1253 replies to this topic

[borokat]

Oh, PLEASE someone tell me that they watched the premiere tonight!

I liked Mike, I liked the host, but the newlyweds.....whoa. The husband was a massive douchebag and you could practically hear the wife's internal monologue, "What have I gotten myself into?"

[spiritone]

I am in complete agreement with you borokat. I hate to say it, but I can see those two heading for divorce in the not too distant future. The wife looked completely uncomfortable with her douchebag husband. I am not sure why he agreed to the show in the first place if he was not willing to listen to the expert and then share the result with the audience. The topper was that the deal DID fall through, and the house went back on the market at an unreasonably high price. Ugh.

Edited by spiritone, Jun 14, 2009 @ 10:42 PM.

[jade76]

Why did hubby go on this show? He was not interested in hearing any advice and was totally uncooperative. Also they did not seem to want to accept the fact that the housing market has burst and you can't get as much for your house as you used to

[sweet treats]

Douchbag hubby had better hope his house doesn't sell, because I think he'll need his own place again soon. The wife looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock a couple times during the episode. Then at the end when they announced that they were under contract, she almost looked like she wanted to cry. Was it because she had doubts that the deal would close, or she realizes doesn't want him to move into her house?

Was anyone else amused when the hubby said he doesn't like it when strangers assess his house? What does he think happens during a real estate showing??

Overall, I liked the show-- Some very cringe-worthy moments.

[Auntie Anxiety]

The husband was the tooliest tool that ever tooled. I felt so sorry for the wife, who seemed like a reasonable woman but was afraid to say anything that wasn't in support of her douchebag hubby. They've only been married for a couple of months; maybe she can get an annulment? Guess the husband didn't get the memo that your house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Hello? Not rocket science.

I'm in the process of buying a house and will be selling the house I currently own. Although I want to buy a house as cheap as I possibly can, I want to sell my existing home for as much as I can. That being said, when I start figuring in homeowner's insurance and real estate taxes, it doesn't make sense to wait forever because the carrying costs would eat into whatever profit I would make.

I did like the interventionist. He was reasonable and realistic. Not sure what the purpose of the female sidekick is.

[izabella]

Wow - could not at all understand why that guy went on this show. Maybe he really didn't know what would be happening. I hope he's a little more easy-going when his house/price isn't being picked on, because otherwise, his wife is going to have her hands full keeping him from alienating everyone she knows. Did anyone else think hubby looked really familiar?

Why were they going back and forth between their two houses? Why not move into her house, and stage his for sale? They might have done better on a staging show. Build a closet in the downstairs bedroom where the armoire was, do a little landscaping in the back yard, and stage the rest of it so it looked more spacious. And, drop the price!

I liked Mike and didn't think he was at all being obnoxious about his comments or advice.

Edited by izabella, Jun 14, 2009 @ 11:13 PM.

[Bentley]

Tonight's homeowner would have been a perfect candidate for Buy Me. Classic defensiveness, unwillingness to face reality and inability to listen to the expert opinions he solicited in the first place. I too felt the wife was ready to cry at the end of the episode and I don't think it was entirely the stress of selling the house. They say you can tell a lot about a person from watching them drive in heavy traffic. I think you can probably also tell a lot about them through renovating or selling a house. My guess is this has been an eye-opener for her as to the kind of guy she married and her future must seem bleak.

I've watched enough design shows to wonder why people buy these sloped-ceiling houses with all the roofline issues, clearance issues, master suites where half the space is unusable if you're standing in an upright position, etc. There's a reason why Colonial-style houses are typically one of the most popular for homeowners.

[izabella]

I've watched enough design shows to wonder why people buy these sloped-ceiling houses with all the roofline issues, clearance issues, master suites where half the space is unusable if you're standing in an upright position, etc

I always wonder if those were really just single story homes, maybe with just one or two small bedrooms on the first floor, and they later thought, hey, here's an attic space that's not being used! Let's turn those into bedrooms!

