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What's in it for the participants? I used to think maybe the show picked up closing costs for them, but now curious: what's the compensation? Flat fee? Please don't tell me people do it just for vanity ... or maybe they do ...
Not only have I heard somewhere that the owners must already have closed on one of the houses, but that some of the houses they show them are not even on the market at all. They sometimes pick nearby comparable homes and compensate the owners to use the house as one of the 3 options.
With regards to entertaining, I think the way people have entertained in their homes has changed in the past 50 years. Now, entertaining means large, open, functional spaces where hosts and guests can interact and everyone feels welcome. 50 years ago, your home was a showcase. You wanted to show it off to outsiders. Front yards were large and formal rooms (living, dining) were at the front so everyone could see them from the street. There were whole sections of homes that guests never saw. Kitchens were isolated and hostesses never wanted anyone back there. Times have changed.
About the only thing House Hunters participants seem more obsessed with than entertaining space is ceiling fans for some reason.....
People didn't want guests in the kitchen in the old days because the kitchen was used to cook. There would be unsightly dirty dishes and pots and pans that all needed to be cleaned up. Today, people pick up some finger food at Costco and place it neatly on the granite counters, right next to the shiny, seldom used SS appliances. Don't tell me for a minute today's kitchen is more "functional." Our grandmothers did a lot more functioning in the kitchen than we do today.
People didn't want guests in the kitchen in the old days because the kitchen was used to cook. There would be unsightly dirty dishes and pots and pans that all needed to be cleaned up. Today, people pick up some finger food at Costco and place it neatly on the granite counters, right next to the shiny, seldom used SS appliances. Don't tell me for a minute today's kitchen is more "functional." Our grandmothers did a lot more functioning in the kitchen than we do today.
By "functional", I mean more along the lines of form and function- easy to use, ergonomic and more spacious. I think many of our grandmothers would have loved kitchen spaces and appliances like we have today, and I think there are plenty of people who still proficiently use them.
You are right, though, about how much more work our mothers and grandmothers had to put into things
I agree with this: so silly how all the people on HGTV want "space for entertaining" in their new apartment/house.
In particular, since some of them are moving to a city/place where they know NO ONE.
Exactly WHO do they think they will be "entertaining"?
It's also ironic, because these same people on the real estate shows are obsessed with having "privacy from the neighbors." It's like "neighbors" is a dirty word on the show.
So...they want to "entertain" seemingly endlessly, constantly, but...they want to avoid the "neighbors" at all costs!
Okay. Antisocial social people. Great. Makes lots of sense.
I agree with this: so silly how all the people on HGTV want "space for entertaining" in their new apartment/house.
In particular, since some of them are moving to a city/place where they know NO ONE.
Exactly WHO do they think they will be "entertaining"?
It's also ironic, because these same people on the real estate shows are obsessed with having "privacy from the neighbors." It's like "neighbors" is a dirty word on the show.
So...they want to "entertain" seemingly endlessly, constantly, but...they want to avoid the "neighbors" at all costs!
Okay. Antisocial social people. Great. Makes lots of sense.
Wait, Wait...there's one more: Have you noticed how most moms say: "Ohh, this window is so great I can see the kids playing outside from here!"
WHO, in their right mind leaves a child in the yard to play by himself unsupervised??? We would never do that....we would either be outside playing WITH them, or if there were more than one, let them play together and just sit on a porch and watch!
To me, these shows are nothing more than a really ridiculous propaganda!
People didn't want guests in the kitchen in the old days because the kitchen was used to cook. There would be unsightly dirty dishes and pots and pans that all needed to be cleaned up. Today, people pick up some finger food at Costco and place it neatly on the granite counters, right next to the shiny, seldom used SS appliances. Don't tell me for a minute today's kitchen is more "functional." Our grandmothers did a lot more functioning in the kitchen than we do today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eastmemphisguy
Unless you're buying a simple "starter" home, which people on HH usually are not, trying to impress others is a key part of the house selection process. Having a nice house is classic conspicuous consumption.
So, not only are we 'status obsessed' because we like our friends and like feeling comfortable, but we're also lazy? Um, sure.
I can tell tell you I've ripped out and seen some old kitchens which were so far from functional I have no idea how anybody ate. But sure, whatever, us noobs with our counterspace, storage, and work flow are all amateurs apparently.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoProIP
Wait, Wait...there's one more: Have you noticed how most moms say: "Ohh, this window is so great I can see the kids playing outside from here!"
WHO, in their right mind leaves a child in the yard to play by himself unsupervised??? We would never do that....we would either be outside playing WITH them, or if there were more than one, let them play together and just sit on a porch and watch!
Seriously? I'm just imagining a world in which I have so little to do and so much anxiety that I sit around watching my kids play inheir own backyard.
People didn't want guests in the kitchen in the old days because the kitchen was used to cook. There would be unsightly dirty dishes and pots and pans that all needed to be cleaned up. Today, people pick up some finger food at Costco and place it neatly on the granite counters, right next to the shiny, seldom used SS appliances. Don't tell me for a minute today's kitchen is more "functional." Our grandmothers did a lot more functioning in the kitchen than we do today.
My kitchen is a thousand times more functional than my grandmothers' kitchens. I cook when I entertain. My shiny SS appliances are used daily.
If you listen closely all wives take up the master closet as if there's no husband....Please tell me just how many husband's use the guest bedroom closet for their stuff?????
Mine.
He's a neat freak, I'm not. He likes his closets tidy and organized. I'd like that myself, but it's not my nature.
Our last house had double closets in our master, and that worked for a while, but we lived there for almost 20 years, and once I started using just part of his closet, it didn't take long for him to move his stuff to the guest room....
Our house now has just one large closet, and us sharing it didn't last long either.
We'll be moving soon to a house with double closets in the master again. I just cleaned out my closet and donated a ton of old clothes to charity. I should have no problem fitting everything into my new closet with room to spare.
Here's hoping I can keep my stuff contained this time...
With regard to the thread topic, we bought the house we're in now because we expected to be having some dinner parties for the people he works with from time to time. Didn't happen for a number of reasons, so we've been rattling around a too large home for a few years.
We're moving soon, we'll be closer to family, so we expect to see more of them. So having enough room for a big family gathering was a consideration this time around.
I wish I could have all the money back that I spent on 'entertaining' space, 'entertaining' dishware and all the rest that I was convinced I needed by reading all those idiotic woman's magazines.
Turns out I'm an introvert and if I do find someone interesting to talk to, we meet at a restaurant or park and just talk... no need for anything fancy. All those magazines and teevee shows are propaganda and ads to get you to spend money you don't have, to impress people you don't like.
I was watching House Hunter and realized every single home buyer on the show wanted a space that's great for entertaining. Is this so important to people nowadays? I get it that people sometimes have visitors, but why would anyone buy a house with a specific purpose of entertaining?
I hate that expression. I always picture the homeowners singing and dancing for their guests. I think they are told what to say on those shows.
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