How House Hunters (HGTV Show) really works

[mrsheppo]

It bugs me on HH when the couple can't decide on a house because there isn't an acre of yard for FiFi the wonder poodle to run in. Also that they need 3,000 or more square feet for the couple and a small child to live in. Seriously how much room do you need for 3 people? My house is less than 1,500 sq ft for 3 of us and I wanted it that way because I have to clean it. I saw the episode recently where a couple ended up with 5,000 sq ft for 2 of them.

Another HH phrase I hate is "Look at all the natural light coming in the windows". What else do they think is going to come in through the windows? I think they use that phrase on every show!

 

[design_mom]

Hmmm. I am late to the party. I know that most of the "reality shows" aren't really real. However, I did not realize that the HH folks actually already owned the place. I am also guilty of yelling "you idiot!" at the TV during those shows for some of the questionable choices they make. I guess it makes sense if they already own the place and the other two aren't real options.

On one HHI show, there were three options shown. One of the homes didn't have a *kitchen.* There was a utility sink and a dorm-size refrigerator in the utility closet... and someone had stuck a stove/oven in the dining area (sitting there all by itself). It had a nice patio for entertaining friends, though. The couple complained they couldn't live with the atrocious purple paint in one of the other houses, then picked the house that didn't even have a kitchen! (I don't believe that episode featured the common vegetable-chopping end scene. I think it showed a party on the patio with their friends, because I guess without a kitchen, there's not a good place to chop the vegetables!)

 

[mickeysgal]

It bugs me on HH when the couple can't decide on a house because there isn't an acre of yard for FiFi the wonder poodle to run in. Also that they need 3,000 or more square feet for the couple and a small child to live in. Seriously how much room do you need for 3 people? My house is less than 1,500 sq ft for 3 of us and I wanted it that way because I have to clean it. I saw the episode recently where a couple ended up with 5,000 sq ft for 2 of them.

Another HH phrase I hate is "Look at all the natural light coming in the windows". What else do they think is going to come in through the windows? I think they use that phrase on every show!

Not one of them, I'd bet, stop to think that they'll have to maintain that giant yard either. I mean, they're lazy enough to complain about paint colors and dated ceiling fans yet they want the viewing audience to believe they're going to be weekend wizards out there mowing and pruning.

What's the name of the show - I only saw it once - with the twin daughter and mother/father real estate agents - in California, I believe. What a train wreck that show is. The mother is a camera hog, overbearing, and just plain obnoxious. The father acts dumb as dirt and mute most of the time. The twins seem clueless. Is that show still on?

 

[DeaverTex]

Ya know what I'd like to know? HH often features couples who are just starting out in life and buying their first house. (Like a PP, I wonder why they have to have a house BEFORE the wedding. Huh?) Where are they coming up with a house budget of a half million dollars? Where are they coming up with the down payment?

And why do they all want hardwood floors? Sheesh! They're a nightmare for maintenance, waxing, refinishing, etc. One day, she had just finished polishing the floors when the phone rang at the opposite end of the hall. She dashed off to the phone, couldn't stop, and crashed and burned in a heap against the wall in my room. We had carpet less than two weeks after that.

 

[Andtototoo]

The new buzzword is "open concept". I think they get paid more for each time they can work the phrase 'open concept' and 'stainless steel appliances'
into a sentence.

As far as the entertaining comment, it makes me nuts when I watch HHI and here there are in some far-flung corner of the world, away from all their family and friends, and they're worried about having enough entertaining space.

Just recently watched a HHI episode where a space a couple was considering was $400 a month OVER their budget. They were worried that if and when they had family and friends come to stay that they would feel guilty making them stay on a pull-out sofa so they needed guest space. Yeah, that's the reason to blow your budget each and every month...just in case you have a guest come to visit. That $400 you're overspending each month could go to a real nice hotel room for your guest. How stupid is that? I mean, they're all scripted comments, I get that, but at least TRY to make it believable.

