Things that home buyers on HGTV never seem to check, but should

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Things that home buyers on HGTV never seem to check, but should (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:28:50 AM EDT

If you are in the room when your wife/GF is watching HGTV and the folks are shopping for a house, what are some things that the buyers never seem to check, but should?

Off the top of my head:

1. They don't flush commodes and run water in the tub to see if they drain properly.
2. They don't ask what school district the house is in (if they have, or plan to have, kids).
3. How much are the real estate taxes?
4. Is there a mandatory Homeowners' Association (HOA)?
5. Are there any HOA fees, and if so, how much are they?
6. What are the HOA covenants, if any?
7. Who are the neighbors, and how many kids, dogs, loud trucks, go karts, etc., do they have?
8. What is the crime rate in the area?
9. Is the house in the flight path to the nearest airport?

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:30:05 AM EDT

[#1]

Do they have HOAs in MS?

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:31:10 AM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:

Is the house in the flight path to the nearest airport?

View Quote

No airport = no interest

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:31:50 AM EDT

[#3]

Ptetty much this. And another thing Ive noticed is that the price of the work done or materials used in a lot of the shows is severely undervalued.

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:33:18 AM EDT

[#4]

LOL, the shows are about the homes themselves and not that other crap. It's just a scheme to make people jealous of what's on TV so they'll go out and spend money to make their house look like the ones Chip and Joanna Gaines renovate.

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:35:58 AM EDT

[#5]

Many shows showing a couple looking at three homes have already purchased.
They already bought one of the three.
The other two are just filler for the show...

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:35:58 AM EDT

[#6]

Those shows are staged. The people really are buying the house but it’s all bullshit with how they do it.

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:37:48 AM EDT

[#7]

I would have done that research ahead of time before going to see a property so I don’t have to ask some douche those questions.

#1 is valid, but that’s what home inspections are for.

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:45:45 AM EDT

[#8]

One of those shows was done locally. The one house was already purchased by the "buyer" (like 5 years prior) and the other two were current listed under one realtor.

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:51:24 AM EDT

[#9]

Also any renovations that get done are normally half assed.
The attention to detail (i.e. stuff you couldn't see on camera) was for shit.

A friend of mine had his kitchen redone by one of these shows and he was pissed and his wife was almost in tears over how they left things.

- Paint had runs all over the place
- Cabinets installed incorrectly
- Counter tops not cut correctly
and a host of other things I don't remember.

It looked like they hired the shittiest contractor they could who had done nothing but low rent apartment maintenance his entire life.
I think they ended up paying another contractor something like $5-7K after the show contractors left just to "un-fuck" the things that were botched.

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:52:12 AM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
Many shows showing a couple looking at three homes have already purchased.
They already bought one of the three.
The other two are just filler for the show...

View Quote

Yep, a lot of that stuff is filmed in Toronto. My brother knows a couple who were on one of those shows, and that's exactly how it was staged.

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:52:45 AM EDT

[#11]

I think (hope) that a lot of those mundane things that people check when they're looking for a house are merely omitted from the broadcast because they're boring.

They have to make room for the drama of which color tile will "win" and ultimately go on the fucking backsplash, or some other silly shit.

Posted: 5/26/2019 10:58:12 AM EDT

[#12]

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:00:03 AM EDT

[#13]

Well, to be fair, the whole thing is staged anyway so it really doesn't matter one way or the other.

These shows are no more "reality" TV than a sitcom.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:01:43 AM EDT

[#14]

I've never witnessed a single person check out the electrical panel. Not a one.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:02:18 AM EDT

[#15]

It's "Reality TV" so there's nothing real about it. Pure entertainment.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:05:53 AM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
I've never witnessed a single person check out the electrical panel. Not a one.

View Quote

And showing that on TV would appeal to their target audience?

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:06:11 AM EDT

[#17]

99.999% of people that complain about airport noise, HGTV or not, are f'n idiots.

I am in the flight path of the local sky diving airport. I kinda worry about the noise of dropping one through my roof.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:08:58 AM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
And showing that on TV would appeal to their target audience?

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
I've never witnessed a single person check out the electrical panel. Not a one.

And showing that on TV would appeal to their target audience?

I'm answering the Op. This is a discussion on what the home buyers never check but should.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:13:22 AM EDT

[#19]

Attached File

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:15:32 AM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
I would have done that research ahead of time before going to see a property so I don’t have to ask some douche those questions.

#1 is valid, but that’s what home inspections are for.

View Quote

This.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:19:55 AM EDT

[#21]

All of those shows were garbage.

But I loved Holmes on Homes. He did check the electrical panel.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:26:24 AM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:
All of those shows were garbage.

But I loved Holmes on Homes. He did check the electrical panel.

