House Hunters International - General Discussion

[suebee12]

Watched the Athens episode with my kids who just got back from there. A lot of it was shot on the street where they stayed so they kept pointing out things that they had done...where my grandson bought his chess set, my granddaughter got her sandals, where they had eaten, and where they hiked. No one cared about the apartments except to say the woman wanted a lot for her $500! It was fun for them to see things that they knew!

I thought that she picked the right apartment but I wonder how hard it would have been to live in the first apartment. Yes, the kitchen was strange but wonder how much she is going to cook anyway? And just take your shower and don't worry that the shower was so small. (And think, she could close the door to the kitchen and no one would see if it was messy!!!!!)

[magemaud]

Nashville to Nuremberg. Amanda kept making such a big deal about needing a bathtub (not going open up that can of worms discussion again!) and turned her nose up at the one in the first apartment which was on budget. She went way over budget to get the tub in the third house but I confess BOTH TUBS APPEARED TO BE THE SAME SIZE TO ME! 

[Wildflower]

Tom and Maggie move from Boston to Sheffield, England with their dog Wilson.

This was a cute episode with beautiful English scenery.  Tom has been made CEO of a company that makes figure skate blades from famous Sheffield stainless steel.  I thought this sounded rather fantastical, and Tom looked more like an adorable teenage boy than a titan of industry.   But, with the magic of the Google, I found this:

http://www.thestar.co.uk/business/dashing-new-blade-gets-his-skates-on-1-7186836

There is a clue in this article which may explain the dog's name!

[LizBug]

Nashville to Nuremberg.  Amanda wanted more than a bathtub ... she wanted a balcony and a decent kitchen and to be near the social scene.   At the end, she had a party with all her new "friends" but I'm wondering how many of them knew who she was or why they were in her apartment.

[doodlebug]

12 hours ago, magemaud said:

Nashville to Nuremberg. Amanda kept making such a big deal about needing a bathtub (not going open up that can of worms discussion again!) and turned her nose up at the one in the first apartment which was on budget. She went way over budget to get the tub in the third house but I confess BOTH TUBS APPEARED TO BE THE SAME SIZE TO ME! 

They looked to be about the same size to me, too.  The apartment she chose was fantastic, but, since it was 40% over budget, that's not surprising.  I'm still amazed at how many people seem to think that they cannot possibly survive without a huge American-style kitchen and bath.  Millions of people the world over do just fine without them.

[NYGirl]

Nashville to Nuremberg.  Those 2 blondes made me think I was watching a porno movie...(not that I've ever seen one).  Their acting was atrocious.  Plus all 3 of them had tons of makeup on!!  I guess with the movie IT out now they had to dress as clowns.   The expressions on the HH's face made me want to smack her.  I was so annoyed by this episode that I couldn't even doze off!!! 

On another note I nearly peed my pants when they showed the map and had the 2 blondes walking on it.  I LOVE THE MAP CREATORS!!!

[mojito]

Nashville to Nuremberg.

Did anyone else wonder if Amanda had maybe aged out of the bar social scene? Maybe she was younger than I thought she looked.

They really kept it under wraps what kind of work she does, didn't they?

As always, I applaud the guts it took to drop everything and start a life in a foreign place.

[magemaud]

3 hours ago, DallasGypsy said:

At the end, she had a party with all her new "friends" but I'm wondering how many of them knew who she was or why they were in her apartment.

Casting call for aspiring actors? Neighborhood flyers? Nuremberg Craig's List? 

I also was confused about what she did for a living, with all her talk about her "career" (instead of the word "job") and the opening scene in Nashville with the guitars, I thought it was something to do with the music industry. But she was not shown as a performer which TLC usually plays up for the reason to move. The TV listing just refers to it as "a dream job."  I even rewound the beginning, and I can't remember what the exact term was, but I think it was something in "marketing." I should have paid more attention, was there any talk about needing to be "close to work" or requiring space for a home office? 

Edited September 17, 2017 by magemaud
accidental double post

[laredhead]

Something about "global marketing" was mentioned during the scene at the hair salon.  I was surprised when she said her budget was $1,000/mo, and yet she wanted to live in the middle of the city and have amenities that you don't get for $1,000 even in Nashville probably.  Maybe she isn't getting a housing allowance like a lot of the HH's we see who move overseas.  Surely someone on this board has Google skills to snoop this one.   

