'House Hunters': Growing Delaware family decides on $482,000 traditional in Townsend
When it came down to it, Monday's Delaware-based "House Hunters" episode was all about compromise.
Former school teacher and stay-at-home mom Michelle Mallard-Reaves was looking for something more historic with "good bones," willing to do some renovations and wanted space for a home salon. She wanted to stay in northern Delaware.
Her husband, Robert, wanted a "chic" modern turnkey with a finished basement and perhaps also a home office because he works from home a few days a week with his job as executive director for a human services company. He didn't mind searching a little further south in the state.
Even before the program got into the details of the three homes they were considering with Newark-based real state agent Oliver Millwood II of The Millwood Team at Keller Williams Realty, viewers got a good feel for the playful couple, happily joshing each other as cameras rolled.
After having been together since their senior years at Christiana High School, they let their love (and personalities) shine with Mallard-Reaves cracking: "He's mild-mannered and I'm working on it."
Their children Ivanna, 15; Alexandria, 10; and Robert "Bob," 5, all appeared on the episode. Their fourth child, Christopher, was born about a month after August's filming.
Reaves' parents, Charlene and Milton, also made cameos. The couple already had sold their 1,110-square-foot Bear home, and it was taking longer than expected to find a perfect bigger replacement, so they moved in with his parents in Bear for a few weeks.
The choices
The couple had three homes to choose from within their range, which topped out at $560,000:
House No. 1: A $480,000 traditional five-bedroom in Townsend, which would need some work to update the kitchen and build a front porch. An unfinished space could be converted into a small salon for Mallard-Reaves at an estimated cost of $4,000. The house also had the finished basement Reaves wanted for football season, as well as a tub in the master bedroom bathroom for her and a large backyard for the kids to play in.
House No. 2: An updated 1900s-era Colonial in Middletown for $450,000, which recently dropped in price from $475,000 with a motivated seller. She loved the historic, vintage feel with a front porch swing and small touches, such as detailed molding. But there was no finished basement or bathtub in the five-bedroom, 3,075-square-foot "quirky" home. And no island in the kitchen, which Mallard-Reaves desperately wanted for her growing family to be able to gather around.
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House No. 3: A $550,000 traditional turnkey in Middletown with four bedrooms had a lot of what Reaves was looking for. The 4,000-square-foot home had floor-to-ceiling windows, finished basement, spacious kitchen with an island, large backyard and bathtub in the master bedroom bathroom. It didn't have a front porch or the "old, homestyle feel" Mallard-Reaves was looking for and the bedrooms for the children were a bit too small. Also, the price was at the top of their range causing a little bit of worry.
The pick
With Mallard-Reaves due to give birth soon, they compromised with their wish lists, choosing the first house and paid $482,000 for the 2,925-square-foot home. The problematic kitchen is getting a makeover with new countertops, appliances and sink.
"This one had a little bit of what both of us wanted and we sort of met in the middle. We were really under the gun since Michelle is due within the hour," Reaves joked.
Added Mallard-Reaves: "I'm definitely looking forward to finally entertaining properly. I think it's a great size for us right now."
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For Philadelphia Eagles fan Reaves, he already was eying the home's finished basement where he planned to enjoy the upcoming football season: "I will be down there watching my 75-inch TV."
The family reports that Reaves did enjoy football downstairs once they moved in ― not exactly loving Monday night's disastrous loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of course. There are a lot of ups and downs when it comes to house hunting. And as we know, the same holds true for being an Eagles fan.
"Baby Makes Six'' is streaming on Max and discovery+
Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at [email protected] or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 'House Hunters' couple from Bear compromise on five-bedroom
