House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Lawgiver]

The most recent London episode had a hilarious chyron typo: "Muse" house instead of "Mews" house. Haven't they been doing this long enough to get it right?

[chocolatine]

5 hours ago, laredhead said:

I thought for sure that the Atlanta to Adelaide couple were going to choose House #3 because it had that beautiful yard, a pool, and enough bedrooms for everyone.  Plus the kids seemed to make themselves at home on the trampoline in the backyard during the tour.  I was surprised that they chose the beach apartment, but it is a beautiful place to live.   

I was sure they'd pick the third house too. I think it came down to having a once in a lifetime opportunity to live on the beach, so they took advantage of it despite the apartment not meeting all of their criteria.

[AnnieBeez]

2 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I was sure they'd pick the third house too. I think it came down to having a once in a lifetime opportunity to live on the beach, so they took advantage of it despite the apartment not meeting all of their criteria.

I was hoping they'd choose the beach apartment. 3 had a view, but really of what? The city? If I'm moving to a beach town, I'm living at the beach. It's been a while since I was a teenage girl, but that would've been living the dream for me. Still would. 

[MegK]

California to Paris: Why Paris needs an American sommelier with no actual experience sommelier-ing is beyond me, but as usual, it doesn't pay to ask too many questions about the stories on HHI….

 

The Paris episodes are always my favorite, so I was happy to see a new one. I loved the second apartment with the rooftop views near Notre Dame — that's the one I would've picked too, although really, all three of them were nice. (Although now that I think about it, on visits to Paris I've found the neighborhood around Notre Dame to be a little . . . grimy? Not awful, but maybe not quite as romantic as it might seem.)

 

I was surprised to see that Apt #1 was a repeat from an earlier episode. Has that happened before? In the earlier one, Adrian Leeds's relative (a niece, I think?) bought it. Wonder if she's really moving, or if she just lent her apartment for a fake tour? In any event, I thought it was amusing that the buyer obviously didn't like it, kept complaining about how small it is, and how awful it is to open the front door of a studio and see, gasp!, the bed. As I recall, the niece was funny and seemed very down-to-earth, so I imagine she'd find it amusing to listen to the comments about her home. I know I would.

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, MegK said:

In any event, I thought it was amusing that the buyer obviously didn't like it, kept complaining about how small it is, and how awful it is to open the front door of a studio and see, gasp!, the bed. As I recall, the niece was funny and seemed very down-to-earth, so I imagine she'd find it amusing to listen to the comments about her home. I know I would.

Well, it was only 175sf. It works if you're only there to sleep, but not for much else. I really liked the one she picked, it was still very small (230sf, I think), but made great use of the space, and the view of Notre Dame was spectacular.

[mojito]

Quote

California to Paris: Why Paris needs an American sommelier with no actual experience sommelier-ing is beyond me, but as usual, it doesn't pay to ask too many questions about the stories on HHI….

She was also a chef back home, so maybe the double-skills are marketable in Paris.

Sunshine Coast, Australia:

I guess I have watched too many shows where odd things are turned into homes, because I thought they could easily have worked with what they called a shed. Nice choices, all three.

[aguabella]

On ‎9‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 10:27 AM, Lawgiver said:

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.

 

On ‎9‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 10:54 AM, morgan said:

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?

 

About the budgets, it's far over the HH's paygrade to have anything to do with creating artificial drama.  Sure, that's how normal people budget for something, morgan, but this is reality tv.  They basically do things in reverse.

In short, the filming team's director/producer* starts with the ho's new place and it's actual monthly cost plus the two decoys located by the realtor.  If budget even factors into their desired plot, they decide whether or not to go over(under) budget.  If the realtor found an awesome but expensive place, compared to the ho's home, sure, it might be an "overbudget" episode.  But, if too many of those type episodes have been recently filmed / scheduled / placed in the can, then, no.

And, BTW, the realtor presents 2 locations where the homeowners agreed, in writing, for $0 compensation, to vacate their premises for at least 12 hours, straight.  Otherwise, they don't use them.  The homeowner didn't tour the decoys during their actual house hunt, possibly 6 months ago?  No problem, lol.