[JasmineFlower]

Loved the show. I'm already familiar with Mike from Get it Sold and like him on that. Liked him and Sabrina on here.

That poor poor woman. She was so embarrassed by him and who can blame her. Good lord! What was his problem? The show hit the jackpot in having this guy in the premiere. I hope this woman runs not walks to divorce court. Get out before you have kids honey!

[blahblahblah]

I loved this show. I loved Mike and Sabrina. I loved that they were shown getting frustrated by the douchebag homeowners. The husband sucked. I don't understand why they are switching back and forth between the two houses, why not just live in one and maybe rent out the other if they were having trouble selling? I also don't understand why a 20 minute drive is such a big deal. I live in LA, I drive 20 minutes to go to the grocery store. My ex lived 10 miles from me, it took an hour to get to his place on a good day. I don't understand why the husband didn't want to talk numbers at the end, you'd think judging from his personality that he'd be totally stoked that his number was greater than the one Mike suggested.

I've added a season pass for this show.

I've been looking at houses. People still want to believe their crappy dilapidated 600 sft 2/1's are worth 600k. When a reasonably priced decent house comes on the market everyone jumps on it. It is interesting to watch this show and see the people trying to sell. I can channel my frustration at them :)

[hotpants]

I think I understood the male home owner's reluctance to reveal the price at the end, he didn't want the viewing audience to know how low he was willing to go in case the offer fell through. The problem was that his approach and attitude were way out of line!

It seemed to me that him and his wife knew something big was going to come up in the inspection. I hope after the offer fell through he didn't take out his anger on his wife or blame it on the host and/or Sabrina.

[borokat]

I thought that not talking $$$ at the end was all about douchebag hubby's ego. Although he sold the house for more than Mike thought it would bring, he also agreed to pay closing costs which brought profits down to 543 grand. Then, with the repairs that they knew were coming, it probably knocked their profits below the 535 grand that Mike said they would get for the house. Possibly way below 535, because they must have been substantial repairs to make the buyers withdraw their offer.

[Willow2tree]

Add me to the "Hubby was a douche" brigade! I thought Mike was very diplomatic with a difficult client, and I agree that the wife looked like she saw a side of her husband that she didn't like! I was a little surprised towards the end when Sabrina let her claws out a little and showed her frustration when douchebag wouldn't even tell what price was being negotiated, like it was a national secret!

Hubby talking about both comp houses like they were so inferior was infuriating, especially the one with the downstairs basement bedroom. He acted like it was a deathtrap and shouldn't even be allowed on the market! So superior and self-righteous. I wanted to smack him silly.

Obviously didn't learn anything, as when the deal fell through they relisted the house at an unrealisticly high price again. Guess hubby didn't really care if he sold it or not.

[izabella]

why not just live in one and maybe rent out the other if they were having trouble selling?

Renting it out would be a great idea. Could pay the mortgage, maybe make some repairs that would create problems at the inspection, and wait until the market bounces back a little bit so he can get a price closer to what he wants.

[pooters]

Guess hubby didn't really care if he sold it or not.

I'm guessing about now that she doesn't really care if the house sells or not as long as he stays there and she stays at her house.
He was one angry asshat.
I wonder whether they thought Sabrina was going to sweep in and stage the house while Mike worked some kind of marketing magic to unload that thing.

[redcookie]

I went in thinking I was not going to like Mike (what is with the Hitler stash?) but I wanted to tongue kiss him after enduring the asshat hubby. Love Mike for his ability not to punch hubby in the face and wipe the smirk off his face. Jeebus.

[Bethlyn]

Ditto what you all said -- wife was mortified, hubby was an angry asshat, host was diplomatic but firm. Reality TV Gold! I'm in!

[TrippingJ]

I'm echo just about everyone's comments about the first episode in this show! Mike and Sabrina are great on Get It Sold and were just as good last night.

Mike showed incredibly patience and restriant with the complete and utter douchebag male homeowner. How he managed not to walk off and tell the homeowner to shove it is beyond me.

