-Ah! -Yes!
I can definitely see the speakers, the band.
[narrator] Newlyweds Cedric and Erinn have been living in cramped quarters
ever since he moved into her home in
the Houston suburbs.
[Cedric] This is important.
My clothes are kind of still in the suitcase right now.
-Oh, see, now this -- -Having a personal space in the closet...
We can get 'em out the suitcase!
[narrator] They're looking for a place together, and she wants
something grand this time around.
I love the height of the ceiling.
But it's his first home, which makes him nervous.
You think our furniture will fit?
-We probably would have to buy some more. -Why not?
-Yeah. -Why are you so nonchalant about that?
-[laughing] Yeah. -We'll just buy some more!
[narrator] He wants a well-priced place in the city, but he'll have
a hard time being heard.
She can be very uptight.
I can just envision the wild parties and --
-Wild parties? -[Chelsey] Yes!
We are not in college.
That's what I'm thinking.
[doorbell rings] [theme music playing]
[upbeat music playing]
What are you working on?
Trying to edit this audio for this client.
My name is Erinn, and I am a nurse practitioner.
I'm Cedric, and I'm an audio engineer.
We met 10 years ago.
At the time, I was living in Detroit.
I traveled here with my friends for a bachelor party.
You know, I was chilling at the bar.
I was fly.
-He says that, I literally don't remember what he looked like. -Hoo!
We went on our first date before he left town, and we got
married nine months ago. -Yes.
Did you have a lot of patients today?
[Cedric] When I moved here to Houston, of course, Erinn already had
her, bought her home, so I moved in with her.
[Erinn] In the home, it was just my daughter, Sydney, who's 16,
and our dog, Tyson.
We quickly realized that the space was gonna be
super tight -- we put the house on the market,
and it sold faster than we expected,
and so luckily, we have great friends,
and we are staying with them.
It's been a little tough, just, you know, for one,
just all my clothes, just still living out a suitcase.
She takes up, like, two, three closets, so, moving into,
you know, Erinn's home, I didn't feel like was my space.
She can be very uptight.
[Erinn] I was a single mom for a long time, so I'm used to doing
everything by myself.
Have you settled on one particular style that you're
hoping the house will look like?
Definitely a modern, contemporary-style home.
Contemporary, I'm not sure about.
It doesn't always give a warm, cozy feel.
I'm more of like a European or traditional feel.
I work in a hospital, and I don't want to feel like
I'm living in one.
I would like each bedroom to have its own bathroom, so four
and a half to five bathrooms would be ideal.
Five beds, five bathrooms.
Yeah, that sounds like a lot of house.
I just like the grandness that something bigger gives.
Now this being my third home, I am looking for it to be like,
this is it.
I have arrived, and I'm much further along in my career.
I don't want to go into a home and have to do a lot of work.
Well, that's why a new build is a great option.
For me, yeah, I'm definitely a little nervous because this
is my first home.
Ever since I was young, I've always had a job,
paper route, cutting grass. Man, I'm a saver.
The price that I would love to spend for a home
is about $500,000.
But here in Houston, it's not like Detroit.
So I'm looking and OK with spending up to $650.
Ooh, $650.
I want to be outside of Houston in the Manvel, Pearland area,
not far from our old home.
I really would love to be in the city.
[Erinn] I was really wanting a home in a master-planned community,
because oftentimes, they come with
a lot of amenities.
You know, that just screams HOA, and it limits you for
doing stuff in your common spaces.
Definitely having a big yard.
We can have family over, have some nice barbecues,
and also, you know, I want to be able to set up a band,
have live music.
Growing up and being in the backyard, and having
parties, those are the memories that I want to create for,
you know, for my family.
We can find a home with a theater space.
Then we can have movie night and things like that.
But also, I'll use it for the business.
-But not at $500. You're -- you're -- no. -You don't think so?
Considering all the other things that we want,
that would be an extra.
So you definitely have to spend more money.
What house are we going to see today?
It's in a suburb, so it has all the stores and conveniences
that we just need to run to on a Saturday morning.
[narrator] Today, they're seeing a grand new build for Erinn,
priced at $676,000.
-Hoo. -It's 3,800 square feet.
Do you think we need that much space?
I don't think it hurts to have. Oh, look at that.
That's a nice little pond that they have here.
-That looks like that cost, too. -Well, maybe.
But hey, look at what you're getting.
