Original subtitles

Wow. I like this.

Narrator: Steve and michael arebuying their first home together

in seattle, washington.

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

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

But steve is too focused on the kitchen.

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

Narrator: And michael has an even stranger requirement

in the yard.

We can fit the trampoline here.

Why do we have to have this conversation every day?

Because it's important!

But the limited inventory in seattle

means these two will have bigger compromises to grapple with.

So, the only way to get to the back deck

is through the front door?

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

Seafoam green? What year is it?

What decade? -It reminds me prom.

[ doorbell rings ]

♪♪

♪♪

like that?

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

My name is michael, and I'm a musician

in a band called the not-its!

And we are a punk-rock band

that plays music specifically for kids and families.

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

I advise nonprofits on their fundraising programs.

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

We met online.

Steve is the most confident

and honest person I have ever met.

Michael is lovely.

He is the kindest person.

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

I have a son. His name is oliver.

He is my life.

Like, he is such a sweet little human being.

He's lovely. Yeah.

This is where we went for your birthday,

I think, right? It totally is.

Seattle is...

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

so it's really neighborhood-y.

It's brilliant green. There are parks everywhere.

The food is good.

Oh, it is so nice out here.

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

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

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

when oliver is not here.

My house is kind of just a shell right now.

There's no life in it.

When we move, I will maintain this property

and just have it be a rental unit.

I live in an apartment that I rent.

I've only ever lived in big cities,

so I've never owned a car,

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

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

I really want a home.

And I cannot wait for it to happen.

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

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

My sister, joni, is our real estate agent.

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

so she's direct, and so...

She wears the pants.

Yeah, she does wear the pants.

But the market is a little intimidating.

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

and the baseline is 10% over asking.

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

we are willing to spend $900,000,

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

Yes.

-This is like... -Yeah.

...Hansel and gretel live there.

The style of home that I'm interested in

would be a brick tudor.

It just has a really comfortable and cozy vibe.

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

The style of house I really appreciate

is the bungalow, the craftsman.

I like the family look to it.

It looks warm. It's got a fireplace.

Natural light.

We need at least three bedrooms and two baths.

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

Hmm. Okay.

I think I've lived here.

It needs to be move-in ready.

Michael is really interested in finding a house

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

-Office space. -Yep.

Because I work from home,

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

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

and for us and would love an open floor plan.

It just feels homey to me.

Ugh, this is the worst.

How do you actually ever cook here?

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

You eat at my house.

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

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

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

Certainly, I cannot have an electric stove.

Patience, right?

I don't have that.

Never met her, actually. [ laughs ]

oliver, he has a trampoline, which...

He actually has two.

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

We want a big backyard to provide

the space for the trampoline.

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

and we want a place to sit and entertain people.

And if we have to dedicate 1/3 of our yard

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

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

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

We'll see.

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

michael's preferred location.

Joni: Seattle real estate is crazy,

so the pressure is on for the boys to buy,

because the inventory is really light right now.

It's a cape cod-style.

It's kind of basic from the outside.

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

No craftsman.

It's still cute, though.

So, it's three bedrooms, two baths.

Enough room for all three of us.

And it's listed at $799,000.

Steve: Everything is going for more than asking,

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

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

It does not look like that.

Oh, wow. I like this.

Isn't it great?

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

It was built in 1937,

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

So everything you see is all brand-new.

I mean, I like the paint color.

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

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

-It's beautiful. -Oh, man.

I love the white countertops.

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

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

The kitchen is lovely.

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

This is my sanctuary, though,

it's not going to have an electric stove.

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

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

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

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

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

-Let's go downstairs. -Downstairs.

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

Oh, I like the barn door.

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

This room would be great for oliver -- sleepovers,

movie parties.

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

I feel. -Definitely.

The master is down here.

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

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

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

And that would mean oliver would be upstairs by himself,

you know?

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

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

What do you think about the gold?

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

Really? Yeah.

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

Oh, except for that.

We can make that gold, too. [ laughs ]

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

Not much of a backyard.

We can fit the trampoline here for sure.

And that's about it.

What about the grill and...

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

Are you going to need?

I mean, like, if you have friends over,

having a grill and a table.

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

This is the first time

I've ever had to find a backyard big enough

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

and he's the sweetest little guy.

It's my child's trampoline,

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

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

to entertain our friends and family,

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

for everything that we both want.

So, here is the full bathroom.

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

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

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

Michael: I really enjoy this.

So, this is one of the two upstairs bedrooms.

This could definitely be my office.

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

Yeah, it's very nice.

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

This one is the bigger of the two.

-Okay. -It's good.

Steve: I like the space.

I think oliver is probably going to want this one.

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

♪♪

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

Michael: Fireplace is gorgeous. It's great.

The finished basement is great.

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

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

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

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

have friends over.

It's not even big enough for the trampoline.

