I have to admit that on rainy afternoons (not that we have that many), Lady Magnon (and I) do enjoy this wonderful show, hosted by the fragrant Alistair Appleton, but I would like to suggest that they change its name to the above.
The house-hunters usually have quite substantial amounts of money to spend, are unbelievably 'picky', and generally appear desperate to overtake those illusive 'Joneses'. Their demands always dismiss either thatched roofs or internal beams (a strange thing when you're looking for a country house), and they always refer to stones as 'bricks'. Give me bloody strength!
On a recent show one woman even rejected a fabulous property because the superb, very expensive, and brand new kitchen, had cupboards rather than drawers.
When so many people have difficulty even finding a suitable rental property, these house-hunters demand the most ridiculous facilities, and of course (as they're townies) nothing is ever right for them. Occasionally the show includes a reasonably sensible couple, but the majority are just crazy parvenus with impractical rose-tinted glasses, and whimsical 'country' dreams.
If you want to see how people regard property in the UK; watch it. BBC1 3 pm.
41 comments:
I've watched similar programs and I think like you, sometimes it seems as though they are being instructed to go down to the deliberately annoying details.
That's the longest post title I've seen on blogger so far. Congratulations. But it might not be for long. Perhaps there's a budding cryptic crossword clue compiler out there some where . . . ;-) ykw!
There's certainly a frustrated cryptic clue solver (or non-solver) out there!
Some of the house hunters are incredibly annoying. I really shouldn't watch it; it raises my blood pressure.
Escape to the Country probably sums up the BBC's attitude to what people want, I call it the 'London effect'. 100 years from now there will be all these family sized kitchens with an island in the middle, and someone will be cursing all the wasted space as they pop a pill for food.
At the other end of the scale when I was getting ready to sell I asked the Estate Agent whether I should replace my 2 hob cooktop with a larger one and was told not to as so many people don't cook these days.
Yes this is a particularly annoying piece of TV.Don't get me started but now that I have- the people I can't stand are the"down sizers " who make comments such as" we've got a bigger kitchen at home"in a tone of disappointment.I thought the whole point of down sizing was purchasing a small property. Silly me!
I'm getting a bit creaky these days and want to change my kitchen cupboards to drawers. I don't anticipate it being that difficult. How can such a small thing put someone off an otherwise beautiful house?
These people are usually retired and not getting any younger, so why are they moving to somewhere " back of beyond" away from their old friends/support group? Do they check if there is a bus for when they can no longer drive? That's what I always think, but I do enjoy such programmes .
You don't need to be rich to live in the countryside if you look away from England. These programmes house buyers seem to be only for people with lots of money.
It's the wanting open-plan living in the country that gets to me. No!!! You will need somewhere to trap the dog while it dries off/store your wellies and wet clothes after country walks and locking up the chickens. The washing machine will be constantly on, so that needs to be out of hearing, you will need a decent food store/freezer because the shops are miles away and winters are hard. And a taxi sign to stick on your car while your children are growing up. (I will probably spend the day thinking of more now.) My list would be totally different to most of the people on this programme, but then, I've actually lived in the countryside! I love watching it, but I just think "You'll learn."
A few winters ago, emergency services had to deliver medication and food to an elderly couple who had moved to our part of rural West Wales. They'd had no idea that they could ever be house-bound by snow!
I hope you're right; they deserve it.
I had a friend who bought a flat in Park Lane (that you know well), and he took out the entire kitchen to make an extra bedroom. He never ate at home!
Some of them are so annoying. Some don't even know how big an acre is!
Exactly. It's a very simple matter; especially as the kitchen was brand new.
Sometimes I wonder if they are really looking for a property at all or just using it as an opportunity to be on TV
Why do they all want to keep alpacas and chickens? Sometimes annoying but compulsive viewing.
My people had a cottage like that in N Wales. You could be snowed-in for weeks.
They mostly seem well-heeled, but I suppose whatever they're selling would be worth a lot.
You sound like a country person. No rose tinted glasses, just reality. Country living is wonderful, but you need to understand how things work. Luckily our Taxi sign has been put away now.
We say the same thing.
The chickens are understandable, but why on earth would people want Alpacas?
It is compelling viewing and I have enjoyed watching the show. There are some beautiful but pricey homes, and I wonder if many of them really need all that big space. Some places also seem to have a big upkeep needed to keep them running.
Repeated here on one of our commercial sub channels, who was this afternoon screening something like Escape to an Island, a Canadian one at that. What I saw of it horrified me.
Spaces for entertainment for wankers with range and islands, seep out slowly, could be Ambridge 6,2,3,7
I would love to know what they get up to in bedrooms because the bedrooms are never big enough.
Do people really need the help of presenters like that to choose a house to spend a couple of million on? No, it's just entertainment. Better than Jeremy Kyle.
A big flashy kitchen always seems like an excuse for not being able to cook!
So, no escape from 'Escape', even in Oz.
And they all insist on en suites (with his-n-hers basins), and a dressing room. People are very picky these days.
And if you tell them you have two million to spend, they always show houses that cost three million!
Even worse are the international house hunters who are from the US and want all American amenities in a charming,
Period, English/ European home....large rooms, endless bathrooms, etc....
I haven't seen those, but I can imagine.
Does this come from The Times extra difficult?
I do so agree with what you said, I have thought the same thing. Even given up watching some of the shows because they are so picky over most beautiful properties which I would be only to happy to own. Give me a show where one bathroom, a powder room and an eat in kitchen with an Aga or Rayburn with an armchair either side, and an old kitchen table in the middle of the floor to roll out pastry and enjoy. Now that would be my kind of show.
We get "Escape" here and I do laugh at how everyone wants to escape to the country until they actually get there - then, it's isolated or too far to drive - or the grounds are too big.
Over here "House Hunters" is popular and it usually involves a young couple, with a limited income, looking for what should be a starter home - but - God forbid they should have to share a bathroom - or the kitchen doesn't have granite counter tops & stainless steel appliances (even though it's obvious that neither of them cook) - oh and there has to be a home office plus a "man cave" and a double car garage! All for that starter home budget of course!!!
That sounds like my sort of house too (apart from the powder room). I sometimes think it would be fun to go on the show, and ask them to find me a tumbledown cottage with outside loo and tin bath.
I always think that when men insist they have a 'man cave', it means they can't stand the sight of each other.
I don’t know how House Hunters is filmed in Europe, but here in the US it isn’t quite truthful. The people must already have bought a home with all the papers signed; the other two homes they look at could belong to friends or they might be on the market but they were never considered by the buyers. There is a similar script, and everybody needs open space and granite countertops and couples never agree. It is totally phony but I love to watch it. Like all reality tv, there is nothing real about it.
Its the ones who think they can live in the centre of the village and get acreage. How can you get acreage in the centre? abd the need for a pub. Isnt is something like a pub closes every day somewhere in the UK. The pub could be gone
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