House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Bronx Babe]

Peripatetic couple (didn't catch where they were "from") moving to Hong Kong, realtor: "This is a walk-up"

Husband: "What's a walk-up?"

[Empress1]

BTW, I do not know anyone who's moved with their spouse and small children into a parents' home and/or old room for 6 months to save up for a house!  Why, oh why do I continue watching? 

I actually do know a few couples that lived with a set of parents (usually the wife's) for the first six months of marriage to save money for a down payment, though no one had kids. I don't think the couples in question regretted it, but it was definitely a strain.

[awaken]

I notice how they always have to say "city center" and no other phraseology for that- never downtown, etc.  And they always have to say "what's the budget", never how much does it cost, what's the rent, that's more than we want to spend.  Always, that's above our budget!  In real life you'd rarely speak like that!  

 

I saw this one too. I got a kick on how many times they had the boys say "they want to see the girls". You could tell by the end they couldn't say it seriously anymore lol. You'd think they'd come up with something else for them to say. Like we want to try water sports or something.

 

Ugh, I just cringed at the end of this one, showing what looked like 12 yr old boys hanging out with the awesome girls they met on the caymans.  

[Bronx Babe]

Could the Brooklyn-to-Singapore Woody Allen lookalike have been any duller? The laughably producer-driven script kept telling us he was a "hipster" who just might "dig" a certain apartment. To be sure, from outward appearance "Woody" seemed the downtown type (and in the end he decided on the more expensive "city center" pad) but for me his personality was more "residential". And this guy might have been living in Brooklyn but gave off a very distinct Canadian demeanor. Then again, I think that all the HH-ers are from our neighbors to the north, and just hide the accent, lol.

Edited April 8, 2015 by Bronx Babe

[zivadanielle]

Ha ha yes he did have a Woody Allen look to him but I did not catch a severely Canadian vibe from him?  Just a very distracting vibe because either his glasses made his eyes seem huge, or they were just very large on their own. 

 

The middle apt, was sort of weird with all of that seating.  Obviously it was inhabited by local folks but how many?  The décor was quite...unique. 

[Bronx Babe]

LOL, I was also wondering about the glasses and his eyes.

They always seem to have one "exotic/ethnic" dummy home filled with tschotkes and lots of wood panelling.

I've got this nutty obsession that every single HH'r, no matter what part of the U.S. they apparently come from or reside, are Canadian, because I'm always hearing faint vestiges of an accent. They usually try to avoid saying "house" and instead substitute "home", but when they forget, I do hear "hoose" even if the script says a person was born in Arkansas. The Canadian demeanor for me is a certain kind of calmness, an almost professorial air, overuse of "quite" ("This is quite nice"), "fridge" over refrigerator, etc. I'm always trying to "catch" any hints of their true origins, lol.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Bronx Babe

[DownTheShore]

He had no Brooklyn accent so I doubt that he's a NYC native. I have a friend and cousins who were born and raised there, and you don't lose that accent.

I think those glasses just emphasized his nose; I was thinking that they weren't doing him any favors, style-wise.

Don't you get the feeling that "hipster" is just a polite way for them to say "nerd"?

The dead giveaway in spotting Canadians (as if they were some sort of rare bird species - sorry about that - lol) is that they always use the term "North American". People from the USA never refer to themselves that way.

Edited April 9, 2015 by DownTheShore

[biakbiak]

He had no Brooklyn accent so I doubt that he's a NYC native. I have a friend and cousins who were born and raised there, and you don't lose that accent.

 

Depends on the person, their family, their neighborhood, and the schools they went to; I have several friends who are born and raised in Brooklyn and have no Brooklyn accent, same with Queens. I mean it's entirely possible he wasn't native to Brooklyn because there are plenty of transplants but lack of a "Brooklyn" accent doesn't mean that they weren't raised there.

[Bronx Babe]

Okay, guys -- "San Franciscans" Danielle and Matthew (to Helsinki) -- CANADIANS!! I just know it, lol.

