2/2/2008
Amber & Wendy Shop for A House
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas resident Amber Grieco is a 22-year-old dental assistant, living at home with her mom and step-dad. When her friend Wendy Frost buys a home, Amber is inspired to investigate the housing market. With Wendy along for support, Amber visits a broker and is pre-approved for a $200,000 loan. Realtor Tina Mello takes Amber on several house tours, but nothing catches her eye until they come upon a 1,200 square foot condo with an asking price of $199,000. Amber is excited but when she tries to move forward on the home, she discovers that her loan program is suddenly no longer available. Required to re-qualify, she is approved for $170,000, $30,000 less than her original loan. When the seller won't accept less than $180,000, Amber is forced to continue her search. Amber loses a second home when the seller accepts another all-cash offer. Just when Amber is about to give up, Tina comes through with the perfect two bedroom, two and a half bath model home. But Amber oversleeps and leaves Tina waiting and wondering if she'll show up to see house or if this is another lost opportunity on Amber's road to home ownership.
A Foreclosure For Seven
Cheyenne, Wyoming
German native Sabine Jalinski and Wyomingite Lance Reed met and merged their families eleven years ago. Sabine works as a cleaner in the governor's office in Cheyenne while Lance is employed as a welder. After getting inspiration and a firm push from her friend and co-worker Dana, Sabine convinces Lance that now is the time to buy. Lance's bad credit means Sabine will have to qualify for the loan on her own. Approved for only $115,000 Lance and Sabine focus on fixer-uppers, trying to get the most out of their money. Realtor Judy starts Lance and Sabine's search with homes securely within their price range. When Lance and Sabine are unimpressed by the mold-riddled and cramped homes within their price range, Judy pushes the couple to take a look at some foreclosures. A five-bedroom two-bath ranch style home catches their eye. With an asking price of $137,000, Lance and Sabine decide to come in with a lowball offer, of $100,000, hoping the seller is eager to move the home. When the seller counters with an offer of the asking price, Lance and Sabine place a second offer of $109,500. The seller quickly rejects the offer. Discouraged, Lance is ready to abandon the hunt. A down and out Sabine consults with her friend Dana who prods her to keep on looking. Judy buckles down to look for another foreclosure, but time is running out for Lance and Sabine.
2/9/2008
Mold is a Four Letter Word
Ann Arbor, Michigan
High school sweethearts Dan and Marianne Mutschler got married last year and are looking to buy a house in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Mutschlers turn to realtor Bob Ziegler - a long-time friend and golfing partner of Dan's dad - to assist in their search. The couple wants a "maintenance free" home with a big backyard and a two-car garage for under $200,000. The search begins slowly with Bob Ziegler taking them to 25 homes without making a match. But when they happen upon a three-bedroom ranch style home, with updated appliances and ample insulation to protect against Michigan's fierce winters, the Mutschlers make an offer. They seem well on their way to home-ownership when a house inspection reveals mold in the attic. The sellers offer to pay to remove the mold, but after some soul-searching and a family conference, Dan and Marianne decide the possibility of future mold problems trumps the love they have for the home. In search of more options, Bob takes the couple to Pinkney, a cozy suburb 20 miles outside of Ann Arbor. The couple likes the home Bob shows them, but as they're walking out the front door, the sweethearts fall hard for the house down the street. With Bob's help, the Mutschlers place an offer and wait to see if they will score their first home.
A House For Tyler
Indianapolis, Indiana
A youth pastor and elementary school teacher respectively, Patrick and Deanna Parson are eager to move their family of six out of the crime-ridden neighborhood where they currently rent and into a home they can call their own. They enlist family friend and real estate agent Christine Pfender to help them on their quest but before they get too far into the process, their 14 year-old son Tyler is diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy so their needs and preferences for their new home are altered drastically. Over the next few years Tyler's condition will deteriorate rapidly and he will soon be wheelchair bound, so the Parsons have a list of specifications they will need for their new home, from needing at least one bedroom and bathroom to be located on the first floor, to needing levers, not doorknobs, on all of the doors. After a tireless search of home after home that just do not meet the Parson's needs, Christine suggests the option of new construction. Although their poor credit originally meant a new construction was out of reach, the Parsons work hard to raise their credit scores enough so that they can qualify for a larger loan. The last obstacle is getting enough money together for a down payment, but the Parsons keep the faith, and soon find their faith rewarded.