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, mojito said:

Did anyone else wonder if Amanda had maybe aged out of the bar social scene? Maybe she was younger than I thought she looked.

Yeah girlfriend looked like she was trying much too hard to look "cool"-- when she wasn't.

[SmithW6079]

16 hours ago, magemaud said:

Nashville to Nuremberg. Amanda kept making such a big deal about needing a bathtub (not going open up that can of worms discussion again!) and turned her nose up at the one in the first apartment which was on budget. She went way over budget to get the tub in the third house but I confess BOTH TUBS APPEARED TO BE THE SAME SIZE TO ME! 

I thought it was the overall size of the bathroom, not just the size of the tub that annoyed her. In that first apartment, the bathroom was barely corridor-wide, with the tiny sink right up against the bathtub. I think the toilet was so close, your knees would touch the tub when you were seated.

4 hours ago, DallasGypsy said:

Nashville to Nuremberg.  Amanda wanted more than a bathtub ... she wanted a balcony and a decent kitchen and to be near the social scene.   At the end, she had a party with all her new "friends" but I'm wondering how many of them knew who she was or why they were in her apartment.

One of her "friends" was the realtor. 

3 hours ago, NYGirl said:

Nashville to Nuremberg.  Those 2 blondes made me think I was watching a porno movie...(not that I've ever seen one).  Their acting was atrocious.  Plus all 3 of them had tons of makeup on!!  I guess with the movie IT out now they had to dress as clowns.   The expressions on the HH's face made me want to smack her.  I was so annoyed by this episode that I couldn't even doze off!!! 

On another note I nearly peed my pants when they showed the map and had the 2 blondes walking on it.  I LOVE THE MAP CREATORS!!!

I'll have to recheck the maps, because I love the animated maps. The realtor sounded like a movie Nazi, and, yes, the make-up was troweled on all of them. The Americans looked "hard," the way movie dames from the 1940s looked.

 

My thoughts on some of the other recent episodes:

Dallas-to-Heidelberg: They made a big deal of the husband leaving his job to move to Germany, but seems like being a douchebag asshole is a job that you can do anywhere, so he was already ahead of the game. He really was a dickhead. I hated his confessional: "I thought we had made it clear about the budget," and a later snarky remark about budget made me hate him, as well as his comment about "I don't want to spend the money..." Dude, your wife is the one providing the income for the apartment, not you. Also, his comments about the tiny private space in the second apartment cemented his dickishness, as did the comments about walking the dogs at 3 a.m. If you're allowing your dogs to dictate their bathroom schedule, then you didn't train them well. In all the years I had dogs, they were trained to go at specific times, with the last walk about 10 or 10:30, depending on my schedule.

Indiana-to-Greece: OMG, the woman's voice was so annoying. Is that vocal fry? She sounded like a cross between Minnie Mouse and Betty Boop. I got sick of it after 30 minutes. I can't imagine hearing it for hours on end. I did feel a little sorry for her -- "personal difficulties" and a divorce that were apparently severe enough for her to want to leave the country.

I'm usually all about the commute, but I liked that third apartment the best. The views were just stunning. And if she really was a workaholic, then distance really isn't going to change that, especially if we're talking only a half-hour or so to get to work.

I really liked the idea of the "mentor" helping her with her decisions once she moved to Greece. That would be a great role to show in other global relocations. 

Michigan-to-Spain: They were both annoying. The husband edged the wife out by a little with his constant complaints about the budget and the size of the apartments. She didn't do herself any favors, however, when she whined (and that's not my hyperbole; she was really whining) about not moving to Spain to have to deal with an 8-minute bus trip to the city center. (I noticed that for the final decision, they cut her whining and changed it to a "20-minute walk" into town.)

Maybe someone should explain to ex-pat Americans before they leave the country that apartments in European cities will be smaller than their McMansions and giant lawns back in America. 

[magemaud]

31 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

16 hours ago, magemaud said:

Nashville to Nuremberg. Amanda kept making such a big deal about needing a bathtub (not going open up that can of worms discussion again!) and turned her nose up at the one in the first apartment which was on budget. She went way over budget to get the tub in the third house but I confess BOTH TUBS APPEARED TO BE THE SAME SIZE TO ME! 