 

*Incidentally, HGTV combines those 2 functions into 1.

[aguabella]

On ‎9‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 4:10 AM, debraran said:

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.

One of HHI's standard plots, going back to Day 1, was that someone / a couple would just sell everything and leave their entire family to move overseas.  Oh, as if that wasn't enough, the cherry on top is that they hardly know anything about their new home.

Not trying to disappoint anyone but that's fantasy.  It rarely happens, in real life.  HH/HHI are dramas / reality television, i.e. not a documentary.

If/when we see these things on Airbnb, they've usually been there all along.  (The PA juicing couple, they've been on vrbo.)  Just like you and I, if/when these people move or buy a vacay property, they've visited many times and thoroughly checked it out.  Or, they have deeper roots and connections to the location than disclosed.

[aguabella]

On ‎9‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 11:08 AM, Schnickelfritz said:

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/

 

They pretty much always change the story..  Checked out many properties / stories over the years and it's pretty much 100%.

[JasmineFlower]

Well HELLO, Alex! More episodes with him in the Hague please. :) Hope we get a few more location shots in future episodes too.

[mojito]

Free Spirit in Tulum, Mexico

Well, she must have been a free spirit, she made a point of telling us this, didn't she? On paper, this home buyer was the type of person that I admire and would like to know, but I don't care much for people who feel the need to define themselves over and over again to others.

She picked the home on the outskirts of town, which required a lot of maintenance. More power to her if she can keep up with the place. With a $600K budget, she had some nice choices. 

[doodlebug]

25 minutes ago, mojito said:

Free Spirit in Tulum, Mexico

Well, she must have been a free spirit, she made a point of telling us this, didn't she? On paper, this home buyer was the type of person that I admire and would like to know, but I don't care much for people who feel the need to define themselves over and over again to others.

She picked the home on the outskirts of town, which required a lot of maintenance. More power to her if she can keep up with the place. With a $600K budget, she had some nice choices. 

Yeah, the constant repetition of how wild and fun and cool she was got very old, very fast, and, in my experience, people who have to tell you repeatedly how free spirited and amazing they are, usually aren't.  She did seem to be pretty comfortable financially for someone who claimed to have spent a lot of time in the past just traveling around having fun.  Maybe there was a rich husband or a big inheritance somewhere in her past which makes her claims that she's just a ramblin' flower child just a little bit suspect.

I did like the house she chose, but the amount of upkeep it is going to need to keep the jungle back and keep the roads passable along with everything else, is going to be a lot to handle for someone who seemingly doesn't want to do that kind of stuff.

[snarts]

Quote

I did like the house she chose, but the amount of upkeep it is going to need to keep the jungle back and keep the roads passable along with everything else, is going to be a lot to handle for someone who seemingly doesn't want to do that kind of stuff.

She can certainly hire people to do the work.  For me, the privacy would be worth it.  The only difference is that in my HH (months later) update, I'd have adopted a few more dogs :)

Edited October 27, 2017 by snarts
grammar

[Mrs. Hanson]

Western PA to The Hague, Netherlands:  Okay she got her "outdoor space for plants."  I heard her say it quite a bit. 

Edited to add I wish I had seen Talum.  Hubby has an ex girlfriend who was "wacky, wild and a free spirit" who opened a now defunct spa in Talum.  Must attract a type!

Edited October 27, 2017 by Mrs. Hanson

[Ohwell]

"Free spirit" in Tulum, Mexico = wacky, annoying woman to me.  I hope she's safe though because I can just imagine rumors going around about a crazy-looking, rich lady living on a large estate.  So yeah, she'd better get some dogs.

[aguabella]

Little older episode (sorry) but noticed nobody pulled the Austria b&b.  I loved that scenery!

I didn't save the info but the couple from SF who never mentioned a hospitality background - uh, they don't have one, according to their linked-ins.  They purchased a pensione with a solid rent roll so they prob inherited the staff, too.