You get a nice exit off the highway and a welcoming
little fishing pond. -Wow.
This must be the house right here.
-Wow. -It looks big.
It definitely is big.
[Erinn] I do like stone and the brick. Really big windows.
[Cedric] Yeah, a lot of window washing.
-How's it going today? -[Erinn] Hi Chels!
I'm excited to show you all this home.
-Yeah. -We're excited.
OK, we're going to put some shoe covers on to protect
the new floors here. -Oh wow, new build, huh?
-[Chelsey] Yes, yes! -[Cedric laughs] OK.
[Chelsey] OK, come on in.
-[Erinn] It's huge, I love it. -[Chelsey] Yeah, nice.
We have these grand stairs here with the rotunda in
the top here. -Oh, that's nice.
I love this, yes! This is a great focal point.
I love the height of the ceiling.
Yes, it's over the price they originally thought,
but it does give them the things that
they both desire.
I feel like it's a win-win on both sides.
They're looking for more square footage.
Definitely knocks that off.
And I think the backyard space is sufficient as well.
-Nice bright windows and the high windows. -Uh-huh.
[Erinn] Mm-hmm.
And also, you have a huge island for entertaining.
-[Erinn] Yeah, this is great for entertaining. -[Cedric] Yeah.
It looks like it has tons of cabinet space and drawer space,
which I love. -[Chelsey] Yes.
I think you're going to like this, too, Cedric.
OK, OK, yeah, let's see.
-Let's see. -This patio, it is extended.
-Oh, it's nice. -Ah!
-Yes! -I can definitely see the speakers,
the band, the stage right here. -Yeah.
[Erinn] This is what I like, the covered patio.
I don't know what you're going to do out there, but...
[Cedric] The -- the live music.
-There is an HOA here, $1,300 a year. -Oh.
-But there's tons of amenities... -$1,300.
...pool, workout, all that.
Yeah, that's worth it.
She threw a wrench in the plan.
A house of this price tag, HOA is definitely
a turnoff for me.
[Chelsey] Let's head over here to the primary suite.
-[Cedric] OK. -High ceilings, which is nice.
-Yeah, it's tall. -There is carpet here in the bedroom.
-[Cedric] It's a nice size. -[Erinn] Yes, that's fine. It keeps it warm.
You think our furniture will fit?
We probably would have to buy some more.
-Why not, yeah. -You're so nonchalant about that.
-Yeah. -Oh, just buy some more.
Sounds good to me.
[Chelsey] You have the garden soaking tub.
[Cedric] This is nice. I love the floor.
[Erinn] And back here are, oh, his and her closets.
Wow. This is important.
My clothes, it's kind of still in the suitcase right now.
-Oh, see, now this -- -Having a personal space in the closet!
We can get 'em out the suitcase.
-And this is, I'll make that work. -Is this enough space?
I'll make it work.
Hopefully, there's more closets in other rooms that
I can use just in case. -Yeah, absolutely.
We have this gorgeous catwalk area up here.
[Cedric] Oh, wow. This is a nice view.
-Yeah -Yes!
This is, I can just envision the wild parties, and --
-Wild parties? -[Chelsey] Yes!
-We are not in college. -[Chelsey] Long as I'm invited.
I can see that. No, we might not have parties.
-Do not give him any ideas. -OK.
[Chelsey] You have a pass-through bathroom.
I like this. OK, um, where are the closets?
-So there is a closet here. -Oh, OK.
-Oh wow. -This is the first linen closet.
I'm surprised there's not one downstairs.
-Right, right, OK. -That's not ideal.
[Chelsey] And then here's the other secondary bedroom.
[Erinn] This is a nice, can just be another guest room.
We have lots of family out of town.
All righty, let's take the catwalk to the other side
of the house. -Whole other side!
-Oh, it's more house? -Yes, there is more house.
We have another secondary bedroom.
-This will be perfect for Sydney. -[Cedric] I think so.
She's a teenager, so having her own space,
her own bathroom. It's nice.
-She'll love that. -[Cedric] Seriously.
[Chelsey] This is the exciting part!
Over here, we have the media room.
OK, OK, OK. This is what I'm talking about.
I can see myself in here watching film, and then also
just doing some video editing as well.
Do we get to be in here? That's just all you.
What about me and Sydney? Do we get to come in?
-Oh, y'all can come in. -Oh, we can come in?
-Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. -Oh you'll let us, you'll let us in.
