House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Pickles]

There was an episode on later last night from last year that I had never seen. A couple with TEN children moving from CO to Mexico. Seven of the children moved with them. The husband owned a parts company and was moving the company to Mexico. None of the houses looked ideal for such a large family. In the end, they had five big boys in one bedroom! The two daughters shared a bedroom and the husband also used that for his home office! Interesting, to say the least.

[pep4]

Venray wife thinks Dutch ovens stink.

 

How common is it for everyone to drive up in a car with the House Hunters logo on it?

[mojito]

Venray, Netherlands.

I couldn't figure out what the wife wanted. Dutch style but American appliances but not modern. I kept thinking, "Keep your ass in Georgia!"  when they talked about all they were used to in Georgia that they wanted in Venray. That gigantic truck will probably look stupid there. I hope he quickly starts feeling self-conscious about driving around in that monstrosity. Americans....

[buttersister]

He'll be driving his TWO monster trucks to the military base/work, and he's been stationed overseas for years, so I don't think he'll be feeling at all self-conscious. The two of them riding their bikes seemed like exercising more than the Dutch perspective (transportation---because Holland is FLAT and environmentally friendly). When he made that comment about knocking her over when they were riding side-by-side---I got the creeps. There wasn't a chance in hell he wasn't getting his garage and anything else he wanted. Otoh, the wife claimed to want Dutch style, but I never bought that (tiny appliances!). I felt sorry for the realtor. At least they weren't making claims about entertaining all their friends. Good luck!

[cyberfruit]

Being from the south, only two kinds of people drove giant trucks like that -- actual ranchers and assholes. His stupid truck couldn't even fit on the street! He was driving half way on the bike lane, which was red and therefore noticeable.

And asking for "American-style" appliances when moving outside of the states has truly become a pet peeve on this show. 

[abbyzenn]

Venray  episode - those homes were gorgeous and huge - especially for the rent.

The couple seemed nice but I wanted to scream at their demands.  Once again she's yapping about wanting a "Dutch" house but wants modern and huge appliances.  Laughed when he said if she had her way she'd get a gingerbread house in the woods - like that would be large enough, modern enough and have a gigantic refrigerator.  Why do Americans always insist on a HUGE refrigerator - isn't the lifestyle in a lot of these European cities to go frequently to the shops for fresh food.   Re: his trucks - those things will cost him a fortune in gas money. Stupid!!!! 

[mojito]

Rio de Janeiro

Well, I'm glad they're happy.

I liked that they weren't a picky couple, other than one fretting about the budget.  That place they picked with the pixel-type blue and white kitchen tiles and the brown mottled-looking granite counter top was cringe worthy. One or the other was fine. BUT the cook of the couple proved what geezers here have always known: you can make fantastic meals with very little counter top space. 

If I couldn't afford the two-bedroom place with the nice view in the location I wanted because it was $425K and I only wanted to spend $225K and then my choices were the other two places, I'd board my ass back on a plane to the US and consider one of those off-beat coastal places in the southeast US or other coastal areas at the southern end of North America, all the way down to Panama. Or work diligently to save more money. I seriously don't get the appeal of highly-trafficked streets, crowded beaches, and Speedos. I can understand the appeal of a slower lifestyle (and recognize that one of the two guys is a native), but moving to such a high-density city with its fair share of high-density city problems wouldn't be my idea of a relaxing environment.

[wovenloaf]

For that third Rio de Janeiro house... I did not understand why that guy declared that it was so "bright and airy!"  Huh?  It had no windows.  I think it had one tiny one next to the door, but none of the other rooms had a window.  It was like a bunch of closets attached to each other. That combined with the drab coloring everywhere - ugh, couldn't stand that house.  Also thought it was weird they went from "we have to be in the center of it all!" to "taking a boat taxi to and from our house all the time is fine!"  Maybe it was less remote than it seemed?  (I realize it's still in Rio, so "remote" is relative - it just seemed a bit remote compared to them saying they just *had* to be in Ipanema or Copacabana.)  Oh well, as long as their happy with it, I suppose! 

