House Hunters International - General Discussion

[slasherboy]

2 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Go to a cafe or park if you want to people watch. Oh, wait, she would need to leave the apartment!  ?

She could watch people on TV then she wouldn't even have to leave her bed.

[juliet73]

Valencia ep: wife didn't like the first apt because it was too "Spanish!" Ugh!!!!! She was so obsessed about having an oven, but at the end of the show, it was mentioned that she didn't even know how to cook!  From the looks of those cookies(?), it was obvious!

Edited July 1, 2018 by juliet73

[Scout Finch]

Handsome Paul from Bern and the real estate agent in Japan who looked so much like one of the Beatles definitely kept my interest during those episodes!

[Blue997]

Valencia: those cookies were messed up. I felt bad for the woman though, I'd imagine moving to a foreign country is super stressful and it looks like she was having a cold sore outbreak during filming. Not ideal!

It was interesting that the cold sore seemed to be resolving on the "2 month" follow up. Don't they usually get better in more like 1-2 weeks? 

Edited July 2, 2018 by Blue997

[debraran]

33 minutes ago, Blue997 said:

Valencia: those cookies were messed up. I felt bad for the woman though, I'd imagine moving to a foreign country is super stressful and it looks like she was having a cold sore outbreak during filming. Not ideal!

It was interesting that the cold sore seemed to be resolving on the "2 month" follow up. Don't they usually get better in more like 1-2 weeks? 

I was told they film the f/up at the same time usually so maybe some makeup helped too. At least it was this way with a friend of a friend and someone on youtube who told her story.

[Kohola3]

Are you saying that the timelines are fake?  Gasp (clutching pearls)!

[Koalagirl]

On 6/30/2018 at 2:07 PM, mojito said:

TX to Valencia, Spain

Good grief. The wife, describing her desire for a balcony said something like, "I'd like to people watch and experience the culture without even having to leave the apartment." Wanted her to smack her. She was quite the dud while he was a guy with a little flair (loved his hat). Him: "feeling of Valencia" ad nauseam. Her: "people watch" ad nauseam.

And that damned oven...If you like to cook, why don't you take this opportunity to learn to cook the way the people of the region do, the people who apparently aren't big into ovens. 

Because then she would have to get off of the balcony and actually meet people instead of watch people in order to take cooking lessons.

[AlleC17]

1 hour ago, Koalagirl said:

Because then she would have to get off of the balcony and actually meet people instead of watch people in order to take cooking lessons.

And she might have to actually learn some Spanish...the horrors! 

[LittleIggy]

Antwerp: Guess the water heater in the bedroom wasn’t too loud after all.

[mojito]

I wish they'd stop with these tiresome demands:

* outdoor "space"

* large closets

* bath tub

* open floor plan

* large kitchen with a refrigerator not reminiscent of the one they had in college and an OVEN

 

I'd say that they should stay home, but it's just as well that these characters are over there instead.

[laredhead]

Mojito, add "water view" to that list.  I'm doing a lot of catching up on watching HHI episodes that I recorded.  Just watched one last night about the couple moving to Edinburgh, Scotland with their dog.  The fact that they let their dog get on the beds in each of the apartments was bad enough, but that woman must have said "water view" nine million times, and then you heard it all over again in the recaps.  Even the realtor was put out by her insistence on a water view when he told her it was impossible with all of the other things they wanted.  The funniest line was the realtor saying that he didn't think the dog cared about a water view.

[sempervivum]

Antwerp- Another annoying wife. This time she sneers at the beautiful wide pine floors in the place they ultimately picked: they're just 'old', you know. Not like that simply divine (already outdated) grey laminate floor in the modern apartment, sheesh. 

What was with her allegedly Belgian husband, who sure sounded like he was raised in the US-he spoke with not even the slightest accent. And why on earth were they down in the sewer system? I've seen a few of those in Europe that are actually interesting looking, but this wasn't one of them.

[biakbiak]

Just now, sempervivum said:

This time she sneers at the beautiful wide pine floors in the place they ultimately picked: they're just 'old', you know.

To be fair she was specifically talking about fairly large holes in the floor, not the look of them. 

[jcbrown]

7 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

To be fair she was specifically talking about fairly large holes in the floor, not the look of them. 

Yes. And he complained because the old floors in the old building creaked. Hell, my new wood floors have places that creak.

I thought the husband was a bit of an Eeyore and they were both a little off. It seemed like the descriptor they both used most was "weird," which, considering he was Belgian, was, well, weird, since wouldn't he have been in Belgian apartments before?

