You turn on the hot water, and you get cold water. Then you sit and wait for a few minutes until you start getting hot water.
The cost to remodel, and permit proses, causes owners to just live with it.
The drought should make the plumbing permit free.
Too many small towns, and even rich counties, are counting on those permit fees for income.
Depends on where you are. In places I've lived in the southwest, you turn on the hot water and you immediately get hot water. You turn on the cold water, and you immediately get very warm water.
Because it's the desert. And the water comes from outside, so it assumes the ambient temperature. In the winter you might get "cold" water, but it's nothing like the cold water you get in places like Boston or Minneapolis.
At first I wondered why they have those mini fridges in japanese hotel rooms and this is why - only way to get cold water in the summer is t put it into the fridge first! :)
In fact I just went and checked with my shower - 23 seconds. And I haven't used any hot water since last night.
In the rental house we just moved from a couple months ago, the last homeowner did several amateur projects (or hired a handyman who worked at that level). They fitted a larger, elevated water heater, but also "upgraded" the water pipes in the attic to a ridiculously large diameter. Between that and the rental property management fitting water-saving low-flow fixtures, you could turn on a hot water faucet and go boil tea on an electric kettle (or something) in the meantime. By the time you're done drinking the tea, the running water might be getting warm.
Ultimately this is just my anecdata. Maybe your story is more common than I realize.
In such cases run the hot water in your sink it dramatically increases the flow rate. Alternatively, install a tankless water heater next to the shower.