertaining" are the ones who are divorced within three years. He jokes they're great for business.

 

[Maddie2]

I'm hooked on this show, too - especially the international version. Even if it is staged - it's fun to different homes - esp. in other countries!

Does anyone know - are these people paid? If so, how much? It's great exposure for the realtors and the local tourism board, but I'm wondering about the homebuyers? A lot of them look pretty shallow by the end of the show! There is no way I would ever do it.

 

[FayeW]

I have never in my life used the word "pretty" to describe cabinets, windows or floors. Beautiful, gorgeous, or nice, yes, but not pretty. I think it is way overused as is the phrase "this could work". Imagine, using a bedroom as a bedroom, who would ever think of that!


The very funniest was the show where the buyer opened the closet and said "look at this closet...this will be great for storage!". Using a closet for storage, what will they think of next?

 

[focusondisney]

I think it is way overused as is the phrase "this could work".

I forgot about that one!

 

[Octoberbride03]

I wasn't trying to be defensive. I did sort of miss the point about dark floor and counters with (cheap) white cabinets. I think you're right, if they'd gone with something lighter it probably would have looked loads better.

I'm also with you in that I can totally see the potential in a house. Well, most houses... some I'm pretty sure have NO potential short of gutting them (saw a few like that over thanksgiving this year... )

Oh I know, I actually should have made the point in my first post. But by the time I thought of that I'd gotten off the boards to go do stuff and when i came back you'd commented.

 

[mdsoccermom]

This is the point at which DH and I look at each other, roll our eyes and say, "DOG PEOPLE!" There are people who love their dogs and then there are "dog people." The ones who buy a $600,000 house based on what Fido or FiFi will enjoy. "Fifi (who is the size of a rat) will LOVE this yard!" "Fido will adore this space!" (We'd call it a living room, but it's HGTV, so it's a "space.") And they will reject an otherwise perfect home because the family canine might not be suitably enthusiastic over it.

I can understand taking certain pet-related matters into consideration when buying a bouse. One single woman had an older arthritic dog who could not manage stairs, so she preferred a one-story. That made sense to me. We must buy a house with a place for a litterbox that is hidden away from sight and smell. But I do not consult kitty about what constitutes a perfect house. And I notice NO ONE ever says, "The cat will adore this house!" or "This flooring is not suitable for kitty." No, it is ALWAYS dog people. Never cat people.

As long as we're talking terms that annoy us....and I'm a fan of doing away with the term "man cave".....aside from "space", I have a loathing of "price point." It's just price. Period.

LOL! I thought I was the only one annoyed by the word "space." It's a freaking room.

I also hate the people who walk into a house and fixate on the paint or the chandelier. "I don't know, I'm really not a fan of the chandelier." Then change it!

Oh, and the words "clean lines" grate on my nerves.

 

[mdsoccermom]

And what's with all the people that HAVE to have a house before the wedding? When DH and I, and all our friends married, we rented for a bit until we found a house. Our world's kept turning.

 

[Sugardimples]

I'd like to know how many previous buyers, who bought more house than they could afford because they "had to have" granite and hardwood, have ended up in foreclosure.

 

[EMom]

And what's with all the people that HAVE to have a house before the wedding? When DH and I, and all our friends married, we rented for a bit until we found a house. Our world's kept turning.

I know laws vary by state, but in TX, what really matters is what your marital status was when you bought the house. Although there are exceptions, basically if you buy it before marriage it is separate property and marrying does not make it community property. If you buy it after marriage, it is community property.

When we sold our first house, we were still in our twenties. We sold it to a man who was about to be married. Because of how long closing took back then, we really could have scheduled it for after the wedding, but he was INSISTENT that it be BEFORE the wedding. Fiance seemed happy to get the house, period.

DH and I said that girl must have been as dumb as dirt, because any self-respecting Texas girl would have known to buy the house AFTER the wedding so it would be community property instead of separate property. He was the one in a rush and why not? Buy it before and it's all his, even if she helps make the payments for years. There is no way I would have gone for this deal, had I been her. Even the realtor raised an eyebrow now and then. The bride to be seemed to be the only one who didn't realize what was going on.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I know laws vary by state, but in TX, what really matters is what your marital status was when you bought the house. Although there are exceptions, basically if you buy it before marriage it is separate property and marrying does not make it community property. If you buy it after marriage, it is community property.

When we sold our first house, we were still in our twenties. We sold it to a man who was about to be married. Because of how long closing took back then, we really could have scheduled it for after the wedding, but he was INSISTENT that it be BEFORE the wedding. Fiance seemed happy to get the house, period.

DH and I said that girl must have been as dumb as dirt, because any self-respecting Texas girl would have known to buy the house AFTER the wedding so it would be community property instead of separate property. He was the one in a rush and why not? Buy it before and it's all his, even if she helps make the payments for years. There is no way I would have gone for this deal, had I been her. Even the realtor raised an eyebrow now and then. The bride to be seemed to be the only one who didn't realize what was going on.

This is not really true. To the extent mortgage payments are made after the marriage with community property, it's community property. To the extent any payments, including the down payment, are made with separate property, the house is separate property.

 

[EMom]

This is not really true. To the extent mortgage payments are made after the marriage with community property, it's community property. To the extent any payments, including the down payment, are made with separate property, the house is separate property.

Title is determined by inception of property rules and he got that house before the marriage, as a single man. It is separate property. If she helped make payments, she could sue to get reimbursed for part of that, but then you have to deal with the question of what she would have paid to live ANYWHERE, etc. That gets complicated. She wouldn't get half the value of what has been put into it.

 

[T*Bird]

This thread is hilarious! Add me to the list of people who are hooked on House Hunters even though so much of it drives me crazy!