Edited July 3, 2018 by jcbrown

[Kohola3]

11 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

Hell, my new wood floors have places that creak.

Lord, yes. Wood creaks. Live with it.

[sempervivum]

15 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

To be fair she was specifically talking about fairly large holes in the floor, not the look of them

In my world (lives in 150-year old house) 'large holes' are ones you can get your foot caught in, or the cat can fall into. Those little things she was appalled by were cosmetic : )

[biakbiak]

Just now, sempervivum said:

large holes' are ones you can get your foot caught i

 One of them your foot could have definitely gotten caught in, or at least my foot would have gotten caught in it because I am a klutz.

[jcbrown]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

In my world (lives in 150-year old house) 'large holes' are ones you can get your foot caught in, or the cat can fall into. Those little things she was appalled by were cosmetic : )

I am owned by and love three cats but the image of a cat falling into a hole in the floor cracked me up for some reason.

I lived in a place in college where my foot went through the wood floor because the end of the plank I stepped on flipped down and the other one flipped up. Now that is a wood floor to complain about.

[suebee12]

2 hours ago, sempervivum said:

What was with her allegedly Belgian husband, who sure sounded like he was raised in the US-he spoke with not even the slightest accent.

I was wondering about this also! No accent I could pick up(and the realtor did have an accent that sounded like someone from Belgium should have)plus he used several slang terms that were definitely American. Wonder what the true story is?

[mojito]

Quote

Wonder what the true story is?

Maybe raised by American/Canadian parents?

[chocolatine]

8 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I thought the husband was a bit of an Eeyore and they were both a little off. It seemed like the descriptor they both used most was "weird," which, considering he was Belgian, was, well, weird, since wouldn't he have been in Belgian apartments before?

 

I thought they were both a little off as well. They're young newlyweds, yet I saw no chemistry between them whatsoever. No handholding, no kissing/hugging when they made a decision, they barely even looked at one another.

On a shallow note, the Antwerp episode felt like one long Ikea commercial. I usually spot one or two Ikea pieces in some of the European episodes, but in this one, two of the apartments had 3-4 Ikea pieces each.

Edited July 4, 2018 by chocolatine

[Bastet]

8 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

They're young newlyweds, yet I saw no chemistry between them whatsoever. No handholding, no kissing/hugging when they made a decision, they barely even looked at one another.

I didn't see the episode, so they may very well have given me an odd vibe, too, but I don't hold hands with a partner (what, is one of us a child prone to wandering off?) and I probably wouldn't kiss one if I knew we had a camera on us, especially under circumstances as staged as pretending they'd just made the decision.  You'd never be able to tell my intimate connection to/physical chemistry with someone based on how I'd act under these circumstances.

[Irlandesa]

10 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Yes. And he complained because the old floors in the old building creaked. Hell, my new wood floors have places that creak.

I thought the husband was a bit of an Eeyore and they were both a little off. It seemed like the descriptor they both used most was "weird," which, considering he was Belgian, was, well, weird, since wouldn't he have been in Belgian apartments before?

I also thought it was funny he said the fridge was small.  European refrigerators, especially in apartments, tend to be small...which he should know.

9 hours ago, sempervivum said:

In my world (lives in 150-year old house) 'large holes' are ones you can get your foot caught in, or the cat can fall into. Those little things she was appalled by were cosmetic : )

If it's big enough for me to drop my keys into it, it's a problem and not charm.  ( I couldn't purposely toss a beanbag into a hole during a beanbag toss but give me a huge room with a tiny hole and I will drop my keys exactly there.)

8 hours ago, suebee12 said:

I was wondering about this also! No accent I could pick up(and the realtor did have an accent that sounded like someone from Belgium should have)plus he used several slang terms that were definitely American. Wonder what the true story is?

He could be American/Canadian but it's also possible he could have studied in the US.  (Another theory about accents is that many Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish speakers watch English TV in the original language and therefore pick up on the sounds.)  They did meet at a Super Bowl party, after all.  That suggests he probably spent some time here.

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

I didn't see the episode, so they may very well have given me an odd vibe, too, but I don't hold hands with a partner (what, is one of us a child prone to wandering off?) and I probably wouldn't kiss one if I knew we had a camera on us, especially under circumstances as staged as pretending they'd just made the decision.  You'd never be able to tell my intimate connection to/physical chemistry with someone based on how I'd act under these circumstances.

