[Elen] The floor to ceiling is 19 feet.
[Jeanine] I feel like this is, you know, what I'm looking for,
-And that gold! -[Elen chuckles]
I don't know how I feel about all this gold.
-It's a lot of gold. -[Jeanine] All the gold!
[narrator] Having grown up in the Philippines,
Jeanine's version of the American dream
is buying a large, new build in Utah,
with high-end finishes.
Yeah, I'm definitely gonna need a bigger island.
[Elen] It sounds like you are gonna have a bigger kitchen than this one.
-Yeah, I was hoping bigger. [chuckles] -So, it's gonna,
-expect more than $15,000. -[Jeanine] Yeah.
[chuckling nervously] Just keep hearing,
thousand this, thousand that.
[narrator] But with three kids to raise,
Justin wants an older home,
especially if it means spending less.
[Justin] I just don't know if I love this granite.
[Jeanine] Well, that's good.
-I mean... -[both chuckle]
-I like the... -Good thing we agreed on that!
We could do, you know, some, just a couple projects,
and this house would be perfect, right?
-Cover up-- -No, this is not easy.
Stop saying it's easy, 'cause it's not.
-Oopsies! -[Justin chuckles]
-Can you do that? -Can you mix for us?
I'm an associate director of student services
at a health care university.
And I do software training for a software company.
-Yeah, let's try and get more in there, okay? -Is it sticky?
We were going to different universities,
so we met through church, basically.
And we've been married for 12 and a half years.
We have three kids.
We have Jazlyn, Jayvin,
and we have a third child, which is Jaxton.
[Jeanine] I'm originally from the Philippines.
We moved around a lot growing up,
because for my dad's job,
I loved visiting different countries and learning about them.
I always do have that itch,
and I want to experience new things,
learn new things all the time,
and Justin is this total opposite.
[Justin] I grew up in Utah.
I lived in one house, one neighborhood,
and that was something that I really enjoyed growing up.
[Justin] Jayvin, you put a lot of butter in here, buddy.
[narrator] Together, they've owned several homes.
While he thought the last one was for good,
Jeanine had a change of heart.
We got a good price, and it was 300 grand over
what we bought for the house only a couple of years ago.
So, why not, right?
If there's an opportunity to find a bigger home,
and get everything I want,
that's my preference. [chuckles]
Having to move multiple times throughout our marriage
-has not been fun. -[chuckles]
But at the same time,
I've been able to kinda see the benefit of having to move.
-For Jayvin, you want some? -[Jeanine] Let's have some.
-Yeah, which one? -I want some pancake.
We sold our house so fast
that we had to stay at my parent's home.
It's been about six months.
[Justin] With five people, it's been a challenge.
I wanna be able to, like, have family over.
-To stay? [laughs] -[Marites] That's why you need to get at least six bedrooms.
When I had the opportunity to live in America,
I really dreamed of a big home,
with a big, open floor plan,
and, um, you know,
just that grand feeling of the American dream.
I want a big main room.
I want it to feel like I'm in a hotel.
The home that I want is a rustic, modern farmhouse,
and have, you know, an overgrout exterior,
that just features really beautiful stone.
-Of course, high ceiling, at least nine foot. -Yes.
-This is nine foot ceiling. -[exhales] How about 18 feet?
[both chuckle]
Just like your dad.
-Lolo made a loft in his house in... -[Marites] Ah!
[Jeanine] Yeah, that's what I really want.
-But he made it himself. -Exactly! That's what I'm saying.
We can build a new house and I can customize it.
That would be the best solution.
[Justin] Isn't building a house hard?
I just prefer, like...
...house is done, it's ready to move in.
Even if it's older, I'm okay with that, just because...
...for me, you know, the older homes do have some character.
You know, one thing I really want is,
we really have to make sure
we find a house with a three-car garage.
Hopefully it's big enough so I can maybe even fit some,
maybe a golf net, or a golf simulator.
I'm hoping to stay down towards, like, $700,000,
where we initially started.
I know the market has kinda driven that up a little--
[disapproving exhale] It's not possible.
We have to go higher.
You know, 800, 850, 900.
As long as we can, you know,
-include some kind of rental. -[Jeanine sighs]
[Justin] We live in an area that's close to two universities.
