HGTV

How many of you enjoy HGTV?  When I had satelite TV most of the programs I watched were on HGTV.  Now I watch a few on Hulu or YouTube.  I've noticed a change in the miessage the programs I watch give.  This change is slowly leaning toward being more practical and realistic.

When I first got satellite TV in 2007 I was amazed how the show participants found fault with kitchens I thought were just fine.  They didn't like old cabinets.  They didn't like white appliances.  Stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops were all the rage.  There were shows teaching how to make your house more appealing to prospective buyers.  There were shows telling how much value people had added to their home buy putting in high end finishes.  These programs also told how much homeowners had left on the table by not making one improvement or another.   MY House is Worth What featured a house where the homeowners had did a lot of the work themselves.  Granted their paint job was sloppy around the edges but the host really dinged them for it.  "They didn't spend any money in here," or, "They must have run out of money," were common phrases uttered by the hosts.  I too began to look down on white appliances and the lack of crown molding when I watched HGTV. the other day I heard a host say a kitchen had cheap granite. 

The amount of money spent on some of these projects was staggering.  I can't imagine spending thirty thousand dollars on my already existing dining room.  A hundred and fifty thousand dollar outdoor space; you're kidding, that's over twice what I spent on my whole house on point six acre.  Bang for Your Buck came out where the homeowners get to comment on the hosts commentary about the improvements the homeowners made.  I like it when the homeowner says something like, "There was a budget you know." 

Now the shows I get are starting to be more realistic.  Buying And Selling is realistic because they always run into unexpected snags.  Because of that part of the remodeling budget must be compromised to fix the snag.  What frustrates me about this show is most of the snags could have been foreseen by paying attention to the structure and or condition in the first place. 

Kitchen Cousins and I Hate My Kitchen take kitchens that look like Beazle's, built in 1971, and make them look like modern versions.  Gone are the begillion dollar renovations seen in past years on HGTV.  I think the redone kitchens look a little better than the original, sometimes.  Personally I don't like the plastic looking cabinets in primary colors they like to use.  The finished kitchens on these shows are what the average person can afford and expect to see after their kitchen has been redone.  To me they do make for much less interesting TV.

I don't understand why open floorplans are so popular.  I know they are because I saw lots of them while house hunting.  I ended up with one as well.  Sure you can all see each other but you'll have to talk loud to be heard from the other part of the space.  It gets noisy when two or more groups want to do different things.  Beazle said the ones playing Monopoly were making too much noise.  My sister said the ones playing cards were making just as much noise.  At my in-laws the game dominates.  Nothing else can be heard while we prepare food because of the open plan.  As I write this My daughter's video game and friends are competing with my talking book.

Because I lived through the ice storm of 2000 I think about how to heat all this open space.  Back then we were able to close doors and keep the heat somewhat confined in out old house.  Here, there's no way, we'd better plan on being cold if we lose power for a week.  Our second choice would be to hold up in a bedroom and burn Kalani's Kandles.  there is no way the fireplace downstairs can heat all that space.  We could tack up plastic to make a smaller space but that space would still be huge.

Where do these house hunters get their money?  HGTV will show young newlyweds plunking down four or five hundred thousand dollars for a house.  Depending on their location, the house may be nice or the house may be crappy.   They don't like the fixtures so they say, "that can be changed."  Yeah, for a price. The most misleading thing I find on the house hunting shows is the budget to make these changes.  The real estate agent or home buyer will say, "This one is under out budges so we'll have money to make upgrades."  What, Where?  If you buy a certified rehab house you can get a loan to make improvements.  If you buy a regular house and want to install granite counters because you don't like the solid surface the price of the house has nothing to do with it.  Your mortgage is based on your down payment and price of the house, not the changes you want to make.  If you get approved for $250,000 and buy a house Costing $200,000, you don't get the extra for improvements. 

I don't know how HGTV justifies some episodes of My First Sale with shows like My House is Worth What.   I recently watch an episode where a couple had sunk a lot of money into their condo.  They were trying to get way over market value because of all the improvements.  Of course their condo didn't appraise for anything near what they were asking.  The couple kept pointing out their property is nicer than the other units for sale in the building.  The agent kept telling them it didn't appraise for more a nobody would meet their price when they could buy another unit for less.  If your house is updated and priced near what other properties are selling for near you it will sell faster because it is more appealing.  Buyer's aren't going to pay significently more for you hardwood floors and granite when the house next door is tens of thousands of dollars less.  HGTV did many people a disservice by making them think nice upgrades lead to high appraisals.

Appraisals are based on mostly unchangeable aspects; square footage, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, size of lot, size of garage, existence of a stove or other appliances.  If you live in a track house keep your improvements about the same as your neighbors.  That way your houses will appraise for about the same and sell for about the same as your neighbors.  Over improve and your house will still appraise about the same as the others around you.  You've probably heard the sayings, "Don't buy the most expensive house in the neighborhood," and, "buy the ugliest house in the neighborhood and fix it up.  You're overpaying for the upgrades in the expensive house.  The ugly house has probably been on the market longer and it's price reduced.

I'm talking paint, carpet, and other cosmetic fixes on that ugly house.  That sort of investment will bring that ugly house even with the others.

HGTV is improving and I still enjoy watching.  Our summer project is painting the living room.