House Hunters TV Show

[chewbacca]

Does anyone else watch this? I love looking at the different houses and getting ideas for what I want in my next house. But the price of some of these and what their budget is just gets me. I asked my husband what we are doing wrong!

There was an episode of a young couple (25 yo) where she was a Pharmacist (same profession as my DH) and he was a student. They paid $400,000.00 for a house in Florida! The first thing I asked my DH was do Pharmacists make that much more in Florida than Ohio? There was no way we could of afforded a house for that price when we were 25 yo.

 

[Acklander]

There may be another source for income. One woman I know, who was to receive a inheritance when she turned 30 was able to draw on it before hand for things like college and her down payment on her house. Another guy I know receives just under 50K a year from a family trust. He works at a "regular" type job in addition to the trust money. I don't know how much money is in the family trust, but this is his portion of the interest off the money, after he passes, his portion is divided amongst his children and so on.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I absolutely LOVE HH and HHI. Some of the prices do amaze me. Especially ones in places like Nicaragua....


I love taking virtual tours of homes. I like to see other decorating styles.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Just one of several shows I really like, Selling New York is a favorite and House Hunters International (probably the only way I will see other countries except EPCOT) sometimes the prices are outrageous. I do remember when a couple looked for a house in Orlando (don't think same couple as you're talking about) and the prices were about right...things that get me...when they focus on the cosmetic I find myself yelling at the tv "Its only paint ! " OR Property Virgins love the host but the couples that have to see 100's of homes thinking there is something always better out there...then I feel smug, saw 3 bought the 3rd I saw! as far as the $ and where they get it...so many variables

 

[Luvchefmic]

Does anyone else watch this? I love looking at the different houses and getting ideas for what I want in my next house. But the price of some of these and what their budget is just gets me. I asked my husband what we are doing wrong!

There was an episode of a young couple (25 yo) where she was a Pharmacist (same profession as my DH) and he was a student. They paid $400,000.00 for a house in Florida! The first thing I asked my DH was do Pharmacists make that much more in Florida than Ohio? There was no way we could of afforded a house for that price when we were 25 yo.

Yes wait I do remember them...wasn't he a MED student so the mtg approval could have been based on that ...not sure though...but if so combined income (or potential if he had a position lined up) certainly could qualify for $400,000.....drop in the bucket ( I so should have gone Med or Law )

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I so agree with your thoughts on the home prices. It's like - REALLY??? And on HHI, people are dropping 3 - 400,000 on vacation homes. Good for them for doing so well but ... wow!!!
Of course, maybe if I stopped my DCL addiction I could afford a $400,000 vacation home too.

 

[TerriP]

We love to watch HH, HHI, and Property Virgins! I always assumed they show a lot of houses in higher price ranges because those houses are more fun to look at. If it was constantly shows about John and Jane looking for a $95,000 fixer-upper, who would watch? It's more fun to look at more expensive houses...to ohhh, ahhh, and dream!

 

[pyrxtc]

I don't understand a lot of that. I read about one place that had a median income $45,000 and the median home price is $450,000 . ??? How does that work?

 

[wdwfan16]

I love HH and HHI. What surprises me the most is the budget. They are approved for $550K with a downpayment of $5K. How the hell will you make the payments is you are renting and living paycheck to paycheck?

I really like to see the HHI where they are not vacation homes. It is really interesting to see how other parts of the world lives. How different the kitchens are. The one of the young couple in Hungary was a favorite. They show Soviet homes and how poorly constructed they were.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

A lot of people are going to be house poor. I hate seeing people go over their budget just to get EVERYTHING on their wish list. Sometimes people just need realistic expectations and not go overboard.

 

[disneyfans95]

Watch for the VERY end of the show. You will see the end credits roll and the date of the episode.

A ton of the house hunters they are showing are from 2007, way before the housing crash.

There are more recent ones, but honestly 2/3 of them are from 2007 or earlier.

I just wish they would bring back real estate intervention. That was a great show that told sellers how it really was.

My main issue is these shows are too fluffy. Sunshine and moonbeams and very few times do they show the truth about buying/selling homes.

There was one show last year that did a recap on the First Time Home show and that was pretty good. Went back a year or so later to the first time buyers to see how they were doing, any up/downs. That was interesting.

 

[Sugardimples]

HH is my favorite show. I need my daily fix!