My biggest pet peeve is the word SPACIOUS. "The den is so spacious" "Look how spacious the master bedroom is!" What's wrong with BIG? Sometimes I think the buyers are threatened that they will be tased if they use the word big instead of spacious.

Someone also mentioned the closet thing. It goes without saying that the wife will say to her husband, "The master closet is really spacious.....but you'll have to use the closet in the spare room." Or something along those lines.

I know they have to keep up the suspense by finding some drawbacks to each house. But it kills me when they make their choice and say, "House #3 just fit our needs perfectly!" when 10 minutes earlier they were saying the kitchen was dated or the yard was too small.

But I hardly ever miss a new episode!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

OP, I can tell you what happened with us.

We got a specific price range we could afford from our mortgage company with a pre-approved mortgage letter listing the range.

This was based on our 2 salaries but we wanted a home we could afford on only 1 salary in case one of us was laid off work (and I was, often because I worked for ad agencies and every time they'd lose a big client, they'd lay off most of their people.)

But we weren't comfortable with the high end of the range and told our real estate buyer agent a lower range that we were more comfortable with . Yet he still kept showing us houses over that range which would drive us nuts even though it was still within the range the mortgage company said we could afford.

We actually let him go after the 4th one because he wasn't listening to us and went with a new buyers agent who actually listened to us.
So maybe that's some of what happened on the TV show.

 

[Pembo]

I watch this show a lot - too much, really. I admit it drives me crazy sometimes. The ones that get me are choosing a home because their dog(s) will like the yard. That will be the day when I choose a home because my dog will like it.

You left out the part where you see the dog at the end of the show and it's a tiny little thing that really doesn't need a 2 acre lot! LOL

Dh and I are addicted to this show, probably bc it's always on. We are constantly talking about the double vanity. I've been married a long time and somehow we can get ready with only one sink in the bathroom!
Or dh's favorite, I need a place to grill

 

[Tinkerbell58]

Anybody watch Property Virgins? A couple will be pre-approved for $300,000 and have a down payment of $50,000, which allows them to spend $350,000 for a home. I don't understand that. If I qualify for a $300,000 home and had a $50,000 down payment, I'd still only qualify for a $300,000 home.

 

[DeaverTex]

The qualification is for a loan. So being qualified for $300,000 means that you can get a loan up to that amount. The $50,000 down payment is on top of that.

I just wonder how so many newlyweds or nearlyweds or singles can afford that kind of loan and down payment. What do they do for a living? Run drugs?

 

[Coconut36]

The qualification is for a loan. So being qualified for $300,000 means that you can get a loan up to that amount. The $50,000 down payment is on top of that.

I just wonder how so many newlyweds or nearlyweds or singles can afford that kind of loan and down payment. What do they do for a living? Run drugs?

What is the average age of the newlyweds on these shows though? I think generally they are in their mid to late 20s or 30s. People who have established themselves in decent jobs or been steadily working their way up the ladder.

We bought our house at 18 and 23..DH was in the better spot financially than I was then but we still had a down for the house and the ability to furnish it.

 

[chewbacca]

I like when they mention their jobs and most of them are in sales and marketing. Are there really that many sales and marketing jobs? I also have to shake my head when you have two teachers and their budget is $400,000. My DH and I wonder what we are doing wrong!

 

[bellarella]

Hahaha. Well, house hunting with me would drive people crazy, it seems.

I've moved more than I would like and might be able to explain some things:

"Top of the price range" -- I have never been honest with a realtor about my price range. It's all a game and I know the rules. Plus, I always have three numbers -- the number I'd like to spend, the number I plan to spend, and the number I actually spend. None of these numbers have anything to do with what the bank says I can spend. With relatively artificial top price ranges, it is easy to buy at or above that range. Basically, my house hunting range reflects what I will spend on "a" house. If I find "the" house, I'll go to the top or a bit over.

"This will work" -- common phrase for me. I tend to buy for location, which means I'm often looking at the least expensive homes in a more expensive area. I am looking for a home that will "work." There are certain things I know I can live with and ones I know I can't. "This could work" comes out when I hate the cosmetics of a home but can see the potential in the bones. Or when I'm in a location I really like, but am less than thrilled with the house -- can I work with it, even though I don't like it, or will it really be a daily problem.

"Space" -- I do probably say this. I do think is terms of space. Rooms are just were the walls are right now. I usually look at a house and think about how the space is arranged. I'll repurpose space or think about how I can rework the flow of the house if necessary.

Granite -- I couldn't care less about. It is much cheaper to put in than people tend to think. (When I sold one house, I put in granite because it looked like I spent 3 times as much as I actually spent -- house sold the next showing after it was installed.)

Wall color -- I also don't care. Wallpaper, on the other hand, will give me pause. I won't not buy a house because of it, but I will have a visceral reaction against it before my rational self returns

Entertaining space -- actually fairly high on my list. We like to have people over. I like to have space to set up tables and that is conducive to people being comfortable. I will trade bedroom space for "entertaining" space any day. I also find that homes with good entertaining space are good for family living -- it keeps us out in the open, while still not being on top of each other (and not retreating to bedrooms).

Home office -- actually important. We do a lot of work from home, so having a dedicated space makes that possible. It needs to be quiet. It is also nice to be able to shut the door on work so it isn't staring you in the face from a corner of the living (or worse, sleeping) space.

I also walk through houses picking apart everything. It doesn't mean that I will end up making a decision on that basis, but if I don't care enough to comment on anything, then I'm not really that interested in buying it.

Even though the show is fake, I still love being able to see the houses. I tend to watch just the recap at the end though