House Hunters International - General Discussion

[BlossomCulp]

I saw one last night where this couple relocated to Japan because the wife was going to teach there.  She was really odd - very, very blonde and talked about how she hoped to get some "gigs" playing her harp.  I missed the beginning of this so I wondered, was it ever explained what she was teaching and how they could afford such high rents?  Usually teacher on HHI means they are teaching English as a second language which based on people I know who've done this doesn't mean they can afford $2500 US a month in rent!

[scrb]

2 hours ago, AEMom said:

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?

Yeah I remember people buying dream homes with expansive ocean views in the Virgin Islands.

There were properties in high 6 figures or well into 7 figures.

I don't recall if they always sink all their money into these homes or have them as vacation homes.

For such expensive homes, you hope they got insurance.

Even if they're not expensive, if it's most of your savings, you should be insured.

Then there is a place like Puerto Rico where many residents are poor.  They may be without power for months.  The territory has been having severe economic problems and one of the problems was the power company losing a lot of money, even before the current hurricane aftermath.

[mojito]

Quote

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 kept back with an English accent. Pretentious git.)

I am writing in defense of "pretentious" accents. I have this theory that people who are good with languages are also good at taking on regional accents once they've been submerged in it a while. That has happened to me twice in my life, and I never tried to take on another accent. With time, your most recent accent gets watered down.  Some people have an ear for language, some don't. I had a boss who was born and raised within 10 miles of me, and left the area for a number of years without his accent changing, and co-workers found it hard to believe that his accent was my native accent. It was. 

One can subconsciously pick up on pronunciations and intonations without making an effort to do so. Similarly, my limited Spanish goes over better in Mexico than it might in Cuba because I've been exposed to the intonations of Mexicans/Mexican Americans. I'm frequently asked about my roots by Latinos in Texas by people with Mexican roots, but was never asked when I lived on the east coast, north or south.

[Dewey Decimate]

On 9/17/2017 at 0:07 PM, 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!!!

Catching up on these int'l eps, but have to chime in on bleached blonde in Nuremberg. The animated map was hilarious - have they ever done that before with the actual HHers? I know it's mean, but she just had an eminently smackable face. Like, I just kept wanting to punch it. Or squeeze her by the neck like one of those goofy office stress toys and watch her wonky eyes and lips pop out (EVEN) more. And those "friends" at the end looked like they just came from a stock picture photo shoot.

[Schnickelfritz]

On ‎9‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 10:36 AM, SmithW6079 said:

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.)

Looking into Chris' website for Sup Dog Oz, he was born in Australia and then moved to Hawaii (parents might be Australian so grew up with the accent) and then moved back to Australia in 1994. The producers changed his story to suit themselves.

https://supdogoz.com.au/about-chris/

[pep4]

Puerto Vallarta:  Pretty funny when the community pool turned out to be a bird bath.

[mojito]

Connecticut to Ireland: Castle Hunting

This was the most entertaining episode I've ever seen, with pleasant house hunters. Couple into medieval history wants a place in Ireland with good "castle curb appeal". I have zero interest in this period in history, but learning about oubliettes and murder holes and battlements really brought home for me just how scary life could be in those times. The husband had a good sense of humor, commenting once that the wife looked good in the dungeon and making a lot of dry jokes throughout, and HHI got into the spirit by helpfully reminding me that microwaves weren't a thing back in those days. The couple wanted the castle to host like-minded people who re-enacted the experiences of the time and to be able to enjoy a little downtime where they could imagine pitching things out of holes to fend off attackers. No comments about bedrooms being too tiny and how the fridge looked like the one they had in their college dorm room. No demands for beach access, being within walking distance of shops and restaurants, a bedroom for each kid, a yard for the dog. What we saw was a lot of stone and wood and no bathrooms, counter tops, or hardwoods. The best part is they had a healthy $900K budget, and viewed three places priced at  $250K, $750K, and $1.3M (I thought it was worth the extra $400K, but I'm good at spending other people's money). In the end, they went with the fixer-upper. It was a ruin. I'd sure like to see how long this reno takes. 