I agree.  I actually thought they seemed similar enough that I believed them as a couple.  I also didn't think they were super young either.  Young?  For sure but I would peg them to be 30-ish, maybe even mid-30's.  But I missed the beginning explanation.  All I know is that she was in Antwerp for some educational program.  I read that as being a graduate degree but perhaps I was mistaken.

[LittleIggy]

Merida: I googled and found an article about how Tommo and Megsy ?monetize their food blogging so I don’t get why their budget was so low. The courtyards without pools looked as if they had black mold growing on the walls. And, hey, if a room looks blah, you can decorate it! Duh. ? 

[LennieBriscoe]

Merida: IMO, the pool trumped the restaurant kitchen. But every choice was on a rather depressing street. 

[biakbiak]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

googled and found an article about how Tommo and Megsy ?monetize their food blogging so I don’t get why their budget was so low.

I imagine because they continue to travel and this is just their home base so they want to save money for their travels and not be spending a ton when they aren’t there. Here is their website. They also have a podcast.

[KLovestoShop]

The Merida couple certainly have a very nice website.  But for me, any place where mold of any kind takes over a space, I'm outta there.  I know that they're in a beach community, but that black mold on the outside walls was scary, and I can't believe that mold isn't inside the house.  The one apartment where the landlord wouldn't take care of the nasty peeling paint just turned me off.  I guess the landlords in places like that can rent whatever shithole they own.  

Edited July 6, 2018 by KLovestoShop

[LittleIggy]

The black mold really grossed me out. It was the first thing I noticed when they went outside, yet nobody mentioned it. I couldn’t tell if the garden space with the pool had mold but, it was certainly more inviting than those moldy, concrete yards. That house had a nicely painted facade unlike the other houses.

Edited July 5, 2018 by LittleIggy

[mojito]

Nomads in Merida

Every place was way too ghetto for me.  I would've  remained a nomad.

[Pickles]

I really liked the American couple (and their daughter) tonight moving from London to Paris for the wife's job. They were really likable. I looked up the wife and they are now living in Amsterdam! What a wonderful experience being able to live in all of those different European cities. I hope the daughter is happy. I know they mentioned that she was not thrilled about the moving around, but at least she got a dog.

[KLovestoShop]

I didn't care for the American couple in France.  Their poor daughter being dragged along because of their wanderlust just didn't seem fair.  How does she make friends and learn to socialize without stability?  I know I wouldn't be happy moving from place to place and not setting down roots.  And no pet would make up for instability.  Is it just me, or did the parents seem old?  And when you look at the parents, they sure looked more like brother and sister----almost looked like twins.  And really, a stripper pole?  He seemed to really like the tacky bada-bing factor.  I did love the Bernese Mountain Dog. 

Edited July 6, 2018 by KLovestoShop

[Babalooie]

9 hours ago, Pickles said:

they are now living in Amsterdam!

Yes, I came here to say the same thing.  They didn't last long in France.  He liked London, but got into the French groove.  I guess he didn't groove for very long before he got into the Amsterdam coffee shop/get hit by a bike vibe.  I liked the house choice.

[Pickles]

9 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I didn't care for the American couple in France.  Their poor daughter being dragged along because of their wanderlust just didn't seem fair.  How does she make friends and learn to socialize without stability?  I know I wouldn't be happy moving from place to place and not setting down roots.  And no pet would make up for instability.  Is it just me, or did the parents seem old?  And when you look at the parents, they sure looked more like brother and sister----almost looked like twins.  And really, a stripper pole?  He seemed to really like the tacky bada-bing factor.  I did love the Bernese Mountain Dog. 

I didn't really see it as wanderlust. The wife has a big job at a software company and I am assuming these moves were advancing her career. The couple truly did seem to love their daughter and want the best for her. Private schools and horses sound pretty nice to me, but I am not the daughter. The parents did seem older. Didn't they say they met online something like 15 years ago? So, then they had a later in life baby. I think I liked the husband because he said he would have been very happy living in London forever. I also love London, so could relate to that statement.

[doodlebug]

7 minutes ago, Pickles said:

I didn't really see it as wanderlust. The wife has a big job at a software company and I am assuming these moves were advancing her career. The couple truly did seem to love their daughter and want the best for her. Private schools and horses sound pretty nice to me, but I am not the daughter. The parents did seem older. Didn't they say they met online something like 15 years ago? So, then they had a later in life baby. I think I liked the husband because he said he would have been very happy living in London forever. I also love London, so could relate to that statement.

