The other day I made mention of my most favorite show on television, House Hunters. You all watch it on HGTV just like me? Right? If not, you are MISSING OUT. That Suzanne Whang is one terrific, wiggly house hunting television show host. For your viewing pleasure, House Hunters can be seen at noon, 7:30, or 10:00 Monday through Friday. Just call me, Jennifer, your house hunting show hocker.
I look forward to watching it each night and have probably seen every episode. When we moved to Indiana and went on our own house hunting excursion, I pretended that Suzanne was narrating the whole day…”What will they pick? The ranch with finished basement and cah-ah razy colors? The two-story overlooking the pond, but with a choppy floor plan? Or the gorgeous two story new construction home on the tiny lot?”
I’ve been keeping very informal data about my success rate in guessing which home the people choose. Tate is almost always correct, with about an 85% success rate. I’m not as good, I only guess correctly about 50% of the time since I let my personal taste do the choosing. If real estate agents didn’t have to work evenings and weekends, I’d like to be one. Of course, I’d have to learn to not walk into a house and say things like, “OMG what IS that smell?” Or, “What WERE these people thinking when they put up this hideous wallpaper?”
Here are some things that I wonder about the show…
1. Do the people get paid to be on the show? It seems like everyone goes well over budget OR they do a complete remodel. They MUST get paid to afford to do this.
2. At the end of the show, the new home owners are always holding coffee cups. Why? I mean, every few episodes is alright, but every episode? And seriously, it’s obvious the cups are empty, so they look pretty silly holding empty coffee cups while they talk about how much they love their new home’s layout and hardwood floors.
3. Have the guests on the show already bought one of the houses? It seems like the real estate agent often shows two houses that are clearly not at all what the people are looking for and one house that’s perfect. “Here’s a crappy house beside a cemetery, train tracks and airport, another one that’s $150,000 over your budget, and the last one is on a cul-de-sac in the right school district and near the beach!”
4. Why do so many homes have tile countertops? Aren’t they a bitch to clean?
5. How do people leaving on either coast afford homes? Seriously? How?
6. What does everyone have against popcorn ceilings? I don’t really LOVE a popcorn ceiling, but is it really that big of a deal? On a sidenote: Mmmm, popcorn!
7. I’m thinking way too hard about this show, aren’t I?
my mom LOVES this show. i have seen it, but not too many times. the one question you asked is how people one each coast afford homes. I had to comment. It is the MOST depressing thing trying to buy a home in the tri-state NYC area. You have to spend at LEAST a half mil to get a somewhat decent house and that puts your commute to NYC at 2 hours. 2 HOURS. So Mats spends 4 hours of his day commuting. If we want to live closer we would get a nice shack for $500k.
The other part that is depressing is the fact that most people living in this area can afford a million plus home !! All the traders and Wall Street bigs live in mansions. It is such a discrepancy in wealth.
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We watch this show daily. It’s like snooping through other people’s houses and what’s not to love about that? In addition to the awful hours, dealing with people is the other drawback to being a realtor b/c you know people can be impossible to please when looking for houses. In fact, rarely do I actually like the couple on HH b/c one of them always has unreal expectations like a brand new 4000 sq ft house on 2 acres for $100,000 in LA.
We do two guesses at the end of the show. 1 – which house WE would pick, and 2 – which house we think they will pick. My husband is right more often than I am, too. Doh!
Also, ever since I’ve watched this show (which has been a long, long time), whenever we house hunt (or I look for houses with others), I cannot help but feel I am on an episode of HH. It’s nice to know I’m not alone. I always really wish Suzanne Whang was there, though. The only person that even comes close to competing with her is the lady from Property Virgins. I love her b/c she’s so up front and not all ass-kissy just to get her commission.
Shelly’s last blog post..Baby You Can Drive My Car
I want to know how the folks who do international house hunters do it. How do you afford a home in the US and overseas? Especially th e folks going to France or whatever.