The real estate agent was game, too, and had a sense of humor.

Good work, HHI. 

Edited September 26, 2017 by mojito

[TVForever]

Castle Hunting in Ireland:

I also enjoyed this episode. I had the feeing the entire time that this was what the proposed "Castle Hunters" series was supposed to be like, but there probably aren't enough buyers like this couple, who have a real reason for wanting that type of property beyond, "Ooh, castle, pretty!" of most of those Castle Hunters episodes from last year.

PLEASE producers, give us follow up episodes on this project! I loved the couple's approach to  designing the place (a contest for design students) and would love to see how it all comes together.

[Schnickelfritz]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

Connecticut to Ireland: Castle Hunting

 

3 hours ago, mojito said:

I'd sure like to see how long this reno takes. 

 

20 minutes ago, TVForever said:

PLEASE producers, give us follow up episodes on this project! I loved the couple's approach to  designing the place (a contest for design students) and would love to see how it all comes together

You can keep tabs on the progress here.

http://www.sigginstowncastle.com/

The 2nd castle (Caherkinmonwee) is still for sale. Wish I had an extra $3/4 of a mill laying around.

You can stay at the 3rd one - Ballyhannon (don't believe it was ever really for sale).

http://www.ballyhannon-castle.com/

[Irlandesa]

Typical HHI episode.  Wife wanting to stay on budget.  Bitching husband needed his murder holes.  How do people stay together and overcome these differences?

Seriously, though, I wanted that last castle. 

[chocolatine]

7 hours ago, mojito said:

and HHI got into the spirit by helpfully reminding me that microwaves weren't a thing back in those days.

That was priceless!

[CaughtOnTape]

The castle episode was awesome.  Though I don't imagine I'd like living in one.  Drafty as all get out.

The murder hole thing was hilarious.

The daughter at the end looked like she was about to slap her parents into next week when they were setting up the tent.  LOL

[debraran]

6 hours ago, Schnickelfritz said:

Thanks for the links. I'm from CT and it was nice to watch this one. I love castles and although never traveled to Europe, my daughter's have seen many and they are always cool.

The second one, they only showed the bedroom, not the bathrooms, I was curious what it looked like.  If this is it, the bathtub was hidden!  http://myirishcastle.weebly.com/castle-rooms.html   

You could make it more "medieval" with different furniture but I understand their decision.

I would like to see a follow up one day. I'll check the link on occasion.

The only castle we have in CT in Gillette's Castle, which I visit every year. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g33764-d107170-Reviews-Gillette_Castle_State_Park-East_Haddam_Connecticut.html

You can keep tabs on the progress here.

http://www.sigginstowncastle.com/

The 2nd castle (Caherkinmonwee) is still for sale. Wish I had an extra $3/4 of a mill laying around.

You can stay at the 3rd one - Ballyhannon (don't believe it was ever really for sale).

http://www.ballyhannon-castle.com/

[Pine]

I thought that the investor, and doggie paddle boarder were ex's, either married or boyfriend/girlfriend.  Leaning more to married at one time.

Hope that their business prospers.  :)

[awaken]

I knew Seychelles woman and her supposed random friend she met were together!  They  we're standing awfully close, and he was really invested in her choices!  I was expecting the announcement that they were in love, which came at the end!  

[biakbiak]

Hawaii to Mosman The lack of surprise when there was literally a wild bird inside the first apartment made me know that they were going for that. Views be damned I would have gone for the the one that was four hundred underbudget.

[wovenloaf]

8 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Hawaii to Mosman The lack of surprise when there was literally a wild bird inside the first apartment made me know that they were going for that. Views be damned I would have gone for the the one that was four hundred underbudget.

Yes, that was strange.  I certainly wouldn't consider wild birds flying in your open windows to be a "selling point," even if they are cockatoos.

[chocolatine]

14 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Hawaii to Mosman The lack of surprise when there was literally a wild bird inside the first apartment made me know that they were going for that. Views be damned I would have gone for the the one that was four hundred underbudget.

