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I'm so sick of shows where low income buyers pass up great houses because the kitchen doesn't have stainless and granite. It's not like stainless appliances are any better. We had to replace the dishwasher in a house we were putting on the market in a month, and the kitchen was all stainless steel appliances. We went in to Home Depot, chose the cheapest dishwasher in the place, and was able to get it in a stainless steel finish. They just want it to look expensive, they don't care if it actually works better or is expensive.
And don't get me started on flipping houses. I was eyeing a gorgeous 1930's craftsman home for sale in my area. I was really coveting this house and hoping it would stick around when we were able to buy this fall. But it sold. It was just relisted on the market. It was flipped. And it looks horrible. They replaced the kitchen with a brown HGTV type kitchen. It's so fugly. And all the bathrooms, too, and then they covered up the gorgeous wood floors and put in office style beige berber. Horrible. And refinished the wood floors they left in a very light color, which clashes with all the other dark period wood in the house. Morons. Then they added 500k to the price. Dh said we should offer less than what they bought it for, citing the costs of restoration as a reason. I think we're just going to have to move on. They ruined a really amazing home.
I hear a lot about people spending beyond their means, but i don't personally know anyone who does. Most people we know in our economic bracket are really careful with their money. Or maybe I'm just not analyzing how they spend their money? I don't always assume that people who are spending money can't afford to do so.
I'm so sick of shows where low income buyers pass up great houses because the kitchen doesn't have stainless and granite. It's not like stainless appliances are any better. We had to replace the dishwasher in a house we were putting on the market in a month, and the kitchen was all stainless steel appliances. We went in to Home Depot, chose the cheapest dishwasher in the place, and was able to get it in a stainless steel finish. They just want it to look expensive, they don't care if it actually works better or is expensive.
And don't get me started on flipping houses. I was eyeing a gorgeous 1930's craftsman home for sale in my area. I was really coveting this house and hoping it would stick around when we were able to buy this fall. But it sold. It was just relisted on the market. It was flipped. And it looks horrible. They replaced the kitchen with a brown HGTV type kitchen. It's so fugly. And all the bathrooms, too, and then they covered up the gorgeous wood floors and put in office style beige berber. Horrible. And refinished the wood floors they left in a very light color, which clashes with all the other dark period wood in the house. Morons. Then they added 500k to the price. Dh said we should offer less than what they bought it for, citing the costs of restoration as a reason. I think we're just going to have to move on. They ruined a really amazing home.
I hear a lot about people spending beyond their means, but i don't personally know anyone who does. Most people we know in our economic bracket are really careful with their money. Or maybe I'm just not analyzing how they spend their money? I don't always assume that people who are spending money can't afford to do so.
Good points.
Just because an appliance has a stainless finish doesn't make it any better.
I have seen lots of cheap dishwashers that have stainless finish, but the inside is plastic...lol
I understand that people have different tastes. Of course not all things can be saved. What I get sad about is if someone buys a house, doesn't like the 1950s (or whatever era) kitchen or bathroom and destroys it for no good reason.
On those TV shows I have seen stupid people literally destroying perfectly good, reusable cabinets, fixtures, etc. and then tossing them in a dumpster. They could have sold it, given it away on craigslist, or simply put it at the curb with a FREE sign on it. The house we're in right now was built in 1936, but the previous owners made a mess out of it. At first we thought we could "save" the kitchen cabinets but decided to replace them along with the appliances. (Actually, we put it in the contract that we did not want the worn-out ugly appliances and to remove them before closing. Why should we pay to dispose of them?) Anyway, the old kitchen cabinets are now in someone's garage being used in the workshop. So, if you can give the pink toilet, bathtub, sink, or whatever away to someone that might make someone's day - if the items are salvageable.
Enjoy your new home and have fun doing your new bathroom!
Best wishes.
Oh no I agree with you. If people can sell, donate or give it away, they should. Aside from the pink tile, I also have a half-broken pink toilet seat, a not-in-great shape vanity with pink top and too bad I threw away the pink shower curtain. I also have very old (and ugly) cabinets in the kitchen. All white laminate and with the metal brackets rusting (on the outside of the cabinet) and a 24" stove with only half of the burners working and no oven rack. If you know anyone looking to buy or who wants free stuff when we renovate, send them my way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlie_paige
I'm so sick of shows where low income buyers pass up great houses because the kitchen doesn't have stainless and granite. It's not like stainless appliances are any better. We had to replace the dishwasher in a house we were putting on the market in a month, and the kitchen was all stainless steel appliances. We went in to Home Depot, chose the cheapest dishwasher in the place, and was able to get it in a stainless steel finish. They just want it to look expensive, they don't care if it actually works better or is expensive.