I heart that show though and wish they did a weekly recap of what happen to these folks you know?
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I stopped watching because the question of HOW do people afford these houses in CA and DC almost drove me to insanity.
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I hate that show. Yet I watch it whenever I can.
Sick, I know.
I am convinced they are paid or get money to do the drastic reno’s that miraculously seem to happen within 3 months of them moving in. Huh?
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I don’t get the popcorn ceiling thing, either. Especially since in our area, ALL the houses have popcorn ceilings. The first time I heard someone trash-talking popcorn ceilings, my reaction was “?” I mean, what OTHER kind of ceiling is there?
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I LOVE this show and I love Hidden Potential, too! I just want an update after they’ve lived there – I want to see what they did to the house after they moved in!! Between Food Network and HGTV I don’t need much more in the way of television!
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We got rid of our extended basic cable last year, to save money. And all I have are the networks, TBS, CW and MTV. I miss HGTV so much! And HH was by far my FAV show! I was like you, I have seen every episode.
I LOL about the coffee cup comment. That drives me batty! I don’t know why they make them stand there like dorks!
How ’bout when they show them in their old house, in the kitchen, chopping veggies and trying to navigate in their small kitchen!
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I hate popcorn ceilings! And I can’t explain why! I guess it’s one of those “you want what you don’t have” kind of things. I always had popcorn ceilings, so when we moved into our current house I looked up and sighed, “Ah, ssmmoooth ceilings!”
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I love House Hunters! I never noticed the coffee cup thing, but have you seen he chopping? The mom/wife is ALWAYS chopping veggies in the new kitchen.
Sabrina’s last blog post..That’s quite enough
I watch HH as well and can never guess what house they pick. The other one I watch is Flip This House, it gives me a great desire to want to knock out a wall with a sledge hammer.
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It’s on at 2 in the morning here as well.. I know, I watched it last night.
Love that show.
I don’t know how they afford it all either.
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They have to be getting some kind of compensation to be on the show. I’m going to find out!
ANd I agree totally with the crazy house prices on both coasts. Insane. And it just kills me when I see a couple that looks to be about 24 years old buying an $800,000 house. Just wrong.
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I can’t believe I forgot about the chopping!! It’s really annoying. Can’t the director think of anything else for them to do???
I LOVE that show. And Hidden Potential. And Vacation Home Search (that’s on the Travel channel – have you seen it?) The vacation one is the one that gets me (possibly because I live on a coast and I can answer how we afford houses – help from family and a very strict budget. . . .or people make a TON of money) because those people are buying a second house and are spending like half a mil.
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THANK YOU! I have been arguing with my husband for months that those coffee cups are empty. That’s it, I win. If Binky Bitch says the cups are empty, then you better believe the cups are empty.
Yes, I watch too much HGTV. So what?
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I am SO full of answers these days!
http://www.ehow.com/how_2128037_be-featured-hgtvs-house-hunters.html
The participants get $500. That’s it.
Burgh Baby’s Mom’s last blog post..Silly Billy Burgh Answers All Questions
I love that show! I hate her bangs, but I like her.
I don’t mind the popcorn either but I do mind tile counter tops. However, for the right price, school district and sq footage, I would probably put up with just about anything.
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I just added it to my Season Pass list. I’ll have to get back to you on the answers to these question.
Especially the coffee mug one. I’m really curious now.
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Love the show! One of my sisters’ friends and her husband were on it a few years ago- perhaps you saw it. Valerie and Manny? They have a daughter? I grew up camping with her family. Hopefully that isn’t my only claim to fame!
Popcorn ceilings often have asbestos in them (that is what makes the “popcorn”) Especially if it is an old ceiling…so if you ever want to change it then it can get expensive to have it taken down “legally” (yea you technically have to call someone to take it down for you).
Not to mention they are a pain to pain as that stuff gets everywhere (again see above).