For those that are interested, the house is still on the market and they are adversiting it as "featured on HGTV". Although for anyone watching last night would not want anything to do with that homeowner.

Here is the link to the home: Arlington Home

Edited by TrippingJ, Jun 15, 2009 @ 11:07 AM.

[kiacook]

Also, I guess the male homeowner is not worried about the low price he accepted getting out now? What a dumbass.

I have to say, I am really impressed with how HGTV has its finger on the pulse of the real estate market. They created shows about flipping houses when the market was booming, have added another staging/selling show and one re Renting now that the market has dropped. And finally, as they were seeing wanna-be home sellers not accepting the new reality, they've started producing this show.

Other than reruns of House Hunters where I have to check the episode date because they're in SoCal talking about how hot the market is and a couple in Atlanta who were taking out an interest-only loan because "we're buying in a hot area where the value will only continue to rise(!)", HGTV does a good job of showing what's going on at the moment in the market.

[jade76]

That link has it listed at $559,500. Did he finally drop the price then? At the end of the show I think it said it was back on the market for $575,000.

[borokat]

So they have been trying to sell the house since September? I would love to know the homeowners' reaction after watching their show last night, because I cannot see how anyone would want to buy such an overpriced house with some sort of huge secret problem and difficult sellers. TrippingJ's link says that they originally listed at 599 grand. I am sorry but douchebag husband needs to realize that the housing bubble has popped. The days of rocketing appreciation are behind us. He bought the house for 250K, 7 years ago, and put 100K of upgrades in it. For him to think in this market that the house has DOUBLED in value? Well, that shows he is an idiot in addition to being a rude jerk.

If he did not agree with Mike, that is fine. Dumb, but fine. Its the way he handled himself, he was so hostile and combative. The wife seemed rather nice, made me wonder what she was doing with someone with such an obvious ego problem. He probably bought the house thinking that he would make a ton of money on resale, and then when the housing market went kaboom, his ego won't let him admit that the house is not the cash cow that he thought it would be.

Edited by borokat, Jun 15, 2009 @ 11:57 AM.

[jelley]

I wonder what the HOs get from going on this show. There must be some kind of incentive, other than being on tv. I'm guessing that the producers had a chat with Mr. Douchebag about the agreement he signed with them when he was so adamant about not disclosing the contract amount.

Reasonable wife has a lifetime of being accused of "ignoring" her douchebag husband when she doesn't just agree with him on whatever ego-driven decision he makes.

My husband's commentary as the show went on went something like this:
I give this marriage a year, tops....I give this marriage another 6 months, tops....That poor woman should go home and kick this guy to the curb.

[TrippingJ]

I am sorry but douchebag husband needs to realize that the housing bubble has popped. The days of rocketing appreciation are behind us. He bought the house for 250K, 7 years ago, and put 100K of upgrades in it. For him to think in this market that the house has DOUBLED in value? Well, that shows he is an idiot in addition to being a rude jerk.

I completely agree with you, borokat. If he had bought at the height of the market and was trying to break-even I could see his insistance to have a high price; even though I don't agree with him and if I were a prospective buyer and I would not be dealing with him at all. Even after looking at the pictures, the house is still pretty average with a few good updates but not much else. Just because the douchebag husband thinks his house is perfect does not warrant the high price and the number of days on the market is more evidence of this.

The neighborhood and area is extremely desirable since it is walking distance to the Metro and is a 10 minute ride into downtown DC. Most of Arlington County, VA is doing fairly well compared to the rest of the nation and houses that are priced well are selling quickly. Those priced too high are still laungishing on the market, just like our favorite homeowner's.

[yoyosma]

I really liked this show.
I thought Mike was very respectful and gave good advice, he was very patient with that horrible man. I felt really bad for the wife. I agree with all of you who are counting down the days until the end of this marraige.
I couldnt understand why Brian was saying such horrible things about the other houses and talking up his own when CLEARLY the renovations he did were inferior.