I thought it was the overall size of the bathroom, not just the size of the tub that annoyed her. In that first apartment, the bathroom was barely corridor-wide, with the tiny sink right up against the bathtub. I think the toilet was so close, your knees would touch the tub when you were seated.

That bathroom was extremely narrow and that was probably a deal breaker for her, but she commented that the tub looked like a sink when it appeared to be a long (but skinny) full size tub to me. 

[abbyzenn]

Nashville to Nuremberg.  She said she was head of global product marketing but no explanation beyond that like what products.  At the end scene she said she had met so many nice people at work so maybe some of them were from work?

[Pine]

Nashville to Nuremberg, hey the tub makes a great beer cooler.  I don't know about Germany, but Brits hate icy beer.  

[HZAnita]

Nashville to Nuremberg:  This is the second time in two weeks where The Voice winner Craig Wayne Boyd was featured!  First he was on Great Food Truck Race when they were in Nashville, and next I see him sitting in the yard of the woman's Nashville home at her "Goodbye" party!  Too strange.  And a little bit sad that I watch this much "reality" television!

 

When I was in college, we always used a bathtub for a cooler!  It's great!

[TVForever]

19 hours ago, magemaud said:

Nashville to Nuremberg. Amanda kept making such a big deal about needing a bathtub (not going open up that can of worms discussion again!) and turned her nose up at the one in the first apartment which was on budget. She went way over budget to get the tub in the third house but I confess BOTH TUBS APPEARED TO BE THE SAME SIZE TO ME! 

Same here. In fact, I actually thought while watching, " Guys, just because you shoot it from a slightly different angle, doesn't mean we can't see they're pretty much the same tub." 

[magemaud]

Oh yes! I forgot that the coveted bathtub was shown serving as a beer cooler for her party with her new friends. 

[Irlandesa]

10 hours ago, mojito said:

Did anyone else wonder if Amanda had maybe aged out of the bar social scene? Maybe she was younger than I thought she looked.

Not necessarily.  I remember when I was in Spain.  There were the young people bars, the middle-aged people bars and then the neighborhood bars which were diverse in ages. 

Budget schmudget.  I am glad that she opted to go over and get that apartment.  That balcony was divine and worth giving up a few trips home.  Or at least to me.  I respect adhering to a budget but I also respect once in a lifetime choices. 

I was a little surprised that she only had a 1000 dollar housing budget.  Assuming she's working for a US company that gave her a housing allowance, I might have expected more.

[Babalooie]

All I could concentrate on was Amanda from Nashville's bright orange lips that seemed to jump out of my TV screen.  Wish I had spied Craig Wayne Boyd.  Loved him on THE VOICE,

[mojito]

San Diego to Seychelles

Nice seeing a different part of the world. Seychelles looks like an interesting place.

The friend she'd just met, who was helping her with the hunt, became her boyfriend. It's really remarkable how these American women come to a strange place and find "love" right away. 

[Lawgiver]

I would totally move to the Seychelles! The diving is supposed to be fantastic. Her boyfriend was very handsome. Not a bad way to reinvent oneself. I enjoyed this because watching people move to Europe and Asia, it gets kind of old.

[Pickles]

Who are these people who can quit their jobs in LA and move to Turin, Italy with their young children? The wife says they can send the children off to school and she and her husband can be on a date every day. Must be nice. The wife is annoying. Very smug.

[morgan]

I just watched the family from LA to Turin and thought they were all really nice.  The couple seemed so respectful of the other partners wants/desires it was refreshing.  They seemed like a lovely family and more power to them if they can take a year's sabbatical and spend some time on an adventure.  I wonder what next?  Do they go back to LA and their jobs there?  Will they do something totally new?  I really did find them both likeable and they look like they will keep their feet under them regardless.  

[TVForever]

23 hours ago, mojito said:

San Diego to Seychelles

Nice seeing a different part of the world. Seychelles looks like an interesting place.

The friend she'd just met, who was helping her with the hunt, became her boyfriend. It's really remarkable how these American women come to a strange place and find "love" right away. 

