My Lottery Dream Home

I felt compelled to write a review of this fun show because of all of the angry people who can't be happy for the fellow humans.

1. If you can't win, why can't you just be happy for someone else that wins?!

2. The cost of some of the homes that are over $500K is based on the median home cost in city. Seems like a lot of Bostonians are the ones spending over $500K to live in an average suburban home, but its due to this regions property costs, not the winner being extravagant.

3. To the winner who implied that a $5M winner, walked away with 1.4M after taxes, that's misleading, because in your own post, the winner would have walked away with $3M if she had not split her winnings 505-50 with her mother, those the reason for the 1.4M.

4. As another reviewer stated, most of these winners still work and I'm sure stayed in an area where they could afford the annual tax, utilities etc., but just didn't have the 20 - 30% down payment needed to get them in the home they wanted.

5. If I won a million in my region, in combined Federal & State taxes, 33.5% would automatically go to taxes, which will leave me with 665K to look for a home and I should add get me out of my apartment. In my mind, I would look for a home between $250 - $350 max, because I would plan on putting down 50% which would give a mortgage I could well afford in the neighborhood I desire. If I were married with children, and won the same amount, based on 2 incomes, "we" would probably look for a home with a max budget of $450K with same down payment of 50% .

In sum for all the jealous people who clearly are the ones who can't do basic math. $600K is a great down payment on a starter home or an upgrade to those couples that are already home owners. The more your down payment, the lower your mortgage payment, which by the way includes property taxes, so based on your income, region etc., I haven't seen anyone on this show that was buying above their means.

6. In season 1 there was a couple that won like $250MM, I think they over spent and seem to make extravagant home/property purchases of a mansion for a middle-aged couple with the wife not sure she could drive up the hill to the and then purchased the farm next to theirs. They made me cringe when they chose their mansion up in the hills, I googled them a year ago and its been 7 - 8 years now. So good for them!

For many Americans in the working to lower middle class, it's the sizeable down payment while still having to pay rent, car payment, etc. Because you don't have parents you could live with while saving that keeps us from being homeowners, at least for the first 10 years of renting, while you struggle to put away enough annually to afford a down payment on a condo in the neighborhood of your choice. So yes, winning $600K in the lottery would make your home "My Lottery Dream House".

Sorry if we're too poor for your entertainment with our basic starter homes. Feel free to turn the channel to watch those who can afford to pay $500K just to flip a Bargain Mansion--wish I was able to do this, but I can't, so please don't judge the rest of us or call us irresponsible when you don't even have all the facts, like these people annual combined income.

I seriously don't understand people. I enjoy watching this show; I like going along as people tour a variety of homes. I feel happy for them that they're able to get a home they probably normally would not be able to afford, and I laugh along at David's silly jokes. They're harmless, and it certainly seems as though everyone he's worked with really likes him and enjoyed spending time with him.

For the people complaining that "someone who won only a million dollars is buying a $600,000 home." Nearly every episode I can remember, the couple or person STILL WORKS. They're probably using their winnings to make a sizable down payment while still making a mortgage payment. And yes, so large chunk of their winnings helped them get into a home. What's wrong with that? It seems quite a lot of them are also in multi-family abodes, like my own, where a mom or parents live with, etc. But even if they're spending that money with no other income, IT IS THEIRS TO SPEND.

And the other side, those complaining because they only want to see big fancy mansions being toured. And this annoyed me even more because I personally know how I would feel; for some people a nice, three bedroom home in suburbia IS a mansion. Maybe their family of four was renting a one bedroom apartment prior to winning, so a three bedroom home that they can call their own probably IS their dream home. And it may very well be a mansion to them. Why can't you be happy for them?

As for people complaining about taxes and tattoos and goodness knows what else: why are you even watching this show??!

I realize IMDb is a place to rate and review, but some of these complaints seem so personal and judgmental. Not about the show at all, but about the very people themselves. Again, I don't get it.

These people have made it to the TV screen... In most cases it has been months since they have won. Do you actually think they haven't covered all of this by now??? do you really think they dont know about the taxes?? and the utility bills??? Do you really think that is what is happening??? I think you are the one not facing reality. I am sure they have.

The title says it all, really. It makes you feel good to see a lot of people who are struggling suddenly get lucky and have their lives transformed for the better. Even when they might have been doing alright before, their winnings usually allow them the kind of homes they could only dream about before. And David is a fun guy, despite whatever whoever here might say about him being "creepy" or whatever. I'd say "eccentric" is a more apt description, and I'd love to have him along for the ride if I was in the market for a new home. His energy and humor would definitely make it a more enjoyable experience.

As for all the comments about some people winning "only" a million dollars and going on about taxes and this and that other expenses, come on. Does the show really deserve a bunch of one-star reviews from people who are angry that it doesn't tell us explicitly about a bunch of stuff we all already know? That it doesn't "teach" viewers about how they should judiciously spend their money if they ever win the lottery? (Like that's very likely!) Ridiculous. It's supposed to be a fun show, about happy people who've had a big change in their fortunes for the better, not an economics class. David is just along for the ride, to have a good time and give people what THEY want, not to lecture winners on how they should spend their money. (But while we're on the subject, half the time I think the winners are being too cheap! Some of them will win 4 or 5 millions dollars and balk at spending more than a few hundred thousand.)

Finally, you can imagine that it's not easy to find a lot of million+ dollar lottery winners, and even harder to find many of them willing to do the show. Maybe think about that before you get too fixated on all the people on the show who've won only x-amount and will really have only x-amount left after taxes, etc., and how some of the homes aren't really ALL THAT, etc. Come back down to earth, people, and have more realistic expectations.

Anyway....sorry for the long rant, lol, but I was a little dismayed when I saw all the negative reviews and the reasons for them. If you watch the show, relax and enjoy it for what it is, rather than wasting energy getting angry over stupid stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with you. If some winners spend their money unwisely, that's on them, not David or the show.

I have watched several episodes of this show. Great host, and wonderful families you'll follow as they select their dream home after winning the lotto. No, they don't mention their actually take home pay after taxes.

Now, here's where this show is not actually realistic to me. I'm a homeowner (didn't win the lotto) but it took me touring more than a dozen homes with my realtor to actually find the one. So, naturally I'm a bit skeptical when lottery winners decide on their dream home based off of "touring" ONLY 3 homes. While we are seeing the homes, I carefully look a staged homes decor for inspiration, including the wall art. However, I have noticed the homes these families chose have the same furniture seen during the home tour.

I have noticed when they give us an update on the families after they've moved in, they wont' do a before and after of the decor. Many have the updates filmed either outside or in the kitchen where you don't see much decor in the background unless you look hard. Why? Because I believe these families most likely had already bought and living in the home before it was filmed for the show. In one of their newest episodes, I saw a fully furnished home (with no family pics on the wall) that the lotto couple ended up choosing in the end and when they did the update, I noticed the exact same furniture in the background, including TV, home decor, wall art and the only difference was they added a family pics to the wall. I quickly noticed that on a few more episodes after that.

I still love the show and happy to see these lotto winners actually move into their dream home. Regardless if they had already been living there before filming. I tune in for the home tours and the reno ideas from the host. I will still watch.