All language subtitles for House Hunters S155 Ep6 322785

01:00:00;16

Wow. I like this.

01:00:01;13

NARRATOR: Steve and Michael are buying their first home together

01:00:04;29

in Seattle, Washington.

01:00:06;08

Oh, wow. Oh, I like the barn door.

01:00:08;18

-Isn't that neat? -That's cute.

01:00:09;22

But Steve is too focused on the kitchen.

01:00:11;26

I cannot buy a house that does not have a gas range.

01:00:15;22

NARRATOR: And Michael has an even stranger requirement

01:00:18;25

in the yard.

01:00:19;17

We can fit the trampoline here.

01:00:20;16

Why do we have to have this conversation every day?

01:00:23;08

Because it's important!

01:00:24;10

But the limited inventory in Seattle

01:00:25;28

means these two will have bigger compromises to grapple with.

01:00:29;18

So, the only way to get to the back deck

01:00:31;21

is through the front door?

01:00:32;17

This is the master bath? Not a lot of space.

01:00:35;07

Seafoam green? What year is it?

01:00:36;27

What decade? -It reminds me prom.

01:00:39;15

[ Doorbell rings ]

01:00:53;04

Like that?

01:00:53;28

Oh, that's lovely. That pleases me very much.

01:00:55;12

My name is Michael, and I'm a musician

01:00:57;12

in a band called The Not-Its!

01:00:59;00

And we are a punk-rock band

01:01:01;01

that plays music specifically for kids and families.

01:01:03;29

My name is Steve, and I own my own consulting business.

01:01:06;18

I advise nonprofits on their fundraising programs.

01:01:09;21

Now we just throw those shoes away, we're good.

01:01:13;22

We met online.

01:01:14;28

Steve is the most confident

01:01:17;02

and honest person I have ever met.

01:01:19;27

Michael is lovely.

01:01:21;07

He is the kindest person.

01:01:22;04

His patience and his kindness inspires me to be more patient.

01:01:26;09

I have a son. His name is Oliver.

01:01:28;06

He is my life.

01:01:29;15

Like, he is such a sweet little human being.

01:01:33;05

He's lovely. Yeah.

01:01:33;28

This is where we went for your birthday,

01:01:35;07

I think, right? It totally is.

01:01:37;00

Seattle is...

01:01:37;23

It's a big city, but it kind of tries to fight that,

01:01:40;02

so it's really neighborhood-y.

01:01:41;08

It's brilliant green. There are parks everywhere.

01:01:44;02

The food is good.

01:01:45;02

Oh, it is so nice out here.

01:01:46;26

I am currently living in a small, two-bedroom home,

01:01:49;15

and my son, Oliver, is here 50% of the time,

01:01:51;17

but I'm spending a majority of my time at Steven's apartment

01:01:55;01

when Oliver is not here.

01:01:55;27

My house is kind of just a shell right now.

01:01:57;27

There's no life in it.

01:01:58;21

When we move, I will maintain this property

01:02:01;08

and just have it be a rental unit.

01:02:02;24

I live in an apartment that I rent.

01:02:04;25

I've only ever lived in big cities,

01:02:06;21

so I've never owned a car,

01:02:07;22

I've never had a house with a front yard and a backyard,

01:02:10;05

and now that, you know, Michael and I have found one another,

01:02:13;17

I really want a home.

01:02:15;04

And I cannot wait for it to happen.

01:02:16;20

I can't believe we're going to buy a house.

01:02:17;29

I know. My God, it's going to be so exciting.

01:02:20;08

My sister, Joni, is our real estate agent.

01:02:22;21

She is much more my kind of personality than she is Michael,

01:02:26;23

so she's direct, and so...

01:02:28;18

She wears the pants.

01:02:29;10

Yeah, she does wear the pants.

01:02:31;17

But the market is a little intimidating.

01:02:33;01

There are upwards of 20 or 30 offers put on a single house,

01:02:36;25

and the baseline is 10% over asking.

01:02:39;13

You're just like, "Here is all my money."

01:02:41;11

We are willing to spend $900,000,

01:02:43;12

which is a big, fat number and a bit scary.

01:02:47;00

Yes.

01:02:48;07

-This is like... -Yeah.