The formal, precise, "polite" speech patterns; placid personalities, it's all there, especially with Matthew. Their beautiful cat seemed traumatized over the move -- that terrified fuzzy face was pathetic.

As a NYC borough native, I still retain my Bronx accent; and everyone I know who grew up there or in Brooklyn still sound very authentic.

He had no Brooklyn accent so I doubt that he's a NYC native. I have a friend and cousins who were born and raised there, and you don't lose that accent.

I think those glasses just emphasized his nose; I was thinking that they weren't doing him any favors, style-wise.

Don't you get the feeling that "hipster" is just a polite way for them to say "nerd"?

The dead giveaway in spotting Canadians (as if they were some sort of rare bird species - sorry about that - lol) is that they always use the term "North American". People from the USA never refer to themselves that way.

[/quote

ITA with everything you say!

Edited April 9, 2015 by Bronx Babe

[biakbiak]

Okay, guys -- "San Franciscans" Danielle and Matthew (to Helsinki) -- CANADIANS!! I just know it, lol.

The formal, precise, "polite" speech patterns; placid personalities, it's all there, especially with Matthew. Their beautiful cat seemed traumatized over the move -- that terrified fuzzy face was pathetic.

As a NYC borough native, I still retain my Bronx accent; and everyone I know who grew up there or in Brooklyn still sound very authentic.

Having lived in both Canada and spending the last 15 years in San Francisco, I would definitely say that they were much more Bay Area than Canadian, though they were actually from Orlanda but Canada like the US is also varied, so even lumping "Canadians" together as a monolith seems weird.

Edited April 9, 2015 by biakbiak

[Bronx Babe]

Could someone refresh my Baby Boomer memory on where in Italy Jessica and Italian-born hubby Marco relocated to? He was a sweetheart and I developed a crush on him. (this couple were always holding hands -- I got jealous, lol) I'm convinced in this instance that Jessica was actually from the good old U.S.A. as she had a full-blown case of disaster-itis regarding their child: "This staircase is a death-trap for Leonardo!"

[Bronx Babe]

Having lived in both Canada and spending the last 15 years in San Francisco, I would definitely say that they were much more Bay Area than Canadian, though Canada like the US is also varied, so even lumping "Canadians" together as a monolith seems weird.

Well, I did say my obsession was nutty, lol. I never had the pleasure of living in Canada, but did spend five years in San Francisco back in the 1970's. I know Canada has many provinces and am sure they don't all sound "alike". If I sound like I'm lumping them together as a monolith, I don't mean to.

[Bastet]

(this couple were always holding hands -- I got jealous, lol)

 

Ha - such people on TV (or in life) make me want to gag (because I'd just about slap the hand off someone who tried to be touching me all the time).  It's one of my main triggers to remember "different strokes for different folks."

[truther]

The dead giveaway in spotting Canadians (as if they were some sort of rare bird species - sorry about that - lol) is that they always use the term "North American". People from the USA never refer to themselves that way.

That and the giant maple leaf decal they put on their fanny pack. 

[Peanutbuttercup]

I really liked Danielle and Matthew. Danielle was like a prettier (and plumper I suppose) version of Laura Prepon. I was irked that they said Helsinki/Finland was "Scandinavian" -- I wonder if they really don't know their new home country very well (Nordic, NOT Scandinavian as any Finn will tell you) or maybe the producers just put that in the script.

[aguabella]

I notice how they always have to say "city center" and no other phraseology for that- never downtown, etc.  And they always have to say "what's the budget", never how much does it cost, what's the rent, that's more than we want to spend.  Always, that's above our budget!  In real life you'd rarely speak like that!  

 

 

Ugh, I just cringed at the end of this one, showing what looked like 12 yr old boys hanging out with the awesome girls they met on the caymans.  

 

Agree, I believe we're noticing tptb's script.

 

JMHO but I assumed the Cayman girls split together with the camera!

[aguabella]

I actually do know a few couples that lived with a set of parents (usually the wife's) for the first six months of marriage to save money for a down payment, though no one had kids. I don't think the couples in question regretted it, but it was definitely a strain.