The apartment they chose was so tiny! There was barely any space that wasn't taken up by furniture (I would have gotten rid of the dining and coffee tables to make some room to move around). I usually roll my eyes at HHIs who complain about apartments being too small, but this one really was. Not a fan of the only bathroom being off the bedroom, either.

Edited September 27, 2017 by chocolatine

[Ohwell]

Hawaii to Mosman.  That was a strange-looking couple.  I couldn't figure out if she was much older than he was, or if it was just the bleached blonde flyaway hair of hers that made her look older. 

[Lawgiver]

37 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Hawaii to Mosman.  That was a strange-looking couple.  I couldn't figure out if she was much older than he was, or if it was just the bleached blonde flyaway hair of hers that made her look older. 

Thank you! I had the same thought. A mismatch of a couple if I ever saw one. And is it that easy to move to Australia if you are American and looking for work? Most couples we see are Australian, British or Canadian. I can't imagine one can just move to Australia with carpentry skills and vet tech skills.

[Ohwell]

8 minutes ago, Lawgiver said:

Thank you! I had the same thought. A mismatch of a couple if I ever saw one. And is it that easy to move to Australia if you are American and looking for work? Most couples we see are Australian, British or Canadian. I can't imagine one can just move to Australia with carpentry skills and vet tech skills.

Most of the time I wonder about the job situation of these HHI couples moving to another country, and this couple was no different.     

[suebee12]

The one thing that I did like about their choice was the fact that they stated they didn't need the second bedroom because everyone told them it was too far to come for a visit! I don't think I have heard others say that even though we say that all the time!

[Dewey Decimate]

The Ireland castle ep was truly a work of art. I almost wondered if it was a joke because of the excellent humor from production's little informational inserts. As someone not only from CT, but also a former SCA-lite practitioner (I dabbled a bit in college - and if that doesn't get me a legit nerd card I don't know what would), it was especially awesome. Would love to see more unusual HHers like that, please!

[debraran]

Canada to Prague....if that woman said "dryer" one more time!! lol  They must know dryers aren't common, think of something else to complain about. I don't recall any info on her job or what he did in Toronto to look for there but he ended up teaching. I don't know why they need outdoor space, no kids or dogs...like most of the HHI participants. For me, all the outdoors would be "my outdoors".

He seemed sensible, she seemed one dimensional and just picking up and moving to a place they never visited (he never left Canada) without a job for both seemed odd.

Prague was pretty to look at and the prices weren't that high. They looked at 700-1000 a month. The 1000 a month was the only 2 bedroom she wanted so much with a combo dryer.

But they were sensible, took the 800 a month one bedroom and put guests on pull out where they should be   : )

Edited September 29, 2017 by debraran

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, debraran said:

Canada to Prague....if that woman said "dryer" one more time!! lol  They must know dryers aren't common, think of something else to complain about. I don't recall any info on her job or what he did in Toronto to look for there but he ended up teaching. I don't know why they need outdoor space, no kids or dogs...like most of the HHI participants. For me, all the outdoors would be "my outdoors".

She said she worked for anon-profit and planned to continue working for it part-time after they relocated.  She gave no indication as to what she planned to do with her extra free time.  I felt kinda bad for him, he seemed to feel a lot of pressure to support them in Prague.

Considering she said she'd traveled throughout Europe, including Prague, in the past; her obsession  with having a dryer was pretty odd.  They're not really very common over there and the ones I've encountered tend to no work all that well anyway.

[debraran]

6 hours ago, doodlebug said:

She said she worked for anon-profit and planned to continue working for it part-time after they relocated.  She gave no indication as to what she planned to do with her extra free time.  I felt kinda bad for him, he seemed to feel a lot of pressure to support them in Prague.

Considering she said she'd traveled throughout Europe, including Prague, in the past; her obsession  with having a dryer was pretty odd.  They're not really very common over there and the ones I've encountered tend to no work all that well anyway.

That's true, when my daughter spent a year or two in UK, she realized she didn't dry much anyway. Missed it for towels and some cotton shirts, but she always dries her workout clothes, bras, etc. sweaters on racks anyway.