Old windows keeping the "character" of the building? I have watched enough design shows to know that one can get a similar window to the original and save a bundle on heating costs. Brian was also so dismissive of the other kitchen's he saw when it was very obvious that his renovation was with cheaper materials. Anyone who watches HGTV knows most buyers go nuts for granite and stainless steel appliances so saying that his kitchen has a better 'flow' means nothing if a buyer doesnt want your cheap looking countertop!

I felt so bad for the wife. It was just hard to watch how more disgusted she was getting with Brian. She also seemed more in touch with how much the house was worth as well.

Pet peeve: wear your seatbelts!!!!! They save lives!

[Honey Wheeler]

What a delicious trainwreck of a show! I love seeing greedy homeowners get a big fat reality check, although I did feel sorry for the wife. I can't wait for the next episode!

[Willow2tree]

Watching this show also made me very grateful that I live in a smaller city in a Midwestern state where a house just like the one the HOs were selling would go for $100,000-120,000, tops, not more than half a million dollars!

[Auntie Anxiety]

If he did not agree with Mike, that is fine. Dumb, but fine. Its the way he handled himself, he was so hostile and combative. The wife seemed rather nice, made me wonder what she was doing with someone with such an obvious ego problem. He probably bought the house thinking that he would make a ton of money on resale, and then when the housing market went kaboom, his ego won't let him admit that the house is not the cash cow that he thought it would be.

For all we know, the husband is over his head in debt and simply cannot stand to think about how many bills will go unpaid if he sells the house for a lower (more realistic) price.

Raise your hand if you'd like to see this show conducted like "Intervention" on the A&E channel. The wife could have written a letter to her husband, telling him how things are going to change if he doesn't accept the help (Mike's appraisal) he is offered. Then they put the douchebag husband on a plane and make him go to real estate rehab. Totally entertaining!

[MittenGirl]

I am so glad that I found this forum after watching the show last night. Brian was an ass. I couldn't figure out what the hell his problem was. It wasn't as though Mike was telling him his house was atrocious or anything; just what prospective buyers would think.

Am I correct that Brian's house had no basement at all? I would think anyone with half a brain could understand that a basement give you extra space, even if you have to fix it up, and extra space is valuable to most buyers. And those "beams" on the ceiling looked weird. They just looked like 2x8s, if they were beefed up they would have looked better. If they were the roof trusses, doesn't it mean there is next to no insulation?

After looking at the house listing posted above, why did the house have such a small backyard? On the show I thought it looked like a corner lot, but it isn't. The houses on either side seem to have larger lots. (And the house next door with the large octagonal room on the back looks interesting.)

[doublebungalow]

The house may have been built in 1915 but it is not a Craftsman. When I was watching this show my husband came in and asked if the home owner (Brian) had some developmental disability. He was not able to distinguish the difference between his home and the better homes shown.

Am I correct that Brian's house had no basement at all? I would think anyone with half a brain could understand that a basement give you extra space, even if you have to fix it up,

My favorite part was when he said he wouldn't have a basement if it looked like a basement. A basement that appeared to be a basement was not better than his house on a slab. Then when he was shown a basement that was finished he said "this is a death trap". Wife looked like a deer in the headlights...What have I married??

I believe Brian belongs right up there with Mimi (Buy Me), Virginia (Buy Me) and Judge Dragon (Clean House).

Edited by doublebungalow, Jun 15, 2009 @ 9:10 PM.

[ava24]

Wow, I'm having a chamomile tea break to get over the intense rage I have for douchebag hubby after watching that program. What a complete ASS and I feel so incredibly sorry for his wife, who seems like a reasonable (and NICE) woman. And he's UGLY to boot and she's so cute - why do I get the feeling she settled waaaaay beneath what she's worth? Ugh...


Whew...ok. Not surprised the deal fell through. Real estate deals are very tenuous nowadays anyway, but I don't think that the husband's negative energy helped at ALL! I truly hope that this turns out for the wife. It's on season pass for me, too!