 

The key words in my post were probably about moving with "small children" but you mentioned "no one had kids".  Can't compare those two data streams - apples to oranges, IMHO.  Glad it worked out for those couples - yes, it can be tough putting together that initial downpayment! 

 

WRT HH, however, they're probably filming families with a few days timing difference between moving into their new home and filming the episode, lol.  Read recently that the standard HH contract prevents them from placing any furniture or other items into their home until after filming.  So, if you can't time those two events or do a rentback on your previous home ...  hello, parents, lol!

 

Gosh, these folks must really want that 15 minutes to put up with all the ...  is it really worth 40 hours of your life and all the inconveniences for that plus a $500 stipend?

Edited April 10, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Could someone refresh my Baby Boomer memory on where in Italy Jessica and Italian-born hubby Marco relocated to? He was a sweetheart and I developed a crush on him. (this couple were always holding hands -- I got jealous, lol) I'm convinced in this instance that Jessica was actually from the good old U.S.A. as she had a full-blown case of disaster-itis regarding their child: "This staircase is a death-trap for Leonardo!"

 

I remember that episode but not Jessica's hometown, unfortunately.  If you do a search and drop in as many key words as you can remember (from the episode), a blog will probably pop up.  Good Luck!

Edited April 10, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Having lived in both Canada and spending the last 15 years in San Francisco, I would definitely say that they were much more Bay Area than Canadian, though they were actually from Orlanda but Canada like the US is also varied, so even lumping "Canadians" together as a monolith seems weird.

 

Have background in those areas and they came off as Floridians, to me.

[Bronx Babe]

Re: Jessica, thanks, aguabella.

Arizona to Mexico, the realtor sounded CANADIAN to me, lol. As for which province, I'm guessing (biakbiak can correct me) that all the accents I hear seem more "English" Canadian (Toronto, etc.), than French-Canadian.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Bronx Babe

[bubbls]

You know what amuses me about the ones who buy for the view (of the ocean usually)?? There are always tree tops peeking into the view. Usually on someone else's property. Are they not remembering that trees.....you know......grow? Upwards? Into views?  And it's not like they can cut them down. Better enjoy that view while they can. 

[CocoaGoddess]

I really liked Danielle and Matthew. Danielle was like a prettier (and plumper I suppose) version of Laura Prepon. I was irked that they said Helsinki/Finland was "Scandinavian" -- I wonder if they really don't know their new home country very well (Nordic, NOT Scandinavian as any Finn will tell you) or maybe the producers just put that in the script.

 

Catching up with DVR'd episodes, and I just could not get over how much she looked like Laura Prepon, and even her mannerisms were a little "Donna-ish". Glad I'm not the only one who thought so. 

[zivadanielle]

I'm probably breaking a rule about posting about an episode I did not finish watching (was getting ready for bed) but what a HOOT this couple was last night:  "G" and...I can't remember her name but a retiree-aged duo re-locating from Phoenix to Costa Rica.  Their friends call them Tarzan and Jane allegedly and he even did a big ole yell Aaaaaah-aaa-aaa-aaa-aaaaaah!  He had a ponytail and wore Hawaiian shirts, she had voluminous long black hair with bangs and distractingly white teeth.  The homes (that I saw) were lovely...but she wanted to have horses.  Now I wish I finished watching.  But I was more into the House Hunters than the real estate aspect I guess LOL. 

[Kiddvideo]

I'm probably breaking a rule about posting about an episode I did not finish watching (was getting ready for bed) but what a HOOT this couple was last night:  "G" and...I can't remember her name but a retiree-aged duo re-locating from Phoenix to Costa Rica.  Their friends call them Tarzan and Jane allegedly and he even did a big ole yell Aaaaaah-aaa-aaa-aaa-aaaaaah!  He had a ponytail and wore Hawaiian shirts, she had voluminous long black hair with bangs and distractingly white teeth.  The homes (that I saw) were lovely...but she wanted to have horses.  Now I wish I finished watching.  But I was more into the House Hunters than the real estate aspect I guess LOL. 