Yes, I saw it as the wife having a career that required living overseas and frequent moves for advancement.  It happens, lots of kids have the same issues and their parents don't have the resources hers do (military families, for example).  The girl was going to a private international school where there were undoubtedly plenty of other kids in the same boat, she has access to horses and riding; she's going to meet a lot of other kids and learn how to make friends.  Also, Paris and London are only 3 hours apart by chunnel, she's old enough to be able to hop the train and visit friends on weekends and holidays.  Her parents seem to be very aware of the difficulties her mother's career presents and are more than willing to help her adjust.

I, too, love London and would be thrilled to live there, but Paris ain't bad, either.

[Vivigirl10]

I thought the couple was a bit odd with each other and there may have been some festering resentment there.  When they were in the carriage house above the horse stables, the wife said maybe he could live there and she and the daughter could live somewhere else.  It didn't come across as light-hearted but rather pretty mean spirited.  And the face he made in response kind of said it all.  Uncomfortable. 

[MarthaEllisanne]

I was impressed that a female of a certain age held what seemed to be a highly-placed job in the software industry; those jobs seem to be dominated by young men, so good on the wife.  She was likable enough.  The husband came off as the guy you do not want to get stuck with at a party - you'd probably have to listen to the plot of the book he is writing all evening.  It can be hard on kids, especially teenagers, to move around, but the experience will probably benefit the daughter greatly in her future.   

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, MarthaEllisanne said:

I was impressed that a female of a certain age held what seemed to be a highly-placed job in the software industry; those jobs seem to be dominated by young men, so good on the wife.  She was likable enough.  The husband came off as the guy you do not want to get stuck with at a party - you'd probably have to listen to the plot of the book he is writing all evening.  It can be hard on kids, especially teenagers, to move around, but the experience will probably benefit the daughter greatly in her future.   

He seemed like the kind of guy who thinks he's a lot funnier than he actually is.

[LittleIggy]

My heart didn’t break for pauvre Mina. Due to my father’s job, as a child to age 18 we moved about every two years and not to glamorous places like London and Paris. We sometimes had to move in the middle of the school year, so no tears from me. As the real estate agent (hasn’t she been on there before) said, she is a princess. BTW, when I saw the intro, I thought Mina was their granddaughter.

[LittleIggy]

On 7/6/2018 at 12:16 AM, KLovestoShop said:

I didn't care for the American couple in France.  Their poor daughter being dragged along because of their wanderlust just didn't seem fair.  How does she make friends and learn to socialize without stability?  

 

I learned to socialize just fine. 

Perth: Were the vet and the pediatrician buying the home together? The MD kept talking about his time there being vacation time. I’m glad they got the place close to the DVM’s work. That was the top of the list consideration. Oh, I want to pet wallabies!

Edited July 7, 2018 by LittleIggy

[Rosebud1970]

On 6/22/2018 at 9:15 PM, LittleIggy said:

I can’t believe that she is so freaking invaluable to the place she works at that they would let her work from Spain. BTW, isn’t Stiges where the redhead widow with the two young boys moved?

For $50 more a month she should have let her husband have the decent kitchen since that was his profession.

And it was the only kitchen with gas burners, which he clearly wanted. As well as being right on the beach. Her, with 'what difference does it make if it's gas? It all tastes the same.' She certainly doesn't look like she's all that indifferent to food.

And her carping about he beachfront apartment being over budget. Yeah, OK. By all of $50! I really did not like her at all.  She's overbearing and obnoxious.

[doodlebug]

26 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

I learned to socialize just fine. 

Perth: Were the vet and the pediatrician buying the home together? The MD kept talking about his time there being vacation time. I’m glad they got the pace close to the DVM’s work. That was the top of the list consideration. Oh, I want to pet wallabies!

Yeah, they’re planning to be married.  The one guy is a vet who specializes in dermatology (who knew?) while the other was an MD in family practice. They both live in California most of the year, but the vet owns part of a clinic in Australia and practices there part of the year.  For an MD with a US medical degree to go to Australia and practice medicine probably would probably mean he’d have to repeat his residency which is several years of training; so he cannot practice medicine  there.

The medical system and the way docs practice in Australia is very different than in the US and he probably, at his age, doesn’t want to jump through hoops for it.

[LennieBriscoe]

London to Paris: Man, I got a serious vibe of resentment throughout from the no-job, "I guess small bathrooms are French" husband!

[ML89]

Cruise ship to Merida: I got tickled at the tiny cruise ship in the ocean as their "start" location - whoever does the graphics for HHI is terrific. But yeah, I'd've remained a nomad with those choices. 