It has pretty much a lot of stuff that I was looking for,
minus the storage.
It's a nice house, but I think it's just, it's a big house.
Do we -- do you really think we need all this space?
I do, why not?
There's no such thing as too much space.
I think it's just out of our price range,
out of my price range, as far as what I would want to spend.
-I like this house, but we'll see. -OK.
[Cedric] I'm a little worried because Erinn is a little bit
emotional, you know, and get attached to -- if she likes
something, she's -- bam! Let's get it, let's get it.
I'm the more of the, let me think about it.
[narrator] A place in the city has come up with Cedric's modern vibe.
And since Erinn's away at work, he gets to call all the shots.
[over phone speaker]
Oh, so I can buy it, huh?
[funky, upbeat music playing]
[phone ringing]
-Hello? -Hey, bae. I wish you could be here.
[Erinn] Yeah, I trust your judgment, though.
-Oh, so I can buy it, huh? -Mm...
...No.
[narrator] Since Erinn got called into work last minute,
Cedric's flying solo in the city, seeing a modern
new build, but Erinn might like the size.
Five bedroom, three and a half bath.
[Erinn] Three bath? Hmm.
And it's $640.
You know, that's above my price range.
-But we're in the city, so. -OK.
-Hey! -Hey, how's it going, Chelsey?
-Good. We're missing one today? -Yeah, Erinn got called in today.
-So it's just going to be me and you. -OK.
I definitely, before we start, I got to get a picture
so I can show Erinn. -Yes, absolutely. Make her feel that she's here.
[Cedric] She might not be too fond of this exterior.
But I like it. It's very modern.
-Yes. -I like the curb appeal.
-Come on in, there's more. -Oh, wow.
-Yeah, this is nice. -Very tall ceilings.
Wow, yeah, I definitely like the ceilings.
[Chelsey] Lots of windows, natural light.
-OK. -This kitchen screams entertainment.
-Nice kitchen, I like this. -This island alone.
[Cedric] It's enough space for, you know, to put all the food
if you're having a family gathering.
[Chelsey] Yeah, and I'm sure Erinn would appreciate all
the cabinet space.
-OK. -All right, let's continue here.
Come down this hallway, and then we have
the primary here. -OK.
We got tray ceilings, modern fixtures.
I like the floors, but I'm not sure if Erinn will like that.
Now, I do like the glass doors.
Yes, so you have the patio here, sliding door patio that
leads out to your nice size backyard.
-OK, I like it. -No HOA.
Oh, OK, that's cool.
[Chelsey] So at night, the party is endless,
whatever we want to do. -We definitely can set
something up for the music.
Yes, absolutely.
Not having a HOA is a dream come true.
Touring without Erinn today, I mean, I'm ready to buy
the house right now.
[Chelsey] En suite bathroom here.
[Cedric] Oh, wow. It's nice, Chelsey.
[Chelsey] Isn't it nice?
But the main thing for the primary, we got to see
the closets, because my clothes is in boxes.
I mean, I haven't seen how much you got, but I think it will.
Let's see. This will definitely do.
This is nice, but is there another closet?
-There is, come right this way. -OK, cool.
So another primary closet is here.
OK.
Yeah, this will definitely work, I believe, for Erinn.
[Chelsey] She's not here, so you get to pick who gets what.
-All right. -So now we go to wood floors as we go up the steps.
-Your family room here. -This place might need an elevator, Chelsey.
-[Chelsey laughs] Yes. -It wasn't regular stairs.
There's three bedrooms on the second floor.
-Let's go ahead and check them out. -OK.
[Cedric] The room is pretty big.
-I definitely need a space for my recording studio. -Mm-hmm.
-Nice size walk-in secondary closet. -Yeah.
The closet space might be the -- that sell this house.
Right, it could be.
Then we have this secondary bedroom, which has
an en-suite bathroom.
Oh, this could be nice for Sydney.
-Picture. -Yeah, this is what you need to show her.
-Love that this house don't have any HOAs. -Mm-hmm.
This would definitely be able to, you know,
have our gatherings in the back.
The bedrooms are nice size here.
I am a fan of the modern feel.
$640, so we're definitely above, you know,
what I wanted to spend. -Right.
-Closet space in this house is amazing. -Indeed.
Erinn would definitely appreciate that.
Yes, you can get out the luggage, let your clothes
breathe a little. -Exactly, exactly.
-So that's a plus in this home. -Yes.