01:02:49;05

...Hansel and Gretel live there.

01:02:50;10

The style of home that I'm interested in

01:02:52;00

would be a brick Tudor.

01:02:53;10

It just has a really comfortable and cozy vibe.

01:02:55;25

See, that's perfect. It's like...It's charming.

01:02:58;07

The style of house I really appreciate

01:03:00;13

is the bungalow, the Craftsman.

01:03:02;17

I like the family look to it.

01:03:05;02

It looks warm. It's got a fireplace.

01:03:07;06

Natural light.

01:03:07;25

We need at least three bedrooms and two baths.

01:03:10;26

1,500-plus square feet is important for me.

01:03:14;06

Hmm. Okay.

01:03:15;16

I think I've lived here.

01:03:16;21

It needs to be move-in ready.

01:03:18;06

Michael is really interested in finding a house

01:03:20;01

that's close to Oliver's school and Oliver's mom.

01:03:24;19

-Office space. -Yep.

01:03:26;04

Because I work from home,

01:03:27;02

it's important that I have a space for my office.

01:03:29;26

I also want a larger bedroom for Oliver, as well,

01:03:32;27

and for us and would love an open floor plan.

01:03:36;24

It just feels homey to me.

01:03:38;22

Ugh, this is the worst.

01:03:39;14

How do you actually ever cook here?

01:03:41;04

-I don't. -Oh, that's right.

01:03:42;19

You eat at my house.

01:03:44;05

For me, cooking is an escape, and, you know,

01:03:46;26

I want a state-of-the-art kitchen.

01:03:48;22

It's important for me to have a gas stove.

01:03:50;19

Certainly, I cannot have an electric stove.

01:03:53;22

Patience, right?

01:03:55;13

I don't have that.

01:03:56;12

Never met her, actually. [ Laughs ]

01:03:58;23

Oliver, he has a trampoline, which...

01:04:01;07

He actually has two.

01:04:01;25

He has two, one at my house and one at his mother's house.

01:04:04;03

We want a big backyard to provide

01:04:06;03

the space for the trampoline.

01:04:07;05

We want a grill. We want, you know, chairs,

01:04:09;18

and we want a place to sit and entertain people.

01:04:11;24

And if we have to dedicate 1 3 of our yard

01:04:15;00

to a second trampoline, that's going to be a problem.

01:04:18;23

Well, then we just make sure the yard is big enough.

01:04:20;22

I mean, I think the trampoline has to go with us.

01:04:25;08

We'll see.

01:04:27;29

First up is a home less than a mile from Oliver's school,

01:04:31;19

Michael's preferred location.

01:04:33;12

JONI: Seattle real estate is crazy,

01:04:35;02

so the pressure is on for the boys to buy,

01:04:36;26

because the inventory is really light right now.

01:04:39;25

It's a Cape Cod-style.

01:04:40;28

It's kind of basic from the outside.

01:04:42;11

Like, it doesn't really have any curb appeal, no brick.

01:04:45;06

No Craftsman.

01:04:46;23

It's still cute, though.

01:04:47;17

So, it's three bedrooms, two baths.

01:04:50;04

Enough room for all three of us.

01:04:52;09

And it's listed at $799,000.

01:04:54;20

STEVE: Everything is going for more than asking,

01:04:56;12

so who knows how much it'll actually sell for?

01:04:58;24

-What's the square footage? -1,760.

01:05:01;15

It does not look like that.

01:05:05;28

Oh, wow. I like this.

01:05:08;06

Isn't it great?

01:05:08;26

-The floors, the fireplace. -I like that.

01:05:11;14

It was built in 1937,

01:05:12;16

and the developer who purchased this took it down to the studs.

01:05:15;14

So everything you see is all brand-new.

01:05:16;26

I mean, I like the paint color.

01:05:18;02

I'd never pick this myself, but I like this paint color.

01:05:20;24

All right. Let's go check out the kitchen.

01:05:23;10

-It's beautiful. -Oh, man.

01:05:24;08

I love the white countertops.

01:05:25;09

I love the storage, but that is a deal-breaker for me.

01:05:27;29

I cannot buy a house that does not have a gas range.

01:05:32;22

The kitchen is lovely.

01:05:33;11

Like, let's not get hung up on that one aspect of it.