And it's a very growing trend
to have a basement apartment in the home
and to kind of offset the cost.
I cannot see myself with three kids
having renters in the basement.
I am particular.
So, I like what I want and I want to not have to have renters.
[chuckles nervously]
-The houses look really nice here. -[Jeanine] Yeah.
-They look nice. -[Justin] Really expensive.
[narrator] Since Jeanine wants to build from scratch,
they're heading to see a new construction community in Orem.
-That looks really nice. -Oh, that looks nice, I like it.
[Jeanine] It's a two-car garage though.
We'll have to talk to Elen, maybe there's some
-other options. -We'll have to look at this...
-[Justin] Hey, Elen! -Hello, guys!
-[Jeanine] Hey, Elen! -[Elen] I'm excited to show you this house,
this is an occupied property,
the builder does not have a model home to show us.
-[Jeanine] Mm-hmm. -[Justin] Okay.
[narrator] But this is the same model of house
the builder can make for them,
and they'd be allowed to select the specific finishes
and tweak the floorplan for their own build.
[Jeanine] I like it, that, you know,
it's a little bit more unique.
Um, yeah, I like the wood details they have.
[Justin] Yeah, that looks really nice.
They both have two different types of houses they're looking for.
Custom house for Jeanine,
and practical stuff for Justin.
The state of the market in this area
is just like every other place else in the US.
There's not a lot of properties for sale, but lots of buyers.
So I think it's a great idea
that Jeanine and Justin build,
and customize the house they see in their mind.
These are nice vaulted ceilings.
-I really like it. -[Elen] Just like you wanted.
[Justin] Yeah, nice open concept.
I'd probably prefer something more wide and grand.
[Elen] Actually, you could do that.
It's $187 per square foot.
-Oh, okay. -[Elen] For any extension.
-[Elen] Three bedrooms on this side here. -[Jeanine] Okay, okay.
-That's cute. -[Justin] I love the carpets.
That was my childhood. We had carpet in every room,
and it was just nice and comfortable.
Well, for me, growing up, we had tile floors,
'cause it's so hot in the Philippines, so you'd never have carpet.
And so, I prefer something that has LVP or tile.
I get what you're saying with the carpet thing,
I just, ugh, I hate carpet.
[Justin chuckles nervously] We'll keep that on the list.
[Elen] Okay, I just wrote it down.
There is a bathroom that is being shared by the two bedrooms.
-[Jeanine] Got it. -[Justin] Okay.
-I'd probably want two sinks for the kids, though. -[Elen] Okay.
[Jeanine] But I really like the stained wood.
[Jeanine] Oh, that's nice. It has a box ceiling,
-I think that's what it's called. -[Elen] It's a tray ceiling.
-[Jeanine] It's a tray ceiling? Got it, got it. -[Justin] Tray ceiling.
Okay. I like it.
-That's good. -[Elen] And this is the main bathroom.
Okay, I like these wood cabinets.
-[Elen] It's a double vanity. -[Jeanine] Nice.
-It is a granite, but you can upgrade it to a quartz... -Mm. Right.
...or a quartzite.
[Jeanine] I definitely wanna upgrade the countertops.
It's just the most amazing opportunity, I think,
is to be able to say that you built that home,
that American dream home.
-[Jeanine] Okay. -[Elen] Well, this room, it's, like, a kiddy room.
[Justin] Right now it doesn't look like it's a bedroom,
but it could be a bedroom, it's got the storage,
-and, yeah. -[Elen] That is correct, yeah.
[Justin] It's got a nice, open feeling, right?
-[Jeanine] It's pretty. -[Justin] Very welcoming.
I mean, I'm definitely gonna need a bigger island.
[Justin] Well, that was one thing in our last house.
We loved the kitchen, but the island just didn't feel big enough.
I think for me, too,
I'd prefer custom cabinets that have wood on them.
Definitely want a kitchen that has quartz,
quartzite on it.
It sounds like you are gonna have a bigger kitchen than this one.
-Yeah, I was hoping bigger. [chuckles] -So, it's gonna,
-expect more than $15,000. -[Jeanine] Yeah.