[truther]

The interiors of those Rio places were awful.  I'm normally a pretty easygoing person, and I've lived in lots of different places of wildly varying levels of luxury, but those Rio places were uniformly depressing.  Even the first apartment.  

[Irlandesa]

I think there has to be more to the Rio story and it was changed for this show.  Moving to Brazil to be closer to family?  That I'd get.  Moving to Brazil so he can become a personal chef....what? He had been in the US for 20 years so he doesn't have many current networks or contacts in Brazil.  He probably has more in the US.

I'd bet money that this is actually a vacation home and they just needed a place to stay when they visit.

[biakbiak]

The thing that would give me pause about the third place that they went with was that the realtor stated it had been constructed for the Rio Games given how many stories there have been about shitty construction and unstable housing developments in many Olympic hosts cities including Rio.

[buttercupia]

i wondered if the place they chose in rio had been constructed as athlete housing?

[biakbiak]

13 hours ago, buttercupia said:

i wondered if the place they chose in rio had been constructed as athlete housing?

No the athletes village has been turned into a development called Ilha Pura and is very accessible. There place was probably built for the support workers.

[KLovestoShop]

What is it with overbearing mothers?   The San Diego mom on the regular HH and now the London mom who keeps pushing her son with what SHE wants in a house.  And why did the agent worry about ticking off her boxes and not the man, who's paying for it and will live in it.  And she kept saying things like "I can see myself" doing this and that in a house that isn't hers!!!!!    That idiot agent shouldn't be trying to please the mother, but his client.  Of course, he gets what mom wants.  

[cyberfruit]

None of the London suburb homes looked good enough to actually choose from, so this episode was a bust. 

[proserpina65]

10 hours ago, cyberfruit said:

None of the London suburb homes looked good enough to actually choose from, so this episode was a bust. 

I kind of liked the first flat.  It was small, but that's what I'd expect for that close to central London.  It actually had a good sized bedroom and bathroom, and a decent sized kitchen and lounge.  Plus it had that nice terraced bit in the back.  The overbearing mother really bugged me, and I was hoping the son would take that one just to spite her.  Although his "I don't wanna walk 15 minutes to the Tube station" also annoyed me.  I lived in London for several months, in Kensington, and my walk to the Tube station was roughly that amount of time; even though I disliked exercise, cold weather and rain, it was not a big deal.

Edited March 10, 2017 by proserpina65

[Ohwell]

10 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Although his "I don't wanna walk 15 minutes to the Tube station" also annoyed me.

I rolled my eyes when he said that.  I mean, a young guy doesn't walk 15 minutes?  I don't care if it's cold or raining.

[Lady Iris]

I missed the ending of this one. I only got to see the first two places they went. Mom was annoying and the realtors beard was an impressive deep black forest of facial hair that I've never seen on anybody before. Which one did he end up picking? Please and thanks.

[mojito]

He picked the second, 3-2 home, the one with the yard that was in budget. Was in Romford.  This was the one that was a 15-minute walk to the tube.

I kept thinking, "Felicia, you need to adopt a couple of kids of your own and not inject yourself into your son's life." I would feel much more comfortable with my son marrying at 36 than 26. I think he's going to take his time.

I found myself envying their skin color. Pretty. 

[proserpina65]

53 minutes ago, mojito said:

He picked the second, 3-2 home, the one with the yard that was in budget. Was in Romford.  This was the one that was a 15-minute walk to the tube.

I kept thinking, "Felicia, you need to adopt a couple of kids of your own and not inject yourself into your son's life." I would feel much more comfortable with my son marrying at 36 than 26. I think he's going to take his time.

I found myself envying their skin color. Pretty. 