Actually I do find those comments about guest space believable. A while back on another mb, I made a similar comment about people wasting money and space on guest rooms/baths on HH and got reamed by multiple people saying that guest rooms are a huge priority. HUGE. They have family visit "regularly" and would never ever ask them to stay in a hotel because it would be a huge insult. Several people weighed in to say that they have kids sharing rooms to leave one guest room open at all times just in case family comes to visit. I asked them how often people REALLY come to visit and the usual answer was once a year. I was agog that you'd make your kids share a room 52 weeks a year just to keep a room empty for one week a year. But apparently people make that choice. So yeah, while I don't agree with that sort of space (and money) prioritization, I do believe people think that way.

And why do they all want hardwood floors? Sheesh! They're a nightmare for maintenance, waxing, refinishing, etc. One day, she had just finished polishing the floors when the phone rang at the opposite end of the hall. She dashed off to the phone, couldn't stop, and crashed and burned in a heap against the wall in my room. We had carpet less than two weeks after that.

I have found that hardwood floors are SO much easier to clean and care for than carpetting. It takes me 10 minutes to Swiffer the entire upper floor and I'm done. And you don't need to polish your floors to the point where people slide around them no a skating rink. My floors look great, but no one is doing a double axel. It takes me 3 times that long to vacuum my carpetting on the lower floor. If I could get hardwood everywhere, I would. All of us say that we'd never go back to carpet.

 

[mickeysgal]

Actually I do find those comments about guest space believable. A while back on another mb, I made a similar comment about people wasting money and space on guest rooms/baths on HH and got reamed by multiple people saying that guest rooms are a huge priority. HUGE. They have family visit "regularly" and would never ever ask them to stay in a hotel because it would be a huge insult. Several people weighed in to say that they have kids sharing rooms to leave one guest room open at all times just in case family comes to visit. I asked them how often people REALLY come to visit and the usual answer was once a year. I was agog that you'd make your kids share a room 52 weeks a year just to keep a room empty for one week a year. But apparently people make that choice. So yeah, while I don't agree with that sort of space (and money) prioritization, I do believe people think that way.


I have found that hardwood floors are SO much easier to clean and care for than carpetting. It takes me 10 minutes to Swiffer the entire upper floor and I'm done. And you don't need to polish your floors to the point where people slide around them no a skating rink. My floors look great, but no one is doing a double axel. It takes me 3 times that long to vacuum my carpetting on the lower floor. If I could get hardwood everywhere, I would. All of us say that we'd never go back to carpet.

Guest space is ok to have as a priority as long as it fits the budget. It makes no reasonable, common sense to buy something that for each and every month for the life of the loan you (general) had to overpay (in this case $400). You stick to your budget - period. Overbuying is what has gotten this country's housing market in the mess that it is in. Time to play grownup - you don't buy over your budget - not matter who may come to stay with you at some point.

As far as hardwood floors - I agree with you. Give me hardwood floors any day over carpet. So much easier to handle, so much cleaner than carpet.

 

[fairestoneofall]

Ya know what I'd like to know? HH often features couples who are just starting out in life and buying their first house. (Like a PP, I wonder why they have to have a house BEFORE the wedding. Huh?) Where are they coming up with a house budget of a half million dollars? Where are they coming up with the down payment?

And why do they all want hardwood floors? Sheesh! They're a nightmare for maintenance, waxing, refinishing, etc. One day, she had just finished polishing the floors when the phone rang at the opposite end of the hall. She dashed off to the phone, couldn't stop, and crashed and burned in a heap against the wall in my room. We had carpet less than two weeks after that.

i often wonder the same. DH and i built a house a year after we'd gotten married. we both had jobs, but being recent college grads, we weren't rolling in the dough (not that we are now, but we do make more than we did). our first house cost $86,000 for 1200 square feet. we didn't need all the bells and whistles--just somewhere to live. honestly, our current house isn't a $500k house either.

 

[sunshinehighway]

The ones that are really annoying are the people who won't by a house with stair because the have a toddler. Um, you're kid isn't going to be a toddler forever. One day, probably very soon, that kid will be able to walk up and down stairs.

 

[mickeysgal]

The ones that are really annoying are the people who won't by a house with stair because the have a toddler. Um, you're kid isn't going to be a toddler forever. One day, probably very soon, that kid will be able to walk up and down stairs.