[Justin chuckling nervously] I just keep hearing,
thousand this, thousand that.
Hey, Justin, it's good to have options.
[Jeanine] Is this the garage?
-[Elen] Yep, that's the garage. -Okay.
[Justin] So, if we, can they do a three-car garage?
-[Elen] It's about $20,000 to have additional... -[Justin] Ooh, $20,000...
-uh, the third car garage. -Well, that's a need, though.
That is, uh, that's a big chunk of money.
[Elen] Let's go check the basement.
-[Elen] The door to your right is the basement apartment. -[Jeanine] Okay.
-The renters are not willing to show it. -Right.
[Elen] This is the basement that belongs to you guys.
Right. Can we build it so that we don't have an apartment?
I really have to have the basement apartment,
just because getting that extra source of income every single month
is gonna help offset the mortgage,
and if we save money, and we can get some money from them,
it gives you more money to spend at the end of the day.
[Jeanine] Okay.
[Elen] This is the bathroom here in the basement.
[Jeanine] Mm-hmm. That's so cool.
This is nice!
-I feel like we need, just, more than one bedroom. -[Elen] How many?
-[Elen] In the basement? -In the basement.
[Justin] If the family's coming to visit,
-we need a place to stay. -[Jeanine] Yeah.
-[Justin] They need a place to stay. -[Jeanine] Exactly.
[Elen] You would like this backyard.
[Jeanine] I like that they built this deck.
I mean, definitely, we'd probably need to build one like this.
[Justin] Overall, I think it's a really good space,
I mean, are most of the lots kind of a similar size to this?
Like, would this be a comparable sized back yard?
[Elen] There's only a couple of lots left,
and I think they're a little bit bigger than this one.
[Jeanine] Yeah, so we definitely need a bigger lot.
I mean, if we wanna build a bigger house,
we're gonna need a bigger lot.
[Justin] I like where we're going,
I just, I'm worried about that price.
[Jeanine] Come on, though. Like, a custom built house? This is a dream.
But how long does a custom built house usually take?
Over a year.
-[Jeanine] That's something to consider, for sure. -Something to consider.
[Justin] I can see the potential.
Like I said, I think my biggest worry is just,
just the money side of it.
[narrator] So Elen finds a lower-priced home for Justin,
but Jeanine's not so sure.
Smells new, it's got a nice little area--
Mm, I don't know if I'd say it smells new.
[Justin] Wow, you can see the mountains, you can also see the lake.
Yeah, it's beautiful.
From what Elen told me,
this house is actually $710,000.
-I don't know how I feel about that. -I like that!
And it actually does have a basement apartment.
This house is, was built in 2007, so it's not new.
Something you prefer, something you prefer.
[Justin] I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that.
[Justin] This is the one!
-Huh. -Ah, I like it, it's got some nice curb appeal.
[Jeanine] It has a three-car garage, I'm actually...
-[Justin] It's got the three-car garage. -...excited about that.
[Jeanine] I like the stone, so...
[Justin] Yeah, the stone looks nice.
It's a nice color palette, you know.
This house is a good option for them.
It's starting out in a lower price range,
and it gives them flexibility to transform
their house into a house that they wanted.
Smells new, it's got a nice little area--
Mm, I don't know if I'd say it smells new, but...
-[Elen] The carpet is new, at least. -[Jeanine] Maybe the carpet.
And they repainted it too, it's freshly painted.
-[Jeanine] Oh, they did? Okay. -[Justin] Okay.
[Elen] And then the height of the ceiling is pretty surprisingly high.
[Justin] It's not quite 18 feet, I know that's one of the things
-we're looking for, but, uh... -[Jeanine] I know. That's the problem, yeah.
-[Elen] Right here. Yeah. -[Justin] Let's check it out.
[Justin] Wow, I really like this, uh, nice, big family room.
Lot of space.
-Yeah. -You look in the window right here,
-straight out. -[Jeanine] Okay.
[Elen] That's your forever view.
-[Jeanine] Oh, wow. -[Justin] I do like that, yeah.
Is that a park or something that's back here?
[Elen] Exactly. No one can build behind your house,
-at all. -Wow.
That's kinda nice. I like that.
[Justin] I like the size of the island.
