HGTV

So Torrie and I have been living in an extended-stay apartment since our arrival in Lexington, KY. We got it for a great deal, it’s this newly constructed place (we are probably the second people to stay in our room) so it’s clean. Clean and cheap. Perfect. It also has a TV, internet, little kitchen (no oven), utilities are included in the price…it’s really a great place to stay while we look for a house.

That’s the overarching task for us right now. Looking for a house. One of the main tools that we have utilized while looking for a house is HGTV.

Home and Garden Television. That’s right. They have all these shows about buying a house, first time home-buying, fixing up houses, designing renovations, selling houses, it’s all house stuff all the time. Perfect for me and Torrie. We watch it pretty frequently.

So a lot of these shows consist of a realtor taking some home buyers around to look at houses, and then they pick which one they buy. Pretty simple. Well, it’s been very interesting for us to see what OTHER people think as important in buying a house. Let’s take a look at the most ridiculous priorities.

1. Look at that ugly wallpaper!!

Are you kidding me? How hard is it to take care of wallpaper?

2. Oooh! Nice big kitchen!!

Oh yeah, like you are actually going to use your kitchen. You’re going to be like so many other people in this world and go out to eat 4, 5 times a week. Oh, unless you’re “saving money” by staying home and cooking ready-to-eat meals. Way to go!

3. This open space would be perfect for entertaining!

Yeah, right. How often do you “entertain”? Once a month? Maybe? And what exactly does “entertain” mean in this context? I seriously hear this once or twice a half hour and I’m not convinced that it ever actually happens. I think it's so ridiculous that everytime Torrie and I walk through a house, I mention how great it would be for entertaining, and then laugh at myself cause I think it's so funny. Torrie sometimes laughs. The realtor never seems to understand why I'm laughing.

4. We’d like a nice yard for our dog, Charlie, to play in.

This one is always sad to me, cause it’s very rare that I hear anyone say it about kids. I’ve never heard (and I hear a lot) them even mention school districts. Maybe families never move homes?

5. It’s a little out of our budget, but we can make it work….

If it’s out of your budget…then you can’t afford it! It seems like 1 / 3 people overpay for the house they want. (Note: I would like this fact if I was selling my house right now, instead of trying to buy one.)

I just want to buy a house! AHHH!