I saw the three houses but dozed off and only saw the very end, with them in the garden.  I couldn't tell whether it was house 2 or 3 (the one in Dagenham), only that he'd caved to Momma's insistence on getting a house for kids he had no intention of having any time soon.

[AlleC17]

He got the Dagenham home.  It had a nice back yard and his commute was within 30 minutes to his job (I think that is what he said) so not bad.  I kind of liked the first flat shown!  And I do wish Richard would trim back that beard!  lol

[sheetmoss]

London guy's mom was a PITA - telling him if he buys the first hse  w/smaller guest room, she'll take the larger bedrm  when she comes for a visit.

     Son needs to tell mom  to leave her her entitled ass back in  Chicago

I know it was probably done as producer driven drama, but Richard the realtor  needs  to learn how to differentiate  between the buyer  and  friends/family who they're selling too/

Edited March 11, 2017 by sheetmoss

[Nysha]

27 minutes ago, sheetmoss said:

I know it was probably done as producer driven drama, but Richard the realtor  needs  to learn how to differentiate  between the buyer  and  friends/family who they're selling too/

 

Since the house was already chosen before it was filmed, I think the whole "Mama can't cut the apron strings" drama was completely made up for our entertainment and Richard was just acting out the lines he was given.

[Spunkygal]

I love Richard and am always glad to see an episode that he is on. He does need to more closely shave his beard. He is beginning to look like that Fuzzy Willy magnetic toy where you can give FW facial and head hair with the magnetic pen. In past episodes he has demonstrated sensitivity and an effort to give the house hunter what they want while showing them the price constraints of parts of the city. This house hunter (I think he was Hubert) already had the house so they had mom ramp up her demands. Yes, she is probably pretty vocal IRL but I try to take this show with a grain of salt. 

[JennyMominFL]

On 3/10/2017 at 0:21 PM, Ohwell said:

I rolled my eyes when he said that.  I mean, a young guy doesn't walk 15 minutes?  I don't care if it's cold or raining.

Or you know, walk to the bus stop that I'm sure was within a block or two. Buses are the main transport of people who actually live and work in London

[SmithW6079]

On 3/6/2017 at 11:03 AM, Pickles said:

There was an episode on later last night from last year that I had never seen. A couple with TEN children moving from CO to Mexico. Seven of the children moved with them. The husband owned a parts company and was moving the company to Mexico. None of the houses looked ideal for such a large family. In the end, they had five big boys in one bedroom! The two daughters shared a bedroom and the husband also used that for his home office! Interesting, to say the least.

I remember that episode. His was a "Christian" company (Biblical verses on their website and in their mission). I wonder if he still moved his company after the election.

[debraran]

16 hours ago, Nysha said:

Since the house was already chosen before it was filmed, I think the whole "Mama can't cut the apron strings" drama was completely made up for our entertainment and Richard was just acting out the lines he was given.

I do too. Can't forget most of it is made up and I feel sometimes they feed into stereotypes and make them seem a certain way to get the most out of it. You can tell when they repeat the same things over and over and they never edit it.  I think they went a little overboard with this one and made the mom seem more silly than funny/concerned. There wasn't a partner to do it with, so a Mom was convenient.

I heard from another participant on youtube interview, (UK episode) they aren't paid that much and you really have to want to do it to be on TV, it's not always fun. The retakes, moving stuff in and out of your place (even if they do it) staying on script. This young woman had to seem like she wanted something really bad (forgot what it was) but was happy without it.

She said she was paid 1200 and I read an Italian couple was paid that. HH in the states, I hear about food, etc. but no one has mentioned pay.

I did read an article slamming the local shows for making people go over budget for things that don't really matter, making it seem like granite counter tops are more important than good schools or having more money in your bank account, but I think it's an escape show and if someone goes into debt trying to emulate what they see on TV, they aren't very bright. No one should be house poor, most people realize the hidden costs of buying, inspections, fees, etc. If they don't, they soon. will  : )

Edited March 12, 2017 by debraran

[ML89]

Just saw one from the couple moving to the South of France (town outside Avignon). The one they didn't buy, where you  had to completely renovate with the wallpaper and the contrasting tile might have been the ugliest thing I've ever seen on any House Hunters. The one they did buy seemed so claustrophobic.