Don't know if I love this granite.
-[Jeanine] Well, that's good. -[Justin] I mean...
-I like the-- -Good thing we agree on that.
For me, I think there's a lot of functionality here. There's a lot of cabinets.
Yeah. I mean, I actually kinda like the arch,
but I would probably make this two-tone,
we'd have to get the different kind of quartzite maybe,
-kind of countertop. -[Elen] Quartzite is a good one.
[Justin] The great thing about this house
is that it is at the lower end of our price point.
And we could do, you know, some, just a couple of projects,
and this house would be perfect, right?
I get what you're saying, there's potential.
It's got three bedrooms here, and a loft right here.
-[Justin] Loft! I like it. -[Jeanine] Hmm...
It's a good place for the kids to do some homework.
[Jeanine] It's nice that they built this in, and big shelves here.
[Elen] One of the first bedrooms here, for the kids,
they tried to modernize it, Jeanine, for you!
[Jeanine] They've put some trim in. It's pretty.
Well, this is your main room, you guys.
[Jeanine] Oh, wow.
[Elen] See how big this is?
-[Justin] Yes. -[Jeanine] Wow.
It's a very big bedroom.
-[Elen] This is the bathroom. -[Jeanine] Oh, this is interesting, too.
I mean, that's pretty good, I don't hate it.
[Elen] This oversized vanity.
[Jeanine] Yeah, probably put, like, a cabinet right there in the middle,
just to have some more grander feel.
I just, this needs to get replaced,
that needs to get replaced, I mean...
[Justin] The great thing I'm seeing about this house
is every room has a window, and every window has a view.
[Elen] It's hard to find a property that has views like this.
It's hard to find like this, yeah.
-[Elen] Where the mountain. -[Jeanine] Well, I want...yeah.
-[Elen] Back in the basement. Okay? -[Jeanine] Okay.
-[Elen] Let's go check it. -[Justin] Let's see the rest of it, yeah.
-[Jeanine] Which one, this one? -[Elen] Go straight, yes.
[Jeanine] Oh, wow.
[Elen] So this is one bedroom,
that could go in with the apartment,
or you can build a door there,
-and this is gonna be part of your living space. -[Justin] Okay.
[Jeanine] Oh, really? That is so odd.
-[Justin] Okay. -[Jeanine] Huh.
-[Elen] This is the real apartment right here. -[Jeanine] Yeah. Hmm.
This apartment also has an exterior door,
-so it's walk out basement. -[Jeanine] Okay.
[Justin] Okay, so they have their own entrance,
-that's good. -[Elen] They have their own entrance.
[Justin] I mean, the kitchen looks like it's a pretty good size,
I think we could still make some good money
-just renting it out. -[Jeanine sighs]
I just hate the thought of having people live under me.
At the lower price point,
maybe we just don't rent it out, and we just keep it
as a space where we can have family over.
If that's the case, you're gonna have to renovate this, though.
-[Jeanine] Okay, what's next? -[Elen] Okay, so on this hallway here,
-it's the bathroom and the bedroom. -[Jeanine] Okay.
-[Justin] It's a big bedroom.
-Okay, this is their closet, I guess? -That's the closet, yeah.
[Jeanine] So you're just gonna come in here,
-and you're gonna zap yourself. -[Justin chuckles] So,
-once again, I think this would be something... -[Jeanine] No.
we could easily, kinda, you know,
-cover up-- -No, this is not easy.
Stop saying it's easy, 'cause it's not.
-[Jeanine] Wow. That's really beautiful. -[Justin] Wow! This is great.
I really like this.
I mean, it gives it character,
and it's a good space.
[Jeanine] I see a lot of potential with the house.
-I definitely think it's an option. -[Jeanine] Yeah.
You know? And especially at the lower price point
where we could save some money,
I think there's some money we could put into a few things
and it'd be just the right option for us.
[Jeanine] Well, lots of renovations though, right?
-Not a lot. Just the right amount. -Oh, my gosh.
I may be able to convince Jeanine to like this house a little bit more,
and give her the incentive to maybe
put in some of her own finishes and touches
to make it her spot as well.
[narrator] In case that plan doesn't work,
Elen's got a brand new house that just came on the market.