View Quote

That wasn’t a bad show. Was it filmed in Canada?

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:34:30 AM EDT

[#23]

Fake TV

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:34:36 AM EDT

[#24]

Pics of OP’s wife/girlfriend?

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:34:58 AM EDT

[#25]

"Commodes"? Who uses that.

It's called a shitter.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:39:32 AM EDT

[#26]

They are looking at 3+ houses in 24 minutes (at best) of show time. There is no way they can show any real inspection of the homes, just the people commenting on the high points. I have seen them ask about HOAs before, and with the beach houses they sometimes ask about rental income.

It's the same with the car restoration, home remodeling, pool installation, etc shows. You're only getting the high points and they leave out all of the really hard work. At least on the car restoration shows they will gloss over the absolute hardest parts and try to make things look easy. One of the home remodeling shows they added a 2nd story to the home but never showed any of the work or how they upgraded the structure to allow for they extra weight.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:43:05 AM EDT

[#27]

Quote History

Quoted:
That wasn’t a bad show. Was it filmed in Canada?

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
All of those shows were garbage.

But I loved Holmes on Homes. He did check the electrical panel.

That wasn’t a bad show. Was it filmed in Canada?

Pretty sure it was. I think Mike Holmes is Canadian. I always liked how he pointed out the short cuts and other things that his crew had to fix.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:57:02 AM EDT

[#28]

Quote History

Quoted:
Many shows showing a couple looking at three homes have already purchased.
They already bought one of the three.
The other two are just filler for the show...

View Quote

This. Completely scripted “reality”...essentially a fake show. In reality they looked at a lot more than three homes and bought one. The other two on the show were found by producers long after they bought their real home.

The bottom line is that ALL of these shows are about as real as Keeping up With the Kardashians.

Posted: 5/26/2019 11:58:54 AM EDT

[#29]

The funniest one I ever saw was a lady that didn’t like the house because the bedroom tv that came with the house was too small. The realtor had to explain she could just buy a bigger tv

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:05:20 PM EDT

[#30]

The best ones are the International ones, Bob and Susan are moving to (Honduras, Puerto Rico, etc);

ALL the houses in the neighborhood have bars on the windows/doors

, even inside bars on bedrooms.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:08:19 PM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:
The best ones are the International ones, Bob and Susan are moving to (Honduras, Puerto Rico, etc);

ALL the houses in the neighborhood have bars on the windows/doors

, even inside bars on bedrooms.

View Quote

When they try to buy properties in Bulgaria or Turkey.

The one "apartment" for sale was the entire building and had HAY roof!

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:12:03 PM EDT

[#32]

I promise you they do. They don't on camera but they do. They know everything about the property minus the unknowns.

You can run a tub for 5 minutes to check for drainage but its the 7th minute that gets you.

You can flush a toilet 15 times but the 20th is the one where you figure out that the sanitary sewer is clogged or not even hooked up to the main city sewer.

That goes for the flippers or buy and hold investors but maybe not the "my dream home" crowd.

Ask me how I know..

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:15:04 PM EDT

[#33]

Quote History

Quoted:
Those shows are staged. The people really are buying the house but it’s all bullshit with how they do it.

View Quote

I'm convinced that all "reality TV" is scripted, and these people are told they are auditioning to be actors.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:18:24 PM EDT

[#34]

It's a 30 minute show about the physical attributes of this, that and the other house.

Nobody with business sense is going to talk negatively about the surrounding homes on these TV shows, because it's bad for their business, and it's extraordinarily bad for the buyer.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:20:39 PM EDT

[#35]

They don’t check for location of registered sex offenders or check with the PD for crime reports/maps near the home.

My sister in law bought a home and was gloating and all proud of her purchase. My wife did a sex offender search and she had a convicted pedophile living right next door. Kind of burst her bubble in a bad way.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:20:50 PM EDT

[#36]

Quote History

Quoted:
Those shows are staged. The people really are buying the house but it’s all bullshit with how they do it.

View Quote

So your telling me reality TV is scripted and staged. Next thing your gonna tell me is that my WWE is scripted.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:21:05 PM EDT

[#37]

Lots if people will regret those sliding barn doors and distressed cabinets an walls.

They confuse a worn out look with a quality simple life.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:21:54 PM EDT

[#38]

Quote History

Quoted:
Ptetty much this. And another thing Ive noticed is that the price of the work done or materials used in a lot of the shows is severely undervalued.

View Quote

Lol, and it only takes a half an hour to complete, start to finish.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:22:14 PM EDT

[#39]

Quote History

Quoted:
Many shows showing a couple looking at three homes have already purchased.
They already bought one of the three.
The other two are just filler for the show...