01:05:35;07

This is my sanctuary, though,

01:05:36;06

It's not going to have an electric stove.

01:05:38;17

-You can always replace this. -That's true.

01:05:40;17

We can look around. I'm happy to look around,

01:05:42;26

but it's not going to work for me, I'm sure of it.

01:05:45;06

I know the gas range was on the very tippy-top of his list,

01:05:47;09

but I'm surprised he acted like such a baby.

01:05:50;23

-Let's go downstairs. -Downstairs.

01:05:53;13

I like it. I like it, nice big family room.

01:05:56;24

Oh, I like the barn door.

01:05:57;28

-It's that neat? -That's cute.

01:05:59;03

This room would be great for Oliver -- sleepovers,

01:06:02;06

movie parties.

01:06:02;23

Yeah, this would be where we'd spend a lot of our time,

01:06:05;03

I feel. -Definitely.

01:06:06;09

The master is down here.

01:06:08;13

Nice. Good size. I mean, it's good.

01:06:09;23

There's, like, decent light down here but, you know...

01:06:12;11

You don't think of a master as being in the basement.

01:06:15;08

And that would mean Oliver would be upstairs by himself,

01:06:18;04

you know?

01:06:18;28

-3 4 bath. -Oh, I like it.

01:06:20;15

-It's nice, good room. -It looks good.

01:06:22;04

What do you think about the gold?

01:06:23;20

I'm not a fan. I kind of enjoy it.

01:06:26;07

Really? Yeah.

01:06:27;02

I mean, there's a lot of gold in here.

01:06:28;23

Oh, except for that.

01:06:29;29

We can make that gold, too. [ Laughs ]

01:06:32;04

NARRATOR: They go back upstairs to check out the backyard.

01:06:35;28

Not much of a backyard.

01:06:36;28

We can fit the trampoline here for sure.

01:06:40;00

And that's about it.

01:06:41;12

What about the grill and...

01:06:42;08

I mean, how big of a grill do you...

01:06:43;22

are you going to need?

01:06:44;19

I mean, like, if you have friends over,

01:06:47;20

having a grill and a table.

01:06:48;28

That's about it. There's no room for a trampoline in this yard.

01:06:52;16

This is the first time

01:06:53;09

I've ever had to find a backyard big enough

01:06:54;23

to accommodate a trampoline, but it is for my nephew,

01:06:58;15

and he's the sweetest little guy.

01:07:00;10

It's my child's trampoline,

01:07:01;08

so I think I'm going to have to win out on this one.

01:07:02;26

And I'm pretty adamant that we need to be able

01:07:05;00

to entertain our friends and family,

01:07:06;15

so I don't see how there's room in this backyard

01:07:08;23

for everything that we both want.

01:07:10;27

So, here is the full bathroom.

01:07:13;19

Oh, wow. I like this a lot. Yeah.

01:07:16;06

-The hex tile on the floor. -I love these styles.

01:07:18;24

-Yeah, me, too. -Mm-hmm.

01:07:20;12

MICHAEL: I really enjoy this.

01:07:21;16

So, this is one of the two upstairs bedrooms.

01:07:24;05

This could definitely be my office.

01:07:25;20

-Great natural light. -There's lots of light.

01:07:27;22

Yeah, it's very nice.

01:07:28;23

So are these rooms the same size, do we know?

01:07:30;14

This one is the bigger of the two.

01:07:32;12

-Okay. -It's good.

01:07:33;08

STEVE: I like the space.

01:07:33;28

I think Oliver is probably going to want this one.

01:07:35;04

Yeah, it's definitely, like, twice the size of his current bedroom.

01:07:41;18

I like it. It's open like you wanted.

01:07:44;15

MICHAEL: Fireplace is gorgeous. It's great.

01:07:46;08

The finished basement is great.

01:07:47;08

Big rooms. Yeah, rooms are a good size, for sure.

01:07:50;01

It's move-in ready, but it doesn't have, like,

01:07:52;21

the stuff that I really wanted -- the gas range.

01:07:55;11

And with the backyard, I mean, we want to entertain,

01:07:57;26

have friends over.

01:07:58;15

It's not even big enough for the trampoline.

01:08:00;20

It's a problem.

