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All depends on your idea of entertainment. I know some people with luxury decks, some have simple a bon fire pit and some people have a stripper pole in their house. To each their own.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,777 posts, read 15,781,748 times
Reputation: 10886
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wry_Martini
To be fair, some of us do entertain an awful lot - I usually have a formal dinner party once a month, a cocktail party every few months, and more casual dinner parties a few times per month. And i host a brunch every 6 weeks. So it was important to me to have a house that was geared for entertaining.
I do get amused by the enormous yards some people want, though, especially if the yard is for a dog. Seems to be an inverse relationship between the people size of the dog & the size of the yard!
I do know that some people entertain a lot. And I meant to qualify my statement earlier by saying that. But there is no way that nearly everyone on these shows is that kind of entertainer. My guess is that maybe 1 in 100 people entertain as much as you do, if that.
All depends on your idea of entertainment. I know some people with luxury decks, some have simple a bon fire pit and some people have a stripper pole in their house. To each their own.
Wow. I am just amazed at attitudes and perceptions out there, from just about every angle. Here are some concepts that just floor me:
1. "Starter homes" that drip luxury - even if it's faux luxury and shoddy construction.
2. The idea that any kitchen that hasn't been renovated in granite and top of the line appliances and finishes in the past five years is "outdated."
3. People buying at the very top of what they're "qualified" for and strapping themselves down to a huge mortgage on a McMansion.
4. Preferences trotted out as fact and "the gospel truth" (all uncannily similar to trends I see on HGTV and DIY Network). Seems that we lose a lot of local flavor and personality in that process.
I think the short answer is that people want what they want. Since they are paying they should do everything they can to get what they want, even if it isn't what someone else wants.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
I think what got me going on all this is that I love older homes that have been well maintained or renovated tastefully and with the period feeling kept intact. I am going to look at a home today that I showed several years ago when I was practicing real estate. When I showed it, it was a fabulous midcentury modern masterpiece - the quintessential party house - and had been maintained in pristine condition. It was like stepping back in time in so many positive ways - for instance it had some amazing, and very appropriate for the style, metallic wallpaper in the foyer. Not a big, psychodelic pattern, but a subtle bronze shimmer. It had some swag fixtures in the bathrooms that were AWESOME. Now, looking at the pictures online, the house appears to have been raped. Granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances in the kitchen (don't get me wrong - I like that look in some houses, but not this one - I only hope they kept the original cabinets!), new fixtures in the bathrooms, etc. There was an atrium in the middle of the house that was absolutely fabulous and SO period - I don't see any indication that it's still there.
Here is where we get the longer answer. That is what you like. You should have what you like. If you buy a mid century modern house I am sure you will deck it out in metallic wallpaper with velvet trip, swag fixtures and shag carpeting. If that is what you like you should do it. Everyone should love their home.
However, I would rip out all swag fixtures and metallic wallpaper before I even moved into a home. I grew up with all that ugly stuff and I thought it was ugly when it was in fashion. There is no way I would have it in my house now that it is not in fashion. My house has stainless steel and granite in it (the house was built in 2005). Everyone should love their home.
Location: When you take flak it means you are on target
7,646 posts, read 9,946,114 times
Reputation: 16466
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
Wow. I am just amazed at attitudes and perceptions out there, from just about every angle. Here are some concepts that just floor me:
1. "Starter homes" that drip luxury - even if it's faux luxury and shoddy construction.
2. The idea that any kitchen that hasn't been renovated in granite and top of the line appliances and finishes in the past five years is "outdated."
3. People buying at the very top of what they're "qualified" for and strapping themselves down to a huge mortgage on a McMansion.
4. Preferences trotted out as fact and "the gospel truth" (all uncannily similar to trends I see on HGTV and DIY Network). Seems that we lose a lot of local flavor and personality in that process.
I think what got me going on all this is that I love older homes that have been well maintained or renovated tastefully and with the period feeling kept intact. I am going to look at a home today that I showed several years ago when I was practicing real estate. When I showed it, it was a fabulous midcentury modern masterpiece - the quintessential party house - and had been maintained in pristine condition. It was like stepping back in time in so many positive ways - for instance it had some amazing, and very appropriate for the style, metallic wallpaper in the foyer. Not a big, psychodelic pattern, but a subtle bronze shimmer. It had some swag fixtures in the bathrooms that were AWESOME. Now, looking at the pictures online, the house appears to have been raped. Granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances in the kitchen (don't get me wrong - I like that look in some houses, but not this one - I only hope they kept the original cabinets!), new fixtures in the bathrooms, etc. There was an atrium in the middle of the house that was absolutely fabulous and SO period - I don't see any indication that it's still there.