2/16/2008
The Art of Compromise
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis newlyweds Amy and Steve Evanson are tired of living in their crowded townhouse but have wildly divergent ideas about what and where they want to buy. Steve wants a spacious house in the suburbs but Amy's got her heart set on a funky older home in the city. The only thing they can agree upon is that they want a nice yard for their dogs. To add to the stress, Amy and Steve recently gave notice on their townhouse and now they have only two months to find a house. Will this twosome be able to meet in the middle or will their differences leave them deadlocked and unable to find a home that suits them both?
A Troublesome Timeline in Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Midshipman Thomas Bullock and his wife, Damay - a college counselor - have four days to buy a home in Memphis, Tennessee before Thomas heads back out to sea. Thomas' job requires frequent relocation and long stints in a submarine, but after this tour his ship won't sail for two years, and he wants to reward Damay's patience with a real home of their own. With the help of realtor Mary Elrod, Thomas and Damay embark on a Tennessee house-hunt on the tightest of timelines. When their first choice falls through, Thomas and Damay have to scramble to find a home before Thomas ships out. Their search takes them down to the wire with last minute offers and obstacles that leave them worried they'll never find a place of their own.
2/23/2008
Sub-Prime Disaster
Charleston, West Virginia
Nurse practitioner Eric Ping has been smitten with aspiring anesthetist Leslie Hanshaw since meeting her one year ago. Eric wants to prove he's committed to Leslie and her two young sons by buying a house in which they can live as a family. Eric goes online and secures a pre-approval of up to $300,000. Conscious of the fact that Leslie is still in school, Eric wants to cap his budget at $265,000. But Leslie has other ideas. The pair meet with realtor Paul Sutherland, letting him know they want at least four bedrooms, hardwood floors and a brick exterior. The initial round of searching yields more misses than hits. To show Eric and Leslie the range of the market, Paul shows the couple a house priced above Eric's self-imposed budget. Leslie loves it and Eric does too but he just can't bring himself to bust his budget. Their search continues, but with no houses hitting home, Leslie keeps leaning on Eric, reminding him of the beautiful brick home just above his budget. Eager to please Leslie, Eric stretches his limit and makes an offer. After some haggling, it looks like the house will be his, but at the last minute his lender drops out and Eric is forced to secure alternate financing. It comes down to the 11th hour and Eric and Leslie wait by the phone to see if they've got a new home or have to keep searching…
Double-Wide Dreams
Asheville, North Carolina
Jonathan and Melanie Giller are looking to move from Michigan to Asheville, North Carolina and buy their first home for under $120,000. The Gillers agree to focus on the specifics on the home and to be open-minded about location, though Melanie wants to keep their search within Asheville city limits, while Jonathan wants the space and privacy the country provides. Knowing it's their budget that will be the biggest challenge, realtor Kathy Chieco convinces them, despite their initial misgivings, to be open-minded about manufactured homes. They are surprised to fall in love with a three bedroom, two bath manufactured home in nearby Hendersonville, and put in an offer. Just when it looks like they're free and clear, an inspection reveals a serious problem with the foundation. Forced to abandon the home, Jonathan and Melanie turn their search to doublewides. After some intensive searching Kathy locates a doublewide in Etowah, a suburb 30 miles outside of Asheville. The doublewide passes inspection, but just as the Gillers are ready to move in, they find out that the land the double-wide is sitting on doesn't actually belong to the owner who's selling it. With another home slipping through their fingers, Jonathan and Melanie begin to wonder if their dreams of home ownership will ever become a reality.