01:08:01;14

As far as style-wise is concerned,

01:08:02;20

it wasn't really something we were looking for.

01:08:04;19

I'd like to see something more than in the Craftsman style,

01:08:08;18

the bungalow.

01:08:10;27

So now Joni has found a Craftsman for Steve,

01:08:13;10

but will the location be a deal-breaker for Michael?

01:08:17;01

Right, West Seattle.

01:08:18;00

I can't even believe we're over here.

01:08:19;06

Kind of far, a lot far, from where Oliver and his mom live.

01:08:46;02

When's your next game, the soccer game?

01:08:48;25

Uh, Saturday.

01:08:50;21

NARRATOR: Steve and Michael are scouring Seattle

01:08:52;08

for their first home together, but in this competitive market,

01:08:56;02

even a $900,000 budget won't go far,

01:08:59;11

and that's not the only uphill battle.

01:09:01;12

Michael wants a place with room in the yard for his son,

01:09:03;24

Oliver's, trampoline, and Steve is obsessed

01:09:07;05

with finding a gas range in the kitchen.

01:09:09;20

But so far, they've both struck out.

01:09:13;11

So today, their broker, Joni, Michael's sister,

01:09:16;13

has found a new listing that might make them both happy

01:09:19;05

in a neighborhood 25 minutes from Oliver's school.

01:09:22;17

MICHAEL: Right, West Seattle.

01:09:23;15

That's kind of... kind of far.

01:09:25;10

JONI: You can get a little bit more for your money out here,

01:09:28;04

and it's a Craftsman.

01:09:29;04

-It's huge. -It's definitely your style.

01:09:30;15

So, it's 2,700 square feet, 5-bedroom, 4.25-bath.

01:09:34;17

-Four? -Four bathrooms?

01:09:35;10

It's $850,000. That's the top of your price point.

01:09:37;23

STEVE: Yeah, yeah. If there's a bidding war

01:09:39;07

then we're talking beyond $900,000. I mean, but that's anywhere.

01:09:41;22

-Right. -Yeah.

01:09:42;13

-And I do like it. -I love the outdoor space.

01:09:45;03

-The yard is good. -It's great.

01:09:47;06

All right, you guys.

01:09:50;06

-Nice. -Wow.

01:09:51;27

It was built in 2013,

01:09:53;00

and it's been recently renovated.

01:09:54;00

So this is the main common area? Mm-hmm.

01:09:55;27

-Fireplace, Michael. -Fireplace is good.

01:09:57;07

Kind of wanted one of those. Is it gas, or is it...

01:09:59;24

It plugs into the wall. It is actually electric.

01:10:02;06

Yeah. It moves. You can roll it around.

01:10:03;16

MICHAEL: I've never seen a fireplace like that, but, you know,

01:10:06;10

maybe I could take it for a walk or something.

01:10:08;12

Who knows?

01:10:09;01

I see there is another porch outside.

01:10:10;26

-That's great. -That's good.

01:10:12;02

There is a deck.

01:10:12;23

Problem though -- this wall was the original exit

01:10:16;03

to the backyard, which they've since closed off

01:10:17;27

to make a little mother-in-law unit on the other side.

01:10:20;01

How do you get from the kitchen to the backyard?

01:10:22;09

You don't. I know.

01:10:23;23

So the only way to get to the back deck

01:10:25;25

is through the front door?

01:10:26;22

That's a real bummer. -I mean, that seems like...

01:10:28;05

I mean, I just feel sorry for the folks who live here now.

01:10:31;02

It's nice and open.

01:10:32;05

Yeah. It's got that gas range.

01:10:34;21

I like the stainless steel.

01:10:36;16

-Quartz countertops. -White.

01:10:38;00

It's good. I'm happy with it.

01:10:39;07

I am so excited to finally walk into a kitchen

01:10:42;09

with a gas range.

01:10:42;26

NARRATOR: Next it's out the front door and around the side yard

01:10:46;03

to the mother-in-law suite,

01:10:47;04

which could work as an office for Steve.

01:10:50;09

Yeah, like, plenty of room.

01:10:52;03

I mean, I think we would absolutely reconnect it,

01:10:55;05

open up that wall back again.

01:10:56;07

MICHAEL: Definitely. And it would be easy.

