on real estate

Okay, so as I said, I've been watching a wee bit of House Hunters on this here interweb. A few reflections:

* I wonder if real estate agents love or hate all of these shows. People suddenly sound so learned (perhaps), coming into houses and drooling over the crown molding, stainless steel appliances, open floorplans, hardwood floors throughout, the separate tubs and showers in the master baths, ecc, ecc, ecc. Do the agents, enjoy hearing all of these keywords bandied about, or do they feel the way doctors must feel now that sites like WebMD exist?

* Am I the only one who doesn't really care about stainless steel appliances? I'm sure not. I do like the idea of many other seemingly in options: open floorplan, hard floors (not wood, but sustainable bamboo, if you please, although we'll have to do plenty of research...unless the home already comes with well-kept hardwood flooring), gas range. What else? These are the only keywords I keep hearing that I might be spouting off also.

* Why do the real estate agents on the show keep asking people, "So, are you ready to sign your life away?" They make the whole adventure sound like an ominous end of something, instead of a fantastic beginning.

* Why do the real estate agents insist on showing these people houses that are so much above their price ranges (scusi, I mean "price points")? I'm guessing it has something to do with commission.

* I can't get over watching people buying houses that are 2000-square-feet and hesitating because the houses just feel too small. I haven't seen any overly large families on the show.

* I saw one family moving from a house with four bedrooms and six full-baths and two half-baths. All I could think was, "Wow, everyone I know could have designated bathrooms." I'd hate, hate, hate to clean that place.

* I also can't get over watching people buy their first houses with budgets of several hundred thousands of dollars.

(Those last two points are my own deal. I just can't imagine having to keep a huge house and the people featured on this show, at least the episodes that I have access to, must make so much more money than I do.)

* And, the whole concept of first houses? I once told my dad that I only want to buy one house ever. He seemed skeptical that that would happen. I go back and forth on this. We can't afford to buy anything in our dream neighborhood, but I kind of loathe the idea of buying a house and then later selling it and having to buy a new one. I like the idea of buying only one home ever. We'd rather travel than buy and sell houses. So many of the real estate agents keep focusing on keeping the resale value in mind. One just mentioned something about keeping future buyers in mind, but why? When I buy a house, I want to keep our desires in mind. (Perhaps I'm just incredibly selfish.)

* I can't imagine buying a new house and all new furniture at the same time.

* Rooms without windows depress me, even if there are skylights in those rooms.

* Watching these shows, somehow, leads me to appreciate the condo we live in right now. There might be things I'd like to change, but I've really enjoyed living here.