You must have been watching the same beach town episode I was watching. The woman made me crazy. Yes, they had a toddler and she didn't want to be carrying the child up and down the outside access stairs. I thought the same thing. Is this kid ever going to grow up or will mommy be carrying the child up and down the stairs forever?

 

[mdsoccermom]

You must have been watching the same beach town episode I was watching. The woman made me crazy. Yes, they had a toddler and she didn't want to be carrying the child up and down the outside access stairs. I thought the same thing. Is this kid ever going to grow up or will mommy be carrying the child up and down the stairs forever?

I didn't see that one, but I did see one where the father was all concerned about having stairs in the house because of the baby. I guess they don't sell child safety gates in his neck of the woods.

 

[Andtototoo]

Guest space is ok to have as a priority as long as it fits the budget. It makes no reasonable, common sense to buy something that for each and every month for the life of the loan you (general) had to overpay (in this case $400). You stick to your budget - period. Overbuying is what has gotten this country's housing market in the mess that it is in. Time to play grownup - you don't buy over your budget - not matter who may come to stay with you at some point.

.

Oh, I agree. I remember one ep of HHI in which the couple was moving overseas and the husband insisted that House #2 was the best one solely because of the fact that the extra bedrooms -- which would be their guest bedrooms (yes, plural) -- had their own bathrooms. He simply could not stomach the notion that their guests would have to share bathrooms. The wife's attitude was, "Well, at home they share a bathroom. Why does our house have to be better than that?" They bought that house solely for those guest bathrooms and then when they went back X months later the wife made a comment about how all of these supposed guests had yet to materialize and they had all these bathrooms that had never been used (she was snarky enough that I thought that was a real moment).

You must have been watching the same beach town episode I was watching. The woman made me crazy. Yes, they had a toddler and she didn't want to be carrying the child up and down the outside access stairs. I thought the same thing. Is this kid ever going to grow up or will mommy be carrying the child up and down the stairs forever?

I saw that episode with my dh and he made that comment. Our dd piped up and said, "Maybe it's Mrs. X from church!" Which cracked us up because Mrs. X from church is a smallish woman who carries around her (perfectly healthy) 8 year old son who's just 2" shorter than she is and generally treats him like he's toddler sized.

 

[maxiesmom]

I didn't see that one, but I did see one where the father was all concerned about having stairs in the house because of the baby. I guess they don't sell child safety gates in his neck of the woods.

Did you see the one (I think they were in France) where the home they looked at had huge windows on all of the upper floors? The mom asked the agent how they were supposed to keep their kids from falling out the windows, and he said something to the effect that you tell them to stay away from the windows. I love that about many of the over-seas shows. They think we are all crazy with being over-protective.

 

[mickeysgal]

Oh, I agree. I remember one ep of HHI in which the couple was moving overseas and the husband insisted that House #2 was the best one solely because of the fact that the extra bedrooms -- which would be their guest bedrooms (yes, plural) -- had their own bathrooms. He simply could not stomach the notion that their guests would have to share bathrooms. The wife's attitude was, "Well, at home they share a bathroom. Why does our house have to be better than that?" They bought that house solely for those guest bathrooms and then when they went back X months later the wife made a comment about how all of these supposed guests had yet to materialize and they had all these bathrooms that had never been used (she was snarky enough that I thought that was a real moment).

He just wanted to play big shot and impress his guests and/or the viewing audience.

 

[tara lynn]

The ones that are really annoying are the people who won't by a house with stair because the have a toddler. Um, you're kid isn't going to be a toddler forever. One day, probably very soon, that kid will be able to walk up and down stairs.

I've seen a few episodes like that. I can't help but roll my eyes at them. You're (hopefully) going to be in the house A LOT longer than your kid is going to be a baby/toddler, so if you really love a house just buy it and deal with it for a year or two.
I grew up in a house with a lot of stairs and never had a problem because my parents bought this crazy invention called a safety gate.

 

[lovin'fl]

On the other side of that, though, I've seen a couple episodes of folks buying homes in tropical places and they chose a home with these lovely views that are high up overlooking the sea. They are on cliffs with wonderful patios that have no railing (so as not to impeded the view). And they have kids. Most of the time the folks with little kids don't choose those homes, but once in awhile they do. Like the episode recently in the Seychelles(sp?) they were pregnant and chose some house up in a bunch of rocks that spilled right into the water and the kids bedrooms were basically us some rickety steps to the attic...the realtor had to tell the ADULTS to be careful going up/down those steps. Was not a 'kid friendly' house at all.