It is actually just a cheap cheesy way for the construction workers to hide defects in the ceiling…instead of putting up the drywall correctly and smoothing it out and making it look really nice, they would put that up there and it would hide the flaws in the boards.
This PSA was brought to you by Sandy.
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I have watched this show, but obviously not as much as you. I’d had some similar thoughts about the houses they show though.
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I am also unable to keep my mouth shut about ugly wallpaper, in fact wallpaper in general is ugly to me. I am glad I am not the only one who thinks they have empty coffee cups.
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I’m with you — could never be on the show because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. It amazes me how restrained the “hunters” are. You never hear them say, “This is a hell-pit!” or “Flocked wallpaper? Are the owners insane?”
I also obsessively watch “Watch You Get For The Money”, which REALLY highlights the craziness of east-west coast home prices. In Jersey, 200,000 will get you a cardboard box. I’m ready to move, but hubs is self-employed and it took years to create a business here.
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Yeah I totally love that show too. And yep I think it’s probably staged because they always get the house they want. How many times have you seen them not get the house and have to settle for the dumpy one with the bad kitchen? Never because it’s all pre-planned. That doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for the show though. And seriously Suzanne Whang needs a stiff drink if you ask me, way too uptight.
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I too adore this show.
I’ve often wondered some of the same things as you and my success rate is about the same as yours since I too use my own personal preference far often than I should.
Mostly though I just get jealous because all these houses look way better than mine.
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OMG I love HH. Do you remember the bad old days when they wouldn’t tell you the actual price? They would elude to the price and say…”pricey #2 which is 30 % more than the first “, But you never knew the price–it was awful! Thankfully, they have changed that because it was STUPID and it isn’t like you couldn’t go on the internet and find out what similar houses in that area sold for! The other thing is if the family/couple has a pet they are front and center in any AFTER activity (even chopping and drinking faux coffee).
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Never saw that show – we don’t have cable (gasp)! It’s all channel 11 for Quinn and NBC for me.
My friend bought a condo in CA with her boyfriend, they broke up, but had to live together for 8 more months while they tried to sell it. She finally told him just to leave and she’s struggling to pay the mortgage.
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I have no idea how people on either coast can afford homes. Do they all make over $100K a year? Makes me happy to have my larger home in Ohio – with as little as we make, we couldn’t even afford a cardboard box in New York.
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I love all of those house shows. And I have some of the same questions and almost no answers.
On the west coast, you either have butt loads of money to buy or you sell your kidneys on the black market….or maybe your soul, I’m not sure. I could never have bought there, but in another year I’ll be able to buy something here. A townhouse to start probably, but at least it will be mine.
Really popcorn is sounding so good right now.
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I love that show. We watch either that or Animal Presinct before bed. Mostly House Hunters. Skinny Horses make me sad.
anne’s last blog post..The Baby is standing by himself! Plus, Thursday 13
My friend’s house is going to be or just was on House Hunters. So this is how they did it:
First – they scope out what houses will be closing escrow soon and find the coolest house to feature (i.e. My friends house)
Next – They take the buyers our to a bunch of house they aren’t buying (because they are already in escrow on the cool house) and film a bunch of stuff.
Last – They stage the house (again my friends house) that they are buying days before they close escrow and film the the buyers “seeing the house for the first time”.
I hope I didn’t just ruin it for you.
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I love that show as well, I actually had a bit of an obsession with it a few years ago before we bought our first house. Being home owners seems to have cured the obsession but I do still watch it often. I am in the group that hates popcorn ceilings, we only have a popcorn ceiling in the kitchen and it collects the grease form cooking and there always seems to be spider webs or dust clumps stuck to it and it is impossible to clean. The one thing that really bugs me about HH’s is the number of people who pick the house based on what will be best for the dog? I do not have any pets so maybe I just can not comprehend but it seems a little strange to me.
Oh, I wanted to add something. What also drives me nuts is that they act like the house hunters are ONLY looking at 3 houses. And like those are their 3 favorites? And they always say “they had a tough time deciding”. Yeah right. Some of those houses were so obviously not even close to being a contender.