They did make her bossy and him like a nerdy budget guy but you can only hope in real life, it's better. I wonder when they pay 800 a month, what is included. In America, not too many rentals include everything. Prices did seem reasonable though.

Edited September 29, 2017 by debraran

[Irlandesa]

On 9/28/2017 at 10:03 PM, doodlebug said:

I felt kinda bad for him, he seemed to feel a lot of pressure to support them in Prague.

He did but I got the sense that it was self-pressure and not pressure from her.  She seemed to know what she wanted (to move to Prague), had arranged to work part-time and was willing to have a higher budget.  It's possible she makes quite a bit at her non-profit.  It's a stretch but you never know.... It's also possible that she could have gotten an inheritance.  Didn't her father just pass away? 

Either way, I don't think the person with the higher budget is always impractical, especially if they're saying up front that they're willing to go higher. His worry about not having a job is normal since he probably wants to contribute but I don't know if he needed to contribute.

What I did get suspicious about is whether or not they were a real couple.  I just got friends vibe from them and HHI didn't do the normal meet cute story for them like they normally do for couples.  (I admit, as a romcom lover, I kind of adore that part of the show.)  But they didn't do it for the husbands moving to Verona either so maybe they're moving away from that.

[juliet73]

Nashville to Australia - UGH about the wife!  "This pool is as big as our bathtub back in Nashville!  We're used to having TWO walk in closets like our house in Nashville!  The kitchen ( or maybe it was the master bedroom) isn't nearly as big as our one in Nashville.  I didn't come all the way to Australia  from Nashville to have to drive 5 minutes to the beach!"  Shut your effen mouth!  The husband was nice - I don't know how he dealt with such a beeyotch!

[suebee12]

19 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

  I didn't come all the way to Australia  from Nashville to have to drive 5 minutes to the beach!" 

And this is the woman who only got to go to the beach once a year and it took a 10 hour drive to get there! When she was going on and on about her desire to be on the beach, I thought what a pain...it was alright for her husband to have to drive an hour each way to work but she would have to drive for 5 minutes to the beach! What a pain!

[Pickles]

Yes, the Nashville wife had me rolling my eyes. At one point she claimed the daughter (who was maybe 6) would be disappointed in a smaller backyard and playroom. Seriously?? She is going to let the 6 year old dictate which house they choose? And the realtor said something about one house being a normal size for the neighborhood and the wife said, "Really??". Rude. 

[juliet73]

3 minutes ago, Pickles said:

Yes, the Nashville wife had me rolling my eyes. At one point she claimed the daughter (who was maybe 6) would be disappointed in a smaller backyard and playroom. Seriously?? She is going to let the 6 year old dictate which house they choose? And the realtor said something about one house being a normal size for the neighborhood and the wife said, "Really??". Rude. 

And she said she  didn't know if  the "small" kitchen work since her and the daughter enjoy baking in their matching aprons.  Gag!!

[pep4]

NYC to Lisbon:  Hmm, perhaps she's going to market her bed and breakfast to French clientele, given the after shot of her putting up a 'Bienvenue' sign....

[doodlebug]

7 hours ago, pep4 said:

NYC to Lisbon:  Hmm, perhaps she's going to market her bed and breakfast to French clientele, given the after shot of her putting up a 'Bienvenue' sign....

It was also pretty obvious from the get-go that she always planned to have a B&B and the other places she looked at were not suitable.  I guess the show runners figured we've seen enough people looking for B&B's and decided to pretend that it was a spur of the moment decision made only because she loved the huge place in the touristy area with 5 bedrooms.  Yeah, right!

[hisbunkie]

I didn't understand the Portugal business plan. So she is renting a home in which she spent her own money to renovate?  At her age?  She did not seem to me like someone who would gladly 'cater' to anyone. When I think of b&b I think of some catering to guests. 

[doodlebug]

32 minutes ago, hisbunkie said:

I didn't understand the Portugal business plan. So she is renting a home in which she spent her own money to renovate?  At her age?  She did not seem to me like someone who would gladly 'cater' to anyone. When I think of b&b I think of some catering to guests. 