 

22 hours ago, Lawgiver said:

I would totally move to the Seychelles! The diving is supposed to be fantastic. Her boyfriend was very handsome. Not a bad way to reinvent oneself. I enjoyed this because watching people move to Europe and Asia, it gets kind of old.

Amazing. I knew where the Seychelles were, but I think this is the first time I've ever seen them. Just gorgeous! Can't say I loved the housing choices, but the setting was great.  A new destination for my  Vacation Wish List. Show wasn't fooling me with Michael, though. Their body language told me that those two were already more than "just friends". Seems like she's building a nice life on the other side of the world. 

[abbyzenn]

I missed the Seychelles episode but that woman shouldn't get too comfortable there the islands are sinking due to that global warming hoax.

LA to Turin.  Although I liked the couple I just don't get this "have to move from the US to find someplace to enjoy family life, let out of the rat race" that so many of these house hunters say.  Like no one in the US has a lifestyle that allows them to balance work and family.   

It was interesting that there was no talk about finding a job or how long they really were planning on staying there.  So what did the couple do all day while the kids were at school.  They must have had high powered jobs (hence no family time) in LA to have enough money to do nothing all day at fairly young ages.

All 3 apartments were really nice.

[Kohola3]

51 minutes ago, abbyzenn said:

Like no one in the US has a lifestyle that allows them to balance work and family.

That drives me nutty.  I live in outside of a small town in a rural area....not a rat racing around up here any time, anywhere.  There are zillions of laid back places right her in the US.

[Lawgiver]

So do HHs routinely understate their housing budgets to create artificial drama? It seems that nine times out of ten, the HHs go over budget! The CA to Italia couple are spending at least a couple of thousand more on their rent than they wanted. I guess they don't have a car, so that can factor into savings, but it's so disingenuous! At least this couple was pleasant and appeared more natural than many couples. And no fake parties, just hanging with their kids.

[morgan]

I think people have a budget in mind but Sometimes it's more of a range with the budget stated as maybe a goal or ideal, but not necessarily the peak of what they can spend.  I've bought 4 homes in my lifetime and each of them was a bit more than I wanted to spend, but each was the right best choice.  Well, maybe not my current home which We bought in 2005 at the peak of the bubble (ouch!).  

I wonder if the LA to Turin couple are trying to develop some self owned business?

[SmithW6079]

On 9/19/2017 at 11:10 AM, mojito said:

San Diego to Seychelles

Nice seeing a different part of the world. Seychelles looks like an interesting place.

The friend she'd just met, who was helping her with the hunt, became her boyfriend. It's really remarkable how these American women come to a strange place and find "love" right away. 

 

On 9/19/2017 at 0:39 PM, Lawgiver said:

I would totally move to the Seychelles! The diving is supposed to be fantastic. Her boyfriend was very handsome. Not a bad way to reinvent oneself. I enjoyed this because watching people move to Europe and Asia, it gets kind of old.

@mojito --I assume you were being sarcastic. I'm sure she was "dating" this guy previously and that's why she moved. There was a similar situation, where a young female lawyer moved to Bermuda, helped by her "friend," who soon became her live-in boyfriend. Can they not just say they decided to move for "love"?

I liked that first apartment best, even without the kitchen, just for the view. 

[mojito]

Yes, @SmithW6079, I was being sarcastic and I was thinking about that CA to Bermuda lady with the similar story. Why must they build a fairy tale for us as though we're a bunch of teenage girls? If anything, this episode and the Bermuda one made the women seem kind of, uh, well, not so prim and proper. 

I'm with those who say that there are plenty of places in America to slow down in (although this couple wanted to go abroad), but I maintain that one can live in a city and slow down, too. You don't have to fall for all those things you must do. Show some backbone, why don't you? Put the brakes on and live your life the way you want, not the way you feel you should just because others are living a certain way.  

The Turin (why don't we say "Torino" as the Italians do?) couple was very nice. See, HHI, house hunters can have a different point of view without looking like like idiots. It makes you wonder what kind of pledges this couple made to each other before they got in front of the cameras. "Okay, no snarky comments." "Yeah, and don't let them make you look selfish." "And please, let's act as though we're married and show some respect for what the other wants."