That's good b/c both of them continued their careers in biotech / medical sales in Austria.  Yep, that was the answer!  Typical HHI!

B&B's have somehow acquired a romantic rep over the years, even though it's an incredible amount of work.  (That's why you always find at least a few available in vacay areas, BTW.)  So, naturally the producers selected that for the storyline and omitted everything else from the 22 minutes of airtime! 

And remember, according to the plot, they gave up everything to focus on their family in Austria.  Don't worry, they'll get to that family thing between meetings, travel within Europe, conferences and sales calls.  Yeah, right, ha ha ha. 

P.S.  I didn't save anything.  They come right up, searching for the B&B.  Have seen it so many times that it's not worth posting.  If anyone seriously wants to check it out and they don't see it on a simple search, feel free to shoot me a pm.

[aguabella]

Follow-ups on a couple of slightly older discussions:

LA to Turin family is back in LA after their gap year.  That was all they were doing, BTW.  They might have been the most true-to-life episode I've noticed in many moons.  It tells us their story was unique enough and hadn't been done recently so it was re-enacted, sorta, on HHI.  Sure, IIRC, they'd been overseas for 6 mos so as always, it's doubtful they toured / considered the 2 decoy homes during their actual house hunt.

Chi to CR family on gap year?  Their finances?  Well, the father did teach at the CR Int'l school - yes, indeed!  HHI featured several I-schoolteachers recently so they prob dropped that from the storyline.  He was between tech startups so that's why they took the year.  And, yes, they're back in Chicago.

Sorry, I didn't save anything.  I don't check out the properties on many episodes these days.  When I do, the blogs barely mention HH/HHI (nda's in effect).  Have seen and heard it all before!

[scrb]

1 hour ago, aguabella said:

Follow-ups on a couple of slightly older discussions:

LA to Turin family is back in LA after their gap year.  That was all they were doing, BTW.  They might have been the most true-to-life episode I've noticed in many moons.  It tells us their story was unique enough and hadn't been done recently so it was re-enacted, sorta, on HHI.  Sure, IIRC, they'd been overseas for 6 mos so as always, it's doubtful they toured / considered the 2 decoy homes during their actual house hunt.

 

I just watched the ep.  They said they both quit high paying jobs.

unless they owned their own business, you don't get to walk away from such jobs and then return to them.

Or are their employers giving their employees 6 mons or more sabbaticals?

 

anyways, saw their blog about their adventures in Europe.

sounded like they didn't move anywhere permanent, just went to various places in Europe, not base in Turin and take short trips.

[aguabella]

1 hour ago, scrb said:

I just watched the ep.  They said they both quit high paying jobs.

unless they owned their own business, you don't get to walk away from such jobs and then return to them.

Or are their employers giving their employees 6 mons or more sabbaticals?

 

anyways, saw their blog about their adventures in Europe.

sounded like they didn't move anywhere permanent, just went to various places in Europe, not base in Turin and take short trips.

You're only referring to LA to Turin, correct?

IIRC, I posted upthread that the "quit both jobs and moved overseas" is one of the standard plotlines of HHI.  So dramatic to walk out, sell your home and all your belongings (another fave claim, lol) and move, throwing caution to the wind, lol!  HGTV assumes we've all dreamed of saying "Take this job and shove it".  HGTV doesn't require them to reveal their financial situations but they might be using windfalls from trust funds, inheritances, home equity, stock options or whatever, but that's their business.

IIRC from skimming the blog, their itinerary bookended travel around their stint in Turin during the kids' school year.  Sorry if I sound jaded but going back to Day 1 with HH/HHI, I don't care enough about these people to actually read said blog.  Have heard it all over the years!  (If/when I look up an episode, am primarily checking out the locations and/or RE.)

My sample size is large enough that I can comfortably report that none of these episodes is 100% accurate.  HH/HHI remain dramas / reality television.  If you'd like to link their blog ... 

Edited October 28, 2017 by aguabella

[chocolatine]

15 hours ago, scrb said:

They said they both quit high paying jobs.

unless they owned their own business, you don't get to walk away from such jobs and then return to them.