She said the landlord gave her a break on the rent in exchange for her doing the kitchen renovation, but it really doesn't add up in the end. Paying a substantial amount for a kitchen remodel in return for a small decrease in rent would take years to recoup. Why rent a place for a B&B if you're going to pay for the renovations?  Why not just buy a home or apartment outright? She said that she sold her NYC place for a good price which gave her substantial savings so she didn't have to work anymore.  Why not invest that in a down payment on a place in Lisbon?

Owning a B&B also means being available 24/7 or hiring someone to cover for you.  If she wants to travel in Portugal, let alone Europe or visit friends in the US; she's going to have a tough time if the B&B is anywhere near as busy as it would need to be in order to make the investment in the kitchen worthwhile.

Edited October 4, 2017 by doodlebug

[chocolatine]

Nashville to Melbourne. I wanted to reach through the TV and slap the wife every time she talked about her house in Nashville or made a disgusted face. Most people would feel privileged to be able to live in any of the three homes, but she just wouldn't stop bitching. I hope their daughter takes after her dad and doesn't grow up to be a spoiled and entitled monster like her mom.

Lisbon business plan didn't make sense to me either - B&B in a rental apartment? - and I agree with the posters who said the lady didn't seem like she would enjoy catering to others. Maybe she just rents out some of the bedrooms on AirBnB without offering meals. 

[mojito]

NYC to Lisbon.

That was quite some tale they spun.

The real estate agent--seemingly a stranger--comes up with the idea for a bed and breakfast and vi-o-la [sic], that's what the buyer does. Eight hundred dollars more a month? A mere pittance. And don't we all declare that we would need to gut rooms in apartments that we're about to rent? 

There's a lot you're leaving out, HHI. At least come up with a coherent story next time. This tale was fishier than most. 

[biakbiak]

Other than their ridiculous outfits the couple didn't annoy me as much as I assumed they would be based on their intro package. The place they went with was obviously the best choice and their daughter was adorable. 

[abbyzenn]

Just watched 3 episodes which I thought were new this week but surprised no comments on.

Military couple moving to Brussels.  All three of those houses were really nice and huge and much lower rent than I would have thought for places that size.  I thought the woman was one of the worst I've seen on this show.  She needs a house with curb appeal because she wants visitors to be impressed.  Walks into one white kitchen with what looked like blue linoleum floor and says it's nice, next kitchen had the same cabinets and all white and she says she can't live with that color.  One house had heavy wooden stair banisters - GREAT!! - next house had iron banisters - HORRIBLE! can't live with it.  Need I say they are only renting.

[Lady Iris]

On ‎9‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 3:59 PM, PuhLeeze said:

 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." 

Gawd, who needs to move to another country to juice? Although, we should probably be grateful they didn't trot out the oft used "great space for entertaining." *insert eyeroll*

 

On ‎9‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 0:13 PM, BlossomCulp said:

I saw one last night where this couple relocated to Japan because the wife was going to teach there.  

I love HHI in Japan. Gotta look this one up on demand.

 

 

On ‎9‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 11:07 AM, Schnickelfritz said:

You can keep tabs on the progress here.

http://www.sigginstowncastle.com/

The 2nd castle (Caherkinmonwee) is still for sale. Wish I had an extra $3/4 of a mill laying around.

You can stay at the 3rd one - Ballyhannon (don't believe it was ever really for sale).

http://www.ballyhannon-castle.com/

thanks for the links,

[Shibori]

"whimsical" London couple:  I pretty much hated her in the first 30 seconds, but when she begrudgingly corrected her daughter jumping around the train by saying "the lady says you can't do that" I really started wishing she'd twist an ankle in those boots.

[debraran]

9 hours ago, Shibori said:

"whimsical" London couple:  I pretty much hated her in the first 30 seconds, but when she begrudgingly corrected her daughter jumping around the train by saying "the lady says you can't do that" I really started wishing she'd twist an ankle in those boots.

She was a quirky one, good "TV".  Irritating but that was part of the appeal I'm sure to show them. The first home for 1800 in church hall was just silly, one cramped bedroom and no stove? It's a rental, you don't buy stuff for it.