I will never get the people buying the second home. Take the money you're going to spend, put it into a savings account, and you can come over every year and stay in a hotel. You're buying a thing that has to be maintained long distance and you have to pay taxes on. 

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 2:10 PM, Spunkygal said:

I love Richard and am always glad to see an episode that he is on. He does need to more closely shave his beard. He is beginning to look like that Fuzzy Willy magnetic toy where you can give FW facial and head hair with the magnetic pen. In past episodes he has demonstrated sensitivity and an effort to give the house hunter what they want while showing them the price constraints of parts of the city. This house hunter (I think he was Hubert) already had the house so they had mom ramp up her demands. Yes, she is probably pretty vocal IRL but I try to take this show with a grain of salt. 

This is why I have a love-hate relationship with this show.  I don't care about the DRAH-MAH.  I just want to see houses/apartments in other countries.  Hell, half the time I watch it on mute precisely so I don't have to listen to the storyline the producers are pushing.

[Nysha]

On 3/12/2017 at 4:01 AM, debraran said:

I did read an article slamming the local shows for making people go over budget for things that don't really matter, making it seem like granite counter tops are more important than good schools or having more money in your bank account, but I think it's an escape show and if someone goes into debt trying to emulate what they see on TV, they aren't very bright. No one should be house poor, most people realize the hidden costs of buying, inspections, fees, etc. If they don't, they soon. will  : )

 

I don't think TV is to blame if someone is dumb enough to choose granite counter tops over good schools. At most, TV has given them some new vocabulary words like "natural light" and "open floor plan". Forrest Gump's mama is still right, stupid is as stupid does.

[copshop]

Quote

And I am getting to like Richard a lot, although I still miss Toby Brown, realtor extraordinaire. 

Richard is whip smart and pays a lot of lip service (since we know the result has already been decided) to the needs and wants of the clients. I'd definitely hire him! Miss that Toby and his smarmy charm--and accent! I had a feeling mom had planted that garden months ago, but it was a cute house--and surprisingly affordable for that amount of space and the short commute.

Venray couple was pretty terrible. I had to cut it off--that monster truck, rather those TWO monster trucks were so obnoxious. Where is he going to park the stupid thing if he goes anywhere? Revolting, really. And their needs were not mutually exclusive except in terms of location. If she wanted a big ol kitchen, it was definitely going to be in the suburbs there. I did not understand how the pond place did not have a backyard, as she kept inexplicably stating. Poor lady--I felt better when it showed them biking, like maybe they were not as bad as they came off. Worst Netherlands Episode Ever!

[mojito]

Quote

I will never get the people buying the second home. Take the money you're going to spend, put it into a savings account, and you can come over every year and stay in a hotel. You're buying a thing that has to be maintained long distance and you have to pay taxes on. 

You can also visit other nice places for vacation, too. I can't imagine spending vacation time in the same place every single year. I wonder how many of these people are merely trying to impress friends and family?

[CherryAmes]

We had several friends in England who bought second homes in Frances and I think Spain (maybe Portugal) anyway they are close enough to go over fairly often but the goal is to move there permanently when they retire.  I wonder now if the whole Brexit thing might change that though.  Not sure how easy it would be to just live permanently in another country when they are no longer part of the EU.  Anyway totally agree that if I were fortunate enough to be able to afford to buy a holiday home it wouldn't be 2,000+ miles away!!

Edited March 15, 2017 by CherryAmes

[chessiegal]

I'm guessing people buy a second home in a foreign country as a rental property that they use occasionally. And maybe with the thought of moving there after retirement.

