locutus7 wrote:In the US there is an enormously popular TV show called House Hunters. Each episode shows a person or couple looking at three houses with a real estate agent, and ultimately buying the one they like best. (there is an international version as well).
This show displays interesting personality traits and trends, and I wonder if people in other countries have the same preferences and budgets. Here are some of my observations after watching 10 years of the show (Americans only):
1. Apparently, there is no such thing as a "starter house" for Americans any more. Newlyweds and other young people expect their first house to be their dream house.
Good luck. These are also people who think they are going to graduate and automatically make six figures. They are delusional.
2. Americans want BIG. The single most common remark by buyers, which is in every single episode, is "this room is too small." Rooms are never big enough. Moreover, houses are never big enough. It is common to see a couple with no, or one, child looking for 4 or 5 bedroom houses, with media rooms AND bonus rooms AND home office rooms.
These people are idiots. I actually bought the smallest house I could find in a decent neighborhood - and it's still 3 bedrooms. I get to pay less taxes and also get to pay less heating and cooling bills.
3. ALL home buyers expect the big 3: "granite, hardwoods, stainless." Granite kitchen counters, hardwood floors, and stainless kitchen appliances. No variation is acceptable.
Fools. Silestone is better than granite. Stainless steel isn't worth the price. And fake hardwood is much better than real hardwood.
4. Most couples, especially younger ones, want houses with "character." They are rebelling against their parents' suburban tract homes, yet when they are shown older homes with"character", the buyers invariably complain that the rooms are too small, and they end up buying the newer large McMansions (just like their parents' houses). The American search for character is interesting.
Sounds like in a search to be different, they end up being the same.
Goodness, I hope not. Please tell me some corner of the world has some sense.
Citizen of the (future) People's Social Democratic Republic of Cascadia.
cascadianow.orgFor help managing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), go
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Along with, "I can't relax here. These people have no pubic hair anywhere. We have pubic hair on the ceiling."