And maybe I am nuts (well, I know I am) but does everyone really do that much entertaining? Everyone on HH seems to be buying a house either because “it is great for entertaining” .
It also drives me nuts when they choose a house because their dog would love it. Sorry, I like dogs, but I am not buying a house for one). Do remember the wealthy couple from the DC area who bought a summer beach home in NC? They didn’t have kids, they had 2 dogs. They were crazy with these dogs. Remember? The dogs were wearing life jackets at the end while on the boat. Talk about LOL!!!
Irene’s last blog post..My little mermaids
can’t get enough of hh and my husband is always right in the end too!! but i also love me so divine design – why can’t candice come to kansas?
amanda’s last blog post..my first wordless wednesday
HAHAHAHA.
I love that show as well. My friends are always asking me if I watched CSI or American Idol and I have to tell them no.
Um… I am always watching HGTV. I love Devine Design. I swear if I ever win the lottery I will fly Candis out and have her do my entire house.
Bridge’s last blog post..time for a change
Not only do I love this show, but I’m watching it RIGHT NOW!
I enjoy making the comments that the real estate agent does not – but clearly would want to – about the decorating choices of the soon-to-be former home owners. Some people have NO TASTE!
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I Love the show! Watch it whenever I can and I am PRAYING that Suzanne comes to NJ when we get ready to move.
What I can’t stand is that people walk into a room and they’re like, “oh the walls are blue, we can’t buy this house” WTF?!?! PAINT. THE. WALLS. It’s like paint and wallpaper are the biggest detriments to why people won’t buy not the fact that the house is located on site of an ancient indian burial ground!
COME ON!!
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I’m going to have to check this show out…..
Sarcasta-Mom’s last blog post..In The Air
is it bad that i had to google ‘popcorn ceiling’ ??? apparently, i’m not watching enough home shows!
ali’s last blog post..a conversation
is there something wrong with me that i have never seen this show?
*slinking back to my corner now*
janet’s last blog post..It’s the little things that make up the big things
I love HH. It’s like real estate porn to me, especially since it is likely that we will NEVER move.
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This is why I love you so! You take completely random things and turn them into…. whatever this is.
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Oh, I LOVE this whole topic. I almost was sad when we found a house we liked so well so fast, because I wanted to go tour more homes! And about the popcorn ceiling- I don’t really get it either, although the asbestos thing makes sense. And you couldn’t paint it, but not many people want to paint ceilings, really.
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Oh, love the show! Did you see the one with the Disney lover? She moved from Vegas to New Orleans to attend law school. When they came back to her place after she bought it, my husband and I were laughing so hard we had to pause. All her Mickey stuff, it was a bit psycho really. She was single too, hmmm, wonder why.
What I want to know is:
What are all these young singles (and couples, too, for that matter) doing FROM HOME to be able to afford such costly houses?
In most of the episodes I’ve seen, the people work from home. Whatever they’re doing to make all that cashola from home, I need to be doing!
Devilish Southern Belle’s last blog post..I made it through
Okay, first of all I find it amusing that so many of us love this show.
Second, I feel a little bit betrayed by the face presented to us by Suzanne now that your reader Amy told us how it really happens.
Lastly, I forgot to ask – have you caught the new show “Sleep On It” where they get to spend the night in a potential new house before deciding to buy it? DUDE! I would so do that (stay in the house, not let someone stay in my house).
Shelly’s last blog post..Baby You Can Drive My Car
I meant “farce” presented to us by Suzanne Whang, not face.
Shelly’s last blog post..Baby You Can Drive My Car
DUDE. I LOVE house hunters!
“HI! I’m Suzanne Whang!”
Although, can’t they find people with amazing credit ratings that have a LITTLE more personality????
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We’ve become obsessed with “Hidden Potential.” Mostly we watch to be appalled at how much real estate costs.