They do. I remember one where the space for the TV (over the fireplace) had to be at least four feet wide and the guy said it wouldn’t be big enough for his TV.
Which brings up another common buyer complaint. “Our furniture won’t fit.” If you really like the house, get smaller furniture. This is another example of a manufactured complaint, but it still irks.
Maybe someone can explain to me why every kid has to have his/her own room. Don’t kids share rooms like they used to?
No, not really unless it is a poor family and/or the kids are very young. Older kids sharing a room is not the norm in the U.S. for the middle-class and above and hasn’t been for a few decades now.
Ok, this is veering a bit OT, but…Love It or List It. I really like the concept, but it’s so darn contrived.
I don’t know why HGTV can’t just go with whatever happens on a program instead of manufacturing ridiculous drama to engage what they must think are our pea brains. :rolleyes:
Yeah, that’s another show that drives me nuts. Sure, they fixed a few things in your crappy house that doesn’t work for you, but it’s still the same crappy house that doesn’t work for you (with a nicer kitchen and a coat of paint).
And the people yelling at the horrible witch designer because she has to fix the house so it doesn’t fall down around their heads - I’m sorry you’re not going to get all the things on your wish list, but your house is also less likely to collapse now that the missing structural beam has been repaired.
She actually has a moderately popular blog: Diary of a White Indian Housewife. A friend LOVES her blog, I think it’s sort of meh.
Thanks for the link. 
That designer is a saint.
“We need to have four bedrooms on the top floor with an office.”
“But there is room for only three bedrooms. And you didn’t say anything about an office before now.”
“Make it work. We’re still mad this is going over budget.”
“It’s over budget because your air conditioner should have exploded three years ago and it needed to be replaced.”
There was one recently where an Australian woman was moving to … Scotland, I think it was, to be with the boyfriend whom she had dated for only a week. :eek:
They’d been in an LDR for the next few months, but still, what a decision to make on such a small foundation. This one was also memorable because the boyfriend was 6’ 10", and one of the houses they saw was built 300 years ago and was so low to the ground that he actually had to kneel to get through some of the doors (they didn’t pick that one).
I haven’t watched House Hunteres since before the real estate bubble burst, but what I learned was how insanely overpriced California houses were. I remember one house that was tiny, probably no bigger than my garage. The asking price was $500,000. Granted, it had a really nice view, but it was basically a shack and my jaw dropped when they said how much it was worth. HH stopped giving out the prices shortly after this.
I won’t go so far as to call her a saint, since in all her interactions with people other than the homeowners she seems to be an emasculating shrew, but I totally take your point - the homeowners themselves all seem to be completely out of their heads. Am I missing something, or are there really people in North America who don’t know that when you start working on a 70 year old house, you’re going to find unpleasant surprises?
My wife likes one called, if I’m thinking of the right one, Property Virgins. From what I’ve seen of the show, the actual title should be Fuck You, Homebuyer. The host loves asking the couple what they want and their budget, shows them a house that fits all their specs, then tells them it costs $400,000 more than they can spend and they need to adjust their expectations. She clearly loves yanking the rug out from under people. “Yeah, this house is just perfect and gorgeous, isn’t it. Everything you want. Too bad you’ll never afford it. Fuck you, homebuyer!”
I dunno, I think a certain amount of that is justified. If they just immediately went into showing people what their budget would get them, they’re going to be whiny, complaining little bitches and not accept any property.
So it’s “ok, here’s exactly what you demanded, and what it costs. Are you ready to look at what your money will get you now?”
Just saw that one, too. It was in the southeastern corner of England, IIRC. As HH episodes go, it was actually a pretty good one, because both of them (particularly Mr. Tall) had good personalities.
I’ve been watching that show (Love It Or List It) a lot lately. I’m convinced that the homeowners are instructed to complain endlessly about the cost of the renovation endlessly. And I’m further convinced that the real estate agent deliberately starts by showing them homes that don’t meet their requirements. Because at the end of the show, the agent always finds a home that’s just about perfect. And I can’t believe that the people can be that rude to the designer.
I get that most of these shows are manufactured, but this particular aspect you mentioned strikes me as 100% fake with not even a tiny shred of reality.
I assume that everyone goes online to the local MLS and searches by their budget and their preferred zip codes. Before you set foot in a house, you should have a perfect idea of what you can afford, how much space it is and how recently it was renovated.
Otherwise, by this logic, the first time car buyer would be walking into a Bentley dealership saying something like “My budget is 20K but I really need something to hug the road during 100 degree turns”.
Yes!! I (and, I suspect, most people) just want to see the houses for sale and make my own silly comments. If I wanted drama I’d watch CSI or something.
I think you’re giving people way too much credit.
I suspect so, too - there are A LOT of people moving into McMansions in Beigeburbia.
My family is four (wife,two kids, and I). House is 5500 sq ft. Sometimes I feel cramped.