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I think it does give an unrealistic impression to young people just starting out. I love HGTV but it's not realistic for most people to be that young and buying the places they do on the show. Every once in a while I'll catch an episode that is "real" but most feature people whose budgets are the exception, not the norm.
I agree. This thread has perfect timing to an email I just got a few hours ago. My cousin is in her late 20's and bought her first home this past summer. She wouldn't consider anything under 2500 sft. She married an older man that was established with a good savings and income. They ended up with a 3500 sft house. For 3 people! My cousin kept saying she needed a home that big because they were expecting a baby. So anyway, she sends me an email telling me her friend is looking to buy her first home. My cousin told me how horrible these houses were and if she was in that position she wouldn't even bother. So I click on the link my cousin provided and the homes her friend are looking at are in the 80k range. The homes were about a 1000 sft and adorable. Nice starter homes. My cousin only made 10 bucks an hr before she got married so if she were still single that would be her price range too! I tried explaining to my cousin that homes in the 80k range are going to be quite different than her price range of 300k. I hope my cousin never experiences a hardship because I don't think she could handle it. I think people that start off with the best do not appreciate it. Kind of like giving a teenager a brand new car and expecting them to understand what a nice thing that is compared to a clunker.
^^^ these type of people, in my mind, will never make it in life. one bad financial hardship and they will feel like they cant live anymore. i laugh because i wonder what they would feel if they had to live like the rest of us--on a budget.
anyway, when i see a young couple that feels the need to buy a 2000 plus sqft home because they want to start a family, i start the countdown to divorce. i have seen it so many times in real life. they want to have kids so they need 4 bedrooms and a room for every activity, and 2 years later, divorced.
i have always loved smaller homes personally, and not because they are in my price range. i have lived in small homes and apartments and grew up in very large homes. i just feel like the smaller, the closer my family was. when they got larger, it was like everyone went their own way.
my inspiration for many years now, has been IKEA. if you ever go into one of their stores, you will see how they make a very small amount of square footage work, using the space very wisely.
I think it does give an unrealistic impression to young people just starting out. I love HGTV but it's not realistic for most people to be that young and buying the places they do on the show. Every once in a while I'll catch an episode that is "real" but most feature people whose budgets are the exception, not the norm.
That is so true.
I used to kind of poo poo it bc of that.
But then I realized that the episodes with $100k homes were like ridiculously boring.
I kind of agree. It does make me cringe when these spoiled people who are having a baby, and need to upgrade 1000 sq feet or more. A baby is pretty small lol, god forbid they share a room with another child or something.
I do feel though if they can afford it, go for it, live it up. Sadly though, most of the people on these shows probably can't afford it.
First thing when watching that show is to look at the year it was filmed. A good chunk of the ones they are still showing are from 2005-2007 when the era of no-doc ARM loans was in full swing and it didn't matter if you couldn't afford the home when it reset because values only go up, up, up and you are stupid if you don't buy as much house as the bank says you can.
Funnier for me than the idea that they feel they NEED to have a home like that would be to see them in a year or so living in their house without furniture. I had friends who went down that path and bought the most house they could afford. Nothing like having friends over to sit in bean bag chairs in your 30x25 living room with vaulted ceilings painted in a wonderful shade of builder tan.
Fallingwater--what area is this?!?! In my area $300K will only get you a modest home in a bad school district or a very far commute! $80K? Maybe a couple of parking spots...
Speaking of people buying houses they can't afford I remember an article last year talking about the $8K tax credit for first time home owners. There was one couple interviewed in their early twenties, first time home owners, who were happy to get the credit so they could start work on their $750K FIXER UPPER!!! How on earth do two young people with no equity in a previous home that make under $150K (the limit to receive the credit) even get approved for a jumbo house loan!??! And WHY do they need such a big house!?!?!? And with a budget like that why even bother with a fixer upper?!?! Boggles the mind I tell ya...
First thing when watching that show is to look at the year it was filmed. A good chunk of the ones they are still showing are from 2005-2007 when the era of no-doc ARM loans was in full swing and it didn't matter if you couldn't afford the home when it reset because values only go up, up, up and you are stupid if you don't buy as much house as the bank says you can.