I absolutely don't typically believe in touring without both
decision makers, because now it's like, OK, if Erinn didn't
see it, then now we need to accommodate her schedule
and let her come in and see it as well.
[narrator] After seeing the home, Erinn loves the size and closet
space, but isn't sold on the city.
So Chelsey finds another traditional in the 'burbs at
a price Cedric can get behind.
OK, OK.
[pleasant, mellow music playing]
Looks so sunny, the skies are blue, but this is a nice community.
-Has that new build feel and look. -Yeah.
You wanted to be in the suburbs.
I definitely wanted to be in Houston.
-Yeah, but guess how much? -$450?
-$468, so. -OK, OK.
[Erinn] All brick, it looks very traditional, nice.
[Cedric] Definitely kind of gives that country feel.
-Hey! -Hi Chelsey.
-Hey, how's it going, Chelsey? -Hi, how's it going?
-It's going good. -Good, good.
Good, I'm so excited to show you all this home today.
-It's new construction, and the price is right. -All right, we can tell.
[Cedric] OK, that's what I want to hear.
We're on the outskirts of Manvel.
You get more bang for your buck out in this area.
For it to be brand new, it's pretty mind-blowing to get
in at under $500,000.
[Erinn] This is a nice, tall entrance.
[Chelsey] Yes, tall ceilings make everything open up.
OK, let's check it out.
-And then we come over here into the kitchen, dining area. -OK.
-Huge island for entertainment.
-Yeah, this is a nice island. I like this touch. -Yeah.
[Chelsey] You have your stainless steel appliances.
-You have your five-range gas stove here. -[Erinn] I love that, the gas.
-I like that touch. -Yeah.
-Has the Chevron pattern with the nice big tile. -Yes!
-That's nice. -We do have a HOA at this one.
-The HOA is roughly $80 a month. -That's not bad.
-[Chelsey] We have a lazy river, you have a fitness center. -Oh that's nice.
-$80 for limitation. -Yes.
And for getting good things, so we'll just have to consider that.
He's not as practical as I am.
This is exactly what he was wanting to spend.
The HOA is much lower than some of the other homes that
we've looked at, which is an added benefit.
I do like that the HOA provides a lot of community amenities.
I like the warm feeling. I like that it's brand new.
OK, and then we have the living area over here.
[Cedric] I like the high ceilings and the windows.
[Erinn] The high ceilings is definitely nice.
Let's head over to your primary suite here.
[Erinn] I like the carpet in the bedroom for sure.
-That's nice and cozy. -[Cedric] Yeah, definitely.
-It's a decent size, yeah. -Yes.
You have your separate tub and shower.
-Oh yeah. -I love this shower.
-[Cedric] Kind of reminds me of, like, a hotel bathroom. -[Erinn] Yeah.
What is the closet story? Do we have our separate closets?
-It's one closet, but just check it out. -Oh.
[Chelsey] I think it has some nice features you all like.
[Erinn] Definitely big.
-I can see that all my clothes could for sure fit. -Definitely, right.
Probably, my clothes would probably go in
this little cubby hole area. -Maybe over there.
-Might still be tight for both of us. -OK, OK.
Definitely looking forward to this area.
-Yes, you got a huge extended patio. -[Erin] This is nice.
That's what I wanted, just enough space for the dog.
-Yes. -Whoa, whoa,
the dog, but we need some space for the live music, the band.
I like the backyard area, the patio where
we can barbecue.
But having a HOA, I think, is definitely going to be
a problem with having some entertainment and family
gatherings in this area.
[Chelsey] Then we have the flex area here.
-[Cedric] Flex area. -[Erinn] OK, this is a good size.
Game room, whatever you want to make it.
-OK -Perfect for Sydney and her friends.
So we going to the theater next?
It doesn't have a theater.
-Come on, let's keep looking. -Chelsey, we losing points.
So another secondary bedroom here.
OK.
[Chelsey] This is an option for the studio, make the closet
the audio booth. -Yeah, let me check it out.
Wait, let's not give up the closets too fast.
Let's see.
Yeah, I can see definitely, you know, taking these shelves
out and, you know. -Oh...
We have to think about that.
Hm, I don't think that's going to happen.
We have a pass-through bathroom here.
[Erinn] So everybody has to share this one?
[Chelsey] Yes.
Let's check out the next secondary bedroom here.
[Erinn] Maybe this could be Sydney's room.
