One show I love to watch is House Hunters. I'm not sure why I enjoy watching people searching for a new home. It could be my nosy-nature, wanting to see what other people have (and can afford). The other part is wanting to see what I like and don't like in homes. Just watching the show clarifies what I want in our next home.
The part of the show that annoys me most are the buyers themselves. They drive me nuts! So many of the buyers seem to want perfection. I have to wonder if the producers of the show ask the buyers to be hypercritical or are they really that way? (And, yes, I'm aware of how the show is staged.)
I guess I don't see myself as that persnickety about a home. I realize that the only perfect home that will have everything you ever want is the one you custom design and build yourself. I wonder, at times, if any of the buyers on house hunters realize that themselves. After watching the show for years, I've come up with a list of reasons why the buyers on House Hunters drive me nuts.
1. Unusual requests
I'm not sure how common this is, but I find it humorous when a buyer on the shows insists on finding a home with a very specific and "unusual" request. How many homes really have a wall of windows at the back of the home? How many people really want to have their homes facing a specific direction (and is it really that important)?
2. Stainless steel
I swear that House Hunters is purposely driving the sales of stainless steel appliances. By watching the show, you would think that the only good appliance is a stainless steel appliance. I've actually seen couples say, "Oh, these appliances need to be updated because they aren't stainless steel." An assumption exists that all new appliances are stainless steel. Guess what? Not so much. You can buy appliances that are white, black, or stainless steel. Just because it isn't stainless steel doesn't mean it is an old appliance. (Oh, and it's pretty easy to buy the appliances you want later.)
Also, for once, I'd love to see a couple walk into a kitchen filled with stainless steel and quip, "Ugh. Stainless steel? It's so hard to keep clean and with our kids, it would become a full-time job. I wish the appliances were black (or white)."
3. The colors are awful!
Unless a home's walls are nothing but wallpaper (a big fix, I'll admit), I will never understand someone rejecting a home because of paint colors. The groans from buyers on the show, "Oh, I can't stand the colors of the house," leaves me wanting to slap them. Paint is a cosmetic issue. Just repaint the rooms in the colors you want. Heck, even wallpaper is just cosmetic. It does need more work than repainting does, but I can't imagine a simple cosmetic issue ever being a deal breaker.
4. Flooring
I'll admit that I love wood floors! They are gorgeous! I just can't see ruling out a home because they don't have wood floors. While it's expensive to add wood floors, the flooring is a cosmetic issue. It can be changed. Unless the buyers live in a community where most homes have wood flooring, I find any statement insisting that all the floors must be wood annoying. Oh, and this also goes for someone who only wants carpet or tile (although, honestly, I hate tile and can't understand wanting a home with floors made of only tile. Yuck!).
5. Granite counter tops
Most of the buyers on the show seem to turn their nose up on any home that does not have granite counter tops. Is granite nice? Sure. Is it the only counter top available? Nope. Counter tops are a cosmetic item that can be changed later.
6. Must be on the beach!
My husband's biggest pet peeve is when a buyer is looking for a home in a coastal area and insists on living on the beach. Of course, these couples usually don't have the budget for a view as well as their long wish list of must-haves (granite, stainless steel, wood floors, etc), and they get irritated when they aren't shown the perfect home on the beach.
What I find amusing is when they are told it is a 5-minute walk to the beach and that isn't good enough either. I always find myself asking, "Really? You need to be more realistic"
7. Man-cave
I talked about it once before, but I will never understand the obsession with man-caves. A male buyer, usually with his wife or girlfriend, will keep pestering the real estate agent saying, "Well, it needs to have a place for my man-cave." I keep thinking to myself, "Get over yourself."
8. Too close to the neighbors
Unless you live on a lot of acreage, you will be living next to your neighbors. I'll admit to seeing some homes where it looks like the houses are only 50 feet away from each other and thinking, "hell, no!" Those homes are the exception on the show, though. Most buyers that complain about being too close to their neighbors do so when looking at homes in a suburb. Basically, all they can see is their neighbors yards. If they want to be isolated from neighbors, perhaps they need to look at homes in a rural environment. If you are looking in the suburbs (or city), you will see your neighbors. Duh!
9. No character or charm
I love older homes. I do. I'd love to live in an old Victorian home. However, when house hunting, I've never walked into a home thinking, "Oh there is no character to this home," like you hear so often on House Hunters. You would think the buyers were looking for old homes. Nope. So many of them are looking for a move-in ready home, perfect in every way, that also has charm and character. I'd love to point out the them that how they decorate their home often adds more charm and character than the home itself (unless the home is an older home, of course).
10. Specific style homes
While I do love Victorian homes, I've never gone to a real estate agent demanding that he or she only show me Victorians. Yet, on House Hunters, you will hear the buyers say, "I really want a craftsman." Then, when the agent shows them something other than a craftsman, the buyer will complain, "I wish I could like this but it isn't a craftsman." Really? Is this a thing? Do people really demand only one style home? I can understand preferring a look or even a floor plan but I can't imagine ruling out a house because it isn't a specific architecture style.
11. "This is slightly over your budget."
Last, but not least comes from the real estate agents themselves. When looking at homes, I can see an agent showing a home slightly over your budget because the home price is often negotiable. Yet, time and again, real estate agents on the show will say, "This home is slightly over your budget," then show a price substantially over the budget. This is particularly true with rental homes. The budget will be $1000/month. The agent will show them a rental costing $1400 (40% over the budget). It makes me think that these agents have no clue what the word "slighty" actually means.
While these statements and actions from the buyers (and real estate agents) drive me nuts when I watch House Hunters, I can't help but continue to watch. What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment.
What drives you nuts when you watch House Hunters?
This post originally appeared on Adventures of a Jayhawk Mommy. To read more from Denise, follow her on Facebook.