[Kohola3]

If I hear the word "beach" one more time.....

[pep4]

Denia, Spain: 

She - "If I could describe our life in one word, it would be:  (?somethingsomethingsomething?)"

He - "I need to learn what that means, but I agree."

Lulz

Edited September 21, 2017 by pep4

[Kohola3]

I bet it means "I am a selfish bitch and I'm going to make your life a living hell if I don't get my beach house".

[biakbiak]

6 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I bet it means "I am a selfish bitch and I'm going to make your life a living hell if I don't get my beach house".

Except they didn't get her beach house (which wasnt a beach house just 10 minutes closer to the beach), the house they chose is the one that ticked all of his boxes not hers.

[Kohola3]

And I bet he pays for it in spades because she'll never let him forget that she isn't in her dream vacation home on the beach.  She must have repeated that same sentence 20 times in the segment.

[mojito]

Quote

Denia, Spain: 

She - "If I could describe our life in one word, it would be:  (?somethingsomethingsomething?)"

He - "I need to learn what that means, but I agree."

She said "phenomenal" in Spanish. 

I don't think this wife signed the best food forward pact with her husband. She was quite annoying. It seemed so unreasonable: the man got them to Denia, why couldn't she be happy getting that far? When she complained about the third place having no character, I thought, "sounds like the perfect place for you". But then when I saw which home they picked, I thought she was okay after all. Nice looking place, Denia. 

[TVForever]

I think the Denia house they chose was the best compromise. I get it Liisa-I would love a vacation home mere steps from the beach. But the hot tub business is what got you there-let him be as close to work as possible. Besides, it was a good house with great views and a short drive to the beach. 15 minutes' drive-relax, you're on vacation.

[juliet73]

There was no way she was going to get her perfect beach location on a $100k budget. She was beyond selfish and annoying!

[magemaud]

With her accent, every time she said "beach" I heard "bitch", which in her case seems appropriate. 

[Ohwell]

2 minutes ago, magemaud said:

With her accent, every time she said "beach" I heard "bitch", which in her case seems appropriate. 

Yes.  I got the impression from her that she thought her husband was sooooo lucky to have her, that he should do anything she wanted.

[debraran]

On 9/20/2017 at 9:48 AM, morgan said:

I just watched the family from LA to Turin and thought they were all really nice.  The couple seemed so respectful of the other partners wants/desires it was refreshing.  They seemed like a lovely family and more power to them if they can take a year's sabbatical and spend some time on an adventure.  I wonder what next?  Do they go back to LA and their jobs there?  Will they do something totally new?  I really did find them both likeable and they look like they will keep their feet under them regardless.  

They were the most normal of the bunch recently, but obviously very well off. You don't leave jobs and tote your kids to Italy without a lot of savings or maybe a nice inheritance. Quite an experience for a year if you can do it. You could tell they weren't used to close neighbors or small yards but I liked all the places.

Edited September 21, 2017 by debraran

[mojito]

Pennsylvania to Costa Rica

It always strikes me as odd when one half of the couple constantly refers to her family and the other half of the couple says nothing about his family. She wanted enough room to host the entire family, he wanted to be close to the beach. They looked forward to their healthy lifestyle in Costa Rica, I guess because there is no fruit in Pennsylvania for them to juice, and no place to exercise. Actually, I don't blame them for wanting to move into the sunbelt. Nice enough couple--very svelte--and they found a place within their budget.

[chocolatine]

5 hours ago, mojito said:

Pennsylvania to Costa Rica

It always strikes me as odd when one half of the couple constantly refers to her family and the other half of the couple says nothing about his family. She wanted enough room to host the entire family, he wanted to be close to the beach. They looked forward to their healthy lifestyle in Costa Rica, I guess because there is no fruit in Pennsylvania for them to juice, and no place to exercise. Actually, I don't blame them for wanting to move into the sunbelt. Nice enough couple--very svelte--and they found a place within their budget.

Maybe he doesn't have children, or he's not very close to them. Or maybe he plans to put up his visitors in one of the gajillion B&Bs in Costa Rica that were launched by previous HHIs.

I thought it was weird that there was no mention whatsoever of how they're going to support themselves in CR or what they're going to do all day besides surfing and juicing. At first I thought they were going to launch a yoga retreat, but then it looked like the wife was taking the yoga class and not teaching it. They looked too young to be retired.