[mojito]

Kaitlyn and Metha in Norway.

Nice enough couple. Do some people just refuse to be idiots when they film this show? And how do they get away with it? All that these two could come up with were proximity to job vs city, dryer vs no dryer, Scandinavian bland vs  Scandinavian blander. And they weren't particularly adamant. They had some decent places to choose from.

[Ohwell]

5 minutes ago, mojito said:

Scandinavian bland vs  Scandinavian blander.

Hee.  I like that.

[cyberfruit]

They were a nice couple. Out of all the houses, I liked number two the most, even if it was a 15 min walk to the Center (which is honestly nothing). The 45 minute walk could have been sold as 20 minute bike ride, instead. Less scary sounding. 

[mojito]

I meant to ask about the odd way the beds were made in Norway. So I looked it up. If anyone is interested, this explains it. 

@cyberfruit, I wonder how frequently she would be able to ride a bicycle in that neck of the woods? Perhaps a dog sled with headlights?

[cyberfruit]

11 minutes ago, mojito said:

I meant to ask about the odd way the beds were made in Norway. So I looked it up. If anyone is interested, this explains it. 

@cyberfruit, I wonder how frequently she would be able to ride a bicycle in that neck of the woods? Perhaps a dog sled with headlights?

lol you have a point. However, Fat bikes work pretty well on snow and ice. That being said, winter biking in a locale like that isn't for the timid! I was making more of a point that 45 minutes of walking would scare off 95% of people, but looking at the locals, it actually wasn't the only option they had. 

Edited March 16, 2017 by cyberfruit

[wovenloaf]

2 hours ago, cyberfruit said:

They were a nice couple. Out of all the houses, I liked number two the most, even if it was a 15 min walk to the Center (which is honestly nothing). The 45 minute walk could have been sold as 20 minute bike ride, instead. Less scary sounding. 

I didn't get why they acted like it had to be 45 minutes of walking just because a bus didn't go all the way to their front door.  If the Center is a 15 min walk away and there are presumably plenty of buses that go to/near the Center (like the one in front of the 1st house...), why was walking 10-15 min and then hopping on a bus not considered as a possibility?

They did seem like nice people, but I kept feeling like for all their talk of "compromising," the only one who actually did any was the lady with the shorter hair (Kaitlyn?).  She's the one who wanted to be near her job, but compromised on location so the other one's (Metha's?) leisurely walks to the coffee shop (or wherever) during the day would be short.  She's the one who does all the laundry, but compromised on the place with no dryer.  It seemed like she thought she had to because her partner came with her to Norway.  Oh well, it looks like a cool town regardless!

[cyberfruit]

42 minutes ago, wovenloaf said:

I didn't get why they acted like it had to be 45 minutes of walking just because a bus didn't go all the way to their front door.  If the Center is a 15 min walk away and there are presumably plenty of buses that go to/near the Center (like the one in front of the 1st house...), why was walking 10-15 min and then hopping on a bus not considered as a possibility?

They did seem like nice people, but I kept feeling like for all their talk of "compromising," the only one who actually did any was the lady with the shorter hair (Kaitlyn?).  She's the one who wanted to be near her job, but compromised on location so the other one's (Metha's?) leisurely walks to the coffee shop (or wherever) during the day would be short.  She's the one who does all the laundry, but compromised on the place with no dryer.  It seemed like she thought she had to because her partner came with her to Norway.  Oh well, it looks like a cool town regardless!

My first guess was that the couple were in the opposite direction of the buses. I don't remember where the HHI map had them approximately located. My nerdy senses started tingling, so I went to Google Maps to test routes from the University to Downtown to see if there were any connecting bus routes, and according to the Tromso tourism site, there are city buses that go to the University. 

Google maps may not be synced to Tromso's transit network because the option for transit is completely greyed out going north of Downtown.  