 

They skeeved me out a little. They wanted a pool so they could go skinny dipping. They were "scantily clad" on the beach when he did the Tarzan yell the first time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it: You have sex. Two consenting adults who live together are gettin' it on, baby. Even with the horses and wanting to ride them on the beach, she intimated that it was connected to their sex life (in my mind at least; I can't remember a quote to support it.)

 

They went with the first house since it was close to the beach even though it didn't have a garage or lots of outdoor space. They ended up meeting neighbors that had horses. With this episode, I liked that they said their highest priority was beach access and the show didn't lie to us with fake must haves.

[DownTheShore]

I didn't think that I would like Tarzan and Jane because of that yell, but I enjoyed the fact that an older couple was relocating simply to have fun - not looking for an investment property, not looking for a "legacy" home for their progeny, etc. I like people who retire and don't moan about what they're going to do with all that free time. I liked the fact that Ms. White Wolf (I can't remember her first name either, but I remember her surname) wasn't concerned about being close to the "shops and stores" of the nearest little village. We also weren't subjected to that final shot of the homeowners cutting up a bunch of tropical fruit.

[aemom]

I know Canada has many provinces and am sure they don't all sound "alike". If I sound like I'm lumping them together as a monolith, I don't mean to.

We definitely don't all sound alike. You can hear differences depending on what part of the country you live in. Also some terminology differs from province to province as well. Pretty much like my experiences when visiting the States.

[aguabella]

They skeeved me out a little. They wanted a pool so they could go skinny dipping. They were "scantily clad" on the beach when he did the Tarzan yell the first time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it: You have sex. Two consenting adults who live together are gettin' it on, baby. Even with the horses and wanting to ride them on the beach, she intimated that it was connected to their sex life (in my mind at least; I can't remember a quote to support it.)

 

They went with the first house since it was close to the beach even though it didn't have a garage or lots of outdoor space. They ended up meeting neighbors that had horses. With this episode, I liked that they said their highest priority was beach access and the show didn't lie to us with fake must haves.

 

JMHO but we thought the horse routine was the fake must have or red herring.  Yeah, yeah, of course they con-VEEN-iently (in church lady voice, sorry, lol) met people, after-the-fact, that had horses, hahaha ...

 

Pretty obvious, IMHO, that the first house was their home as soon as they walked in.  And then, when his gym equipment was nicely, perfectly and previously installed on that deck ...  lol.

 

Great episode for the crew b/c they only had to pack up and move a few personal effects for filming.  Smart of tptb to either avoid filming or edit out the side of the parking lot that contained their carport!

 

The last two appeared to be vacation home rentals, to me.  Am naturally curious about their weekly rate and occupancy -

 

Skeeved me out a little, too, Kiddvideo.  Their opening routine about doing things that young people do or something.  Yeah, whatever - nice try, but, uh, fail, IMHO.  They don't look a day over 40, right, lol?

Edited April 17, 2015 by aguabella

[zivadanielle]

They skeeved me out a little. They wanted a pool so they could go skinny dipping. They were "scantily clad" on the beach when he did the Tarzan yell the first time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it: You have sex. Two consenting adults who live together are gettin' it on, baby. Even with the horses and wanting to ride them on the beach, she intimated that it was connected to their sex life (in my mind at least; I can't remember a quote to support it.)

 

They went with the first house since it was close to the beach even though it didn't have a garage or lots of outdoor space. They ended up meeting neighbors that had horses. With this episode, I liked that they said their highest priority was beach access and the show didn't lie to us with fake must haves.

Oh yeah that was absolutely skeevy...there was quite a bit that was silly too. 

 

I still liked them though.  #DONTJUDGE

[Bronx Babe]

Was there anything creepier or more bizarre than robotic, blonde-wigged, vacant-eyed Denver-to-Japan Harp Girl with the Betsey Johnson-ish wardrobe? She also uncomfortably reminded me of that actress playing the between-two-worlds character from the low-budget supernatural cult movie "Carnival of Souls".