Depends on the industry and company. In my experience, tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google happily re-hire former employees who had a good track record and left on good terms. At the rate those companies are growing, it's really hard to find qualified employees, so people who have those skills are in high demand, and being a known entity is a bonus.

PA to Den Haag couple: was it just me, or was the husband a little fragile/emo? He fretted so much about living in a "big city", about living alone with his wife for the first time (???) and needing space from her. It was his job that brought them there, so I would have expected him to be a bit more confident and excited about the move.

Edited October 28, 2017 by chocolatine

[TVForever]

7 hours ago, chocolatine said:

 

PA to Den Haag couple: was it just me, or was the husband a little fragile/emo? He fretted so much about in a "big city", about living alone with his wife for the first time (???) and needing space from her. It was his job that brought them there, so I would have expected him to be a bit more confident and excited about the move.

He was funny. "Fragile" was the perfect word to describe him. But somehow, they seemed perfect for each other. Don't worry guy, living alone with your spouse can be a really good thing!

[Ohwell]

Cork, Ireland couple:  This is one of the few places I've been to outside of the U,S., so I was excited to see the places they looked at.  All the places were nice in their own way, although the first one was really small.  It is a beautiful city and the people were very friendly.  The things I remembered most were the McDonalds because the burgers tasted much better than any I've had here, and that someone has to bend you backwards to kiss the Blarney Stone, so I didn't do it.

[laredhead]

I could live in Cork, Ireland.  Too bad the wife in this episode was once again whining that she didn't want to be stuck miles away from the center of the city with a toddler, and no family to "support" her needs, i.e. 24/7 babysitters.  I knew they weren't going to take the house out of town because she kept reminding us that she always got her way.  I thought her comments about the furniture were rude, because while it might not have been her style, it totally fit that cottage and was what I think of when I envision a cottage in Ireland or England.  They were angsting over the monthly rent, but she indicated that she was applying for a work visa so they were probably going to be pulling in a little more income when she found a job.  I didn't see the refrigerator in the house they chose, and wanted to see if it was large.  Wonder how she's liking that washer/dryer combo which horrified her by its location in the kitchen.  I've heard from several people that those aren't very efficient, take a long time to complete a cycle, and they don't hold many clothes.     

[Spunkygal]

Cork, Ireland: yeah, there was no doubt that wife was going to get her way. I think I could live there (Cork) too and the cottage's furnishings were perfect for it. If I saw it on VRBO, I would rent it. 

[juliet73]

23 hours ago, Ohwell said:

"Free spirit" in Tulum, Mexico = wacky, annoying woman to me.  I hope she's safe though because I can just imagine rumors going around about a crazy-looking, rich lady living on a large estate.  So yeah, she'd better get some dogs.

I didn't find her too annoying, but I did wonder why she needed such a HUGE house when it was just her and her tiny dog.  Even though I liked the house she chose, she should have went with one closer to other people...for her own safety. 

[Ohwell]

4 hours ago, laredhead said:

I could live in Cork, Ireland.  Too bad the wife in this episode was once again whining that she didn't want to be stuck miles away from the center of the city with a toddler, and no family to "support" her needs, i.e. 24/7 babysitters.  I knew they weren't going to take the house out of town because she kept reminding us that she always got her way.  I thought her comments about the furniture were rude, because while it might not have been her style, it totally fit that cottage and was what I think of when I envision a cottage in Ireland or England.  They were angsting over the monthly rent, but she indicated that she was applying for a work visa so they were probably going to be pulling in a little more income when she found a job.  I didn't see the refrigerator in the house they chose, and wanted to see if it was large.  Wonder how she's liking that washer/dryer combo which horrified her by its location in the kitchen.  I've heard from several people that those aren't very efficient, take a long time to complete a cycle, and they don't hold many clothes.     

Yeah, I didn't even want to talk about the wife because I was so excited to see Cork, but she was a pill--a bleached blonde one.  Her comments about the furniture in that house were rude, so I wasn't surprised that she slipped in that comment about always getting her way.