01:10:58;22

See, now this is a decent-sized backyard.

01:11:00;29

It's big, right?

01:11:01;28

I'm going to say it, the trampoline.

01:11:04;09

No, not the trampoline.

01:11:05;00

Yeah, the slope of this backyard

01:11:06;14

is not going to be conducive to a trampoline.

01:11:08;07

Why do we have to have this conversation every day?

01:11:10;19

Because it's important! It's like...

01:11:13;01

He really wants a trampoline.

01:11:14;12

Oh, the trampoline, it's driving me crazy.

01:11:16;22

My brother is out of his mind.

01:11:18;04

But at the end of the day,

01:11:19;01

it's not going to play a role in our decision, I don't think.

01:11:21;20

I am not really willing to budge.

01:11:24;07

The front yard would be doable,

01:11:25;12

but a tramp in the front yard is a bit much,

01:11:28;09

and by tramp, I mean, trampoline.

01:11:30;02

NARRATOR: Back inside, they head downstairs to the basement.

01:11:33;08

This area could be Oliver's hangout.

01:11:36;06

MICHAEL: I really like this.

01:11:37;06

I can see him making things, playing video games.

01:11:39;13

STEVE: Yeah, this is totally the family room.

01:11:41;18

They see the attached bath and a small bedroom

01:11:44;14

before heading to the top floor.

01:11:46;12

JONI: Upstairs has three bedrooms.

01:11:48;18

First bedroom.

01:11:49;12

Good enough for Oliver, I think, right?

01:11:50;22

It's almost, like, the same size of his room now.

01:11:52;14

We kind of talked about giving him a little more space.

01:11:55;29

So, I foresee this full bath being Oliver's.

01:11:59;18

-A little bathroom envy, now. -God.

01:12:01;14

I do like the high ceiling, and I like the color.

01:12:04;03

-Yeah, I like this a lot. -I do.

01:12:05;25

This bedroom is the exact same size at the other one.

01:12:10;12

STEVE: You know, it's really important for us

01:12:11;29

that Oliver get an upgrade in his room,

01:12:13;20

and there's not really a logical place for that to happen.

01:12:16;21

All right. Into the master, you guys.

01:12:19;19

The bathroom.

01:12:20;04

MICHAEL: Yeah, the ceilings are definitely not as high.

01:12:23;06

I like the tile. I like the floors.

01:12:24;23

Dual sinks are good. I appreciate that very much.

01:12:28;09

And your master.

01:12:29;01

See, this is what I would expect a bedroom size

01:12:31;14

to look like in this house.

01:12:32;15

-It's good. -It's a good space.

01:12:37;13

I think it's got a lot going for it,

01:12:39;08

like the backyard, the stove, separate office.

01:12:42;19

MICHAEL: But I think, like, the bedroom sizes

01:12:44;20

are going to be an issue, and the location,

01:12:47;23

I think, is a little far out.

01:12:50;05

The backyard, yeah, I'm going to talk about

01:12:52;11

the T-word, the trampoline, like...

01:12:54;03

But don't let that be a deal-breaker.

01:12:55;20

It's more of a ski hill

01:12:56;25

than it is a yard set up for a trampoline.

01:12:59;03

In this market, we cannot make a decision

01:13:00;21

based on whether or not there's room for a trampoline.

01:13:05;06

NARRATOR: But Joni might have solved that problem

01:13:07;09

with a place that space out back,

01:13:09;12

if the guys can get past the front.

01:13:11;25

MICHAEL: Seafoam green? What year is it?

01:13:13;18

What decade? -It reminds me of prom.

01:13:42;00

I love that. That's my favorite part.

01:13:44;05

That is a good...

01:13:44;26

That is definitely a good selling point.

01:13:46;15

NARRATOR: Steve and Michael have up to $900,000

01:13:49;11

to spend on their first home together,

01:13:51;09

but in the hypercompetitive Seattle market,

01:13:53;19

there's no such thing as a steal.

01:13:55;20

Michael needs space for his son, Oliver,

01:13:57;16

and the trampoline that's coming with him.

01:13:59;15

Steve wants something move-in ready with a gas range,

01:14:02;19

but with so little inventory, they've find neither everything

01:14:05;24

Steve wants nor a perfect place for Michael.