[CocoaGoddess]

Was there anything creepier or more bizarre than robotic, blonde-wigged, vacant-eyed Denver-to-Japan Harp Girl with the Betsey Johnson-ish wardrobe? She also uncomfortably reminded me of that actress playing the between-two-worlds character from the low-budget supernatural cult movie "Carnival of Souls".

 

I felt my soul being drained as I watched her. I just could not fathom why HGTV put this creepy, empty vessel of a woman on the show. 

[aguabella]

I felt my soul being drained as I watched her. I just could not fathom why HGTV put this creepy, empty vessel of a woman on the show. 

 

That woman came off as creepy, for real ...

[DownTheShore]

I re-watched that episode in horrified fascination. She is like a Stepford wife in appearance and manner.

I was wondering why she had to leave her harp behind? Looks like they spent a lot of money furnishing that house, so they should have been able to cover the shipping costs.

Given that ther was that scene with her church "family" at the beginning of the episode and the comment about how much she's going to miss them, I'm guessing she's a Mormon. She sort of gave off the same vibe as the Jane Austen fan who moved to England with her race-car designer husband. That kiss on the cheek that she gave her husband was plain awkward looking.

-----

A friend recommended some new house porn to me; I don't know if it's been mentioned here before. It's a BBC show called "Escape To The Country". It involves people who want to move out of cities into the countryside in the UK. It's on YouTube. I watched one episode and I'm hooked.

[awaken]

Enjoyed the Lithuania episode!  I was afraid they were going to take that dump near the main road in the middle of no where.  They did an amazing job on the fixer upper they chose!  It was unrecognizable with the changes they made!  I don't see how they could film that all in one day, when they transformed the house!  

[KLovestoShop]

Tonight's episode from India, I can't help but get the feeling that this couple will not make it. He was very kind to agree to move his entire life away from his home, just to be with her, but seeing that he has to work at night, and take a 20 hour flight every other month, well, I can see that wearing on him. And while I laud her for wanting to split the rent, she really denied him the only thing he asked for, which was the separate office. In all reality, I can't understand why a high tech area like New Delhi would have to hire a new graduate to train them in TV production.

[DownTheShore]

I thought that she was being ridiculous about that extra $100 month. What, that extra fifty (her share) would have broken her? She doesn't feel obligated enough that he upended his own life to be with her; him putting an extra hundred in the pot each month would be just too much? He's obviously a valued employee if his employer is letting him work from India - not to mention covering the airfare, I'm sure, when they need him back in the US. And he was probably paying much more than $600/mo for his housing in the US. If I was working from home, I would want a dedicated room for it, otherwise there is no separation between being at "work" and being at "home".

It just seemed very rigid and selfish of her. Like she was worried that if they broke up, he was going to throw the extra rent cost in her face or something.

The novelty of that romance isn't going to last, with each of them on different time schedules; it's even worse than having a spouse who works shifts, because of the time zones.

Edited April 21, 2015 by DownTheShore

[IAmJ]

I thought the guy had a look of sheer terror on his face throughout the episode. Like, "What the hell did I get myself into?". Certainly a huge sacrifice and a big life change.

[DownTheShore]

I was wondering why he just didn't say to her, "I respect your principles and all, but I REALLY NEED that second bedroom as an office and I WANT TO PAY the cost differential". What's she going to say then, "No, go home"?

And what was with that realtor showing a professional couple shared living quarters with grad students as an option? Was he nuts?

[biakbiak]

I didn't see a look of terror on his face, well maybe when he was roaming aimlessly, and I thought the office space was just a red herring, but maybe that is just because the it people I know who work from home basically just have a desk and two to three monitors and don't need a ton of space.

[DownTheShore]

He looked rather cramped in that little cubbyhole, I thought.

With the couple moving to Scotland, I know that the place thy chose was like five minutes from her job and seven minutes from the kids' daycare, but did they ever mention where the husband was working and how far it would be for him? I know that he liked the country place, but she wanted city center.

[bubbls]

WRT the Scotland couple, the husband was a consultant, but I don't remember any other details. I was wondering the same thing and finally concluded he worked from home. 