I thought the real estate agent was a cutie and I loved his accent.  

[debraran]

Military couple to Suffolk England. They did show cute homes, but the second one with low ceilings and steep staircases must have had petite  inhabitants.  The cottages are pretty but not always practical. They overused the word "beam" in the last castle hunting show on HHI ( I lost count)  and this show was "English charm" and "beams".  We get it, show the homes, the scenery and move on.  : )

 

They ended up with the first. more modern one that for their family of 4 children would be better.  This one didn't have a curve ball but scenery was beautiful.

[debraran]

On 10/12/2017 at 0:03 AM, Kiki620 said:

I thought "Obnoxious Copenhagen Dude-Bro" crossed the line and went beyond your typical douche. Did anyone else think he had the potential to be scary?? Yikes, I thought he snapped at the realtor a few times in a way that gave a glimpse at a temper or the ability to be really demeaning. I couldn't wait to read the comments here!

My daughter wanted to watch this one, loving her trip to Copenhagen and she was like "This is awful, are all the people this bad? " I told her he was in line for first prize.

[Bastet]

Quote

I could live in Cork, Ireland.

I couldn't (or anywhere else in Ireland), because all that rain would make me a depressed hermit, but it's probably my favorite city in Ireland. 

[TwirlyGirly]

20 hours ago, laredhead said:

Wonder how she's liking that washer/dryer combo which horrified her by its location in the kitchen.  I've heard from several people that those aren't very efficient, take a long time to complete a cycle, and they don't hold many clothes.

I have to giggle when people get their panties in a bunch over the washer/dryer being located in or near the kitchen. Unless they, and everyone else in the house, changes into clean clothing before entering the kitchen every. single. time., then they've already got "dirty clothes" hanging out in the kitchen every day! (And some of them are preparing food while wearing these "dirty clothes." E-w-w-w-w-w! /s).

I bought one of these combination washer/dryer units a couple of years ago, and I absolutely LOVE it. It's true it doesn't hold a lot. If your wardrobe consists primarily of heavy denim jeans and hoodies, and you typically wait until you practically have no clothes left to wear before you do laundry, then this is not the appliance for you.

That being said, because they are so energy efficient (meaning you can do several small loads using the same amount of water & electricity as one large load using a typical washer & dryer), if you get into the habit of throwing in a small load before you go to bed (and setting the timer so the wash/dry cycle will be complete when you wake up), you'll never again be faced with a pile of dirty laundry and have to set aside most of a day to get it all done.  Or, you can start a load before you leave for work, and have it done by the time you get home. No more "laundry day"!

My unit cleans far better than any other washer and dryer I've had, uses far less water (the amount of water used for a cycle is determined by the weight of the load; the unit weighs the load before the cycle begins). You need considerably less detergent, too.  In addition, because these units dry using a combination of condensation and evaporation, the fibers don't get over dried (which, over time, leads to rips/tears/thin spots in the garment). In other words, your clothes will last longer and with less fading and damage than when washed in conventional washers and dryers. You also don't need to vent these units, which means you're less restricted as to where you can place them in your home.

Plus, mine has some really neat cycles; there's one for hand-wash only wool, and a "sterilize" cycle meant for things like diapers and whites. The "sterilize" cycle uses the unit's built-in water heater, which raises the temperature of wash water above that which comes from your hot water tap.

One caveat: you cannot wash & dry a comforter in one of these. This is why most Europeans use duvets. These units can accommodate a duvet cover quite nicely!

So, when I hear people say they don't like them because of the longer cycle times and their inability to hold large loads, the real issue, IMO, is one of people refusing to change their laundry habits, as opposed to a problem with how effective combination washer/dryer units are in cleaning and drying laundry.