I think we're losing something here, folks. Take, for instance, the open floor plan concept. In new homes it can look great. But just because you buy an older, "vintage" home doesn't mean that you just have to start knocking down walls and slapping granite on every surface! My gosh. I remember a few years ago showing an adorable little cottage in the historic district. People LOVED it - till they got to the kitchen, which was a totally streamlined, shiny black everywhere, contemporary travesty. No. It was NOT "transitional" and "updated." It jarred the senses and I watched as shock literally registered on every face - and then dismay. I don't think that house ever sold, and that kitchen had to have cost at least $50,000.
Which brings me to my next question - WHERE DOES EVERYONE GET THIS SORT OF MONEY? I mean, shopping at the very top of their price range, and THEN going in and ripping out functional items and spending another $50,000? I honestly don't understand it. Before you assume we're not all that fluid financially, that's not the case at all. We are currently looking at homes that are nearly $300,000 BELOW our maximum qualification. And we fully expect to find a lovely, well maintained home that I would personally consider to be, on a scale of 1-10, about a 7. We're in our fifties by the way. Oh, and we'll put down around 30 percent, possibly more depending on the final price.
I think what appalls me is that I see people come in and put 5% down and then I wonder where the money comes from to do and buy all this STUFF??????
These shows are not the real world. Most are heavily scripted and are designed as entertainment to get people salivating. Unfortunately now you are expected to put granite into a $25,000 double-wide.
Here's a little story. I have a very large, very high end beach house. The house was built in the 60's and came with the original white formica counters. When I renovated the kitchen a few years ago we thought about installing granite and decided that since the original white matched the refinished cabinets nicely, and after 45 years didn't have a single scratch in it, we decided to keep it - figuring it would come back into style anyway.
A couple of years ago we bought a new refrigerator. Around here apparently if you don't have Viking or Sub-Zero you will not be considered fit to hob knob with the 1%'ers. Well I bought a new Kenmore, on sale for $850. A very nice double door in stainless. It looks nice, and keeps the food cold, and the other $10,000 I kept invested.
OK, so my house isn't quite as fancy as some of the local billionaire's but neither is Warren Buffett's. It's a beach house, you can leave your boogie board and towels in the patio and wash the sand off your feet, then track water on the tile without destroying Italian marble.
- As for where they get the money, I got mine from photo royalties, software, stock and flipping houses. The rich guy down the block in the 14 million dollar house got his running an offshore gambling web site. He had a LOT more money than I ever will, of course he also got indicted on a RICO charge... and I didn't. LOL
I think the short answer is that people want what they want. Since they are paying they should do everything they can to get what they want, even if it isn't what someone else wants.
Here is where we get the longer answer. That is what you like. You should have what you like. If you buy a mid century modern house I am sure you will deck it out in metallic wallpaper with velvet trip, swag fixtures and shag carpeting. If that is what you like you should do it. Everyone should love their home.
However, I would rip out all swag fixtures and metallic wallpaper before I even moved into a home. I grew up with all that ugly stuff and I thought it was ugly when it was in fashion. There is no way I would have it in my house now that it is not in fashion. My house has stainless steel and granite in it (the house was built in 2005). Everyone should love their home.
I think you're really, really missing my point, and I honestly can't tell if it's intentional or not. This isn't about liking or disliking granite and stainless steel, it's about WHY people feel a compulsion to overextend themselves financially in order to have the absolutely most they can afford on two incomes. I cannot imagine running my own personal finances so close to the wire when I could scale down my personal taste to better fit a more realistic budget.
By the way, I have granite and stainless steel in my house which was built in 2009. It fits the style of the home and I really like it. I also have about $100,000 equity in that home...and wish I had more. I can't imagine buying a home and not even having enough liquid cash to pay the CLOSING COSTS! I think that's generally a terrible financial decision and that was the main point of my OP.
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