Nice and big.
Big and expensive.
-It's a new build. -Brand-new build? Okay.
Yeah. Modern rustic new build,
-is what it's called. -Oh, nice.
[narrator] At $850,000,
it's above what Justin wants to spend,
but does have his basement apartment.
Ah, okay. Here it is.
Nice and big.
Big and expensive.
Yeah, that overgrout, you know,
is one of my must-haves, so...
[Justin] It's got the three-car garage we've been wanting.
Landscape's not done. You know, I don't want to have to deal with that.
-[Jeanine] Yeah... -[Justin] So, curb appeal though, is real nice.
-Okay, these stairs are really nice. -[Justin] Yeah?
-Hi, you guys! -[Jeanine] Oh, my god!
-[Jeanine] Wow. -[Elen] Come on in.
Let's start here, on the front room.
-[Jeanine] Okay. -[Justin] Be a good spot for the Christmas tree.
Yeah. I mean, the hardwood floors are perfect, I think.
[Justin] Hardwood floors are nice.
-[Jeanine] Main bedroom? Okay! -[Elen] Main bedroom.
[Elen] Yes, it's a main bedroom.
[Jeanine] Nice, nice. The vaulted ceiling.
It's not very big.
[Elen] Well, we're not done in this room yet.
I wanted to show you the bathroom.
[Jeanine] Ooh!
It's fancy!
I like the gold accents.
[Justin] It's definitely an upgrade from what
we've had in our previous homes, but...
-Oh, yeah! This is fancy! -...it's a lot of gold for me.
All the luxury finishings, they're nice,
but I think it's overpriced,
and I really think it's bringing up the price of the property.
[Elen] The floor to ceiling, is, um, 19 feet.
[Jeanine]I feel like this is, you know,
what I'm looking for, is that,
that feeling like in my grandpa's house in the Philippines.
-[Justin] Yeah? -[Jeanine] That's nice.
I don't know how I feel about this fireplace.
I feel like it's a little big.
-Like, I don't know why it's so wide. -[Justin] That is super wide.
[Justin] I like the back yard, I feel like it has good space,
but I just, I don't love that the neighbor's house is right there.
Like, I feel like I could almost touch it, it's close enough.
It's not finished either, so, you know,
that's another one of my big concerns,
-is having to spend more money after... -[Jeanine] Yeah...
...spending a lot of money just to buy this house, you know?
[Elen] Yeah, you do need the landscape.
-[Justin] I like the massive island. -[Jeanine] Wow. Yes, exactly.
[Jeanine] I could see, you know, kids hanging out over here,
-and eating, and you know, it's just so easy. -[Elen] Yeah.
[Jeanine] And that gold...[chuckles]
[Justin] I don't know how I feel about all this gold,
-it's a lot of gold. -All the gold!
[Jeanine] I like that they did this,
but then, I don't know if I love that wood.
Right there, I feel like it's a little off,
and then if you look here, they, like, it's broken,
-and I don't know what's going on there. -Oh, they are aware of that.
[Elen] Whatever you, imperfections you see here
-right now, will be fixed. -[Jeanine] Yeah...
-[Elen] We'll go upstairs. -[Justin] Yeah.
[Jeanine] Okay...
[Elen] There are three bedrooms in this floor.
-[Justin] All right. -[Jeanine] Okay.
And a bathroom that is shared by the three bedrooms.
[Jeanine] This is a good size for one of our kids.
The downstairs also has another two bedroom...
-[Jeanine] Okay. -...and a bath apart from the apartment.
-[Justin] Oh, really? Okay. -[Jeanine] Oh, wow.
[Jeanine] That's a cool little sconce.
-[Elen] Gold again! -[Justin] More gold!
-[Jeanine] I know... -[Justin] Gold, gold, gold.
-[Justin] All right. -[Elen] This is a blank canvas for you guys.
We need a guest room for all the visitors from the Philippines
-when they come and visit, so. -[Elen] That's important.
[Jeanine] Yeah, it's a little--
[Justin] Let's see the basement apartment, you know, that was...
-Yes, I'm so excited to show you this one! -...on the top of my criteria.
-[Elen] I know! -[Jeanine chuckles]
[Elen] It's a two bedroom, one bath apartment.