Edited October 29, 2017 by TwirlyGirly

[laredhead]

TwirlyGirly, thank you for sharing your personal experience with these combo laundry appliances.  Obviously it works great for you because you have learned to work with it.  I'm betting that the complaints I have heard are because people don't change their laundry habits.  Great to hear firsthand how good they are.  Wonder where the wife's laundry appliances were when she lived in Sweden?  My washer is in my kitchen (behind a door) and the dryer is in the utility room so I have to tote clean clothes through the kitchen to dry them in another room.  That situation would take $$$ to remedy, but I have lived with it for 14 years and in the grand scheme of things it doesn't even register on the radar.  Thanks again for your insight.

I also liked the realtor.  I love the Irish accent.    

[SmithW6079]

Re: the Netherlands couple. Sorry, but he was a whiny bitch. Man up, dude. 

I thought the loft apartment was the best one. Go to sleep at different times? Then the person who's still up uses headphones or keeps the TV or music volume low. The one who goes to bed early? Use a white noise machine or app to cancel out some sounds.

Their concern about not having space didn't make sense -- they kept bringing up that they had always had roommates before. You'd think they'd revel in the chance for just the two of them. Maybe those roommates were his mommy and daddy, because he definitely grew up with helicopter parenting.

[aguabella]

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 8:12 PM, chocolatine said:

Depends on the industry and company. In my experience, tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google happily re-hire former employees who had a good track record and left on good terms. At the rate those companies are growing, it's really hard to find qualified employees, so people who have those skills are in high demand, and being a known entity is a bonus.

Agree and had previously started to post something along these lines but didn't b/c it's basically n/a.  Over all these years, I've never been able to verify that anyone quit their jobs, high-paying or otherwise and moved internationally w/o any planning and/or alternative employment.  BTW, couldn't (technically) verify Turin but am assuming their blog was accurate;  they're the only ones to even reach a definite maybe.

Also, what's more likely (and what I've usually noticed) is that the hh's take an 18-mo gig for their employer overseas.  U.S. businesses, the major corporations, are international.  So, those opportunities exist and HHI has included many participants on short-term, corporate exchanges.  They're usually the ones with the large rental allowances!

Another option is a straight sabbatical.  Most major, corporate benefit packages include that option, in my experience.  Or, employees set them up informally.

Have noticed a few sabbaticals, over the years.  The md from Bend, OR (IIRC) worked at a uni hospital and did a part-time sabbatical / exchange program in NZ.  HHI's had a few educational exchanges, too.  So, besides corporate arrangements, exchange programs are often available in the education / government fields.

If the employee's valuable, the employer will make arrangements to keep them in the fold.

[judylo]

The Pennsylvania to Hague episode: NOBODY noticed that when they saw that first apartment, the one they chose, they had to crawl up the stairs? It was steep, no railing. They never mentioned that aspect as the episode went on. WTF??? Granted, I am old and don't like stairs, BUT ... how the hell would they transport anything?--groceries? furniture? themselves?

[aguabella]

I had a hard time believing that Tulum hh's home wasn't part of a subdivision.  Those places usually have either a formal or informal house mgr and/or maintenance guy that works with everyone;  sure enough, she appeared to introduce him at her HH housewarming party.

Yep, if you need to tell us how quirky and cool you are, then we kinda' doubt it, lol!

[aguabella]

Another tidbit about an older episode, sorry.

Nashville to Nuremberg, heavily made-up chick w/friend:  her "global marketing" position is in medical device sales.  No, I didn't see anything about music.  She's just another wanna-be / groopie, tryin' to look cool on HHI!

[SmithW6079]

2 hours ago, judylo said:

The Pennsylvania to Hague episode: NOBODY noticed that when they saw that first apartment, the one they chose, they had to crawl up the stairs? It was steep, no railing. They never mentioned that aspect as the episode went on. WTF??? Granted, I am old and don't like stairs, BUT ... how the hell would they transport anything?--groceries? furniture? themselves?

Oh, that's right. They practically had to crawl up those stairs. The place was furnished, so I guess no need for more furniture, but groceries would be a hassle.

[abbyzenn]

Had to laugh on the Cork episode where they walk in and see the "tiny" living room and then there's a bonus room that appears bigger.  Kept harping about the tiny living room - well you know what you could have made that a playroom/guest room and used that bonus room (which appeared to have a door to the back yard) the living room.   Just because the people in the house before used it as a living room doesn't mean YOU have to.  Plus that kitchen/dining area looked very large and could certainly have been also a den or play room.