[AnnieBeez]

I kept waiting for something unsaid to be said about the "getting healthy." They'd be able to eat organic, juice, do yoga, etc. anywhere. Surfing would require relocation. As I kept getting annoyed with the "this is a great space to do our juicing," I tried to convince myself that they just needed to come up with a "thing."

Just how often will her family be visiting? If I had my choice between ocean right out the front door or space for my family who may visit 1-6 weeks a year, I'm going ocean. 

[mojito]

Quote

I kept waiting for something unsaid to be said about the "getting healthy." 

Don't know if I'm reading you correctly. If so,  I, too, wondered if perhaps one of them had had a health crisis. To me, though he looked fit, he looked  weathered and/or weary, like he'd been sick for a while.

Quote

Or maybe he plans to put up his visitors in one of the gajillion B&Bs in Costa Rica that were launched by previous HHIs.

That must be it.

Certainly it isn't one of countless negative reasons that I find myself considering. 

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

Don't know if I'm reading you correctly. If so,  I, too, wondered if perhaps one of them had had a health crisis. To me, though he looked fit, he looked  weathered and/or weary, like he'd been sick for a while.

I wondered the same thing, and if that's the case I hope he's getting medical care in CR in addition to the "healthy lifestyle". Juicing is not a proven remedy for anything. 

[debraran]

8 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I wondered the same thing, and if that's the case I hope he's getting medical care in CR in addition to the "healthy lifestyle". Juicing is not a proven remedy for anything. 

I didn't hear health crisis, he said he played tennis or instructed a long time, she said she played with him 15 years. He might have felt better after going to Costa Rica and "cleansing" but I feel it was his romance with her too.  It also might be mental health issues.   They need an excuse for the show always.  If you move far away and budget to have people come see you, it always seems odd. Going over budget for an occasional visit is not fiscally responsible and my daughter who has been to CR a few times, attests to the cheap hotel/BNB available. ; ) 

This couple either is doing lessons there or has a lot of saved money or it's a part time place they will rent out.  She had children, he didn't, not to be flip but if he never married or had children, he probably saved enough for a home in Costa Rica. lol  I knew a guy like that, at 50, accountant, retired early, he had a lot of money, married an exercise fanatic and they moved to Florida and kept a small place up north. She didn't work except part time spinning classes and they enjoyed the sun and surf.

I know it's not about "how to do this" more "look at these homes" but the show does leave big holes sometimes and I do see airbnb's later sometimes that were on shows as homes for the couple but this one just might be able to swing it and later might rent it out.

Edited September 23, 2017 by debraran

[debraran]

These 3 are for rent in Costa Rica from show...I just watched the hobbit house last month. (not the best reviews on that one) The first is really $$ but has a lot of things.

 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5785209

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14055766

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5163618

Edited September 23, 2017 by debraran

[aemom]

As I watch some of the Caribbean episodes that my PVR has taped, I can't help but wonder about some of these people who were retiring to these places and spent their savings on these houses: With the nasty hurricanes lately, are some of these people now homeless and possibly destitute?

[SmithW6079]

On 9/22/2017 at 6:36 PM, mojito said:

Don't know if I'm reading you correctly. If so,  I, too, wondered if perhaps one of them had had a health crisis. To me, though he looked fit, he looked  weathered and/or weary, like he'd been sick for a while.

That must be it.

Certainly it isn't one of countless negative reasons that I find myself considering. 

 

On 9/22/2017 at 10:30 PM, chocolatine said:

I wondered the same thing, and if that's the case I hope he's getting medical care in CR in addition to the "healthy lifestyle". Juicing is not a proven remedy for anything. 

I also thought the husband looked ill. He was thin and drawn. He moved slowly, and it seemed like he had a gray pallor.

Hawaii to Australia: While the guy seemed down-to-earth and I admire people who seem to be able live life without security and stability, it makes me roll my eyes when Americans put on accents of the place they live. His "Australian" accent kept slipping in and out. (I knew a girl in high school who spent a year in England. She came back with an English accent. Pretentious git.)

Edited September 24, 2017 by SmithW6079