Well, shows like HGTV are basically fake and they are "passing up" homes because they've already bought a home. So they have to walk into a random house and find things to complain about. It sucks but when you're in a buyers market sometimes you have to play into that stuff too.
I also have very old (and ugly) cabinets in the kitchen. All white laminate and with the metal brackets rusting (on the outside of the cabinet) and a 24" stove with only half of the burners working and no oven rack. If you know anyone looking to buy or who wants free stuff when we renovate, send them my way.
Look into Freecycle. Someone will take the stuff off your hands.
It shocks me how on HGTV people will look at a home and say the bathroom might be a touch outdated - maybe plain, but perfectly functional. And they say how it "HAS to be gutted" as if is a necessity to be redone that second or the house isn't liveable! I get that maybe they'll want to redo it, but the bathroom is perfectly fine, it's just not picture-perfect like a magazine. So what? Use it then maybe 2 years later you can redo it. It's not bad at all, but they act so appalled by it because it's not modern brand-new. Maybe it's 5 years old or even 10 - it's not bad, but they behave as if it's oh-so hideous because it's not showroom quality or something. Unreal! They could totally live in it and make it work for awhile, but noooo. God forbid.
My husband had a bit of this attitude with the flooring at first in the home we just bought, and I was appalled that he was fine going into credit card debt to do it to get the new flooring before we moved in. Oh hell no! I told him we could wait; thankfully he was too serious about it. Sure the carpet looks a little icky in a couple places, but it's liveable until we can afford it.
But on these HGTV shows I can't believe the attitudes, and yes I know it's likely staged but come on. I could see if the rooms were just disgusting, broken, or torn up. And they aren't even that outdated or worn - just maybe a bit plain or dull and they act like they have to be gutted that second. I don't get how you can pass up a house and not have the patience to use the bathroom for a year then maybe just redo the cabinet fronts and then perhaps redo the tiling yourself or something. What is the big deal?
What I don't get about my house is, the previous owners didn't seem to take much care of it looks wise. Holes in the wall where he had stuff hung and never bothered to fix, or where he'd maybe punched the wall out of anger? The place just looked dull and dirty, like they never cleaned much. A fresh coat of paint, some DIY landscaping, nice curtains or blinds, a couple of nice rugs, good art work on the wall, and some deep-cleaning can really do a place wonders.
I think we ALL get that the show is stage, and I for one don't believe that everyone "entertains" in their home either. However, the subliminal messages that are hit each and every show on HGTV do tend to trickle down in real life.
People really can't wrap their heads around shows being fake and people are pretty much told what to say.
Yep, these shows are quite scripted down to the comments and each tired quip "these two closets will work for me the wife exclaims, where are yours, snicker snicker?" Friends of ours regaled in the experience of appearing on House Hunters International on buying a ruined villa high on a cliff on the Almafi Coast in Italy.
But as someone who does architectural design work on homes and am quite familiar with local real estate and overhearing some folk's comments at open houses, there is some truth to the "HGTV effect" with some expectations on finishes and bath/closet count/sizes regardless of the era of a home.
Count me firmly in the camp of you can rarely go wrong in saving, maintaining and (if necessary) recreating finishes and styles that were original to the home and era in which it was built. I am completely in agreement of the OP and others that are disappointed and sometimes shocked at the jarring mishmash of styles and trends of the moment forced into historical homes, it rarely is the prudent economic, much less architectural choice.
I too recently went into a classic, post and beam Mid Century Modern that I knew was being flipped just to see what they had done and of course the dark cherry cabinets, SS appliances, speckled beige granite countertops and travertine tile floors are the imaginative choices the investors made
The smart folks looking to buy in historic neighborhoods in this city are becoming increasingly educated about the value of original design and finishes and these types of flips are sitting on the market while original or near original houses are snapped up in hours for well over asking.
People really can't wrap their heads around shows being fake and people are pretty much told what to say.
2 out of the 3 homes are fake anyway so...
One thing to add is that I have an ex-coworker who participated in a backyard renovation show on HGTV. Half the work was already done before filming, yet they filmed anyway(said they could take care of that later). Lots of delays in the remodeling and not that much exciting camera time. I got invited to the "end of the show backyard get together with friends and family".
It has been over a year and a half and the episode has yet to air.
My co-worker has since moved overseas. On Facebook everyone bugs him about almost being "famous". His reply is always "F*ck HGTV!!"
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