Enjoyed the Cork and The Hague episodes.  The Hague couple seemed very immature.

[laredhead]

Abbyzenn, I was talking back to the TV when I saw that the bonus room looked larger than the living room.  That would have been a good solution.  People seem to have no imagination.  It's your house, so use the rooms for whatever you want.  Probably would be a little awkward to switch the bathroom and kitchen uses, but the other rooms, go for it.  Saw an episode of regular HH's where the family turned the dining room into a bedroom (temporarily) for the oldest child.

[TVForever]

France to Budapest:

I wonder why it wasn't mentioned at all that we saw this couple years ago when they first moved to France, looking for a place with a gitte. If I remember correctly, they were also in a "Where are they now?" episode. I liked the third house best, but the location of the second house was better for them, and it was an okay house too. Interesting business model.

[buttercupia]

that  budapest woman and her poo-well.  ugh.

[mojito]

South France to Budapest:

The woman was pretty tiresome with her demand for a pool. Hungary gets 3 months of temps topping out at 75? She'd probably want a heated pool. Kept staring at her nose, especially from the side. Classic model. 

Wonder what languages the kids speak? They seemed to want to send them to an international school. 

I'd like to watch a sit-down show featuring Adrian Leeds, this real estate agent, and that thick-bearded guy in the UK. Would love to hear their comments about American renters/buyers.

[Spunkygal]

Sadly, I think I know what Adrian Leeds and Richard Blanco would say of American clients.....probably the same exasperated opinion I have of them! But I would watch a show with only these two realtors. They are darling!

[Shibori]

7 hours ago, buttercupia said:

that  budapest woman and her poo-well.  ugh.

I never want to hear that word spoken again.  I'm glad she didn't get one. 

[chocolatine]

I don't understand the Budapest couple's "language immersion" business model. Parents who want their kids to experience language immersion usually send them to a country where that language is spoken. But the woman appeared to be teaching English, so why do the (presumably local) children she's teaching have to sleep at her house?

[Thumper]

I didn't even see the whole episode tonight, but just had to giggle about this one with a couple plus child moving to Austria.  Dad says "you know Campbell (child less than one year old) likes city living."   HaHaHaHaHaaaaaah!   Please.

[chocolatine]

1 minute ago, Thumper said:

I didn't even see the whole episode tonight, but just had to giggle about this one with a couple plus child moving to Austria.  Dad says "you know Campbell (child less than one year old) likes city living."   HaHaHaHaHaaaaaah!   Please.

Is that a new one or a repeat? I'm in the NYC area and I didn't get any new HH/HHI episodes tonight.

[doodlebug]

8 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Is that a new one or a repeat? I'm in the NYC area and I didn't get any new HH/HHI episodes tonight.

It looked to be a new one and the guy came off like a real jerk, insisting that living within short walking distance from his job was more important than comfort for his wife and baby. Even though he eventually agreed to the one with a 10 minute (!) commute, he still acted like it was a huge concession on his part.  For myself, sharing a bedroom with a toddler would get real old real fast.

I know the drama is all made for TV and they already had chosen before filming, but I don't know why he'd be ok with being portrayed like that.

[chessiegal]

I think all the HH/HHI shows last night were repeats - that's what my online guide said. Took me awhile to realize they had a Halloween theme going on - no one could have died in the house (ghosts), safety during a zombie apocalypse, neighboring cemetery, and so on.

[Irlandesa]

16 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Is that a new one or a repeat? I'm in the NYC area and I didn't get any new HH/HHI episodes tonight.

There were two HIH episodes last night.  I think the first was new but the Salzburg episode was a repeat. It was new to me, though!  I'm surprised there was no Sound of Music reference.  It's such a beautiful area.  But yes, the husband cracked me up with his "ten minutes on a bus" oh no!  I don't even think 20 minutes on a train is terrible depending on where you're dropped off and how often those train runs.