I also find myself talking to the screen about some of the comments that the buyers make. I especially don't understand the "need" to update perfectly good bathrooms or to replace perfectly good appliances with stainless steel.

But I do like seeing all the different houses. I've learned a lot watching!

 

[mlittig]

I love those shows and often marvel at how young some of the buyers are and what huge amounts they are spending on homes

 

[Planogirl]

HHI and HH are fun shows but the list of what people expect always amazes me. Everything is always too small or the white appliances have to be changed immediately and so on. I guess that we just decided to be more realistic about what we could afford and that included small rooms and older appliances!

 

[disykat]

I'm also always amazed at the expense of those homes and the young couples who seem to feel they need their dream house.

As for pharmacists in Florida, I happen to know of one. I don't know exactly where she works, but she's 25 and makes more money than my husband and I have ever dreamed of making. It's "the story" in our family because we've all just been amazed.

 

[purplegirl247]

It's also funny to me that these people are surprised at the price points and what they can afford (sometimes with House Hunters but EGREGIOUSLY with Property Virgins). I scoured over online listings for MONTHS before we started looking at houses, but these people seem clueless when it comes to the right neighborhoods, the right price points, etc. There's a good chance it's edited to look that way, but for once I want someone to stand up and say, "We picked this neighborhood because we looked at the other comparables and know we can afford it," instead of "ooooh, the counters are granite!" lol!

 

[jen0610]

We love to watch HH, HHI, and Property Virgins! I always assumed they show a lot of houses in higher price ranges because those houses are more fun to look at. If it was constantly shows about John and Jane looking for a $95,000 fixer-upper, who would watch? It's more fun to look at more expensive houses...to ohhh, ahhh, and dream!

And see I would much prefer to see some of these lower end of the budget house buyers. Show me some that are happy and content with looking at the 20-30 year old homes to fix up, some that are looking for condo's or town homes, some for the huge ready to move in family homes, some for the historic homes. Show me big cities and small towns. It seems, like they have gotten into a rut and the only homes they show on HH any more, are those with the 200,000+ plus budgets.

 

[ksjayhawks]

Some of those buyers put very little if anything down and are paying a huge mortgage! It always amazes me the ones who buy a house but don't have money for closing costs! They shouldn't be buying a home yet if they don't have the money for down payment and closing costs. Lots of those buyers buy houses at the max of what they are approved for.

 

[MiniGirl]

I do like watching HHI, but that is because I long to buy a place in Belize or somewhere with a gorgeous view, etc. So I like watching people doing what I can only dream of doing -- well, at least until I can talk my dh into it as well. LOL!

People are funny though. When we are looking for a house, I look at furniture and stuff but only to compare it, size wise, to ours. The cosmetic stuff is never a deal breaker though. I'm always amazed that these people can't see past that. Shows just how impotant staging really is.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

And see I would much prefer to see some of these lower end of the budget house buyers. Show me some that are happy and content with looking at the 20-30 year old homes to fix up, some that are looking for condo's or town homes, some for the huge ready to move in family homes, some for the historic homes. Show me big cities and small towns. It seems, like they have gotten into a rut and the only homes they show on HH any more, are those with the 200,000+ plus budgets.

I have been actively watching since January and I love both HH and HHI. HHI helped us to resolve our living dilemma with our move. I wondered how is it that so many people can buy 2 homes. It sparked me to research and though I'm not happy to own 2 homes....I'm happy that we found a resokutiion to our upside down real estate situation and not walking away.

I have noticed a variety of budgets. Never under 100k...but I've noticed quite the variety of home styles and areas. It is always in a city or suburb. That makes HHI appealing at times. They actually show more rural purchases at times.


As for pharmacists and what they make....I've been told around 100k. Can't recall where I got this info.


If the episode was current, it won't matter what the potential income he has...other then them as a couple of determinj
ing the affordabity of what they qualify for.

With her income----it is totally doable to buy that expensive of a home even if she has student loans.

And depending on the area, it may even be FHA eligible and require a smaller down payment. (where we bought...the FHA cap goes well above 400k...scary!). So o. A 400k home, they can buy it with as little as $12k (3%) to $20k(5%) down. And if they got full sellers assist with closing, they don't have to worry about that.

Not saying that is wise as I have no clue about there finances....just that it is feasible based on a starting pharmacist's salary alone if it were 100k as an example.