[laredhead]

The episode last night featured a couple moving from Britain to the Netherlands.  Where was he from?  I replayed it 3 times, but could not understand what he said.  I liked the house they chose and was glad that HHI really did go back 6 months later for the update and we got to see baby Hugo.

[bubbls]

The episode last night featured a couple moving from Britain to the Netherlands.  Where was he from?  I replayed it 3 times, but could not understand what he said.  I liked the house they chose and was glad that HHI really did go back 6 months later for the update and we got to see baby Hugo.

 

Pretty sure they said France. I was trying to figure it out too. His accent was throwing me, but she seemed to have one as well. 

[biakbiak]

He said he was born in Paris, but they also mentioned that they had both lived in the States for several years before they moved to England.

[aguabella]

And what was with that realtor showing a professional couple shared living quarters with grad students as an option? Was he nuts?

 

Or, in an area where HHI probably doesn't air, is it difficult to set up decoy homes so they paid one of her grad school friends a few $$$ to film in their pad?

 

Plus, Atul, the "realtor", also appeared in the previous India episode.  At that time, based on his linked in and dealings with that couple, I was pretty sure he was related to that husband and nearly 100% certain he doesn't work as a residential realtor and/or rental agent. 

Edited April 23, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

I thought the guy had a look of sheer terror on his face throughout the episode. Like, "What the hell did I get myself into?". Certainly a huge sacrifice and a big life change.

 

Perhaps he wasn't used to acting and was more interested in sight-seeing on his vacation to India than filming for 40 hours!

 

IMHO, he didn't get himself into anything.  She was back in Portland working freelance by January this year, probably less than 2 months after filming.  Personally, I doubt they were a couple.  It could also explain why the episode's most uncomfortable person was the Portland "boss"!

 

She finished school in 2012 but didn't start the Mint India gig until 12/13 and was there for about a year.  Sounds like it was just temporary.  Looks like she'd had a Portland gig after school.  Fake realtor, fake plot, can anyone say fake couple and boss? 

 

JMHO but I believe he just accepted a free trip to India and played "buying buddy".  Loved it when they confused the working at night story during the episode and he responded, "Yeah, whatever", lol.

 

Not surprised that she, a freelancer, provided her real name.  My guess is he gave his first and middle name.

 

Wonder if this one will make the all-time fakity-fake HHI list.

 

ETA:  if anyone can find more info on these two, prove me wrong.  Given that several of their dominos have already fallen, I don't buy the rest of the story.

Edited April 23, 2015 by aguabella

[Bronx Babe]

Okay, did anyone think the Tennessee-to-Spain wife was originally from Tennessee? I counted 7 "quites" out of her, lol.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Bronx Babe

[Annetteboardman]

Does anyone know where one could check updates on people featured on this show?  I was actually wondering if there was any statement about the guy who was making cheese and living high up in the mountains outside Kathmandhu.  And there was a couple who were social service people (missionaries?) who were working in a school in the capitol.  Does HGTV ever release statements about people like this?

[aguabella]

Does anyone know where one could check updates on people featured on this show?  I was actually wondering if there was any statement about the guy who was making cheese and living high up in the mountains outside Kathmandhu.  And there was a couple who were social service people (missionaries?) who were working in a school in the capitol.  Does HGTV ever release statements about people like this?

 

 

Besides the information and/or misinformation (lol) provided during the episode, unless the participants agree to participate in a WATN (Where are they now?) episode, why would HGTV violate their privacy by releasing participants' personal information, subsequent to the episode? 

 

That said, as I've explained in multiple previous posts, for HHI episodes, the production company's casting personnel (and/or their external casting contractor) frequently troll ex-pat blogs to source potential participants.  To the extent that former participants continue maintaining those blogs, you may locate their information online.  BTW, if the episode served a marketing purpose, you're more likely to find them.

Edited April 28, 2015 by aguabella

[Tara1665]

Regarding couple in England...doesn't she know that a period house would be small and cramped, unless they lived in a manor? Also wanted a period kitchen....depending on the period, it could get quite challenging.

[DownTheShore]

That woman's face had been tightened too much, IMO. She was a bit creepy.