It's a problem.

As far as style-wise is concerned,

it wasn't really something we were looking for.

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

the bungalow.

So now joni has found a craftsman for steve,

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

Right, west seattle.

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

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

♪♪

when's your next game, the soccer game?

Uh, Saturday.

Narrator: Steve and michael are scouring seattle

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

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

and that's not the only uphill battle.

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

oliver's, trampoline, and steve is obsessed

with finding a gas range in the kitchen.

But so far, they've both struck out.

So today, their broker, joni, michael's sister,

has found a new listing that might make them both happy

in a neighborhood 25 minutes from oliver's school.

Michael: Right, west seattle.

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

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

and it's a craftsman.

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

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

-Four? -Four bathrooms?

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

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

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

-Right. -Yeah.

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

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

All right, you guys.

-Nice. -Wow.

It was built in 2013,

and it's been recently renovated.

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

-Fireplace, michael. -Fireplace is good.

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

It plugs into the wall. It is actually electric.

Yeah. It moves. You can roll it around.

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

maybe I could take it for a walk or something.

Who knows?

I see there is another porch outside.

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

There is a deck.

Problem though -- this wall was the original exit

to the backyard, which they've since closed off

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

How do you get from the kitchen to the backyard?

You don't. I know.

So the only way to get to the back deck

is through the front door?

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

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

It's nice and open.

Yeah. It's got that gas range.

I like the stainless steel.

-Quartz countertops. -White.

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

I am so excited to finally walk into a kitchen

with a gas range.

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

to the mother-in-law suite,

which could work as an office for steve.

Yeah, like, plenty of room.

I mean, I think we would absolutely reconnect it,

open up that wall back again.

Michael: Definitely. And it would be easy.

See, now this is a decent-sized backyard.

It's big, right?

I'm going to say it, the trampoline.

No, not the trampoline.

Yeah, the slope of this backyard

is not going to be conducive to a trampoline.

Why do we have to have this conversation every day?

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

He really wants a trampoline.

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

My brother is out of his mind.

But at the end of the day,

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

I am not really willing to budge.

The front yard would be doable,

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

and by tramp, I mean, trampoline.

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

This area could be oliver's hangout.

Michael: I really like this.

I can see him making things, playing video games.

Steve: Yeah, this is totally the family room.

They see the attached bath and a small bedroom

before heading to the top floor.

Joni: Upstairs has three bedrooms.

First bedroom.

Good enough for oliver, I think, right?

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

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

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

-A little bathroom envy, now. -God.

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

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

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

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

that oliver get an upgrade in his room,

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

All right. Into the master, you guys.

The bathroom.

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

I like the tile. I like the floors.

Dual sinks are good. I appreciate that very much.

And your master.

See, this is what I would expect a bedroom size

to look like in this house.

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

♪♪

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

like the backyard, the stove, separate office.

Michael: But I think, like, the bedroom sizes

are going to be an issue, and the location,

I think, is a little far out.

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

the t-word, the trampoline, like...

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

It's more of a ski hill

than it is a yard set up for a trampoline.

In this market, we cannot make a decision

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

Narrator: But joni might have solved that problem

with a place that space out back,

if the guys can get past the front.

Michael: Seafoam green? What year is it?

What decade? -It reminds me of prom.

♪♪

I love that. That's my favorite part.

That is a good...

That is definitely a good selling point.

Narrator: Steve and michael have up to $900,000

to spend on their first home together,

but in the hypercompetitive seattle market,

there's no such thing as a steal.

Michael needs space for his son, oliver,

and the trampoline that's coming with him.

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

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

steve wants nor a perfect place for michael.

Today, michael's sister, joni,

has found what could a serious contender

in beacon hill, 20 minutes from oliver's school,

michael's target location.

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

Just something to think about.

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

The asking price is $815,000.

-Uh-huh. -Okay.

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

Steve: I was looking for a craftsman,

michael was looking for the tudor,

and it's neither of those things,

and it's seafoam green.

What year is it? What decade?

Michael: It reminds me of prom.

Joni: What do you think?

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

I love the curved ceiling.

That's cool, a little character.

With our own color, this could really pop.

I'm totally surprised by how different it looks

as compared to the exterior.

It's really lovely.

And, michael, your functional, working fireplace.

-Wonderful, wonderful. -Yes.

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

There's definitely room for the table in here.

We could really just paint this a totally different color,

and it would be completely fine.

It's certainly big, lots of counter space.

It's open. There's room.

Joni: Everything is new.

Obviously, the stove is a problem.

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

When I saw that he was, you know,

open to just living with the stove the way it is

for the time being, I was surprised.

It's a kinder, gentler steven. [ laughs ]

one full bathroom.

Is the master bath on this floor?

I would call this the master.

What? This is the master bath?

-Mm-hmm. -Tight.

-Yeah. -Tiny bathroom.

