My favorite HGTV show is “House Hunters”. I watch very few “Reality Shows” (they don’t seem very real to me), but I really enjoy watching people shop for a place to live.
The cable show introduces the viewer to people mostly in the U.S., but they’ve gone “International” so we occasionally get to house hunt in Japan, Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean. The real estate agent presents 3 options to choose from and the TV audience gets to inspect each along with the buyer. A “budget” is always mentioned, but of course part of the fun is comparing houses in the set price range to the overpriced ones that the real estate agent always slips in. ( Was the 1.2 mill house in South Florida priced before or after the hurricane? How much is it worth now?)
I become involved in the search process and talk to the screen – “That’s too much money for that dump”, “Ya gonna be sorry picking the 2 bedroom, 1 bath!”, “If you’re downsizing, why did you need 4 bedrooms?”. “Great house, great choice, awesome view”, etc. I’ve been watching “House Hunters’ for a few years, but buying a San Francisco Queen Anne mansion or a Turks & Caicos property (vicariously) never gets old for me.
Out of curiosity, I would love to have a follow up with these folks and their new homes. Was it the best choice? Are they sorry they didn’t pick house # 3, instead of house # 1? Could they really afford it? I would prefer to think that they’re having a great time.
Like the House Hunter’s tag line says: “Its not just about finding a house, it’s about finding a home”