01:14:10;08

Today, Michael's sister, Joni,

01:14:11;17

has found what could a serious contender

01:14:13;17

in Beacon Hill, 20 minutes from Oliver's school,

01:14:16;23

Michael's target location.

01:14:17;22

It's still a bit of a journey getting Oliver back and forth.

01:14:20;22

Just something to think about.

01:14:21;16

It's 2,600 square feet, and it's got four-beds, two-bath.

01:14:25;18

The asking price is $815,000.

01:14:27;12

-Uh-huh. -Okay.

01:14:28;01

It's move-in ready. It was a full remodel.

01:14:30;11

STEVE: I was looking for a Craftsman,

01:14:31;19

Michael was looking for the Tudor,

01:14:33;14

and it's neither of those things,

01:14:34;20

and it's seafoam green.

01:14:35;28

What year is it? What decade?

01:14:36;28

MICHAEL: It reminds me of prom.

01:14:42;06

JONI: What do you think?

01:14:43;04

-I like the natural light. -Isn't it great?

01:14:45;00

I love the curved ceiling.

01:14:46;20

That's cool, a little character.

01:14:47;22

With our own color, this could really pop.

01:14:50;00

I'm totally surprised by how different it looks

01:14:53;00

as compared to the exterior.

01:14:54;26

It's really lovely.

01:14:55;20

And, Michael, your functional, working fireplace.

01:14:58;07

-Wonderful, wonderful. -Yes.

01:14:59;09

-And I like the open layout. -I like it.

01:15:01;04

There's definitely room for the table in here.

01:15:03;03

We could really just paint this a totally different color,

01:15:05;23

and it would be completely fine.

01:15:07;09

It's certainly big, lots of counter space.

01:15:09;25

It's open. There's room.

01:15:11;23

JONI: Everything is new.

01:15:12;19

Obviously, the stove is a problem.

01:15:14;13

-Just don't look at it. -But everything else is good.

01:15:17;14

When I saw that he was, you know,

01:15:18;17

open to just living with the stove the way it is

01:15:21;06

for the time being, I was surprised.

01:15:23;01

It's a kinder, gentler Steven. [ Laughs ]

01:15:26;01

One full bathroom.

01:15:27;00

Is the master bath on this floor?

01:15:28;27

I would call this the master.

01:15:30;06

What? This is the master bath?

01:15:31;22

-Mm-hmm. -Tight.

01:15:33;11

-Yeah. -Tiny bathroom.

01:15:34;14

Not loving that. No.

01:15:35;10

NARRATOR: Next they see a small bedroom that could work

01:15:37;21

as Steve's office before heading to the master.

01:15:40;28

Not a lot of space.

01:15:41;25

I mean, it's close to the bathroom,

01:15:43;13

which is nice.

01:15:44;09

At your age, it's important to be...

01:15:45;28

Right. Yes. It is important, yes.

01:15:47;09

JONI: Right. Well, check out the closet.

01:15:48;20

It is nice to have that extra space because that's a pretty --

01:15:52;04

pretty sizable closet.

01:15:53;21

NARRATOR: They head upstairs to see the converted attic.

01:15:56;21

I think Oliver would definitely love it up here.

01:15:58;27

STEVE: Yeah, I mean, this is just a deluxe Oliver suite,

01:16:01;12

the whole thing. Mm-hmm.

01:16:02;11

And we did say we wanted

01:16:03;10

a little bit of a bigger space for him.

01:16:04;27

This is fully a third of a house.

01:16:07;03

Right. It's the entire third floor.

01:16:10;09

Mm-hmm.

01:16:11;01

The attic, it's just weirdly laid out.

01:16:12;22

They've cut up two strange bedrooms.

01:16:14;24

In order for this to work, we'd dedicate

01:16:16;27

the entire third floor to Oliver,

01:16:18;14

which is not what we were expecting

01:16:19;20

when we, you know, started this search.

01:16:21;18

NARRATOR: Now they head downstairs to see the backyard.

01:16:24;01

-It's cute, huh? -Yeah. It's not bad.

01:16:27;07

JONI: Flat.

01:16:28;04

Put down some pavers for your grill,

01:16:29;22

maybe an umbrella, and I also feel like this

01:16:31;22

is not bad yard for the trampoline setup.