View Quote

This. Someone on reddit posted their house on the show with proof. It’s all a sham

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:24:54 PM EDT

[#40]

Quote History

Quoted:
All of those shows were garbage.

But I loved Holmes on Homes. He did check the electrical panel.

View Quote

Mike was my favorite.

My 2nd favorite was Property Brothers, because they would always show the couple their dream home, and after showing the woman flipping out over how great the house is, they would reveal the price is double Thur budget and take the wind out of her sails

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:32:46 PM EDT

[#41]

IDGAFF. It’s all fake drama filled Bullshit anyway.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:38:25 PM EDT

[#42]

I worked on a show "Curb appeal" once. We were replacing some front windows in a living room. We get there at 7:30, some production are there. We can't start. We wait around till director, talent and everyone else show up and get a game plan. Its now around 9-9:30. Talent stands in front of the old windows and describes what "they" are going to do. This takes several takes.
After everyone is happy, we finally get to go to work. Its around 11:00. We pull the old windows out, theres 3, approx. 21"x 54". We have to stop so they can shoot some more.
I'll cut to the chase. It took forever and we had to have all the framing,flashing, window installed, trimmed inside and out and painted inside and out by 5 PM. We literally were arguing with the director that there were issues that needed to be addressed before we should proceed but she didn't care.
After we slapped it in there, the talent is shown with a paintbrush dabbing paint on the exterior trim saying "and thats how it done. We increased the the "curb appeal by 87 million dollars"
Never. Again.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:38:32 PM EDT

[#43]

My wife enjoys watching the shows and I'll play along occasionally. Most of your points are spot on. I have seen home shoppers ask about HOA and HOA covenants on a couple of shows, but it is rare.

Real estate agents are specifically instructed to avoid discussions of crime because that can very quickly lead into discussions on demographics which are absolutely verboten.

I mean, can you imagine how the dialogue would go on some of these 'beach/island hunter' shows where the couple is searching for a home in a touristy area which can seamlessly blend into a third world shit hole when you take a wrong turn? "This island has a wonderful market bazaar off the beaten path where you can sample foods and get a true island vibe. Crime? Well there has been a rash of European tourists getting raped in the area, but I'm assured that the local constables are clamping down on crime."

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:39:59 PM EDT

[#44]

It’s an edited TV show....

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:41:17 PM EDT

[#45]

I've yet to see an average "home inspection" that was worth the paper it was printed on, to be honest.

Every one of the ones I've seen after the fact missed a whole bunch of big ticket items. Things like "Oh, we forgot to insulate the attic in this row house condo...". That one went through about four different inspections before the last guy found it.

Electrical panel issues, foundations, walls out of plumb, indicating severe structural issues...? You name it, the inspectors missed it.

Commercial project, once? Found gas tanks from a disused gas station that a previous owner had literally buried in the structure. They were never decommissioned. Ever. How'd I find them? The friggin' tank inlets were right there in the open, where they'd always been. You just had to open the covers and look--Not a single "inspector" found those in the course of an attempted sale of the property, and two actual sales of it. Huge liability for the client, because those underground tanks still had fuel in them, after about twenty-five years.

You pay for the usual inspection, you're not getting even what that costs back in real value or knowledge about the property. Most of the inspectors are only doing it to check the block for the home loan, and if you're reliant on what they say for what's actually going on in that building? You're in for a shock.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:48:41 PM EDT

[#46]

Reality TV isn’t real?!?! I’m aghast.

People don’t want to watch shitters flush,they want to pretend which house they would buy.

Posted: 5/26/2019 12:48:54 PM EDT

[#47]

Quote History

Quoted:
Lots if people will regret those sliding barn doors and distressed cabinets an walls.

They confuse a worn out look with a quality simple life.

View Quote

Just throw some more shiplap on those walls - It'll be good

Posted: 5/26/2019 1:05:25 PM EDT

[#48]

Quote History

Quoted:
One of those shows was done locally. The one house was already purchased by the "buyer" (like 5 years prior) and the other two were current listed under one realtor.

View Quote

A friend of mine was on one of those shows. They had hosted a party at their house and one of the producers was intrigued by the house and layout. Next thing you knew, my friend and wife were on the show trying to decide on what house to buy when they already owned the one finally "chosen" for more than 12 years. He said the hardest part was cleaning up the house and putting their own stuff away in storage to make it look like it belonged to someone else.

Posted: 5/26/2019 1:06:45 PM EDT

[#49]

I can't bring myself to watch He'sGayTV...

Posted: 5/26/2019 1:09:32 PM EDT

[#50]

Op doesn't know how a TV show works?

Are you still amazed that they can gut and renovate a whole house in an hour?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Things that home buyers on HGTV never seem to check, but should (Page 1 of 2)

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