Funnier for me than the idea that they feel they NEED to have a home like that would be to see them in a year or so living in their house without furniture. I had friends who went down that path and bought the most house they could afford. Nothing like having friends over to sit in bean bag chairs in your 30x25 living room with vaulted ceilings painted in a wonderful shade of builder tan.
this!! AND i met this couple through some family who were desperate to show us the model home of their development. we all oohhed and ahhed and then they took us into their home. it was HUGE and with NO UPGRADES whatsoever--nothing like the model. it just had the very basics that were all included. i laughed all the way home on how these people moved to a LCL area, so they could buy a home that would have been worth double back home, only to find out they got a cheap version and they now both had to work in order to afford it. and it has way more sqft than they need. to me, that was the whole reason to move where we did. we just happened to get a good deal on a new home--even though we were looking for resales. we got so many upgrades and i get to stay home!
That doesn't seen much to me, maybe your area is a lot less expensive than here. My daughter and her husband are about that age and just bought their first house in Seattle, a bit smaller and 100 years old for the exact same price.
Here where I live east of Seattle the median home price is $597,652.
I thought the main points the OP made were
1. they were able to qualify for a mortgage to buy a half a million dollar home even though she was a receptionist and he a failing song writer (or something)
2.Even though they had a perfectly livable home they "needed" 3000 sq ft to start a family.
I don't think there was a point about house prices, and the OP said they were house hunting in Nashville TN.
I think it matters because it shows how much young people want and expect to be able to have.
I agree. This thread has perfect timing to an email I just got a few hours ago. My cousin is in her late 20's and bought her first home this past summer. She wouldn't consider anything under 2500 sft. She married an older man that was established with a good savings and income. They ended up with a 3500 sft house. For 3 people! My cousin kept saying she needed a home that big because they were expecting a baby. So anyway, she sends me an email telling me her friend is looking to buy her first home. My cousin told me how horrible these houses were and if she was in that position she wouldn't even bother. So I click on the link my cousin provided and the homes her friend are looking at are in the 80k range. The homes were about a 1000 sft and adorable. Nice starter homes. My cousin only made 10 bucks an hr before she got married so if she were still single that would be her price range too! I tried explaining to my cousin that homes in the 80k range are going to be quite different than her price range of 300k. I hope my cousin never experiences a hardship because I don't think she could handle it. I think people that start off with the best do not appreciate it. Kind of like giving a teenager a brand new car and expecting them to understand what a nice thing that is compared to a clunker.
i sometimes wonder if people realise that USA has probably the largest homes in the world.
Our home in the UK was considered above average size and was 1100 sq ft and perfectly adequate for a family of 4.
I think our home here which is 1800 sq ft is huge, and I've never had 2 bathrooms before either!
Of course IKEA are from Europe, so tend to cater for European size homes
I also think people here get their panties in a bunch about things that don't really matter, like the size of a walk in closet (hey-is it not just great to have a walk in!) and bl--dy granite counter tops.
A lot of it is just greed, and young people in the UK are getting more like that too.
In NC $300,000 will buy you a 2000-3000sq ft in a lake access community with pool and other comm' facilities, or a 1500-2200 sq ft home on a 1/2-1 acre lot with a waterview with private lake access and a deeded boat dock.
Last edited by Whatsthenews; 01-17-2011 at 08:48 PM..
i don't particularly find anything wrong with that. granted, in an ideal world everybody would have the house of their dreams. i stopped counting other people's blessings a long time ago and started thanking my maker for my own. i don't own a million dollar home and i don't own a luxury car but i'm thankful for what i have. when i see young or old couples like those shown on house hunters who can afford those nice cribs, well, i just appreciate it for what it is. perhaps they saved up a lot of money, perhaps they made money on the sale of a previous home, perhaps they come from money, or perhaps they hit the lottery, who knows? at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that they choose the house they want for themselves.
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So anyway, she sends me an email telling me her friend is looking to buy her first home. My cousin told me how horrible these houses were and if she was in that position she wouldn't even bother. So I click on the link my cousin provided and the homes her friend are looking at are in the 80k range. The homes were about a 1000 sft and adorable. Nice starter homes. My cousin only made 10 bucks an hr before she got married so if she were still single that would be her price range too! 