01:16:34;00

So you have yours. I have mine.

01:16:36;29

STEVE: Yep.

01:16:37;19

This might be able to fit both worlds.

01:16:39;04

Yep. I could see it.

01:16:40;00

I was floored when I heard Steven say

01:16:42;08

that he would be okay with a trampoline in our backyard.

01:16:45;12

I'm not really opposed to the trampoline,

01:16:47;20

although it seemed that way.

01:16:48;18

What I really want is, I want a backyard

01:16:50;12

that we can live in and enjoy,

01:16:51;24

and this is the first place where there's room for it.

01:16:54;21

NARRATOR: Around the corner is a door to the basement.

01:16:57;14

This is the downstairs family room...

01:17:00;08

With a full-sized refrigerator.

01:17:02;06

...with a fridge, yes.

01:17:03;05

This would be amazing

01:17:04;07

if there was this much space in the master bedroom.

01:17:06;22

-Is there a bathroom? -There is a bathroom.

01:17:08;16

-And it's a full bath, right? -Full bath.

01:17:10;10

Yeah, you know what's interesting is,

01:17:12;06

I was thinking, is it could actually be a master bedroom.

01:17:14;27

MICHAEL: I like that idea, though.

01:17:16;02

I mean, I think with this house, you just have

01:17:17;19

to think differently, right?

01:17:18;22

There's a lot of nontraditional space.

01:17:20;09

The idea of having that be our master suite

01:17:22;09

is definitely kind of enticing.

01:17:23;07

That would make this house, I think, palatable for us.

01:17:29;25

It's got a lot of what we wanted

01:17:31;23

but with a little asterisk at every point.

01:17:34;16

We've got plenty of place for Oliver,

01:17:36;18

but probably a little too much.

01:17:37;23

The kitchen is good, but it doesn't have the gas range.

01:17:41;08

MICHAEL: It's got a great space for the trampoline,

01:17:43;07

for your grill, and a nice little hangout area.

01:17:46;20

It's a contender with issues.

01:17:48;18

But, I mean, I think every place we've looked at

01:17:51;03

has been the same -- a contender with issues.

01:17:54;03

NARRATOR: With the clock ticking,

01:17:55;18

the pressure is on to decide what's most important --

01:17:58;18

the trampoline or the gas stove?

01:18:01;15

This market is crazy hot.

01:18:02;22

My mind is actually spinning

01:18:03;21

just from all the things to consider.

01:18:29;28

MICHAEL: I think it's time to make a decision.

01:18:31;20

Absolutely. We have to do it.

01:18:33;01

Let's talk about the one that is close

01:18:35;05

to Oliver's mom and school.

01:18:37;06

That Cape Cod... The Cape Cod, yeah.

01:18:38;13

...which I think was listed at $799,000.

01:18:40;27

The kitchen was pretty great.

01:18:41;26

It had a pretty wide-open floor plan.

01:18:43;24

Oh, yeah. But the range,

01:18:45;25

it doesn't have the gas.

01:18:46;25

There's certainly room for my office.

01:18:50;02

The downstairs was great.

01:18:51;26

I'm not sure how I feel about having a master bedroom

01:18:54;02

in a basement. Yeah.

01:18:55;02

It's hard for me to imagine how we have that backyard

01:18:58;20

and have the grill and, like, a place

01:19:00;16

to hang out with friends and the trampoline.

01:19:03;14

We'll have to, you know, figure something out.

01:19:05;20

West Seattle, Craftsman. $850,000.

01:19:08;02

It is a Craftsman, which I appreciate.

01:19:10;04

-It had your gas range. -Yep.

01:19:12;04

Plenty of room for my office.

01:19:13;21

But you can't actually get to the backyard

01:19:15;12

from inside the house without walking around the house.

01:19:18;26

Right. And, like, the trampoline

01:19:20;01

is a no-go in that backyard, as well.

01:19:21;13

-The biggest detraction is... -The distance.

01:19:24;10

Beacon Hill. It's a traditional.

01:19:27;24

It was $815,000.

01:19:29;09

Location wasn't terrible.

01:19:30;29

Yeah, it's kind of in the middle.

01:19:32;05

It's not either one of our styles, though.