Not loving that. No.

Narrator: Next they see a small bedroom that could work

as steve's office before heading to the master.

Not a lot of space.

I mean, it's close to the bathroom,

which is nice.

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

Right. Yes. It is important, yes.

Joni: Right. Well, check out the closet.

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

pretty sizable closet.

Narrator: They head upstairs to see the converted attic.

I think oliver would definitely love it up here.

Steve: Yeah, I mean, this is just a deluxe oliver suite,

the whole thing. Mm-hmm.

And we did say we wanted

a little bit of a bigger space for him.

This is fully a third of a house.

Right. It's the entire third floor.

Mm-hmm.

The attic, it's just weirdly laid out.

They've cut up two strange bedrooms.

In order for this to work, we'd dedicate

the entire third floor to oliver,

which is not what we were expecting

when we, you know, started this search.

Narrator: Now they head downstairs to see the backyard.

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

Joni: Flat.

Put down some pavers for your grill,

maybe an umbrella, and I also feel like this

is not bad yard for the trampoline setup.

So you have yours. I have mine.

Steve: Yep.

This might be able to fit both worlds.

Yep. I could see it.

I was floored when I heard steven say

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

I'm not really opposed to the trampoline,

although it seemed that way.

What I really want is, I want a backyard

that we can live in and enjoy,

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

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

This is the downstairs family room...

With a full-sized refrigerator.

...With a fridge, yes.

This would be amazing

if there was this much space in the master bedroom.

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

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

Yeah, you know what's interesting is,

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

Michael: I like that idea, though.

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

to think differently, right?

There's a lot of nontraditional space.

The idea of having that be our master suite

is definitely kind of enticing.

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

♪♪

it's got a lot of what we wanted

but with a little asterisk at every point.

We've got plenty of place for oliver,

but probably a little too much.

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

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

for your grill, and a nice little hangout area.

It's a contender with issues.

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

has been the same -- a contender with issues.

Narrator: With the clock ticking,

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

the trampoline or the gas stove?

This market is crazy hot.

My mind is actually spinning

just from all the things to consider.

♪♪

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

Absolutely. We have to do it.

Let's talk about the one that is close

to oliver's mom and school.

That cape cod... The cape cod, yeah.

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

The kitchen was pretty great.

It had a pretty wide-open floor plan.

Oh, yeah. But the range,

it doesn't have the gas.

There's certainly room for my office.

The downstairs was great.

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

in a basement. Yeah.

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

and have the grill and, like, a place

to hang out with friends and the trampoline.

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

West seattle, craftsman. $850,000.

It is a craftsman, which I appreciate.

-It had your gas range. -Yep.

Plenty of room for my office.

But you can't actually get to the backyard

from inside the house without walking around the house.

Right. And, like, the trampoline

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

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

Beacon hill. It's a traditional.

It was $815,000.

Location wasn't terrible.

Yeah, it's kind of in the middle.

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

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

but we only saw one place that actually had gas.

The size of the bedrooms, like, so small.

We did talk about the possibility of using

the basement as a master bedroom.

The backyard is probably the biggest.

There's room for the trampoline,

and there's also room for the grill.

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

Which is obnoxious.

Yeah. I mean, got to love that kid.

Unless he pays rent.

♪♪

I think it's the cape cod. Yeah.

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

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

It's really close for oliver,

which is a huge determining factor.

And it's got that cozy feel.

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

like I said, we both were like, "this feels right."

yep.

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

I like it.

So we should call joni as soon as possible

because this market is crazy hot.

[ doorbell rings ]

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

We have been living here for roughly a month.

It feels amazing.

This house was listed at $799,000,

but we happily paid $850,000.

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

so we saved $50,000,

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

So how do you like the new neighborhood, buddy?

Oh, it's awesome.

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

Michael: Its proximity to oliver's school and his mom...

Oliver has got, like, three or four friends

that are within just a few blocks,

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

I love having a backyard finally,

but it was not quite big enough.

We ultimately did have to sell the trampoline.

Oliver was a bit bummed for a moment,

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

we're all going to be fine.

We will live to jump another day.

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

-Yeah. -Okay.

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

and we've already called to make the order

to have the gas brought up to the house,

so I will ultimately get my range.

There you go. [ laughs ]

we turned the bedroom in the basement

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

It's cooler. It's darker.

The office is great.

We've put my desk in there.

It works out really great.

I can't believe you guys are so close.

I'm so happy.

Oliver's mom, lisa, is minutes away,

so she's been able to come by

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

Having joni as our agent was a great idea.

She was dedicated to the cause.

Ultimately, she did a great job.

[ laughter ]

this new house means the world to me.

My most favorite thing about the house

is sharing it with michael.

You think about arriving in life, like, achieving,

like, the thing, and this is it.

I can definitely see us growing together

as a family in this house. Yeah.

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