Second one, the Victorian, I really liked. 3 bedrooms for 2200 and a yard. The third house was also very nice.  You could put bunks in second bedroom to make girls fit. Being 20 minutes away from work isn't too bad but biking with the second was even better. You don't really need a car.

This show was kind of obvious, you knew they were going with the over budget house, but it was nice to see the homes. I'm sure 2200 wasn't over budget either, you usually have a leeway and for the area, that seemed fair.

Edited October 6, 2017 by debraran

[Kohola3]

When you have to keep announcing how "quirky" and "whimsical" you are - you aren't.  You are just an attention whore.

[Spunkygal]

Richard Blanco is one of my favorite realtors but I really don't like his full beard. It is taking over his face. Also, he doesn't seem as engaged and happy as he was in earlier episodes. Maybe the formulaic design of the show is getting old to him. 

[chocolatine]

Budapest episode: I got a huge kick out of the no-nonsense realtor. She didn't even try to soften the blows. "I don't know if I can get comfortable with [air-drying clothes]" - "You will." "Is this apartment farther from my work?" - "Much farther." She should be on every episode.

I personally would have taken the third apartment due to its size and storage, but the HH made a smart choice to save $200/month if she wants to travel. And Buda really is beautiful and tranquil.

[Gam2]

We were in Budapest last month. Loved that city!!

[mojito]

Fullerton, CA to Puerto Vallarta

I liked that the wife was fine with not living on the beach. Sitting above sea level and looking down from the trees is nice, too. I liked the interior of the place they picked (especially the headboard and night stands), but the balcony view left me cold. I winced when the wife asked if the balcony was where they were "supposed to" eat. Really, lady, do you need a rule book? 

MA to Budapest:

It's amazing how people who claim to be so well-traveled are startled by things like no dryer, a toilet in a separate room, a smaller 'fridge (loved her reaction, "That's adorable"). Really, even in the US you've never seen a separate room for a toilet? In her shoes, I would've selected the apartment she did. It was nice and bright and clean. And $200 under budget. Let's see. Weigh an occasional visit from my family against my passion for travel. Easy decision. Smart girl.

@chocolatine, a real estate agent driving a car like that was not going to overly cater to spoiled American needs! You kind of wonder what kind of place she goes home to. 

[chocolatine]

19 minutes ago, mojito said:

@chocolatine, a real estate agent driving a car like that was not going to overly cater to spoiled American needs! You kind of wonder what kind of place she goes home to. 

That was a different woman in the car. She was a tour guide, and the Trabi she drove was a gimmick of the tour. Most people in Budapest don't actually drive 25+ year old East German cars nowadays. The realtor did have a very "communist" demeanor though. :)

ETA: The realtor and tour guide did look alike, and at first I also thought it was the realtor driving the Trabi. But then I realized it was a different woman and the voice-over explained the Trabi tours.

Edited October 7, 2017 by chocolatine

[debraran]

Belgium from Italy military couple.  What a ride to move every 3 years or so. I know a couple who does that but only in the states. I like to see the area and homes but why do they ALWAYS make the wife the one who wants her husband to commute hours to work?  House must have curb appeal for guests? Geez, I guess I'm just more laid back.

I didn't like the first home, large and white but kind of cold and an hour to and from work does seem like a lot. Didn't notice doors on the bedrooms/bath, maybe missed it.  House 2 only 100 over budget was nice and only 30 min to work, 4 bedrooms and 4 baths, last home, 300 over budget, 15 minute commute.  Last one gets hit first,  then first, and the second home the sensible one picked.

She suddenly loves it so I'm glad it ended without her talking about curb appeal again. lol

[MarthaEllisanne]

Berlin: How is installing a kitchen in a rented apartment an "investment" for renters? Is it really common for apartments in Berlin to have no kitchens?  I've rented old apartments in the U.S. with no stove or refrigerator.  I bought the appliances and took them with me when I moved, but the apartments at least had cabinets, a sink, and other trappings of a kitchen.  The couple was cute, however, and generally not annoying.  The woman did the "historic charm" mantra, but that could be producer-driven.