01:19:34;05

I like the kitchen. It doesn't have the gas,

01:19:36;17

but we only saw one place that actually had gas.

01:19:39;23

The size of the bedrooms, like, so small.

01:19:43;12

We did talk about the possibility of using

01:19:45;07

the basement as a master bedroom.

01:19:47;22

The backyard is probably the biggest.

01:19:50;03

There's room for the trampoline,

01:19:52;03

and there's also room for the grill.

01:19:54;09

But the whole third floor is basically just Oliver's suite.

01:19:59;01

Which is obnoxious.

01:19:59;29

Yeah. I mean, got to love that kid.

01:20:01;24

Unless he pays rent.

01:20:11;18

I think it's the Cape Cod. Yeah.

01:20:13;08

It's missing a few things that we're really looking for,

01:20:15;26

so I'm not in love with that, but it's cute.

01:20:18;25

It's really close for Oliver,

01:20:19;28

which is a huge determining factor.

01:20:22;23

And it's got that cozy feel.

01:20:23;21

Like, as soon as you walked in, we both --

01:20:24;26

Like I said, we both were like, "This feels right."

01:20:28;02

Yep.

01:20:28;26

-Did we just make a decision? -I think we made a decision.

01:20:31;18

I like it.

01:20:32;03

So we should call Joni as soon as possible

01:20:34;11

because this market is crazy hot.

01:20:36;10

[ Doorbell rings ]

01:20:37;19

I love that it feels like a neighborhood, you know?

01:20:40;12

We have been living here for roughly a month.

01:20:43;16

It feels amazing.

01:20:44;22

This house was listed at $799,000,

01:20:47;11

but we happily paid $850,000.

01:20:50;20

We were willing to spend up to $900,000,

01:20:52;26

so we saved $50,000,

01:20:53;26

and it appraised for $15,000 more than we paid for it.

01:20:56;25

So how do you like the new neighborhood, buddy?

01:20:59;04

Oh, it's awesome.

01:20:59;27

What sold us on this home, I think, was location.

01:21:02;02

MICHAEL: Its proximity to Oliver's school and his mom...

01:21:04;28

Oliver has got, like, three or four friends

01:21:07;00

that are within just a few blocks,

01:21:08;07

so he really loves that, but I also like the coziness.

01:21:12;03

I love having a backyard finally,

01:21:14;02

but it was not quite big enough.

01:21:16;02

We ultimately did have to sell the trampoline.

01:21:19;02

Oliver was a bit bummed for a moment,

01:21:20;13

but then he was like, "Out of sight, out of mind."

01:21:23;12

We're all going to be fine.

01:21:24;14

We will live to jump another day.

01:21:25;18

You're up for a quesadilla, right, Oli?

01:21:27;17

-Yeah. -Okay.

01:21:28;16

I didn't get my range, but I got a great kitchen,

01:21:31;11

and we've already called to make the order

01:21:33;03

to have the gas brought up to the house,

01:21:34;24

so I will ultimately get my range.

01:21:37;22

There you go. [ Laughs ]

01:21:40;04

We turned the bedroom in the basement

01:21:41;15

into the master bedroom, and I actually kind of like it.

01:21:44;07

It's cooler. It's darker.

01:21:46;16

The office is great.

01:21:47;24

We've put my desk in there.

01:21:49;05

It works out really great.

01:21:50;02

I can't believe you guys are so close.

01:21:52;17

I'm so happy.

01:21:53;10

Oliver's mom, Lisa, is minutes away,

01:21:55;21

so she's been able to come by

01:21:57;10

and hang out with us, and it's been wonderful.

01:21:59;13

Having Joni as our agent was a great idea.

01:22:03;12

She was dedicated to the cause.

01:22:05;15

Ultimately, she did a great job.

01:22:07;18

[ Laughter ]

01:22:08;04

This new house means the world to me.

01:22:11;22

My most favorite thing about the house

01:22:13;25

is sharing it with Michael.

01:22:14;25

You think about arriving in life, like, achieving,

01:22:17;28

like, the thing, and this is it.

01:22:22;16

I can definitely see us growing together

01:22:25;12

as a family in this house. Yeah.

01:22:27;29

Now we've got nothing but fun to look forward to.