[pep4]

So Paris was just a vacation home for Midlife Crisis Melbourne MILF?  I guess I wasn't paying enough attention at the beginning, spent the whole episode thinking they were trying to house all 6 in the family, and thus wondering what on earth were they thinking. 

What a coincidence that they were able to buy all the furniture that was in the 'Before' shots....

Edited March 17, 2017 by pep4

[Mittengirl]

Did they say what the non-teacher Robert's line of work was?  I missed the very beginning.  Has there ever been an episode where the looking-for-work partner didn't have a job by the end of the episode?

[debraran]

On 3/15/2017 at 6:04 PM, mojito said:

Kaitlyn and Metha in Norway.

Nice enough couple. Do some people just refuse to be idiots when they film this show? And how do they get away with it? All that these two could come up with were proximity to job vs city, dryer vs no dryer, Scandinavian bland vs  Scandinavian blander. And they weren't particularly adamant. They had some decent places to choose from.

I liked all 3 and the lack of dryer wouldn't bother me. Did they not have an option for a small electric one? I did that in the states once although it made my electric bill higher so I just used it sparingly in the winter.

I know it might vary by country, rental, but are most of these apartments just rent or do they include utilities? They never say "includes heat" but that's not what most people are interested in.

I had a coworker move back to Netherlands and saw this article explaining rentals. Really pays to do your homework beforehand. http://www.dutchnews.nl/features/2014/07/10_things_you_didnt_know_about/

[mojito]

Quote

Did they say what the non-teacher Robert's line of work was?  I missed the very beginning.  Has there ever been an episode where the looking-for-work partner didn't have a job by the end of the episode?

Nope. I listened for this, but heard nothing. And no again. Never in the history of House Hunters have unemployed partners remained unemployed (I'm an expert on this despite only watching the show in spurts, mind you). Also, no one has ever admitted to have rented the wrong place or hating the country that they moved to. Or hating the partner they relocated with so much that they're returning home.                             

Open concept.... I see open concept as making a place seem bigger (I don't care about visiting with "everyone else" while I'm cooking or always having line of sight on children). But then people proceed to clutter up the place. I'm noticing that three large rectangles, all lined up nicely, seem to be a must: the large island, followed by the large dining room table, followed by the large sofa. Not my cup of tea. Not much interested in living in a gymnasium.

The Roberts talked about filling up spaces. If I felt that way, I'd probably just get a place with more walls so I wouldn't feel compelled to fill the place up with stuff. 

Quote

I didn't get why they acted like it had to be 45 minutes of walking just because a bus didn't go all the way to their front door.  If the Center is a 15 min walk away and there are presumably plenty of buses that go to/near the Center (like the one in front of the 1st house...), why was walking 10-15 min and then hopping on a bus not considered as a possibility?

Was this the episode where they were told that the buses were unreliable, especially in winter? I vaguely recalling someone saying this on one of these shows.

[Spunkygal]

I really liked the Robert's and their realtor. They were all cute and had charming personalities. I want to drink wine with them! They didn't say what non-teaching Robert did. 

[Ohwell]

I liked them, too.  When non-teaching Robert announced that he had a job at the end, my immediate thought was waiter, but didn't he mention something in the beginning about being interested in art?  So perhaps he got a job in an art gallery? 

[mojito]

I thought the realtor was funny. She was so outgoing and her English was sometimes just a little off to be endearing (Like when she exclaimed, "Yoo-hoo" instead of "Yahoo"). Yes, the Roberts, too, were pleasant enough.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I liked them, too.  When non-teaching Robert announced that he had a job at the end, my immediate thought was waiter, but didn't he mention something in the beginning about being interested in art?  So perhaps he got a job in an art gallery? 

It was the teaching Robert who said he loves art.

[Babalooie]

9 hours ago, mojito said:

Was this the episode where they were told that the buses were unreliable, especially in winter? I vaguely recalling someone saying this on one of these shows.

I'm pretty sure that was the Tromso, Norway episode at the top of the world.