London to Paris - as ugly American as it might have been, I was with the guy on the bathrooms. I didn't really like the whole set of them but I was with him on that front. That was the best they could do for that much money? See also Perth below.

Ossinging to Surrey - that house with the ferry was crazy. I'd be worried that my laundry would fall into my cooking.

Irvine to Perth - I cannot believe the amount of money that place cost, when it really wasn't much of anything. I did like it best of the three.

16 hours ago, doodlebug said:

The one guy is a vet who specializes in dermatology (who knew?) while the other was an MD in family practice. T

Agree on the who knew, I had no idea. They were a fun couple with that line about being fixed up because they were the only gay men all the friends knew.

[Kohola3]

Vets who specialize in dermatology also treat animal allergies.  My dog has been seeing a derm for many years and gets allergy shots!

[debraran]

On 7/6/2018 at 9:40 AM, doodlebug said:

Yes, I saw it as the wife having a career that required living overseas and frequent moves for advancement.  It happens, lots of kids have the same issues and their parents don't have the resources hers do (military families, for example).  The girl was going to a private international school where there were undoubtedly plenty of other kids in the same boat, she has access to horses and riding; she's going to meet a lot of other kids and learn how to make friends.  Also, Paris and London are only 3 hours apart by chunnel, she's old enough to be able to hop the train and visit friends on weekends and holidays.  Her parents seem to be very aware of the difficulties her mother's career presents and are more than willing to help her adjust.

I, too, love London and would be thrilled to live there, but Paris ain't bad, either.

I felt you could see the "real" issues weren't. For a teen to even be on the show, she was cool with it and I felt sorry for her for a second when the realtor said she was "difficult" too with demands...it was lame though and something to laugh at with her friends.  I did think they'd go with the third apartment with horses for a while but the first home suited them.  I agree, if the daughter was younger, 10, it would be harder but she'll be around International kids her age and her parents have money to afford that school. With the Internet, trains, etc., you never are as far as years ago. I met a girl in grade school who's dad traveled all the time in the military. We had to write and that always died off after a while, but did look forward to the mail back then.

Edited July 8, 2018 by debraran

[LittleIggy]

Amsterdam to Dublin: The baby was so cute. Loved how big fridges and grills were termed “American.” ?

[LittleIggy]

Madrid: More teaching mill teachers! I liked the apartment they picked. It was cute. 

[sempervivum]

Madrid- Another big oaf who throws himself onto random sofas and beds, another wife who thinks she can only 'experience' a new culture by living in the city center, because of course there is NO Spanish culture outside the city limits.

That place with the street-level windows was frightening; what would they do in the event of a fire? Those windows all had metal grates that didn't look like they could be opened.

[laredhead]

Harking back to the Merida episode about the food/travel bloggers, I finally watched it last night.  I saw the discoloration on the outside courtyard walls.  That might have been mildew and not black mold.  I don't know what the year round climate and humidity levels are in Merida, but here in south Louisiana, if you have a white or light colored stucco/brick/plaster wall, you are going to see what we refer to as mildew.  A yearly pressure wash with bleach will take care of it instantly.  High humidity and shade are great combinations for it.  I didn't see any evidence of it inside any of the houses, which was good.  The peeling paint was not so good.  Interesting that the landlords there just take the rent $$, but don't provide basic maintenance.  Wonder what happens if there is a plumbing problem or something really expensive happens. 

I'm glad he got a well equipped kitchen, and she gave in on the pool requirement.

[StatisticalOutlier]

8 hours ago, sempervivum said:

That place with the street-level windows was frightening; what would they do in the event of a fire? Those windows all had metal grates that didn't look like they could be opened.

Run like hell out the door? 

I noticed they were riding around Madrid in a Go Car.  Mr. Outlier and I got one in San Francisco and it was more fun than a person should be allowed to have.  Of course, we were cheating the system there because being motorized on those hills is the height of luxury, but even on the flats, it was a gas.  I'd noticed that they have them in some kind of random places, including Spain.  If you're ever somewhere they have them, do it.

Did they ever say where their jobs were?  That's one thing that bugs me, kind of like not mentioning HOA fees.  The house out in the sticks may be a few hundred dollars less, and it may be convenient to mass transit, but that mass transit isn't going to be free.  If you have to take it every day to get to work, then it's going to add up, especially if two people are using it daily.  If one option has you paying for transit every day from the suburbs and the other option doesn't because you can walk or bike, then that could be a significant difference in how much the apartment actually costs you to live there.