I like this space though, it's nice and open.
I think it'll make it really attractive
to a potential renter.
[Elen] And then the door outside.
-Oh, to get out. -[Elen] To their apartment.
-They would have, like, their own private entrance. -[Elen] It's a walk-up.
Hopefully we just get top dollar though, right?
-[Justin chuckles] -[Jeanine] I mean, that's the only way
it's gonna convince me to have to do this.
[Jeanine] You know, the big, tall ceilings,
the openness, the windows,
I could totally see myself here.
It's very nice, but it's also gonna be very expensive.
I'm gonna have to do the back yard, do the landscaping.
I don't love how close the neighbors are.
I get that. There is no perfect house, really.
Certainly, you need some...
[Justin] Time to talk to each other.
-Talk to each other, and... -Talk about it, make a decision.
[Elen] Yeah, and let me know right away,
because a house like this doesn't stay on the market very long.
We've been at your mom's for a few months now.
But I'm ready to get out,
she's probably ready to have us out.
[narrator] But deciding just how much
Jeanine and Justin are willing to spend
to get the size and upgrade she wants, won't be easy.
[Jeanine] I really like the custom build house.
I can customize my finishing, my design,
you can have a four-car garage if you want.
Like, if I'm thinking about the American dream house,
that's the way to go.
[Justin] We can pick and choose exactly what we want,
but it's definitely gonna be really expensive,
[Jeanine] I get that, but, like, building whatever you want,
I think it's gonna be worth it.
The other problem is,
-it's gonna take over a year to build. -Right.
And we've been at your mom's for a few months now,
and I don't know if she wants us to stay here forever.
I really like the older home,
on the hill, with the nice views.
[Jeanine] Those views are really nice.
[Justin] And I do really like that garage.
-That main floor living was a nice area. -[Jeanine] Hmm.
I didn't feel like it was grand enough.
[Justin] The good thing is, it's at the lower end of our price point.
We're gonna save some money,
and we can pick the finishes and get the things that you want.
[Jeanine] Yeah, we'd have to tear everything down.
-[chuckling] I don't think-- -That's what we're gonna have to do.
-It's not that bad. -Yeah, it is.
[Jeanine] But, I really like the new build.
We drove up there and saw that overgrout exterior,
those wood accents, I was like,
-dang. [chuckles] -Yeah, it's definitely a nice house,
definitely a lot of curb appeal.
[Jeanine] It had that grand entrance.
[Justin] The basement was beautiful.
The garage itself was nice.
Obviously, my biggest concern is it is at the higher end of our price range,
and there's a few projects, they're gonna cost more money.
I don't know if we can really afford everything.
I just feel like it was that grand feeling I've been looking for.
But, I think we just need to make that decision.
Because the market is just crazy right now in Utah.
-Orange! What else? -Here you go.
[child babbling]
Wow!
We picked the new build.
We went with this house because it was big,
had a lot of bedrooms, and it had the basement apartment that I wanted.
She got all the nice finishes and the expensive finishes, and...
-[Jeanine] Yep. -So, we both, you know,
got what we wanted.
[Jeanine] I think the kids love their new home.
They finally get their own beds now,
and they've, you know, found some new friends.
-Hi, guys! -Hi, Jaxton!
What's up?
Pretty good, pretty good.
Oh, wow!
I didn't get my customized home,
but I feel like I got the next best thing.
[Justin] I kinda feel like I did make a big compromise.
This is a very expensive house,
but, uh, knowing that we have the basement apartment
to kinda offset the mortgage
is something that's gonna help me sleep at night.
And you're gonna take care of all the landlord stuff?
-I'm gonna take care of all of it. -[chuckles]
'Cause I'm not doing it.
I get it. In order to have this dream home,
you gotta make some compromises.
How long is the back yard gonna take?
Or the landscaping?
[Justin] They should be starting this week.
Some of the first changes are gonna be getting the landscaping in
and getting a fence in.
Like to, you know, invite my family over,
maybe invite your family over,
-and do just a big gathering. -Yeah.
It feels amazing.
I mean, this is the dream house
I've always pictured myself living in.
Having my kids grow up,
I mean, I think we found the perfect home.