3/1/2008
My First Bachelor Pad
Chicago, Illinois
Commercial real estate agent and Chicago native Joel Zeid is ready to leave the confines of his parents' house and build some equity for the future by purchasing a hip condo in the city of Chicago. His friend and real estate agent Lori Miller takes Joel on a whirlwind house hunt - along with his charming but protective mother - and they look at nearly 60 properties in 6 days. Ready to begin making offers on properties but frustrated with a mortgage broker who's not calling him back, Joel decides to end the drama and dumps one mortgage broker for another more willing to hold his hand through this process. After setting a firm budget of 300K for himself and looking at a range of properties throughout the Chicago area, Joel finally finds his perfect 1-bedroom loft-style condo in the trendy West Loop area. But putting in an offer is never the end of the story...
A New Home for Noelle
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Noelle Tamblyn is ready to dip her toe into the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho housing market. A single mother with three boys, her boisterous brood is quickly outgrowing their three-bedroom rental. Noelle has been renting the house from her mom, but with her mother putting the house on the market, Noelle needs to start looking and soon. With a modest budget, a tight deadline, and 3 young boys in tow, Noelle needs all the help realtor David Reed and her Aunt Melanie can give her. She first sees a townhouse she likes and puts in an offer, hoping the seller will come down in price. But when the seller won't budge it's back to the drawing board. Noelle's search becomes more complicated when her mom finds a buyer for the house Noelle has been renting, giving her just one month to find a new home. David next takes Noelle and Aunt Mel to a fixer-upper. It needs work but Noelle likes it enough to make an offer. But as she studies the condition of the house, it looks like too much work and Noelle withdraws her offer. With time running out, David comes across a new house that's being sold as inventory surplus and he and Noelle high tail it over to the new development to see if this might be the brand new home for Noelle and her kids.
3/8/2008
It's Feng Shui or the Highway
San Diego, California
Rodolfo Chen is tired of having roommates and ready to buy his own place in San Diego. Rodolfo's parents are Taiwanese immigrants who want to help him buy his first home, but are insistent that his new residence have good feng shui. Rodolfo meets with realtor Melina Rissone to begin his search and brings along his friend Khristine Avendano to help him look. Rodolfo's first house tour looks promising, but bad feng shui in the home makes it a no-go. Another promising place looks much better, but also has some feng shui problems. Still, Rodolfo decides he likes it enough to put in an offer and it looks like he's about to ascend to the rank of homeowner, when at the last minute he gets cold feet - he knows his parents will object to the way the house is laid out. Rodolfo talks it over with Khristine but he's just not sure what he should do. Rodolfo takes the night to sleep on it and in the morning he decides to back out of the deal, and even to reconsider his search. But Melina keeps plugging away, and comes across a home he loves... the question is, how will his parents like it?
A Log Home or Bust!
Reno, Nevada
Amy Vasquez and Emily Miller have decided they want to buy a house… but for them, only a log cabin will do. The couple is tired of living in their "cookie cutter" neighborhood and want a place with some land around it, so their pets and Amy's seven-year-old daughter Peyton will have a place to play. Amy and Emily begin their search casually on their own, driving around the greater Reno area in search of a log home. After coming upon a log home having an open house, Amy and Emily take a tour and decide to get serious, and meet with broker Kevin Cavalli to get qualified for a loan. The couple get a shock when Kevin tells them that Amy's bad credit means they're better off having Emily qualify on her own. Kevin crunches the numbers and reveals Emily will qualify for $275,000, far less than the couple would be eligible for if Amy had better credit. With a that lower number in hand, Amy and Emily meet with realtor Shelly Palmer. Shelly searches high and low for log homes in their price range, but when no options are available she shows them a more conventional home that has many of the amenities they're looking for. Amy and Emily give the home a good look but it just isn't a log home. The couple is ready to table their search. Just when it looks like their home search is on ice, Shelly finds an unfinished log cabin on the outskirts of town. Amy and Emily love it, but it's a little out of their price range. As a last ditch effort, Emily meets with Kevin Cavalli for suggestions. Kevin advises her to clear her outstanding debt. Some financial juggling later, Kevin re-qualifies her for $315,000. The couple are almost ready to call in the moving vans when an inspection reveals some significant issues. Will Amy and Emily be able to cover the expenses or will they have to give up on their dreams of a log home?