 

[perdidobay]

I learned about 10 years ago that reality shows were all scripted and heavily staged when my DD worked for an interior designer and they were hired to stage a house being filmed for MTV's Cribs. Two weeks to make the house look all blinged up, then filming took place and all the bling went back to the warehouse. Even the super expensive cars sitting in the drive were on loan and went back to the dealer after filming.
The rock star partying down with his friends at the end of the episode were film crew members, staff, and the design firm employees.

I do love watching all the HGTV shows like House Hunters for the same reason many of you have stated, I just like looking at decor and styles in other areas of the country.
I no longer laugh at the inane things the buyers say, as it's all scripted!!
They are merely actors saying their lines for the show.

 

[nhrenee]

Especially when the man says it. Like that's a phrase a guy would use. Likewise, I can't imagine any man in real life using the phrase "plenty of natural light."

Lol, or the phrase " this room is so light and airy".

 

[esk]

My peeve on HHI is how Americans look ugly....."what? the fridge is SO small, I can't handle that, I'm from TEXAS!" or "why is the washing machine in the bathroom, that's so weird!!!!!"

No, that's normal for that country and YOU KNOW THAT. You live there. We just come off sounding like idiots.

"I must be city center.....oh, it's so loud here with the city noises"
"I must have 2 bedrooms....this bedroom isn't big enough for my king size bed (that I probably didn't even ship over)"
"This kitchen is nasty, it has no granite.....oh, look, historic details!"
"I'm so thrilled to be living in Paris, it's been my dream forever....ugh, everything is so French here"

I lived overseas for 10 years and people greatly underestimate how often visitors will come...not only for the $500 and up plane tickets to cross the ocean but the hours on a plane, the passport issue, the fear of the unknown.


I did read on a message board where someone said it was exhausting, doing the filming over and over like 4 days. But a free ticket home to the US would be nice to film the "going away scene"

The only way DH will watch with me is if he can drink everytime someone says "entertain". I'm not kidding.

 

[sunshinehighway]

My peeve on HHI is how Americans look ugly....."what? the fridge is SO small, I can't handle that, I'm from TEXAS!" or "why is the washing machine in the bathroom, that's so weird!!!!!"

No, that's normal for that country and YOU KNOW THAT. You live there. We just come off sounding like idiots.

"I must be city center.....oh, it's so loud here with the city noises"
"I must have 2 bedrooms....this bedroom isn't big enough for my king size bed (that I probably didn't even ship over)"
"This kitchen is nasty, it has no granite.....oh, look, historic details!"
"I'm so thrilled to be living in Paris, it's been my dream forever....ugh, everything is so French here"

I lived overseas for 10 years and people greatly underestimate how often visitors will come...not only for the $500 and up plane tickets to cross the ocean but the hours on a plane, the passport issue, the fear of the unknown.


I did read on a message board where someone said it was exhausting, doing the filming over and over like 4 days. But a free ticket home to the US would be nice to film the "going away scene"

The only way DH will watch with me is if he can drink everytime someone says "entertain". I'm not kidding.

I like the ones that complain about the appliances being smaller. In particular, there was one where the lady made a comment about the oven being to small for her holiday turkeys. Um, do you really think you are going to be cooking dinner for so many people that you need on that will hold a 30lb turkey? You will most likely be cooking just for your immediate family and skyping with the rest of them.
Besides, your going to completely uproot your life and move to a whole new country but can't come up with an alternative holiday meal?

 

[esk]

On the turkey, when I lived in Europe, we ate cornish hens for Thanksgiving because that's all that would fit in my oven.

I read a blog about a family in Provence.....she wanted so bad to have an American Thanksgiving for their French friends. She finally got the local butcher to order her an entire turkey and it cost her like $60 or $70 because they don't sell whole Turkeys in France. Or didn't in her area.

Which is again, so funny. To move across the world to a different country but insist that everything be the same as it is back home.