[Chelsey] Absolutely. Possibly.
[Cedric] A lot of light coming in.
[Erinn] It's a really nice house. It's new.
No theater.
This is definitely not modern, but it's 50-50 with this house
because the price is right.
The backyard was a nice size backyard.
-I feel like we can still do a lot with the patio. -[Erinn] Yeah.
I think just HOA period just says limitation.
-But with all that that it's offering. -So many cool --
fitness, even a restaurant. -A lot to consider.
A lot to consider, yeah.
It's definitely time to get out and get in our own space.
[narrator] Cedric, Erinn, and her daughter have been busting at the seams
since Cedric moved into their home in Houston.
Now it's time to settle on a house together.
Let's talk about the traditional new build
in Manvel.
It was definitely my style.
That one had a really nice entryway.
That home was $676.
That's almost $200 more than I wanted to spend.
-I was looking more for Houston. -Yeah.
[Erinn] But that was a nice master-plan community with lots
of amenities. -The size of the yard was nice.
Good entertainment space.
But with the HOA, they're gonna say what we can have.
And I just did not want a yard that big.
It was lacking a coat closet and a linen closet.
But we got a four and a half bath.
It has a dedicated theater like you wanted.
It's just, is that price worth that space?
[Erinn] I know you really like that modern, contemporary home
in Houston.
It was five bedroom, three and a half bath.
The price was $640, higher than, you know, what --
But if I remember correctly, that home had over
4,500 square feet... -It was big.
...so we're getting a lot of home for that price.
I wanted space, so I'm really interested in really
considering that home.
You can find a space for your studio.
[Cedric] It didn't have a dedicated theater space.
We only can watch one TV at a time.
It has a lot of marble, though. Just seems kind of cold.
[Cedric] Yeah, I feel like it's an entertainment home.
This home does not have a HOA, so...
-Oh, Lord. -I was definitely excited about that.
Oh, Lord, you're already preparing for your band.
Yeah, yeah. Inner city, that's what I want.
Every room had deep walk-in closets,
so I know you would appreciate that.
-You can have three of the closets in the whole house. -Yes.
[Erinn] I'm going to remember you said that.
The brick new build in Manvel, what did you think
about that house?
[Cedric] Was definitely a home that I was excited about.
-Mm-hmm. -Because of the price.
[Erinn] The community itself was very nice with lots of amenities,
and I appreciated that. -OK.
With all the pools, the workout center, it had
the nice extended patio, and a backyard that was just
the perfect size.
Just having a HOA would just limit, you know, us from
the family gatherings. It only had one closet.
-It was huge, but it was huge for only your clothes. -[Erin] Yeah, it was gonna be
perfect to fit all my clothes, yeah.
-Wow. -But maybe you can use one of the other closets,
and then one of the other, in the studio room.
[Cedric] It did have the high ceilings, but it was just very
traditional looking. Man, this is tough.
[doorbell rings]
-Hey, babe. -Good morning, good morning.
Y'all in here making a lot of noise?
-Haha, sorry! -My mom made breakfast, so.
-OK. -Ooh.
-We bought a house! -We bought the traditional
new build in Manvel.
Since we moved in, this area has started to grow on me
because it is a lot of amenities in this community.
[Erinn] It really did meet both of our needs.
It had the five bedroom, four and a half bath,
and the grand entrance. Didn't have as much storage
I was hoping for for a house this size.
[Cedric] But I have my own closet now.
I don't have to trip over boxes or see suitcases.
I feel like you got the few things that you asked
for, Sydney?
[all laughing]
[Cedric] I was fine with paying a higher price.
After I really thought about a lot, I was like,
you know what? I'm not willing to sacrifice.
I was able to get my recording studio, theater space,
and also, too, it had a huge backyard.
-What do you think about a stage out there? -Mm-hmm.
[Erinn] Exactly, it's a bit much, isn't it?
-I know we have an HOA... -Better talk to them first.
...but you know, I have some ways around that.
I'm just going to invite the neighbors.
I don't see it happening.
It's tough.
-You know, Erinn had her strong, -Idea.
you know, wants, and I had -Strong wants.
my strong needs. -[Erinn] Oh what!
[all laughing] -Needs?
I'm proud of me and Erinn coming together, and being that this
was my first home, I definitely take pride in
it. We're 50-50.
I don't feel like I've moved into her home.
And now we can slow down, take some deep breaths,
and really enjoy this journey.